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August 29, 2009
We went to Cherry Hill Resort today with Jeff's family. After a day of swimming, I've come to the conclusion that tan fat is better than white fat...and sadly, I'm in the latter category (as is obvious to everyone blinded by looking at this picture - which I'm sorry that we aren't looking at the camera at all)! Seriously, I'm all for self-confidence but some people need to tone it down a bit with the flaunting what your mamma gave ya stuff! Beside the gross recognition that I either need to lay out more or work out, we had a blast! I think the last time I went to Cherry Hill was when I was 14 and could actually pull off a swimming suit. We floated on the lazy river, went down the pirate ship slide with Pearl, taught her to say "Arrr Matey!" when she wanted to go over to the kid's pirate cove area, went on the Double Dragons slides (but only twice because Pearl was sort of freaked out at the end when it goes totally dark), and ditched Pearl with Grandma to go down the tube rapids. I admit I was a tad worried when this family get-together started because there were clouds in the sky and it wasn't as hot as we had expected but it turned out to be a beautiful day. We all left happy and totally wiped out! Here's hoping the exhaustion equals a morning of sleeping in tomorrow.
August 28, 2009
This is what happens when you played at the park for over two hours during lunch, baked banana bread (seriously, Pearl baked it and well...the house smelled good at least), and missed your regular nap time by a good two hours.
August 27, 2009
Pearl and I messed around tonight. First at the park by the fire station then at the post office. I'm pretty sure we broke some sort of city ordinance by splashing in the fountains and throwing flowers in the water - ok so that was just Pearl but I didn't really stop her from doing it - not to mention we undoubtedly tested our luck with catching some weird foot fungus but at least this time Pearl didn't end up soaking her clothes and riding home in the stroller wearing only her diaper. I typically avoid walking anywhere near the post office for this very reason but tonight figured, what the heck...you only live once, right? Then instead of posting a picture straight off the camera, I messed around in Photoshop and came up with this new look. I think we just might have to mess around again sometime!
August 26, 2009
Where was this happy little face yesterday? Apparently we just need to stay home and break out the sidewalk chalk to have a good time.
August 25, 2009
I got these 2-for-1 tickets to the Bees games today and thought it would be a fun way to spend the evening as a family. Boy was I wrong!!! I should have known my brilliant plan would go totally haywire after I picked Pearl up from school. Kimmy informed me that she had been crying all day and said "good luck" as she handed her over. But I was determined to get our traditional one Bees game in for the year and have a good time while we were at it. When we got to the stadium though, just about every other family in Salt Lake had the same idea we did. We turned around and Pearl started yelling, crying, telling us no... you get the picture. Jeff thought some good ole' fashioned bribery to get ice cream would work but Pearl had other plans. We ended up leaving the ice cream place in a hurry, screaming two-year-old in tow. As we were driving home, Pearl kept telling Jeff "sorry Daddy" over and over again in this little quivering voice. I was totally impressed that Jeff stuck to his guns and didn't cave into the repeated "I sorry Daddy," even if she just wanted his ice cream. We're both hoping the teenage years go a little smoother than tonight... but we aren't holding our breath!
August 24, 2009
I blogged before about Keifer, a teen killed in a car crash and whose mom I had the wonderful blessing of working with on the Zero Fatalities: Sixteen reasons why zero is the only acceptable number booklet. Well tonight we had a meeting with the parents who lost a teen in a motor vehicle crash last year - which is where I got these flowers. Keifer's mom and two other parents who worked with us on the booklet last year came too. The last couple of weeks as I've read through the new stories and looked at the pictures of these young kids who died because they or someone else was driving stupid, the emotions of working with the families again and knowing that my life will be impacted in some small way by their lives weighed heavily on my mind. I almost didn't want to do this again but knew it was the right thing to do. At the meeting, I couldn't help it and cried right there in front of my co-workers and families much stronger than me who were telling their stories. When I saw Keifer's mom I just couldn't hold back anymore... his face is the one I see anytime I catch myself doing something stupid in the car. I am so grateful to be a small part in these families' healing process and want them to know that their children have not died in vain. Even if I'm the only one who has changed the way I drive, I want them to know their willingness to open their hearts to others was worth it. Stay tuned for the new booklet on October 20, 2009.
August 23, 2009
I'll admit upfront that this wasn't one of my finest mom moments and I know I'll be getting flak from a few of you for taking this shot, but when you can capture in a single picture how we all felt at one time or another this weekend (well, maybe not how Jeff felt) you just can't pass it up! After three days of dirt, campfires, cozy sleeping bags, searching for "baby deer", skipping rocks, and praying you don't get eaten by bears (the warning sign screwed right into the picnic table sort of freaked me out), and oh yeah, waking up to rain the day you're supposed to pack up, we were ready to go home. Let me clarify my actions by saying that I wasn't the cause of the tears. Pearl tripped and totally face planted it in the cold mud as we were taking down the tent. As I was getting out the towels to dry her off, I couldn't help but think how cute she was, mud all over her face (and coat, hands, pants, shoes, etc) and all. So I grabbed the camera and took a picture. What you don't see in this picture is how happy she was when I let her play in the truck and eat Starbursts while we finished loading everything. Or my dread of coming home to six loads of stinky laundry.
August 22, 2009
Here is documented proof that I survived day one of camping, even if I'm in piggy tails and glasses (total side note here but Jeff teased me that it was probably the first time the "librarian" - aka me when I wear my glasses - had ventured into the wilderness). It's not that I hate camping, it's just not my cup of tea. Anyway, back to the picture. My parents and brother came by to see us this afternoon and being the now expert Uintah mountain tour guides that we are, we took them up to see the Upper Provo River Falls. Pearl seemed to really like the waterfall the day before and we thought it would help get some wiggles out before dinner and bed. The falls were really pretty and the area is great for exploring because all the rocks are laid out like one big staircase so you can climb all over the place. It wasn't hard finding a ledge to sit on but rather finding one that wasn't occupied by anyone else... that and getting all three of us to look at the camera and smile.
August 21, 2009
Since when did my baby get big enough to climb a tree stump taller than her, not to mention it was sitting on a incline which made the feat even more difficult? Honestly, I think I have mistakenly traded in my baby for a monkey (and a talkative, strong willed one at that). Besides the "baby deer," rock throwing, and "little house" (aka the tent), I think this tree stump was Pearl's favorite part about camping. Before we knew it she had claimed it as her own, even if she wimped out on getting down it on her own the first 50 fifty times she managed to pull herself on top of it.
August 20, 2009
I don't think I've won a single thing in my entire life... until today. I got this nice little note in my email saying I had won a "bonus" prize from this delectable food blog, Our Best Bites, I follow (actually Kate, one of the chefs, was my best friend in 2nd grade). I decided to test my luck with about 15,000 other people who follow their blog during the Garden Giveaway contest. Well lone and behold I actually won. My treat, freeze dried pineapple from Shelf Reliance, came today in this HUGE box! I really wasn't sure what was in it considering it was about 20 times bigger than my puny bag of pineapple. I guess this stuff (or is it the brochure that came with it) is worth more than I first thought.
August 19, 2009
I had to bring treats to staff meeting today and since I wasn't in the mood to make anything, decided to just stop by the grocery store on our way to work. I knew it would be cutting it close... I mean being to work by 9 am is a challenge some days! So I had it calculated down to the very last second when we could leave the house, with 15 minutes allotted to frantically search the isles at the store for a treat, then race back to work, drop Pearl off at school (praying that Kimmy is there so I don't have to sit with Pearl for 20 minutes until she decides it's ok for me to leave), grab my stack of notes, and run back downstairs for my meeting. We made it to the store right on schedule and after much bribery, I finally convinced Pearl to stop crying and come in with me. As we rounded the corner towards the check out stand (which BTW really sort of irked me that Smith's didn't have a single checker there that morning...all self-serve only lines even if you had coupons, checks, cash, three carts of food, etc - everyone had to go to the same spot), Pearl spied the most prized of all fruit snacks - the Disney Princesses - and screamed "Oh my GOSH!" Now if you've never heard a two year old yell "Oh my gosh!" in an excited little voice then you are missing one of life's truly greatest moments. So into the cart went the Ariel and Belle fruit snacks... which didn't even make it to the car before they had been riped open and the same little voice was yelling "Mom open!!!" I'm just glad something so little made Pearl so incredibly happy... oh and that I made it to staff meeting on time, but just barely!
August 29, 2009
