High school reunion

L-R: Natasha, Brooke (and Teja), Michael, Me, and Tiffany

August 8, 2009
I don't feel so bad about skipping out on my 10 year high school reunion after tonight. A few of my friends got together, after way too many years of not seeing each other, for a BBQ at our house. I wish everyone could have come! I had a great time gabbing with the girls (and Michael) again. I think everyone has friends that mean different things to them... you know you've got the friends that you can gripe about work to, the ones you know will never leave you, friends that you share secrets with, study group buddies (thank heavens those days are over finally), friends that are perfect for vacationing or playing with, and some that you can still talk about "boys" er husbands to. These friends have fulfilled all of these at one point or another in my life and I've really missed them! We even had a few old photos to laugh at, well more like gag at! Why on earth did we think we looked cool? Geez someone please tell me I look better in real life! Even with a few extra pounds, babies, and new life experiences it's nice to know you still have friends who were there with you during those awkward years of pimples, broken hearts, and growing pains... and they still like you!

International festival

August 7, 2009
The Summerfest International is the one city-sponsored event that we actually look forward to at the park. We don't mind the traffic, noise, and people because it's our favorite FREE summer event to go to. Every year dozens of groups from all over the world come and perform for three days, not to mention all the food and booths to shop at. It's really neat to see the different cultures and I love all the traditional costumes. Some countries, like China and South Korea, have really bright colored outfits and are very intricate with beading, flowers, etc. Other countries like Spain and Hungary are more "plain" with tons of layers of skirts, petticoats, shawls, etc. The music is always interesting because most bring these funky instruments I've never seen before. This year my favorite performance was an American Indian hoop dance. It was totally crazy to see this guy dance with what must have been at least 30 hoops. He made all kinds of things from flowers, to eagles, and even a cowboy riding a horse with the hoops. I couldn't believe how he jumped in and out of all them so fast. China and South Korea's performances were also really neat...except for the see-through outfits that China wore. You wouldn't have noticed a few seat back but since we got front row seats, Jeff quickly pointed out that one of the girls had a big smiley face on her undies! Nice!

I yearn, but only occasionally

August 6, 2009
So my yearning for re-connecting with old friends has continued to enrich my life! I know it sounds really cheesy but it's true! It's been really fun seeing friends that meant so much to me growing up, who shared secrets, laughs, fun times, and who knew a part of me that most people I'm around now don't. So today I met my friend from middle/high school for lunch. Natasha and I only work a few blocks from each other - and have for three years now - and haven't ever gotten together until today. It's fun seeing how much my friends' lives have changed, what accomplishments they've made, and how they don't look a day older than high school (ok, so maybe we look a little older but we're still smokin' hot, right!?). We had a great time chatting and catching up. The self-portrait I took just doesn't do it justice!

Lifelong learning

August 5, 2009
Buried somewhere in the magazine basket amongst the Better Home & Garden magazines, the camera's how-to-manual (which I finished reading but still don't know how to take a good picture yet), photo albums, and the TOH magazines is the Ensign. I admit, I hardly ever read the entire magazine from cover to cover, like I know I should. Heck, most of the time I don't even remember where I put it so I tend to frantically search the house 30 minutes before my visiting teaching appointments, which I don't even make...Carol does...every single month. Carol is an older lady who I affectionately referred to as the "Visiting Teaching Nazi" for a few months because she knew I struggled to do my visiting teaching every month and I'm pretty sure self-assigned herself to me to teach me how it should be done. Rain, snow, sleet, or shine Carol goes each month with or without me. I'd probably never tell her this but I'm thankful she has drug me reluctantly around the ward meeting new ladies. This month is it was my turn to give the lesson so I flipped to the V.T. message and read all the thoughts about lifelong learning - both secular and spiritual. Then I flipped to the an article about being a stay-at-home mom again. Seemed to be sending two different messages to me but then I thought about my friend Kami. I basically steal all her good ideas and really admire her. She worked with me for several years then quit to stay at home with her three boys. She is constantly learning new things, and for someone who tends to think about learning and education as only a college degree, I have been so amazed at how she continues to grow and develop. She's taken photography classes, Photoshop classes, learned how to bake bread, garden, and raise chickens. It never really dawned on me how important it is to develop talents and "mom/wifish" talents at that. Sure I want to be good at mom/wife stuff like cooking, sewing, gardening, baking, etc but I have never put as much effort into it as I have with school. I think the real reason I secretly enjoy visiting teaching is because I always get more out of the lessons than I know the sisters we visit do. I guess my last round of college was just the beginning of my education on this earth. Hopefully, though none of my future learning endeavors require a midterm!

3-D

August 4, 2009
Did you know they make 3-D sidewalk chalk? Our awesome neighbors bought Pearl a "sidewalk chalk present" full of cool 3-D glasses, stencils, and other fancy tools to create a masterpiece on the driveway. I know you're all jealous! After three rounds of timeout because Pearl refused to sit at the table, fold her arms, and pray before dinner, we finally emerged as a happy family (well, I still had a few tears welling up) for our picnic and sidewalk chalk fun. I think Jeff had more fun with the new toys than Pearl did, probably because Pearl kept putting her 3-D glasses on upside down and crashing into the garage door with them on. The best part of the whole evening though, according to Jeff at least - I was just glad Pearl had stopped screaming at us, was when I walked over and looked at his drawings of himself and Pearl then said I was sure glad he hadn't drawn one of me. Well, I turned around and saw "Mom" written right next to the monkey he had drawn for Pearl earlier. At least it made Jeff laugh!

After two years, a first for us

August 3, 2009
We had a first on the way home from Bear Lake... a total blowout in the car seat. Never in her two years of life has Pearl actually pooped in her car seat bad enough to require a hose down as soon as we got home. Now I'm not saying she hasn't had her share of explosions but we've somehow lucked out and contained them to my pants or shirt, the floor, her bed, the bouncy chair, and the bath tub. Since the car seat was immediately set outside to dry after the thorough rinsing (thanks Jeff!), we sort of forgot about it until tonight when Pearl decided it would be a perfect spot to drink her Capri Sun after jumping in her pool. Guess it's going to be sitting out all day again 'cause it's once again soaking wet from Pearl's bum!

D. A. R.

August 2, 2009
In all my 28 years of playing at Bear Lake, I have never seen such morons as we did today! Nor have we ever been so entertained on a Sunday evening before. I'm not sure who spotted it first, but the neighbors to the North of us had been driving up and down the beach all day. It soon became obvious why. The morons thought they could launch their jet skis off a sand dune in the lake. Now I had walked on said sand dune earlier in the day and sank pretty quickly. I know I'm heavier than years past but I definitely don't weigh as much as a 2 ton truck (and what looked like a pretty new one at that). We almost didn't believe what we were seeing when the truck sank in the lake!!! Yep, it sank. Right up to the headlights. They got an old, rusted tractor down to the beach pretty quick but then stopped whatever rescue attempt they had started. We couldn't figure out if the tractor got stuck too or if they just didn't have a long enough chain. Well, after a few hours of sitting in the water, they finally got a chain long enough and the tractor going. Within just a few seconds that little rusted-out tractor had pulled the truck out of the lake and onto solid ground. My brother, Jesse, has since decided to open up a new business called (pardon my French) "Dumb Ass Rescue" and make bucko bucks off the next moron who decides to sink their truck in the lake!