Oi!! Can I just tell you how much I love city life. Maybe not city life but city excitement. Or maybe it's more like what I get a kick out of. The public transit system (not sure that's what it's called). Enough said!
Occasionally we ride it and that is fun in itself. The crazies that board that thing are usually in their own world. Some are perves and I watch the kids like a hawk. Some are crabby, just visiting, lost, dangerous, and just plain scary. But my favorite is the driver. Sometimes they even fall into the category listed above.
Today was a sight to remember. I really wish that I had had a camera with me. I think I would have clicked away. This driver was a super diva. I'm sure she knows all her regulars by stop and maybe even by name. She was a lovely black woman with hair that could have placed her in a music video and nails to match. And what did I spy her doing but bopping along to whatever song was in her head and TEXTING!!!! In heavy traffic no less. The maneuvering of that extra long bus and texting were simultaneous magic, I tell you.
I am thankful for our super tricked out minivan that keeps our bus riding only for field trips. "Tricked out" you say...yeah!! It comes fully equipped with popcorn, fruit loops, a rock collection, an art collection and it's even a water bottle recycle center. COOL.
Anyways...Peace out bus driver. I hope I get to see you again!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Praise to the Man
This wonderful man passed away last night. My first reaction was sadness; coming from the selfish part of me. Then turned to joy for his reunion with his sweet wife. I wish I could just see a glimpse of that wonderful rejoicing.
This man is the prophet I actually started to listen to. I was a teenager when he became our prophet. He prompted me and so many more to gain a true testimony of my own. I will always be in his debt. I have learned so much from this man.
He is the only prophet my children have known. Chloe was very sad to hear of his passing, but what a wonderful lesson to learn about eternal life. I hope that one day she will have her own prophet to urge her to find it for herself.
I love him and will miss him dearly.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Ironing shirts
In the course of nine years and eleven months of marriage I have never done the ironing. I do on occasion when we are running late for church and I need to iron kids stuff then I will offer to do Brian's as well. But I have never done the full weekly ironing load. Now believe me when I tell you that I get a lot of slack from husbands that do not belong to me! Brian thinks it is quite funny to share this with other people(only for the reaction he gets from me, of course).
Now, do not think of me as lazy, disagreeable, or even a terrible wife. I do many things on the wifely duty chart. You should rather think of me as a very clever girl for having gone this long without doing this "chore". In fact, I even included this information in my prenuptial resume.
Anyway....Friday afternoon, I decided to do my Saturday laundry to get ahead for the weekend. What a great idea!! So I got to thinking and performed a marvelous task. I IRONED!!!!!!!!!! I even think I heard the angels sing! I surprised Brian with a closet full of pre-ironed clothes for work and church. What a lucky fella.
Who new I would get such a great response from my man. I work for kisses and appreciation and I got both that day. But sadly I had to inform him not to get use to it because I remembered why I don't do it in the first place! But I will enjoy the surprise every now and then!
Now, do not think of me as lazy, disagreeable, or even a terrible wife. I do many things on the wifely duty chart. You should rather think of me as a very clever girl for having gone this long without doing this "chore". In fact, I even included this information in my prenuptial resume.
Anyway....Friday afternoon, I decided to do my Saturday laundry to get ahead for the weekend. What a great idea!! So I got to thinking and performed a marvelous task. I IRONED!!!!!!!!!! I even think I heard the angels sing! I surprised Brian with a closet full of pre-ironed clothes for work and church. What a lucky fella.
Who new I would get such a great response from my man. I work for kisses and appreciation and I got both that day. But sadly I had to inform him not to get use to it because I remembered why I don't do it in the first place! But I will enjoy the surprise every now and then!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
7-11
Last night we set out to find curtains for our Friday night activity. Now Declan has been ill for the past few days; he has spent some time with the porcelain king. He has been running into the bathroom about every thirty minutes or so. He also likes for me to sit there with him so he can lay his head on my lap. He is way to pampered.
So we were off but we begin to fear that Declan may be dehydrated and made a pit stop at the 7-11 on 16th and Thomas. I'd say on the scale of roughness it was probably a seven (as far as 7-11's go). Then Brian proceeds to ask the homeless for change and stealing their half lit cigarettes. Okay that was exaggerated for my brother's behalf, but he did go in.
As Brian is browsing the Gatorade flavors a very dingy and rough looking fella walks into the store. The clerk is on the phone not paying attention to anything. So this other guy walks behind the counter and seems to talk to himself and to my horror flashes a gun!!! What the crap!!! (Not exactly what I was saying in the moment) But ten years of marriage flash before my eyes and I am freaking out. Brian walks up front to get the o.k. on flavor choice which looks as if he is in the middle of a stick up(both hands up in the air). Could he really have missed all this while deep in thought about which drink to buy? As my heart is racing Brian hands over some of the contents of his wallet (his visa card) and has a laugh and comes to the car.
Me: What the heck was that all about?
Brian: Oh, I think that guy was drunk. Why?
Me: Oh, nothing. I just thought you were going to die, that's all.
The kids: Which flavor is mine? I want grape!
I am so glad I did not have to witness the demise of my husband. That would have been a terrible way to start the shopping trip;)
We proceeded on to our various destinations and came home with five sets of curtains and even ironed, hemmed, and hung them all before crashing at midnight!!!
By the way, 7-11 is officially off the pit stop list!
I almost watched every second of my husband's ending!!
So we were off but we begin to fear that Declan may be dehydrated and made a pit stop at the 7-11 on 16th and Thomas. I'd say on the scale of roughness it was probably a seven (as far as 7-11's go). Then Brian proceeds to ask the homeless for change and stealing their half lit cigarettes. Okay that was exaggerated for my brother's behalf, but he did go in.
As Brian is browsing the Gatorade flavors a very dingy and rough looking fella walks into the store. The clerk is on the phone not paying attention to anything. So this other guy walks behind the counter and seems to talk to himself and to my horror flashes a gun!!! What the crap!!! (Not exactly what I was saying in the moment) But ten years of marriage flash before my eyes and I am freaking out. Brian walks up front to get the o.k. on flavor choice which looks as if he is in the middle of a stick up(both hands up in the air). Could he really have missed all this while deep in thought about which drink to buy? As my heart is racing Brian hands over some of the contents of his wallet (his visa card) and has a laugh and comes to the car.
Me: What the heck was that all about?
Brian: Oh, I think that guy was drunk. Why?
Me: Oh, nothing. I just thought you were going to die, that's all.
The kids: Which flavor is mine? I want grape!
I am so glad I did not have to witness the demise of my husband. That would have been a terrible way to start the shopping trip;)
We proceeded on to our various destinations and came home with five sets of curtains and even ironed, hemmed, and hung them all before crashing at midnight!!!
By the way, 7-11 is officially off the pit stop list!
I almost watched every second of my husband's ending!!
Friday, December 28, 2007
A glance at our year
This holiday season we received some very nice updates from our friends and family. So "THANKS A LOT" because Brian has been riding my B-U-T-T to do one for us. Seeing that the holiday window from not-seeming-too-tacky-to-send-it-in-the-mail is lost to me once more, I have decided to blog it!
January: Brian installed a very nice tray dishwasher for me in our very tight kitchen. It's so great because I didn't loose to much storage space. He's the man around here. I think we even painted our living room the same day. Kudos to us. We also bought two rental properties totaling seven units and a whole lot of head aches and humor.
February: Was a short month and I'm sure we went to the zoo or something. We also went up north for a spontaneous snow trip and a chilly stay in a very old cabin. The kids had so much fun sledding and playing in the snow. We also discovered that Declan is deathly afraid of the Rainforest Cafe frog.
March was a big one! I turned 29 and we celebrated our 9 year anniversary in Hawaii. That place is truly paradise and I can't wait to go back. I even snorkeled, which is huge for me since I hyperventilate over anything to do with the ocean. Although I did almost drowned my husband and cause him to be eaten by sharks. We made it home in time to meet our shipment of the best darn pineapples ever eaten. The kids spent that week with Shannon and of course did not want to come home to our boring kidless street (except for our two).
April: We experienced our first eviction and the head ache mentioned previously is finally gone! We also had to clean that gross apartment out ourselves and had quite the exciting day of finding drugs, porn (all of which we chose not to partake) and roaches that apparently have no fear of humans. UGH! A nice chat with the local policeman and a tour of the "this is how people live when they do drugs" for our five an seven year old. I am sure it had quite the impact on them. Good learning experiences are gathered under our belt and we move on to find a few decent renters.
May: Chloe turned 7 and had a very fun and low-key party. I was voted into the hell known as PTA treasurer. Brian also remodeled a kitchen at one of our apt. units and did a fabulous job as usual.
June was also quite busy. The kids were in school until the end of the second week of June and then we had some serious packing to do. We went to the beach house in New Port. We love to sit on the beach and play all day. We were even fortunate enough to take the kids and Craig to Disneyland for the day. It was a very fun trip as usual. Then I was off to girls camp as ward camp director/cabin mom. It was enjoyable but I was away from home for much too long that month.
July: Declan turned 5 and Brian turned 33. We discovered the good times at the Encanto pool and cheap pickle snacks at the pool snack bar! We definitely missed our old pool this summer. The kids also found out that they like to dive. Chloe even tried some new tricks and Brian and his dad made big splashes. Declan on the other hand made the lifeguards very nervous because he stays under much too long. The boy is a natural fish and can hold his breath like no other.
August: Brian and I decided it was the perfect weather to lay out 650 sq. feet of brick for a very spacious patio. It looks awesome and we eat out there almost every night for dinner. As for the weather it was very hot and sticky. The kids also started back to school and seem to enjoy the new year.
September feels like it just happened. Brian extended the front porch with left over brick. Very nice. Did I mention that he is the man.
October is always a fun month. How can you possibly top Halloween. Declan knew for months that he wanted to be a fire man then refused to wear the costume come trunk or treat time. Chloe was a cute little 50's gal. Brian was a Rabi and I went as a nun. The weather finally decided to cool off and our back yard got some nice green grass.
November: Okay, maybe Thanksgiving tops Halloween. This was a very relaxing month. Except for the night I almost stepped on this year's mouse. Don't worry, the sticky trap did the trick. We also discovered that a cat lives in our ceiling/attic. What the hell, just let it stay.
December: I just decided, Christmas is the best holiday. Chloe and Declan are very sweet kids and made very short and simple lists. Declan wanted a cow and some boots. Chloe wanted some LPSs and a jump rope and both wanted a scooter. How easy is that, except for the cow. They were very excited on Christmas morning but the most excitement came from the return note from Santa. Chloe couldn't believe her eyes when she read the note he left her. Brian and I got to enjoy a nice weekend alone up in snowy Salt Lake City. We also decided to get a puppy and soon decided to move her along via craigs list. And Declan unbuttoned his Sunday shirt for the the first time in his life! That was a party in itself. Chloe is a DDR maniac along with Brian and myself.
All in all it was a fabulous year and I can't wait for all the excitement to come in the new year. We hope yours is equally as exciting!
January: Brian installed a very nice tray dishwasher for me in our very tight kitchen. It's so great because I didn't loose to much storage space. He's the man around here. I think we even painted our living room the same day. Kudos to us. We also bought two rental properties totaling seven units and a whole lot of head aches and humor.
February: Was a short month and I'm sure we went to the zoo or something. We also went up north for a spontaneous snow trip and a chilly stay in a very old cabin. The kids had so much fun sledding and playing in the snow. We also discovered that Declan is deathly afraid of the Rainforest Cafe frog.
March was a big one! I turned 29 and we celebrated our 9 year anniversary in Hawaii. That place is truly paradise and I can't wait to go back. I even snorkeled, which is huge for me since I hyperventilate over anything to do with the ocean. Although I did almost drowned my husband and cause him to be eaten by sharks. We made it home in time to meet our shipment of the best darn pineapples ever eaten. The kids spent that week with Shannon and of course did not want to come home to our boring kidless street (except for our two).
April: We experienced our first eviction and the head ache mentioned previously is finally gone! We also had to clean that gross apartment out ourselves and had quite the exciting day of finding drugs, porn (all of which we chose not to partake) and roaches that apparently have no fear of humans. UGH! A nice chat with the local policeman and a tour of the "this is how people live when they do drugs" for our five an seven year old. I am sure it had quite the impact on them. Good learning experiences are gathered under our belt and we move on to find a few decent renters.
May: Chloe turned 7 and had a very fun and low-key party. I was voted into the hell known as PTA treasurer. Brian also remodeled a kitchen at one of our apt. units and did a fabulous job as usual.
June was also quite busy. The kids were in school until the end of the second week of June and then we had some serious packing to do. We went to the beach house in New Port. We love to sit on the beach and play all day. We were even fortunate enough to take the kids and Craig to Disneyland for the day. It was a very fun trip as usual. Then I was off to girls camp as ward camp director/cabin mom. It was enjoyable but I was away from home for much too long that month.
July: Declan turned 5 and Brian turned 33. We discovered the good times at the Encanto pool and cheap pickle snacks at the pool snack bar! We definitely missed our old pool this summer. The kids also found out that they like to dive. Chloe even tried some new tricks and Brian and his dad made big splashes. Declan on the other hand made the lifeguards very nervous because he stays under much too long. The boy is a natural fish and can hold his breath like no other.
August: Brian and I decided it was the perfect weather to lay out 650 sq. feet of brick for a very spacious patio. It looks awesome and we eat out there almost every night for dinner. As for the weather it was very hot and sticky. The kids also started back to school and seem to enjoy the new year.
September feels like it just happened. Brian extended the front porch with left over brick. Very nice. Did I mention that he is the man.
October is always a fun month. How can you possibly top Halloween. Declan knew for months that he wanted to be a fire man then refused to wear the costume come trunk or treat time. Chloe was a cute little 50's gal. Brian was a Rabi and I went as a nun. The weather finally decided to cool off and our back yard got some nice green grass.
November: Okay, maybe Thanksgiving tops Halloween. This was a very relaxing month. Except for the night I almost stepped on this year's mouse. Don't worry, the sticky trap did the trick. We also discovered that a cat lives in our ceiling/attic. What the hell, just let it stay.
December: I just decided, Christmas is the best holiday. Chloe and Declan are very sweet kids and made very short and simple lists. Declan wanted a cow and some boots. Chloe wanted some LPSs and a jump rope and both wanted a scooter. How easy is that, except for the cow. They were very excited on Christmas morning but the most excitement came from the return note from Santa. Chloe couldn't believe her eyes when she read the note he left her. Brian and I got to enjoy a nice weekend alone up in snowy Salt Lake City. We also decided to get a puppy and soon decided to move her along via craigs list. And Declan unbuttoned his Sunday shirt for the the first time in his life! That was a party in itself. Chloe is a DDR maniac along with Brian and myself.
All in all it was a fabulous year and I can't wait for all the excitement to come in the new year. We hope yours is equally as exciting!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Magical weekend merories...
Oh, what a fun filled weekend this turned out to be! Friday was our schools first annual "Fall Festival". I say annual because it turned out really great! And the kids are going to expect it every year hereafter. So I was in charge of selling tickets and sometimes I like to pretend that I am a sales person. So I like to up sell!! What's so wrong with that?
Me: Hey kid. How much money do you have?
Kid: Fifty cents.
Me: Well, you should give it to me and I will give you two tickets.
(Kid gives me all his money)
Kid: So what can I get with two tickets?
Me: Nothing. Go get more money from your parents!!!
Kid: WHAAWHAA (kid crying)
Me: (Game face)
Kid: Your the worst mom in the world!
Just kidding. That didn't happen. It wasn't my kid and when he started to cry I gave him a bunch of free tickets. Needless to say, the weekend started off great!
Saturday gets better. We go to Declan's soccer game and he actually played. Hurray! Then we are off on our weekend errands. Get home and help Brian fling poo. That's right folks, we seeded the back yard and covered it with fertilizer. That stuff was everywhere. The dust from it was all over Declan's face and in my nose and in our shoes. Did I mention that it stinks? I should know it was up my nose. All fun aside we had a party to go to.
This fun party was at a bowling alley so the kids were super excited. The adults bowled our game quickly and the kids took forever. So in that overlapping time I had some time to really kick back and be myself! I helped Declan toss a ball down his lane and watch him fall because I neglected to tell him not to step over the line. He landed flat on his back! I also had time to watch Chloe bowl a few frames and order more water for the party. I also managed to mistakenly goose a man that was not my husband! That's right, I'm a dork! It wasn't really a goose, more like a pre ATM swipe if you know what I mean. I was very apologetic and red in the face and sweaty and laughing so hard I almost wet my pants. Not even cupcakes made it better but at least I have a date for Tuesday.
I think things like that happen to me more than they should. Like at church; I know that my husband is not the only fella who wears a suit. But sometimes my brain doesn't let me past the suit and I grab the wrong guy. Didn't matter that he was shorter and signing. WHY?!
But today was good. I kept all physical contact within the fam and got to relax. Chloe made us all a snack and I didn't have to cook dinner. I even had a fun chat with my sister. All in all it turned out to be a great weekend despite a few mishaps along the way!
Me: Hey kid. How much money do you have?
Kid: Fifty cents.
Me: Well, you should give it to me and I will give you two tickets.
(Kid gives me all his money)
Kid: So what can I get with two tickets?
Me: Nothing. Go get more money from your parents!!!
Kid: WHAAWHAA (kid crying)
Me: (Game face)
Kid: Your the worst mom in the world!
Just kidding. That didn't happen. It wasn't my kid and when he started to cry I gave him a bunch of free tickets. Needless to say, the weekend started off great!
Saturday gets better. We go to Declan's soccer game and he actually played. Hurray! Then we are off on our weekend errands. Get home and help Brian fling poo. That's right folks, we seeded the back yard and covered it with fertilizer. That stuff was everywhere. The dust from it was all over Declan's face and in my nose and in our shoes. Did I mention that it stinks? I should know it was up my nose. All fun aside we had a party to go to.
This fun party was at a bowling alley so the kids were super excited. The adults bowled our game quickly and the kids took forever. So in that overlapping time I had some time to really kick back and be myself! I helped Declan toss a ball down his lane and watch him fall because I neglected to tell him not to step over the line. He landed flat on his back! I also had time to watch Chloe bowl a few frames and order more water for the party. I also managed to mistakenly goose a man that was not my husband! That's right, I'm a dork! It wasn't really a goose, more like a pre ATM swipe if you know what I mean. I was very apologetic and red in the face and sweaty and laughing so hard I almost wet my pants. Not even cupcakes made it better but at least I have a date for Tuesday.
I think things like that happen to me more than they should. Like at church; I know that my husband is not the only fella who wears a suit. But sometimes my brain doesn't let me past the suit and I grab the wrong guy. Didn't matter that he was shorter and signing. WHY?!
But today was good. I kept all physical contact within the fam and got to relax. Chloe made us all a snack and I didn't have to cook dinner. I even had a fun chat with my sister. All in all it turned out to be a great weekend despite a few mishaps along the way!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Ode to Chloe
I love, love, love this girl.
Who new she would rock my world for the better.
She is my first born!
Here are just a few things I adore...
** Her eyes! They are the color of water with a stripe of brown to keep her grounded.
** Her smile is kind and full of fun.
** Her dance moves! I love that she thinks the robot is cool!
** Her style! When did she wake up Japanese? I wish I could wear all my faves together and pull it off!
** The way she takes care of her brother. There is nothing better for me than to spy her giving him a hug and making him feel important.
** Her eagerness to help around the house. Right now it's called being a good helper in a few years it will be called chores. But she has fun so I won't spoil it for her.
** She loves to ride bikes or take walks with the whole family.
** Her desire to say the prayer. She has food prayer down pat and is moving on to family prayer. Only she likes to combine the two so when we are really hungry Declan says it!
These are just a few things I can think of off the top of my head. She is my favorite little gal who has no idea how much better she makes her two parents.
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