St. George 1/2 Marathon

Well, I did it. Fifteen weeks of training all culminated this last weekend in 13.1 long miles. I will spare the details of nerves and anxiety hampering my running abilities, but they did and I still finished. I think there were a number of factors in play that morning. Simply put, it wasn't one of my better runs which makes the victory well earned. It was hard and I conquered!

The whole weekend was so fun. There were about 30 women in our group (between 2 wards and various friends). It was really cool to be part of such a big group of cool women...I loved seeing the mass of purple shirts at the race. We had a so much fun training and planning. Our ring leaders, Lisa and Becky did so much work; from accommodations to t-shirts it was a great success.We even had a catered luau after the race!

It was awesome to have my dear friend Alison join me on the race. She is an incredible runner and graciously agreed to be support during the race. I gave her fair warning that all social chatting would have to be

saved for lunch after the race....running and talking don't work for me. We had a fabulous time after talking as much as we could while eating delicious Thai food.

Fast....slow....run or walk, we all pushed ourselves to new levels this weekend and that was really exciting.

A new addition to the family

Meet JEWEL

Isn't she cute?? We sure think so! 

As you may or may not recall, our cat, Max died a couple months ago. We knew we would bring another pet into our home, but wanted to take our time. I kept my eye open on the classifieds, the humane society website and the local pet store. There were so many cute ones available. I even called on a few. Nothing really clicked. Then, when I saw Jewel feature on the humane society's website in December, I knew she was the one. I called immediately and set up an appointment to meet her. (Who knew it needed to be so official? They were serious about questioning us and our pet care abilities. We passed.) The next day, we all headed down to the shelter to meet her and see if she was a "match." There were a few that caught our eye, but it was pretty clear she was the one. She is just over a year old and has already had a litter of kittens although you wouldn't know that by her size, she is pretty petite.She has met all our hopes in a new pet. She is very good natured and allows the kids to play with her and carrying her. Best of all, she actually likes being around us. She doesn't hide for hours on end...she is really part of the family. While we loved Max dearly, he wasn't as fond of the kids. On the other hand, the kids can't get enough of her. Even after several weeks, the kids still greet her as soon as they walk in the door and play with her (Even a little too much...I've had to tell them to give her a break!). You know she is a good cat when Chad even expresses how much he loves her!

Friday night

We just spent our night sitting through an uncomfortable Kirby vacuum presentation. What did you do?

The kids said, "eeeww, we walk on that?! I'm washing my feet!"
I really want that vacuum. But I want a basement more.

The Christmas Spirit is alive and well at the Medeiros home

I wasn't quite sure where the Christmas Spirit was around our house and then....there it was! Right there on my pillow! Last week, as I was getting into bed, a cute little note full of flames and pizazz was waiting for me on my pillow. Maybe I had been particularly grumpy with the kids and Sarah thought I needed a little holiday encouragement. Maybe she just wanted to spread some holiday cheer. Either way, she felt it necessary to make sure I knew where the Christmas Spirit was...and it certainly filled Chad and I with holiday cheer and laughter. I have no doubt that there was even more Christmas Spirit in our house after it was found on my pillow.

Christmas Eve is always the pinnacle of the holiday season for me. This year, we kept with tradition and headed to Kaysville for the our fish dinner by candlelight and our little Nativity presentation.  I'm not sure that the Savior enjoyed salmon and shrimp cocktail, but they've been added to the menu nonetheless! This year, I contributed my marinated Tilapia and I think everyone enjoyed that. With some of the cousins getting older and others not old enough, we had to do some creative casting for the Nativity program. This year we had a cradle-robbing Joseph (Tyler) and a very young Mary (Jenna). New this year was the fabulous addition of a camel (Conner). After opening jammies, it was off to our own homes to tuck the kids in.

This year, brought new skepticism about Santa. We had quite the little tester in Sarah. On Christmas eve, she left out a box with small gifts and a little note requesting a signature from the big guy. The gifts were gone and the "signed" note was left behind in the morning. A Dorthy (from the Wizard of Oz) Barbie, a holiday Barbie, a school play-set, Wii Sports Resort, the Far World books, a wah pedal and guitar case were among some of the favorite gifts with the kids. Jenna gave me a big hint about my gift several weeks earlier and I was delighted to open a digital SLR camera (thanks Chad and Heather!). I have already had so much fun playing around with it....lots more to learn....lots more to learn. I was so proud of my parents, for the first time, they left Kaysville on Christmas day and headed our way to spend some with us. We had breakfast with them and they got to watch us open some gifts.  Definitely something different for them, but I think they really enjoyed!  Now I, on the other hand, pulled off the biggest Christmas surprise Chad had ever had. It's always the other way around, but this year, I got him good. With some help from the parents, I  was able to pool our efforts and get Chad a snow blower. We've resisted for years...bound and determined to shovel. One north-facing home, and two corner lots later, our backs hurt and we are ready for some relief....especially Chad. Several weeks ago, I purchased the much-researched snow blower and tucked it safely in the Fletcher's garage. After all the hoopla of Christmas morning, I mentioned to Chad that Fletcher's wanted us to come over to see what they got. When we got there, Dorick announced he wanted us to see a new gift in the garage. Chad said as we entered the garage, he just knew Dorick had gotten a new snow blower. Now while, he was happy for Dorick, his heart sank and he was a bit envious. As we were all surrounding the shiny new machine and Chad was fighting back envy, I announced, "It's yours!" Ohhh, you should have seen the look on his face!! I know it's just a snow blower, but my eyes got misty. I have never pulled off a surprise like this before. It was a "red ryder bb gun moment" for sure. Love it, love it, love it!!! He had a smile on his face the rest of the day. Since we stayed home for the whole day, it was so fun to have the Madsen's over for dinner. It was so wonderful to have someone to share our Honeybaked ham with. What a great way to end the day!

A full month of fun!

December is always hectic for sure and sometimes you can see through the stress to realize there is a lot of fun to be had. A few of our December highlights so far have been:

-Ward/neighborhood party: It was catered by the Goodwood BBQ (wow! the church does that? what a fun change!) We also had a visit from Santa. This was fun to watch. At first, Jenna was too scared to see him and Sarah and Andrew were too cool to see him. In the end, none of them could resist the pull of sharing wishes with Santa

-Friend party: The Fletcher's hosted a party this year. Great food and crazy games. Just check out the picture of the guys with deer antlers (ie. panty hose stuffed with balloons). I think adults have more fun playing games than kids do!

-Shopping at the dollar store: This is fast becoming one of the kids favorite traditions. We give each of the children $10 and set them loose to shop for the family at the dollar store. They dodge and hide from each other, then they rush home to wrap their gifts. There are always some fun and interesting gifts. 

-Open houses: Megan and Cameron hosted their first holiday gathering (the first of many, right??). Go Meg and Cam on the domestic front...wassail, treats and a yard full of lights (and one big penguin!).

-Neighborhood parties: The Madsen's hosted a recital with some of the neighbors. The recital was even complete with roses for the guests to throw when the performers were done. From singing, piano, trumpet, to violin...what talent and fun was shared. Such a great event, loved it!

-Relief Society party: What a beautiful party...it looked like a wedding reception...complete with a live nativity on the stage.

-Gingerbread houses: It's become a tradition to decorate a gingerbread house with g'ma and g'pa Medeiros. This kids always look forward to the licking, tasting and time with the g'parents. This year, the kids got to open one gift from them since they will be gone on Christmas.

-Visiting the homeless shelter: The kids and mom had the opportunity to visit the shelter downtown to drop off some donations. This was such a good experience for them. Unprovoked, Sarah donated all her money. I even suggested any donation amount was wonderful, but she didn't hesitate to give it all. The kids were thrilled to be invited inside where they were treated to a photo with Santa and some hot chocolate.

I ran 10 miles today.

T-E-N, double digits. Yep. I did and I am shamelessly shouting it to anyone who just happens to hear. Since this blog has become my psuedo journal/scrapbook, I have to record this for posterity. If I don't, it's like it never happened and I'm not letting something like this be lost to history. I think many of you who know me, know that I'm kind of the anti-runner. It's hard for me and I'm slow. I'm not quite sure why I like getting myself involved in something that is fairly miserable. I think I like beating something I don't like and that is hard for me. It's been kind of cool to do something I never, ever thought I'd could do. I have been very anxious and nervous to reach this milestone. I was literally naucious this morning, knowing the run I had to do, but it's over now and I am one step closer to the 1/2 marathon in January. Lest you think I'm getting a little too prideful, don't worry. After my run today, I caught the tail-end of an ESPN special on the Iron Man. Have you ever watched as the exhausted athletes cross the line? There is something strangely touching about it, I must admit. Chad and I turned in on just as the last people were finishing. I'll never be that cool (or crazy) and I am so okay with that.

Been busy (?)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Yes, it's been awhile since my last post. I could list of myriad of excuses as to why I've shared nothing recently, but mostly, I've just been too tired/too uncreative when the thought crosses my mind. As you recall, I recently started a part time job. It's been an adjustment and at first, the output of mental energy was far greater than the actual hours worked. With just over one month under my belt, things are beginning to balance out and I think I'm settling in alright. So now, I present to you, an uninspired mega post to share a few of the things we've been doing.

 

With the month of December comes the inevitable round of recitals. Josh and Andrew did a wonderful job...getting better and more impressive each recital. And speaking of impressive, Josh is really mastering the slumped-over-I-don't-care teenager position...love the picture of him "enjoying" Andrew's performance. Sarah recently joined the ranks of those required to take piano. She is taking from our neighbor and my friend, April. She is an excellent teacher...and wonderfully patient with Sarah. A week or two before the recital, I wasn't too sure how her performance would go. I must say, she really stepped up and we were very pleased and proud of her performance.

I can't tell you how happy these pictures make me and I will tell you why. There is nothing, nothing digital, electronic or computerized involved in this playtime.  Just when I think I've completely failed as mother because the TV, computer and gameboys are becoming permanent appendages to my children's bodies, I see this. Actual creative play. And I've been seeing a lot more of it lately. And, seriously, how cute is she?

Sarah started taking jazz and ballet at a local "Stars" studio. Me being a purest (ie. ballet trained) I wasn't too crazy about an all-in-one dance studio, but I've decided this is a great way for her to get back into dance. So far it has been a mostly great experience. That is to say, Sarah is not crazy about ballet class. However, she had a mother who slept in her first pair of toe shoes and insists that ballet is a must!
On December 4, she had her first performance. She really "rocked" her dance routine. She had the best rocker stance, by far, of any of her classmates. Her daddy was proud.

Congratulations to Sarah! She received a 4th place prize in the PTA Reflections contest last month. This is quite an honor considering art had by far the most entires and she was judged with 3rd, 4th, 5th 6th graders (she is in 3rd).
I love, LOVE how much her entry was so authentically her. The theme was "Beauty is..." She immediately honed in on fantasy and imagination as her idea of beauty. Notice what she wrote in the description on the entry form. So Sarah.

Shift

Do you ever realize just how much you get set in your ways. Sure small things change, but overall, you just keep plodding forward just like you did yesterday, last month...last year? Recently, it seems my life has shifted...just slightly, but wow, enough to leave me feeling a bit off kilter.
There's been the small things. Take running for example. For something that I don't particularly love, it's taken over more time and thought than I'd care to make room for. I've committed to doing a 1/2 marathon in January. I'm thinking this wasn't the best choice...all my spare cold weather-holiday packed schedule time is getting filled with runner's guilt. "Today is slightly warm...I'd better run," or "I need to meet another milestone in my training...I have to go run."  I'm as slow as ever and I'm not even shedding any winter weight either. Grrr. I did hit the 8 mile mark....big milestone!
Then there's been the changes at church. Total change of pace going from Relief Society to Primary. I'm not saying this is bad...just different.  My friend told me to think of it as "spiritual cross training." I love that. I've also had the opportunity to be a small part of a neighbor taking the discussing and attending church. Something else that weighs heavily on my thoughts; "Am I doing enough," "Did I say the right things," or "How is she feeling about this." A lot to take in.
Then, I've had moments of change with my kids. More accurately, I would say moments of realization on my part. Realizing where I am totally lacking as a parent. It takes work to be totally aware of each facet of  their life. From social issues at school, to work ethic at home and school,  to lesson schedules, to individual desires and emotions....it's just hard to stay on top of. We recently had a disconcerting parent teacher conference....a real eye opener. Parenting is just A LOT of work. Constant re-awareness. Constant starting over (how many times do you re-start your family scripture reading or re-teach your kids how to clean the bathroom?) I feel like I am constantly falling short. I do the best thing I know how....start again.
Then, the biggest change in my life right now. Work. I had planned to start some sort of job when all the kids were in school, but not for at least a year. I'd been thinking what will I do? What can I do? Missions, college and weddings will be here soon...let alone the basement we dream of. Well, a couple weeks ago an opportunity came my way. The timing seems a bit premature, but they are totally willing to take me when they can. I am working for a retinal specialist. At this point only about 10+ hrs a week (in office and at home). Initially I thought I would be doing trascription and receptionist duties. I was a bit overwhelmed on my first day when the doctor walked out of the exam room and said, "Oh, will you re-numb his eye?" What? You want me to get in his personal space and put something in his eye? It was made clear to me that everyone is trained in everything. In addition to scheduling, phones, insurance, and trasnscription, I am also learning all the tech stuff. That means I will be the one that does the initial patient exam....accuity test, eye pressure, numbing, dilation, scans, surgery tray prep, and charting.  Oh and throw in the handling of syringes and medications that cost $2000 a pop. Ummm....don't I need a degree for all that? My brain has never felt so atrophied. All the acronyms, abbreviations, latin terms, medical terms....all very overwhelming. Oh, and I had have to dress professionally?! I only have one pair of non-denim pants. See what I mean....a total shift from where I've been. Right now, it feels like so many more hours that it is...this steep learning curve is mentally exhausting. I'm reserving total judgement until I'm feeling more settled in a couple weeks (or months), but I think I kind of like the challenge and patient interaction. We will see how this all settles in. Until then, I will continue starting over each time I fall short.

Little gems from the past

   Don't you love it when you unexpectedly find something?  Five dollars in the jacket you haven't worn since last fall? A lost necklace, for example? How about a photo you forgot existed or a letter from a g'parent that is now gone? This afternoon I found those very things. One made me laugh out loud, this other made me thoughtful and pensive.
   I am working on a Christmas gift for my kids (hopefully I can pull it together!)and I've had to sort through old photos and papers. Besides finding that my photo taking and paper keeping is a bit lop-sided between the kids (you know: oldest child vs. middle child vs. the baby!!), I've also found some wonderful gems from the past. Forgotten Mother's Day cards done in nursery, primitively scrawled names and great photos. Among these things, I found this letter from my G'ma Jensen. I loved coming across this letter talking about what was going on in her life. I loved seeing her handwriting. I loved seeing an article she knew I'd love. (about my dear great uncle Merrill). I even love the little pink post it attached to article. So glad I kept it all.
   Next, the laughter. I came across this  random photo taken at work. I was working for the Sears calling center in Provo. How old do you think I look in this photo? Now before you look at the date and do the math, give it a guess. I've shown this to a couple people today. Fourteen was one reply, and sixteen was the other. Nope, I'd be 24yrs old...pregnant with my second child. Yes, I can hear you laughing now. The bangs. The glasses. Oh, I thought those were so cute and made me look older. The shirt. Yikes! the shirt....an oversized courderoy number...so 90's, right? No wonder I got looks of pity when I went to the grocery store....looks of pity from everyone assuming I was a teen mom.
   Often going through old things just makes me melancholy. I get sad seeing that time relentlessly marches forward leaving loved ones gone and little ones grown up too fast. And then....and then....I find something funny like this that just laughs those blues away!

Miscellaneous cuteness

When we were working on the dining room two weeks ago (yes, it's done and yes, I will post photos), there were some tense moments. Hanging the new light fixture to a 20ft ceiling would be one of those tense moments. The kids wanted to be part of the excitement. Jenna and Sarah were hiding behind a chair to watch. Finally, we excused them all to bed so we could continue the fun. Needless to say, we didn't get it hung that first night. We even thought a few  "words" would help, but no, we would have to try again the next night. As I climbed into bed that night, I found a note from Sarah on my pillow. She leaves notes often and they always bring a smile to my face. This one had me laughing out loud. She could not have captured the night more perfectly. I promise, it's worth clicking on it to enlarge it. Can you see the picture? Notice the details: Chad on the ladder, me holding the light....and Jenna hiding under the chair in the corner. Can you read it? Notice the post script. It says, "P.S. What was that shattering sound?" Umm, that would be me tripping over the old light (although it didn't actually shatter) and that would also be when a few unacceptable words came out. I'm thinking that is what prompted this note of love and concern.

Next item of cuteness. There are a few things about Jenna right now that are so her. Four of them are in this awesome photo. 1) Helping mama cook. She loves to help me. Anytime I am in the kitchen, she scoots the white stool to my side 2) The shark goggles. Pretty cool, aren't they? I'm thinking her love for these comes from the kids love of the movie "Shark Boy and Lava Girl." She even wore these out to dinner a couple weeks ago 3) Gloves. She has been on a glove kick for quite some time now. I'm not sure how or why it started. We did have a spike of interest with the death of Michael Jackson. I think she noticed the connection with glove and him. She was overhead saying to her siblings, "Guys, are you sad that Michael Jackson died?" and "I'm sad Michael Jackson died."  Even so, her glove love has been going on even before that. 4) Boots. Whether it's the bright pink rain boots or the brown snow boots, she's always up for some boot-wearing fun.

These are just a few things that my girls have done that just absolutely make my heart smile. These are definitely moments that I wish I could freeze in time.

Brrrrr.........Chad is awesome!

Early this morning, Chad ran his first 1/2 marathon. I say first because I have a feeling he is going to keep this running thing going. He has been a real natural! The race started at Aspen Grove above Sundance and made it's way down the Provo River Trail ending in the River Bottoms of Provo. Chad ran with two of his Brother-in-laws; Cameron and Shawn. Let me just say it was COLD and they are AWESOME! While Amy, Megan and I waited to cheer them on at Nunn's park, my thermometer read a balmy 30 degrees. It felt colder. It was so cold that as the runners ran by, you could see that their sweat had turned to frost on their clothing. Chad said he actually felt a bit hot (Yes, he is!). The first 5 miles was a steep downhill...easy on the heart, killer on the legs. It began cold and foggy and it ended beautifully...sun and warmth! I was so impressed with the guys, they all did a great job and ended within 10min of each other. Oh, and they got really cool skull shirts and medals to boot! Chad was amazing and the long run didn't even seem to phase his body too much. Really great news given his I.T. band problems earlier in the summer. Way to go, Chad!!! (truth be told, I'm jealous...I wish I could run with as much ease and enjoyment as he does!)

Happy Halloween!!

Ominture/Adobe Halloween party last night....check (photos to come...maybe)
Halloween Half-marathon....check (awesome job, Chad...more to come!)
Candy ready (I think I bought way too much this year)....check
Messy house....check
Pumpkin-shaped pizza....check
Witches brew (dry ice!)....check
Make-up....check
Obligatory photos (I love that group shot)....check
Trick or Treat.....GO!

Blog post....check
I figured getting my blog post done would make the night go more quickly. I think I'm anxious for the holiday to be done...we've packed in a lot of Halloween stuff this year. Yes, it's been a slow start for trick or treaters tonight and I'm on door duty.  Maybe I'm a little bored. Chad's out with the kids and Josh is at a party with friends (talking to a certain girl I'm sure!) Which do you prefer; door duty or walking the neighborhood? Neither?

Bittersweet

"Through tears and trials, through fears and sorrows,
through the heartache and loneliness of losing loved ones,
there is assurance that life is everlasting. Our Lord and
Savior is the living witness that such is so."

-Thomas S. Monson

 And in the words of Herodotus...

"Death is a delightful hiding place for weary men." Grandpa, enjoy hiding from your weary body and we look forward seeing you again. We will miss the teasing.  We will miss the stories. We will miss the honor of having one who lived such an amazing life in our presence. We love you.

More Hallow-een fun...

It's always fun to enjoy the Halloween traditions we've started with the grandparents.  G'ma and G'pa Jensen hold a big party/FHE each year complete with spooky food and games. This year, the kids loved playing the "head on a platter" and eye ball relays. They also loved popping the balloons to find the treats inside. (I love the photo of Sarah sitting on her balloon...an instant before it popped!) This years backyard spook alley attracted even more friends and neighbors than last year. Ron is always a huge help with that. With Grammy PJ, the kids love creating a graveyard cake.Or you could say, a cake with every bit of Halloween available sprinkled on top! Thank you to the grandparents for all your efforts to make the holidays so fun and memorable...we love you!

I did it.

Yesterday, I ran my first 10k. I have been running 5 miles at a time fairly consistently now, but wow, that 6.2 miles felt so much further. Why do I have a smile on my face? Why am I flashing the love sign (although I meant to do the rocker sign) like I just had the time of my life? I'm really not sure because truth be told, it was kind of hard and I kind of didn't have fun. I guess 1 hour and 12 min (I know...not a great time) of misery was worth a free (yes, the race was free!) Nike dry fit t-shirt! I don't know how race courses are ranked, but I'd say this one was not an easy course. We started out going up hill to Sugar House park. As soon as we reached the park, we ran on grass. For about a mile. Dodging pine cones. Once we circled around and finally hit some pavement, the hills started. Cardio wise, I felt fine. It was my legs that felt so fatigued. I guess I could blame it on week of climbing up and down a 20 foot ladder (painting my dining room), but the bottom line is, I just need to train more. Knowing that I've been sucked into a half marathon in January weighed heavily on my mind yesterday. I kept thinking, "...and this isn't half of what I will have to do then."  Yes, it looks like my winter days will filled with running. Ugh.

Last weekend, I went to "Witches Night Out" at Gardner Village with some of my girlfriends. Have you ever been? Wow...craziness. As you can tell by the photos, we were pretty decked out...as were about 8,000 other women from the Salt Lake Valley. No joke! We literally parked almost a mile away. I'm not lying. Look at the photos. And I was wearing high heeled boots. Ouch. Once our trek ended, we joined the throng of other women starving for a night out in full costume. Speaking of starving, many of us did. The line for the food was so long, it was hopeless. Good thing for Chili's at 9:30 on a Friday night! There are so many people you can barely work your way through the crowd. I say people because while nearly everyone in the crowd is of the female species, there were a few strange characters from the other side. Take Mr. Super-Creepy-Clown-in-a-White-Suit. Weird. Guess he didn't get the memo that the costume request was for witches. lol  Even the animal species was represented with a lady toting around an owl. See, I told you...it was craziness! With Witches Night, G'ma and G'pa's Halloween party, the neighborhood party and the Omniture party, I just might be done with Halloween before it even gets here! So much fun (with an itchy wig and make-up) is exhausting!

Am I that gullible?

As we were climbing in the car after one of our Sunday dinners in Kaysville, there was some sort of commotion between the kids. No surprise. Chad turns to Andrew and says, "You're the wizard of getting people in trouble." Andrew blurts out, "No I'm not!" And then with a little mischeiveous smile growing across his angelic face, "Well.......kind of."   Ahhhhh-ha! The tricks of a middle child. The master of deflecting to the older sibling. I can't believe I was so gullible all this time. Or was I? For the record, Andrew does have a record...very good record. He's not perfect, but we don't call him "Angel Andrew" for nothing!

Hi, my name is Julie and I'm addicted to projects.

I think I have a problem. It's called "projects." I've decided that since I never nurtured and developed my artistic talents, this is the next best thing to satisfy that need. Why is it a problem you ask? I've got several reasons and I will tell you a few. 1) I can't shut my brain off. Once I start thinking of something it kind of takes over. (do I need medication?) 2) I think I unconsciously use these projects to ignore all other responsibilities is life.Painting a room is so much better than doing laundry. 3) They create bigger messes that I ever think they will. and 4) While I am extremely frugal, I still end up spending money that maybe I don't need to. However, I must say, the end result almost always trumps these problems. I love dreaming and scheming in my head (dreaming=big budget, scheming=almost no budget).
I've been joking lately that even if I had the money, I'd still like to do things myself and hunt around for great finds. Am I just telling myself that because I don't have the money? Maybe. But, I'd still like to think that even if I had unlimited funds, I'd still be frugal and hands on with making my home my own. (Gee, I'd like to test  out the unlimited budget someday!)
So, currently, I am working on the dining room. It has been a blank and very boring slate for 5yrs now. For sure, the first thing I do with a project is to look at what I already have and to figure out what I can do myself. I've had a black table for several years and I had some natural chairs leftover from the kitchen project (they will be painted black). They are very casual chairs, but with a nice upholstered parsons chair on each end, I think they will do! I found these great chairs at Ikea. Very reasonable, sturdy (much better than the chair I loved at Pier One...and half the price) and the slip covers are removable (ie. washable!). My most exciting find was the chandelier. $60 on the KSL classifieds. Yes, this would be $400 chandelier at Lowes and I got it for almost pennies!! I little black spray paint and I think it will go perfectly (and nicely compliment my entry light to boot). In case you haven't talked to me recently, I am a huge fan of the KSL classifieds (think Craigs List). lol I have gone with an extremely bold paint choice. A Ralph Lauren gold (yes, GOLD) metallic paint. If it plays out like it does in my head, I think the black furniture and creams in the upholstery and dish display will work together wonderfully. I'm picturing a bit of a "Frenchy" feel. And....if things work out, I may have one splurge to finish the room....

Preschool field trip....check!

If you've read my past entries, you'll know that I had a terrible record for attending preschool field trips last year. This year, is Jenna's last year in preschool and she is my baby. I am bound and determined to mantain a better record this year. So far I'm 2 for 2!

A couple weeks ago, we headed to Thanksgiving Point to see the farm animals. Jenna loved the baby horse and having a tractor ride and a horseback ride.

Yesterday, the kids headed to a local pumpkin patch. She had so much fun pushing her own wheel barrow, picking her own pumpkin...and most of all the corn maze. I think she and her friends ran through that thing a half a dozen times!
I am really trying to enjoy and live in the now because wow....it is flying by was too fast.

Happy Birthday Josh...14 years old!!!!

Yea, yea...I know! How in the world can Josh be 14....FOURTEEN???? He can go to church dances now. And dance. With girls. I think there just might be a few girls already lined up hoping he'll ask them for a dance.

It seems with each year, it gets harder to celebrate and gift give. Gone are the days of the dinosaur theme party and a pile of gifts to be opened. The fifty bucks or so that bought several toys now buys ummm, say 3/4 of a cool gift suitable for a teenager. Fortunately,  Josh was just as thrilled with his new cell phone (Celtic green, of course...and no, it's not an expensive phone...we stayed within budget!) and Skull Candy headphones. So glad he "gets it."

However, I am Julie and I worry that I haven't done enough or his day won't be memorable enough. So what do you do?? Well, apparently you spend $20 in doughnuts and candy at the gas station the night before his birthday. (so much for practical gifts and budgets) I thought it wholly appropriate that Josh start his day off right....with a chocolate Dunford doughnut. The candy? I attached a "happy birthday" tag to 14 (get it??lol) packs of Josh's favorite gum and candy. I then asked his friend to distribute the candy to friends who would then in turn give them to Josh. About 8 packs in, it dawned on Josh that it was me that did it. He said it was the font and the tag that gave it away. I wonder what that says about me and Josh that A) he knows what a font is and B) he associates "fonts" with his mom. I digress.

Later that day, G'ma Chris joined us for dinner at the Training Table. (mmmm....thanks g'ma!)We ended the day with chocolate cake, ice cream and a few gifts. Sarah put together some  items she thought Josh would like (ie. very random things gathered from around the house). They were carefully placed in a white box tied with yarn. I love that she did that...Josh loved it, too.  I know Josh had a good day....he hasn't looked up from his new phone. We love you, Josh!!

How can this not make you smile?

Temple Riders

One of the things I love about watching conference in Utah are the little news/movie/biography vignettes that KSL plays between sessions. Stories about members, temples and events from around the world are featured. Today, "Footprints of Faith" featured the Temple Riders motorcycle group. Now really, how can you not smile when you see this? Our bishop in Colorado, Bishop Chuck Barton loved going on motorcycle trips with his wife Bea (I loved having Bea as my visiting teacher). I always loved that they had such a unique hobby together. There was a running joke that you could hear the hum of their motorcycles in the parking lot on the day he was released. Hmm...I wonder, are they part of the Temple Riders today?