We are Happy

Guess what? The things I like about living in Utah are the things lots of people like and now the whole world knows! I read this article this morning:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090311/ap_on_re_us/states_of_happiness
I know some key points they missed but that's cause I live here. : )
And to top it off I live in the 6th best suburb in the country so says business week:
http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/106615/Best-Affordable-Suburbs-2009
Wow! We have so much to LOVE! Happy us!

Happy Birthday Honey!

This post is about my amazing, fantastic, sweet, caring, hard-working, loving husband!


It's filled with some very random and kind of old pictures but they tell the story of us!

This is what he looked like when I first met him.

I like muscley men and look at those strong masculine hands. I loved the afro and the car was cute too!

Our first date was a girls choice High School dance. I wrote to him through most of his mission and we were married three months after he returned. He went to school at USU and I went to beauty school (I needed it) We had our first two children there and moved to California where he worked at McDonnell Douglas aircraft and we had our third child (See old post for Laynie) We moved back to Cedar City for five years as a stepping stone to get here in South Weber.

We love spending time together and have gone on some of the greatest hikes in the world! It gets us away from everything else and usually out of cell phone range.

We love kissing
This is on the West rim hike at Zion

He always has cool tricks.

He makes a great seal!

He loves to work in the yard and one year grew a 300 lb. pumkin.
It made a great Budah for Halloween

Here is our family a few years ago. See how little CJ is?
Not anymore! but he still looks like his Dad.

Aww! Now it's us taking a little walk on the beach on the Oregon coast last summer.

D has always made the most rediculous faces. This one is famous.

(I hate it but it's so much a part of him).

He always has a project or seven going on.

This winter it has been a beautiful redwood canoe.

Now he expects me to go on a three day canoe trip.

(we shall see)

Here is a man who likes working with his hands and can build or fix just about anything. He never really enjoyed school but pushed himself through for his family. He has worked hard and taught his children well and been the greatest example in the world of a great Priesthood holder and loving husband and father. I couldn't have found a better husband and I want to spend FOREVER with him!

Enjoy the Days

My days off are usually full of beauty supply stores, bookkeeping, cleaning and grocery shopping. I did some of these on Friday and then Joni came with her three kids. Since Eden is so little and it's cold season she isn't supposed to be taken places to prevent getting sick so what do you do with two restless children who can't leave the house cause their little sister isn't supposed to go out? You go to Aunt Margies. There are different things to do and treats to eat. We made chocolate mice.

And ate them!
Sometimes it's nice to not do anything and enjoy the people in your life!

The laundry got done, later. The cleaning will continue but the chocolate mice will be remembered.

Do You believe what you hear?

OK, I have opinions. I have a LOT of opinions and the older I am the more I want to scream them out to everyone. They aren't popular or even politically correct.
I hate the media! Our up-and-coming generations have been so influenced by the media that you all (if you fit into this category) believe that you are all going to receive a million dollars in cash if it's said on TV.
First of all a Democratic president that we had 10 years ago (and his cabinet and liberal congressmen) decided everyone should have a house even if they couldn't afford it. When our conservative president (and his people) recommended a change in that policy they were "racist". Ten years later people of all races and economic classes and family situations can't pay for their homes. Mostly because they got into a lot more house than they could afford. They lose their homes and somehow that's a conservative presidents fault. So the media tells us that a new person with no experience can come in and correct years and years of greed and giving money to people who don't work. And even better, he's black (the white part doesn't count). It's politically correct to be black. My opinion is that he is well educated, talented and an eloquent speaker. He has new ideas that might need to be checked by someone with more experience. He is a great man with drive and personality! BUT the media makes him out to be a superhero while those who plod along serving thanklessly for years are considered scum by our liberal TV personalities. Did anyone but me hear the benediction at the inauguration? All the races were mentioned as having been through trials at the hands of the evil white man. I personally was offended and that doesn't happen easily. The thing I really didn't understand was that no one in the media had one dissenting remark. HELLO? Is anyone there. Did anyone listen? That is called reverse discrimination and it's politically correct.
Back to the housing issue that began the economic "crisis". If we were not told there was a crisis for most of us life would have continued along as it was. If we had listened to wise financial advisers we would not have spent money so readily and would have saved a little to pay for the things we NEED. We have become a very greedy society and it's coming back to bite us in our fat, lazy, gluttonous tushes. It's ok though, Obama is gonna give us lots of money (again, media) and take it from the rich guys that own the businesses we work for. Where is the incentive for them to succeed if we are going to take all their money. Then where will the remaining jobs go? We all better buy a farm and learn how to grow stuff.
Now were having gay rights rammed down our throats. I know gay people that I really like. I have nothing against them and I'm fine with civil unions. I don't want it to be in the forefront. I don't want to explain homosexuality to my young children. I don't want to see any of it on my favorite TV shows. I understand I have the option of turning my TV off and believe me, there are plenty of shows that have lost my loyalty. It does happen and my heart breaks for those people and their families who deal with same sex attraction. I don't understand it but that doesn't make it right with nature or God. American Civil Liberties Union only wants to protect what is deviant and immoral but not what is a basic religious belief. Whose liberties are they protecting?
I have more opinions but right now I'm just frustrated with the media giving the opinions they want out and not the truth. Where are the honest journalists?

Winter Days

From my perspective winter days aren't perfect, BUT
Today is Sunday, the wind is blowing outside. There is a foot of snow on the ground but the sun is shining in my window. The heat is on, the shower awaits. (ahh, warm water) I've checked my facebook, blogs and journaled. I've read the Relief Society lesson. CJ is asleep, D is asleep again (after checking his facebook and Drudge Report) and K is at the Christmas Box House. It's quiet and peacful. I could eat a whole pound of chocolate and no one would stop me (Only I know where it is). I love mornings to myself. Tomorrow I have to go to the gym early and trudge out into a cold snowy day to get to work where I will have to shovel the snow on the front sidewalk while my family stays in bed. But today is mine. Good morning to this perfect Sunday morning.

Slip Sliding Away

I did the view from my front window in the fall. Here it is in the winter.

So yesterday when I left for work we had about 3 inches of snow. The snow continued most of the day and our parking lot at the salon never did get cleared completely. I had to shovel a path into the parking lot for people to get out to their cars. When the plow came the snow was so wet and packed that it pushed snow boulders around. I had to go out a few times so I just got wet over and over again. It cleared up in the evening and CJ had all 10 inches cleared even though the snow-blower broke. (Lots of heavy snow, good for a strong 14-year old) Today we woke up to another 3 inches and snow packed roads. I left in good time and headed to work. I tested the roads a couple of times and slowed fine so I headed out onto South Weber Drive. The speed limit is 45 and I kept it around 40, I think. All of a sudden I realized I'm still going the same speed but not in the same direction. I was sliding out of control. I was going completely sideways down the center of the road where snow had not been plowed or packed and I was making a huge cloud of snow. I had noticed that there were no cars coming very soon in the on-coming lane for which I was very glad because I was heading that way. By the time I stopped I was past the opposite lane and off onto the shoulder going the other direction. I had spun a full 180 degrees. I just started up again and pulled a U in the middle of the road again. I noticed everyone going a little slower. I had made quite a scene and it convinced everyone that it was much slicker than it looked. For the next couple of miles I had to push down on my leg to keep it from shaking. Six hours later driving home there is not a bit of snow or slush on the road and I was looking forward to seeing my big side-ways snow plow tracks down the center lane. What a disappointment. All that drama for Naught. I Swear it happened. Later on the radio I heard the song "Slip Sliding Away". How appropriate.
It's not that cold so the snow continues to melt and there is not much left to shovel except in front of the mailbox. We didn't get mail today cause the mailbox area was not cleared and Daren's back couldn't do more. Another job for CJ!

CJ

It's time to talk about my last born. I talk about him all the time. Partly cause he is still at home and partly cause he has so many issues. He's been a challenge since the day we decided to have one more child. He didn't come easily to say the least and when he did he was 10 1/2 pounds and 24 inches long. Giant baby. He never wore newborn clothes. He was born the same day his nearby Grandparents left on a mission to Croatia. He looked like his Dad from the day he was born.

L started school the month he was born so I had a lot of time alone with him. He was fun to watch and play with. I used to dance around the room holding him while he laughed and laughed but he would rather superman dive from the coffee table onto the couch. R (the oldest) always took great care of him. She was 11 when he was born. They have always been close. CJ has always been strong willed and there is a certain way to deal with him. He doesn't always like to do what the rest of us want to do but usually goes along with lots of coaxing. When he was in soccer and very young he decided he was done and wanted me to take him home. I told him to get back out and play. I few minutes later I couldn't find him and he was headed home on foot. In school he loved and complimented his kindergarten teacher but as the years progressed we figured out he really wasn't doing the things he was supposed to do. When I really started pushing it I brought home a stack of missing assignments. B noticed a burning smell and when we investigated found the smell to be coming from a stack of papers in CJ's window well. He obviously has some Attention Deficit problems but frequently along with ADD kids get what is called Oppositional Defiance Disorder. I used to watch CJ play and was amazed at the logic skills he had which tells me he is smart he just does not do well in a classroom setting. He even fights me when I try to help.

He is extremely creative and inquisitive. He wants to invent and just like Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Columbus, the kid definitely knows how to think "outside the box". It's getting him to think inside the box that's the challenge. He is very loving, complimentary and loves to hug.

When things broke, which seemed to happen a lot with him, he used to say "it's ok, Dad can fik-ix". Since B has left on his mission CJ has grown about a foot and is now taller than his older brother. That will be a shock for B in about 4 months. If we can just get through these next tough years I think we'll be ok. Don't worry, he wont be driving anytime soon. The deal is that he has to pass his classes to drive.

So to CJ- We love you no matter what and we're in your corner!