Christmas Let-Down - Aaaahhhhhhhhhhh.....

I am sitting in my living room - on which I really worked all month to keep clean and dusted and it is now truly in the shambles. There is tissue strewn all over. The kids are sniffling, BB is sniffling, I'm sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching... - you get the idea. And it's all ok. We made it through Christmas. We hit the neighborhood parties, the ward parties (including Liberty Ward's 100th b-day), the family parties, we hosted Christmas Eve, soup and salad at one of the afore-mentioned neighborhood parties and one very lively group of Young Women during a progressive dinner party. We burned a boatload of CDs for our extended family stocking stuffers. We spoke in church on Sunday. And we even managed to read Luke 2 on Christmas morning. Whew...

The kids had a ball, got more than they needed (I realize I am not really in favor of starting shopping too early - I just forgot some of the earlier things I got).

BB had the month off and I think he's looking forward to the break of going back to work.

Here are some December highlights:

All of the second cousins got snazzy gloves and slippers at LB's family party.

Anushka and Diggity did a great job of helping us get the tree up and, after a few initial mishaps, we didn't lose many ornaments this year.

Anushka's most oft-requested activity was iceskating. So, one night we packed them up and headed downtown for iceskating and temple square lights. She did pretty well for her first time and didn't even have to hold onto the wall for a few minutes here and there.

Temple Square - actually the Main Street Plaza attached to Temple Square.

So, we wish you all a happy, HEALTHY 2008. I'm going to take some NyQuil...

Happy Birthday Daph the Duck

My Top Ten Favorite Things About Daph (in no particular order)

1- She's the only person with whom I've paid for an entire meal in change (mostly pennies) - Taco Bell - the day before pay day.

2- She is fabulously forgiving - we went to elementary school together AND were roommates and she still likes me.

3- Daph is a great sport at games - especially Phase Ten :)

4- I don't think I'd be part of the teriyaki (or blogging) community without her.

5- She never forgets robin eggs for blue tongues.
6- Birthday breakfast every year...

7- 99 nights of the X-Files baby... (remember the fat sucker???)

8- One of the greatest nights of my life would never occured without her being on the run from the law or her dad or whomever. All I know is that night was one of the nights I truly felt like I was on a tv show!

9- I'm pretty sure there were some classes I never would have survived (or gone to) without her (especially that Shakespeare class in college).

10- She's my oldest friend...

White Sands, Arches, Monument Valley...

BB is off for the month of December - yeah. How can you take a month off of work and not go anywhere?? He recently got me a new camera for my birthday so we wanted to test it out.
Here are some hilights:

Diggity at White Sands, NM - seriously one of the coolest placest we've seen. Snow white sand dunes in every direction.



A view of Monument Valley on the way out. A storm was coming in. Monument Valley is located in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. It is on Navajo land and is considered sacred. Outsiders are allowed off of the main roads only with a Navajo guide. Some of the most famous Westerns with John Wayne were filmed in this valley.

Anushka at Mesa Verde in Colorado.

The kids hiked all the way to Delicate Arch - not the easiest for those little legs - but well worth it.

In addition, we headed down to El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. It was a lot of driving (again) in five days but a lot of fun. It was fabulous to get out of the 20 degree cold for a few days - 70 degrees in White Sands...

We Lost The Bet

UGH! 4th Down and 18! You'd think we could stop them with those numbers! BB and I escaped to Logan right after the game ended - but this is what we came home to today. Our friends even got our neighbor's car (I guess since it is red and was in front of our house it was fair game).

Top 10 Ute Moments

So, tomorrow is the BIG GAME.

It feels a little bigger to me than usual for a couple reasons. First, the heartbreak loss last year - ugh. Still gives me a pit in my stomach. Second, if the Utes lose, my house will be decorated with byu blue. Remember my toilet papering friend Tamara? Well, she is also a HUGE byu fan and we have a bet. So, as I consider tomorrow's game with nervous knots in my stomach, here are my favorite Ute (not necessarily football) memories:

10- 1988 - The beginning of my senior year in high school, the Utes, led by Scott Mitchell, FINALLY beat byu (and beat them badly - 57-28) in football for the first time in I don't know how many years. Actually, I just wickied it and it was the first time in 9 years.

9- 2003 - Utah 3 - byu 0. In Provo. Beat them and also broke their 'scoring-at-home' streak.

8- Ute Women's Basketball. I'd have to go with the Kim Smith era - she was amazing with a basketball. My favorite players, however, have been Shona Thorburn and Julie Krommenhoek.

7- Alex Smith/Andrew Bogut. Only school EVER to produce #1 draft picks in football and basketball in the same year.

6- Utah Gymnastics. Enough said.

5- Jimmy Soto/Josh Grant dancing their way around the Huntsman Center after beating byu and winning the conference title in 1993.

4- 1993/1994: Utah 34 byu 31. In 1993, that 55 yard field goal was something I'll never forget. I was watching it at work on a screen that was about 12". It was still amazing.

3- 1998 NCAA basketball finals with Andre Miller and Michael Doleac. I think that was also the year that byu went like 1-28? heh heh heh

2- The 2004 Season. 12-0. The cherry on top of the conference season was the 52-21 victory over "the team down south" even after some player named Collie predicted that they were going to come up to SL and "Put the hurt on the Utes."

1- Fiesta Bowl 2005. We went to the game in Arizona - even with the nosebleed seats, I wouldn't have missed it. The only bummer was that we had to play Pittsburgh. Final score: Utah 35 - Pitt 7.

I'm hoping that this top 10 list will change after tomorrow's game. Either way, I'll post pictures of the winner's decorations.

GO UTES!!

Monday Monotony Buster....

Not to be left off of the bandwagon forever, I am adding my own 'top ten' day of the week. If I were choosing my top ten albums, at least half of the list would be albums from my number one band. So, I'm opting for my top ten bands instead.

10- The Kingston Trio: I am probably one of the only 'under 50s' that would include them on my list but I've spent too many road trips listening to them and seen them in concert more times than any band but one (see my #1). This is a definite nod to my dad...

9- The Beach Boys: Am I so geeky? Every road trip to Cal I ever took included many many hours of beach boys music...

8- This spot has been tough for me. I've switched it from Sarah McLachlan to Depeche Mode to Alanis Morisette to The Killers to Def Leperd to Queen - so take your pick.

7- Everclear: Have you ever seen 'Akeelah and the Bee'? There's a scene where Akeelah is taking the bus to the suburbs and she sees a carload of white girls jammin to gangster rap. She just smirks - it's a great little moment. That's probably how I look listening to Everclear - Whatever.

6- Aerosmith: I just love to turn them up loud.

5- Red Hot Chili Peppers: I was introduced to them when I started college and I'll forever link their tunes to my college years.

4- Madonna: No list would be complete without her. Road trips, beach parties, dances... no set list is complete without her. I also smile when I think of Nevada road trips with Daph and MB and Madonna :)

3- Abba: Sometime around 1980, I started listening to them because they were from Sweden and here I am 20+ years later still loving them...

2- Gwen Stefani: -With or without No Doubt- Turned me on to Ska music and I love her 'tude!

1- Dave Matthews Band: HANDS DOWN my number one. No one speaks to me the way the DMB does - and I've never seen a more amazing band live. "I can't believe that we would lie in our graves dreaming of things that we might have been..."


It's a long jam, but that's what they're known for... Check out the violin solo on this video - Boyd Tinsley is UNbelievable!!

I think next week will be my top ten songs NOT by anyone from my top ten bands... Did that even make sense? Happy week before Thanksgiving!

Any Horrible Occasion

http://www.anyhorribleoccasion.com/
Greeting cards that say "Sometimes life sucks" and "I care" at the same time.
This company is owned by a friend of mine - the cards are pretty funny. Check it out. No pressure - I don't make any commission :)

Happy Halloween

Ode to Joe

I am a Yankees fan.
As far back as I can remember, I rooted for the Yanks.
I blame my dad. I credit my dad.
In high school, I was the only person in a class full of jocks that knew that Roger Maris, NOT Hank Aaron, broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record.
I know that right now it's far more fashionable to be a Red Sox fan. Whatever.
I visited Yankee Stadium for the first time in 1991 and, seriously, got teary eyed. They beat the White Sox that day and my then favorite player, Don Mattingly, drove in the winning run. I also saw Les Miserables for the first time that day so it seriously vies for one of the best days of my life. The 90s (especially the mid and late) were great times for Yankee fans. O'Neil, Jeter, Martinez, Williams, Rivera, to name just a few could do no wrong in my eyes. And, always, Torre. I honestly do not know how much difference a major league manager makes in an average game - or playoff series. It seems to me that, besides deciding when to bring in relief pitching (which can obviously have huge effects on a game) he has very little control over the outcome of the game. Sure, he can bring in a pinch hitter, he can signal a bunt, a hit-and-run, take a pitch - whatever. He has no control over whether or not his normally-great-in-the-clutch captain will hit into a double play instead of driving in a run or two. All I know is that Torre's record should speak for itself - 12 years: 12 playoff appearances. 6 World Series appearances. 4 World Series wins. Not too shabby. And then there are the un-quantifiable characteristics - his professionalism, the respect he receives from his players AND opponents - not to mention his fans in Utah. Class. It's what it comes down to and what I'll always think of Joe Torre. The man has class.
I will miss you, Joe.

I Got Tagged so now You're Getting Tagged

Tag You're It
Paris Soul Mate tagged Daph who tagged me... (Thanks, PSM)

Jobs I have had:
1 – Phlebotomist
2 – Burger Flipper at Raging Waters
3 – Manager of a catch-out fishing pond in Pahrump, NV
4 – Tech writer

Movies I could watch over and over:
1 – Pride and Prejudice (BBC)
2 – About a Boy
3 – Star Wars
4 – Legally Blond

Favorite TV Shows:
1 – The Office
2 – Lost
3 – Buffy Re-runs
4 – Seinfeld Re-runs

Hobbies:
1 – Saturday soccer
2 – Biking/Hiking
3 – Travel
4 – Scrapbooking?? (in spurts and now I'm thinking of going digital)

Places I have lived:
1 – Salt Lake City, UT
2 – San Diego, CA
3 – Lake Havasu City, AZ
4 – Pahrump, NV

Favorite Foods:
1 – Cafe Rio - Grilled steak salad
2 – Bankok Thai - Pad Thai
3 – BB's stir fry
4 – Chocolate chip cookies

Places I'd rather be:
1 – Sleeping in - anywhere
2 – San Diego
3 – Arches - camping (and sleeping in if possible)
4 – Some fabulous place in Europe or Australia or Brazil or anywhere I have never been before...

Websites I visit:
1 – yankees.com
2 – All of the blogs on my sidebar
3 – Chris's LJ
4 – FIFA.com

Who I am Tagging:
If you're reading this and haven't done it... YOU ARE TAGGED

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

5200 miles later, we pulled back into our driveway on Sunday afternoon. We discovered some fabulous new parts of the country during the past two weeks - here are a few more pics.

These water falls were off some completely tiny road in Wisconsin (I think) - they were amazing!

Michigan has a really cool sculpture garden complete with huge tree houses for the kids to run through and an excavating ground where they could dig for fossils.

Mid-westerners can hang at the beach - who knew?!

Fall is a great time to visit Nauvoo - no crowds, no humidity, no mosquitoes...

We made a side trip to Hannibal, MO - boyhood home of Mark Twain and Tom and Huck...

If you are ever near Omaha - visit the zoo!

We enjoyed the hospitality of several friends along the way and that was truly a highlight of the trip.

A few observations about 'the heartland':

• The before-mentioned beautiful scenery
• 'Fire danger today: LOW'
• People drive slower in the midwest - with the exception of the big cities, we noticed that once we passed Wyoming, we were always the fastest drivers on the road and we only went 5-7 miles over the limit
• Rivers, rivers, and more rivers - not to mention the 10,000 lakes

At this point, I'm a fan. Deli-Sub, it's taken me many years but I finally see the draw of Minnesota - HOWEVER, I'm still not sold on the winters!

Off the Beaten Path

So, since we left Wall, South Dakota, we have driven through the rest of South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. With the exception of a little jaunt to Minneapolis, we have pretty much avoided the interstate. Right now we are in a little town called Rhinelander, WI. Since Wall, I think we've only seen one 'out-of-state' license plate besides ours - it was from Florida.
Here are a few highlights thus far:
I think BB was feeling a little jealous of missing out on Pioneer Trek so he took the opportunity to pull a handcart at Martin's Cove (ours were a little heavier though :)
Devil's Tower
Mount Rushmore - or Mushmore Mountain as Anushka calls it - was definitely worth the drive to South Dakota.
The South Dakota Badlands
How many people have actually walked across the Mississippi River? We saw the headwaters of the Mississippi in Minnesota.

Some of the beautiful fall colors of Minnesota. MB - we already know where we want to go camping with you when we visit!

Hello from Twins Territory

Just a quick note to say hi from 'the heartland'. We left Sunday and have been through Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and are headed to Wisconsin today. I'll post more later and add some photos (when we get an adaptor cord). Let me just say right now that I no longer think MB is entirely crazy for wanting to move to Minnesota. I'm still not sold on the winters but we have seen some amazing country around here!

Did You Ever Enjoy the Dentist This Much???

I have been very negligent as a parent in getting my kids (especially the eldest) to the dentist. Had I known the sheer delight they would find in the experience, I would have started taking them much sooner. Yesterday when I told Anushka that I was dropping her off at her aunt's house so that I could go to the dentist, she melted into tears. I couldn't understand this because she usually would rather just live with her cousins. Then I realized that she thought I was going to HER dentist without her. The office was set up like an undersea cavern - complete with Dori and Nemo swimming around in a big tank. Each chair was child-size with a flat screen above it where they could watch movies or play games while the dentist (dressed in Mr. Incredible scrubs) counted their teeth.

And finally - the reward for getting their teeth counted and shined:

Not bad eh? On a completely other note, we're leaving in two days for 'the heartland' as MB refers to it. Looking forward to seeing parts of the country we've never visited. We'll try to post as often as possible...

9/11

So, the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning was about the World Cup soccer match between the U.S. and North Korea. I've been counting down the days to 9-10 for about the past 2 months and now it's finally here.
As I sat and watched the game with rapt attention, I had a clear flashback to six years ago - sitting in front of the television on another Tuesday morning. I'm sure everyone can remember where they were when they first heard of the attacks. I was driving home from the temple in S.L. at about 7:00 a.m. and heard on the radio that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. Picturing in my mind a small private plane gone off course, I hurried home to see if any news stations might be covering the crash. When I realized the seriousness of the situation, I called for Brad to come see. It was about this time that the second plane hit. We watched and listened horrified as we heard reports of the Pentagon being hit as well as the downed plane in Pennsylvania.
Six years later, I still have a difficult time wrapping my brain around the events of 9/11/01. We have visited Ground Zero a couple times since. The first time was a few months after the attacks. I remember directing my brother and parents to the site and, when my dad asked which street it was on, I realized that I had always used the towers as my guide. I had no children in 2001 and it will be years before mine hear about those events with any kind of understanding or sympathy. I don't really know if I have a point to all of this beyond just remembering and honoring the victims and heroes of that day. We live in a great country - flawed, no doubt, but great nevertheless. I just want to voice my gratitude today for all of our freedoms and opportunities - we are blessed!

30 going on 13...

So, I had brunch with Daph and Lisa a couple days ago and, after hearing this story, Daph said I should blog it.
It all started on Trek about a month ago. For anyone who might not have experienced pioneer trek, just imagine about 300 people all dressed in pioneer garb, pulling handcarts, walking in families and companies through the Wyoming/Utah wilderness for about 26 miles over 4 days. Pretty authentic, no? Well, it is at least until you look to the front or end of the pioneer train and see motorized vehicles carrying food and pulling porta-potties along.
Two other characters are critical to this story. So, let me introduce Ken and Tamara. Ken is the husband of my ward's RS prez - a really great, fun guy. He is one of those big cowboy looking guys that loves everyone and always winks at you when he goes by. Tamara is a blast - she was the chair of my committee (activities), loves to talk in loud speakers, and get the kids to do funny cheers that they normally wouldn't be caught dead yelling. Her husband is the bishop of her ward and she's a few years older than me.
So, after herding kids up a very long, difficult hill, Tamara and I both really needed the potty. So, we asked the driver if we could just sneak on the trailer and use one (the trailer pulled about 6 porta-potties). He said we'd just have to take the plug out of one - I'm sure you can understand that they put plugs in them when they drive to prevent (ugh) splashing. We figured out how to do it and I went first. While Tam was in there, Ken came down to see what was going on. Once he got to the trailer, the trail boss radioed him asking him to bring the trailer up to the kids. Radios were carried by all the company leaders, drivers, medical people, etc. There were a lot of radios out there and they were always on. So, when Ken got on his radio and said, "I can't do that right now because if I start driving, Tamara will get it all over her butt!" there were probably at least 30 people who heard it - including Tamara - which explained the screaming - "I heard that Ken and you are DEAD!". And he and I LOST IT. She came running out, yelling threats, still hoisting up her bloomers and Ken and I were literally in tears and he was on the ground laughing.
It was a running joke for the rest of Trek; all the while, Tamara tried to come up with good revenge. Nothing came to her and Trek ended. The very next day was Fast Sunday and, as I mentioned, Ken is in my ward. It was a real shock when he got up and shared the story from the pulpit (he did change the word 'butt' to 'fanny'). Tamara is not in our ward but does share the building. As I walked out of sacrament meeting, she caught me in the hall and had already heard that he told the story (props to the Mormon grapevine). I think this was the last straw for my friend Tamara because she called me at 9:30 that night and asked for help in getting Ken back. OF COURSE I was in.
40 rolls of toilet paper strewn around his perfectly manicured front AND back yard as well as his cars and front porch - along with the words "ha ha" written on his back lawn with toilet paper and rocks - later, her revenge was complete. We also attached a note to his front door that said something like, "Dear Ken. We heard you've been telling some potty stories - so here's some toilet paper to go along. P.S. - Debi (his wife) is not allowed to clean up any of this." I talked to Debi later that week. She didn't.
She took some photos so if I can get a hold of them, I'll post later....

And Diggity's Look-alikes

So he'll either be a political activist or a big-time comedian!

Anushka's Celebrity Look-alikes

OK - maybe I'm getting carried away but this site is pretty fun...

My Celebrity Look-alikes

Just a blatant ripoff from Daph's blog...
BB and I both got a 'Buffy' actor (actually BB has 2!)??? SWEET!!!

BB's Celebrity Look-alikes

Back from Everything...Next Project...

Girls' Camp .... check!
BB's reunion .... check!
My mom's reunion .... check!
Pioneer Trek .... check!
My Dad's reunion (at Bear Lake:) .... check!
So, We're back to the land of the living and this is the first week in recent memory where I don't have a packing list I'm working from. Nushka is now in pre-ballet and pre-school and loving both. Diggity has been a pretty big grump lately and I just noticed he's cutting his back molars.

Now I could really use some Deli-Sub advice on what we should do with the yard this fall... planning a visit anytime soon?

Check out BB wakeboarding on his first try ever! I spent the day with half the lake up my nose and really sore arms for all my trouble. Good thing we had some skis for back up.

Ode to a Keychain

OK - I tried to write an entire poem in honor of my new key chain or of Paris Soul Mate or SOMETHING - but everything ended up cheesy. How did J.K. come up with those fabulous 'sorting hat' songs??
Anyway. Have you ever noticed that little, thoughtful gifts are usually the most heart-warming of all? I received one such this week in the form of an FCB keychain. For those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning, you will know what FCB is. OK - maybe not. You SHOULD though :) But my favorite Parisian does. So, thanks to you PSM. I LOVE IT!

BTW, FCB = Football Club Barcelona (starring Ronaldinho and newly acquired Thierry Henry who is beautiful and French;)

The Deathly Hallows

So, it's Monday, July 23rd. After two days of seriously neglecting our home and family, Brad and I both finished the book last night. I feel like I inhaled it. I was just SO anxious to find out how it would end and DID NOT want to read the last chapter or page until I was there. Now I need to go back and read it again to relish in its magic. I would love to be infused with some of J.K.'s imagination - she's a master. I will reveal no secrets here but if anyone cares to comment, I'll respond there. I thought it was a great conclusion to the series and am really excited for others to finish it so we can discuss.

Holy Quiditch Batman - It's Finally Here!

Here's to J.K. and the wonderful world she's created!

With just under 4 hours to go, I'm feeling the mixed emotions of the end of an era. I'm really excited to read 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' but am feeling the pangs of knowing that it is the final book of the series (even if she does write more later about Harry - I don't think it will be the same).
So, here are some of my predictions. By the time most read this, you may have already read the book. But, if not, feel free to add yours or tell me where you think I'm up in the night (which is where I'll be reading, I'm sure).
-Harry WILL NOT die - end of discussion.
-Snape will. I do not think he is really on Voldemort's side but I think the only way he can redeem himself, not only for killing Dumbledore -whether on Dumbledore's orders or not- but for being the truly mean, nasty person he's been, is by dying nobly in the fight against Voldemort.
-I think Harry WILL end up back at Hogwarts somehow for his 7th and final year even though he said he wouldn't go back.
-I think the phoenix that Harry thought he saw rise from Dumbledore's tomb will become Harry's companion. I think it will hold some essence of Dumbledore or some power that Harry needs (much as Fawkes did for Dumbledore). I think the phoenix will be Dumbledore's final gift to Harry.
-R.A.B. = Regulus A. Black - brother to Sirius and short-lived death eater.
-I don't think any Weasley will die - but Percy surely gets my vote if she chooses to off one of them ;)

-BB predicts that Harry will die in the first chapter and Book 7 will be about the rise of Voldemort to new levels of power.

Just Kidding!

-BB actually predicts that Neville's skill with magical plants will be pivotal in defeating Voldemort.

SO, I think that's it. I'm headed to Barnes and Noble in about 30 minutes so I should have a good chunk read by tomorrow but probably not all of it (I still have two kids after all).
Happy reading!

'Yo Ho Yo Ho' a Virtuous Life for Me

"You are not twelve years old anymore!" -said my mother after I described my boat-tipping escapades from last weeks' girls camp. This weekend, I was questioned by several friends and relatives, "How was camp?" But the question was definitely inflected with the tone that says, "I'm sure it was awful, how did you SURVIVE camp?" The answer, however, was that I had a complete BLAST at our three-ward girls camp. With a pirate theme and plenty of reasons to get the girls wet (and for them to reciprocate) - it was 100 degrees after all - what was not to enjoy? I came home with a mildly sprained ankle, about 15 new bruises (literally), a water-logged cell phone, about eight total hours of sleep for the week, and a fabulous relationship with about 20 amazing, obnoxious, funny, energetic teen-age girls...

Has Anyone Seen 'The Order of the Phoenix' Yet?

Got home from Girls' Camp on Friday and Brad and I went to see it yesterday. I think it might be the best overall movie yet... Any opinions?

Walk It Out

SO, I was raised by parents who pretty much thought anything made after about 1970 was pure crap and everything before was all inspired. Of course there were exceptions - but not many. So, I saw a lot of old movies growing up and was a big fan of actors like Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. And, although I had not a shred of dancing (or singing) ability, I loved all the great musicals. Among my favorites was 'Damn Yankees'. That was where I was introduced to the great Gwen Verdon - one of the greatest Broadway dancers of all time. Below is a dance choreographed by her husband, Bob Fosse. The original music in this video was to 'Mexican Breakfast' and was performed on a TV show in the 60's but someone has updated the music. HELLOO!! It's brilliant! I found the original performance and the 'groovy' music they're dancing to is downright boring compared to this. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of my blog and turn off the automatic playlist so you don't have two songs going at once. ENJOY!

In Other News...

Little D had Birthday #2 last Sunday. BB free-handed a Curious George on his cake since that is who Digs has been likened to lately. He is quite the climber.

As the crazy month of June is coming to a close, we are gearing up for a big BB reunion this weekend. Everyone is looking forward to seeing all the cousins and family and spending some good, quality time in the sun and water...

Twilight

So - I finished this a couple nights ago. All in all, I liked it - especially Edward. However, I think she could have cut about 1/4 of the book by removing the ubiquitous references to his 'crooked smile' and perfect, god-like, Adonis features - I think we get the point. I would have liked a little more with James and the bad vamps at the end and I definitely think they should have vampified Bella - I think it would have made her more interesting...
Also, I'm pretty sure Bella was modeled after the author (see pic) which made me laugh a little at how every guy in school and two powerful vampires were all pretty much obsessed with her - I guess that's every girls' fantasy. As Daph says, "I want my own vamipire."

Life of Pi

I had this book suggested to me by one of my favorite people on the planet (my aunt) and am still sort of reeling over the ending. Has anyone read this? If so, PLEASE communicate. I know what I believe about the two stories but I'm really interested to hear others' opinions.
In other news, summer is upon us and we are learning a new meaning for busy for our little family. We're in charge of 3 separate family reunions, I have a soccer tournament that is ongoing until my team loses, have to go to girls' camp and Trek with the young women and we have to help my parents and sisters' family move - TWICE. We're also trying to get this basement finished and keep up with the regular demands of life. It's all good though - we're regulary reminded of how lucky/blessed we are and happy to be where we're at in life.
Oh yeah - and we're coming up on the one month count down for The Deathly Hallows...

Random Sampling

So, it's 10:30 in the morning and Diggity just came in and fell asleep on my lap - if only all his naps were this easy. Anushka is using the bar stools to make a tent with her dolls. It would be an ideal time to get that pile of ironing done - but alas, blogging is far more alluring. We've had no exciting news lately but I thought I'd post a few pics of some of our spring activities...


Easter is always a great time for cute pics...


One day, Diggity and Nushka were wet and filthy from playing in the yard. Digs was crying from the bathtub so I wrapped him in his towel and he was OUT in about 3 seconds. He took about a 2 hour nap just like that (I put 2 towels under him - just in case:)


Another engineer in the family? Anushka is definitely showing some aptitude (I helped her a little...)


Not bad for west of Tooele eh?


LB losing to BB in Scrabble AGAIN (I'm blaming it on the strep)


Little Kathryn is home and doing great. She's filling out and getting ready to move to a new house a lot closer to her cousins - hooray!

Double Trouble! Digs with his buddy Isaiah...
OK for now...

Camping Weekend

So, BB and I like to try to take off for the weekend each year for our anniversary. This year, our 6th, coincided pretty closely with the birth of Kathryn as well as a trip to Boston that our babysitters (my parents) had the nerve to take. So, finally, we headed out on May 11th. We originally intended to head down to the Moab area but got such a late start that we ended up staying a little closer to home. Has anyone camped in the Wasatch Cache National Forest? It's about 30 miles west of Tooele and I had fairly low expectations. However, it was really a beautiful area of wilderness with pretty good campgrounds that were definitely NOT crowded. The rather large downside to all this was that I started feeling really ill on Saturday and didn't have much energy for a lot of activity. We did a short hike and saw quite a few deer (I'll post pictures once I find where BB hid the camera) - but besides that, we stayed pretty close to our site and our fire. We came home Sunday and Monday I found out I had ANOTHER bout of strep. So now I'm really anxious to go back to Deseret Peak when I'm feeling 100%.

Shout out to Chris :)

Just a fun You Tube find. If you watch 'The Office', you'll enjoy this:

Interesting Excerpt

Hello everyone. I apologize for not posting more often lately. I've discovered that adding Young Women to my own kids and husband really deprives me of most free time I might have otherwise had (at this moment, I'm actually supposed to be typing up a questionnaire for YW). I can't complain though - the girls are a blast (except for the one that I really do want to beat up :)

So, as I mentioned in my 'Recent Reads and my Ratings' section, I decided to re-read (for about the 5th time) the entire Harry Potter series in preparation for The Deathly Hallows. I think I've done this every time a new book is coming out - hence the multiple reads. ANYWAY. I started this way too early this time as I just finished book 5 and still have 74 days to wait for book 7 (and it will NOT take 74 days to read Book 6 - more like 7 OR 4 days). So, as you all should know, Sirius Black dies at the end of Book 5 at the hands of Bellatrix LeStrange (don't these characters have fabulous names?? Did you know that 'Voldemort' literally breaks down to 'Violent Death'? but I digress...) So, Harry is, of course, very distraught at the loss of his godfather when he comes across Luna Lovegood. I notice this passage every time I read this book but now that I have a blog I want to share...

"That man the Death Eaters killed was your godfather, wasn't he? Ginny told me."
Harry nodded curtly, but found that for some reason he did not mind Luna talking about Sirius. He had just remembered that she too could see thestrals.
"Have you..." he began. "I mean, who...has anyone you've known ever died?"
"Yes," said Luna simply, "my mother. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine."
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled.
"Yes, it was rather horrible," she said conversationally. "I still feel very sad about it sometimes. But I've still got Dad. And anyway, it's not as though I'll never see Mum again, is it?"
"Er --- isn't it?" said Harry uncertainly.
She shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn't you?"
"You mean..."
"In that room with the archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that's all. You heard them."
They looked at each other. Luna was smiling slightly. Harry did not know what to say, or to think. Luna believed so many extraordinary things...yet he had been sure he had heard voices behind the veil too...

Like I said, I notice this passage each time I read Book 5. I find it so fascinating that so many people share our beliefs without realizing it. When I was on my mission and would talk to people of different faiths, they ALL said they believed (or at least hoped) that we would see loved ones again after this life - yet, as far as I know, no other religion teaches that we actually WILL be reunited with loved ones. I also find J.K. Rowlings' title of the chapter where Sirius dies very interesting - "Beyond the Veil"...

OotP Trailer

This gave me some goose bumps!

Katie Bug

Our new niece, Kathryn, was born Sunday, April 15. Tax Day baby (that makes 3 in LB's family). Just a few minor complications - they think she aspirated during the birth and, therefore, have her in NICU for a few days to monitor her breathing, administer antibiotics, etc. We are anxiously awaiting her arrival home and can't wait to see her without a plastic box on her head :)