CVHS Christmas Concert

On Thurs. the 18th was the annual CVHS Christmas concert. This concert is amazing in the fact that they involve all the different music auxiliaries in one concert. For the final number they have all 5 choirs, band and orchestra on the stage. It is truly an experience that stays with you. These students do an amazing job and I'm proud to say that my two oldest are very involved in the music department. Branden is in two choirs, Volume Men and A'Capella and Kaitlyn is in Orchestra and Girls Glee. They both love it, and how can you not when you have a great teacher like Mrs. Tawa? She makes it so enjoyable and really instills a love for music and singing in all of her students. In fact Branden has been chosen to be part of the Honor Choir that will be going up to Salt Lake and performing at Abravanel Hall. He also plays guitar and is teaching himself piano, but has recently asked me for some help with that one. He has an awesome ear that I wish I had. And speaking of musical kids Talise is learning to play the cello and is grasping it very well and Jacob looks like he'll be a piano player and then a percussionist. I'm am so lucky to have 4 children that have been blessed with musical talent and do whatever I can to help them develop their talents.

As always here are some pictures to enjoy....

Homemade soup and sugar cookies.....

So the other night my younger kids, Talise and Jacob, and I went to Susie's house for soup and to make cookies. Branden of course is too cool to go to one of my friends' house for something so trivial and Kaitlyn was cleaning her room so she could go to Taylor's house for a week. (If you have ever seen Kaitlyn's room you'd understand why it was such an undertaking). Anyway....Susie made homemade Minestrone which was de-lish and then we (Me, my kids, Susie and her kids) made sugar cookies. It was fun to watch the kids cut out and decorate cookies. The best part was listening to them try to sing karaoke. I don't think we'll be making any record contracts anytime soon. Here's the proof of our cookie fun.....


































And for my personal favorite....the one I call "Two Reindeer and the Moon". Doesn't it look like that? All framed on the cookie sheet? You be the judge....

Sledding!!!!

OK so my kids had been bugging me since the first snowflake fell to take them sledding. You have to understand I have nothing against sledding, and actually love to watch them and sometimes participate myself when the mood strikes. But I like to do it on a sunny day with no wind. Remember where I live?? The no wind thing doesn't happen very often, but on Saturday we had all those conditions so we went. We went with Sandi Bettridge and her kids Brayden, Megyn, and Kyler. It was a lot of fun. The kids had a blast and didn't want to go home even after the sun went down and the temperature dropped immensely. Thank goodness for hot chocolate and a warm car....LOL!! Here are some pics...enjoy!

The things that keep me busy....

So I've had people asking me what's been keeping me busy lately....well besides work there are the activities of my kids. Two of the biggest are Talons for Kaitlyn and gymnastics for Talise.

Kaitlyn recently had two drill team competitions. One in Delta and this past weekend in Sandy. They are a lot of fun but my bum sure gets tired from sitting. I don't have any pictures of the competitions but here are some of my favorite of Kaitlyn and her friends.





















Kaitlyn has a lot of fun and really enjoys being with her friends on Talons. Her next competition is the first weekend of January in Richfield. I'll try to get some more pictures then of their amazing prop routine.

I haven't been able to get any pictures of Talise doing gymnastics but here are a few from her team Christmas party.



















And so now you all know what keeps me busy and why between kids and work I haven't been able to do anything for the holidays....maybe when school gets out this week I'll have some time.....NOT!! Oh well I can dream can't I?

BRANDEN IS 17!!!!!!

OK so I'm a little slow on this one too but hey if you read the previous post you know why....anyway let me tell you about the fun I had on Branden's birthday.

Branden turned 17 on November 7th. Being the teenager that he is he wanted to hang out with his friends, go to dinner and then to Off the Cuff at The Grind. For those of you that don't live in Cedar City, Off the Cuff is an improv show every Friday night. It is a family oriented show despite it's late starting time of 10pm. I have yet to go because for some reason I like to sleep at that time of night. But one of these Fridays I am going to go. Because of this lack of wanting to hang with his wonderful mom I had to do something. So I had a great idea and it ended up involving his girlfriend and her family too.

Branden had play rehearsal the night of his birthday so while he was occupied for a few hours we had some fun. I went and bought window chalk and a bunch of balloons.....can you tell where this is going??? So with the help of my kids, Branden's girlfriend and her family we decorated the van and filled it with balloons. But here's the kicker.....I had his girlfriend get his keys earlier in the day and we put them in a balloon. He also needed money for dinner so I got 40 one dollar bills and we put one dollar in forty different balloons.....so if you're staying with me on this he had to pop all the balloons to find his keys and all the dollar bills for dinner.

Earlier in the day I had asked Branden what time rehearsal was going to be over and he assured me it would be over at 7pm so i figured we had lots of time. We met at the parking lot at 6pm figuring we had plenty of time. So as we're decorating we kept checking the time. Well we were pretty much done at 6:30 but wanted to do some final touches on the windows and we look over and see kids coming out of the school. I told his girlfriend to hurry and go head him off while we all moved our cars across the street to watch the reaction. And what a reaction it was.....he was SHOCKED!!! It was the best thing I think I could've done for him. He was estatic. We all ran across the street and took pictures and then told him where his keys and money were and the popping began.....check out the pictures....they say it all.
















OK so after the balloon thing Branden and his friends took off and did their thing. But Branden didn't know that we were all invited over to his girlfriends house for cake. So the second surprise of the night happened. This brings us to the "cake" photos.....







HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDEN!!!! I love you very much and hope you enjoyed your day!!!

So I really am a slacker.....

Or could it be that I'm extremely busy? Whatever the reason I was kindly reminded by my best friend Vicki, that I haven't posted anything since November 6. So here's to you Vicki and all my other blogging friends out there a new post. Where should I start??? Probably with Talise's birthday party since that's what would've been next had I kept up on this. So here we go.....



Talise had her 11th birthday on November 2. She didn't know what she wanted to do for her birthday so I suggested going go Jumpin' Jacks in St. George. For those of you that don't know what Jumpin' Jacks is, it is an indoor inflatables place. They have about 7 or 8 different inflatables for everyone to go on. I even joined in the fun going down the slides. The best part about it is that it's unlimited jump time. So the kids got to jump as long as they wanted to (or as long as I wanted to stay there). We had the use of the "castle" room for an hour and then the kids jumped, and jumped, and jumped for 2 1/2 hours. It was a great place for a party and I highly recommend it. Here are some more pictures from the party and of Jumpin' Jacks.








If you want to check out their website it is http://www.jumpinjackskids.com/ Maybe you can have your next party there.

OK everyone this is the deal...one of my friends in the blogging world and in my ward Lara, is having a free giveaway going on her blog. Its this adorable hat. Check out her blog at http://lalakme.blogspot.com/ and register to win! She will be announcing the winner on Wed Nov 12 so you better HURRY! You can also check out this great website by KARA who makes these hats. There are other things on there besides hats so Check it out at
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6331078

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

Halloween!!!!

OK since I'm home sick today I thought maybe I would take some time to post a few pics from Halloween. With my new even busier schedule we didn't have time to carve our pumpkins but most of them ended up rotting anyway. So they've just been sitting outside looking autumny. (and if that isn't a word it is now).

For Halloween Talise and Jacob went to Tricks, Trunks, and Treats at all the car dealerships in town and then we went to Hallelujah Night. It's put on by the Calvary Chapel and is a really fun carnival. It's all free, the kids play lots of games and jump on inflatables, and get a ton of candy, all in a very safe and positive atmosphere. We went last year and the kids were really looking forward to it this year. Then after that we went to IHOP for a late dinner. We did all of this with our friends The Laney's and Susie, Kerri, and Eli. What follows are some pictures from our fun night.







This is Jacob trying to get his donut off the string.....



And sweet success......



And the end of the night.....



I hope you all had as much fun as we did....

Exciting news....

The best and most exciting news came today when Kaitlyn told me that Erik Bettridge opened his eyes!!! Erik was in a very serious motorcycle accident a little over a week ago and had to be life flighted up to Primary Children's Hospital. He's been heavily sedated since then to keep him from moving and causing more trauma to the brain. I've been IM'ing with his mom and my friend Sandi whenever I get a chance but mostly keeping tabs on him through his care page online. You can read the updates at http://www.carepages.com/carepages/Erikspace Sandi is using this to keep everyone updated on his condition and you can leave messages there for Sandi, Keith and Erik. Everyone should check it out when you have the chance. Please keep them in your prayers as Erik has a very long way to go and is not out of the woods yet.

On a different note work is getting better. We've had some changes that I think are going to be for the best and I'm looking forward again to a great year. Each day brings new challenges but I'm ready to face them again. It's amazing what people can do for each other when they want to and I've really found out who I can count on when I need to.

So that's it for now....I'll post pictures from Talise's birthday and Halloween when I have a chance. Till next time....TTFN!!!

Blah....

So do you ever have one of those days, weeks, months, where everything is just sort of blah? That's where I'm at now and can't seem to pinpoint why. I can't decide if it's work stress which is very high right now for some reason that wasn't there first term, trying to decide if we can move, money stress which is always present, or the fact that I just don't get enough rest since I started working. Whatever it is I want it TO GO AWAY!!! I don't like the blah feeling. I do enjoy reading everyone's blogs which help to lift the blahs so keep blogging everyone.....you may never know who you're helping. Maybe I just need mega doses of chocolate.....LOL!!! (without the calories or fat)

It hit the nail right on the head.....

OK I have to thank Lara for this one.....and I can't believe how accurate it is of me. Let me know what you think and you'll have to try this one for yourselves and share.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.


• * Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.


• * Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.


• * Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.


• * Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

• * my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level


• * my ability to establish warm connections with people


• * admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life


• * my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor


• * being unique and being seen as unique by others


• * having aesthetic sensibilities


• * being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

• * experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair


• * feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved


• * feeling guilty when I disappoint people


• * feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me


• * expecting too much from myself and life


• * fearing being abandoned


• * obsessing over resentments


• * longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

• * have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games


• * are very sensitive


• * feel that they don't fit in


• * believe they are missing something that other people have


• * attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.


• * become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood


• * feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

• * help their children become who they really are


• * support their children's creativity and originality


• * are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings


• * are sometimes overly critical or overly protective


• * are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Time for Myself....

I finally did it....I took some much needed time for myself. On Saturday I went with a friend to get a pedicure. It felt so good to soak my poor tired feet and give them some much needed pampering. It was strange though to go out into the very cold weather in those little flip-flops after. LOL!! After that I went to watch Kaitlyn and the Talons perform at the half-time of the SUU Women's soccer game. Those poor girls froze to death but didn't let it show while they were dancing. They're such troopers!!! So after the game Kaitlyn and I went to get our hair done. She got a much needed and overdue trim and I had my hair colored and got rid of the gaggy highlights I had. They didn't look gaggy a few months ago....just lately, and with my new work schedule time for me is way at the bottom. I also got an inch whacked off my hair and it looks and feels so much better. Even Branden likes it....he says it makes my eyes pop. To hear such a compliment from my 16 year old son is quite a thing so it must look good.

Later this week I'll be heading up to Sandy for the UEA convention. I'm really excited to go and to learn some new things and network with other teachers. This I'm also doing by myself so I can hopefully re-charge my battery to be a better mom for my kids and a better teacher for my students. I don't take time for myself very often as I always feel guilty for leaving my kids.....anyone else out there suffer from that problem? But I have found on the few occasions lately that I have had time for me I am a much better mom and human. This will be a good weekend away and I'm excited to have the time I need to get my thoughts and lessons in order for the next term of school. It's very hard to think in a very busy household. Can they have UEA once a month??? LOL!!!

So I'll have to let you all know what I learn and the fun free things I get from the convention. I'm just glad the weather is supposed to warm back up so I don't have to deal with snow while I'm gone.

TTFN!!!

I am a slacker.......

OK so I've come to accept the fact that I'm a blogger slacker....LOL!! Not by choice but by circumstance. Work is literally kicking my butt!!! It is a lot of work to start a brand new job, at a brand new school, with a brand new curriculum. I'm so glad that we are off track right now and have a two week break. I was beginning to go crazy (like I'm not there already)!!! Anyway I vow to do better and have exciting things to tell you about as the weeks go by.

On a cheery note.....SOCCER IS OVER!!!! No I'm not excited by that at all can you tell??? LOL!! It was beginning to get very old and tiring. Yes my kids will probably want to play again next year but I think only Jacob will end up playing AYSO as Talise will be busy with gymnastics and Kaitlyn will probably be playing on the Canyon View team. And I can GUARANTEE I will NOT BE COACHING!!!! I really have enjoyed most of the years that I've coached but this one about did me in. I wasn't expecting on starting a new very demanding job mid-way through the season so that didn't help this year. So next year I'm sitting on the sidelines in my chair and cheering on my children without having to hear kids telling me which position they want to play.

So now I get to finally sleep a little tomorrow and I can't wait....I've been waiting quite a few days to not have to get out of bed and tomorrow it will finally happen....and then Thursday I get to sleep again and on Friday.....SLEEP.....I LOVE IT AND MISS IT EVEN MORE!!!

Till next time.....

Absolutely exhausted.....

This is what happens after playing soccer when you're just getting over pneumonia and you have asthma.....not to mention getting up early every morning for school because you have to be there at 7:30am....I just couldn't resist taking this picture.....

I had to take her cleats, socks and shin guards off of her while she was still sound asleep. Then she slept in her uniform. And I really did try to talk her out of playing but to no avail....she is a true athlete and gives it her all every time.....

And why do I do this???

So here I sit after another crazy night of soccer.....after of course a very long day of work and not enough sleep at night....and why do I do this?? It's simple....I'm a mom and I have kids. Does that just say it all?

I was really ready for this soccer season to be over 2 weeks ago. When I signed the kids up for soccer I didn't realize that I would once again be coaching a team of rowdy little boys. (I think I have "sucker" written right across my forehead)...but aside from that, having 3 kids playing soccer can be quite a juggling match some nights. Tonight just happened to be one of those nights. 3 kids playing soccer and 3 games in one night can make a person crazy....(just by reading this post you can tell I don't make any sense....LOL) Talise had her game first at 5:30 which I had to leave before it was over to go and coach Jacob's game. I missed Kaitlyn's game because of the coaching deal because her game was also at 6:30. The only good part about it I guess is that we are all at the same place, but on 3 very far away from each other fields. I did however get to watch the last 15 minutes or so of Kaitlyn's game which pretty much took place in the dark.....do they make glow in the dark soccer balls??? LOL!!

My kids absolutely love this game and so for them I involuntarily coach soccer, cheer like crazy when I'm at their games and let them know that I think they're the best player out there. And what do I get out of it besides being absolutely exhausted?? I get the satisfaction of watching them do something they love, make new friends, learn new skills, and have the time of their life doing it....win or lose they love the game.

And that is why I do this......

My favorites mosaic.....

OK so I've seen this on a couple of my friends' blogs and it looked fun so I did one of my own.

If you want to do your own mosaic, here are the rules. Go to either Google images or Flickr and search for images with the answer to the questions below. (for instance, if your name is Jenny, go to one of the sites above and search Jenny) You must select a graphic from the FIRST page of your search. Pick out the best one, or your favorite one and go to http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php and set up a 3 by 4 mosaic and enter the URL of the picture you selected. Have fun!


Here are the questions:
1. What is your first name?- Lori
2. What is your favorite food?- Chocolate (it IS a food!!!)
3. What high school did you attend? Buena High School (and yes I was in the marching band)
4. What is your favorite color?- Purple and Blue
5. Who is your celebrity crush?- Orlando Bloom
6. Favorite drink? - Starbucks Iced Caramel Machiato
7. Dream vacation? - Paris
8. Favorite dessert?- Razzleberry Pie
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? - Happy
10. What do you love most in life? - Family
11. One word to describe you? - Crazy
12. Your nickname? - Spaz (they didn't have anything for Kriedo)

May we never forget......

With today being the 7th anniversary of 9/11, may we all take some time and remember those that lost their lives, those that gave all in the rescue attempt, those that continue to go on, and those who are fighting away from home to protect our freedoms and stop the war. May we never forget......


Kaitlyn took these photos when she went to New York. She said the artist's picture of the twin towers was painted 12 years before 9/11. If you look closely at it the haze reminds one of the smoke from that eventful day 7 years ago....

School and illness.....

Wow what a roller coaster ride we're all on....starting a new job at a new school with a new curriculum is not easy. In fact it demands more time in a day than there are hours....(if any of you know a productive way to work in your sleep please let me in on the secret). This coupled with the fact that I have 4 very active kids that go every which way after school and I'm the only parent home makes life interesting too. Even with the new car I still find myself having to do a lot of driving especially since Branden got a part in the school production of Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella. He now has rehearsals every day after school until 5. There went my grand idea of not having to do all the running around.....!!

So also with a new school you get new germs to deal with.....can you say "We're all getting sick". We have had a lot of sick kids and teachers over the past couple of weeks and now it has landed at my house. Talise hasn't been feeling very good but I just chalked it up to allergies, asthma and lack of sleep. On Monday after school she was complaining of a bad headache but being the mean mom that I am I made her go to gymnastics anyway. She was doing fine (well sorta) until I got there and then she lost it. Here were the tears and the take me home I don't feel good.....so I took her home and that night she was burning up. We stayed home from school on Tues and Tues night she spiked up to 102.8 which for her is very high. I took her to the doctor yesterday and the diagnoses......pneumonia!!! So I just won the bad mom award for making her go to gym on Monday, but then redeemed myself by taking her to the doctor and getting her a little porcelin doll at the hospital gift shop after her x-rays. She'll have to stay home the rest of the week but by Monday should be good to go again. So for now I'm working from home and helping other teachers on my team get their paperwork caught up....

School and illness.....they go hand in hand.

New and exciting things.....

So now that I'm back in the world of blogging I better keep it up better. I've had a couple of exciting things happen this past month and just as recently as yesterday....the biggest news is that I finally got a full time teaching position. When I was ready to be done with it and figured I was never going to be a full time teacher it happened. There is a new charter school here in Cedar City and I had applied but had not heard anything. So on Aug. 13th I had an interview with the principal of Gateway Preparatory Academy. The interview lasted approx. 15 min and I was hired. What a whirlwind experience that was.....I then had to call the Iron County School District and cancel two other interviews I had for that day for part time positions.....what a wonderful feeling that was. I then went home to arrange things for my kids and went back for a training that day. To say that life change a lot on that day would be an understatement to say the least. Thus began the roller coaster ride that I'm currently on, and as stressful as it is I don't want to get off.

The other exciting thing that happened just happened yesterday.....we got another car. I bought a 2002 Saturn SL2. With my new job mom's taxi sort of had problems. I don't get finished with work until 3:30 but Kaitlyn and Branden are finished at 2:40. Then with all the activities the kids do I realized that for it to all work Branden was going to have to do some driving. Plus the fact that they don't like to sit at school for sometimes an hour and a half waiting for me when they could be home doing things like eating and chatting with friends.....LOL!!! OK so they do do homework too so they can go to bed early enough at night to get up at 4:30am. So now we have a charcoal gray Saturn that I now have to teach Branden to drive. Yes it's a 5 speed!!! Wish me luck everyone as I take on this latest lesson in life.....I'll let you all know how it goes and will post pictures when I have some.....

Long time no post......

Wow I was looking at my blog and didn't realize how long it had been since my last post. I guess life got a little busier since my trip to Vegas and now some updates are in order. First the Vegas trip...Talise and I had a blast. Aside from the normal heat of Vegas it was a fun week. We got there on a Sun. to register for the pageant and check into the hotel. Then Talise and I headed to the pool. I think she spent at least an hour a day in the pool the week that we were there and any moment in between that she could. Monday was orientation and interview with a welcome banquet that night. The next day was talent day and Talise did great. She had been working very hard to do her round-off back handspring on the stage. She did it at the state pageant just fine but the one she did at Internationals was huge. She had such confidence in all her tumbling which is a big deal to take it from a cushioned spring floor to a hard wood stage. That night we had a souvineer party where all the contestants get a souvineer bag full of gifts from the other contestants. Wed. was partywear day where all the girls have to model partywear. Talise just beamed. On Wed. we had the Cindy Fair lunch and the Prince Gilbery party. We also had a party for our state that night that was a blast. We have some pretty crazy girls in our state and we just love them. Thurs. was casual wear day with all the girls modeling casual wear. The party that night was a 70's party complete with a disco ball. It was a lot of fun and the girls looked great in their 70's outfits. Fri. was Grand Finals day where they announce the top 10 and top 5 in each age division and then crown the overall winners. It was such an exciting time to have 3 girls from Utah make the top 5 and for one of them to win the overall Miss title. That night was the awards banquet where we had a good friend of ours win the International Tot Personality title. It was such a fun week and we look forward to it again next year.

There will be pictures coming when I'm on a different computer that actually has the pictures.....

Viva Las Vegas.....

Well folks Talise and I will be leaving tomorrow for Las Vegas. We're going down for the International Cinderella Pageant where Talise will be competing. This will be her 3rd year going to the International pageant. It's a week of fun, competition, and time with friends. I don't know who enjoys it more, Talise or Mom. Kaitlyn also competes in Cinderella but due to her trip to New York after school was out, she's not competing this year. She'll be back to join us next year though.

So for now that's it and I'll blog about our experience when I get back....have a great week everyone....I know we will!!!

July 24th.....

What a busy day yesterday turned out to be....my kids got up and went to the ward breakfast while I stayed home to get ready for the day. They came home full from breakfast and ready to go to the parade.

So we left for the parade and to drop Kaitlyn off to carry a banner in the parade or so we thought. We left 30 min before the parade started thinking as usual that we'd be able to get across Main Street to go the back way up to the church where they were meeting.....well we were wrong.....very, very wrong. We couldn't cross Main Street till up near Smith's and then at that we had to wait for the start of some new race they were doing yesterday.....Now for those of you that know me I don't do well with stress and time frames and so I was getting madder by the minute. Then to top it off we couldn't find anyone to ask where our stake was and then when we did find out there wasn't anyone there. After being completely frustrated by all that and a daughter who won't ask anyone for any information I'd had it. Needless to say Kaitlyn didn't carry a banner and come to find out nobody did as the stake ended up just having a horse drawn wagon in the parade.....So we learned a lesson in mis-communication and dis-organization. Makes me a crazy person to say the least.

Well after all that craziness and me being mad at the world and all parade organizers in Cedar City we went down to Lin's to set up for our fundraiser and to let the kids watch the parade which they said was a disappointment again. The kids did have fun in the park and were good troopers through a long day of sitting at Lin's trying to sell drawing tickets for our fundraiser.

After all that fun we went out to Enoch to watch their parade which was a lot of fun. We went with some friends of ours from our old neighborhood and it was a blast. We then came home and got our food ready to take over to their house to BBQ and do fireworks. It was a lot of fun and we found out the interesting things you can do with highlighters and a black light.....LOL!!! If you're curious ask me about it and I'll tell you.

So now that we're sunburned and have rested we're ready to play again.....but I think we'll skip the parade stuff.

OK you're all tagged now....

If you are reading this blog entry then consider yourself tagged. I was very surprised how many I was able to bold as I answered this list. Go ahead and try it. It's kind of fun.
I hope you all join in.

Copy the list below and bold all of the ones you have done.
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said “I love you” and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don’t
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name...when I got married
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.\
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book1
28. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hotel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Happy Birthday to ME....

Yes today is my birthday....not sure how I feel about them anymore but my kids make it fun. It's always fun to see what they've cooked up to do. I think we may be going out to dinner tonight but then again we may not. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what the day brings.

So I'm not going to tell anyone how old I am so if you have a guess let me know and I'll let you know if you're right. It will be fun to see if anyone gets close. I'll let the cat out of the bag after the guesses are in....and for those of you that do know you can't let anyone else know that you know. I'll be checking for guesses......

The leader of the pack....

Branden is my guitar playing, music loving, song singing, video game master, wonderful teenage son. He's 16 and will turn 17 in Nov. When he was younger I wondered if I would ever live through the Branden experience, but as he grew I knew he would be an awesome teenager. I had a lot of people tell me, "Oh just wait till he's a teen." I don't know what I was supposed to be waiting for but if it was for him to be a very kind and generous young man then I guess I'm done waiting. I don't want him to ever leave but I know that's not what he wants.

Branden will be a Junior this year at Canyon View High School and is already developing the attitude of the protector for his younger sister Kaitlyn who will be a Freshman. I feel sorry for any boy that may like her as they're going to have to get through Branden first. Branden will be in two choirs this year, Volume Men and Accapella. He has an awesome voice and I really wish he would share it more but we do get to hear a solo now and then at his concerts so that works for me. His other great love is playing the guitar. He's been playing for 4 years now and is quite good. He's even taken to writing some of his own music.


I should also mention that he passed his driving test on the first try and will get his license on the 22nd of this month. So watch out everyone Branden will be driving the streets of Cedar City. He also has a job doing yard work and such for a friend of ours and has decided that manual labor is not something he wants to do all his life. I suspect that when he's done with the work there that he'll be finding a "regular" job as he puts it. But at least he gets up every morning and gets out there and does it. He really is an wonderful kid and if you don't believe me just take some time to get to know him.

So for now that's it....till next time....