Crushing Disappointment

For months we have been anticipating a visit from our Hawaiian relatives. Hubby's beautiful sister, Leilani and her family were scheduled to arrive today. They could only spare one day for us out of their Las Vegas vacation and we were more than willing to accept that because we adore them that much!  We scrubbed the house from top to bottom, carefully planned how we would rearrange the girlies so that our guests could take the room with two double beds in it... and we planned a family bbq/ fire pit night as well.

We were so excited!

Ashley flew in from Atlanta last night, skipping her very last soccer game and banquet in order to be here for the fun of showing our Hawaiian family some snow.  We were all pretty tired by the time we got home at 1:30am and most of us went to bed immediately because we knew we had a long and exciting day ahead of us. We planned on being back at the airport to pick them up at 10:20am.

Can you guess where this is headed?

Hubby jumps out of bed this morning at 8am to check flights and make sure Leilani understands how to fly standby (he gave them buddy passes and paid the fees a few weeks ago). Two minutes later he came back to bed, shoulders slumped and he said, "They're not coming. Leilani's too sick."  Oh. Sad.  Yesterday Leilani posted on Facebook that she thought she had food poisoning. We understand food poisoning while on vacation. Oh boy do we ever! (6 out of 8 of us had food poisoning so bad on our Kona trip last year that we had to stay an extra day in Hawaii because we were too sick to fly) Honestly, we really just hope that she feels better soon for her sake.. and for her unborn baby's sake as well! But we are sad.  Selfish, I know.

My girlies are in a funk. They skipped school today for the rare treat of spending time with family that we don't get to see very often. Ashley missed her last soccer game. The positive is that the house sparkles though! We are going to have our bbq anyway and we will light the backyard fire pit too. I also just overheard the girls say that they are going to go shopping today.  That's how we roll. We are adaptable.. we can come up with new plans on the fly...  But we sincerely hope that Leilani feels better soon because it is absolutely no fun to be so sick, especially while on vacation.

We are disappointed, but we will band together and manage it. Hopefully we can get them to come visit us some time in the not-too-distant future.

Get well soon, Leilani!  And give our love to Kona, baby Jolene and our buddy Christian!

A Story Of Hope And Survival

Spring is an exciting time for my family because we almost always go camping somewhere that we can ride the four-wheelers from sun up until sun down.  We spend quality time around campfires and eat great camp food (with or without a little sand, depending on the wind conditions) and just enjoy our family to pieces! But one year it was vastly different and that one year is in the forefront of my mind today.. and every spring as we prepare for our camping trip.

That year the girls were with their dad over Easter so Hubby and I grabbed a few friends and headed to The Dunes for a weekend camping trip. We wouldn't take the girls to that particular place over Easter because it is very rowdy with the younger crowd and due to the high intensity parties that tend to take place at the base of Sand Mountain, it is not a safe place for little girls. In fact, it wasn't exactly safe for us either but we survived and had a reasonably good time. As we were driving home, I got a phone call from my oldest sister, Michele. She was crying and asked me if I had heard about Lily. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a first rate panic veteran. My stomach immediately clenched and I asked Michele to tell me what was wrong. What she said to me that day changed my life forever... it had already changed the lives of my dearest loved ones forever.. I was just catching up.

Lily was at Primary Children's Hospital in SLC and had just been diagnosed with Leukemia the night before. Although I didn't know the complete details of Leukemia then, I knew it was cancer, and I knew it was bad. I was three hours away from home and I sobbed the entire way. As soon as I was home, I showered and put on some clean, non-camping clothes.. I was going to PCMC and no one could stop me. I did go to a specialty store first to pick up a blankie for Lily... I had spent enough time at PCMC with my Linzie to know that blankies are a wonderful comfort to little girls who are scared and uncertain about what is going on around them. I will never forget walking into that room... after going through a very thorough scrubbing just inside the unit first. There was my favorite sister and her little girl, both curled up on the bed, both looking impossibly small.  One look at Missy's red, bloodshot eyes told me the entire story. Her mother's heart was breaking and there was nothing I could do about it but love them both.

The story of Lily's battle with Leukemia is a long one, fraught with many fears and laced with more tears than I could ever describe. But it is also a story of hope and a wonderful portrait of survival because today Lily is cancer free.  Yay! But I still think about that phone call from Michele.. every year as we prepare for our camping trip... nothing prepares you for that kind of devastating news. There are no answers for the millions of "whys" that we asked over and over... but there can be happy endings. Oh yes there can!

Lily is a one of a kind girl who is supported by a remarkable mother, siblings and even extended family. There's more to her story than any of us will ever know.. only her mother knows the true depth of it all. But there's someone else who has a heart-wrenching perspective on cancer and what it is like to be surrounded by something so big and uncertain... that would be Lily's older sister, Ella.

Ella is easily one of my favorite people on the planet! She is incredibly smart, loving and kind.. and she survived a harrowing medical emergency herself when she was just three years old. I know, right? Can you even imagine what her mother has endured over the years? Last fall, Ella wrote her story about what it was like for her when Lily was diagnosed and went through treatment for Leukemia. Ella then entered that story in a contest that started on a school level, then went to a district level, then regionals, then state, and now is in the national part of the competition. It is no surprise to me that Ella won every level of this competition so far because, I don't care who you are, her story will break your heart.  We are now waiting to hear how she does in the national competition.. Please read her story below and wish her luck. She is truly an amazing young woman who comes from an equally amazing family!

Ella's Reflections Essay 2010 - 

"Together We Can..."

 

My sister, Lily, is five years younger than me. Sometimes, having that many years between sisters makes it almost impossible for them to get along or find things in common, but that is not the case with us. I remember holding the tiny version of Lily in the hospital the day she was born and thinking that I finally had a sister, and I just wanted her to hurry and get big enough for us to play together! My favorite picture is one of us standing together on the shores of Jenny Lake in Wyoming. The picture was taken from behind us, and we are both looking out across the water. Lily looks so small standing next to me. It was taken on a family vacation, eight months before Lily was diagnosed with cancer.

Lily was three years old when she was diagnosed with Leukemia. Her three-year treatment included steroids and chemotherapy and more pills and medicines than I can count or remember. Thinking about those years and browsing my memories of them is still really hard, as I've never been as scared or uncertain as I was then. Yet, those years taught me a valuable lesson about families and loved ones which I will never forget. I learned that a family becomes stronger through trials, and that in working together we can make it through anything.

Our world changed the day before Easter in 2007. Like most families who share everything, we had all been down with the flu virus several weeks before that, and Lily just never seemed to get over it. My mom had taken her back to the doctor and a blood test confirmed that something was very wrong. My mom told me that Lily's immune system wasn't working and that she had to go to the hospital. I didn't know what that meant, but I was scared. My mom hugged me and told me it would be okay, but she was crying and the house was full of family. My grandmas were packing an overnight bag for me and my baby brother and I knew that for us to be apart on Easter morning meant that something bad was happening. Before I could ask too many questions, my little brother and I were packed into my grandma's car and pulling away from my house and my family. I knew my parents were taking Lily to a hospital and that I couldn't go, but I didn't want to be away from them.

I remember watching my Aunt Daphne and Grandma Jill that night. Their eyes and noses were red from crying, but they were trying so hard to make me happy. All of my cousins were there and Daphne was organizing games and being silly to make us laugh. Grandma Jill always has lots of hugs for her grandkids, but I got extra hugs that night. I knew she was keeping an eye on me to make sure I felt safe and loved. They both worked so hard all night to make me smile and get me excited for the Easter Bunny's visit in the morning. I remember waking up in the morning and finding my basket. I played with my cousins and forgot for just a few minutes that everything was turned upside down. When Grandma Jill said we were going to see Lily in the hospital, I scrambled to get dressed. I couldn't wait to see her and make sure she was okay.

When we got to the hospital, I could tell my mom had been crying. She hugged me tight, told me she loved me, and asked me all about my Easter basket. When I finally got to sit on Lily's bed and chat with her I noticed right away that she already looked so much better than she had the day before. My mom told me that Lily had a blood transfusion the night before and it helped her feel better. After going through all of our Easter goodies, Lily and I got to have a bubble gun shootout with baby Jack looking on and laughing at us. Our little family was cramped into a hospital room and Lily was hooked up to all kinds of monitors and machines, but everything felt better because we were together; It was hard to leave. As my mom zipped up my jacket, she explained that Lily was very sick and would have to be in the hospital for some time. Before I could even ask, she told me that I was going to be staying with my cousins. My aunt Daphne wanted to have me over for one long sleepover.

Over the next few weeks, my parents lived at the hospital with Lily. Jack and I were spending all of our time with grandmas, aunts, and cousins, who went out of their way to make us happy. We spent hours making posters, cards, and presents for Lily. The highlight of those days was when my Grandma or aunts would pack up all of our treasures for Lily and drive me and Jack the 45 minutes to visit her in the hospital. Our visits were short, but it was the only time my family got to spend together. I was so grateful that we had loved ones willing to take care of me and Jack and drive us all the way to the hospital.

Once Lily came home we were together again, but things were different. She had no immune system, and anyone who visited had to wear a mask. My mom started keeping hand sanitizer at the front door, and no one could come inside without using it first. I remember my Grandpa picking me up every morning and driving me to school. Those ten minutes were the best, as we talked about my teacher and my class and everything that was going on with me. He would also pick me up after school and we would pick right up where we left off on the conversation.

Dinner was always a lot of fun during those first few months. Our freezer and fridge were full of tasty dinners that all of our family and friends would make and bring over. My mom is a good cook, but it was fun to try out new things and find new favorites. Dinner was also the only time we all got to slow down and sit together and reconnect. My mom didn't have to make the meals, so she actually got to sit and visit with us. It was the only hour out of the day where we were all together and peaceful. I loved every minute of those dinners, and thinking about that time helped me get through the really difficult times of Lily's treatment. One night, while we were eating, we all noticed that Lily's hair was falling out faster and faster. She couldn't eat her dinner without strands of her baby hair falling onto her plate. After dinner, my mom held Lily while my dad shaved her head. I remember hiding under the table and crying because Lily was crying and I felt so bad for her. Afterwards we all hugged each other on the couch and cried.

Because Lily was so sick, she couldn't go to school or daycare. That meant one of my parents had to stay home from work and take care of her. I know my parents agonized over this. Money was already tight, and living on one income was going to make things so much more difficult. While they worried over this and tried to figure things out, our family once again came to the rescue. Over the next six months, they organized several fundraisers and established a donation account to care for Lily's medical expenses. I remember my mom crying and saying she just couldn't find words to express how grateful and humbled she was by how generous and kind everyone was. Friends that my mom hadn't seen in years would call or show up on door with food. People we had never met, as far away as New Zealand, would send presents for me and Lily and Jack. My mom's friend, Todd, who was also battling cancer, donated hundreds of dollars for Lily's medical expenses. I was only nine years old, but even at that age I could feel the outpouring of love from everyone.

One year after Lily was diagnosed, my family was asked to attend and participate in the Relay for Life. The relay is a fundraiser and all of the money raised goes to cancer research. Lily was the poster child for that year’s event, and everywhere we went we saw pictures of her hugging her favorite stuffed animal, and wearing a pink scarf on her bald, little head. As Lily’s spokesperson, my mom was asked to speak to the crowd of supporters that day. I remember my mom thanking everyone for coming and saying that because of the generosity of people like those in the audience, some day maybe we wouldn’t need the relay at all. Maybe someday we would find a cure for the disease that takes so many of our loved ones away. As the sun went down that day, thousands of luminaries were lit and placed around the track. One of those luminaries had Lily’s name on it, and my mom lit one for Todd. We climbed to the top of a hill and looked down on the track in awe of the beauty of the thousands of flickering lights, each one representing someone who was or had fought cancer

There are many different campaigns for cancer awareness, and most of them have very similar slogans. Slogans like, “Together we can find a cure,” or “Together we can make a difference.” Our family had a slogan too. For three years we all wore dog tag necklaces with a black and white picture of Lily and the slogan, “We are in this together.

In July of 2009 Lily finally had her last chemo treatment, and she has been in remission ever since. During the three years of Lily’s treatment I learned some very important lessons. Looking back, I can’t say that I ever felt like everything would be okay, but I always knew that no matter what happened my family, all of my family, and my friends would be there for me. I came to understand that together we can make the best of the most difficult times. Together we can make it through anything.

Anatomy Of A Spring Storm

Spring weather in Utah makes my Hubby crazy... that is not an understatement. He gets so excited for the warmth that even one day of it is enough to convince him that winter is over and done with... and then it snows the next day.  I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that he pouts like a toddler when his sunshine is taken away. I am the opposite because I happen to think that Spring storms are awesome! There is no telling what you will get from one day to the next, or even one minute to the next, and at times the ferocity is nothing short of spectacular!

We have a saying around here.. "If you don't like the Spring weather in Utah, wait 10 minutes!" Today was the ultimate example of that very saying and this photo evidence will prove it.  These pictures were all taken today, from 9am-1pm.  Amazing!

Taken from my bedroom window with my camera phone.

This first picture shows the black, wicked storm approaching from the North. There was ominous thunder and lightening heralding something ferocious about to descend upon us.

 

 I raced downstairs to grab my camera so I could document the exciting weather! Look at the wall of the storm over our neighbor's house! The clouds were moving south very quickly!

These are our pine trees in the backyard. It's important that I show you this photo because you will see this view several times throughout this pictorial. Each picture is vastly different! This one was taken as the black storm was still swirling over us.

Can you see the Robin in this tree? Do you think he was thinking, "Oh Crap!"

I kept calling for Bill to come outside and watch the storm unfold, but he was playing on the Xbox and couldn't hear me with his gamer headphones on. He missed the best parts of the storm!

In the back yard, the clouds were screaming southward. The front yard was completely opposite. Here the black clouds are dipping low and racing to the north! That means the storm was swirling directly over us. How cool is that!

It was right about then that it started to hail. I didn't get a good hail picture though so you'll just have to trust me on this. It hailed! After 5 minutes of cold rocks falling from the sky, the clouds took pity on us and released their fluffiest of white stuff.  The snow flakes were huge and beautiful!

 Hubby and I had some errands to run (to get ready for our Spring camping trip) so I took a few pictures as I was driving.. (don't tell the cops!)

As I reached the crest of this hill I could see that the storm was movin' on out.

By the time we returned home, snow had already melted from the back yard. 

I told you there would be more pictures of this tree.. .and we're not done yet! The sun was working hard to break through the storm clouds.  Queue "Here Comes The Sun" can you hear it?

As I snapped a few pictures of the budding trees and the asparagus peeking out of the soil, the sun continued its journey out of the clouds.... and suddenly there it was!

And remember the pine tree that I told you to keep your eye on?  Well here it is again. This picture was taken at 1pm.. what a wonderful, beautiful and amazing Spring storm we had today!

Today we experienced thunder, lightening, wind, rain, hail, snow, and finally... bright blue sky!  Welcome to Spring in Utah.. you never know what you're going to get. 

PS: Two hours later and it's snowing again.  Haha!

Hoo-Ray!

It's Spring!  Around here that means two things:  

1.  Spring Cleaning
2. Moab camping trip! 

We also have an extremely rare treat this week... Bill's sister, Leilani, and her adorable family are coming for a one day visit on Thursday. We wish they could stay longer, but we will take what we can get. For years now we have been trying to get them to leave their beautiful Hawaiian home for a short vacay with us in Utah. But... can you really blame them for not wanting to make that swap? We have always been more than eager to swap our locale for theirs! Also, Leilani's big burly man, Kona, has this silly notion that we have snakes and bears right outside our doors. (Okay, so we kinda have a snake living in the rocks in our front yard, but he's a harmless little thing that eats spiders so he can stay.)

So what does all this mean?  It means that today I made a spring cleaning list! Can I get a "Hoo-Rah" for spring cleaning?  No? How about a "Hip-Hip-Hooray!" for a sparkling clean house?  Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! The list that I created covered an entire sheet of paper.. the more I wrote, the more I began to worry that there would be no way to get it all done before our company arrives on Thursday and before we leave for Moab on Sunday. Yikes! That's when inspiration struck and I decided to put a dollar amount on each job listed. Big jobs went for $10-$20 each whereas most jobs were $5 because they could be completed in a short amount of time. There is one monster job that has a $50 price tag on it though because it is no fun at all and takes the most time to complete. As soon as I announced the bounty to be made, the girls jumped right up and started signing up for the spring cleaning extravaganza! Some jobs they are managing solo and the bigger ones they are teaming up on and will split the profits. Thank goodness for divine inspiration and a slush fund dedicated to the girls!

For the last few hours, there has been happy music playing in the background while the girls laugh and chatter back and forth as they work hard on Spring chores. I have to say that they have had me laughing too! I simply adore my sweet, funny, helpful girls!

Linz cleaning the ceiling fans

Abby was cleaning baseboards but kept calling them "Billboards"  haha!

Camera-shy Carley cleans the windows and blinds

Abby on the floor and Linz cleaning the fans

These last three pictures crack me up! While cleaning one of the cupboards, we found a pair of 3D glasses left over from when we saw "How to Train Your Dragon" .. Linz popped out the lenses and wore them while she cleaned. How cute is she!

Thinking Out Loud

This morning the girls got up bright and early and left the house for a day with their dad, who is visiting from Oregon. They only get to see him once a year so a Saturday morning in a quiet, mostly empty house is very rare around here.  I could easily spend the day missing them like crazy and constantly wondering what they're up to, but I chose to spend a little time on me today- which is pretty unusual.

After gently talking Hubby into making a delicious breakfast, I settled in with a Netflix movie that I reserved a while ago.  A Saturday morning with no kids AND a movie? Bigfoot sightings are more common than this occurrence! I told myself that the girls are having a great time visiting with their dad and his family so that I could concentrate on the breakfast and movie. I gave myself permission to enjoy the quiet.. and I did enjoy it!

I try to watch the movies nominated for Academy Awards prior to the actual awards, but let's face it.. it is not possible to see them all. After watching the awards given to The Kids Are All Right, I knew it was one that I had to see and my friend, Netflix, delivered it to my mailbox just the other day so the timing was perfect.  Instead of popcorn, I had Hubby's perfect huevos rancheros and my cozy jammies. It was pure indulgence and I was ready to go!

I have to say that I really liked the performances and the message that I got from watching this movie. Unfortunately, it isn't one that I can watch with my girls or even recommend to my friends and family because there were too many scenes that were so graphic that I was blushing even though I was the only one in the room! (Okay, Hubby was in the room but he was otherwise occupied at the computer so he doesn't really count as someone else in the room.. yanno?)

After watching the movie, I find myself thinking about life and how most of us are always searching for something more. "The Kids Are All Right"  seemed to say -Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it and only then will you realize that you had what you really needed all along.

Yeah. I get it. In fact, I should have that framed somewhere in my house.

Life is hard, relationships are harder still. I tell my kids every day that kindness matters.. that's an easy one. Maybe I should start telling them that relationships matter and kindness is required. Don't throw away what you have spent your whole life nurturing just because you wonder about how your life could be.... If you're not careful, you'll end up with nothing.

Kmart - Never A Dull Experience

I hate Kmart. Really. Hate. You may think the depths of my dislike is strange considering the fond memories of going there with my sweet grandma for boxes of tissues and greeting cards, plus a soft serve ice cream cone, don't-mind-if-I-do... But in spite of those memories infused with the soft halo-glow of childhood, I really do avoid Kmart like the plague and there's a valid reason for my feelings.

You see, after the fire that destroyed all of my material possessions when I was tempestuous teenager (a fire that was 100% my fault I might add), my parents took us to Kmart.  With the cloyingly thick smell of acrid smoke still on our skin and permanently etched into our nostrils,  we were told to pick out new things. We needed everything from the basic hygiene supplies to some clothing to get us through the next few days. Believe me when I say it was not fun. I walked around that store in a tear-stained daze, touching nothing, seeing nothing, feeling only shock and emptiness. Eventually my parents grabbed some unwanted whatever off of the racks for me. To this day, I couldn't tell you what items were given to me from that store, but I can't even drive past it without a cold, hard pit of despair forming in my stomach.

Imagine how difficult it is for me to live with someone who thinks Kmart is the best place to stock up on camping and boating necessities. To be fair, he is right about Kmart's prices for propane being more reasonable than Cabela's, but knowing that doesn't make my smokey-charred memories any less paralyzing as I walk through those taunting automatic doors.

Camping season is quickly approaching and it is time to repair and replenish our outdoor supplies. I ventured out with Hubby to get propane as I prepared myself for the fire memories that were sure to pick at the edges of my conscious, in spite of my determination to ignore old ghosts.  We wandered around the outdoor aisles, picking up the propane for our heaters and inspecting camp chairs and mattresses as we casually made mental to-do lists in our heads.  We tossed a tea kettle in our cart (for hot chocolate on frosty camping mornings) and decided we had all we needed from that store so we headed for the check-out lanes.

And that is where it got interesting/annoying/humorous.

The growing trend of the cashier being a high-pressure sales person really irks me. A long time ago I made the decision that my charitable donations would all go toward Primary Children's Hospital in my daughter's name. Although this simplified the barrage of requests we get for donations, it can make me seem miserly at times. But due to our strong ties to PCMC, I am confident in my decision to support their charity drives exclusively. Knowing that we were going to be asked to donate to something or other, I had my stock answer in the chamber and was ready to fire.

Holy cow that checker must have been in the running for employee of the month in cash register sales pitches, because I was completely unprepared for the avalanche of offers she was about to sling at us!

"Would you like to donate to the Childrens' Relief Fund?"

"No thank you."

"Do you have a Kmart shopper's card?"

"No thank you."

"Would you like to open one today and save 1%?"

"No, thank you."

"Do you have a Sears reward card?"

"No."   (Hubby's sighs are getting more drawn out and I sense we're heading into troubled water.)

"You know, with a Sears card you can save on Craftsman brand and even get bonus points redeemable at Sears."

I'm literally cringing at this point, using every bit of ESP and mind-control I can muster to WILL the lady to shut up.  Hubby's ears are turning red and I fear there's about to be a melt-down on aisle one.

"NO. Thank you."

"Would you care to participate in an in-store survey about your shopping experience today? It will only take a moment."

"NO. THANK YOU!"

The credit card scanner was then taken over by that very survey which she promised would only take a moment. I noticed the vein on Hubby's forehead start to pulse.

Exaggerated, exasperate sighs hissed through Hubby's teeth as he slowly said, "Do I HAVE to do this now?"

"Well, if you don't want to then you can just select decline."  The cashier was actually pouting and I started to laugh on the inside.  This showdown was not leaning in the cashier's favor and she knew it.

"Are you guys going camping? You know we have great sales on our camping gear going on right now, you should check them out."

Hubby and I looked at each other and then grabbed our purchased items and made a dash for the exit. We were laughing as we walked through the parking lot, amazed by the relentless sales-pitch storm we had just endured.

Jokingly, I turned to Hubby and asked, "Have you had your tonsils out? You know you could save 15% if you chose to have them removed today."

Hubby grinned and looked at me sideways. I took that as a good sign so I continued to joke around.

"Would you care to adopt a puppy today? You can select one right here at the register and get bonus reward points!"

"No? How about a Pooch You Like To Smooch card? It will give you discounts on all your pet supplies if you sign up right now."

We were snorting with giggles by the time we got in our Jeep. We shook our heads over the tenacity of the cashier and went on our way, laughing and joking about our experience.  And for once, my Kmart ghosts of memories past were completely forgotten."

Gratitude For My Girls

This morning I woke with an overpowering feeling of gratitude for my sweet girls. I was thinking about them as I drifted off to sleep last night and they stayed in my thoughts all night long. Sweet! They are truly my besties and I am so lucky to be their mom!

Yesterday we did our heathan thing and went grocery shopping. I could not help but smile as Carley, Linzie, Abby, and me of course, all rolled the windows down in our shiny jeep (sunroof too) and let the sunshine and spring air fill our souls. We turned the stereo up and sang along... we were diggin' it!

Now that's my kind of Sunday worship!

My girls were such great helpers at the store! Each of them would peek over my shoulder and then head off in different directions to get items on our list. It was a game of grocery scavenger hunt and my girls played it well! I love it that they are old enough to be helpers with this mundane task that often leaves me bored halfway through the store. We laughed and joked with each other and one of our favorite checkers, Donnie, as we piled our purchases on the belt and noted how expensive kids can be. 

Sidenote: Donnie has been our checker for so many years now that he knows what to expect from us. One day last week we needed just a few things from the store so Bill and I went on a fast errand. Upon seeing our meager purchases, Donnie laughed and asked us if everything was okay. He teased us about it not being our typical shopping trip.  Next time he saw us with our cart load, he said, "Now that's more like you!" haha! He's a really nice guy that is always so friendly.. no wonder we choose his lane more often than anyone else's.

After the grocery store, my kiddos helped unload and put groceries away. They rocked it! I didn't even have to ask for their help, they just jumped right in. I love it that I can count on them in any situation, but especially in the grocery department because that's a big job for one person!

We took a few hours in the afternoon to watch a great old movie, The Earthling. It was one of my favorite movies as a child and I enjoyed sharing it with my girls. I have tried to buy it for years because I think it has a great story and incredible acting by the two main characters. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon with my girls.

Although it wasn't a weekend filled with adventures and photos of crazy things we have been up to, it was a perfect weekend spending time with my family. We truly enjoy each others' company and I had to be sure to take the time to let my girls know how much I love and appreciate each one of them. They are my besties and I am so very grateful to have them in my life!

And to the nameless, faceless stranger that left their grocery list in the shopping cart yesterday: I giggled to myself when I saw that "Asspergrass" was the first item on your list. Touche! I love asparagus and more than once, my goofy Hubby has pronounced it in the comical way you had written it on your grocery list. Nice to know we're not the only weirdos in the world.

I stole this picture from Carley's facebook page. Abby took this photo of the two of them just before we went to my mom's house on Saturday. Such cute girls!

It May Or May Not Have Been The Snow's Fault

Where have I been hiding lately? Well, we had a storm. First it rained for a day and then it snowed.. for 12 hours maybe. And we maybe had 5 inches of snow. 

BUT... that 5 inches of snow was enough to knock out our phones and our internet... or so I thought.  So we called in a repair order and we waited... and waited... and waited.

Do you have any idea how stressful it is to live in a household with 5 teenagers and NOT have internet? I'm here to tell you that it wasn't pretty..  but that snow... that snow WAS pretty!

This morning we got a call (Our phone rang and we were actually shocked!) telling us that there was no trouble detected on our phone lines and the repair ticket was closed. Okaaaay.... but we didn't have service for 48 hours so how can there be NO trouble??  Our phone was back on for 2 whole hours before it all tanked once again. I called Qwest and told them that there definitely was trouble on our line and I expected it to be fixed... today! The customer service rep was nice enough, but when she told me that she couldn't get someone to my house until tomorrow.. I sort of freaked out on her and it went something like this...

"That's NOT fair! I had an appointment for TODAY and all I got was a call saying there was no trouble. I am actually DEMANDING that you get someone here to my house, T.O.D.A.Y!  And I want the repairman to actually come TO MY DOOR, not just call from somewhere and say there isn't a problem. I'm telling you there IS a PROBLEM!"

The service lady quickly "found" an opening for someone to come today. Shocker.

Then Carley cautiously entered the room and she was sort of giggling. "I can't believe you said it wasn't fair, Mom. You sounded like you were four years old... and you look like you're about to cry."

"I AM about to cry! I do that when I get this angry."

She nodded because she has known me for a while now and she knows that when I'm truly pissed then I cry. THEN I cry... it's stupid, I think.. because then people take that as a sign of weakness.. or sadness.. and believe me, when THAT happens, I am definitely not sad! (I'm about 2 seconds away from ripping someone a new orifice.. luckily it doesn't happen very often.)

So I waited patiently for the repairman to show up. And when he did, he told me the trouble wasn't outside, but inside the house. (Wasn't that a creepy slasher movie once upon a time??) So he comes in and starts checking all the phone jacks, all the while making these huge, exasperated sighs like I have just taken away his birthday, Christmas, AND Cinco De Mayo all at once. Duuuude, lighten up!!

Confession: The whole time he was testing jacks downstairs, I was praying with all my might that he would find the problem and NOT have to go up to the master bedroom. Mom, if you're reading this, close your eyes...stop reading now.. I mean it!  Okay, is she gone??  Good, because the confession is that my room was definitely not clean.  Ohmigosh PLEASE don't let the problem be in my room!

The problem was in my room.

I quickly cleaned up the books, magazines and pillows on the side of my bed, but one of those gosh darn pillows decided to vomit feathers just then and it looked like there had been a chicken massacre right there in my room. I can see the headlines now, "Repairman reports possible new cult forming in master bedroom of Layton home due to copious evidence of rituals involving chicken slaughtering." 

Nice.

You better believe I kept him waiting downstairs while I rushed the vacuum up the stairs. I am certain this didn't help his mood one single bit! Come to think of it, neither did traipsing him through Hubby's cluttered shop full of vehicle carcasses to look for the phone jack out there.  Geeze, no wonder he was unhappy being at our house!

The good news is that he capped the line with the short in it. The bad news is that now there is a jack somewhere that won't work because we basically put a tourniquet on the phone service leading out of my room.  (The recently de-feathered room!)  Oh well, we have all the working phone jacks we need, for now, and the internet is once again up and order has been restored in the world!

Not to worry, Mom.. my room will be clean by this evening. You can come check on my progress if you want to... just don't look in the closet!

We Have A Fleet!

Look at the picture at the top of this blog... see all of those girls up there?  They are all teenagers and that means that most of them are now driving. When you have six girls, that's a lot of schedules to manage and we have been adding to our fleet of vehicles to give the responsible girls some freedom to manage their own lives.

The first car we bought for our kiddos was Carley's Toyota Camry. She loves that car and has dubbed it "Cowmander" because of the cow-patterned seat covers.

 

The next car we purchased was a Honda Civic that my little brother, Tyler, had been driving for a while. It was older and needed to be carefully handled but it was a Honda and we thought it would be a good ride for new drivers. Unfortunately, it met an untimely end just four days after we bought it, but I am thankful no one was hurt!

OUCHIE!

It was a while before Madi drove again... for her peace of mind and for ours, we gave her a driving break. After a few months, her dad gifted her a mini van which was very generous of him, but um... mini van.  Ick! Madi drove that van for only a few months and had nothing but problems with it!  After it broke down on her again, we finally sold it to get rid of the bad juju that seemed to be stuck to it like glue.

Van breaks down... AGAIN!

It took us almost two months before we found a suitable replacement car for Madi to drive. But when we found the Nissan Maxima, we had high hopes that it would be a perfect fit and I will say that it has suited her better than the van ever did, even if it still needs a few things to fix it up proper.  We named her car "Mad Max" which is perfect considering she is Madi and it is a Maxima.  We are such clever, witty people.  Haha!

We took a short break from car hunting but then one day we went to the car auction on a whim... Hubby wants to buy super cheap cars and then clean them up and resell them for a profit. The day we were there, a red Jeep Cherokee was for sale and you better believe we snagged it for Emily and the other two soon-to-be drivers.  What I wasn't counting on was that Hubby would fall truly, madly, deeply in love with the Jeep. He didn't know he was a jeep man until we brought the shiny red jeep home. He began driving it every day to work... I was concerned that he wouldn't let the other kids drive it.. Ever! We needed a solution to this problem...

Even though I saw a huge issue developing with Hubby's possessiveness toward the red Jeep, I wasn't actively looking for a new vehicle. I figured we would jump off of that bridge when we came to it. We still have a few months before we turn Emily loose with a car anyway, so I tried to remind Hubby every so often that I bought the Jeep for the girls. FOR. THE. GIRLS.  It wasn't working.

Yesterday I was taking Emily to school when I saw the most beautiful sight at a local car dealership. I quickly sent Hubby a text:

Me: "There is a HOT blue Jeep parked at the Young dealership."

Hubby: "There is a hot red Jeep parked in front of our house!"

Me: "Uh no.... I don't think you can understand."

We talked about the Jeep a little bit that afternoon, but we both felt nothing would come of it, even after the salesman sent me a personalized video of the sweet Jeep. We agreed that we have too many cars and can't manage anything additional.  However, that would all change later that night when Hubby drove past the Jeep himself. I will never forget him walking in the door and saying, "So, do you want a Jeep?"


After an evening of financial planning and a few emails sent between me and the salesperson, we decided to go ahead and buy the sweet new Jeep. It would be a nice vehicle for us and it would definitely break Hubby's addiction to the red Jeep. We were at the dealership at 9am to ink the deal and this is what we brought home...

We are totally in love with this sexy new Jeep! We have taken it on several drives today with the girls and everyone agrees that it is perfectly lovely.  Now I need to get a picture of our fleet so you can get a glimpse of the chaos that is our driveway.. it includes one Dodge truck, one Durango, one Camry, one Maxima, one Yamaha boat and TWO Jeeps!  (Good thing the neighbors can't see that there is also a torn apart Celica and second torn apart Durango in Hubby's shop.. oh yeah, and four four-wheelers and three waverunners in the back yard! Whew what a fleet!)

Back Away From The Jet Plane, You're Not Leaving

Last night I had a very realistic dream that I was heading to Massachusetts with my mom and older brother, Roger. We were at the airport when I realized I did not bring my wallet with me and hence had no ID so I could not get on the plane.   

Hubby said I was whimpering intensely in my sleep. 

In my dream, I had to go home to get my identification and rush back to the airport in hopes of getting on a later flight. When I got there, I was told there was a purchased ticket waiting for me. (apparently someone traveling with my mom had already paid for my ticket but it was a dude I did not know) I was excited about the ticket because I was told that all the flights to Massachusetts were sold out for the next 6 months. What a lucky break for me!

I got all checked in and headed to the gate, excited to be on my way! When it was time to board the plane, I couldn't find my ticket anywhere. I dumped out everything searching for it and I remember thinking that I had way too much trash in my purse/wallet/ whatever it was that I was searching. I begged the gate agents to print me another ticket but they wouldn't because that other dude was the one who actually purchased the ticket, not me.. therefore, they told me that I had no real claim to it. 

I was not allowed to get on the plane.  :(

Forgotten identification, missing ticket = no trip to Massachusetts.  No wonder I was whimpering in my sleep!