A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit Of That...

So this weekend has been a little bit all over the map, as they say.  (Who the heck are "they" anyway?) Have you ever felt like you could just crawl into bed with a good book and stay there for a few days..  yes?  Me too! I think I may have to do a bit of quiet reading tomorrow afternoon when I have the house to myself.

Friday was.. nuts!  I surprised the girls with a trip to the dentist because Carley's cavity paranoia was off the charts and I decided to ease her mind. The thing about Carley is that she ALWAYS thinks she has a cavity ... and she never does! So when she comes up to me and says, "Mom, I think I have a cavity." I usually respond with, "You're just paranoid, Car." To which she insists, "NO! I really DO this time."  Again.. she never really does, and she didn't this time either. But at least she can put the paranoia away for a week or so.

After the dentist, Hubby and I took his dad grocery shopping. Oh my! There's something very special about a grocery trip to Wal-Mart with Hubby and his Pops. Some random lady saw me helping my father in law locate the bath tissue and assumed I worked at Wal-Mart. While Hubby giggled over the situation, I nicely helped the lady find the rug cleaner she was looking for.  Hubby laughed and said I had downgraded from being mistaken for Oprah to being mistaken as a Wal-Mart worker. FML

Sidenote - The Oprah story:
Hubby and I were vacationing in Hawaii once when a woman approached me and told me I looked exactly like Oprah Winfrey. It totally wrecked my day.  I smiled and thanked her, and said something about how I wished I had Oprah's bank account. In my head I was thinking, what the heck! I am a thirty-something WHITE girl. Hubster still laughs about that one. 



Side-by-Side Comparison.  Is it the hair or my Hawaiian tan?  Seriously though, I'd take her bank account!

I continued my Friday afternoon by rushing home to meet my nieces, Breckly and Ty who were at my house for 5 mintues before Abby and Linzie got home from school. Then I rushed to Layton High School to pick up Madi so we could rush home and get her ready for work.. then rush her to work.

My life is a series of rush hours. Not even kidding!

We did have some great moments this weekend, including Hubby's first grill night of the year and laughing our guts out over the things Carley says.. "I almost had water!" Or, "Everything I've seen, I've seen!"  But my favorite one had to be, "No, yes, no. What I mean by that is yes."  Oh my goodness, our sides hurt from laughing! Nothing is better than time spent as a family and now we are all itching for summer to get here so we can have our weekly barbecue nights. Bring on the flip flops and family fun!

We wrapped up our weekend by rushing to make chocolate covered pretzels in chocolate mint flavor and raspberry cheesecake flavor for Hubster to take to his work Superbowl potluck today (thanks for the 90 minute notice, Hubby!) then we sang at the top of our lungs on the way to and from Mom's for a little Superbowl visit. Naturally we laughed ourselves silly over there too. We enjoy each others' company, what more can I say?

Life is good! The kids all said they had a great day today, and I agree.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with the girlies to watch the Glee premiere, which is what we've REALLY been looking foward to all day. Who needs the Superbowl when you have Glee?

Goodbye 2009 - Thanks for the Memories!

As 2009 comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the year of highs and lows that my family has experienced over the last 12 months. If I had a dollar for every time we said that this year is a very different kind of year for us, I certainly wouldn't have to worry about any post Christmas debt! But as I hear the giggles of all the little girls throughout the house and watch my cute husband making his special nachos for our family New Year's Eve celebration, I am completely satisfied and happy with my life.

Here is a short recap of our experiences in 2009:

1. We created a family blog to share with friends and family.

2. Bill and I took a quick, overnight trip to Maui to recharge our parental batteries.

3. Carley and Madi were named officers in Key Club and FBLA at LHS and the price of their sweaters was OMG!

4. We had to rebuild and finish the deck and mason work of the pizza oven after a fire the previous fall.

5. We took the girls to Little Sahara Sand Dunes for an Easter camping trip and we were pretty much soaking wet and cold the entire time!

6. Sent the girls to Ohio for their half sister's High School graduation.

7. Two of our girls got their driver's licenses.

8. Our first major scare when Madi was in a car accident.

9. We learned that our beloved Grandma Robinson was seriously ill.

10. The truck's fuel pump conked out on us on a camping trip to Flaming Gorge.

11. My buddy, Jake, came to my house and planted an Apple tree in our backyard..on my birthday.

12. Madi and Emily got jobs at Lagoon.

13. Boating, boating, and more boating!

14. We said goodbye, for the last time, to Grandma Robinson. Her passing forever changed the way we view our lives.

15. Abby and Linzie started 7th grade, Emily started High School, and Carley and Madi began their Junior year at LHS.

16. I mustered up all of my courage to quit my job at Venture to accept a great job opportunity at OHSU.

17. My "babies" officially became teenagers. Now ALL of our girls are teenagers!

18. We gave away a washer, couch, two geckos and a television when we made necessary upgrades around the house.

19. We made A LOT of fudge.

20. I held and comforted my daughters as they cried and mourned the death of their friend involved in a violent car accident. Less than 48 hours later another friend of theirs tragically lost her older brother to suicide.

21. The discovery of Glee meant much more singing around the house and walking around with silly grins as we compare our crushes on Mr. Schuester.

So as our New Year's celebrations wind down and as each of us slowly wander off to our comfy beds, I cannot help but appreciate all that 2009 taught me. Even though there was a tremendous amount of sadness, I learned to appreciate the moments... each and every one of them whether good or bad.

In one of our favorite songs Jason Mraz sings, "It takes some good to make it hurt... It takes some bad for satisfaction." I agree, Mr. Mraz. Life. Is. Wonderful!

Happy New Year, everyone. I am looking forward to appreciating all that 2010 has to offer!