It Pleases Me!

It is no secret. Devon loves a good shoot 'em up, action, suspense, thriller type movie.

And, it is no secret that I prefer a good love story, comedy romance movie or musical!

But, of course, every now and then we have to compromise.

Devon really got his movie fix the first two weeks that we were here. To name a few, we watched, "Hancock," "10,000 B.C," "Vantage Point," and "Dark Knight."

After watching "Dark Knight," I was really depressed and needed something uplifting...

In my opinion, there is no better way to be uplifted than by watching 4 nights of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett...in the words of Miss Bennett, "Think of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure." Oh, I think that I shall be much more amiable to be around now that I have watched this and that I shall go around speaking like an English woman for as long as my family can stand it! It does please me so!

Over the weekend Devon took me to see "Mama Mia." I loved it! I found myself singing all the words, along with the cast, in my head, during the entire show. I couldn't wait to get home to pull out my old ABBA CD.

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen (du dum du dum du dum)!

If that doesn't put you in a good mood, I don't know what will!

These uplifting movie picks would not be complete without "Sense and Sensibility."
Aaahhh, it's like a breath of fresh air...I can breathe again, it's so nice!

Now all I need to make this experience complete is the fourth Twilight Novel...only 4 more days!

Pioneer Day

The last time I remember celebrating the 24th of July, in Utah, I was 13. My friend, Darcie, and I spent the night out on Main Street with my cousins. We had the best time. We were even interviewed by a news reporter who thought we were sisters. The next morning, my aunt and uncle arrived, before the parade, to make us pancakes. I have always loved Pioneer Day, and I am so glad my children got to experience it, first hand, yesterday!

All of the primary children were invited to come dressed in pioneer clothes to ride the float. Grandma made an extra special dress and bonnet for Taylor to wear. She was the most authentic looking pioneer!

That morning, I could not get Blake to change out of his Buzz Light Year PJ shirt. I finally gave up and let him wear it.

Doesn't he look proud?

You can only imagine how excited these two little boys were to see this army tank up close and personal. It is every little boys dream come true! Of course, Luke kept referring to it as a "transformer."
I think every fire truck in town drove down Main Street.
I think Luke's favorite part, other than the transformer, was diving for all the free candy and toys that were thrown from the people on the floats!
Afterward, we enjoyed some shade and the kids ate popsicles until their tongues and faces were blue, orange, and green.
Since becoming a mother, I appreciate our pioneers so much more. I can only imagine how difficult the trials were that they endured and the sacrifices that they made along the way. I am so grateful to them and so happy we could celebrate and honor them yesterday!

Boring, Or Not, This Is My Life Today...

I have been tagged a couple of times and decided a show and tell of my life, today, would be the best way to reciprocate it.

So. After much thought, I thought all of my fellow interpeeps might enjoy a glimpse into my small-town life, as experienced, today.

WILDLIFE, DIRT, AND A "BUILT-FOR-BOYS" BACKYARD: As you can see, Luke has been spending all of his time making his own man-made Lake/River. He spends hours digging the route the water will flow and filling it with water. He and Blake also enjoy catching beetles, grasshoppers, and ants. Thanks to their cousin, they have now learned how to drown the bugs in water and bubbles...and they ENJOY it!! I have no idea where these genes came from...they are not mine!
They are also enjoying their freedom (maybe a little too much) of traveling to and from our house to their cousins. Yes, even 2-year old Blake makes his way over to their house all by himself.

MY NEMESIS, A.K.A., MINIATURE LEGOS:
I pick them up, they get dumped out. I pick them up, they get dumped out AND scattered! I pick them up, they get dumped, scattered, AND thrown AND used as weapons!! I could not get myself to pick them up today. They have been on the floor all morning and all afternoon. Seriously. What is the point?!

MY FIRST TRIP TO THE OPTOMETRIST:
After having 30 years of 20/20 vision it is no longer so. For the last few months, I have been experiencing headaches and blurriness in my right eye. Today I found out I have astigmatism and need glasses. Oh, the joys of turning 30. However, as a thank you, I was sent home with this cute gift bag filled with chocolates, glass cleaner, an the most giant pen I have ever seen. I am assuming people with poor eye sight need big pens? I don't know.

NEMESIS #2, THE DISHES:
At 7:30, I finally unloaded the dishwasher, rinsed the dishes in the sink, and reloaded the dishwasher...yippee!! Aaahh, a clean sink and counter always feels good.

NEW DANCE SHOES:
Tomorrow I teach my first official dance class. It is going to be a combination of Hip Hop, Swing, and Tease. In honor of my big day, I purchased these new dance shoes. Aren't they cute? I think they will definitely put some Hip Hop, Swing, and Tease into my step. I can't wait to wear them!

Now, I just have to decide what to wear...pink or blue? I need to look good on my first day........

wish me luck!!!

Who Can Resist Edward? I Can't!

I was talking to my mom yesterday and she told me how her friend was making herself a shirt to wear to the premier of the Twilight movie that says "What's Your Blood Type?" Then, I found myself reading THIS post and I just couldn't resist making this shirt for myself to wear!!
This is just too much fun! My mother-in-law giggled and giggled after seeing me wear this shirt. I think everyone who is a Twilight fan should have one. If you want to create your own shirt click HERE!

Apricot Picking

Yesterday was quite. a. day.

We woke up at 7:30am (which in normal life isn't early, but since we have been sleeping in every day, it felt VERY early!) so we could be on the road by 8am.
We arrived and were in awe by all the apricots to pick. As you can see, Taylor, Luke, and Blake each had an ice cream bucket to fill and fill them they did!

That morning, my mind was filled with memories of my Grandma J. She had a peach and an apricot tree in her backyard. As we entered the orchard, my mind was taken back to her house and the vision of her apricot tree and her delicious apricot jam. My grandma was an excellent cook and her home was always filled with yummy goodies to snack on. Her apricot jam was one of my favorites!

The orchard was very peaceful and as I stood there, on the ladder, picking apricots, my mind continued to wander and think about my grandma that I loved so much. All of a sudden, my arms were covered with goosebumps and, in that quiet moment, felt an enormous amount of love and warmth surround me. I began to cry. It was my grandma. She was there. And, I know how much she loves me and is still watching over me.
It was such a good day. A day I needed. The kids had so much fun and couldn't wait to get home to make jam with all of their apricots!
Finally, 13 hours later...all of the apricots had been cut, frozen, pureed, or made into jam. Doesn't it sound yummy!

Indoor Pools and More

These last two weeks have felt like the longest weeks of my life! Pre-move, my life was much busier, adventurous, and fun. Not to say, that we're not having fun...life is just different. There are no beach days, no park days, or friends to meet at the pool (at least not yet). I have found myself counting down the days until school starts so we can get back into a routine. Until then, we are lucky enough to live next door to Devon's sister who has older children that love to entertain mine and also allow us to swim (whenever we want) at their indoor pool!!
Blake has finally learned how to swim in his floaty suit which means I get to sit back and watch!
He insisted on wearing goggles too! I was impressed that he kept them on the entire time...monkey see, monkey do.

Another bonus from indoor swimming is no sunscreen! I do miss that after-the-beach suncreen smell, though.

A few other things we have done to keep ourselves busy:

• Devon registered for school and will start in August
• We registered Taylor for school too. Her school is new and beautiful. She is so excited! She may even ride the bus...we'll see.
  
• I have had 3 fitness instructor interviews. All 3 hired me. The first interview was very interesting. He wants to trade my skills for a gym membership??? The second has a strong need for a Pilates, dance, and step instructor...however, the pay is 50% less than what I was paid in California. Bummer! The 3rd interview was 45 miles south of where we live. The opportunity is great and the pay is 52% more than what the pay is here...however, the drive is a killer! Oh, what to do...
• I also applied to substitute teach. I thought all substitute teachers were required to have their degree (which I do), however none is required here. As long as you pass the background check you're good to go. Some place we're in, right?
• Tomorrow we're going to pick apricots from the church orchard. I've heard the FLDS often come over to pick them too...that should be interesting...more on that to come...maybe Devon's mom can teach me how to make home made jam!
  

You're So Vain....You Probably Think This Blog is About You...

I thought this was a fun game and decided to play along...here are the rules:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you (and if this isn't on there...I'll assume you're a procrastinator like me and will check back later!)

Wanna play?

It's the 4th of July Dammit (or is it Dang-it?)

Devon proposed to me 9 years ago on July 2nd. The day after he proposed, we drove from the O.C. to this Red Rock Country to share the news with family. This was our first 4th of July, in this city, since. It's amazing how much our family has grown!
We laughed a lot, swam a lot, ate a lot, and enjoyed the fireworks A LOT!
We traveled up to Brian Head to watch the big show and celebrated the next night with our own fireworks show in the front yard. All of the kids had fun swirling their own sparklers and screaming at the popping noises each firework made.
We finally celebrated Blake's 2nd Birthday....as you can tell, Blake had a great time! I think he really liked the cake!
And, finally, for my favorite story of the week... Is it Dammit, or is it Dang-it?

The other night, before bed, Taylor was putting her PJ's on and, for whatever reason, was having a hard time putting her PJ bottoms on and said, "Dammit, I can't get these on right."

I couldn't help but smile and thought to myself, "Oh, no, I've definitely said that one too many times lately."

After pausing for a moment, I told her that maybe we shouldn't say "Dammit," rather we should say "Dang-it."

Her response was, "But why?"

"Well, we all make mistakes sometimes, but dammit is a swear word and Heavenly Father has asked us not to swear. So, I think we should try to say dang-it instead."

"Oh, well, you've never told us that before."

"I know. It's okay, you didn't know."

Then, Luke chimed in and said:

"We're not supposed to say dammit because it's a swear word right Mommy."

"Right, Luke."

Two minutes later Taylor said:

"Now, is it dammit or dang-it? I can't remember."

"Dang-it."

"Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting."

Again, Luke said:

"We're not supposed to say dammit because it's a swear word, right Mommy."

"Right."

This continued for almost two hours.

Then, the next day Luke was playing and shouted "DANG-IT!"

Taylor immediately screamed and yelled, "MOOOMMM, Luke just said DAANNGG-IIITTT!"

I said, "That's okay."
.
She said, "Oh, yeah, we're not supposed to say DAMMIT."

Home Sweet Home, Or Is It?

We have arrived! After loading up the truck, cleaning the house, and squishing everything that wouldn't fit into the truck into our cars, we waved goodbye and hit the road. After ten hours in the car, with three small kids sitting side-by-side, listening to the DVD player play non-stop, driving no faster than 65mph (in order to keep up with the moving truck) and worrying about Devon driving the moving truck, we made it and we are unpacking! Now that we are here, this is what we have experienced since:

You know you are in SMALL town Utah when...

• Everyone who shows up to help you move is wearing a duck hunting hat or some kind of hunting apparel.
• There is no need to rent a storage unit when you have the front yard.
• There are miles of houses with chain link fences.
• People consider running over a prairie dog "good road kill."
  
• The person through the drive-thru window speaks English.
  
• A parked car, in the driveway, always has the keys left in the ignition.
• You hear lots of "oh my word," and "oh my heck."
• A matinee is only $4.50
• You can buy 85 Octane gasoline AND gas is .65cents cheaper.
• Almost all businesses are closed on Sunday.
• When you run into the DMV lady at dinner, she remembers you, and says hello.
• The main store, in town, is Walmart.
• Your throat, nostrils, and lips are no longer moist. Rather, very, very, very DRY!
• Grandma is a few feet away from hugs, kisses, morning pancakes, and lots, lots more!