We Found The Asshole!!!

For Christmas this year, my brother Dan, and his wife Chrystal, bought "Family Gifts" for everyone, and they were all games. When we opened ours, the first words out of my mouth were "Are you trying to say something Dan?"

Mom had to take a picture of it, and wanted to play it as a family as soon as possible. Because Dave and I went to see his family Christmas Day, we waited until the day after, and that's when the fun started.

We opened the game, set it up and as rules instructed, the oldest went first. This game isn't played like any normal game, play does NOT resume clockwise, instead, to determine who plays next, there is a question read, and the person who answeres it correctly gets to go. The End is literally a "target" on the butt of a Donkey that says "The End". Dad and I both agreed that it's the Asshole, and the winner turned out to be Dad, so I said that he was an asshole. It was such a fun game that Heather was in tears from laughing so hard, and Dave and I are finding that it's a very fun game to play.

After playing Smart Ass, we played Pictureka with Heather and Monroe. That's the game that they got, and it was just as fun. We will soon try out Mom and Dad's game, and maybe even Marsh and Emily's. Thanks Dan and Chrystal, when you guys visit, we'll see which one of you are the asshole!!!

Baby Steps

I've been trying for nearly 2yrs now to sell Gold Canyon Candles. Over the two years, I've had a total of 4 parties, and only 2 of them have brought in a maximum of $400. I did my first and only party for the year at the beginning of this month, yes, it's an 11 month late start, but crap happens. Anyway, I had a lot of fun though I was a nervous wreck and completely out of practice.

Through the rest of the week, I explored the website again, catching up on all the new information the company has to offer, and found something that gave me a HUGE ray of hope. Ever since I started my attempt to sell these candles, I didn't have anyone to train me. The demonstrator I signed up under said she'd train me, show me the ropes and what not, but I never saw it, so I learned by trial by error.

This one ray of hope is the new design of their catalog. They made it pretty user friendly and a lot easier for new and unexperienced demonstrators such as myself, to do their job. Each page is basically designed for a presentation of the company and products, and also has the sizes and prices of each product as well. I want to get this business going, and know I can succeed if I become much more aggressive than I have been. Lets see what the new year brings.

One Wild Day

Today Dave and I went to run some errands in Dad's Sonoma. On our way to COSTCO, we were stopped in front of Arby's on Yellowstone, when we were rear ended by a kid in a Montero. I didn't see it coming, but I heard squealing tires. I had enough time to see a big white pickup truck fly by me in the turn lane. Then I felt the jolt. Luckily I was wearing my seat belt, and everyone was ok. I immediately called the police as the driver of the other vehicle checked to see if we were ok. I told him we were fine for the moment and that I was calling the police to notify them of the accident.
The Dispatcher instructed us to move the vehicles off of the road if possible so we told the other driver and moved both vehicles into the Arby's parking lot. By the time the police arrived, my neck and left eye started to hurt a bit. When the officer came to talk to us, I informed him that I had some whiplash, but was fine other than that. The driver of the other vehicle was honest in the whole thing, took full responsibility and even went as far as calling us an hour later to let us know he notified his insurance company and make sure we were ok.
Today's photo of course is of the damage done to Dad's truck. Luckily both vehicles had insurance, and nobody was severely hurt. We later found out that the white truck that flew by us should have hit us, but the driver swerved out of the way. The kid who hit us was following that truck too close and saw us just as it was too late. Later that evening, as Dad was driving, we got pulled over by the police for a tail light being out. We explained that the vehicle was involved in an accident earlier in the day and he let us off.

New Hope

I want to start off today's entry with first giving credit to he photographer of this photo, though I'm not 100% sure of it, I believe it was taken with Marsh's camera by "The Hobbit" , and apologizing for slipping off the grid lately. I've been focusing on projects I've got to get done before Christmas, and am beginning to think I bit off more than I can chew. Along with hats and scarves for my nieces and nephews, I've got dishcloths and other projects to make. Chrystal, if you don't get them before Christmas, you'll get your dishcloths before the first of the year. Remember, anytime you want/need more, let me know, I'll be happy to make and send as many as you want. I only ask that you let me give my hands a break for a bit, I am rapidly losing functionality in them right now.

Anyway, I thought I would update all that's been going on here in the Lage family. Dave is enjoying his new schedule, and since he's got Sundays off, the Church hasn't hesitated to get us active again. We are counting down the days until we're given callings, and we're ok with that, our only request is to not speak in Sacrament as we BOTH do not do well in front of tons of people. We only made it to Sacrament last week, and are aiming for the whole block this week, we'll see how it goes.

As EVERYONE knows, Dave and I have wanted to become parents since we got married 5 1/2 years ago and have failed. 3 miscarriages later, still no luck, but are blessed to have a wonderful Gynecologist who is also a VERY GOOD fertility specialist. I have been talking to people who know our desire to be parents, and somebody suggested we try Preseed. I won't go into all the details about it, long story short, its a sperm friendly lubricant to aid in conception. Anyway, I called the doctor the other day and asked for her input on this particular product. She called me today and told me that she has never heard of it, that it wouldn't hurt to give it a try and is also putting me on Clomid for 3 months.

On top of everything else, I"m going to see what I can do to get back into Gold Canyon. I have to renew my membership by Dec 9th, finally booked a party after a year for Dec. 1st, and will hopefully get over my "stage fright" so to speak. Even that little amount of people make it hard for me to speak. If I can get into a website of my own, I'm sure that would help my business skyrocket, maybe one day I'll be able to afford it.

Well, since it's OFFICIALLY Friday, I should see about maybe getting some more sleep. Beginning to get my body on a decent schedule, when I fall asleep around 10:30 pm only to be woken up by the TV around 1am, it's not easy to get back to sleep. Gotta love life sometimes. Hope this finds everyone well.

One Night Stand

Friday night, Dave and I got 2 hotel rooms at the Town Suites by Marriott here in Pocatello. The reason behind the 2 rooms is Dave's "Sister from another Mister" as Heather would put it, and her husband were coming to visit. They decided to stay with some other friends in Idaho Falls, then spend the day with us on Saturday instead, so we decided to give the extra room to Mom and Dad instead of canceling it. At the time this was discussed, Heather and Chas were out of town and we wouldn't know when they'd be back, so it was a choice between Marsh and Emily, or Mom and Dad. We talked to Mom and Dad first, and they said to give the room to Marsh and Emily.
With that in mind, and wanting to make peace for everyone, I discussed it with Dave and with the price we got for the rooms, decided to do the 2 room thing again in a few weeks or next month, and letting Heather and Chas have one of the rooms. Mind you, we only did it because our friends were coming to visit, and knew we could afford it with the price we got them at. If we knew we couldn't do it, we wouldn't have, but after spending the night in a room across town from stress of everyday life and contention, away from ALL the dogs, it was well worth it, and something we're seriously considering doing each month.
The rooms were great too, here's the photo of the "Kitchenette" from across the room. I didn't feel like posting ALL the photos of the hotel room.
Thank you Leon for the hookup, it was awesome to be able to be out of the house and worry free for a night!!!

An Answer to EVERYONE's Prayers

I want you all to take a look at this photo, not at the couple in it but the building behind them. Being able to get back to that building is a personal goal for me, and just this last week, we were blessed to be able to take one step toward accomplishing that goal.
Dave once again, got a schedule change. Instead of working from 7am to 4pm and having Wednesday and Thursday off, he now works from 11am to 8pm, and has Sundays and Mondays off. He starts his new schedule on Sunday, so he's basically got a week vacation because not only does he get this Wed and Thurs off, he got PTO (Paid Time Off) for Fri and Sat due to a friend visiting before they move back east. We're both pretty stoked that he FINALLY has Sundays off ( I still blame it on Tyson, ahem, I mean BISHOP SPENCER!!) and starting NEXT Sunday we're going to go to church regularly.
I know things are beginning to fall into place for us, and who knows what the future brings. It's been a struggle for me on a lot of things, becoming inactive (yes, it's my fault), unable to have kids, integrity questioned, the list goes on and on, but between re-connecting with old friends I'd never imagined I'd get a second chance with, and now Dave being able to attend church again, it's just proof that it's worth it in the end.
When the day comes that I can set foot back in the temple, all who can attend is invited to join us in a session, kind of to celebrate being able to get back there. I really miss it, it really is the best place on the planet to be, and it's where my heart often desires to go.

Tucker

Thursday I got the privilege of watching Tucker. Since Dan and Chrystal don't get to see him much, I took the initiative to record him crawling, and with Marsh and Emily's permission, I am posting it on here, assuming it works. Because I've been sick with what I suspect is the Flu, I'm not going to be much longer on this post. Once I'm feeling at least up to 90% I will work much harder on my entries.

A VERY Important Lesson Learned

As you guys know, Dave and I took his brother and sister, and our nieces and nephew to the Hogle Zoo last month. While there, with Mom's camera, I took a pretty sweet picture of Isaac, then posted it on my Facebook.
I later noticed that 5 of my photos I took, including the one of Isaac that I was VERY proud of, ended up on my brother in law's Facebook Site without asking if he could take them. I was a little mad at first, but when he copped an attitude about it when I confronted him, I got mad, really mad. I asked him to remove the photos from his site, and once he refused, I decided not to enter that photo of Isaac into the fair next year, and I haven't really talked to him since.
I know some may think it's petty of me to act like this, even childish, but the whole point of the matter is family or not, he should have made sure it was ok to post those, and even give credit where credit is due. That one picture means the world to me, it's hard to explain, but because of what he did, I just can't enter it next year, it won't be the same. A WISE sister of mine warned me something like this could happen, and that I should "mark" my photos, had I listened to her, I'm sure things would be different than they are now.
After this incident, I have taken all my photos off of Facebook and began to mark them. It's a shame that a family member can't be trusted enough to where I have to mark all my pictures, but I guess that's how it is sometimes. I am now going to make sure if I post a photo that somebody else took, I get their permission first, or give credit to them. If I have posted anything of somebody elses without their permission, I am truly sorry, and it definitely won't happen again.
Today's photo is not the photo that started all of this, but it's quite similar. Notice the name on it, yeah, you'll see it a lot from now on.

Playin Around

Ok, I had a family member complain about my not updating my blogs often, I've been a bit preoccupied with getting bills taken care of, kids, working on Christmas Presents, and Missionary Discussions. I would work on updating the blogs each night while I cannot sleep, but nobody is allowed on the computer after midnight. ANYWAY, that being said, here is my latest entry.
Lately I've been loading photos from albums to prepare for scrapbooking. It's going to be a long and tedious project, but I am having a little fun with it. After I scan the picture, I have it AutoFixed, and have done this without using PS. I have a desire to learn photo shop, and will eventually, but for now, I've just been winging it on the regular programs. Here's an example of what I've been doing. Hope you like.



Obviousily this is the doctored one, it was kind of fun making it look like it was taken yesterday rather than in the 70's, wish I had more time to do more stuff like this though!.

Random Thoughts and Tucker Time

Today's photo is of Tucker, trying to use the computer. Emily asked me to watch him while she worked out with her mother, and as usual, I agreed to it. I had spent the day watching 2 four year olds, 2 three year olds, and 2 Sixteen month olds. I wasn't the only one watching them, Dave and Rachel, his sister (I will claim her too. I like her a lot!) helped out as well.

After all the kids but Kaitlynn were gone, Tucker came over and spent some time with "Aunt Jess". He played on the keyboard, ate some sweet potatoes and just had fun. I know that I don't have kids right now, and everyone knows how bad I want at least one of my own, but in the meantime, when the Lord feels I'm ready for them, I'll focus on other people's children.

People don't understand fully the reason behind putting up with what I do when it comes to watching other people's children. I do it for the kids, and because I enjoy trying to be a good example for our future. Though it hurts that I don't have any of my own, while I'm watching the little ones, I keep thinking that I'm serving the Lord through doing this service to families in need of child care.

YES, The world IS coming to an end!

This morning, Sister Thiemann called to see if I'd sub in Nursery. Dad told her that he'd check, and not to worry about waking me up, I need the religion. When he came down, I was already awake, he asked me if I'd go help at Church, and to his surprise, I told him I would.
I got up, went upstairs and told mom what I was doing. She almost fell over in shock. I went for all of it, helped in Sacrament for the Primary Program, and even agreed to help in Nursery next week. Mom was delighted to hear it, and I explained to her that I know I need to be at church, but I also need to get there on my own time, and that I'll be there when I know I'm ready.
Today's photo is of one of the kids. He is the son of the Elder's Quarm president, and he took to me pretty well. His name is Carter, and he's just an awesome little kid.

Can't Understand Why

So over the last few weeks, I've been utterly exhausted. I can't muster up the energy to do much of anything and am finding that all I want to do is sleep. I don't have a single clue why I'm so exhausted. It's not because I'm up ALL night, usually if that happens and I get even 3hrs of sleep, I'm not so tired, but this time, I'm wiped out. I think if this persists, I'm gonna call my doctor and see if she knows what would cause this much exhaustion.

Babies and Fruit

Recently Dad took a trip to Utah to get some final parts for his Razar. Mom asked that he bring back some pears and peaches so she can can them, and this is the restult of that.



Today, Olivia was in a bind, and needed a sitter for Shawn for a few hours. Heather wasn't home and I wasn't about to volunteer her without checking with her first, so I offered to watch him. When Heather found out, she was upset, and hasn't really talked to me since. He's a great baby, very quiet and happy. This photo is taken after he slept the whole time I had him. I must say, he's a trooper for somebody born with his guts outside of his body.



Until things get figured out, Liv is going to have Heather or I watch him. I don't mind helping people out, and though I'm not making money off it, it is something I love to do. It's my way of losing myself in service.

Natures Vase

Over Labor Day weekend, we went camping as a family Sunday and Monday. Dave and I had to sleep at home to take care of the dogs, but when we got to the cabin Monday morning, everyone just woke up. I snapped a few photos of Heather sitting in her tent, then when she headed to the outhouse, I looked up and found this sight. I couldn't resist and snapped a photo of it, thought I'd share with Dan and Chrystal. I like to say that this is Heather's best side.

Tryin to Kill Everyone

Today, I had Mom take me down to the distribution center to get Dave and I some new G's. This is the 2nd time, in 5 years, that I have bought G's, and thought we got 5 pair each, it was a shock to see the total came to $60. I was fine with it, but Dave just about had a heart attack. When I got home, I got all of our worn out old G's and we had a fun time burning them.
The girls I was watching at the time wanted to help, so we supervised them as they threw the G's in the fire. It was pretty cool watching the Mesh ones burn, or more so melt. I think that's what made it stink the most. Anyway, that was the highlight of my evening and photo of the day. Now I'm finishing things up and headin to bed.

I have been procrastinating lately. Last Friday, Dave took me to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. I must say that it wasn't my greatest meal from there, the salad was a bit wilted, my steak was cooked more than I wanted it to be, and I just wasn't thrilled.

After dinner, we decided to head to Wal Mart to walk around. Just as we left the parking lot of Texas Roadhouse, we heard a pop/thump. I said to Dave that it didn't sound good, but the Tahoe was driving just fine, so we continued to head to Wal-Mart. All of a sudden, the front end of the Tahoe began to wobble, so we immediately pulled over and called Marsh. Come to find out, the Toe-Rod broke. Marsh had to take us home, and then load the Tahoe on a trailer and bring it home too. Fortunately, it wasn't our fault it broke. Here's a picture of the damage.



That same week, Moto got "fixed". I think it's safe to say that everyone agrees when I say "It's about time!". Anyway, Heather told us that Chas/Monroe had to wrap Moto in a blanket so they can put a "retard helmet" as Heather calls it, on his head to keep from biting everyone. When Heather and I went to pick him up, he was groggy enough to be quiet and nice. We picked up a E-Collar for him at PETCO on our way home because he LOVES to lick, and then put it on him. I left the cone on his head for a week, just to insure his incision was healed before I let him have the chance to lick. It was funny seeing him run around with it. He'd run into things, and Heather almost drowned him once with it, but the best thing with that cone, you could grab it and he couldn't bite you. Here's a photo of him sporting his dish/cone/collar.

A Really Great Man

Today's entry is a sad one. For 2 1/2 years, Officer Daniel B. Gilbert has been fighting Lou Gehrigs Disease, and until recently, was doing a good job from what I've heard.
When Dave woke me up for his lunch break this morning, he paged me and told me that Mom came home from Church early because Dan Gilbert had passed away, within the hour.
I came upstairs to get the information, and as the day progressed, the full story began to unfold.
Apparently, Dan had slipped into a coma last night around 3am. Doctors said he'd be in the coma for about a week, but at 10:30am, this morning, he passed away. Not only was Dan a good Police Officer, but he was our Home Teacher, and friend. I can remember the jokes about the traffic lights on the "cruise" he and I had, arguing over weather the light was red, yellow, or orange.
Watching him race his wife to our house to home teach us, and just talking with him for a while, it was fun. Dan was a really good man, and will deeply be missed by all.

A Long Needed Roadtrip

Yesterday, Dave and I borrowed Marsh's car and headed of to spend the day in Salt Lake City. When we got there, we went to Hogle Zoo, and spent three hours just walking around and looking at the different animals. When we couldn't walk much anymore, we got in the car and headed to the Gateway Mall, thinking maybe we'd catch a movie.
None of the movies really started until around 4:30, so we bagged the movie and just walked around. (We are a bit crazy!) We looked through whatever store caught our attention, got smoothies at Ben & Jerry's then got my Build A Bear re-stuffed and purchased another BAB.
When we'd decided it was time to hit the road, we took off......and got caught in RUSH HOUR! We finally got off the road in Layton where we stopped at Red Robin for dinner. We then, started heading across the interstate to Krispy Kream where we got FRESH glazed donuts.
I drove most of the day, and really enjoyed the one on one time with Dave. Nobody really called us, there were no distractions, and it was just awesome. I know we probably shouldn't have gone to Salt Lake, but to just get away for a day with my husband, it was the best thing we've done all summer.

Creativity

Today's photo is of a new design I'm learning on my Crocheting. It's called the Cross Stitch, and though it looked a bit difficult, it turned out to be pretty easy. I've got a book of different stitches that I'm going to try to make samples of. I've already tried 4 of them, and can only really do 2 because they're the easiest. I know with more practice and dedication, I can get better.
I get a lot of crap thrown at me because I know how to crochet and I'm young, but I really don't care because it's excellent Therapy. I have found that when I'm stressed or depressed, all I have to do is sit down with some yarn and a hook, and lose myself in the project I'm doing and hours later, I'm doing just fine. Once I get better with my projects, I want to start making lapghans and throws, and donate them to the local nursing homes. I am really beginning to enjoy crocheting, and will learn to knit soon.

Gambling in Utah

Today's photo was actually taken at a Rest Area on our way to Salt Lake City yesterday. As Mom and I were heading to the restroom, we saw a vending machine and a water machine, and found the sign "Lotsa Luck!". I thought it was pretty funny, and had to snap a picture of it with my phone. Next time I'm going to be sure I take my camera, the photos might be better.

A Surprisingly Good Trip....

Today Mom, Heather, Chas and I took Dad to Salt Lake City so that "The Hobbit" could take him to the Airport in the morning to fly to Houston. I have had my reservations on going with Heather's recent attitude, but went anyway. We got along amazingly well, and there really wasn't any fighting.
When we got down there, we headed to the Mall by the Chuck Arama that we were going to meet "The Hobbit " at. After the potty breaks, and being stopped by some guy trying to sell me manicure things (they really don't take NO for an answer, after I told him I wasn't buying anything, that I have no money, he asked when I would have money.) I headed over to BUILD A BEAR WORKSHOP.
Yes, I might be crazy, but I like to "immortalize" special events/people in my life, with the animals from BABW. I got one for when Marsh and Em were Married, one for MY Wedding day, one for our anniversary, One in Memory of Grandpa and now, this recent one was in memory of Grandma W. This was given a lot of thought, and I got this particular bear because of the "Stitching" effect on the ears, and the patch Heart. The scrubs symbolize her love for working at the Hospital, even if it were in the Gift Shop.

After Goodbyes were said, we hit the road. Heather changed her mind and wanted to drive, so to save a fight and ruin a good day, I let her drive, and as we were heading out of town, I snapped this photo from the car. Both of these photos were taken with my Cell, I'm surprised they turned out as well as they did.

Rather than take over driving like I said I would, I let Heather and Chas take turns driving home while Mom and I sat in the back. It was a good day all in all. I hope Dad has a safe trip, this is his first time flying since He and Mom were married.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

Obviously, this blog entry is dedicated to the woman who brought me into this life, and who can quite easily take me out of it if she wanted to. You guessed it, my Mother. Today was her birthday, and because she wanted to, all of the kids here in town were treated, by her and Dad, to a dinner at Texas Roadhouse.
I don't know what they did all day, nor do I really want to know, but I hope they had fun whatever it was they did. Anyway, the original plan was to go to a movie as a family, but Tucker would have been excluded so we went to dinner instead. Mom was going to take us all to Red Lobster, but Marsh and Emily don't like Red Lobster, so we went for Texas Roadhouse. I must say that it was a fun dinner, and the only thing missing was Dan and Chrystal.
When Dinner was over, Tucker flirted with the waitresses a bit before we left. We then went to Wal Mart, and then home. It was a good night and mom had a happy birthday. She loved how it went, and enjoyed the fact that her kids got along all together.

Quality Nephew Time

Today I got the privilege of watching Tucker while Emily went to work. We got him close to 8:30am, and he was quite happy. Then, he decided he was hungry and tired, so we tried to feed him a blend of peaches and rice cereal. He decided he didn't like that so much so I packed him up and headed over to Emily so she could feed him. By the time we got to the first intersection, he was out cold. Just to insure he'd stay asleep, we drove a few minutes or so, then headed home without taking him to Emily.
Gus woke him up when we got there due to his barking, but he just lied there. We then went for another drive with Mom and Dad to prepare for BUNCO and drop Duster off at the groomers. (I might say he's looking pretty spiffy!) We got home and put Tucker in his toy after Emily came and fed him. I must say, he had fun playing in it for about an hour while "Uncle Bub" (Dave) looked on. He only got fussy when he was left alone in it in the Livingroom.
He's a good kid, and I love it when I get to spend time with him, he's so happy. I hope I get to spend more of these kind of days with him, and look forward to when he's old enough and I can take him to play at the park, or to the zoo. I will spoil my nieces and nephews!

Grandmas and Goodies

Todays Photo is of mom "eating" Tucker. Emily and Marsh came over for a bit. Emily wants me to babysit tomorrow (YAY!) while she works. Mom was holding and playing with Tucker, and I snapped this photo, it's why you should never let a grandparent hold a grandchild when they're hungry. Actually, Tucker had lots of fun and was laughing and just enjoying himself. He is such a happy, spoiled baby. He is heavy too, weighing in at almost 18lbs.

When they left, I indulged myself with a pint of Ben&Jerry's Phish Food. I normally get the B&J Karmel Sutra, but wanted a little something new. It is a chocolate, marshmallow, caramel Ice cream with Fudge Fish. I must say, it was good considering I ate the whole pint. The Fish, they were a bit TOO chocolatey, so I didn't eat them. I left them on the lid while I was locked in the computer room. Since there's 2 computers now and a printer almost as big as I am, it got really hot in there and the fish melted. Looks a bit nasty don't it.

Workings of a Crazy Woman

So after the threat of the computer being taken away from everyone, and knowing how much I rely on it to keep track of child care and post these blog entries (I think I'm doing a pretty good job on that one!) I got a crazy idea, and wasn't sure it would work. Dad cleaned off the computer desk, and I thought it'd be clever of me to see if I could set my computer up and tap into his internet until we got an adapter or wireless card of our own.

Dad agreed to it, and we set the computer up. Now if he decides to take the computer away from everyone, I still have access to mine, and can still do the things that I need to. I can also respect dad's wishes in the sense that I have a password set on our computer that people need in order to get online. That's today's photo of the day, what the computer desk now looks like. I realized after I set it up that I've grown use to the larger screen, but at least my computer is being used as something more than a paperweight now. That makes me happy. I'll try to get more creative for the photo of the day!

Sunday Evening

Today Dave and I went for a walk with Mason, Merlyn and Karma. Dave has little patience with the dogs, so I suggested he take Karma and work with her a little bit. She walked with him and listened to him pretty well, then we got a little brave. I let Mason and Merlyn off their leashes at the park, and let them run a bit. Karma wanted to join in on the fun, but rather than unhook her leash, we let it trail behind her as she ran with the boys. She had a lot of fun, and didn't do bad listening until she found the sprinklers at the school.
After 10 minutes of eating the water shooting out of the sprinklers, Karma decided it was time to listen and ran up to Dave. Mason and Merlyn, still off the Leash, headed home on command, and when we got there, I got this photo. It wasn't until after I uploaded them that I found how Merlyn kind of "popped" on the photo. I thought it was pretty cool myself, maybe, just maybe I should look into a better camera, and possibly photography classes.

Why Do I Do It

Today I had a "color" appointment with a Mary Kay consultant. I thought, what have I got to lose? Do you think I could remember all the steps I took to get the make up looking like it did, um.....NO.
Anyway, when it came to getting the colors picked out, I got a wild hair, and chose green. I don't know if it was because my shirt was green, or what the deal was, but I don't think it turned out that bad. It's not a color I'd wear very often, but it was an experiment anyway. This is the first time I have EVER put eye shadow on my lower eyelid, and I don't think I'll do it again. It is just too weird for me, and I feel like it's way too much make up. Dunno, feel free to let me know what you think about it.

Reflection

As you know, lately I've been going through old photos, and feeling a little "nostalgic". Looking at todays' photo, I got to thinking of how I wish I could experience it all over again, to go back to my childhood when I didn't have a care in the world. This photo was taken when I was a year old. I look at the smile that I had in that photo and began to realize, I don't smile much anymore, why could that be??

It's funny how, when you're a little kid, you can't wait to grow up and do things that adults can do, thinking your life would be so much better. Then, when you're older, you want to shed all responsibilities and get back to your childhood. I know this isn't true for everyone, but I have a lot of those days. Anyway, this is today's Photo of the Day. Until further notice, this'll be the last entery in my blog as we've had the computer restricted from use. If you need to contact me, please call me.

Fun Times in Eigh Mile

Lately, I've been doing a lot of thinking about Camping, and I kept coming back to my years spent at Girl's Camp. Though for a week during the summer, I had to wear nothing but long pants, I totally enjoyed myself. I remember staying up late singing camp songs, playing pranks on the girls that were there for the first time, and my all time favorite was getting out of the shower (heated by campfire), opening the door to head back to camp and come face to face with a doe and her baby.
Unfortunately, today's photo isn't of that, it's of the last year I spent there. I had been bugging the Priesthood leaders whom were up there, and they'd had enough and tried to tape me to the pole of the lodge. I was shocked at how much of a cruddy job they did, as it was too easy to get out of, but it was fun. I must say that I went out with a bang. Someday I'd love to go back, we'll see.

No Wonder

Today's photo is of Merlyn. I read somewhere it doesn't matter how old a dog is to tape their ears, as long as there's not a permanent "Fold". The breeder I got Merlyn from said his ear leather is too thick to stand on it's own, but I figured hey, what the heck, why not just give it a shot.
So, we got some breathable tape, and some paper towels, and I taped Merlyn's ears up. They're supposed to be like that for 2 weeks, then I change the bandages and start over until the ears stand on their own. We'll see how patient we can be with this, so far Merlyn is handling it pretty well, with a few head shakes here and there.



I also taped them up to take the ear off of his neck, the poor guy kept scratching at it because the ear was tickling his neck. He has scratched a hole in his neck and there's no longer hair in that area. I'll post photos of his progress as it goes.

Needed Motivation

Ok, I've thought long and hard about this, and I've decide to follow Chrystal's example by doing a "Photo of the Day" on my blogs, to try to put entries in each day. Today is the issue I've been having with my toe. Last week, as I was cutting my toenail, I cut a little too deep, and ended up with an ingrown toenail. I've soaked it at least 3 times a day, tried to keep it from being smacked or bumped into and then a few days ago, Patty and Kevin stopped by on their way home to Rupert. I told her about my toe, and she suggested I grate a potato, and put it on my toe, then wrap it with a band aid. I am now on day 2 of this "home remedy" and just barely able to get some of the infection out. The pressure is slowly going away, and beginning to clear up a little.

Yes, it looks gross, but most of it is because of the dried on potato.

Weird Animals

Well, lately I've been locked up in the computer room with all the dogs, including Moto, when Dave lets Dante and Tika out to eat. Last night, as I was doing things on the computer, I happened to glance over at the door, and this is what I saw. Moto I guess thinks he can fit under the door, and this isn't the only door he does this to. He has been caught trying to get into Heather and Chas's room as well.
I just thought it was a bit interesting to say the least. I'm discovering that Moto is quite the Character. He'll sit on his rear and lick and lick and lick........
It was just interesting. As you all know, we've got weird animals, but that's also because of the humans they live with I guess.

My Idea Of Fireworks

Last night Dave and I went to Wal Mart to get out of the house for a bit. On our way there, we ran into a lightning storm. It was beautiful. We called Heather and Chas, then Marsh and Emily to see if they'd want to watch it. We didnt' get a hold of Marsh and Emily, but I tried to record what I could with my phone. The video is sideways, couldn't figure how to turn it around, sorry. Just turn your head to the left, and you'll get a sore neck, but the origional view.

Quality Family Time

After Kaitlynn went home, and Dave was off work, we went to Idaho Falls with Marsh, Emily, and Tucker. I sat in the back with Tucker and Emily, and the 3 of us fell asleep on the drive up. First thing we did when we got there was go to Red Robin for dinner. It had to be Birthday night because while we were there, they sang to at least 10 people. While waiting for Emily to finish feeding Tucker, I played a "Stacker" game and won a few key chains. We played with them for a bit, watched Tucker play with the balloon I gave him, and then ate our meals.
I got a chicken sandwich that was excellent, and we were all pleased with our meals. After dinner, and Marsh and Emily sucking the helium out of the balloon, we went to Toys-R-Us. I walked around a bit, then found some pointers for our Nintendo DS's. They were Light Saber pointers that light up, and Dave liked them. I got Yoda's and he got Vaders. After Toys R Us we went home and called it a night. It was a fun time with them, and I think it's safe to say that we'd love to do it again someday.

Friday Night Fun

Friday night, after babysitting the girls, Dave and I met the Chaney family at Tough Guy Lanes, for a game of bowling. It was something that Janelle and I planned, and I thought it went over well. Kaitlynn had TONS of fun, and wanted to help EVERYONE bowl. Because I already suck at bowling, I let her help me out on my turn, and for a while, we were ahead of everyone else. When it came time for Kaitlynn's turn, Lee and Janelle took turns helping her out.



After our game was over, we decided to head back to Mom and Dad's to teach them how to play Farkle. They caught on quick, and while we were playing, Kaitlynn slept in the other room. After Farkle, we all decided it was time to call it a night because Dave had to work the next day. There was no fighting, no bickering, and things were pretty fun I thought. It was good to just go out and have fun, without worrying about fights or anything else.

Poor Poor Puppet

Friday I decided that Merlyn's hair was getting long enough to where he needed a shave. To top it all off, where his wound was, was stained from the meds used to flush his wound, so I wanted to get rid of that part too. I started to shave him on Friday, but never finished because I had other things to get done and he needed a break. Yesterday rolls along, and I think "hhmmm, maybe I should finish him off....." so I pull out the clippers after helping Mom and Dad with the Single Adult Luncheon at the church.
While I was finishe him up, I thought it'd be fun to see about giving him a Mohawk. I began to shave the hair away from his ears to the middle of his head, and above his eyes. To my disappointment, it didn't work very well because of the natural part that he has on his head. Then I got to thinking, could I possibly get away with Dying his hair?? I got online during one of my "shaving breaks" and typed in Dyes for Dogs. There were some that had to be purchased for $20 and could cause problems for the dogs, so then I found one about Kool Aid. I read the instructions, thought "hey, this could be easy" and then picked up a few packets and a spray bottle. I had a choice between Purple (Grape) or Red (Fruit Punch) and was disappointed that they didn't have any blue. When I got home, Dave and I decided to run with the Grape. I gave Merlyn a bath, then sprayed down his topknot with the Kool Aide (mental note, when doing this, BE SURE TO USE RUBBER GLOVES!!)
His hair looked grey, and I thought, that'd be cool too, but after it dried, and had time to take to his hair, it turned out to be a faint Lavender color. Looking at it, I'm thinking of adding more, to see if his hair will go a more darker Lavender, so this photo, is going to be a picture of his dye job a work in progress. Let me know what you think. Maybe next time I'll try the Fruit Punch....

Eventful Day Full Of Fun And...................

So we all know that Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson have passed away. Today was a day to remember them, and the many things and talents they had, and it was a day of fun for me. For the first part of the day, I tried to get a little nap in, and then as promised, Dave and I took Kaitlynn to the park for lunch. She ate half of her cheeseburger and drank her chocolate milk all gone, but we smuggled the rest of her lunch out of the park. The school has a rule that the child MUST eat in the park, cannot share their food with the adults or other people, and can't take any food off the premises.
We then took a walk around the block, and when we got home, Dave fixed lunch for he and I. Then we were given the opportunity to watch Layla while Michael and Shauna went to a ball game in Idaho Falls. We took the girls to COSTCO for samples, then to McKees, and Fred Meyer. When we got home, we worked with Layla on her walking, and tried to include a jealous Kaitlynn. Just before Kaitlynn's parents came to pick her up, I got a text from Shauna asking if I'd be ok with watching Layla over night, that their friends wanted to hang out with them. Knowing that it's not a regular basis, and that it's safer for them and for Layla, I agreed to it. I set up a make-shift bed for her on the floor as I don't like her sleeping in the car seat all night, and refuse to have her sleep with us.
I lied her down on the "bed" and then came up to work on my blog. When I went downstairs for something, I found a cute sight and couldn't resist taking a few pictures. This is what I found:


I make a big deal of this picture because for those of you who don't know Merlyn, and haven't met him, he's extremely shy and skittish. The only child I've really seen him taken to is Kaitlynn. He usually has nothing to do with any of the other children, so it took me by surprise when I found him right next to Layla. I must say that in the whole 4 1/2yrs I've had him, he's mad a LOT of improvement. Good boy Merlyn!!

The "Joys" of Life

I went in for my yearly physical last Thursday, and everything was fine but the doctor wanted to do a blood work on me. I had to fast for 12hrs before it could be done, so I went in the following morning. Today I got a phone call from Dr. Callaghan with the results of my blood test. I FAILED! Actually, my blood sugar was fine, CBC's were fine, insulin level was fine, but my Thyroid is "off" she says.

She continued to tell me that my thyroid being off might be the reason I'm so exhausted and depressed. She said that she's putting me on a light thyroid med, and wants to test it again in 4 months, unless I get pregnant before then. If I get pregnant before then, she wants to test it regularly, as it effects the pregnancy.

I will keep everyone posted with things as they go, I'm also supposed to drop weight, get more active and eat better. I have talked to a friend's sister who is a nutritionist and she's given me a few good ideas. The Wii Active will soon be a regular thing for me, and I have already started a few good eating habits such as cutting out a LOT of Sweets, eating until I'm COMFORTABLE rather than FULL, and am working on having 3 meals a day that are Healthy. I don't eat fast food often, and am drinking a lot more water.

Well, I need to get going now, got a few things to do before I call it a night and my Advil PM kicks in.

Anniversary Weekend Day 3

Well, Dave let me sleep in until 12:30ish. When I got up, I got dressed, ate and then asked him what the plans for the day were. Mom, Dad, Marsh and Emily had all gone to Logan for a wedding, so it was just he, I and Heather. We decided to take a trip to Idaho Falls to visit Tauphus Park Zoo. When we got up there, I paid our way in, and just finished looking at maybe 2 exhibits when Chas called Heather. He wanted to walk through with us, and was on his way, so we headed back to the front.

When he finally arrived, we wandered through and looked at all the animals. I had asked if they'd take pictures for me to post on here, and they went a bit crazy with it. It was a lot of fun, we saw lots of Penguins nesting, a baby Lemur, baby Camel, and a Mallard Duck that likes to Dive Bomb the visitors. Heather was fascinated with the Otters, and the Singing Dogs. We also had fun watching one of the Black Swans chasing the Emu's around the enclosure.

When we left the Zoo, we went to Shari's for lunch, and then headed off to the mall. I walked around the mall, looking at the different stores, and then when we got to Barnes and Noble, I decided to see if they had Farkel. To my surprise, they did, and I bought it. After we left the mall, we stopped by Baskin Robbins to get some Ice Cream. (I was delighted to find they brought back Daqueri Ice)When we got back to Pocatello, we fed the dogs and then went to 17 Again. I must say that it was a very good weekend, but a big disappointment to see Dave go back to work. Maybe we should work on winning the lottery so he doesn't have to work.

Anniversary Weekend Day 2

So we packed and headed home by 12:30 from the cabin. When we got home, we got online to check our finances, and of course, Facebook. Friday was our lazy day. We did our own thing, Dave watched his shows that he'd recorded that he knew I wouldn't watch, and told me to play around on Facebook for a while. When the time came, we took a shower and continued to be lazy.
Mom was pretty worried about me being on the computer rather than spend time with Dave, but we both explained to her that Dave was calling the shots and gave me the ok, even insisted. We went with the family to COSTCO for a little lite shopping, then back home where we pretty much ended up hibernating in the basement.

Anniversary Weekend, DAY 1

Yesterday we went to Emily's family's cabin in Inkom. The plan was to stay the whole 2 1/2 days there, but when we got there, the place was a mess. Whomever stayed there before us left food on the counter, a saucepan had food in it still, with a bowl placed over top of it, when Dave lifted it, the stuff inside waved at him. There was a metal tub out on the porch that had water, socks, and a dead mouse in it. We spent some time cleaning it to use it, and then were met face to face with one of the Cabin's "residents". The mouse was a pretty good size, and it wasn't shy of people.
After cleaning off the poo from the mattress of the bed we were going to sleep in, we made the bed and crawled in to just relax. This was about 7pm, and as we lied there, we listened to the rain coming down and the mouse nibbling on the food left in the cabin.
We woke up at 10:30pm. and were up long enough to play a couple rounds of cards and have a snack. I stayed up a bit to watch Mason play with the 3 mice that were running around teasing him, then I fell asleep and didn't move until Dave woke me up around 11am. He fixed me breakfast in bed, then we discussed what we wanted to do. We both decided that we didn't want to spend the weekend cleaning to enjoy our time, and we wanted a nice, HOT shower, so we loaded everything up, and headed home. Here are some of the pictures I took while we were there.
This photo was of the mountain behind the cabin, we loved how the clouds were coming down.


This is the cabin. I think we left it cleaner than we found it.


Yeah, this is the outhouse. They dig a deep hole, when it gets full, they bury it, dig another hole elsewhere and move the outhouse to it.



Yes, they even have a Guys AND Gals pee hole. It's quite quaint.