Wamakaskan

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

2011-02-11T23:42:00.003-07:00

My goodness.. has it really been 7 months since I posted? We have been going 90 miles an hour since then and I have to admit, blogging has taken the lowest rung on my Priority Ladder. Life has a funny way of zooming by while you're worrying about the details.

Let's take a minute to fill in some of the last few months of activity...

Ran my 2nd half marathon in October and shaved around 30 minutes off my time from the Bryce one in July. I am currently training for the Moab Half in March as well as Ragnar (again) in June and hopefully will be attempting my first FULL marathon in September or October.

Doug finished school, passed his journeyman's test in November and is enjoying working with a company he was with a few years ago. The extra money is definitely nice!

I picked up a second side job (besides the scorekeeping thing) this winter combining two of my passions: photography and snowboarding. It's a fantastic gig. I have been taking action and portrait photographs at Snowbasin Resort near Ogden and enjoying the free snowboarding perk that comes with it. Of course, there is also the benefit of seeing beautiful scenes such as this:

So if you've done the math that means I am currently working 3 (yes THREE) jobs. I am crazy. Insane. Mad. Especially when you figure in that I work out/run 6 days a week, getting up at 3:45 AM twice a week to do so. To all those people who say that they don't have time for things, I call bullshit. If you want something badly enough, you will do just about anything to achieve it. There, I'm stepping off my soapbox.

Probably the most exciting thing of the year though is that, to celebrate 10 years of marriage, Doug and I are going to Ireland! It is a place I have dreamt about visiting for years and we both love to travel, so it will definitely be an adventure. I will certainly try and post photos (hopefully it won't take 7 months) of our travels.

Then... and now.

2010-06-06T14:29:00.010-06:00

Wow. Has it really been four months since I posted anything? Life has been so hectic lately that blogging has seemed to take the back burner.. But never fear, I have not forgotten about blogging... just been on blogcation, you could say.

The subject of this blog is a very personal one.. something I think a lot of people can relate to and deal with on a daily basis. For those that don't know, I have struggled with weight issues since childhood. I had very low self confidence and that followed me into adulthood.

Here is the story of how I went from doing all the wrong things to changing my life and finally being happy with - and accepting - how I look.

After getting married at the young age of 19, it seemed to get worse and I ballooned to my heaviest weight ever - a whopping 225 pounds. I was miserable and not happy about how I looked. I made excuses for not exercising enough or eating the wrong things. I was "busy" and couldn't make the time. At least, that's what I told myself.

Finally, in 2005 I had grown tired of constantly packing on the pounds and knew something had to be done. I had a friend who had been successful in losing weight by taking the appetite suppressant phentermine. After months of working out at the gym (primarily elliptical and lifting weights), I decided to give it a try. I noticed quickly that it was not only working, but the weight loss motivated me to become more stringent with my diet and exercise. I was seeing results and couldn't be happier. I managed to lose about 60 pounds in a year and was thrilled. Then we decided it was time to think about kids and low-and-behold, I got pregnant. That 60 pounds came back all too easily.

After my son was born, I was nursing and obviously could not go back to taking the phentermine. I started out doing the same things I had done before - elliptical at the gym, sometimes 4 or 5 times a week and a circuit training program offered through my work. I was able to shed about 30 pounds but soon plateaued and could not lose any more weight.

I started looking for that "quick fix" drug again that would help me drop the pounds but after trying and failing with a few, I decided to quit throwing my money away on these short-term solutions and try something new entirely: running. Keep in mind, I am one of those people who loathed running. I always made excuses to avoid it but when it came right down to it, I simply was out of shape and it was HARD. I started out doing a route in the area where I lived that was a small circle amounting to about 2 miles. Mostly walking, with occasional bits of running. Gradually I was able to work up to stints where I was doing more running than I was walking. A funny thing also started to happen... the weight was melting off of my body. It was thrilling and addicting, all at once. I had finally found something that not only challenged me, but provided results as well. Running for me went from being a loathsome activity to a new love and obsession. I was always looking for ways to improve my time, push my limits and challenge myself.

Never one to set small goals, I signed myself up for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon in February 2010. After doing so, I decided to start out my "Race career" by testing my limits with a 10-miler up Emigration Canyon, ending at This Is The Place State Park on April 3. The day of the race there was 3 inches of snow and ice on the ground, the air temperature a bitter 28 degrees. I think windchill was about 18. Determined to not back out, I made my friend Pattie run that race with me and have not looked back since. Each race I have completed has resulted in a faster time, moving up in the list of finishers. My most proud accomplishment thus far is completing the RAGNAR / Wasatch Back Relay this past June with only about 24 hours notice before the race. Although my portion of the relay was a mere 13 miles of the total 188 miles my team ran, I was just happy to be able to say I am one of the elite few who can say they have

RUN THE WASATCH BACK.

My journey continues and so does the weight loss project. 75 pounds later and I am working hard to keep my fitness level at the maximum. It truly is a lifestyle change and I am living proof that it CAN be done. NO EXCUSES.

With my high school friends back in 2004.

With my niece Kacee in 2004 at my heaviest weight.
With my friends Betsy and Sira, along with a man I credit for much of my success. Tom is a boxer and certified trainer who has helped motivate and push me since 2007. You can find out more about the work he does at his website, http://www.fight4yours.com/ Running a 10k in May.
A very happy me on a beach in Cancun. For the first time in my life, not embarrassed to wear a swimming suit in public!
The group I ran with in the RAGNAR/Wasatch Back Relay in June 2010.

The Power of the Dog

2010-03-01T21:04:00.016-07:00

About two weeks ago I lost my dear friend Tasha. She was a special girl with a bright smile and a loving heart. She lived a good, long life of 16 years. She loved to camp and swim and was so excited when I got home that she would run to the nearest room and pick up a stray sock and carry it around in her mouth with a gigantic grin on her adorable face. I think the reason I loved her so much was because in spite of all the stress surrounding the divorce of my parents at age 14, she was always there for me and never wavered in her love. She was a wonderful companion for my Mom during these times, especially when I left home. I feel blessed to have had her part of my life for so many years.

Always a silly girl, she loved throwing herself on the ground and wriggling to-and-fro for a good back scratch.As a teenager I loved it when she would come lay with me in bed.

Camping was her favorite past time and she always staked her claim on the good camp chair.

In her senior years, she couldn't see or hear very well. It worked out that Tyson loved walking her because they kept each other from wandering too far!

I can't help but think of my own two dogs now that I am grown and how they will impact not only me in the future but Tyson's feelings as well. They adore him like any dog should adore his/her boy and he does them as well. In fact just tonight I walked into the living room and found Tyson hugging Dakota and he said to me, "Mom, this is my best friend, 'Kota." I smiled to myself and thought of the Rudyard Kipling poem, The Power of the Dog. If you have not read it, see below. It is a moving poem about the love of a dog.

Eden is ever-patient with Tyson and would get very antsy if I let him cry too long as an infant. She is still very protective of him.

Dakota is the "fun" one and loves to wrestle and play with Tyson. They are truly the perfect duo of a boy and his dog.

THE POWER OF THE DOG - Rudyard Kipling
There is sorrow enough in the natural way

From men and women to fill our day;

And when we are certain of sorrow in store,

Why do we always arrange for more?

Brothers and sisters, I bid you beware

Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.
Buy a pup and your money will buy

Love unflinching that cannot lie

Perfect passion and worship fed

By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.

Nevertheless it is hardly fair

To risk your heart for a dog to tear.
When the fourteen years which Nature permits

Are closing in asthma, or tumour, or fits,

And the vet's unspoken prescription runs

To lethal chambers or loaded guns,

Then you will find - it's your own affair, -

But ... you've given your heart to a dog to tear.
When the body that lived at your single will,

With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!),

When the spirit that answered your every mood

Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,

You will discover how much you care,

And will give your heart to a dog to tear!
We've sorrow enough in the natural way,

When it comes to burying Christian clay.

Our loves are not given, but only lent,

At compound interest of cent per cent,

Though it is not always the case, I believe,

That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve;

For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,

A short-time loan is as bad as a long - So why in - Heaven (before we are there)

Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?

"I do it MYSELF!"

2010-02-28T08:29:00.002-07:00

This would be the most frequently uttered phrase around my house these days. If I had a nickel for every time I heard it... well, let's just say I could go snowboarding a LOT more than I currently do! It's been a while since I put anything on here about my favorite guy Tyson and I figured what better update than to announce we are in the throes of potty training! Woohoo! I rejoice at the idea of no more changing diapers. Sparing all the lovely details, Tyson is doing very well at the babysitter's house and getting better every day at home as well.

There have been a few funny moments that have come along with the whole experience as well. The other day he walked into the living room and informed me he needed his bum changed. In Tyson lingo, this means he has performed a #2. Exasperated, I asked him "Where are you supposed to do that?" "In the toilet" he replies. "So why did you poop your pants?" "I didn't" he insists. I persist. "Did you go poopoo?" "Yeah," he states matter of factly, "But I poop in my DIAPER, Mom, not in my PANTS." I stare at him in amazement. The wheels start churning in my head. I realize I could have it made later in life, as this kid is clearly on the road to becoming a lawyer. Not to be bested by a two year old, I inform him "Look buddy, I'm not about to argue semantics with a toddler. You pooped your pants, plain and simple." Jeez. What in the hell am I in for??

Honestly, what kind of mom would I be if I didn't capture him on the toilet? At least I know he's my kid, he's got a good book with him after all!

Hi. My name is Michelle and I am an addict.

2010-01-31T15:27:00.010-07:00

It's not easy for me to admit. I hate the idea of being addicted to anything. It's getting a little out of hand though. It's all I think about all the time and I can't get it out of my head. Short of giving in to this addiction every time I need a fix, I don't know how to rid myself of it. The only hope for me is the inevitable thaw that comes every spring. Surely by now you must be thinking, what vice could possibly have made her so insane??

SNOWBOARDING.

It all started about 5 years ago when I first tried it out. I have to admit, I didn't love it. In fact, I dare say I hated the sport. I sucked. Royally. But I was able to go for no cost and even got paid to do it, which made it hard to pass up. Especially since Doug was already hard-core into it. Alas, I was only able to try it 4-5 times before the opportunity had passed and before I knew it, I was pregnant and then had a kid with little time or money to spare to pick it back up again.

Until this year.

For some reason, I had this primal urge to try again. I'm not sure what brought me back to it, but for some reason I decided to try again. Our first venture up was after Thanksgiving. For my first time in 5 years, not too shabby. I'm not entirely proud of my performance and I was horrifically sore the next day but altogether, I liked it enough to try again.

Despite the lack of snow (the runs were pure ice - UGH), it was so nice to get out and try snowboarding again!

Doug is my ever-patient partner on the mountain.

My friend and co-worker, Jen has taken up the sport and is learning along with me. Todd, Doug's brother is a fantastic boarder and loves to ride with Doug while Jen and I slowly make our way down the runs.

Second outing occurred on a trip to visit my sister up at Mt. Hood. There are a few pics of our adventure here. This time I took an actual lesson from an actual instructor (prior experiences had been Doug patiently trying to tell me what to do and me cursing and lashing out in frustration). I was surprised to find I did a little bit better than the last attempt and not quite as sore afterwards. Bonus.

Our third experience this season was only last weekend and resulted in me being unequivocally in love with the sport of snowboarding. Perhaps it was the fresh powder. Or maybe it was the beginnings of my practice, determination and bull-headedness combining to make for an awesome experience. Whatever it was, I experienced a rush like no other and now I am a junkie. All I think about is when I will have a chance to go again. The best part? No soreness the next day. I think I'll attribute that to my regimented workout schedule. Whatever it is, I'll take it!

Awww isn't he sweet??

My favorite group of people!

Family Fun!

2010-01-07T15:05:00.017-07:00

In December we hopped on a plane to visit my sister and her family in Washington. For two nights of our visit, my sister had rented a cabin Mt. Hood so we could play in the snow and go snowboarding. We were VERY excited to get up there and on the mountain! Not so exciting was hauling all of our winter gear and snowboards through the airport but we somehow managed and it worked out great. We had a blast while we were up there and here are a few of the many photographs we took!

Tyson was SO excited to ride on an airplane. He almost couldn't contain the excitement. Mental note: Next time, put more kid friendly movies on the ipod for entertainment.
Much to the dismay of his father, Tyson found these princess heels in my niece Kailee's room and came prancing out in them. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't capture this moment?!
On the day we went boarding, we spent a couple of hours tubing at Skibowl's tubing resort. It was a great time and although he wasn't too sure about it at first, Tyson eventually decided he might like it after all.

Not such a fan of the tube here.

Kailee being her usual silly self!

Love these kiddos!

Don't be fooled by the smile on my face. I was clinging to the pole of the ski chair for dear life. The seat was tiny and the chairs swayed so much I thought at any moment I would catapult off!

The lift operator was so cool and laid back! After my sister and Kacee both consecutively crashed off the lift, he came out to make sure they were ok. Then (while the lift's still running) he offers to take a bunch of photos of us. You don't find these guys in Utah!

My absolute favorite waterfall - Multnomah Falls just outside of Portland, OR. We had been to the falls before in the summer when it is green but never in the winter when the water freezes. It's so beautiful here! Cold, but awesome.

Black and white shot of the Falls.
My sister's family: Stephanie, Kacee, Kailee and Tracy
Waiting at the airport for our delayed flight. We were sad to go because we had such a fun trip. I think it will have to become an annual event!

Finally!

2009-11-16T19:45:00.015-07:00

Every year we have a fabulous photographer take our family photo. She does amazing work and is always ready and willing to try a cool shot or a new location. This year was no exception. If you ever need a great photographer (ahem, aside from ME of course!), I recommend Lindsey Hale. Here are just a few of the wonderful photos we were able to get at Saltair.

Coming soon...

2009-11-12T07:20:00.002-07:00

We just had family photos done and they turned out fabulous! My hope is to get the CD by this weekend so I can update my blog (it has been a while!) and perhaps even give it a new look... stay tuned!

Exploring Fall

2009-10-03T15:08:00.009-06:00

Last week I took Tyson up Millcreek Canyon to see the fall colors and to try and get some photograhs of him. The leaves were beautiful and Tyson loved exploring the pathways and running from place to place yelling "Look Mama, look!" I love to see him take it all in. Here are some of the photos I took.

Here he is blowing me a kiss. My little Romeo!

It's just not as cute when you're 28...

2009-09-22T20:55:00.001-06:00

Chillin' in the laundry basket watching TV. It's a rough life if you're Tyson.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

2009-09-19T22:41:00.012-06:00

This is the story of a 15 year war that I have waged against a mountain. Not just any mountain, Mount Timpanogas. My nemesis. For years I have tried to conquer this mountain and failed. Fitness (lack thereof, actually), pregnancy, lack of tenacity are just a few of the excuses I have used to explain my loss of these battles. There were some years where I didn't even dare try to make the 8 hour, 15 mile hike. This time was different. After gearing up by running miles upon miles, exercising every day and even boxing with a trainer, I finally felt adequately prepared to take on my old foe.

One of at least a dozen waterfalls along the hike. At their peak they are refreshingly cold and even more beautiful in person.

Despite the chill temperature and summer's departure, there are still plenty of hillsides of wildflowers to admire!

We stopped for lunch and chatted with a nice couple who offered to take our picture. We tried not to think about the additional 2 hours of climbing we still had to do.

At such a high elevation, the leaves are changing rapidly into their fall attire.

When we finally reach the ridge just below the summit, I gasp as I see the view. It was breathtaking. The first words out of my mouth were literally "Oh wow. That was so worth it."

We were fortunate to get a glimpse of some handsome Mountain Goats. There had to be several hundred of them grazing in the valley below, we caught this one as he was going down the sheer rock ledges.

My "I DID IT" pose. After 15 years and countless attempts, I can now say I've made it to the top. There's no looking back now!

My victory kiss. It is a sweet end to a great journey. I can't wait to see where our next one takes us!

Ok, I admit it. I Suck.

2009-09-19T22:24:00.004-06:00

Errr, let me be more specific. At blogging. I am going to do better, I swear. I know, I KNOW, I have said this before. But I am going to make an attempt this time, honest! I recently came to the realization lately that this blog is torn between family and art. I love sharing my photography but also like posting family updates and tons of pics of my little man. So for future reference, visit my NEW blog here to check out what I've been shooting (with a camera - the best way to shoot!) lately.

We Survived!

2009-08-18T18:10:00.020-06:00

We recently purchased ourselves a new toy. It's a brand-spankin' new tent trailer (even smells new, mmmm!) and this past weekend we took it on its maiden voyage. It was definitely a learning experience considering my Mom and I towed it up there alone. I had set it up and taken it down several times and felt comfortable with that aspect of the trailer, but when it came to the filling of the water tanks and lighting of the furnace, I was clueless. One might naturally say "Why didn't you consult your manual for proper instructions?" which is a valid question. However the dealership had supposedly ordered one and we had not received it yet.

Here is the beauty in all her splendor. For the record, if you ever want to fill the tank of a trailer, your best bet is to put it in the proper place and not hook it up to what seasoned campers call the "city water hookup". You will most likely end up with a half inch of water on your floor followed by many expletives. I'm just saying. This was our spectacular view of Mount Timpanogas.
This should have been a warning of things to come.
Some sort of unique thistle plant with a bug on it.

Believe it or not that is a smile, not because Doug is squeezing him too hard. Tyson only smiles when you tell him to "show us your teeth". Thus the cheesy grin. I'll take what I can get.

This trip was for our Wright Family Reunion so we had a few family members camping with us. We knew we were in for it when the clouds rolled in and the rain started coming down hard. Fortunately we had a pavilion to take cover under and a huge fire pit to hang out by.

I even busted out my new Snuggie to help keep warm. I of course thought of good ol' Kristina and her Snuggie obsession. It was SO cold!

My cute angel baby!

My Grandpa Wright with great-grandson Ethan.

The cloudy mist rolled in and hid Timpanogas.

Tyson enjoyed playing with his cousins.

The annual dutch oven cookoff was a hit! We participated for the first time this year (my beans and chicken pot pie are at the bottom of the photo). We didn't win this year but made a good showing and are already making plans for next year's dishes!

My Aunt Ruth, cousin Jennifer from Colorado and my Dad catching up.

Aside from the cold and the rain, the trip was a success and we got to visit with lots of family members that we don't see very often. Tyson was a huge hit of course and keeps asking when we are going camping again. "With dirt?" he of course asks. Of course there will be dirt.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-08-10T17:31:00.005-06:00

When did this happen to me? 28 has crept up on me when I wasn't looking. Wasn't I just 19? I don't feel 28... Are you supposed to feel your age? I've been reflecting on these thoughts all day and I've decided that I have no regrets so far in life and a lot left to accomplish. I look forward to what each day has to bring and I am so thankful for both my Mom (now that I truly understand the miracle of motherhood) and my son. Each in their own way brings a certain joy to my life and I would be lost without them. Thank you to both of you for teaching me so many of life's lessons. I know there are many left to learn and I am both excited and terrified of what is to come!

Random photo

2009-08-09T14:55:00.002-06:00

One of the flowers from a bush in my front flowerbed. It always blooms mid-summer and is so beautiful!

If looks could kill....

2009-07-21T10:04:00.002-06:00

This pretty much sums up how I feel when someone asks me to share chocolate around that time of the month...

Everything in life can relate back to Bill Cosby

2009-07-18T22:51:00.005-06:00

One of my all time favorite comedians is Bill Cosby. The older Tyson gets, the more applicable his standup routine Himself seems to me. I have seen the old VHS version of this so many times I have lost count and yet I laugh just as hard at it as I did the first time seeing it. We were fortunate enough to see him perform at Abravanel Hall here in Salt Lake City a few years ago and it is a memory I cherish. To me, he is one of the greatest comedians ever and to see him perform a two hour show of entirely new material was astounding. He did do ONE bit about the dentist, which is also hilarious. Check him out on YouTube if you've never seen that one.

My favorite parts lately have been his thoughts on being a parent and raising children. I managed to find a clip of one I can particularly relate to lately and decided to share. If you have never seen this show, you must seriously stop what you are doing and go buy it RIGHT NOW. No home should be without a copy!

WARNING: This post is not for the faint of heart or the prudish in attitude!

2009-07-17T22:50:00.007-06:00

Let me preface this post by saying that I love my son dearly and sometimes he does things I don't understand nor can I explain. Sometimes they are hilarious (and disturbing) and make me laugh til my sides hurt. This occasion was no exception.

Back story: I had just finished giving Tyson a bath and Doug was out waging war with the 24 inch lawn (I resisted the urge to rub in the fact that I had repeatedly TOLD him to mow it sooner).

Tyson kept pestering me: "Where Daddy at? Where Daddy at?" I relented. Sans clothing with only his monkey towel, I took him out to our deck to watch Doug battle the lawn.

Sitting so cute and innocently on the stairs, I couldn't help but grab my camera and snap a few shots.

Then, out of no where, he unexpectedly grabbed the towel and flung it open like a well-seasoned flasher. I was speechless. I couldn't help it. Doubled over in laughter, he just grinned at me wondering what was so funny.

Pretty soon he was standing up, proud of his starkness and gallivanting around our back yard. Oh well. He is, after all, his father's son.

Welcome to our summer...

2009-07-15T14:26:00.006-06:00

Is it July already? Obviously I've been a tad preoccupied, so let me play catch up and share a little bit of what our summer has consisted of... this may be a series of posts so here is the first... more to come when I have a few spare minutes.

In our family, softball is a part of life. And when I say our family, I mean it is a FAMILY affair. Our team is called "It's All Relative" because at any given time we have most of Doug's family playing. All of his brothers play (although not necessarily at the same time) and so does his sister. It's how Doug and I met.

From April until October our weeks are planned according to whose game is when and we do our best to coordinate schedules. We've had to cut back since having Tyson - each of us playing on three teams turned out to be WAY too much.

This year we have been playing in a little more competitive league at THE Cottonwood fields (some of the nicest fields out there) and aren't dominating like we normally do. It's OK though, because I think we could all learn a few things from the games we have lost.

I like to try out different positions but first base is my favorite!

Doug's brother, DJ, playing third base.

Patty making an amazing catch from second base. I think we all held our breath to see if she'd hang onto it!
My handsome honey coaching third base.

This is last year's photo so there are a couple of people missing but it's more or less the same team.

Front row: Doug's brother Allen, Brad, brother DJ, Doug, Jon, brother Todd

Back row: Teresa, Jamie, me, Kami, Patty

Missing from the photo is Doug's Dad, sister Lisa and brother Jeff. If they'd had 4 more girls they'd have had a whole team of just Farnsworths!

A Random Photo

2009-07-08T22:13:00.002-06:00

Here is what I like to think of as a lovely shot of sunset at Mirror Lake. I'm rather partial to sunsets (and sunrises - I don't discriminate). I especially like it because I had to haul ass to grab my camera and run down to the lake before I lost the shot.

Better Late Than Never!

2009-06-19T22:22:00.004-06:00

Where the HELL did June go? It seems like it was just the other day it was the beginning of June and now July is just around the corner. Well anyway, I've clearly been slacking in blogworld. Earlier this month we celebrated a momentous day - Tyson's 2nd birthday! It's hard to believe that he used to be this cute little bundle of joy:

And now he is this nay-sayin', selective hearin' little bundle of energy:
You gotta love him though... He can literally make me smile even on my worst days and a kiss from him is medicine for the soul. Can't wait to see what adventures the next year brings!!

A Beauty... 10 Years In The Making!

2009-06-06T15:56:00.010-06:00

It's hard to believe that only ten years ago today, my niece Kacee was brought into this world. It was an exciting time for me. I had just days earlier graduated high school and was set to begin at the University of Utah that fall. It seems like just yesterday that I held this squirmy and cute little being in my arms and today she is a young woman of 10.

I was thrilled to be an Aunt for the first time and even more thrilled that my sister had asked for my help with little Kacee, as her girlfriend was going to be traveling and not able to help out with the newborn for a few weeks. I had no idea what to do with an infant. My brother's infancies were too long ago for me to remember and I never was huge into babysitting. Kacee taught me a lot over the first four years about patience and how to let loose and have fun.

Although my sister and her family moved to Washington about six years ago, I have tried to maintain an active role in her life and stay involved in everything she is into.

Happy Birthday Kacee!! I love you!

At one of her t-ball games during our visit to Washington in 2004. A girl after my own heart, she has a love for softball and plays catcher for her team. She rocks!

She has always loved adventure. Here's her looking for whales on our whale watching trip!

When Tracy and Steph were blessed with another little girl, Kacee was the perfect big sister. She liked to tease Kailee, but I think she is an awesome example to her little sister.

This is Kacee with her horse Gallee. For being 10, she has a lot of responsibility on their little farm. She feeds and waters the horses every day as well as helping care for all their other animals.
When we went to visit in 2007, we hadn't seen everyone in over 3 years. She was so good with Tyson and doted on him the entire visit.

This was Kacee and Tyson on our last trip up there in October. They are still the best of buds and Tyson follows her everywhere!

This is the blanket my mom and I made for Kacee's birthday this year. I like to make handmade gifts when I can and I knew she would love and appreciate the thought and time that goes into it. We looked long and hard for horse themed fabrics and finally found what we thought was a good combination.

My husband has the best wife EVER!

2009-05-27T16:29:00.022-06:00

A few months ago (okay, okay, back in January) I started brainstorming ideas for Doug's birthday. He is one of those people who tries purposely not to show too much of a reaction when receiving a gift, so it's always a challenge for me to get a grin out of him, let alone a "WOW this is AWESOME!" Most of the time he spoils the fun by either guessing what the gift well in advance or "accidentally" coming across it.

Well not this time, mister. I was super sneaky and started dreaming about taking him to see his favorite baseball team (the Braves) play. Flying to Atlanta was out of the question - waaaaay too expensive right now for us. The next best alternative was at a location within driving distance. Conveniently enough, they were set to play in San Francisco on Memorial Day. Score!!

So I bought tickets, sweat bullets when he was nearly laid off, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a new job and our trip was still on. I laid out the guise perfectly. I presented it as a holiday weekend road trip to see my Aunt and Uncle in central California accompanied by a trip to Yosemite and then a couple of days jaunt in San Fran.

Did I mention I was brilliant? Because I am.

Here are a few of the photos from our whirlwind 1,800 mile road trip.

Tyson driving my Uncle Lamar's riding lawnmower. He got a kick out of it!

Lamar has had a lifelong love affair with trains. He has an entire room devoted to his 4+ tracks and the walls are covered with shelves upon shelves of trains.
Always the clown, Lamar copies Tyson's thumb sucking.
Clearly not much has changed in 26 years, because here is me at roughly the same age doing the exact same thing.

On one day, we drove to an old western town called Columbia. It was fascinating to read the history of this little town during the gold rush of the 1800s.
Tyson enjoyed the stagecoach ride, despite it being so bumpy I worried he would bounce right out!

Yosemite Falls view from the trail. This is one of the ten tallest waterfalls in the world.

At the top, the wind and mist were so strong it covered our glasses (and camera lenses) with sprays of water and blew Tyson's hair back!

Majestic Half Dome, which Yosemite is well known for. One of these days I will make the 17 hour roundtrip trek to the top and buy myself one of the shirts in the gift shop that proclaims "I made it to the top!"

Gigantic trees, although not the famed Sequoias that I had hoped to see. Now I have good cause to go back.

Sunday after arriving at our hotel in San Carlos, we drove to Monterey Bay to visit the Aquarium. It was crazy busy but we still managed to enjoy ourselves.

I love Tyson's expression in this picture. He didn't know what to make of the portal view.

He loved sitting and staring at his favorite exhibit - the penguins of course!

Dinner at the Cannery Row Pizza joint.

Five months of planning and lots of hype later, I got my excited reaction!

Even though the Braves lost the game, it was still a great experience to see AT&T Ballpark and watch a MLB game. It definitely makes Franklin Covey look like a little league field. There were 40,000 people at this game!

So to sum it up, we had a great time, spent a lot of time in the car and are glad to be home and back to our regular routine!

A Stroll at the Farm

2009-05-16T09:37:00.011-06:00

A couple of weeks ago during a kid-free afternoon, Doug and I decided to stop by Wheeler Farm to try and catch some photos while the bulbs and trees were blooming. Amazing what a few months will do to change the look of the place!

It was only back in December when the farm looked like this.

Now in full splendor, it is a warm and inviting place.

Who can resist the perfume of lilac bushes and the pretty tulips waving in the breeze?

Remember this gentle giant? He greeted me like we were old friends.

I even convinced my honey to let me take his picture.

Next time, we will take Tyson to experience the feeding of the geese and horses.

To be continued...

Will I Ever Learn?

2009-05-07T07:26:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since I posted anything and I swear I have some photos to put on here but for now, a sassy Tyson story will have to do.

The other day I was driving when suddenly the SUV in front of me pulled off to the side of the road and decided to flip a U-turn. Apparently checking your mirrors and looking around before doing this is highly overrated because he did neither and carried on as if he was the only car on the road.

While I am not proud of the exclamation that came out following aforementioned idiocy, it is by no means the worst thing that has escaped my lips.

"What a STUPID ASS!"

Suddenly I remembered where I was and that my almost 2 year old was sitting in the backseat. I cringed and waited for the inevitable. Sure enough without missing a beat, Tyson innocently asked, "What's a ass?"

Resisting the temptation to correct him by saying "you mean what's an ass, sweetie, what's an ass?" I instead started backpedaling, saying to him "It's a word that Mommy shouldn't say and neither should you. Potty word, bad."

"ASS, ASS, ASS."

Shit.

Okay I didn't say that but I was thinking it!

Of course Doug thought it was hilarious.

More this weekend, I promise.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (almost)

2009-04-19T07:44:00.016-06:00

Over Easter weekend, we packed up the whole fam damily and traveled to Phoenix (some of us by car, others by plane) to celebrate my Grandma's 90th Birthday. It was a fast but awesome trip. Like most families, we're made up of a multitude of personalities and opinions but we managed (for the most part) to get along pretty well considering the conditions (i.e. 12 hours in a car!). In my typical fashion, I took a TON of photos, so here are just a few that highlight our trip.

First stop after arriving: Cousin Rick's house and nieces Kacee and Kailee insisted on swimming. Keep in mind it's 7 pm and the air temperature had dropped to about 65-70, which made the water a bit chilly. They didn't care. I think they're part fish anyway. Kacee is an awesome big sister, but as this photo proves, she has the typical big sister torture thing going for her. Wonder where she gets that from. Ahem, Tracy?

Rick had invited us over to his house to have cake and ice cream. Grandma was a little embarrassed at the attention but was a good sport. She has issues with her memory, so even though we had been talking about this for over a year, she was still surprised and tickled that we had all come down for her birthday. She is honestly the sweetest person I know.

Tracy catching up with Grandma while we wait for the cake to be cut. It had been about 2 years since they had seen each other. Lots to discuss!

I think Rick was trying to get rid of all the cake. Kailee was the first to get a piece and it was a seriously big piece for a 4 year old. No matter. She polished it off in style. We dealt with the sugar rush about 30 minutes later!
Me and Grandma at her big Birthday bash on Saturday night. She was so excited to wear her new pant suit that was given to her by Rick for her birthday.

Blowing out the candles - sadly, there were only 2. I was kinda hoping for 90!
During an attempted photo of Grandma and her sister Doris, Rick took the opportunity to run up and say "Oh look, a rose between two thorns!" We all busted up but I think Aunt Doris thought he was serious!!

Tyson paused long enough for me to snap a picture of him with one of his favorite toys - a balloon! He had a blast running around the yard (even though it was SO windy and even a little cold. I know, who'd have thought Phoenix would be COLD?!

Meet Uncle Jim.

The funniest damn old guy you'd ever meet in your life. Seriously one of my favorite people on this earth, he has a wicked sense of humor and will always tell it to you like it is. I always look forward to visiting him when we're down there. You honestly never know what will come out of the man's mouth.

While we were all together, I had the brilliant idea that we should take the kids to get a portrait done. After discussing it with Tracy, we thought we should do a western themed photo. The girls are cowgirls, after all with horses and everything. So I gathered up a stick horse, cowboy hat, shirt and chaps for the occasion. Tyson, however, had other ideas and after two trips to the studio, we gave up most of the props and just settled for what we could get. The results were pretty good, given his attitude towards the whole thing. They are a cute set of cousins, that's for sure! They could be siblings!

We managed to torture the kid while we were at the hotel. He hated swimming! Auntie Tracy tried her hardest to help him enjoy it though!

We went to a park to do some family photos and when I was walking up from the car, I saw the kids sitting smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk, just looking at the park. I scrambled for the camera to capture this cute shot.

The Cook family - Mom, Kacee, Kailee, my brother Randy, Dad, Grandma, Tracy, my brother Paul, Tyson, Doug and me.

This pretty much summarizes how we all felt on the way home. Tired as hell and anxious to get back to normal life! We had a great time and it was so good to see our family. Can't wait to do it all again soon!!

Bring on the Spring

2009-04-15T21:30:00.004-06:00

Although Mother Nature is determined to postpone it as long as necessary, my Grape Hyacinths are clearly shouting
"It's spring!"

Back on track...

2009-04-05T09:39:00.002-06:00

It's been a while since I did a random photo of the week, so here's one of my favorites of the Colorado River in Moab. I love how serene and colorful the river is. You virtually never see the same scene twice because the colors change so drastically depending on the time of day. Did I mention I love Moab? I could quite possibly do a different photo every day for a year and not get tired of the scenery.

Forgive me blogger, for I have sinned...

2009-04-02T14:03:00.009-06:00

It has been 14 days since my last post. I wish I could say I was doing something fun, like a blogcation. Sadly it's just that our household has been a little chaotic as of late.

Where to begin? First, I am sad to say that dear Mel passed on. Didn't I mention that I was bad with fish? How hard can it be? Feed them, clean out the bowl once in a while, right? Honestly. It breaks my heart when Tyson walks into the kitchen and points at the bowl and says "Mel?" Like he's asking, where did he go? We are working on getting Mel2 soon. With an upgraded tank (and a less expensive gold fish).

Another exciting event (said with a touch of sarcasm from moi) is that Tyson is now exiting his crib. On his own. Funny story actually.

It all started with one night last week when we were trying so hard to make it through the night without any interruptions (i.e. wailing child due to stuffy nose, dogs puking - another story, another post) when I was awoken at midnight by wailing child. In my zombie state, I shuffled to his bedroom, laid him back down in his bed and grumbled something like "Go back to sleep" and shuffled back to my own bed.

Three and a half hours later, in my half-asleep state I hear him moan and talking in his sleep. I sit upright in bed. That does not sound like he is in his own room. I get up to go check on him, this time going through the bathroom door that connects to our room. For some reason the door is stuck and will not open. Still not fully conscious, I force the door open and look down. There, laying on the linoleum is little man sucking his thumb and fast asleep with two blankies (yes, my Linus planned ahead and brought two). I recall growling, "What are you DOING?!"

I scoop him up and don't have the heart to go put him back in his bed so I take him to our bed. Ordinarily, reason would remind me that this child does not do well sleeping with us (nor do we do well sleeping with him) but it is 3:30 AM and reason is obviously fast asleep. Oh how I wish I was too. After 45 minutes of his tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling, I give up and carry him back to his bed.

Although I didn't take photos at the time, I had him re-create the climbing out of his bed so that I could share his new talent with everyone. He happily complied.

On a lighter note, we are headed to Phoenix over Easter and looking forward to sunny skies and visits with sorely missed loved ones. I am counting the days!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2009-03-18T21:54:00.002-06:00

In honor of warm temps and softball season starting, this week's Random Photo of the Week features my hot hubby doing what he loves most, whacking the softball. Not my best photo by far but I am so stoked for the season to begin! Our first practice is tomorrow and I cannot wait to get the bats out and warm up the ol' arm. I have a batting title to retain and what better time to start working on the batting average?!

I'm curious... what things do you get pumped up about with the warm weather that is upon us??

New Edition to the Family!!

2009-03-18T21:38:00.012-06:00

Ha! Now that you've all been duped into thinking we're having another baby (which we're not, btw), meet Mel.

Tyson loves our dogs but he also loves fish. I had the brilliant idea that maybe he would like a fish of his own. I don't have a great track record with fish tanks. They get dirty quickly and fish are known to up and die on me at a moment's notice. I am seriously rolling the dice by getting this kid a fish but what the hell, right? It's a goldfish for crying out loud.
So anyway, Tyson was SO adorable at the pet store. He had been coached the whole way there that we were going to get him a "fishie". We walked into PetsMart and he immediately runs to the display (empty) tanks and yells "fishie!". That's my boy. I discreetly corrected him and pointed him towards the wall of fish tanks that was glowing from across the store. He turned and ran towards them, proceeding to push strangers and employees out of the way in the process shouting -- you guessed it -- "FISHIE!" I was trying so hard not to laugh and wishing sorely I had brought my camera. It was a moment I will never forget, that is for sure.
Tyson waited so patiently for Mel to acclimate to his new home.

Mel trying to establish dominance by hypnotizing Tyson. He's got one hell of a stare down, let me tell you.

There's something magical about the way a kid sees the world. Such innocence and happiness can be found in something as simple as a pet goldfish. Ah to be young again.

Ever Wonder...

2009-03-11T21:01:00.010-06:00

...what a nearly two year old wants to do when hubby has to work late and watching more TV is out of the question? Walk to your local park, of course!! We load up the vehicle (ok, so it was just his miniature car) and head out.

Climb up onto awesome slide:
Head down, face first of course!

Try valiently to take out Mom on the trip down:

Dust yourself off:
And repeat: Over, and over, and over.

Summer Spoon Daisies

2009-03-07T23:03:00.003-07:00

I love to garden.

Call me a dork, but as soon as the thermostat starts going up and the Lowe's commercials start playing every few minutes on the TV/radio, I start getting the itch to work in the yard. There's just something about the music in the commercials that makes me long for the warm sunshine on my back and sweat on my brow. With that comes the satisfaction that I am growing things in the earth and making something beautiful. Here are some Spoon Daisies that called my garden home last summer. I am anxiously awaiting their return.

Jungle Jim's

2009-03-07T22:38:00.007-07:00

One of the downsides to working full time is not being able to be there for EVERY second of Tyson's life. Although I love my job and that part of my life, sometimes I wish I had a few more hours in the week where I could do fun stuff like take Tyson to Jungle Jim's Playground. Due to the cruddy state of the economy, Doug was forced to take a couple of days off of work (he has since landed another job, THANK GOODNESS!) and figured it was a good time to take Tyson to play with his friend Jordan.

Here is my agile child climbing in the basketball game to steal a ball. Instead of imparting our son with a moral compass, Doug snaps photos of his crime. I knew there was a reason I married him!

VICTORY

Here they play the old favorite Skee-ball...

Although he whines incessantly to sit on rides like this jeep one, he apparently screamed and threw a fit once the vehicle is actually in motion. Weird kid.

A side note: Did they steal the lion fountain from Hogle Zoo? Or have I been fooled into thinking my whole childhood that theirs was the one and only????

Sunrise in Vernon, Utah

2009-03-01T07:44:00.003-07:00

Where is Vernon, you ask? I asked the same thing on my first trip there. It is a small (as in no stop lights small) town in the west desert. Waaaaaaaay past Tooele. We had camped over night and I woke up to this beautiful sunrise.

Irrefutable Proof!

2009-02-28T14:29:00.004-07:00

Friday's cold temperatures and dash of snow had me doubting for a minute, but without a doubt...

SPRING IS COMING!!

Pay no attention to the weeds. They will be gone shortly. I can't wait to get out in the garden!

It's Calling Me...

2009-02-22T09:34:00.003-07:00

Call it being sick of winter, but today I am feeling a strong urge to be on a beach somewhere. Looking through my photos from our trip to Cancun two years ago makes me long for warm sand between my toes, the 80 degree water and a fruity drink with an umbrella in it. With alcohol this time.

2009-02-16T20:11:00.003-07:00

You know SUMMER can't be that far off when...

Flip flops are on sale!! Now tell me that's not the cutest damn thing you ever saw.

Get a Room!

2009-02-15T11:10:00.003-07:00

This week's photo is a famous one. Ok not really but I like to think so. For the last few years I have bought the Dog Page-a-Day calendar where people send in photos of their dogs. A couple of years ago I sent in this photo of Dakota and Eden and we learned in September of 2006 that we were chosen to be published for the 2007 calendar! We were so excited that we ordered a bunch of the calendars for family for gifts. A month later, we found out that we were expecting our little Tyson. It was all too fitting because in the caption on the calendar, they put a statement about how Eden and Dakota were conspiring for a little brother. So when we got the calendars, I put together a little index card with an ultrasound picture (of Tyson as big as a grain of rice) and the due date. Then I put a post-it on our dogs' page telling them to read it and flip to the back of the calendar. We presented them to our families on Thanksgiving day and it was a huge hit! So now every time I see this photo, I go back to that exciting time.

Early Valentine's Surprise

2009-02-12T11:04:00.004-07:00

My sweet husband surprised me today at work with my favorite indulgence ever... chocolate covered strawberries!

Yum!!!

He sure knows how to make me feel special. I love you honey!!

Cora Paige

2009-02-11T14:09:00.003-07:00

Today I came across the blog of a family that I don't know and have never met. But after reading the tragic story of the last few weeks, it has made me feel so much more aware of how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. I realized today that I have been taking for granted my sweet little boy and as soon as I get home tonight I am going to give him the biggest bear hug imaginable. I am going to smother him with kisses and smell his sweet baby smell, thankful that I am able to do that on this night. I cried tears for this family who I have never met... I hurt so badly for them.

If you'd like to know more about the story I am referring to, you can visit the McClenahan's blog here. They recently lost their baby girl Cora and have since started a fundraiser for a playground in her name that you can find out more about at http://www.corapaige.com/.

Playdates Galore!

2009-02-10T20:55:00.011-07:00

Playdate #1

A while ago, I was able to connect with Jenny, a good friend from high school I found on facebook. I learned that she had adopted a cute little boy named Nico who is going to turn three this month. A few weeks ago, we arranged to get together with my other good friend Crystal and her baby Jesse. Nico and Tyson had a blast coloring, playing with alphabet letters (which Nico knows ALL OF! Smart kid) and chasing each other around Jenny's house.

Jesse wasn't too keen on getting in on the action, being only 5 months and all, but he liked to observe and smile at everyone! I can't believe how big he's gotten since I posted about his birthday!
While the kids were ~~breaking crayons~~ playing, we reminisced about our high school days and the boys we chased after, the groups we avoided and perused through Jenny's yearbook. It was a blast for the boys and for us as well! Can't wait to do it again.

Playdate #2

After talking about doing one forever, we were finally able to arrange a playdate with Tyson's friend Jordan. So on Sunday our friends Brittany and Glen brought little Jordan over for a play date with Tyson. It had been a year since their last play date (when Tyson was about 7 months and Jordan about 5 months old) and it was amazing to see how much progress each has made. From scooting around last time to chasing each other around this time! Jordan has very distinct facial expressions (i.e. he glares!) as seen below:

After a little time to warm up, Tyson and Jordan got along pretty well. It's a good thing we have two "vehicles" to ride on though, because there could have easily been a brawl.

There were a couple of times when there were issues sharing toys (but don't you expect that with kids their age??) but for the most part they seemed to enjoy playing with each other a lot. Tyson is a hugger and clearly Jordan is a little unsure about this. Guess he'll get used to it if they're going to be friends, huh?!
For some reason, my brilliant child decided he was going to start "jumping". His "jumping" consisted of him squatting down, springing upwards and landing on his butt. Oh well, he'll figure it out, right? (Btw, thanks for the awesome Yellowstone shirt Aunt Jodi!)

As promised...

2009-02-08T11:26:00.002-07:00

This week's photo is from one of my favorite places... Moab! If you've never been there, it is definitely one of those places you HAVE to see before you die. It's THAT awesome. So when you do go, make sure you take the book Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. It is a poetic real life tale of his years as a park ranger in Arches National Park.

"But taking my meal outside by the burning juniper in the fireplace with more desert and mountains than I could explore in a lifetime open to view, I was invited to contemplate a far larger world, one which extends into a past and into a future without any limits known to the human kind. By taking off my shoes and digging my toes in the sand I made contact with that larger world-an exhilarating feeling which leads to equanimity." Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

Random photo of the week

2009-02-05T20:15:00.006-07:00

I haven't been posting a lot lately for a couple of reasons.

1. Working one full time job and one part time job (besides the whole Mom thing, you know) is kinda taxing and at the end of the day I just don't have the energy.

2. Any extra time and attention I have left over automatically goes to Tyson

3. I haven't really had anything that exciting to blog about

There. I said it. I've kind of had blogger's block. I've been mulling over ideas over the last few weeks and I think I'm going to start a new tradition of posting a random photo of the week. The photos will probably range from ones of family or my cute Tyson to the dogs to scenery from places we've been. It'll at least force me to go through the 12,000 (YES I said 12,000 - I just checked) photos I have on my computer. I mean really, I should be sharing these gems, right? LOL! Oh just you wait. Here's one to start us off... the rest will most likely come on Sundays since that's my typical free day.

So here's the first one. I couldn't resist this one of Tyson but I promise that they won't be all of him.

"Hellooooooo? Anybody home?"

What am I doing wrong?

2009-02-01T16:30:00.003-07:00

Do you ever have times when you're just so frustrated with yourself you could scream? I'm having a moment.

I suppose I should explain.

You see, at the beginning of November, my company decided to do a Biggest Loser type contest for people to participate in (totally voluntary). It involved being placed onto teams and access to a personal trainer once a week for a serious ass kicking (No lie, I literally felt like my ass had been handed to me on a plate). In essence between going to the gym at 5:30 AM three times a week, the once a week workout with our trainer, doing circuit training a couple of times a week on my lunch and then twice a week in the evening with friends from work - I've been working out a lot. About 8-9 times a week. Here's where the frustrating part comes in - I've only lost about 2 pounds. TWO pounds.

I think the most frustrating part is I know I'm capable of losing the weight. Before I got pregnant I had worked really hard to lose weight and had lost 60 pounds with the assistance of a weight loss pill. Said pills are VERY expensive and I am trying desperately to do it the old fashioned way this time. What am I doing wrong that this last half of the "baby weight" won't come off? People say that breastfeeding your baby just melts the weight right off. Well, it did at first but after the first 25-30 pounds was gone my body was like whoa, we're done. I feel like screaming at my body:

"WTF! I have more to lose!!"

Pfft. For all the good it does. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to get past this plateau I'm stuck on. Some may say, well you're eating all wrong. It's what you eat. Granted I am not a perfect eater - I struggle to get all of my fruits and vegetables in. But I have gotten SO much better in the last few months at watching what I eat. I really have to watch my portion sizes because I know that is something I struggle with. I'm already doing most of what I think I should be.. right? I don't drink soda or carbonated drinks of any kind. I don't drink alcohol except once in a great while. I cook most of our own meals and am extremely conscious of what goes in them. I don't even eat fast food that often anymore, which for me is a HUGE step. So, here I am.

Anyone have suggestions? Words of advice? Want to buy my extra 25 pounds? I'll sell them to ya DIRT cheap! I have started working out to the P90X videos (have you seen the cheesy infomercials? They're hysterical) and I can tell a difference in my strength, but I measure my success by my jeans and I cannot fit in my old ones so that means I'm not where I want to be. In any case, I would love to hear what other people are doing that has worked for them and tips for success. There's got to be a way for me to reach my goal but I'll be damned if I can figure it out!

Take a walk with me...

2009-01-16T23:00:00.011-07:00

For a while now I've been wanting to get some winter shots outdoors. I would have preferred to go up one of the canyons but I knew I wouldn't have enough time that day before it got dark. I settled for a solo trip to Wheeler Farm to check out the scenery. I wasn't disappointed. There was fresh snow on the ground and the farm was so serene and quiet. As I walked the perimeter, I snapped tons of photos but here are a few of the highlights.

I just love the rustic look of this barn.

This was one of many horses that was friendly and wanting loves. He was by far the largest and most photogenic (in my opinion!). My head and the middle of his back were the same height. He was massive to say the least. Truly a gentle giant. I managed to pluck some grass from beneath the snow as a gesture of goodwill. He rewarded me with some lovely photos.

After leaving my horse friends, I heard some raucous honking up the road. I came across a fairly large pond on the property that was occupied by hundreds of geese and ducks.

I'm not exactly sure who they were honking at before I came along but as soon as they saw me they came running and flying towards me. I don't know if you've ever had hundreds of birds coming at you at once but let me tell you it can be a bit unnerving!

One of many antique pieces of equipment that Wheeler Farm has displayed.

So that was my Sunday walk at the farm. Thanks for walking with me and checking out the sights!

Going to the Dogs

2009-01-11T12:19:00.007-07:00

Friday Doug and I went to see the movie Marley and Me. I've read the book and loved it. The sad thing is I knew how it ended and I still cried. Pathetic, I know. It got me thinking about my own dogs and how they have occasionally been the World's Worst dogs.

Ok Eden not so much. She had her moments that first year. Especially the day I came home to our apartment and found a partially eaten library book (paperback, thank goodness! Hardbacks are expensive!). She still has a thing about pens/pencils and paper. If any of these items get left within her reach she will chew them up. A couple of years ago I got home from work and found she had chewed up a blue pen. Not the ball point kind either. It was one of those fluid type that create a HUGE mess. A few cuss words and lots of glaring ("WHAT DID YOU DO???") and I was able to get most of the ink out. That and the nice new shag carpet got a bit of a trim in the places the ink wouldn't come out.

The real trouble maker in our house is Dakota (aka Dee-duh-dee). We got him when he was about 1 and I keep telling myself that any time now he's going to settle down. Any time now. Well, he's going on 5 and he is still a wild child. The dog has endless energy and is a ball-chasing, food stealing maniac that thinks he is a lap dog. My case in point:

Dakota has stolen various meats from the counter in the few seconds it takes to walk outside and light the grill. We have gotten to the point that we are putting any food left in the kitchen in the highest possible point just so that he cannot reach it (though try as he might). He ate a baby bird that had fallen in the window well and jumped through the open window while Doug was trying to rescue him (a very sad day). He also ate the corners on several of my couch pillows. He was then relegated to a crate for the times we are not at home. I have even blogged about his ritual of crashing down the door when I am in the bathroom. Much like Jennifer Aniston in the movie, I have had several episodes where I am seething mad at the dog for whatever his latest indiscretion is and seriously considered finding another home for him. Yet despite all of his "issues", I can't bring myself to do it. In my opinion, that's not how you deal with a situation with a family member. You don't just give a dog away because they're naughty. I've come to accept that a lot of his problem is a training issue and that falls on me, not him. So we strive to do better with him which ultimately means trying to give him as much exercise as possible. Hell, we even bought a treadmill for the damn dog so we could run him on it. Oh sure, I justified it by saying that it was for me but let's be honest here, the dog's seen more miles on that thing than I ever have. I'll give him this much though - that dog LOVES to play. He and Tyson are best buds and I am so thankful that they can wear each other out.

So that's my post on my very lovable, playful, and yes even sometimes unruly pair of dogs. I wouldn't have it any other way.

A Followup to the Ute Victory

2009-01-07T14:25:00.004-07:00

So a co-worker sent me this AWESOME article written by Rick Reilly of ESPN. I liked it so much I thought it was worth linking to.

Check it out!

My favorite quote from the article...

"FIND ME ANYBODY ELSE THAT WENT UNDEFEATED. THIRTEEN-AND-ZERO. BEAT FOUR RANKED TEAMS. WENT TO THE DEEP SOUTH AND SEAL-CLUBBED ALABAMA IN THE SUGAR BOWL."

Give Me Some Sugar!!!

2009-01-02T22:03:00.002-07:00

I just watched the most exciting football game EVER!!!!! It beats BY FAR any BYU-Utah game I've ever watched. I have to admit I was sick to my stomach with nerves for a good part of the game. Not because my beloved Utes were losing, but the opposite. They were WINNING and I was petrified that they would blow it at the end. But my fears were put to rest when the Utes trounced the Crimson Tide. Coach Saban, you may now take a minute to eat a bit of a tasty dish I like to call 'crow'!

Giggles

2008-12-24T12:27:00.003-07:00

I found this video of Tyson taking a bath when he was about 6 months old and just had to share. I still laugh my butt off every time I see it. We submitted it to America's Funniest Videos but we never heard anything from them. Oh well, it's still hilarious!

2008 Update

2008-12-19T12:40:00.010-07:00

Ok so I'm lazy and rather than type up a cutesy letter on festive paper to send out with Christmas cards, I decided this year to simply put a note on some of them stating "Want to know what we've been up to? Check out our blog." Although I've posted a lot of our adventures over the last 6 months or so, I figured I'd summarize them in one post for anyone who comes here but doesn't want to read EVERY post I've done since July (I mean really, who wouldn't want to? Jeez.).

2008 has been a very busy year for our little family. We have gone on some amazing family vacations this year... Moab was in June for our anniversary/Tyson's Birthday and we loved seeing him toddle around the red rock and packing him in the Kelty backpack. In September we took our first trip to Yellowstone (see the blog from that trip here). It was amazing and we cannot wait to go back. In fact we loved it so much, I'm watching the job openings in the park and applying for every possible position I think I may qualify for!! And finally we wrapped up the year of trips by flying up to Washington to visit my sister and her family (check it out). They hadn't seen Tyson since before he was crawling and now he was running! Crazy how fast they change. Here's a brief update on what each of us has been doing this year...

Doug started a new job (it seems like this is turning into an annual event for him!) with a commercial electric company called All Phase. He was a little nervous to work on the commercial side, having worked with residential jobs for the last few years but he definitely needed a switch and took a chance with this company. It has proven to be a very wise decision! His boss is so generous that he even handed over a substantial check to Doug for our summer softball team, "It's All Relative". It was enough to cover the league fees and a portion of the cost for new team jerseys! Doug is still attending the apprenticeship program at SLCC and has a year and a half left of the program. Then he can test for the Journeyman's license which will hopefully mean a big raise!
I am still working at VISTA Staffing downtown and loving it. My coworkers are great to work with and I love the job that I do. I sometimes wish that I could work only part time so that I could spend more time with Tyson but it is what it is. I am grateful to have a job in these tough economic times and that we have a roof over our heads. This past spring/summer Doug and I were so excited for softball season to start that before we knew it we had committed ourselves to 5 teams between the two of us. It put us at the ball fields every night of the week and we definitely were wearing ourselves thin. We had a great time playing and our family team did very well this fall, just barely missing out on first place and settling for second. Ironically, both Doug and I won the hitting title for the league! We each got our own (identical) little trophy declaring us leading hitters. I think my hitting average came out to about .824, which is not too shabby considering I was only a year out from having a baby! And to BOTH win the title at the same time was pretty damn good if you ask me!
Last but not least, our little man Tyson is the light of our lives. He is wicked smart and always knows just what to do to make us laugh at him. He has grown by leaps and bounds in the last year and in looking through the pictures from then until now I can't help but feel like my baby is gone, replaced by this devilishly handsome boy. His favorite game right now is to tell us what all his favorite animals/people say: A snake says "ssssss", a pirate says "aaaaarrgghh!" and Mama says "no no no!" Where he got that one, I have no idea! He loves going to Christy's house while we are at work (I know this because more often than not he throws a fit when I pick him up). And for those of you who keep hinting at the possibility of adding #2 to our brood (ahem, LONNA), don't get your hopes up. We are keeping ourselves plenty busy chasing after Tyson and participating in waaaaaaay too much softball!

Well that's the scoop on the family.. thanks for checking out our blog and feel free to leave a comment... especially if you have blogs of your own! I love reading and checking out what other people are up to!

Wasn't it just October?

2008-12-16T20:58:00.015-07:00

Wow the last couple of months seem like they have zoomed by and I feel like I blinked and missed a month or two! Here is an update on the last few things we've done...

Lights!

The day after Thanksgiving we decided to start a new tradition of going downtown to look at the lights. We parked at my office and ~~hiked~~ walked to Gallivan Plaza. We arrived just in time for Kurt Bestor to sing my favorite song "Prayer of the Children" (which I saw him do in concert on the 12th and he is AMAZING!).

Then we walked over to Temple Square to ~~deal with hoards of people~~ look at the beautiful lights. Ok it wasn't THAT bad, but it sure was packed with people. I secretly wished I had worn my Utah apparel just to spite them all. Teehee. That's just the way I roll.

Gardner Village
Another favorite place of ours to go is Gardner Village. I had been wanting to visit their fantastic Christmas store, so what better excuse to go there! They have decorated the grounds with cute elves (which Tyson found somewhat scary at first) and lovely lights. I think I got some pretty cool shots if I do say so myself!

Tyson did NOT want to leave the elves once he realized they weren't going to maim him.

SANTA!

And finally, on Saturday we went to a "Breakfast with Santa" with my parents. Tyson had a blast! He was a little unsure about the gi-normous dog but he didn't cry at all when he sat on Santa's lap. And ironically, he had nearly the same photo as last year!! I did get a good one though.. I treasure these memories!

See what I mean?? He has the same look in both pictures!

Best buds

2008-12-01T21:22:00.009-07:00

The other day I convinced Crystal that I could watch her oh-so-precious little man Jesse for an hour or so while she went to pick up a few things from the store. We were WAY excited to have him come for a visit at our house. Tyson kept screaming and pointing at the carrier he was so excited. And apparently THIS is the face that children make when they find out they've been left at Auntie Shelly's house:

Totally kidding. He was sad that Tyson woke him up from his pleasant nap. Tough nookie kid, there is fun to be had!

Once we got him out of the car seat and looking around, he turned into his normal happy self and Tyson spent most of the time loving on him and wanting to give him kisses.

SO cute!!
Oh my, what a pair these two will make when Jesse gets to be Tyson's age.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E!
I can see it in their eyes!

Is it just me, or does Jesse look disturbed that Tyson is so obsessed with kissing him?

Holiday Pops Concert

2008-12-01T21:09:00.006-07:00

Saturday we went to the Salvation Army Angel Tree Holiday Pops Concert (whew, what a mouthful). It's sort of a tradition with my parents and we go every year. Last year was technically Tyson's first time but since he slept through most of it (he was only 6 months old) I don't really count it. This time he actually seemed to sort of enjoy it. Well, the first couple songs anyway. After that he got bored and had more fun climbing onto and off of the laps of us and my parents. In any case, it was lots of fun and Tyson was SO stinkin' cute when he tried imitating the conductor using both his pointer fingers. I wish I had gotten a picture of that. I think that would have set everyone over the top though and angry patrons would have thrown us out for sure.

Sterling Poulson conducting one of the songs.

The first Santa encounter of the season.

A little timid, but overall he did very well!

And of course he had to have his picture taken with the Grinch! I tried really hard to get him to look at the camera but he was fascinated by the giant green man. Wonder why??

What a great day

2008-11-23T01:23:00.006-07:00

We got to go see the movie Bolt FREE with all our friends. Thanks Dane (our realtor) for throwing an awesome party!

I went to see Twilight with Crystal and a bunch of friends from work. Edward is so hunky.. I saw a guy there wearing a shirt that said "I don't know why she keeps calling me 'Edward'."

I so want to get that for Doug.

My Utes were victorious.

Life is good.

Let's Clear the Air

2008-11-19T12:39:00.002-07:00

It's that time of year again where the gloves come off and there's no mercy. In case there was any question, I'm sure it's obvious what color I bleed! The sad thing is in our house we are split: Doug roots for BYU and of course I am for my Utes. Hey, at least I went to my school of preference. Let it just be said that the flag hanging outside our house has a big U on it.

I'm just sayin'.

Go UTES!

It would be funnier if I didn't live this daily...

2008-11-18T20:55:00.005-07:00

Toddler Rules

If it is on, I must turn it off.

If it is off, I must turn it on.

If it is folded, I must unfold it.

If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.

If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.

If it is high, it must be reached.

If it is shelved, it must be removed.

If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.

If it has leaves, they must be picked.

If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.

If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.

If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.

If it is closed, it must be opened.

If it does not open, it must be screamed at.

If it has drawers, they must be rifled.

If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.

If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.

If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.

If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.

If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.

If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.

If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.

If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.

If it is paper, it must be torn.

If it has buttons, they must be pressed.

If the volume is low, it must go high.

If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.

If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.

If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.

If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.

If it is a phone, I must talk to it.

If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.

If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.

If it is not food, it must be tasted.

If it IS food, it must not be tasted.

If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.

If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.

If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.

Random Thought...

2008-11-16T00:11:00.003-07:00

Let me share a typical get-home-from work moment with everyone: First, unbuckle Tyson, place him on the porch and beg him to go knock on the door for Daddy to let him in (otherwise he tends to wander aimlessly around the yard and results in me chasing him with my arm-loads of junk). Second, carry previously mentioned junk into house, deposit next to the door and make a beeline for the bathroom.

Here's where my random thought/pet peeve comes in... Why is it that when I rush in the door and the first thought occupying my mind is "OMH I have to pee!" does Dakota decide that THIS is the moment that he should come barreling into the bathroom, slamming the door against the wall only for me to curse and shoo him OUT of the bathroom. With the bathroom door still open. I get no privacy. And this joyous event happens every day. Sigh. Damn dog.

Uh Oh.. MCF's stirring the pot again!

2008-11-12T16:48:00.006-07:00

Ok so mostly this blog acts as an online type scrapbook for friends and family to keep up on the comings and goings of our little family. But with the exciting (and disappointing) election as of late, I have a bit of venting to do. Bear with me as I climb up onto my soapbox.

My sister (who happens to be a proud lesbian wife and mother) sent this statement to me (see italicized article below). I thought it was very poignant and well written. It is sad that on the same day that the United States of America made history by electing a black man to the highest office in the nation, several states also chose to deny their citizens the right to have a legal family. Forty years ago during the Civil Rights Movement, who would have thought that someday we’d be electing a black man to the presidency; a member of a race that was once so discriminated against! I only hope that it doesn’t take the same amount of time for people to wake up and realize that gays and lesbians are humans who are equally deserving of the right to wed whomever they choose. There was a time when it was illegal to marry interracially. It was eventually decided that this was discriminatory and interracial marriage was legalized. Discrimination, in my opinion, is vastly more immoral than gay marriage, no matter what your opinion of it is. I'm not here to tell you your opinion on homosexuality is wrong. I may disagree with it, but you can think what you want. I do however, take issue with people who exude extreme hatred towards this group of people that they don’t even know.

I dare someone to say to my face (or my sister's!) that she is not deserving of the equal rights that we as heterosexual citizens are entitled to. Look into the eyes of those you are hurting and tell them face to face that they are less than you. These are wonderful people who are only trying to make a life for themselves and their families. What more could one ask for? That’s all I’m trying to do with me and mine. I love my sister tremendously and am so proud of the woman she has become, despite all odds, and the daughters she is raising. I support her 100% with her lifestyle and love her spouse equally. If nothing else, I hope that with time, people start to open their eyes to the reality that the world is a chaotic, ever-changing place and humanity will continue to change and introduce new, strange and foreign ideas to us. If we are to successfully survive as a society, we must adapt to them. I’m constantly adapting to my surroundings (being non-LDS in a predominantly LDS state will do that to you!) and find myself at peace when I am open to other cultures and ideologies.

Written by Joe Solmonese - President, Human Rights Campaign

On Tuesday night, our community felt the emotions of electing a pro-equality President and expanding our numbers in Congress and state houses across the country, but the next morning our hearts were broken as the dust settled and it was clear we lost the marriage ballot measures in California, Florida and Arizona. I will certainly provide you with further insight in the coming days to how we effectively organized and motivated LGBT voters in elections throughout the country, but today, as we find ourselves in this agonizing intersection of victory and defeat, I felt it was important to try and give some perspective about our losses.

I've drafted the following op-ed that I wanted to share with you. I know that mere words aren't enough to provide the salve for our wounds that we desperately need but perhaps they will begin to shape a path for how we move forward. And for those of you who gave your time and resources, your sacrifices were not in vain. You've helped lay the foundation for the victory that will one day be ours. And I thank you.

You can't take this away from me: Proposition 8 broke our hearts, but it did not end our fight.

Like many in our movement, I found myself in Southern California last weekend. There, I had the opportunity to speak with a man who said that Proposition 8 completely changed the way he saw his own neighborhood. Every "Yes on 8" sign was a slap. For this man, for me, for the 18,000 couples who married in California, to LGBT people and the people who love us, its passage was worse than a slap in the face. It was nothing short of heartbreaking.

But it is not the end. Fifty-two percent of the voters of California voted to deny us our equality on Tuesday, but they did not vote our families or the power of our love out of existence; they did not vote us away.

As free and equal human beings, we were born with the right to equal families. The courts did not give us this right—they simply recognized it. And although California has ceased to grant us marriage licenses, our rights are not subject to anyone's approval. We will keep fighting for them. They are as real and as enduring as the love that moves us to form families in the first place. There are many roads to marriage equality, and no single roadblock will prevent us from ultimately getting there.

And yet there is no denying, as we pick ourselves up after losing this most recent, hard-fought battle, that we've been injured, many of us by neighbors who claim to respect us.

By the same token, we know that we are moving in the right direction. In 2000, California voters passed Proposition 22 by a margin of 61.4% to 38.6%. On Tuesday, fully 48% of Californians rejected Proposition 8. It wasn't enough, but it was a massive shift. Nationally, although two other anti-marriage ballot measures won, Connecticut defeated an effort to hold a constitutional convention ending marriage, New York's state legislature gained the seats necessary to consider a marriage law, and FMA architect Marilyn Musgrave lost her seat in Congress. We also elected a president who supports protecting the entire community from discrimination and who opposes discriminatory amendments.

Yet on Proposition 8 we lost at the ballot box, and I think that says something about this middle place where we find ourselves at this moment. In 2003, twelve states still had sodomy laws on the books, and only one state had civil unions. Four years ago, marriage was used to rile up a right-wing base, and we were branded as a bigger threat than terrorism. In 2008, most people know that we are not a threat. Proposition 8 did not result from a popular groundswell of opposition to our rights, but was the work of a small core of people who fought to get it on the ballot. The anti-LGBT message didn't rally people to the polls, but unfortunately when people got to the polls, too many of them had no problem with hurting us. Faced with an economy in turmoil and two wars, most Californians didn't choose the culture war. But faced with the question—brought to them by a small cadre of anti-LGBT hardliners – of whether our families should be treated differently from theirs, too many said yes.

But even before we do the hard work of deconstructing this campaign and readying for the future, it's clear to me that our continuing mandate is to show our neighbors who we are.

Justice Lewis Powell was the swing vote in Bowers, the case that upheld Georgia's sodomy law and that was reversed by Lawrence v. Texas five years ago. When Bowers was pending, Powell told one of his clerks "I don't believe I've ever met a homosexual." Ironically, that clerk was gay, and had never come out to the Justice. A decade later, Powell admitted his vote to uphold Georgia's sodomy law was a mistake.

Everything we've learned points to one simple fact: people who know us are more likely to support our equality.

In recent years, I've been delivering this positive message: tell your story. Share who you are. And in fact, as our families become more familiar, support for us increases. But make no mistake: I do not think we have to audition for equality. Rather, I believe that each and every one of us who has been hurt by this hateful ballot measure, and each and every one of us who is still fighting to be equal, has to confront the neighbors who hurt us. We have to say to the man with the Yes on 8 sign—you disrespected my humanity, and I am not giving you a pass. I am not giving you a pass for explaining that you tolerate me, while at the same time denying that my family has a right to exist. I do not give you permission to say you have me as a "gay friend" when you cast a vote against my family, and my rights.

Wherever you are, tell a neighbor what the California Supreme Court so wisely affirmed: that you are equal, you are human, and that being denied equality harms you materially. Although I, like our whole community, am shaken by Prop 8's passage, I am not yet ready to believe that anyone who knows us as human beings and understands what is at stake would consciously vote to harm us.

This is not over. In California, our legal rights have been lost, but our human rights endure, and we will continue to fight for them.

Alright. I'm stepping off the soapbox for now. Those are my two cents.

Sunset at the beach.. Utah style!

2008-11-11T12:26:00.016-07:00

For a while now we (and when I say we I mean mostly me - Doug is just a good sport and goes along with it) have wanted to drive out to Antelope Island for some photos of the Great Salt Lake at sunset. So one Friday night a few weeks ago we arranged for Tyson to stay with Grandma and headed north to the island. My only trip to the Great Salt Lake was many years ago as a child when I was dragged there and forced to swim in it - a traumatic story for another blog post. In any case, I was excited.

Mother Nature did not disappoint me. We were able to witness a beautiful sunset.

There's something strangely romantic about seeing two lover's shadows on the beach.

I couldn't resist capturing the photo.

Believe it or not, these are Buffalo prints. We actually saw a couple lounging while we were driving. I think the linear line of prints was awesome.

SELF PORTRAIT:

Clearly we're not the best at taking self-portraits.

We try again.

Much better. These are the best date nights.

The picture speaks for itself. Awesome.

Always An Adventure!

2008-10-30T12:44:00.030-06:00

So it seems like about every 6 weeks or so we get a bug to travel. Last month it was Yellowstone.. this month Washington! This past Thursday we went up to visit my sister Tracy and her wonderful family in the little town of Ridgefield, Washington (north of Vancouver). I swear, Tyson has traveled more in his short 16 months than I did in my first 20 years! He did surprisingly well on the plane.

Side note/irritating story: We get on the plane and of course as we all know with Southwest, there is no assigned seating. We start looking around the cabin for a place with two seats together, preferably a window seat (I'm thinking what an AWESOME distraction for Tyson.. the window!). Of course we have an armload of items - diaper bag, camera bag, coats, etc. - and I spot two near the front. Unfortunately, there's this ornery-looking woman sitting in the aisle seat. I think to myself screw it, she sat on the end, she'll just have to move. Then I see she has a walking cast on her right leg. Great. I chose the one flippin' aisle on the plane with the gimp sitting in it. Oh well, I'm invested now and she's already moving. So we just get settled in the seats and she mutters "I'm going to give you more room for the baby." Pssshh. Whatever! She just didn't want to sit with us because of the old stereotype that all babies cry on planes. Visions of Bill Cosby's Himself come to mind and the whole "Jeffrey" story (If you haven't seen this, you MUST!!). Anyway, fortunately for us there was a very nice woman who came along right after her who said, "I love babies! I'm a Mom and I don't mind sitting here." So in the end, we had a great row-buddy and when we landed I seriously debated on turning around to the original Bitty and sticking out my tongue at her.

Beautiful Mt. Hood (I think) from the airplane

This is what we woke up to Friday morning. A beautiful fog rolled through the hills.

Friday we drove up to Chehalis to meet up with Catrina, a friend of mine through work. We had never met in person so it was good to get to meet her and her adorable kids, Gaven and McKayla. She's originally from Utah and a VERY cool person!

Gaven and Kailee were fast friends!

We spent some time with two of her horses Bijou and her foal Onyx. Tyson LOVES horses and after getting to see Bijou up close even got to ride her!

While we were out playing with the horses, Kailee decided she wanted to come out and ride also. She ignored my sister's advice to avoid the super muddy area of the pasture, however and got herself squarely stuck in the mud. She was very upset about this.

This is the result of being stuck in the mud. She cried SO hard about her sock, wailing how dirty her foot was. It was hilarious.

This is her very sad face at being stuck in the mud. Hilarious, I tell you!!

The great thing about being nearly four is that life's problems dissipate quickly. Two minutes later she was up on the horse and happy as a clam. Tyson loved riding Bijou, pointing to everything and talking up a storm.

Tyson and Kailee - Blackmail photos!

There was even some time for wrestling with Uncle Doug. The kids all ganged up on him and tried to take him down.

Tyson and Kacee - so sweet and worn out from attacking Doug.

Oh and I forgot to mention that during our visit we were ~~forced~~ encouraged to help decorate for my sister's Halloween party. We spent the entire day cleaning and decorating the house and deck for the big bash. She has this awesome deck that runs the length of the house that we turned into a miniature haunted house for the evening. Complete with a fog machine, strobe light and scary props. We did have a blast carving pumpkins with the kids though. Surprisingly, Kacee was grossed out the most by "gutting" the pumpkin, while Princess Kai dug right in and pulled the guts out by the handful! Who'd have thought??

My little Vampire and Minnie - Are we sure they're not siblings??

Tracy dressed up like this ghoulish character from the dead and scared the wits (among other things) out of all the kids as they came through the haunted deck one by one.

Side note: During an attempt to take pictures/video tape during this, apparently Tyson got ~~forgotten~~ left alone and managed to find the cupcake tray. When I popped into the room he was in, I discovered him with gobs of chocolate frosting/evidence all over his face and hand and a guilty/fiendish look on his face. CLASSIC! I captured it on my video camera so eventually I'll have to post it.

With my awesome sister!

Beautiful fall colors on the property

Sadly, Monday we had to come home. It was a great visit.. I just wish we had more time to spend with them. It's so hard having family live out of state. I feel like every time I see them they've changed by leaps and bounds. Such is life I guess.. we just carry on and do the best we can.

Oh, and for the record: Tyson didn't cry on the way home either. He slept the entire flight, clear through the landing. Hope that Bitty reads this!!

2008-10-20T14:03:00.003-06:00

Husband Tag!

1. Where did you meet your husband? He was my Bonnet Ball coach. I asked him to call me sometime at the end of the season.. and he did!

2. How long did you date before you got married? 1 year to the day!

3. How long have you been married? It was 7 years on June 8

4. What does he do that surprises you? He randomly brings me home the most beautiful flowers. And he often does stuff around the house that I haven't asked him to do.

5. What is your favorite feature of his? I love his blue eyes.

6. What is his best quality? He is extraordinarily patient.. both with me and Tyson!

7. Does he have a nickname for you? Usually just honey

8. What is his favorite food? He'll eat anything usually, but he loves German Chocolate cake

9. What is his favorite sport? Hard to say.. He loves watching all sports but if I had to pick I'd say baseball is his fave.

10. When and where did you first kiss? At a park up in Sandy and I think it was after we'd been dating a couple of weeks.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Travel for sure; stay at home watching movies and just hanging out

12. Do you have any children? Tyson and he's 16 months old

13. Does he have any hidden talents? Many... few that I can discuss. ;) He is VERY handy around the house (think plumber/electrician/carpenter) and is especially good at getting Tyson to laugh.

14. How old is he? 31

15. Who said 'I love you' first? I think he did.

16. What is his favorite music? Van Halen of course. But he also loves R&B and has taken to my very own favorite, Alanis. It must be true love!

17. What do you admire most about him? How he always wants to just make me happy and how hard a worker he is to provide for his family. He has the best work ethic of anyone I know.

18. What is his favorite color? green

19. Will he read this? Definitely

20. Who do you tag? Anyone who would like to be tagged!

Happy Birthday Old Man!

2008-10-18T20:58:00.013-06:00

Today's post is devoted to one of the best men I know. Who, you ask? My Dad of course! You see, today is his birthday. You wouldn't know by looking at him that he is a ~~whopping~~ distinguished 62 years old! He is definitely aging well, that's for sure. So I thought I would show everyone some very OLD photographs, as well as a couple new ones of my very handsome (and SINGLE) Dad!

I remember when I was a little girl my Dad would take me a couple of times a month on a special Daddy-Daughter date that usually consisted of a trip to the mall for dinner and shopping. I absolutely loved those dates and looked forward to them each time. My Dad has always been there for me, no matter what the circumstance. When I went through a rough patch as a teenager, he let me move in with him for a few years while I got through high school and even let Doug and I live with him for a few months when we got married. I hope you know how much we love you and are so glad that you are a part of our lives!

With my Grandma in 1947"You talkin' to me?"
Such a handsome sailor.. It must have been in the stars because here's one of him as a real life sailor! My Dad bravely served in Vietnam for the Navy.

With my Grandma

Disco fever! I'm SO glad the '70s are over!!

Me and my Dad shortly before Tyson was born

Grandpa and his little buddy Tyson (aka ToTyTy)! My Dad is the BEST Grandpa ever to Tyson. He even bought him his own little motorcycle rocker seen here:

Oh and the vest he's wearing? Grandpa got him that too. Tyson also has his own helmet (of course it'll be a few years before that one fits him!) and motorcycle jacket. And just tonight he was pondering getting the little man his own motorized motorcycle to drive around. I think he's a little young for that yet..

So Happy Birthday Dad! We look forward to celebrating many more with you!

Lunch with JLW

2008-10-07T20:55:00.005-06:00

On Saturday, my friend JLW (aka Jodi aka J-Lo aka seagull stalkee) met Tyson and me for lunch at Red Robin. We used to work together at Vista until she decided that the drive from Narnia (South Mountain) was TOO far. So she quit and now she's working at a competitor company but it's all good. It was great to see her and have Tyson spend some time with his Auntie Jodi. She did, after all, endure nearly the entire gruesome 9 months of my pregnancy. Hmm.. maybe that's why she really left!

Fall Leaves

2008-10-07T20:35:00.008-06:00

It's my second favorite time of the year (spring of course is first!) where the air is crisp and cool and the leaves start changing to vivid reds, oranges and yellows. We of course had to celebrate this with a trip up Millcreek Canyon to capture the colors! To be honest, we probably should have waited a weekend because the leaves in the lower parts of the canyons hadn't started changing yet but we just kept driving until we found the colors!

I love this photo.

We went again on Monday and the leaves were even more bright and colorful. Sadly I didn't have my camera. Sniff.

Hey... It's Halloween season! I'm on the lookout for spooky spiderwebs. As long as the occupant isn't home, that is...

Random...

2008-09-28T01:05:00.003-06:00

Ok so crazy Jodi tagged me on her blog so I guess I'll keep this thing going.. sort of. I'm supposed to share 7 random and/or weird facts about myself. So here we go!

1. I am deathly afraid of clowns. They scare the crap out of me and I blame my Mom. Who the hell lets their kid watch It anyway?!

2. I love to cook. I know - who'd have thought, huh?! Lately I've been doing a lot of it though and I think (Doug's rave reviews usually confirm it) that I'm getting pretty good at it!

3. I have 3 best friends. I know on my last post I spoke of Crystal and she is one of them. The other two are Meda and Sodavy. Believe it or not, we've all been very close since high school. Not talk on the phone every day kind of close, but we try to get together regularly and they each know more about me than anyone else. I wouldn't have it any other way. How many people can seriously say they're still best friends with anyone from high school?!

4. I am agnostic/atheist. Leaning towards the first, but as a teenager I was adamantly atheist. Sorry if it pisses some of you off but if it does, you're not my true friend anyway. If you ever want to ask me about it, feel free but don't expect a debate because I'm not going to defend myself to anyone! I get that enough from certain people.. GRR!

5. I'm BLUNT. If you didn't already notice. And opinionated. Although being married to Doug (and thus his family) has taught me great patience and tolerance in my age. I've learned to pick my battles (sort of..) and bite my tongue when before I would lay into people on exactly what I think of them. Unless someone is a close friend or family, I generally don't care what people think of me.

6. I am a history nerd. If in doubt, read my post on seeing the Declaration of Independence here. I took AP American History and AP European History in high school by choice. If that doesn't scream nerd I don't know what does! Although part of it could be attributed to the crush I had on the Euro teacher.. hmm...

7. I love being a Mom. Anyone who has known me for at least 10 years pick up your jaw right this second! When I was a teenager I swore up and down I wasn't getting married until at least 30 (ahem, married at 19!) and I was definitely never having kids. They just weren't my thing. They're loud, stinky, they don't listen, etc, etc. It took him five years to convince me that maybe I might kinda want one after all, but I am SO glad I listened. Tyson is the best thing to ever happen to me and I wouldn't trade him for the world. And for the record, all those things still annoy the hell out of me but somehow I am slightly more patient with them. Now it's more the stupid parents that irritate me!

So now I tag 7 (or so) people and then I will stalk your blogs and learn random things about you. I tag: Brittany, Lonna, Chelsea, Tom, Christy and Missy!

Friends Are The Family You Choose

2008-09-14T20:14:00.020-06:00

I have an awesome best friend. Her name is Crystal. Seriously, I couldn't ask for a better friend. We met in junior high in 8th grade, but we weren't friends right away. We didn't actually start to get to know each other very well until 9th grade when we were both on the school yearbook staff. She had another best friend at the time (let's call her "Yesth they hate me" - an inside joke and a loooong story), who coincidentally did NOT like me. Crystal and I hit it off though, and when we both ended up on our high school yearbook staff together, we quickly became friends (YTHM faded away and ended up with a very LDS crowd - probably best for her, really - anyway, I digress). We both had a passion for photography, sports, and doing well at school. Crystal was Valedictorian of Hunter High, I was Sterling Scholar in Social Science. We shared the title of Co-Editors in Chief of our school yearbook and had a blast our senior year. I look back at high school with fond memories and no regrets. We both went on to attend the University of Utah and were each other's support system while we each worked on our Bachelor's degrees. I count being blessed with her friendship and support over the years as one of the best things that has happened to me.

At a friend's wedding

She has been there for me through the darkest days of my life and always proves herself a true friend. I know that if I ever needed anything, she would move heaven and earth to help me. We've been through a lot together.. She was in my wedding, I was in her wedding, you get the idea. She's pretty much like a sister to me.

Our 5 year high school reunion.. Go Hunter!

New Year's Eve 2003 - Always the goofballs!

Crystal & Eric's wedding

When I found out I was pregnant, Crystal was the first person I called to tell. I asked her straight away if she would be there with me when Tyson was born. I needed her there. Not only because she is an RN, but because she is my family. She was there with me through the whole labor and wept with me as Tyson came into the world. What a cherished memory.

Tyson and Auntie Crystal

Tyson and Uncle Eric

Tyson's favorite past time - reading, of course!

Crystal and Eric had been trying to get pregnant for about 6 months when I finally got the anticipated call... they were expecting! Doug and I were so excited for them. I was even more excited because she asked me to be there with her when their baby was born. I felt so privileged to be invited to such a special event. I waited (not so patiently I'm afraid) and waited and on Thursday, September 11 Crystal called... her water had broken! I rushed over to the hospital and spent all night with her, along with Eric and her family.

Let me just say that Crystal is one of the strongest people I know. Having been at mine and seen what I went through, she had high hopes that hers would be just as smooth. Unfortunately, her epidural didn't seem to work as well and she experienced quite a bit of pain throughout the entire labor. Despite all that, she never gave up and hardly complained at all. I am so proud of her for being brave and so strong. She did an awesome job and at 4:17 AM on September 12, little Jesse Gordon Hill came into the world. I cried with her as we realized that he was here. He is beautiful and is a perfect combination of everything that is wonderful in both Crystal and Eric.

Hi Mom! I'm here!

Handsome boy!!

The Hill family

Jesse and his proud Auntie Michelle

Congratulations Crystal and Eric on the new addition to your family. I look forward to many more years and memories with you guys!

A Little Slice of Heaven

2008-09-05T13:38:00.032-06:00

This summer we decided that we were due for a visit to Yellowstone. Neither Doug or I had ever been there, which when considering our love for wildlife, photography and nature is practically a SIN! So last weekend we loaded the Subaru up and took off for Yellowstone. These are some of the photos from our trip. I'll share tidbits of our journey with each photo.

On our drive in to the park on the first day, we encountered a few female elk and their babies. We were able to get a great up close view.. what a way to start our adventure!

Our next encounter was a couple of male buffalo taking dust baths. This one took offense to the Toyota Camry in front of us and decided to charge the guy's car. The Japanese sure know how to give those Camry's get up and go though, because he hit the gas and was off like a bat outta hell!

While driving through Hayden Valley, we saw a bunch of cars pulled off to the side of the road. All we could see was a couple of silly bison though, and when you've seen a couple already (charging Camry's no less!) what's two more? Then we drove over the hill and understood. There were A LOT of bison grazing. Close to a hundred I would bet. Very cool.

And of course while we were driving around we had to stop at all of the geysers, hot springs and paint pots. Tyson loved goofing around and being a ham. And of course he was curious about these steaming lakes of water.

Driving up to Tower Falls, we again, saw a bunch of cars pulled off the side of the road. And a RANGER. This surely screamed something major! We got out and were fortunate enough to get a glimpse of this young (probably about 2) black bear. What a treat!

When we made it to Tower Falls, we were amazed by the beauty of the waterfall. Almost as cool as Multnomah Falls in Oregon, but not quite. We took off on a trail hoping to get down to the base of the falls for a closer view but the trail had been washed out and was closed.

Of course we had to visit Old Faithful. You can't visit YNP without seeing it go off! While we were waiting for the show to begin, this cute little girl (about 3?) took a shining to Tyson. She shyly came over and touched his shoulder. Then she leaned over, grabbed his face with both of her hands and planted one on him! I never laughed so hard in my life. That's right, my son is going to be a ladies man. Ahem. Shortly after the kiss came the lecture about how he's not allowed to date until he's 30.

Doug was so hoping to see a bull elk and was rewarded on our way back to the hotel when he spotted this handsome stud. Nice rack, buddy!

On our second day in the park, we again saw a ranger directing traffic and a crowd so we pulled off to see what we'd come across this time. Score! A very large bull moose! What luck! I've only ever seen cow moose and a baby one.

Also on our second day, we went to the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. It is a sort of non-profit refuge that is home to 8 grizzlies and a pack of four wolves. All were either orphaned or nuisance animals that would have otherwise been shot. I was very impressed with the way they run the facility (they're even AZA accredited!) and the animals seemed much more content than the typical zoo.

This is Sam. He's their largest grizzly, weighing in at 970 lbs. Yikes. What a beautiful bear though.

This is one of the wolves in the pack. It's a hard life.

It was interesting to see the wolves behave very similar to the way a real pack would in the wild at feeding time. This is the Alpha female letting the Beta female know that she is boss and will wait for her to say it's ok for the Beta to eat. Amazing to see the interactions!

Tyson riding the wooden bear in front of the refuge.

We took part of the day and drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs and had to visit the Boiling River (thanks for the recommend Kevin & Teresa!). It was awesome! It's where a natural hot springs (131 degrees F!) meets with the Gardner River and creates a bath-like river. Tyson obviously loved it. He cried when we had to leave.

Our third and last day in the park, we got up at 5 AM (we're such horrible parents, I know!) to get to Hayden Valley by about 7 to see if we could spot any large animals that typically only come out after sunrise (such as WOLVES and GRIZZLIES!). We weren't so lucky. I did see a coyote though. He seemed kind of pissed that I spotted him on the hunt for some cranes. Tough nookie!

I have to take a moment to share the fact that we were clearly in the car A LOT this last weekend so Tyson was napping on the fly. The poor kid was so tired on this occasion, he was still asleep when Doug pulled him out of the car seat. Oh well, we had so much more to see!

Yellowstone Lake

Tyson found some puddles at the marina and delighted in splashing about in them.

On our way through Lamar Valley, we again, spotted TONS of cars pulled off of the road. I jumped out to ask someone because I couldn't see anything remotely interesting. That's when this guy said there was a pack of wolves out playing on the riverside. Wolves!! Next to dolphins, my favorite animal EVER! We were able to get this photo with our 300 mm zoom lens - that's how far away they were! Nevertheless I was tickled pink at the rare opportunity to witness wolves in Yellowstone. I never thought I'd see the day. I can die happy.

This is the view of the mountains along the Beartooth. Shrouded in mist and fog, they were beautiful and make me want to live there. Oh. Until we got to Cooke City and saw that gas was $4.70 a gallon. Hmm. I suppose heaven does have a price... Anyway, thanks for letting me share our awesome adventure!!

Where Did The Time Go?

2008-08-24T12:39:00.016-06:00

I bought a frame that has openings for a photo from every month of Tyson's life and I was so excited to put it up. That was like 4 months ago. So I sat down today to print out photos to put in there and my damn printer won't print the colors correctly. So since I went through and picked out all the photos, I thought I would share 12 months of Tyson's life! Amazing how much change comes about in just a year.

June 2007- Welcome home little Tyson

July 2007 - Strong boy!

August 2007 - Always with the fists...

September 2007 - Drool, tongue and grins!

October 2007 - Mr. Happy. Who'd have thought?

November 2007 - Is it POSSIBLE to smile any bigger?

December 2007 - First Christmas!

January 2008 - Watch out! Crawling already!

February 2008 - The Chippendale pose

March 2008 - Starting to look like a little boy and not a baby!

April 2008 - Able to take a few steps now.. forget crawling!

May 2008 - Walking? Pssshh! Running is more like it!

June 2008 - Happy 1st Birthday!

The Great Outdoors

2008-08-17T11:06:00.009-06:00

I'm a sucker for punishment apparently. Despite the dirtiness that goes along with toddlers and camping, I decided that we would brave the outdoors and go camping again with my Mom. Unfortunately for me, Doug decided that he'd prefer to stay home and go golfing (who can blame him?!). So, I convinced my best pal Sodavy to tag along and camp with us. HA! She had no idea what was in store for her! Good news was that between me, my mom, Sodavy and my Aunt, we were able to keep a close watch on Tyson without one of us collapsing from exhaustion. Although I did come close. See, Tyson had picked up this stomach bug that causes awful diarrhea and I spent the entire weekend changing dirty diapers. He literally would just be changed and then I would smell that familiar odor within five minutes. Not fun on any normal day. REALLY not fun when you're camping. Needless to say the minute I walked in the door at home I glared at Doug and grumbled something like "you're on diaper duty for the next century" (expletives deleted).

Tyson playing with my Aunt Ruth.

One day my mom, Sodavy and I decided that we would go for a short hike to a nearby lake. I have a backpack that I throw Tyson in and away we went. He loves to swing his arm out the side trying to grab branches as we walk along the trail. He points to trees and other random things saying "pretty" and "cool".

The walk was very relaxing, even with 35+ extra pounds that I was packing on my back. I didn't even huff and puff too much. Then again the mosquitos were pretty bad so maybe it was just that I didn't want to inhale any unwanted bugs.

Hey, it wouldn't be me without some fauna photos!

One of the things I love (and hate) about Mirror Lake is that you can never count on the weather. It could be a beautiful day in the morning and then that evening it could pour buckets on you. Which is exactly what happened to us. The biggest, scariest lightning storm I'd ever been in. I was sitting at the picnic table and saw the lightning and heard the crack of thunder at the exact same moment - that's how close it was! It scared Tyson so bad he started crying. We took off to the car and sat in it while the rain came down. Sadly I didn't get any pictures of the storm. I was too busy cowering in the Subaru.

Who'd have thought riding on someone's back could be so tiring? Alright, I will admit if you're tired enough, sleeping anywhere will do. He just didn't look comfortable at all!

Worth the Wait

2008-08-17T10:39:00.009-06:00

I love history. Call me a nerd, but I find it fascinating. It doesn't even really matter what type of history... American, European, Ancient. I love it all. So when I heard that the Declaration of Independence was going to be making a stop in Salt Lake, my nerdy ears perked up. Someday I hope to visit Washington D.C. and the National Archives to see the original DOI, but that could be years down the road. So, Doug and I loaded up little Tyson (future history buff) and headed out to see it at the State Capitol. We figured we'd go check it out and then stop and get something for dinner.

This is the Capitol. It is a beautiful building. I hadn't been here since high school when I shadowed the late Senator Ed Mayne for a day. That itself was an awesome experience that only fueled my love of history.

Turns out, we weren't the only ones who wanted to see it. I could not believe how many people came out to get a glimpse of this amazing document. The line wrapped from one end of the building to the other, where it finally ended in the center with the DOI. We ended up making friends with the people in front of and behind us. What else are you going to do while waiting? You can only stare at marble for so long.

Tyson got tired of being held in line (and of course if you put him down he shot off like a rocket searching for trouble), so Doug and I took turns chasing him around the building trying to keep him entertained. We wandered around and found the rooms where Utah Senators and Representatives make laws and decisions. I found it all very captivating, Tyson was more interested in zooming up and down stairs and looking out windows.

When we finally did reach the front of the line (after more than 3 1/2 hours of waiting), we chatted with one of the people touring with the DOI about the turnout. She said that this was the largest crowd that had come to see it so far in their tour (having made 11 of 15 stops already). She was amazed at how many people came. I later heard that 12,000 people had come over the two days to check out one of our country's greatest historical documents.

The nice thing was, Cricket (sponsoring the tour) had people there that would take your photo in front of the DOI. Unfortunately, they aren't the most camera savvy and although I explained quite simply ("press the button halfway down to focus then press it all the way to take the photo"), something got lost in the explanation. She got the snap the photo part down, which I suppose is the most important. So here you can see, we made it finally to see the famed Declaration of Independence. It was over all too soon though, as I felt guilty for wanting to savor it after enduring hours of standing, chasing Tyson and hunger pangs just to witness this piece of history. In the end it was worth it. I can check it off my list of things I must see in my lifetime.

Tyson's Lil' Buddy

2008-08-14T20:16:00.005-06:00

So there's a new edition to our family. STOP right there with that line of thinking, no I am not pregnant nor did I have another monster.. err... child. NOOOOOO. My sister-in-law Lisa had a little boy today at 6:50 in the morning. He took his sweet time getting here (12+ hours!) and weighed in at 7 lb, 2 0z! A whole pound less than Tyson!! Anyway, mom and baby are doing fine. The name is TBD right now, as they are still deciding between three different ones (although I'm pulling for 'Zachary Ryan' myself). Congrats Lisa and John!! He's a keeper for sure.

I don't think Tyson really knew what to make of the little guy. He just knew that Mom and Dad were giving this new little person a LOT of attention and he wasn't the center of attention anymore. He sort of warmed up to the baby after a little while but soon went back to finding naughty things to get into.

It Runs in the Family...?

2008-08-07T21:10:00.007-06:00

Today was a very proud day for the Cook family. My younger brother Paul was sworn in as a Salt Lake County Sheriff's Correctional Officer this morning. This is the culmination of many months of applications, background checks, physical tests and psychological evaluations that he endured just to fulfill his dream of entering the law enforcement field. Congratulations Paul! I love you and am so proud of you!! Paul is not the only member of our family that is in law enforcement. My older sister Tracy was a Corrections Officer for SLCo for many years before going "on the road". She's now working as a police officer in Washington. We're so proud of our officers!!

He's so handsome in his uniform!!

Our Mom got to pin his Sheriff's badge on while Sheriff Jim Winder watches.

Red Butte Gardens

2008-08-07T20:48:00.010-06:00

This is a bit late but we went to Red Butte Gardens for Pioneer Day. It was a beautiful day and since everyone was at the parade, we figured what better opportunity to go explore the gardens. We saw tons of beautiful flowers and even a fat squirrel that was obviously NOT scared of people because he sauntered right up to us! We had a lot of fun playing in the fountains with Tyson.. He got very wet. Here are some of the photos of flowers that we took...

Animal Planet Expo

2008-07-20T16:30:00.012-06:00

We heard that Animal Planet is touring the U.S. with their expo and had lots of fun activities going on at Liberty Park this weekend. Today we decided to head down there to see what it was about. It was pretty awesome! There was a guy from California with a bunch of his Border Collies that were obviously frisbee dogs. Oh how I would love to get Dakota trained that well!

I wish we would have at least brought Eden with us, but I didn't know if dogs were allowed for sure. There were so many dogs there! There were lots of breeds there ranging from a gigantic Great Dane (Tyson said "Whoaaaa!") to Chihuahas and everything in between. We did see lots of Pit Bulls, which I don't normally care for but they all seemed to be well mannered. Surprisingly, I didn't see any aggressive or really out of control dogs. It was great!

There were slides and other things for the kids to do but Tyson wasn't old enough to do any of them, nor would I think he be willing to go down a giant alligator slide. Maybe next time.

They also had a wild animal show with an iguana, python, Sun Bear and a few other exotic animals. Tyson enjoyed looking at these strange creatures. We didn't stick around for the whole show because A) it was very crowded and hard to see the people showing the animals and B) it was about 96 degrees and extremely humid so we were dripping wet. We moved on to check out what else there was to see.

All in all, despite the humidity it was a fun time. I hope they come to Salt Lake again in the next few years because I think if he'd been a little bit older he would have had a blast playing and exploring everything.

A Work In Progress

2008-07-13T11:08:00.019-06:00

As I was working in the yard today, I started reminiscing about how much we've done in the four years we've lived here. Granted, there's not a lot you can do on .10 acre, but I think we've come a long way. Take a journey with me down memory lane!

This is our home shortly before purchasing it. It's clearly a fixer upper. Look at the lovely grass (brown) and beautiful garden (NOT). I had no idea what work I was in for. You see, prior to buying this home, I didn't have much of a green thumb. It was more on the brown side. Boy have I learned a lot!

A month after moving into our first home, Doug's Dad gave us some free sod (he had ordered WAY too much for his house). We had to tear out all of the old, dead grass (and weeds in the back) and find a few rain-free days to lay the new sod before it died. It was a rough fall - it rained nearly every good opportunity we had to lay it. Nevertheless, we managed to get it down and the following spring, beautiful grass covered my yard.

Here's how the backyard looked. Don't be fooled by the green ground cover and the weed-like tree. It was hideous to look at. It all had to go.

The summer after the grass had been layed, I decided that I wanted to take the big muddy area by my back gate and turn it into something a little more pleasing to the eye. So Doug and I spent many weekends tilling the clay-like dirt and leveling it so that I could put some good soil in and the stone path you see here. Oh and I managed to plant a few perennials. Note the temporary fence to keep Dee-duh-dee (aka Dakota) out of it. Didn't work, btw. He cleared it without any trouble. Oh well.

Here is how it looks today. Much more aesthetic if you ask me. I love the Clematis (the flowers climbing the trellis). And the Peony has to be one of my favorite flowers. They are so delicate and fragile and the blooms last less than a week.

After dealing with a set of rickety, moldy and slippery (seriously - I slipped down them numerous times!) stairs for two years, I had had enough. We designed a deck for ourselves using Lowe's software program and set out to build it over the 4th of July weekend. We invited (ok begged) some family and friends to come help and in two days built what has turned out to be a beautiful deck. It has been a great place for BBQs since our kitchen is so small and we have loved it. I am never satisfied however, so this summer I decided that I wanted something to cover the deck from the summer heat. You see, this is Tyson's first summer walking and stepping out onto a blistering hot deck just doesn't gel with bare feet (which we are often). So again I solicited the help of my brothers and Doug to build me a canopy for my lovely deck. They did not fail me. It turned out magnificent!

And this is how it looks today. My haven. It's so relaxing now to go sit on the deck or walk around and admire the wonderful changes that have taken place. There are some things that need work, mind you.

Like everything else, this all used to be dirt and weeds. I made an attempt to put groundcover and bark with a few plants, but the dogs saw to it that nothing survived except for the weeds. Weeds always survive. So last fall we decided to create flower beds using some lumber and railroad ties. My plan is to plant tons of lilies. I've already started a few, as you can see. More to come thanks to Brecks - Love them! The middle portion there is planned to be paving stone with a nice covered swing. Maybe next summer. And lastly, here is our first vegetable garden ever. We are doing quite well so far! We have a few tomatoes, strawberries, melons, squash, pumpkin and peppers. We're even attempting to grow an artichoke! We'll see how it does with the climate...

Anyway, thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me! It's been a treat to go through the photos from 2004 until now and watch the changes and progress. More to come, I am sure!

Camping - 4th of July

2008-07-10T20:31:00.013-06:00

We went camping last weekend. For anyone who has never camped with a 12 month old, let me describe it to you in one word:

DIRTY

I must have had this naive expectation of sitting around the campfire making marshmallows, playing cards or going for explorative hikes. Boy could I have not been more wrong. Ok well we did go for one walk that could have been labeled explorative, but it was by no means a hike. I spent the entire two and a half days following Tyson around with a wet wipe and examining the rocks he kept presenting to me like they were rare gems he had come across.

Tyson got a little mad because I wouldn't let him put them in his mouth.

But he got over it and had a blast playing inside the trailer (with Doug on the outside) against the screen.

We did manage to have some fun though. We took the dogs (all 5 - yes that's right 5) to Mirror Lake to play in the water. Here's where the venting part of this blog comes in... I realized this weekend that I don't have any great affection for fisherman. There's nothing worse than walking around a huge body of water that my dogs are dying to jump into and having no where that we can throw a stick and let them get wet. You see, fisherman can be kind of snooty. That is, they tend to get ticked when you start splashing around the water in close proximity to where they're at. Now, I understand the point behind fishing and normally don't mind finding somewhere relatively fisherman-free but the lake was PACKED and we had to walk quite a ways. Eventually though we found a spot and were able to let the pups get some swimming in.

We also made a stop at the Provo River Falls overlook, which I had never been to. It was beautiful! We are definitely going to have to stop there again when we go to Mirror Lake over the 24th of July... It's a great place to take the dogs to play in the water!

Be prepared to laugh!

2008-07-08T12:59:00.003-06:00

So, anyone who knows me that I am a picture FREAK. My walls are practically wallpapered in photos and posters. Most of these are ones that I've taken.. I fancy myself a photographer. I don't know if they're any good, but I like 'em. My dream job would be to travel for National Geographic and photograph animals, scenery, whatever. I'm even moved by the environmental and humanity issues occurring in third world countries. These issues pull at me like a strange force that makes me want to record them on paper for others to see. Unfortunately for me, lots of other people have this urge too. Oh and then there are the bills that must be paid every month. Nevertheless, I continue to load up my computer with images that please me and make me happy. I admit that most of these are of Tyson, Doug and the dogs. But I also stop to admire odd trees, lovely flowers and creatures that cross my path. The point of this rambling is that most of this blog will probably consist of photos that I love to share. I hope they are enjoyed by others as much as I enjoy taking them!

Blogging Newby

2008-07-07T21:16:00.003-06:00

So I guess I finally did it.. I took the plunge and started a blog. Thanks JLW. I'm still figuring out how this all works so I don't know how much I'll be able to post but I guess I'll figure it out along the way. If nothing else, it will serve as my way to rant and vent about stuff going on, in my life and the bigger things... More to come soon!

Oh, and here's a cute pic of Tyson because I think he's the cutest boy ever. Not that I'm biased or anything.