Spring Break

Middle of April was spring break for our school district. We didn't do much, except for finish up decluttering our home. The realtor wanted everything out. We had to do touch up paint, along with a complete repainting of the initial 2 rooms that were finished in the basement. They were a different shade of white.

On Friday night, my girlfriends took me out to eat for my birthday. It was 2 weeks later, but that is just how it had to be due to other things going on. Besides, by doing it then, I was able to have dinner with a couple friends that I don't get to see that often.

I forgot to put up a picture that I took of Mom when we were out shopping for my birthday...birthday pictures are now officially done...no more...promise!

On Saturday morning, bright and early (6:00 a.m.) Paul and I left with the 3 boys to Las Vegas so they could attend their cousins baptism. The baptism was at 2, so we had time before hand to check into the hotel and get some swimming in. After the baptism, (William picked them up at the hotel, took them to the baptism, and then brought them back) we went out to eat at the buffet at Excalibur, and then went to their carnival type stuff they have on the very bottom floor. The boys had a great time! It was a fun weekend for them, and I am glad that I was able to do that for them.

I actually started typing this post a while ago, and wanted to do the pictures of our trip to Las Vegas a different way, but that didn't work, so I will get them on here in slide show form next chance I get.

While you were out...

Well, this week, Mom and Dad have been moving into their new Home...Teri and I and our kids have gone over the past couple of days to help. We were cleaning blinds, wiping down doors, etc...Today mom had to go pick up Preston, leaving all of us at her home to do some cleaning. (These pictures were taken with a cell phone camera so resolution isn't that great! Check out my mom's blog for a couple of these, just clearer...we took a couple on her camera as a little "surprise"!)





While mom's away, the kids will PLAY!
Aimee...sorry I mispelled your name on one of the slides...

And I just saw another caption mis-typed...should have read "I THINK this is a dusting wand"

NO DEAL!

Ok, it has taken me a few days to update about my Deal or No Deal experience. Saturday morning, I drove to my mom's, and then she drove me to the R.C. Willey in South Salt Lake where the auditions were taking place. We got there right about 9:00 a.m. The line was already huge, but we were told that as long as you were in line by 1:00 p.m. you would be able to audition. I was in the part of the line that was actually in the parking lot so I felt lucky....until someone coming out of the warehouse told us that the line inside was zig zagged for about another mile! I was in line for a total of 6 1/2 hours. We were then put into groups of 10, stood around a table, with one person from the audition staff, and we each had 20 seconds to tell that person about us. Then 2 people would be chosen to do a second interview. So after 6 1/2 hours, and 20 seconds later, the wait was over, and I didn't make it. But I really had a good time. I told Paul I would do it again, just not next weekend. I got home and my body was SO tired! It took me a couple days to recover. I took some pictures of the whole event, including me before, and after! I bet there were about 10 thousand people there. No kidding. When I got done and went outside, it was 3:30 and the line in the parking lot was still enormous. I am sure it was a late night for the Deal or No Deal Audition Staff.

Before the long day. Feeling pretty fresh.

This was taken very shortly after I got in line. Looking toward the door that eventually would lead to auditions.

These pictures were both taken at various stages of actually being inside the warehouse! (The first one was RIGHT when we first got in.) I knew there would be a crowd, but people came from Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho. A lady in front of us rode her SCOOTER from Wyoming to Salt Lake! Some people are really NUTS!

This was me after the day was over. Mom came to pick me up and take me back to my car....I WAS SO TIRED!

I NEED YOUR HELP

First off, a little background information. I LOVE WATCHING GAME SHOWS. I have the television on to the Game Show Network all the time. I would LOVE to be on a game show. With that being said, I am trying out to be on Deal or No Deal. I need to fill out the application, but some of it has me stuck. I need to now what my friends consider to be my best qualities, and what my friends consider to be my worst qualities...(be nice! I may win big!!! :-0) Also if you can help me think of :

**a most embarassing moment that you may have been witness to

**something daring or dangerous that I have done. (Probably from Ricks college days...)

**The wierdest thing about me

**How I am competitive in my everyday life.

I just need some help jogging my memory...I am 35 now...getting old. I will keep you posted on what happens.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, I am going to try to take a minute to update this blog. I celebrated my 35th birthday on Sunday. I can't believe that another 5 years I hit 40. YIKES! It was a nice weekend. It started with my Mom taking me shopping Friday afternoon. We bought a really nice blouse for me to wear on Saturday...(story to follow) Paul and I went out on Friday. We went to Outback, and I tried to be really good about eating. I did eat the whole baked potato, but only a few bites of the steak...but we also had some bloomin' onion. HOWEVER, we probably ended up taking more than 1/2 of it home. We couldn't go out on Saturday due to Priesthood session. Then my girlfriend Dani took me out to lunch on Saturday, inbetween sessions. We had a realtor come over after the last session on Saturday...(long story, but we have decided that we are going with a realtor) and tell us the things we need to get done before we list it with him, so even if I was going to go out Saturday night, I couldn't have. Too much to do! Sunday, Paul organized a family party for my birthday. We had a lot of people there, and it was a great time. I really appreciate Paul taking the initiative to do that. My girlfriends Robin and Heather are going to take me out to dinner in a couple weeks, when hopefully I have all the things done in my home that I need to do....I also got many birthday wishes from friends and family that live too far away to visit.(SWAMPWITCH...)

This is the cake Paul got. He was horrified at the colors, but I think he did a pretty good job. Looked like spring! (The day after my birthday, it snowed...arghhhhh!) Don't pay too much attention to the use of my middle name...he said he put it on there because he could! :-)
Most of the pictures that I took didn't turn out terribly well. Lights too bright, blurry, etc...but if you check out mom's blog, she has a few. (http://www.janetthwaitsblog.blogspot.com/)
Teri, Jason, Alisa and Alison

Jeremy, his Girlfriend Amanda, and my niece Amanda, and her boyfriend Dave.

Grandma and Andrew

Doug and Kellie

Dave and Amanda again.

Accidents Happen

I got a phone call Sunday evening. William telling me that they had to take Jacob into the after hours emergency care. Apparently, he was throwing a football, (they have something set up so they can throw a football in the house....?) and it bounced wrong, hit the light up above, and the light came down, cutting him on his chin. He had to go in and get 6 stitches. He was a trooper, from what I gather. He was showing off his stitches rather proudly. Loved telling the story of how it happened. I asked him what he learned, and he said he couldn't think of anything. My thought: DON'T PLAY FOOTBALL INSIDE THE HOUSE! NEVER a good idea.

Jacob wanted everyone to get a good look at his stitches....and we are also getting a great nostril shot! BONUS!!

Still handsome......regardless of the stiches

Happy Birthday Grandpa

We just came from Mom and Dad's "house" to celebrate Dad's 56th Birthday. It was a lot of fun. As close as we all live together, I really dont' get to see Teri and Jason much, (unless Jason is coming over to help us with home repair!) and their kids, so it was a good night. Mom and Dad are in this home temporarily until they are able to get into a more permanent place. (Which they have found and will be moving in a couple weeks...spring break.) Here are just a few pictures of the evening.

I thought this was a great one of Aimee...The strawberries Mom had were really yummy!
Happy Birthday Dad! We love you!

Some Fun Pictures

Finally, here are some pictures of my wedding in June, and few others of family, and a few of my trip to Alaska.

Book Shelf

Just a little bit about the books I have listed. I know that most of them are self help books, but they are really fascinating. The color code book is just an interesting read, and once you get an idea of the colors, it's fun to try to figure out what other people are, and once you do that, you can enhance your relationship with them....
Same idea with the Five Love Languages book. This was a very insightful read. Helps you understand your love languages, and also gives you the tools to figure out what other's love languages are so you can express love to that person in a way that is more meaningful to them.
"How to love a porcupine" book was referred to me by a friend. I began reading this to figure out how I could protect myself from those around me exhibiting toxic personalities. I think I was on page 6 when I realized that the book had a lot to offer as far as fixing some toxic behaviors that I exhibit!
"Diary of a Whimpy Kid"...The one book that is on there that isn't self help is a book I came across, referred to me by another friend. (Thanks Robin!) I am telling you, if you are struggling finding a book that your kids actually enjoy reading, pick this one up! There are 2 books right now in the series, and if you need me to, let me know, I can get them for you from scholastic. My younger boys think its funny, but Jacob just LOVES it. He is a little older so he understands the humor a little more. It is a 4th/5th grade reading/comprehension level, but younger kids can still read and enjoy, it is illistrated with cartoons.

I Promise...I really can cook!

Ok, to start this story off, I need to tell you that I was reading my niece's blog the other day and died laughing when she posted the fact that she was making a casserole for her boyfriend and didn't actually cook the noodles before she put them in the casserole! Her boyfriend sat there and ate a crunch casserole. We had such a good time at Amanda's expense. So, going along with the phrase what goes around comes around, I will begin my tale.
It was Easter Sunday, and we were all going to go over to Teri's house to eat dinner. I was in charge of the scalloped pineapple, the frog eye salad, and the deviled eggs. I put all the eggs into boil, and then went upstairs to change out of church clothes. I apparently compeltely forgot about the eggs, because I laid down to take a sunday afternoon nap. I woke up some time later to the fire alarm going off. I told Paul not to worry about it, it was probably Jeremy cooking something downstairs. He went down anyway, and say the all the water had boiled out of the pan and eggs were burnt black, and exploding all over the kitchen! It was really a pretty funny site. I didn't take pictures, because I wasn't going to admit it to anyone...then came Monday night.
We were just doing a quick and easy dinner. Grilled Cheese and Soup. Between the five boys, (Paul, Jeremy, Jacob, Andrew and Daniel - I am not a fan of soup) they wanted 3 different kinds of soup. So I get all that going, and then start on the grilled cheese. I get Andrew his food, then Daniel. Jacob is in the shower, so Jeremy is next in line. He starts to cut his sandwich diagonally, and brings it to my attention THAT THERE IS NO CHEESE IN THE SANDWICH...just 'grilled bread'. So, between the eggs on Sunday, and the grilled cheese on Monday, I really need to convince everyone that I can cook....so I am off to make spaghetti - 0's. Just kidding, but I actually could go for some!

House for Sale

We are putting our home on the market officially tomorrow. We have been spreading the word, and have had a few people interested, mostly familes that live in the Condos across from us. We are really praying that the timing works out for us. We are planning on building a home about a minute up the road from where we are, but that has to be COMPLETE by the time preschool starts in September. (Earlier if possible, that way we will have time to finish the basement and I won't have to do preschool in the main living area!) Not sure how it will go, since the market is not doing so well right now. My neighbor did say (she is a realtor) that homes in Harvest Hills (where I live) are going pretty quickly. So wish me luck and offer up a

prayer or two that things will work out for us. Luckily, if we don't sell, no biggie. We are actually pretty confident that it will sell, just maybe not for the price we need to get out of it. We were just hoping to get into a bigger home with all the kids in our family now. Plus my preschool would have an outside entrance which I would LOVE!

Happy Easter

We didn't get to do much with the kids this easter. Most of them were elsewhere. The easter bunny did come visit the 3 youngest boys (Jacob, Andrew, Daniel) and Jeremy. We went to Teri's house and had a wonderful Easter Dinner. I ate entirely too much. TOMORROW I WILL BEGIN AGAIN! We played "Are you smarter than a 5th grader" and unfortunately, we were not! We missed the very last question! It was a good time though. (The other team was smarter-they answered all the questions correctly.) I took a few pictures, so here they are...

These last 2 pictures are just some last minutes ones I took. Not the greatest. Sandy was also there with her boyfriend Kent and his daughter. All the boys were outside playing with their bubbles that grandma got them for Easter...

Couch Potato?

This video was taken tonight while Daniel was playing XBOX....not a Wii....just a plain old XBOX. Sorry about the mess, we are trying to get some things packed up so we can put our house on the market, and Paul and Jason are in the basement finishing up door frames/baseboards, so I apologize for the background noise.

Sorry the second video is sideways. For now it will have to stay that way, but you still get the idea....

Stuck in the Snow

I don't really know how to begin this story...I was driving around our area, picking up some floor plans for homes...and I decided to drive around and just see the other homes in the area. So I turned onto a road that Paul and I had been on before, in the not to recent past, and the snow wasn't an issue then. (I HAD forgotten that about a couple weeks ago we got pounded with a snow storm, and receive alot more snow!) Anyway, so I am happily driving along, when all of a sudden...I GET STUCK! Not just a little stuck. My car won't budge. I get out to survey the damage. I walk around to the passenger side, and the front wheel is spinning like crazy! It is only then that I realize I had left my car in drive so I try to open the passenger door to put the car in park, but it is locked. No biggie, I would just go back to the drivers side. WELL, I suppose that since the car was still in drive, as soon as the door closed, it locked. So I was locked out of my car, front wheel spinning, stuck in snow. I was terrified that the front wheel would catch and my car would leave without me! So I ran to the closest house, knocked on the door. A man about mid fifties opened the door, I quickly told him of my predicament. He was kind enough to offer me a ride to my house (only about a minutes drive away) to get my spare key. I thanked him for his kindness, and he said no problem, he was already done getting funeral arrangements made for his mother the NEXT DAY!

To make a long story short, he also had had kneee replacement surgery, so he couldn't really help push. I found some men on the construction site close by, and 6 men were not able to get my car unstuck. My car was high centered, and I had to leave it there and drive Paul's truck to Salt Lake to take him the things he needed. (As you can see from the picture, I WAS SO CLOSE TO MAKING IT!)

When Paul got done with baseball practice, we went out to my car and, thanks to another kind neighbor with a 20 foot chain, we were able to pull my car out, after we shoveled snow for 20 minutes! I took some pictures, but not sure they do the situation justice.

I am SO ready for spring!

Last Resort

Ok, as some of you may know, in March 2004 I started loosing weight. It took me about a year to loose 30 pounds. After my divorce, I lost another 10, and was able to keep that off for the next year and a half. In case you lost count, that is a total of 40 pounds that I lost over a period of 2 years, and was able to keep most of it off for 2 1/2 years. (Hope that makes sense) Even at that weight, I still wanted to loose another 10. Anyway, since I have been married, I have gained 15 pounds back! THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING! I have tried doing what I did before, making myself accountable to friends, but unfortunately, with such good friends I don't care about telling them that I gained a pound or whatever...SOOOOOO I am going public. Don't get excited, there is no way I am going to actually reveal what I weigh! That would make me insane! However, I am going to tell everyone that reads this that I want to loose 12 pounds by my birthday. (April 6th) I will keep you updated on my progress. The basic plan is this: just watch my portions, and exercise. It worked for me before, I just need to try to find what will motivate me this time, and hopefully this is it.
After I loose the 12 pounds, I want to loose another 12 by the end of June, and then another 6 by the end of summer. (realizing that the last 10 pounds will take the longest to get off!) That will make it a total of 30 pounds lost....I am really hoping that I can do this. Like I said, I just need to find what motivates me, and I have tried everything else.....

Alright, I am off to make dinner and keep my portions under control! :-) Wish me luck!