This is funny because Zachary has done at least 20 of these within the last year.

My friend Ann sent this to me a while back and since I've decided not to delve too deep for the next little bit I thought I'd share.

Things To Do at Walmart When You're Bored

As the cashier runs your purchase over the scanner, look mesmerized and say, "Wow, magic!"

Ask other customers if they have any Grey Poupon.

Attempt to fit others into very large gym bags.

Challenge other customers to duels with tubes of gift-wrap.

Contaminate the entire auto department by sampling all the spray air fresheners.

Dart around suspiciously while humming the theme from Mission Impossible.

Drag a lounge chair over to the magazines and relax.

Go to the food court, buy a drink, and ask if they can put a little umbrella in it.

Drape a blanket around your shoulders and run around saying, "I'm Batman. Come Robin, to the Batcave."

Follow people through the aisles, staying about 5 feet behind them. Do this until they leave the store.

Get 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they aren't looking.

Go into a fitting room, shut the door and wait a while and then yell loudly "There's no toilet paper in here!"

Go to the Service Desk and ask to put a bag of M&M's on lay away.

Hide in a clothing rack and when people browse through, say "PICK ME! PICK ME!"

Hold indoor shopping cart races.

In the auto department, practice your "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

Leave Cheerios in lawn and garden, pillows in the pet section, etc.

Look right into the security camera, use it as a mirror and pick your nose.

Make a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms.

Make up nonsense products and ask employees if there are any in stock. (i.e.: Shnerples)

Move "Caution: Wet Floor" signs to carpeted areas.

Pay off layaways 50 cents at a time.

Play soccer with a group of friends, using the entire store as your playing field.

Play with the automatic doors.

Play with the calculators so that they all spell "hello" upside down.

Randomly throw things over into neighboring aisles.

"Re-alphabetize" the CD's.

Re-dress the mannequins as you see fit.

Relax in the patio furniture until you get kicked out.

Ride a display bicycle through the store; claim you are taking it for a test drive.

Ride those little electronic cars at the front of the store.

Say things like, "Would you be so kind as to direct me to your Twinkies."

Set all the alarm clocks to go off at ten-minute intervals throughout the day.

Set up a "Valet Parking" sign in front of the store.

Set up a tent in the camping department and tell other shoppers you'll invite them in if they bring pillows from the bed department.

Start playing Calvinball; see how many people you can get to join.

Take bets on the battle from above.

Take off your shoes and tell them you want to return it and when they say you didn't buy it there say, "Hm... I thought the customer was always right!"

Take shopping carts for the express purpose of filling them and stranding them at strategic locations.

Take up an entire aisle in toys by setting up a full-scale battle with G.I. Joe vs. X-men.

Test the brushes and combs in cosmetics.

Test the fishing rods and see what you can catch from other aisles.

TP as much of the store as possible before they stop you.

Try to hold up customers with the toy guns. See how much you can make.

Tune all the radios to polka stations; then turn them off and turn the volume up to full blast.

Walk up to an employee and tell him/her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in Housewares and see what happens.

Walk up to complete strangers and say, "Hi. I haven't seen you in so long." etc. See if they play along.

When 2 or 3 people are walking ahead of you, run between them yelling "Red Rover."

When a clerk asks if they can help you, begin to cry and ask, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

When an announcement comes over the loud speaker, assume the fetal position and scream "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!"

When someone steps away from his or her cart to look at something, quickly make off with it without saying a word.

When there are people behind you, walk really slowly, especially in thin aisles.

While handling guns in the hunting department, ask the clerk if he knows where the anti-depressants are.

While walking through the clothing department, ask yourself loud enough for all to hear, "Who buys this crap anyway?!"

The Book of Answers

As all of my blog friends know, my little Jacob is pretty close to perfect (we'll just pretend that he didn't write an x on the wall this week or clog the sink). Last week while buying new scriptures for Zach to take to seminary Jacob decided that he needed to have his own Book of Mormon. Never mind that the only words he is reading are "mom, dad, cat, hat, Jacob and any fast food name within a 30 mile radius). So we bought the tiny Book and he has kept it with him pretty much non-stop. He calls it "the book of answers". Of course some of the answers it contains are ones such as "mom should buy us ice cream" or "yes, I should stay up". Zach and his friends were hanging out on our porch and Jacob was so excited to show Torie his book of answers. He explained to them that if they had any questions he'd find the answer. It was a great reminder of the faith of children and the wonderful relationship they have with our Savior. On Sunday he ran to Zach's room to wake him up saying, "Zach, Zach, it's Sunday, I have to learn about the gospel". I am so grateful for his amazing testimony.

I tell this with permission

We've all experienced a moment of anger that for some reason leaves us "so angry we can't see straight". My sweet husband had one of those yesterday at church. He isn't a big breakfast eater so he never takes the time to fill the tummy before our 9:00 a.m. service and by the time noon rolls around he is so hungry that even the cheerios scattered through out the chapel on the floor look appetizing. For some reason the kids were taking their sweet time coming to the foyer and he was getting weaker by the moment. I told him to walk home and I'd wait for the kids but he was being particularly stubborn and decided to stand there and fume silently as the halls began to empty out and there was no sign of the two oldest. You'd have to know that my husband considers it a successful church meeting if nobody talks to him and he is able to go unnoticed in Elder's Quorum. He can't understand that Bailey and her little friends have so much to say that they need more than 30 seconds to babble on and on about their latest crush and what their plans are for the week. Since he has been married forever he can't remember needing to troll the halls in search of a new girl to captivate with a smile. I was able to find Bailey after about 10 minutes and decided that Zach could find his way home when he was finally done flirting with whoever was in the hall. I could hear my husbands tummy growling and his brow was furrowed with the intensity of a hunter who has his prey in sight and is ready to pounce. He walked gruffly out the front doors, his books in hand and rounded the corner to the car. In his haste he decided to cut across the grass and save himself the additional 10 seconds he would have spent taking the cement path. The kids and I were following approximately six feet behind when all of a sudden we saw him trip, his foot had caught on an imaginary obstacle and in slow motion I saw him stumble, recover, stumble again and then his book (his precious programming book not his scriptures) went flying through the air coming unbound as pages filled with numbers and strange combinations of letters detached from their cover and floated through the sky. His phone went flying from his pocket and with the grunt of a man no longer in his 20's he hit the ground and rolled. No naughty words found their way from his mouth but the scowl only became more exaggerated as his cold hearted wife started to laugh. I laughed and laughed and tried with all my might to get an "are you ok" out in between fits of hysteria. The girls were much better, they were able to express their concern in more appropriate ways and Jacob just watched with a "dang, I do that a lot" kind of look on his face. He pulled himself from the concrete and gathered his supplies and tossed a dirty look in my direction and I tried even harder to contain myself. After a somewhat silent walk to the car he grumbled "I don't know how that happened, there must be some crack or something". with all the compassion I could muster I said simply, "you were blind with anger honey, perhaps it is God's way of telling you to chill". He wasn't pleased and I giggled for the next 20 minutes. After some time to rebind his book and to fill his tummy he came to the front room where the rest of us had gathered and said, "it was kind of funny, I guess". We all learned a valuable lesson. Anger can have a true physical effect on your body and if you aren't late after church you might get to catch dad do some "totally awesome" tricks.

I Need Help Ladies!

Bailey is Ms. Babysitter and has been gone a lot and while missing her has been a big issue an equally big one is that my house is a MESS. I know she does a lot around here but I had no idea just how much. My dishes always need to be done, there are always spare blankets and pillows laying around and the pile of shoes just keeps growing. The bathroom sinks are filthy and there are dust bunnies everywhere. There are piles of laundry in Jacob's room just waiting to be put away and there is a mysterious smell in the fridge. How do you guys do it? Bailey tells me every time she comes home from baby sitting how clean the houses are. Are you guys hiding a maid somewhere or am I truly just domestically challenged? My mother was so clean it was almost compulsive. I used to joke that if my dad got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom she'd make the bed behind him. She was the only woman I know that could have an entire scout troop at her house for an activity (one that they of course enjoyed) and still had a clean house. I need advice, help, suggestions or perhaps the service of my dear friends who like to organize stuff!!!!

What a mess

I was so excited to have saved about $30 at the grocery store today and on the way home I was fantasizing over the many different ways I could spend that. I know that seems silly but I have learned to take pleasure in the simple things. $30 would buy a nice dinner at my favorite Chinese food place or 30 songs for my ipod or pay for some plants for the back yard. I thought about it all the way home. I was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful smell that greeted me as I walked in from the garage and figured it must be the Lord's way of blessing me for having already done 5 loads of laundry. After a few minutes the wonderful smell of laundry changed to a "bit overwhelming" to "something is not right". Sure enough, as I stepped into the laundry room I was met with a sticky blue goo that oozed between my toes. It was one of the rare times I regretting buying Tide in the large 120 load container. The entire bottle had somehow been knocked to the ground and had infiltrated the entire room. It was under the washer, in the cat box, and all over the rug. It took three rolls of paper towels, an extra three loads of laundry, a premature changing of the cat litter and a new bottle of detergent. The grand total came to approximately $30. . . so much for my Chinese food.

How to Be Totally Miserable

So I stole the title from John Bytheway's little "Self Hinder" book but it so true that I have to share with those of you who aren't Bytheway addicts. He says

"Complain about your Blessings
Lots of people complain. Most people complain about their problems but miserable people are different, they complain about their blessings. If their car breaks down they complain that it isn't new. If their waitress is slow they complain and withhold a tip. If their cell phone drops a call they complain about their service. They're like the people in the Old Testament who got free food from heaven and said, "what, manna again!" By contrast, happy people are grateful they have a car, thankful they can afford to eat in a restaurant and stoked to have a cell phone... Happy people count their blessings, miserable people complain about them."

I could add some profound statement to sum it all up but can say it better than the great motivational speaker Bytheway.

Infinite Wisdom

I wrote this in my journal two years ago but when I came across it today I decided I might need a reminder.

Infinite Wisdom

We’ve all had “those” days, at least I hope I’m not the only one. You slept in late, the cat is chewing on Santa’s beard; the baby is taking all the socks out of the sock drawer and feeding them to the monster that lives in the dryer; you’re pretty sure there’s a gas leak in the kitchen; you have to buy a birthday present for a party, milk for the weekend, and even though you still have checks your husband insists you’re out of money. Your jeans are a bit too tight and the kids suddenly hate the oatmeal that you’re yelling at them to eat because it’s a “power food” and will increase brain function. One thinks their bangs are too long, one refuses to wear a ponytail to hide the bed head they woke up with, and the other insists that hair standing on end is the style these days. No one has matching socks, and you’re falling over the piles of clean clothes the kids left in the hall way. The highlight of your day was sticking yourself in the eye with the eyeliner pencil and it’s only 8:30 in the morning.

As I sat in the car contemplating just such a morning I again turned to feelings of self doubt and guilt. “I’m not a good enough mom. If I had gotten up at 5:00 when my husband did I would have been ready before the kids, made a spectacular breakfast and ironed the missing socks before the kids even had a chance to yell, “moooooommmmm”. But instead, I selfishly decided to cling to the last few minutes of sleep in an attempt to finish the lovely dream I was having about the beach and the waves washing everything away. I yelled at my kids, I wasn’t patient enough. I should pray for patience, but the last time I did that I ended up pregnant with my third child. Yelling to the kids that it was “scripture time and they had better have their little fannies on the couch before I count the three”, was not the appropriate way to teach them a love of the gospel. I know that but yet somehow instead of whipping out one of my “things good mom’s say”, I resorted to the clique’s seen on poorly produced sitcoms. I’m inadequate I think to myself as I sit watching my little angels walk into the school building. Each child takes the time to turn to me as they reach their door and wave, the younger two blowing kisses and yelling, “I love you mom” for everyone to hear. A tear comes to my eye and I try quickly wipe it away blaming it on the mornings make up mayhem but I know it is guilt. I want to run into the school and scoop each one of them into my arms and say, “I’m sorry I messed up. I love you so much, you have so much potential, I don’t know why God would send such a special spirit to such a rotten mother and I promise to ask him when I see him”. I wanted to take them home and make Christmas cookies, practice Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and throw our heads back and laugh as we playfully throw pillows at each other. I want to fix the mistakes I made in the morning with a terrific afternoon, hoping that great acts of repentance will somehow make up for my inadequacy. I know I can’t though, it wouldn’t turn out the way I imagined it. There would be arguing over who gets the last snowman cookie and over what the proper actions are to the song. Instead, I wave back and blow them each a kiss and hope that tomorrow I’ll do better.

As I drive to the post office to mail a package I turn on BYU radio in the hopes of finding an answer to my silent prayers. “Why Heavenly Father did you send these special little one’s to me? You could have sent them to the perfect mother. They could have had a mom that didn’t need ten hours of sleep each night, a mom who didn’t eat the last cookie when no one was looking; the one who knew exactly the right way to call her kids to scriptures or style their hair. Why me, why someone so obviously flawed? Then, just as if the heavens opened and the Spirit spoke directly to me a song came on the radio. I’d never heard it before but the words I will never forget. It spoke about how God could have sent an army to back his message with armor and how he could have sent Jesus to be born of a King and Queen with power and riches but in his infinite wisdom he sent them to Joseph and Mary, seemingly ordinary, everyday people. This wasn’t by mistake, there was a plan. God knew exactly what he was doing and perhaps some small part of his plan was so that on days like today when mothers everywhere are questioning their ability to parent the child that seems so much more holy then she is, she could look to Mary and say, “she was like me”. We know that Joseph often doubted his ability to be the guardian of such a sacred child but would we ever doubt Our Father’s choice? Without a doubt, no.

With a strong resolve to do better I made my way to the store and the rest of my errands. I held my head a bit straighter and walked a bit taller as I made my way down the frenzied aisles of Target. Perhaps, if He sent such special children to me, that means that I am special too. And if Mary could look past her doubts and her fears then I can too. And perhaps tomorrow when I call my children to scriptures the angels will smile upon me and say, “Well done.”

I'm Still Young!!!!

Of course this is OLD but maybe I don't look THAT much different after all.

I never thought the day would actually come that I would have a high school student, or one that attending the dances, let alone be the old lady in charge of them. It was a 40 hour week just getting this wonderful even thrown together and when I finally got home after midnight last night I was stunned by how magical silence is. The decorations turned out great (yahoo, I made a balloon arch, with lots of help) and we had more than enough refreshments. I was so impressed with the kids that go to the school. I only had two students give me any attitude, one we'll call "peacock" because that is exactly how his hair looks, and the other we'll call "fedora" because that is his hat of choice. I had the pleasure of escorting them out of the dance on more than one occasion. The highlight of the evening was when I walked up on two kids making out and they didn't stop. I finally gave a loud clearing of the throat noise to which they looked at me and kept on going. Finally I said "excuse me, I'm a mom". Their eyes got huge and they were very embarrased to confess they thought I was a student. DUDE, I was mistaken for a high school kid, I felt so young. Zach, Mr Social had a great time and it was a real relief to see that even in those kind of social settings he still acknowleges me and tells me he loves me. We came out after the dance to find our car, which really needs to be washed, covered with hearts drawn in the grime. I'm sure they were meant for me and not Zach. The other kids had spent the entire day helping set up and Bailey was so bummed that she wasn't allowed to attend. She even mopped the gym floor because it was driving her nutts. I am pretty sure she'd be offered a job is she ever wants one. I slept for 6 hours straight without even going to the bathroom. I guess all that hard work tuckered me out. On that note, I'm going to take a much deserved bath!

One of Those Moments

This photo has nothing to do with it but isn't it funny that Zach wears a helmet when Jacob is learning to drive?

Yesterday Zach was late from school, approximately two hours because they had changed his schedule from fencing to photography because too many students had signed up for it. There is a food chain in any school and new students and freshmen are of course at the bottom of it. So, he was dropped. I of course went in to Super Mom mode and thought to myself "Can I fix it, Yes I can". (I watch way too much Bob the Builder). Instead however Zach said, "It's under control." What did he mean under control? That would mean that I would be there to explain to the school that it was in their best interest to to give it to him. I would of course have a laundry list of sweet little reasons why he NEEDED to be in the class. Did "control" mean he didn't need me or even worse yet, didn't want me to fix this? I did what any mom of a budding teen would do, I stood in shock and horror and waited for him to fix his own problem. I talked to someone who had been there while he was talking to the counselor. She was getting her her sons schedule fixed as well. She was amused because Zach knew that the closer to the front of the line he was the better his chances. Better to be 3rd than 100th. He made a beeline for his office as soon as the bell rang. He waited calmly and then explained to the counselor that a lot of thought had been put into selecting his classes and that while he understood it was full he had already paid the fees since it had been on his original schedule. He explained that it was important to him and that he would expect a quick resolution (thought I bet he didn't use that word). The counselor said that there were so many students in the same situation that he couldn't guarantee it but would let him know in the morning. I of course spent the evening figuring out exactly what magic I would have to work if he didn't get in. Zach said, "mom, you said that I need to take control of my education and that is what I'm doing. If I don't get in I'll handle it". He texted me this morning and he had fencing!!!! My first feeling was of elation, I had raised a well spoken, responsible young man who could fight his own battles AND win them. Then I realized that it was an indication that he was one step closer to full independence so I cried (mostly happy tears).

The Answer is Because I'm Stupid

The question is now, and always "why did I decide to do that?!" Since I agreed to be in charge of the school dances at the high school I am very busy this week. I have to get lights and decorations, volunteers, food, music, chaperones, servers and clean up crews. I also have to attend two orientations for students and parents in an attempt to get more victims, I mean volunteers, to help in the future. I have 100 pages left in the assigned reading for the school discussion tonight because it simply isn't as entertaining as a vampire story and I keep getting distracted by funny things like laundry or giant spiders.

I decided yesterday however that I HAD to finish our back yard NOW. I hired someone to come and bobcat it today and have dirt being dropped off at 1:00. I won't be here. I had 7 guys scheduled to come move the hot tub last night but it was raining and we decided we'd just leave it until we have money for cement, which means FOREVER! The sprinklers will be put in on Thursday and if all goes well I will find time to seed it(because I am broke and it is cheaper than sod) on Saturday before Zach's party and the play we're going to with Aunt Rene and uncle Doug. I am looking for input from anyone who has planted a lawn by seed before.

First Day of High School

The alarm blared at 6:00 a.m. begging me to wake up from a night of tossing and turning and trying to get all the images out of my mind that consumed me even during the night hours. I envisioned the stories my mom used to tell of being shoved in the locker because she was so tiny. I remembered being cornered in the girls locker room by three extremely large girls who said “you think you're so smart, let's see you get out of this one”. Fortunately for me my very tall, athletic friend Heather Sheets came to my rescue and took their attention away from me long enough for me to escape to the safety of the bathroom stall why she put them in their place. I remembered the guy I was dating who got mad because someone mistakenly through a football toward my car that he threw him to the ground and beat him while I begged him to stop. I thought of the talk of parties that resulted in very unrighteous behavior. I remembered the kids that didn't fit in anywhere else so they turned to a life of drugs. I thought of the girls who unbuttoned one too many button in an attempt to attract the attention of the boys and the boys that were all too willing to oblige. I thought of the teachers who were offended when I corrected them in front of the class or even worse, the football player turned German teacher who thought he was still on the team and talked in football metaphors. I remembered trying to open my locker and balance 4 classes worth of books in my arms because I didn't want to carry a backpack and I didn't want to return to my locker between classes because I only had two minutes and that time was to be used in the bathroom. I remembered trying to eat just enough to keep me alive until after school when I could load up on caffeine and chocolate. There were late nights up worrying if the aching on my chin would result in a zit or if my bangs were high enough so that I wouldn't stand out among the sea of tumbleweed hair. I took BYU classes and AP classes in an attempt to graduate at 16 and get out of the zoo and into the real world. High School was a necessary evil and simply a stepping stone on the path to the exaltation I would find in college. All these thought were going through my mind last night as I prepared to send Zach off into the real world this morning.

We picked up his friend on the way which was probably Zach's favorite part of the morning because that meant that I would be less likely to give the traditional “remember who you are” speech that I am so famous for delivering whenever my children are going to be away from me. I did however say “remember that if you're nice to everyone no one will shoot you.” They made fun of me and my desire to have super powers but as we pulled into the new building they were silent. I could feel their tension level rise as they looked around and discovered they only knew each other and since his friend is a junior they may not see each other until his mom picks them up this afternoon. There was a sea of red, white and blue shirts and the sound of screaming girls who are being reunited after a long summer break.

There were boys standing on the corner trying to be cool and express their independence while having to obey the schools “off the collar” hair cuts and “natural color hair only” rules. I noticed a few of them trying to pull their pants as low as possible before being reminded by one of the many mentors that they must be on the waist. I was thrilled that this dress code wasn't a problem for Zach he is usually found in a polo shirt these days anyway and white and blue are his favorite shirt colors anyway. I noticed with horror that parents were simply pulling into drop off lane and then going on their way. No one was walking into school with their students and half of them were still in their jammies. I of course HAD to walk in. I had an official reason to be in the office. The boys walked ahead of me, turning briefly to give me the uplifted hand wave as if to say “no further” and my heart broke just a little bit. I turned to leave but found my feet anchored to the ground. I tried convince myself that I have done a great job raising him, that he know right from wrong and USUALLY chooses the right. I was able to take a step further while turning back to see if I could still catch a glimpse of my clean cut son. I told myself that he is a gifted speaker and can probably find at least one girl in each hallway that will point him in the right direction if he gets lost. I was able to take another small step toward the door. I said to myself, “it's okay, Celia (the director) and Cindy (the secretary) are moms, they're there if he needs them”. And then it hit me, other moms would be there for him, not me. I think that may have been one of the saddest realizations I've made through out my parenting years. It was heartbreaking to realize that other people could be there when I couldn't. I have always thought that I was irreplaceable, that I was the ONLY one that could be there to fight his battles, to make sure his papers were turned in and that he knew where the lunch room was. I knew the day would come when my role would switch from mommy to mom and eventually to mentor then “crazy lady who won't stop following him around asking if he's cold”. I just didn't realize it would be so soon.

Like my New Bike? or Good News, Nothing is Broken!

Today I had the overwhelming feeling that I needed to buy a bike. I've been thinking about for a while but today something just told me I had to to it NOW! I love those promptings because they make absolutely no sense but you know you have to listen to the Spirit and do what it says for whatever reason.

I am not a first generation over-protective parent so when I begged for a bike my dad bought me a beautiful red one and then never let me ride it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I kept hitting the tree at the bottom of my street, but I never learned to ride. My kids all have bikes but just like my dad I don't really like them to ride them outside of the church parking lot, after all, it is sacred ground, not much can happen there, right? So today I called my friend Jenna and said, "Want to teach me to ride a bike?" She laughed and said, "why not, we could use a good chuckle". I borrowed her helmet and her bike and she walked me to the parking lot of the church where she gave me the basic run down such as "brakes are good" and "it's a new helmet so don't break it". Only one person stopped to make a sarcastic comment on a grown woman learning to ride. I was amazing. I screamed when a rock would jump out of nowhere and into my path and I panicked when the bike seemed to turn without me telling it to but after a while it was pretty evident that with practice I could actually be a good bike rider. So Jenna and her husband Paul escorted me to the bike store, not Walmart but an actual bike store with people who know all about the importance of gears and spokes and shocks and other things that I'm only vaguely aware of. I amused the staff with my ramblings but finally settled on a perfect bike for me (and my wallet). I can't believe how much some people will spend on transportation with only two wheels.

I have only almost died once today while riding. When I came home I was so excited to show my husband my new found skill that jumped on at the top of our very steep driveway only to realize that I had no idea where the pedals were and I was headed to pile of tumbleweed in the empty lot at an extremely quick pace. A scream or two later I quickly recovered and found myself in control and riding down the street toward the park. After lots of practice I decided to take the kids for a ride. Jacob and Kaitlyn had their scooters and Bailey was on her bike (Zach felt it would be better not to join us) and we headed across the street to the church parking lot. There is a very steep driveway at the entrance, I know this because in Feb. we slid all the way from the top to the bottom(300 yards or so)in our van where we came to rest in a large bank of snow and we had to be dug out by the Elder's Quorum of another ward. This hill is great. I was going so fast that for the first time I understood why a dog sticks their head out of the window when they're in the car. Of course everything is all fun and games until someone crashes, burns and ends up with road rash so bad that it takes an hour to pick the pieces of asphalt out of their legs.

It wasn't me though, I don't get any of the glory. It was Bailey who thought she was as cool as I am and that she could go at speeds equal to a cheetah. She lost control and rolled several times landing in a heap of blood at the base of the hill. She kept screaming "nothing is broken, nothing is broken" and I ran at record speed to check her out. Kaitlyn ran home to have her daddy bring the car and we have spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between being sympathetic and making fun of her. She will survive and may even ride her bike again! And I have learned at the grand old age of 33 to finally ride a bike. (Don't tell my dad).

This is the Place

We went to This is the place yesterday and had an amazing time. Jacob has talked all day about our adventures and keeps saying "Can't we go back right now?" We are going to their play next week and have plans to go back in October for the Haunted Village and in December for an old fashion Christmas. I fell in love with the pioneer homes and secretly came home to my modern 25 ft ceilings and thought "what waste". I am sure it would only last a short time, but it would be fun to go back in time and live like the pioneers. Of course our running water and gas stoves are pretty cool.

Hmm, I wonder what my new color is?