Cedar Homecoming

Last week was Homecoming at Cedar and each day as many of you are aware the students have to dress up to show their spirit. I thought I would share one of the pictures of my kids and how they dressed up.
This particular day was " Blast from the Past". Angela is supposed to be a hippie and she is dressed in one of her tie dye shirts that reminds me of a hippie. She wanted to wear something from my past that would really show that it was from the past and I really didn't have anything. We tried to really frizz her hair out so it would really look like a hippie which is real easy to do with her hair.
Todd is dressed in some of the cool atire from the 80's. His pink jacket happens to be a sentimental jacket not only to my husband but to some of my brothers and sisters. My husband used to wear this spiffy jacket to dances and on special dates with me when we were dating. Todd is also wearing Mike's white 501's which were really cool back then. It is funny to look back and think about the past. I actually have brothers that have worn this jacket to go out on dates and woo the girls. AJ has also worn this same jacket at Homecoming a couple of years ago. They always get many comments. Angela and Todd both enjoyed dressing up all week. It was fun to see how creative they were.
I don't think that we will ever be able to throw this outfit out it just has too many memories for many of us. I hope you all think it is as groovy as I do.....

The Bell

This is a story that I thought I would share with all of you.
Just up the road from my home is a field, with two horses in it.

From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing.

Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind.
His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her halter is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her.

As you stand and watch these two friends, you'll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn't too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.

Good friends are like this. You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

Please listen for my bell and I'll listen for yours.

Lately I have been thinking about how thankful I am for my friends and family that have made a BIG difference in my life and I thought about this story that a great friend sent me. There are so many people that have helped to make me a better person. Those people will always be a part of me and who I am. I feel so blessed to have some really special friends. Some of them don't live close but in my heart they are very close to me and I miss them often. I feel like people come into our lives for a reason and a purpose and I am so thankful for those friends and family that have made a difference in my life.
It has been great as I have started blogging how much closer some of my friendships are with some of my friends and I have learned so much about them. I have also made a couple of great friends just from blogging and it has been great to become connected.
Thanks so much for being my friends. You are awesome!!!

Application to date my daughter

I copied this application from a friend and just loved it, so I thought I would share. I think that my dad must have had this application memorized when I was dating Mike. I hope you all get a kick out of it like I did.
APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER NOTE: This application will be incomplete and rejected unless accompanied by a complete financial statement, job history, lineage, and current medical report from your doctor. NAME_____________________________________ DATE OF BIRTH_____________ HEIGHT___________ WEIGHT____________ IQ__________ GPA_____________ SOCIAL SECURITY #_________________DRIVERS LICENSE #________________
BOY SCOUT RANK AND BADGES__________________________________________ HOME ADDRESS_______________________ CITY/STATE___________ ZIP______ Do you have parents? ; ___Yes ___No Is one male and the other female? ___Yes ___No
If No, explain:___________________________
Number of years they have been married ____ If less than your age, explain
ACCESSORIES SECTION: A. Do you own or have access to a van? __Yes __No
B. A truck with oversized tires? __Yes __No
C. A waterbed? __Yes __No
D. A pickup with a mattress in the back? __Yes __No
E. A tattoo? __Yes __No
F. Do you have an earring, nose ring, pierced tongue, pierced cheek or a belly button ring? __Yes __No
(IF YOU ANSWERED 'YES' TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, DISCONTINUE APPLICATION AND LEAVE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY. I SUGGEST RUNNING.)
ESSAY SECTION: In 50 words or less, what does 'LATE' mean to you? ________
In 50 words or less, what does 'DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER' mean to you? ___
REFERENCES SECTION: Church you attend __________________________
How often you attend ________________________________________________ When would be the best time to interview your: Father? _____________ Mother? _____________ Pastor? _____________
SHORT-ANSWER SECTION: Answer by filling in the blank. Please answer freely, all answers are confidential.
A: If I were shot, the last place I would want shot would be: ___________
B: If I were beaten, the last bone I would want broken is my:______
C: A woman's place is in the: ________
D: The one thing I hope this application does not ask me about is: _____________
E. What do you want to do IF you grow up? _______
F. When I meet a girl, the thing I always notice about her first is: ____________
G. What is the current going rate of a hotel room? __________________
I SWEAR THAT ALL INFORMATION SUPPLIED ABOVE IS TRUE AND CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH, DISMEMBERMENT, NATIVE AMERICAN ANTI TORTURE, ELECTROCUTION, CHINESE WATER TORTURE, RED HOT POKERS, AND HILLARY CLINTON KISS TORTURE.
Applicant's Signature (that means sign your name, moron!) __________________________ Father's Signature ___________ Mother's Signature _____________________________ Pastor/Priest/Rabbi __________ State Representative/Congressman
Thank you for your interest, and it had better be genuine and non-sexual. Please allow four to six years for processing. You will be contacted in writing if you are approved. Please do not try to call or write (since you probably can't, and it would cause you injury). If your application is rejected, you will be notified by two gentleman wearing white ties carrying violin cases. (you might watch your back).
To prepare yourself, start studying Daddy's Rules for Dating.
Daddy's Rules for Dating Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.
Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.
Rule Three: I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips. Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots. Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.
Rule Four: I'm sure you've been told that in today's world, sex without utilizing a 'Barrier method' of some kind can kill you. Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.
Rule Five: It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day. Please do not do this. The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is: 'early.'
Rule Six: I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls. This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter. Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you. If you make her cry, I will make you cry.
Rule Seven: As you stand in my front hallway, waiting for my daughter to appear, and more than an hour goes by, do not sigh and fidget. If you want to be on time for the movie, you should not be dating. My daughter is putting on her makeup, a process than can take longer than painting the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of just standing there, why don't you do something useful, like changing the oil in my car?
Rule Eight: The following places are not appropriate for a date with my daughter: Places where there are beds, sofas, or anything softer than a wooden stool. Places where there is darkness. Places where there is dancing or holding hands. Places where the ambient temperature is warm enough to induce my daughter to wear shorts, tank tops, midriff T-shirts, or anything other than overalls, a sweater, and a goose down parka - zipped up to her throat. Movies with a strong romantic or sexual themes are to be avoided; movies which feature chainsaws are okay. Hockey games are okay. Old folks homes are better.
Rule Nine: Do not lie to me. I may appear to be a potbellied, balding, middle-aged, dimwitted has-been. But on issues relating to my daughter, I am the all-knowing, merciless god of your universe. If I ask you where you are going and with whom, you have one chance to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I have a shotgun, a shovel and five acres behind the house. Do not trifle with me.
Rule Ten: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It takes very little for me to mistake the sound of your car in the driveway for a chopper coming in over a rice paddy near Hanoi. When my Agent Orange starts acting up, the voices in my head frequently tell me to clean the guns as I wait for you to bring my daughter home. As soon as you pull into the driveway you should exit the car with both hands in plain sight. Speak the perimeter password, announce in a clear voice that you have brought my daughter home safely and early, then return to your car - there is no need for you to come inside. The camouflaged face at the window is mine.

Isaac Asimov's Super Quiz

You all know that I have been taking education classes like crazy, well with that comes classes on getting kids to read and how they learn best, etc..... It is really interesting. I was given a quiz the other day and I thought I would share. This quiz is supposed to show how well you much you were read to as a child. Good Luck! Try the quiz and then the answers are posted below so check how well you do before peeking at the answers.

What kind of animal is each character???
Freshman Level
1. Curious George
2. Winnie the Pooh
3. Bambi
4. Kermit
5. Garfield
Graduate Level
1. Snoopy
2. Babar
3. Barney
4. Franklin
5. Horton
Ph. D Level
1. Anansi
2. Arthur
3. Rikki Tikki Tavi
4. Babe
5. Charlotte

I thought this was a pretty easy quiz, especially if you have been read to or have children.
Let me know how you did...



Here are the answers to the quiz.
freshman level
1. monkey 2. bear 3. deer 4. frog 5. cat
graduate level
1. dog 2. elephant 3. dinosaur 4. turtle 5. elephant
ph. d level
1. spider 2. ardvark 3. mongoose 4. pig 5. spider

MOTHER always knows best

It is amazing to me how through the years I have learned that mom's always(ok almost always) know what is best. They just do. As a mother I don't know if I always do but I do know that there are just times when I feel real strongly about something that is real important for my kids and it has been the right thing. I hope that as I continue being a mom, that my kids can feel like I always know what is best.

This brings me to the reason for my blog. As you know from one of my previous blogs I have been dealing with a lot of pain lately and last week on Sunday was the first day that I have had that I could really say that I was feeling ok. Well, on Monday night the pain started in my lower back. I have had this before but it has been a while so I thought I just need to my back exercises and I will be fine. I started doing them and it just continued to get worse and worse. On Tuesday and Wednesday when I went to school I truly didn't know how I was going to make it back to the car and I was in that much pain even after taking a 800 mg of motrin. I don't know how to describe it without just saying it was awful.

My mom had been telling me for a couple of weeks, just go in the chiropractor and he will help you. At least try it, he might be able to do something. On Wednesday I was in so much pain in every step that I gave in and called a chiropractor. I have always been quite skeptical of them so I still wasn't sure. Mike was able to go with me so that helped. I just have to tell you that when I walked out of his office I felt like a new woman. I had hardly any pain at all. I could walk. After having that much pain for that long, it truly gives you a new aspect on life. I was feeling like I was looking at life for the first time. I felt good for Wednesday night but it popped out by Thursday and I was back in pain. I ended up going in again today and he did the same thing. I know it will probably be a little bit of time until I won't have to go back in but I just have to say my mother always knows best. Thanks MOM.

Does anyone really like tests??

I had to take the Praxis test this weekend on Saturday for my degree as a teacher and I hated it.

I had to pay $130 to take the Praxis and I have been studying and studying for weeks. The test is on four subjects. It is on English, Math, Social Studies, and Science. I have been studying anything that I could possibly find about all of these subjects so that I would be ready for the test and I woke up real early on Saturday after not sleeping at all to take the test. I showed up and it ended up starting an hour later than it was supposed. The test took 2 hours.

As I left after the test I felt awful. It is so hard to know what to study for a test that they can't give you any idea what questions will be on the test. There is so much in each area that how can you possibly study for this test. The questions in Social Studies and Science were real hard.

I will find out in six weeks if I passed it and if I didn't then I have to pay again and take it again in November so I am hoping that at least I passed it. Do any of you like tests????? I REALLY HATE THEM NOW!!!

New Bed

I am so excited we bought us a new bed this weekend. We have slept on a waterbed ever since we have been married and we finally decided for our anniversary to put out the money for a nice mattress. We have a nice headboard etc but we decided to get rid of the waterbed. It always takes time to get used to a new bed but it is really nice.

Why do I have to learn the hard way?

So I remember and you all probably do too that not too long ago I was blogging about my working out and is it worth it and why me. Why can't I lose weight if I workout? I was complaining, I know. Well, I guess sometimes I have to learn a lesson in life the hard way. I have been having some pain in my neck the last three weeks but nothing big and so I have just figured it would go away. Well, last Friday it got worst and I couldn't stand it. The pain was in my neck, the top of my back and down my arm. I took an 800 mg of motrion and it still was hurting really good or bad, so I went into the doctor's office to see if they could do anything for me.
I was right they just told me to take motrin for 5-7 days every eight hours and also they gave me some muscle relaxants which made me sleepy. That was it. I knew I was going to be frustrated but not this bad. The pain was so bad on Friday and through the weekend that I had to take tylenol in between the motrin. I also had to ice it as often as I could and Mike was so awesome, he has been giving me back massages since last week every day a couple of times a day. The reason why I say it serves me right is because they also told me not to work out at all not even walk. It has been driving me crazy. Now I can't even work out. I shouldn't have complained about working out because now this week I haven't been able to.

The first four days I was in so much pain that I didn't even feel like working out but now I am really missing it. I am finally feeling a lot better but when the motrin wears off I am still hurting but not near as bad.

I guess some things we need to learn in life. I have learned that I need to be grateful that I have a body that allows me to workout. I need to try to be happy with me just how I am.(yeah right) I need to be a little more thankful and not complain so much. Thanks to all of you that listen and don't judge me for the attitude that I have some days. Thanks.
Any way wish me well, and if anyone wants to go work out with me even a walk I would love a partner. I hate going alone.

GORGEOUS

I just had to take a picture of the beautiful roses that he sent me. Aren't they gorgeous? I just can't believe how beautiful they are.

This day will always be a GREAT day for me

Many years ago on Thursday September 11, I made the greatest decision of my life. I was married to my sweetheart in the Salt Lake Temple. I can't believe that it has been that long ago. Time has flown so fast. We have had so many happy and sad times together. We have seen our four beautiful children come into our home and bring us so much happiness. We have struggled together trying to figure out exactly how we are supposed to be parents. We have seen our children go through many great milestones and continue to grow and grow. They are awesome and continue to bring us so much joy. We have built our dreamhouse together and left it and started our own adventure down here in Cedar. We have made time for us throughout all of the years and I am so glad that I can still say he is my best friend and my lover. I don 't get a chance very often to talk my husband up, so here is my opportunity.

There are 22 things that I LOVE about my husband

1. His beautiful blue eyes.

2. Of course his red hair.

3. He is built.....

4. He has a great smile.

5. He has a great sense of humor.

6. He knows how to make someone feel better when they have had a very bad day( and not just me)

7. He loves my parents.

8. He always wants to be the best father he can be.

9. He makes me happy.

10. He is concerned about his health and works out daily.

11. He is very committed to anything that he says he will.

12. He is a TALKER, if you get him to open up to you he is a great talker.

13. He is a great friend and he has always felt that if I have a friend then they are his friend too.

14. He never forgets my birthday, anniversary, Christmas etc.

15. He is very sentimental.

16. He never forgets my siblings or his siblings birthdays.

17. He always tries to do what he knows is right.

18. He is in love with me still.

19. He thinks I look great and that I am sexy even though I am NOT.

20. He is organized. He is also very supportive of me in my own life.

21. He has put up with me for this many years.

22. He likes to spend time with his kids rather it is biking, swimming, vacationing, playing rockband, or computer games. He loves his family and is devoted to the Lord.

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart. I LOVE YOU!

I'm so thankful for all of our great memories and I am excited to make many, many more memories.

It Looks Like Fall

This week there has been a great change in temperature and it definitely feels like Fall. We actually needed a jacket at the parade on Labor Day. I just love living in a place that just as you get tired of one season it is time for the seasons to change.
I love the feel of Fall in the air. I was so excited this week about Fall that I had to get out all of my Fall decorations, Fall wreath, and garland. Now all I need is a smell of Autumn or pumpkins or something like it.

The only downfall that I can see is that it is so dark at 6 am that I have had to get creative to do my workouts every day. I don't like going out when it is so cold and dark. If I had a workout partner I think it would be fine but for now I am just working out in the evening or after school.

I guess there is another negative side about Fall but my family doesn't see it as negative. It is that I want to bake. I am trying to not give into the urge because we really don't need more treats around our house but pumpkin cobbler or pumpkin cookies sound so good right now. Maybe I will have to blog some yummy recipes when I get a chance.

Happy Fall!

Labor Day Parade

Monday morning, we woke up and headed over to Parowan to watch the Labor Day Parade because Angela was going to be marching in the band in it. Here are a few pictures of us watching the parade.

Todd looks a little tired, he had to wake up at 6 am to help put flags up for scouts.

It was hard to get a picture of Angela and actually see her in the band so I took a picture afterwards. She has been playing the flute for four years and loves it.

This is the closest picture of actually seeing Angela in the band. Oh well.

This shows the front of her band. It was a perfect day for a parade because it was nice and cool. Now that she is in the high school band I am sure she will have many more chances to perform. In March they are going to Disneyland so she is going to be working hard babysitting to help pay for the trip. I am glad that she has this opportunity to be in the high school band. I remember playing the clarinet in my high school band and loving all of the fun and especially the trips, but I have always wished that I could play the flute.

Angela is also very talented at the piano. She has been playing for years and years. She is now to where she can play many hymns. I hope she keeps it up, it is a great talent to be able to play the piano.