I started my day early, got up to make dinner and finish cleaning the house. I had a presidency meeting at 9 and when I arrived, there was donuts, muffins and fruit for breakfast. They also gave me a gift - a Pomegranate and Wildberry foot care set: scrub, lotion, fizzies, pumice stone, etc. It was very nice. Plus they gave me a pretty journal.
At 10:00 I left them (they continued on for a little while, but I had warned them that I could only stay one hour) and came rushing home. I found flowers that Acadia had chosen, out in a vase on the dining room table and Ryan making me my favorite breakfast (he didn't know about the goodies at the meeting) - which I had some of and let him finish because I was full!
Beckie and Jack arrived and Beckie admitted to me that she hadn't really wanted to come, but she was doing it for me. I was so anxious when we started. I wanted her to at least enjoy the movies. In the past she has said that she just doesn't like fantasy and sci-fi because it's "not real". Well, duh! Of course it's not real - it's a story! So I prefaced the movies with "Use your imagination", to which she exclaimed "I don't have one". I told her she better get one because we were starting...
We watched The Fellowship of the Rings and had to pause it a couple of times to do some brief explaining. Of course Jack and Ryan kind of kept going way too deep in the explanations and then argued a bit about the details of things that were not really important for this part of the story. But for the most part, it went smoothly. At the end of the first movie, I was so happy to hear Beckie say, "I'm actually finding this entertaining."
HOORAY!!! Beckie is one of the neatest ladies you'd ever meet. She is so nice, very fun, and really the only flaw I've found in her is that she didn't like LOTR. I could not understand how one of my best friends could not like LOTR. Well, it turned out she had never read the books or seen the movies! How could she really know whether or not she liked them? This is what instigated our little LOTR marathon for my birthday. At one point, awhile back I mentioned that someday I wanted her to watch them with me and as my birthday approached, I proclaimed that the only thing I wanted was to watch them with her. So, she said she would.
She came with an "open mind" and even though she wasn't looking forward to it, she found herself enjoying it! So we put in The Two Towers... I love that movie... By the end of this one, she admitted that she found The Two Towers even more entertaining (of course, who couldn't?) and that she did want to see the third one! However, it was already getting late and we were just going to have to do it another day. So Friday they are coming back to see the final movie.
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles! Beckie liked LOTR. Now, she isn't going to want to watch them repeatedly, and I can live with that. I'm just so glad she didn't hate them and find today extremely painful!
We had some ice cream cake (that Cadi had chosen) and opened a couple presents before they left. Ryan's big gift for me was a Foot Soother Elite, a robotic foot massage. 1) It is sooo cool! And it feels very good! But 2) when I found out how much he spent I decided that I didn't think it was that cool or felt that good. Ryan half expected that, but he figured if the massager was "heaven" then it would be worth it. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift, but the massager we have already feels just as good when I use it on my feet. So we're going to return it and get the stereo we want for the minivan instead. I just couldn't see spending that much money on something when there were other things I'd rather spend that much money on more. Especially when money is a little tight.
Oh, btw... Acadia went to swimming lessons with the neighbor, then stayed and played at their house most of the day. When she came home, there was less than an hour left of The Two Towers and Ryan and I took turns (well, it was mostly Ryan) with her in our bedroom letting her watch some shows in there. Then she came out when the movie was done. She was giving out great cuddles to the birthday girl, which was very sweet. She isn't usually very cuddly anymore, now that she's older. So that was a super nice bonus!
So the end of my first day "down hill" (as everyone kept telling me), was pretty fun! I always LOVE watching LOTR, and I got to see my best friend enjoy it too! Who could ask for more?
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Monday, July 11, 2005
My last day as "Twenty-Something".
This morning Ryan and I took 14 young women on a 5 mile hike to fulfill a Girl's Camp requirement. We had fun and so did most of the girls. We had only one injury. Ashley fell on our way back to the car and twisted her ankle. So, Ryan carried her about 2 miles back down to the car. I am so glad he was with us!!!
The hike itself was beautiful! Here are some pictures. One of the mothers came with us, to help with rides and give her a reason to skip her class that day. *wink*
I'm bummed this picture turned out blurry!
I am cleaning my house now while Cadi and Ryan are out shopping for our "big day" tomorrow. I am tired and sore from the hike, but I can't complain since I wasn't the one who had to carry someone most of the way back to the car! But I think I will still ask for a foot spa - and then share it!
The hike itself was beautiful! Here are some pictures. One of the mothers came with us, to help with rides and give her a reason to skip her class that day. *wink*
I'm bummed this picture turned out blurry!
I am cleaning my house now while Cadi and Ryan are out shopping for our "big day" tomorrow. I am tired and sore from the hike, but I can't complain since I wasn't the one who had to carry someone most of the way back to the car! But I think I will still ask for a foot spa - and then share it!
Saturday, July 9, 2005
It really pays
Wow, so I just finished selling lots more stuff on e-bay. Mostly extra candle holders that I don't want to hang on to anymore. But also the last of the stamps that I started selling last year (I held on to some of the unmounted retired sets I had to see if I could get a little more $.). It worked, I made enough money to pay for the whale watching we'll be doing next month! Yeah!
The neighborhood had yard sales today and yesterday. It wasn't planned as a neighborhood sale, but it turned into one. A couple of people individually chose to have theirs this weekend, so a few others decided to join in. Us included. We didn't have much to sell, we usually donate to thrift stores and we've recently taken a few loads, but we did find some stuff to put out. Not everything sold, which is okay since I didn't really care if they did or didn't. But we got rid of a few things and that's nice.
Acadia wanted to have a lemonade stand. It was a great idea. However, she called it quits when it started raining (yesterday) and today she didn't feel like it would be fun enough. It was funny though, while she did have her stand, she asked me for money so she could buy a lemonade from herself! Cute. Ryan had me buy one from her for him and put it in the fridge. Aww, cute too.
The neighborhood had yard sales today and yesterday. It wasn't planned as a neighborhood sale, but it turned into one. A couple of people individually chose to have theirs this weekend, so a few others decided to join in. Us included. We didn't have much to sell, we usually donate to thrift stores and we've recently taken a few loads, but we did find some stuff to put out. Not everything sold, which is okay since I didn't really care if they did or didn't. But we got rid of a few things and that's nice.
Acadia wanted to have a lemonade stand. It was a great idea. However, she called it quits when it started raining (yesterday) and today she didn't feel like it would be fun enough. It was funny though, while she did have her stand, she asked me for money so she could buy a lemonade from herself! Cute. Ryan had me buy one from her for him and put it in the fridge. Aww, cute too.
Tuesday, July 5, 2005
It's great to be an American!
We had a blast yesterday! Here's the low down...
Well, it didn't start great. First, earlier in the day, Acadia played in the water at a friends and here's the result...
But the rest was great! We had a good old fashioned barbeque – there were three big grills going.
We had hotdogs, barbequed chicken, garlic and herb marinated chicken, steaks, kabobs, and ribs. Plus a ton of salads – pasta, macaroni, potato, jello (lol), and two different fruit salads. Plus chips, veggies, corn on the cob, relish plates, cookies, popsicles, and watermelon… It was so yummy!
After we ate, we started “Super Dolly”. There is no way to steer except for leaning one way or another. Jack would push the person and send them off down the street. Then the road bends…lol. The idea is to hit the curb and fly off onto the grass. The trick is to dodge the trees, street signs and bushes (but that’s just a suggestion…lol). To help you dodge those objects, there are two “bumpers” who give you a little nudge to keep you on track to land at the right spot. This often spins the person around before they hit the curb. It is real fun to watch and rather painful to try. Ryan did it twice. I didn’t do it at all – the guy before Ryan wrapped himself around one of the street signs and couldn’t walk normal for hours. No thanks!
When we were tired of Super Dolly, we started launching water balloons. They made a huge sling shot with long rubber hoses connected to a large funnel. Then we launched water balloons down the street at “targets”. Anyone who wanted could be a target, but mostly it was the teenagers. They were the only ones crazy enough to do it. The balloons came at them fast and most who got hit ended up with huge bruises. Acadia hung out with the “targets” for awhile til Ryan launched one that happened to go right towards her. One of the girls tried to block it but the force of the balloon hitting her arm, threw her hand back into Acadia’s chest – it hit her hard enough to hurt and from then on, Cadi was just a spectator.
And then the fireworks!
We had a ton. Then there was the family across the street and their friends, who had some too. It ended up being a really good show. This is the last year that Washington is allowing us to shoot up mortars. Which is too bad. But we sure had a nice display this year.
To finish it all off, we gathered round an outdoor fire and roasted marshmallows and made S’mores. What fun!
Well, it didn't start great. First, earlier in the day, Acadia played in the water at a friends and here's the result...
But the rest was great! We had a good old fashioned barbeque – there were three big grills going.
We had hotdogs, barbequed chicken, garlic and herb marinated chicken, steaks, kabobs, and ribs. Plus a ton of salads – pasta, macaroni, potato, jello (lol), and two different fruit salads. Plus chips, veggies, corn on the cob, relish plates, cookies, popsicles, and watermelon… It was so yummy!
After we ate, we started “Super Dolly”. There is no way to steer except for leaning one way or another. Jack would push the person and send them off down the street. Then the road bends…lol. The idea is to hit the curb and fly off onto the grass. The trick is to dodge the trees, street signs and bushes (but that’s just a suggestion…lol). To help you dodge those objects, there are two “bumpers” who give you a little nudge to keep you on track to land at the right spot. This often spins the person around before they hit the curb. It is real fun to watch and rather painful to try. Ryan did it twice. I didn’t do it at all – the guy before Ryan wrapped himself around one of the street signs and couldn’t walk normal for hours. No thanks!
When we were tired of Super Dolly, we started launching water balloons. They made a huge sling shot with long rubber hoses connected to a large funnel. Then we launched water balloons down the street at “targets”. Anyone who wanted could be a target, but mostly it was the teenagers. They were the only ones crazy enough to do it. The balloons came at them fast and most who got hit ended up with huge bruises. Acadia hung out with the “targets” for awhile til Ryan launched one that happened to go right towards her. One of the girls tried to block it but the force of the balloon hitting her arm, threw her hand back into Acadia’s chest – it hit her hard enough to hurt and from then on, Cadi was just a spectator.
And then the fireworks!
We had a ton. Then there was the family across the street and their friends, who had some too. It ended up being a really good show. This is the last year that Washington is allowing us to shoot up mortars. Which is too bad. But we sure had a nice display this year.
To finish it all off, we gathered round an outdoor fire and roasted marshmallows and made S’mores. What fun!
Sunday, July 3, 2005
Officer Cadi
Sunday night we made a bunch of cookies to give to police officers who were going to be working on Fourth of July. So this time instead of going to the police station and finding the doors locked, we went to the home of an officer in our ward (who we knew was going to work the next day). They were so nice to let us stay and visit for awhile. While we were visiting, Cadi got to play "Officer Cadi"...
(She had a K-9 Unit)
We had a great time and we were glad to know our cookies were going to go to the officers on the Fourth!
(She had a K-9 Unit)
We had a great time and we were glad to know our cookies were going to go to the officers on the Fourth!
A - Z About Me
Yes, I copied this from Erin. But I haven't actually done this kind before so I'm doing it. If you don't like it, don't read.
A - Age you got your first kiss: 14
B - Band listening to right now: Acadia cheerfully playing in the kitchen
C - Crush: Don't really have one. And I know what you're all thinking... No, even though I talk like I do, I really do not have a crush on Aragorn!... Okay, maybe a little one! lol
D- Dad's name: Glen
E - Easiest person [people] to talk to: My husband
F - Favorite band at the moment: Umm... don't have one right now.
G-gummy worms: I'm not sure what the question is but... Yes I like them
H - Hometown: Born in Sacramento, CA... Live in Vancouver, WA. When I was little I used to sing, "Heaven is my hometown"!
I - Instruments: Piano
K - Kids: Two: Acadia, age 6 ; Ryan, age 31
L - Longest car ride ever: Not sure. Probably about 13 hours or so, somewhere here on the West Coast. Yeah I know, real descriptive.
M - Mom's name: Barbara
N - Nicknames: Stamper, Rye, Mom, Wonderful Wife
O - One wish: It's hard to think of one wish... I wish we had a world full of peace and acceptance.
P - Phobia[s]: Hmmm... No real phobias. I don't like spiders or snakes or heights, but they aren't really phobias (I don't think). My biggest fear is not having my family for eternity, but that's not really a phobia either.
Q - Quote: Heard a good one today: Education is what you get when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get when you don't!
R - Reason to smile: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is restored and we have a living prophet on the earth today! And my wonderful husband and daughter who, through the blessings of the Gospel, I can be with forever!
S - Song you sang last: America the Beautiful
T - Time you woke up [today]: 7:00
U - Unknown fact about me: I just got another cavity!!! Yeah, a super, teeny, tiny one on the side of a tooth. They said it was one from flossing (or not flossing, really). The crazy thing is - I'm usually a very good flosser! So if you aren't, you better start!!!
V - Vegetable you hate: Spinach, Broccoli, Squash - and I really wish I liked all three!
W - Worst habit(s): I'm a Control Freak, but I'm working on that. As a result of being a control freak, I tend to be a stress magnet. But I'm learning as I make progress on the whole control issue, the stress is not as big of a problem.
X - X-rays you've had: teeth. I don't know if I've had any others. Not even when I broke my toe when I was 16.
Y - Yummy food: Ice cream. French Fries. All that stuff I shouldn't be eating!
Z - Zodiac sign: Cancer. But I have no idea what that means really. I don't know what personality I'm supposed to have and I never read horoscopes.
A - Age you got your first kiss: 14
B - Band listening to right now: Acadia cheerfully playing in the kitchen
C - Crush: Don't really have one. And I know what you're all thinking... No, even though I talk like I do, I really do not have a crush on Aragorn!... Okay, maybe a little one! lol
D- Dad's name: Glen
E - Easiest person [people] to talk to: My husband
F - Favorite band at the moment: Umm... don't have one right now.
G-gummy worms: I'm not sure what the question is but... Yes I like them
H - Hometown: Born in Sacramento, CA... Live in Vancouver, WA. When I was little I used to sing, "Heaven is my hometown"!
I - Instruments: Piano
K - Kids: Two: Acadia, age 6 ; Ryan, age 31
L - Longest car ride ever: Not sure. Probably about 13 hours or so, somewhere here on the West Coast. Yeah I know, real descriptive.
M - Mom's name: Barbara
N - Nicknames: Stamper, Rye, Mom, Wonderful Wife
O - One wish: It's hard to think of one wish... I wish we had a world full of peace and acceptance.
P - Phobia[s]: Hmmm... No real phobias. I don't like spiders or snakes or heights, but they aren't really phobias (I don't think). My biggest fear is not having my family for eternity, but that's not really a phobia either.
Q - Quote: Heard a good one today: Education is what you get when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get when you don't!
R - Reason to smile: The Gospel of Jesus Christ is restored and we have a living prophet on the earth today! And my wonderful husband and daughter who, through the blessings of the Gospel, I can be with forever!
S - Song you sang last: America the Beautiful
T - Time you woke up [today]: 7:00
U - Unknown fact about me: I just got another cavity!!! Yeah, a super, teeny, tiny one on the side of a tooth. They said it was one from flossing (or not flossing, really). The crazy thing is - I'm usually a very good flosser! So if you aren't, you better start!!!
V - Vegetable you hate: Spinach, Broccoli, Squash - and I really wish I liked all three!
W - Worst habit(s): I'm a Control Freak, but I'm working on that. As a result of being a control freak, I tend to be a stress magnet. But I'm learning as I make progress on the whole control issue, the stress is not as big of a problem.
X - X-rays you've had: teeth. I don't know if I've had any others. Not even when I broke my toe when I was 16.
Y - Yummy food: Ice cream. French Fries. All that stuff I shouldn't be eating!
Z - Zodiac sign: Cancer. But I have no idea what that means really. I don't know what personality I'm supposed to have and I never read horoscopes.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
I just love being a girl!
Last night we had our first real planning meeting as a group of youth leaders for this 99 Day Book of Mormon Challenge/SLC Conference Trip. One of the big things discussed is exactly when do we want to leave and when do we want to come back. After much discussion, we decided that it really will be better to have an extra day there to make it even more memorable for the youth, then to cut it short and have it feel too rushed. So we are suggesting that we leave Thursday morning and come back on Monday. That means the kids miss 3 days of school. But it also means we get to have all of Friday to do lots of other things. Some of the ideas are to see the Testaments movie, the Joseph Smith display, of course Temple Square, etc.
We actually haven't gotten to the "activities" part of the planning. Except that we have decided we need to request our tickets for a conference session and the Testaments movie so we can all go as one big group. The other big discussion was the Bishop's idea that the girls should all stay in a motel while the boys stay at our "contacts" houses. All us girls LOVE the idea!!! lol Now we're double checking the budget to see if we can.
We gave the youth the complete breakdown of their reading assignments last night. They were happy to receive them. It is great to see them excited about this. They are reading, they are interested, they are looking forward to it all. I really think this will help to stregthen their testimony of the Book of Mormon.
I updated my link with the reading assignments, I now have up to Day 15 on there. I will keep adding the days until I'm done. But be patient with me, it takes awhile and I will need to take a break sometimes. But I will hopefully have it all up within a day or two.
We actually haven't gotten to the "activities" part of the planning. Except that we have decided we need to request our tickets for a conference session and the Testaments movie so we can all go as one big group. The other big discussion was the Bishop's idea that the girls should all stay in a motel while the boys stay at our "contacts" houses. All us girls LOVE the idea!!! lol Now we're double checking the budget to see if we can.
We gave the youth the complete breakdown of their reading assignments last night. They were happy to receive them. It is great to see them excited about this. They are reading, they are interested, they are looking forward to it all. I really think this will help to stregthen their testimony of the Book of Mormon.
I updated my link with the reading assignments, I now have up to Day 15 on there. I will keep adding the days until I'm done. But be patient with me, it takes awhile and I will need to take a break sometimes. But I will hopefully have it all up within a day or two.
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