Flashback Friday- the graduate....of 1993

What the crap, right? Yah really. Someone should've informed me about using makeup that makes one look like a ghost. What was I thinking??? This is in honor of it being graduation time around these parts and 4 of my cute Laurels are graduating. Wow! So weird to see them all grown up, but I imagine it was much the same for my leaders too. :]

*this is me and Andi, by the way. And it is circa 1993, so really we can't help most of it. It was the 90's and I will blame it on that til the day I die.

BFF's

I imagine life would a lot different for most people if they lack that certain person in their life that is their "go-to" person. What I mean is our best friend. Hopefully all of us have at least one and hopefully we treasure that person and the relationship we have with them.

My little boy is very lucky in that every day his best friend comes to our house and plays with him before they both go to school. These two boys are great friends. They enjoy the same kinds of toys, movies, games, and even music (you should hear them sing along with David Archuleta...it's priceless!).

What's even awesomer (is that a word?) is that their moms are ALSO best friends! Without Shannon my life would be hard. That's really the only way I can describe it. I would still have my husband, who is my other best friend, but there are some things you just need a "girlfriend" for and she is truly and honestly my BFF.
Love you chica! You rock!

inherited looks- Flashback Friday

People ask me all the time where my little stinker gets her looks from......

....clearly she gets them from me.
Happy Flashback Friday!

Who is this cute baby? Why...it's me of course! Why am I showing this picture? Because it is my birthday and 34 years ago today I was born! Hooray me!

It was a great day getting to listen to General Conference. I so enjoy listening to the Prophet and other church leaders. I always feel so uplifted as I listen to their counsel.

Thank you to everyone that sent me wonderful birthday wishes. You are all so sweet to me!

New calling...

I can now officially announce that the "exciting news" or "big changes" I spoke of a couple of weeks ago is that....I have been called to be our ward's Young Women President. It's gonna be nuts! There are 42 young women in our ward and 17 of them are Laurels (ages 16 and 17).

I am super excited and ready to just get in their and get 'r' done!

My ticker keeps on moving...

...DOWN! I lost another 2.6 pounds! That makes a total of 12.2 pounds! I am so excited! I feel better than I have in a long time and look better too. Thanks for all the support that you all are giving me. It helps tons!

The crappy thing is that I spent all my money buying Cricut cartridges, so now I have NO MONEY to go spend on new clothes! Ah Snap!

Did it myself

I rock. So much that it should be illegal!

My roots were growing out and I am trying to be more aware of my appearance and stuff...you know, I don't want anyone calling "What Not to Wear" on me or anything. So, because I am also very CHEAP, I decided to do it myself. It's not like I have never seen it done or anything. Really. I am a quick learner.

First stop: Sally Beauty Supply for the ummm, supplies! I got brave and saw this awesome RED color and thought I could try that. I bought it and the other bleaching paraphenalia and then I headed home. Mike had to help me do two sections in the very back because I couldn't reach very well, but I did the rest.

What do you think?

I know, I know. I totally rock!!

Flashback Friday

Two of my sisters and I did lots of things together growing up. We were each two years apart, so being close in age helped. I was looking through the photo albums I swiped from my parent's house and I found these two pictures. I distinctly remember these experiences. They are some of my favorites.
This first picture is from April 1981. We participated in a ward talent show. I remember it was in the 1st ward building and I remember being up on the stage and everything. Anyway, we sang the song "How much is that doggie in the window". That would explain our puppy dog props. I don't remember if we won or even got a ribbon. Maybe Marni or Amy will remember that.... This second picture is from May 1981. (apparently there was lots going on in 1981) There was a Stake play. I remember going to the practices, and watching my mom use RIT dye to color our costumes. She sewed them too. We were part of the vegetable parade in the play. Amy and I were beets, and Marni was either a cucumber or a zuchini. Marni, what were you? If you remember, let me know.

For as long as I can remember, I have not been shy. Being in front of people rarely weirds me out. Bearing my testimony is a different thing. I cry and get all emotional and so I avoid doing that, but just being up in front talking or whatever doesn't bug me at all. I guess it's because I was exposed to it at a young age. Or maybe it's just because I am that way. Who knows!

And another...

3.8 pounds bites the dust!! Hooray me! I am so happy with my results! I am doing this the old-fashioned way just watching what I eat and exercising. I put on a pair of jeans yesterday that I haven't been able to wear for 3 years and HOLY COW, they fit!! I had just tried them on a month ago and they were so tight I couldn't even button them then. I just love this!!!

home again

Hooray! Daddy made it home from his trip! Thrilled is a word that doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. I was fading...and very fast. Let's just say also that when I got his text message that his flight had been delayed I yelled at my phone. Yes, I know. It wasn't the phone's fault, but who cares when you are mad. At least his flight was only delayed by 1 1/2 hours and not days.

So for dinner tonight...this will show you exactly how great of a mother I am when I am stressed and daddy is traveling...
2 of the kids had chinese food leftovers
2 of the kids had cold cereal
1 of the kids had mac & cheese leftovers AND cold cereal

Whatever. They got to choose and I didn't have to fight them.

Tomorrow I am sleeping in, and I WILL be taking a nap in the afternoon when he comes home EARLY from work. Why you ask? Because I am the MOM and because I CAN!

The end.

What's happening Wednesday...posted on Thursday.

The other night when I got home from my class, I saw Jenny's light on in her room through her window. Mike should've already put the kids to bed, so I knew that Jenny must be up playing or something. I went straight down to her room and this is what I found. She had "borrowed" (yeah, we call it stole, she calls it borrow) Rachel's lip gloss and put it all over her entire face. 'Cuz its makeup, right? Isn't that what you do with makeup? I don't know, maybe I have been doing it wrong all these years, but I don't use lip gloss for my base and everything else makeup and I sure as heck don't put it on my nose or in my hair!

She has a great pout wouldn't you say? She was really working it for the camera.

Okay, so yesterday I "received" ( that is code for "I went and bought it myself") a Cricut for my birthday/anniversary present. Oh no, it's not my birthday yet. But the Cricut was on sale at a really great price.

Here is the funny thing. Until about a year ago when my friend Shannon said "cricket" one time, I didn't realize that was the way to pronounce it. I know, I know. I am so stupid. But I really thought that it was "cry cut". Lame,huh? Funny thing is that when I got this yesterday, Jenny came right over and said, "wow Mom you got a cricket". I said, "how do you know that"? And she said, "because that BUG right there is a cricket."

HOW did I miss that?


Coming out of the box.


And voila! It has found a new home! Hooray for crickets or cricuts or whatever!!

I am a BIG loser....

I weighed in this morning and to my surprise, I lost 5.8 pounds! I seriously felt like I hadn't lost anything. Anyway, now I am pumped up to work even harder the next two weeks!!

Flashback Friday

I just have to thank my friend Karla for posting this on Facebook yesterday and of course, I stole it!! Anyway, this is me (right front in the shorts) and my friends Karla, Sara, and Bridgette when we went to Albuquerque for FHA conference our senior year. We all roomed together and had so much fun! I love the memories I have from the fun opportunities I had as a teenager.

The funny thing is that I thought I was SO FAT in High School, and looking at this picture I thought "WHAT the HECK!". I looked so good then, and yet I beat myself up because I wasn't a size 2. Stupid.

Flashback Friday

Ummm yeah, so Band Concerts were fun. That's me in the yellow dress right there in the front adjusting my music or something. I played the clarinet and for this concert I was excited because I had actually made 2nd chair. That was a big deal for me! HUGE in fact. It was probably the only time I had done well playing my stinking clarinet!

I am trying to RE-learn my clarinet. Which is a joke. HAHA. The girls laugh every time I make it squeak. I thought that was only embarrasing when I was in 7th grade, but apparently I was wrong.

changed it again.

Yep. Extreme Makeover was once again done to me last night. Here is before: Here is after:
I really like it. It is probably more suitable for like summertime, but what the heck....I like to be different! Mike said, "um WOW. That is gonna take some getting used to."

I don't know if he meant that in a good way or a bad way.

Flashback Friday- SNOW...

always produces fun memories for me. I grew up on a small farm out in the country and we had LOTS of space to play in. Especially during the wintertime and when it snowed.

Dad would get the innertube out and attach it to the back of the Enterprise (that's what we called our car) and drive around the driveway and down the roads with us in the tube riding in style. It was a blast!!

And then there was the skiing. He would take those big gallon plastic containers that oil used to come in and cut part of it off so that you could fit your foot in it and Voila, it's a SKI! How clever was he, right?

Then he would hook a rope up to the tractor (better traction ya know) and pull us.

I didn't upload the picture I have of Scott totally biffing it and Marni leaning over him laughing. I thought that just wouldn't be nice. haha Maybe next week I will put that one on!
Then there was the year that we had a huge old killer storm. Crazy strong wind combined with TONS of snow made wonking huge drifts and we were snowed in. I remember that this guy got stuck in the drifts in his truck right in front of our house and he stayed there all night waiting for us to wake up the next morning so he could ask for help to get unstuck. It was crazy. We actually had to wait for someone with a backhoe to come and dig him out.

What kind of snow (fun) memories do you have?

Life......

I've been a real blog loser lately. It's not that I have nothing to say. Oh no! I've had many interesting thoughts, as well as silly anecdotes from the kids, I just have'nt gotten around to actually blogging about them.

What do you suppose is wrong with me? I have my suspicions.

Oh well. So moving on....

Have you noticed that gas has gone up again? Around here, gas has gone up over 20 cents since Monday. I just hope it doesn't go up anymore or I am going to have to start complaining again.

New Year's Resolutions. Yikes! I have to admit that I kinda sorta hate them. It's probably because I can never seem to keep them. This year I am seriously trying my best to change that though. ONe of my goals is to read my scriptures BEFORE I get on the computer each day. That's going to be a hard one (for me), but I know if I just try that I can do it. I also have a goal to lose another 20 pounds. Yeah, I have this same goal year after year, but this time I want it to be different. I am joining my friend Melinda's Biggest Loser contest. Maybe I will even WIN and get the CASH PRIZE! Dream Big, that's my motto!

Flashback Friday to 1986

Christmas 1986.

I got a new coat which I was very excited about. But apparently I was NOT near as excited as Amy was about the cassette player/walkman she got! Oh yeah baby! Hello, we were in the 80's!

Don't mind our messy hair either. We would get up as soon as the clock said 6:00 to go check out our pressies and wake mom and dad. Seriously. Every year. One year we tried to get up earlier and Mom told us we had to go back to bed and stay there until 6:00. So at 5:59, we were climbing out of bed so we could race into the living room at 6:00. We weren't about to wait a second longer than necessary.

Flashback Friday

Why is it that having a chubbybelly is only adorable on babies?

Flashback Friday and the big ball

I love this picture. I look like I am having so much fun playing with my ball. Every time Mike sees this picture he says, " ummm, I don't know, but I don't think your ball is big enough."

Oh yeah, HA HA. Really though, I wasn't THAT small of a baby, so the ball must be super huge to be as big as me, right.

Hey come to think of it...I am pretty teensy in this picture, maybe THIS is the one that I will put up on my fridge as my weight loss goal pic.