4th of July by the Numbers

1 parade - Lewiston folks like their candy. Annie just wanted her two pink ones. Cole was too busy wrestling other kids for candy (mostly his cousins) to bother with a picture.

2 days at the lake - Bear Lake and Bloomington. Bear Lake was cold (as always). Bloomington was colder.
Annie went down this slide all day. Luckily, Grandpa was the first one to take her down and she decided that meant he should be the only one so I was pretty much off-duty.

Cole really likes getting completely -COMPLETELY- covered with sand. I didn't really care since he was showering off in the condo and not my bathtub. Not that I'd really care if it was my bathtub.

The Bear Lake Monster - Grandpa Clair bought a book about the Bear Lake Monster for Cole awhile ago and he loves stories about it. Grandpa Griffiths is great at sand sculptures. Cole is a great helper.

Annie is a great helper too. She loved stomping down the castle.

Fishing at Bloomington - they didn't catch any, much to Cole's dismay.

That's me out on the swing across the lake. I'd like to take this opportunity to mention that neither my husband nor 16-year-old brother-in-law Jed were brave enough to go on it. My husband's reservations were justified given his recent knee surgery (landing is a little rough). But Jed? I don't know why he could not be convinced - not even when I got the entire troop of scouts at the rope with us to chant his name. The kid is pretty good at resisting peer pressure, though, so that's good news.

3 nights of fireworks - is it just me, or does "Somewhere Out There" just really not belong in the fireworks program? Anyone want to join me in a letter writing campaign to have it removed from the Logan Fireworks program? After three nights of running around with sparklers, I think my kids have the hang of it.

Cole was pretty serious about the sparklers. He kept that look on his face pretty much the whole time.

4 batches of laundry since we've been home - actually, that's not too bad considering how much sand we brought home with us.

It was a great couple of days. I love the 4th of July and all the fun summer activities that come with it. And I'm grateful to live in America the Beautiful - bring on the 24th and those amber waves of grain!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

The Raptors had their season opener last week so we headed down for a little baseball and fireworks. It was a beautiful night. I love summer night baseball games. It reminds me of watching my dad's games when I was a very little girl. Cole was a little disappointed that the players weren't dressed as raptors, but he got over it. He started to catch on to it by the end and figured out a few of the rules. He liked yelling out "strike!"

Annie was mostly there for the snacks. Turns out she is quite a fan of slushies.

See the guy behind my head in the yellow? He was a bit to into the game and his kids spent the evening climbing all over me and trying to take our snacks. That was super fun.

I love a good fireworks display. Especially when they are legal. The kids both really liked the fireworks, so they should be all prepped for this week's festivities.

Wasatch Back

I had so much fun this weekend running the Wasatch Back relay with my sisters and some friends. It's a race that starts in Logan and winds through the mountains on the backside of the Wasatch Front (hence the name, Wasatch Back) for 188 miles.

My sisters and I have always loved running - starting with my mom timing us with a Strawberry Shortcake watch as we raced around our house. Since I was the middle sister, I got to be on the track team with both of them during high school. We had good times. They are my favorite running partners and it was really fun to be on a team with them.

This is a shot of our whole team. I didn't know all of the girls, but it was fun to team up with them. There sure are a lot of runners around here! You may notice that one girl is wearing white. She hates pink! Can you believe it? Annie would be so offended.

Karlee started us off in Logan. I love her face in this picture. She looks totally scared, even though I know she wasn't. I guess she must have been for like two seconds and my mom just happened to catch it.

Here is a shot of me running up Avon Pass. And I do mean up. It must have been taken at the start since I am still smiling. 7.4 miles in the heat of the day later, I wasn't smiling anymore. The dust was awesome too. I love chomping dirt while I run.

At the top of Avon Pass after I finished running and handed off to Jen (who had to run down into Liberty - I don't know which is worse). Second from the left is the world's best babysitter, Suzanne. She was like a sister to us for years and the only babysitter we tolerated. We loved her (although that didn't stop us from giving her grief - my parents must have paid good because I don't know why she would have kept coming otherwise).

This is before my night run through part of Morgan and climbing towards East Canyon. I say night run, but it was only at 9:00 at night. I lucked out with an early night run. Still had to wear the awesome night gear, however.

Here is Kelli just about to hand off at the top of her 8 mile "rolling hills" run. My definition of rolling hills does not include a 3-mile-long-can't-catch-your-breath-hill. I think the description of that leg was a little off, but she rocked it anyway. Luckily, she happens to be part mountain goat.

Each team has to come up with a team name and decorate their vans. My personal favorite was the Rabies Awareness team, which will make you smile if you are a fan of The Office. If you aren't a fan, you should be. Some of my other favorite team names were "Team Floyd Landis - Cheat to Win" and "Family Reunion Gone Wrong." There were also some really crude and disgusting team names that made me blush when I read them. Shame shame.

I had quite a few cousins running the race too. We met up with a few of them early on and then again at the finish line. Left to right - Lori, Kelli, Karlee, Kate, Jami. Greg is in front. It would have been fun to stick around the finish line to see my other cousins, but the torrential downpour soured me on that idea.
My parents were so awesome and let us take their truck and then followed us the entire time. They brought us food and ice, let us shower at their motel, and were unofficial team photographers and cheerleaders. They were great. Every team should have team parents. I can't wait to do it again - 2010 anyone?

Isn't it ironic?

Remember last week? Remember how it rained non-stop? Remember how Utah is supposed to be a desert? Turns out, I like living in a desert. Rain is much more pleasant when it comes every once in a while. Anyway, Friday was a nice day, so we packed up for a quick trip to Lagoon with Grandma Rose and our cousins. You would think, after all the rain, that the kids would have been sick of water. You would be wrong. Here is how the day ended:

Lots of fun, lots of water, lots of smiles.

They had a lot of fun on the rides too.

And the best news is that they all get to go back in two weeks. They can't wait!

The Reluctant Dog Owner

If you know me even a little, you probably know I'm not really an animal person. Wild animals are fine - so long as I'm watching them from a distance, but pets are really not my thing. Gremlin Gil our pet beta is more pet than I need or want in my life. You probably know I think cats are Satan. I really, really, really hate them. Cole thinks it's funny and likes to tease me about them. We will never get a cat. If we have a mouse infestation, we will get a pet owl. Dogs? I can take them or leave them, but mostly leave them. I don't necessarily think they are evil, I'm mostly just scared of them. As a child, my sister, Grandma Donna, and I were sent to leave fliers at people's houses for my grandpa's campaign. If he lost that election, it's our fault. Any house that had a dog did not receive a flier.

But I married a hunter who "needs" a hunting dog and although I've held out for seven and a half years, he has finally won and we are getting a dog. He was aided in his arguments by two children who are beyond excited for their new pet. When we decided to get a dog, we each had a few criteria. Here are Floyd's criteria:

1. A pointer.
2. Good with kids.
3. Not scared of people.
4. Floppy ears.
5. Obedient.

And here are my criteria:

1. Not mean. People with mean dogs must have some sort of psychological problem.
2. Not huge. I need to be bigger than the dog.
3. Not small. I really hate small dogs, they are too much like cats.
4. One color. I think solid colored dogs are just prettier than multi-colored dogs.
5. Not needing to stay in the house. That will so never happen.

Floyd had really already narrowed it down to about four breeds. The only criteria of mine that he considered was the solid color coat. He spent a few weeks on KSL and finally found the one he wanted. So, on Sunday we took a little drive out to visit our pup. Meet Daisy:


I am not a dog person, but puppies are soooo cute. She was so pretty and the kids adored her. Cole hasn't quit talking about her since then.

As part of our pre-negotiated deal, I said that my responsibility would be to take her running with me. That's all I bargained for. No feeding, no cleaning up, no training. That deal, however, has already been broken. Floyd handed me this book and informed me that I needed to read it so that I can help train her. You know, since I'll be home every day and he'll be gone.

So, I started reading this book - seriously, I am reading it. I got to page 14 and read, "A better rapport between master and dog can be established, training can be made easier, and everyone will be happier, if the dog is treated as a full member of the family. Of course in some cases this might call for a slight readjustment...like a new wife." I'm not kidding, it really says that. But, Mr. Wolters, I am not leaving and the dog is not living in our house.

I don't know whether to be excited for the dog or not. She sure is cute, but I know she'll get big. Ready or not, she will be joining us on Father's Day. Wish me luck!

30!

It's now official - I am thirty years old! Floyd says it doesn't feel much different than 29, so it shouldn't be too bad. I don't really mind getting older, but I sometimes wish being young could last a little longer. Cole asked me last night if I was going to get older during the night and when I said yes, he got a worried look on his face and then said, "how old are you when you get all wrinkly?" I told him probably not until I was 60 or so and he seemed pretty relieved about that. Let's just hope I hold out that long!

Back in February, I made a little list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30. It's been quite a fun time, so here's the full report on how those things turned out...

1. Go skiing - Of all the things on my list, this turned out the worst. Actually, I had a good time, but Floyd? Not so much. It resulted in a trip down the mountain in the tobbogan and surgery for him. But little by little he's recovering and vows he will ski again next winter. Without needing a ride in the tobbogan. It was a beautiful day on the slopes - or beautiful hour at least. We didn't even last long enough to get a picture of me!

2. Run a race - I ran in the Health Days 10K with my sister, Kelli. I did not win, but I did out-sprint a guy in the last 100 meters or so and that felt pretty good. I always save a little energy for the end because I really like sprinting across the finish line. Also, the good news is that now that I'm 30, I won't have to run in the 19-29 age group anymore. That should help me place a little higher if I run next year.

3. Make Baked Alaska - This turned out exceptionally well, at least by my taste buds. It looked good and tasted good. The only bad thing was that our only guest was my dad and leftover Baked Alaska isn't really appetizing, so a lot got wasted. If you ever want to make an impressive dessert, try this.

4. Try I-Fly or the indoor surfing at the Solomon Center -I went indoor surfing at Flowrider. So so so much fun. My brother, Jake, and sis-in-law, Lauryn, came with me. I was very glad they were up for an adventure because I didn't want to go by myself and surfing is on the definite no-no list for Floyd right now. It was a blast. I will be going back, even though it is a bit embarrassing to be there with all the youngsters. A bit of advice - You. Will. Lose. Your. Suit. Do not wear a two-piece without very secure board shorts. I had on a tankini and things would have turned out ugly without those shorts. Almost turned ugly anyway.

Lauryn, Jake, and me - Lauryn's about the last person you want to be in a swimsuit pictures with - she's super tan and super skinny. We had to put Jake in between us.
What form! I did, eventually, let go of the rope. Even stayed up for a few seconds after I did.

5. Do a handspring - I did a couple of these one Sunday afternoon on our lawn. The first one I landed on my feet, so feeling pretty confident, I had Floyd tape the next one. For your viewing pleasure, here's how it went:

6. Go fly-fishing - Even though I didn't catch a fish, I'd say it was a successful trip because I did not yell at Floyd and he did not lose his patience with me. That has not always been the case when fishing together. Luckily, I only stated that I needed to go fishing, not that I actually needed to catch a fish. Floyd and I went fishing on the Weber River near Wanship. It was very pretty. I should have had a birthday in September because, as it turns out, June is a pretty bad month for fly fishing. The water was really high - but I didn't get swept away, so no worries. My favorite part was that the instant we got out of the car and started putting on our fishing gear, Floyd's voice changed. His fishing voice is hard to describe, but is more cheerful and has a little lilt to it. He loves the river.

If you think it looks like I know what I'm doing in these pictures, you are wrong. I really don't have a clue, but it was fun anyway.

7. Try tofu - Pretty much every recipe I found for tofu was tofu stir fry. I don't have anything against stir fry, but I wanted to try something else. I found a recipe for tofu tacos and that's what I made. It turned out pretty good and everyone ate it. I might make them again sometime...but tofu didn't really change my life.
8. Go to a concert - Well, there weren't a lot of really great concerts between February and June. I should have checked before I wrote this one. I almost got to go to the Eagles concert, but Floyd had surgery a few days before and wasn't mobile enough to make it. I did take Cole to the Joseph/Trek concert at Sky View, so technically I fulfilled this requirement, but I'm still looking forward to a fun concert with my sister later.

9. Make a snow angel - This was the first thing I did from the list since the snow was getting ready to melt. To make it fun, I made the snow angel wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Cold.

10. Play sand volleyball. The last one on my list - I played last night out in Newton. I thought it was going to be me and my parents playing, but Floyd suprised me and invited a bunch of our friends from high school - and some of them actually showed up! Actually, quite a few of them. I had a great time playing. It was like old times except that we were slower and there was less swearing. Cole also had a great time playing with all of the other kids at the park. When we got in the car, he asked if we could please do that again so he could play with his new friends another time.

11. Read "Walden". This one took me a while. I couldn't get into it at first, but finally did and can report that I liked it and I'm glad I read it. Here are a few things I learned reading it:
1- It's amazing how relevant it still is. He talks about issues like vegetarian diets and whether children should be allowed to use guns that sound remarkably similar to discussions we would have today.
2- Being a great writer doesn't mean you stick to all the rules of grammar and writing you were taught in school. The book doesn't follow any sort of logical flow and he ends plenty of sentences with a preposition. Makes me feel better about my own writing.
My favorite quote from the book was: "The morning wind forever blows, the powm of creation in uniterrupted; but few are the ears that hear it."

12. Write a poem - I'm not really sure why I wanted to do this, but here it is (and by the way, I don't know how to write a poem unless it rhymes so I guess it's more of a limerick - sorry Floyd):

Wind

Morning breaks I hear you call
gently from the sky
Birds find a swell and off they go
I wish that so could I

The trees dance your haunting tune
to show you're ever near
Day is drawn, so tells the moon
But still your song I hear

A lullaby, whispered soft
to calm my sleepy heart
You take all prayers sent aloft
Your sound a wondrous art

13. Watch an old John Wayne movie in memory of my Grandpa Max. Floyd rented "The High and the Mighty " one Friday night. It's always fun to watch old movies. In a lot of ways, he was a terrible actor (not that I know anything about acting). The movie was entertaining though and it was fun to remember all the times I sat with my grandpa and watched a western with him.

14. Climb a mountain - I wanted my kiddo's to be able to come with me on this one, so I opted for Ensign Peak. The hike is a little steep, but pretty short. The views are amazing. My sister, Karlee, met us after work and helped me haul the kids up to the top. Another one Floyd missed out on.

15. Go golfing - I lost, but it was lots of fun. My dad, Jake, and Lauryn came went with me. We went to Sherwood Hills on a rainy day when there was a break in the storm. You'll have to scroll back up to the top of the post if you want to see the picture of this because I can't get it to move and I'm getting really tired.

16. Look at Saturn in my telescope - So awesome. The rings are just awe-inspiring. Floyd and I got the telescope out late one night in March and looked at it. If you've never had the chance to see it, you should try. It's worth it.

17. Go on a canoe ride. We went with Floyd's family at First Dam. It was pretty early in March and still quite cold, but fun.

18. Ride my bike at the ranch. One of my favorites. My sister, Kelli, and I rode along the top of the hills by my dad's ranch. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was late in May and the Indian Paintbrush, my favorite wildflower, was blooming like crazy. We laughed like little girls the whole ride, especially when we flew down the hills. I can't wait to go again.

19. Grow an unusual plant in my garden - my definition of unusual was something I hadn't grown before. In this category are kohlrabi, spinach, bee balm, lavendar, popping corn, and decorative Indian corn. Hopefully at least one of them survives until harvest. I'm hoping for the bee balm.

20. Sleep under the stars. May 23. I slept on the trampoline in a sleeping bag. It was very peaceful and I even left my contacts in so I could look at the stars.

21. Grind my own wheat to make wheat bread - this was fun to do, but didn't really taste a lot different than wheat bread made with the store-bought wheat flour. I guess that's good if we have an emergency.

It took quite awhile to grind the wheat - a pretty good workout for my arms.

22. Make a skirt for myself - Annie has the cutest coral-pink sundress, so I found some coral fabric. I love my white tiered skirt, so I used a three-tiered skirt pattern. I like it, but it's a little on the garish side, so I only dare wear it with a plain white shirt. I've worn it twice.

23. Attend a yoga class. I liked this. The class was 90 minutes long which seemed like soooo long to me before I went, but the time passed really quickly. The class I went to was serious about their yoga complete with Asian decorations, Asian music, "Namaste," and incense. No watered-down aerobic yoga for them. The yoga studio is less than a mile from my house, but it's pretty expensive ($12/class), so I don't know if I'll keep going or buy myself a Yoga for Dummies book and call it good.

24. Climb a tree. I climbed a few - one at First Dam, one at my sister's house, one at the creek by my parent's house, one at our house, and one at the ranch.

25. Get a massage. Lovely and peaceful. Repeat please.

26. Memorize "The Living Christ" - This wasn't as hard as I thought. Now the trick will be reciting it frequently enough not to forget it.

27. Jump rope. I actually did this quite a bit, but one time is particularly memorable. I was playing in the gym at my old middle school and my bro-in-law and sis-in-law jump roped with me. Jumping while other people turn is much harder, but I made it all the way to fellow #9 in "Cinderella dressed in yella...."

28. Go shopping AND try on the clothes before buying them. I took Annie with me and tried on seven pairs of jeans before choosing one. That's a record number of try-on's for me. Also, I tried on a shirt before I bought it - something I almost never do.

29. Watch the sunrise. I see the sunrise frequently, but on the morning that I slept on the trampoline, I fixed myself some cider and sat on the front porch to actually watch the sunrise. It was nice to sit and be still for so long. I love mornings.

30. Roast marshmallows over a campfire. They were yummy! We have a firepit in our yard, so we just roasted some one early spring evening. It felt nice to be outside and not freezing cold. We should use our pit more.

It was really fun to do this. One thing I learned is that you just need to plan ahead - nothing on my list was too crazy or expensive, but I wouldn't have done most of these things if I didn't write it down and plan ahead. I was a little bummed that Floyd got hurt and hasn't been able to do a lot of the things with me, but it was fun to get more people involved since he couldn't. Thanks everyone who came along on one or more of my adventures and thanks Floyd for all the time you've given me to do these things.

First Crush...

Cole has recently started watching The Brady Bunch re-runs on TV. He happened to see it once when it was on and told me that his cousin, Mitt, loves that show so he wanted to watch it too. Kind of an odd show for a 4-year-old to like, but it keeps him out of the kitchen while I'm fixing dinner, so I won't argue. Today's episode was the one when Cindy asks Santa to give her mom back her voice for Christmas morning, which was one of my favorites when I was a kid. After he watched it, he said to me in the sweetest little voice, "Mom, there's this little girl on The Brady Bunch and I like her smile."