Not so much!

Ok, so I watched the 4th Harry Potter and all I have to say is...I don't think so!! Yeah, you heard me right, that kid who's playing my Edward is just NOT acceptable!! I'm not sure what I am going to do, I'm actually somewhat depressed about it all :( I may be wearing a black veil at the premiere of the movie!! I know I have to let it go but I just wanted to let everyone know what my opinion was on the subject. My hope is that when the movie comes out that Robert Pattinson has some hidden charisma that will make me love him as Edward. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen?

Ok, so most of you "Twilight" fans probably already know that the parts of Edward Cullen and Bella have been casted for the upcoming movie. I must admit that I am not very fond of the guy playing Edward, at least from the picture posted on Stephenie Meyer's site. So, I did a google search to find more photos of him. I found far too many with only 1 being a shot that I would consider Edward-worthy. I was rather bummed :( But then I noticed that a lot of his photos had a familiar background topic...Harry Potter. So off to google I go yet again, to search for his name and Harry Potter. Ok, so it turns out that he was in one of the movies!! Perfect!! I can see him in action and then decide if I am going to be wearing black on the day of the opening of Twilight the movie (because I'll be mourning) or if I will be wearing my legendary Edward Cullen Fan Club "Bit_ Me" T-shirt (I blacked out the 1st E because I kept getting funny looks from everyone. Plus my worst fear would have been running into Pres. Draper while wearing it). The hunt for the movies was on! I went visiting teaching yesterday morning and of course the subject came up (she's the one who sent me an email announcing that they had casted Edward). By the end of the visit, I had the first 3 Harry Potter movies in hand, committing to watching them all that day!! And I did...and I really enjoyed them!! Now for the one bad thing about this situation, Robert Pattinson plays Cedric in the 4th movie!!! So, I sat on the couch all day yesterday, watching the first 3, knowing that I'd get to see "Edward" by the end of the day...didn't happen!! I was sooooo sad!! :( So, now the hunt is back on, I have to find someone who owns the 4th Harry Potter movie!! I may just have to go rent it but I think my visiting teaching partner may have said that she has it. I'll be giving her a call this morning. I must see Edward!!

The Rest of Our Vacation

Ok, so I know that I am once again way behind with my blog entries!! Things have just been so crazy lately. But I do promise to try and catch up and then keep up with it :)

We went to somewhat sunny Southern California in November. We spent some time in Disneyland for Hannah's birthday, which I have previously posted about. I just want to quickly share a couple of other photos from the others spots we visited.

We spent some time at the beach. It was chilly but nice to see the beautiful work that the Lord created.

Handsome Gaber's walking along the beach (well, with a little help from daddy, of course) And No, he's still not walking...he's on his own time frame.

Hannah holding some sand in her hand. I thought it was cool how the sun reflected and made it look like she's holding something that's glowing.

Gregory and I posing so I can atleast get into one of the pictures. That's the downfall for being the photographer of the family.

My mom "Lu-lu" enjoying the nice cool breeze. Look how beautiful the water looks in this picture! It makes me want to go on another cruise, just so I can see the "aqua" water that really does exsist. It's so amazing!!

Hannah and one of the many sea shells she found along the beach.

Greg and the kids trying to stay out of the way of the waves. Hannah got caught in a few of them and she had water up to her knees! She was very cold after a few short minutes.

We also spent a day in Knott's Berry Farm which was fun. Hannah could ride all except for 2 of the rides. She's a little dare-devil!!

The whole "Fam."

During this photo, the lady who worked there was rushing us so much that I felt like punching her out!! Another lady who was witnessing the rude behavior of the first, purposely stepped in and offered to take an additional photo of our family all together, which then made the worker even more mad. I thanked the nice lady who then commented on how rude the worker was being so she thought she should teach her a lesson. Let's put it this way, the nice lady took her own sweet time taking our family photo which I was thankful for :)

As you can see, it was a long vacation for us. The "kids" were lucky and got to sleep the whole drive home. That would have been nice :)

Strep yet again!!

You heard me right...both Hannah and I have Strep Throat again!! This makes 3 times in 5 months for me!! The doctor gave me a double dose of anitbiotics in hopes of killing it completely this time and let me just say that those shots HURT!! I can still barely walk. So, today is going to be a "down" day, just relaxing and maybe taking a nap. That sounds very inviting...maybe I should get sick more often :)

Hannah's Birthday at Disneyland

This year we gave Hannah the option between a party with friends or a trip to Disneyland for her birthday. Now what kid is going to give up a trip to Disneyland? I wasn't as fond of the choice seeings how we've been to a Disney park 3 times in the last year and a half!!! I'm all "Disney'ed" out! Anyway, I tried to be a good sport and kept a smile on my face. We also ended up going to Knottsberry Farm and a trip to the beach but I'll post about those later. This post is about Hannah's birthday.

Now since we were on vacation for her birthday, everywhere we went to eat she asked them to sing her happy birthday. Here is the list of willing participants...McDonald's (which Greg was very pleased about), The Cheesecake Factory, The Olive Garden, The Brick Oven (just after we got back home, she still thought she needed to be sung to), and I know there was a couple of other places but I just can't remember them. I'll ask Greg and then add them to the list.

At Disneyland, Hannah was given a button that said it was her birthday so everywhere we went the characters or workers kept wishing her a Happy Birthday. It really was wonderful. I was very impressed!! :)

Well, here are some photos from our Disney-Day. It was fun and I purchased a special crown for Hannah to wear because she's always "the princess" on her birthday. It's kind of a tradition that's been passed down :)

Hannah with Mickey!

Hannah in her Princess Crown. It had flashing lights that she wore proudly as it became darker. She loves being the center of attention!!

Hannah and I in the Alice in Wonderland tea cup.

My two cuties!! You can see Hannah's little birthday badge in this photo. And there's little Gabe with his precious straw!! He wouldn't let go of it for the world!!

Hannah, Gabe, Greg, and Grandma on the "It's a Small World" ride. It's Hannah's favorite because she likes me to point out "her lands" and "Gaber's lands" since they're both represented in the displays. Her other favorites are the "Winnie the Pooh" & "Peter pan" rides.

Well that's it for now. I'll post the rest of our vacation shortly. I'm a bit behind, I know, but I promise to make it a priority!!

Kid's Halloween Costumes & More Videos!!!

Now for the rest of my Halloween posting. I'll start out with my kid's Halloween costumes and try to end with the other two videos from the Ball's Halloween party. I'll try to keep this short but sweet :)

Here's Hannah in her "princess tigerlily" costume. The thing hanging in the front was the bag I made for her to put her candy in but she insisted on wearing it across her chest. I began making the costume two days before Halloween and I would not recommend that to anyone!!

Here's another picture of Hannah. I had just figured out that my camera of about five years has options to take the photo in sepia or black & white! It was very exciting for me! The only bad thing is Greg is in the process of getting me a "snazzy" camera so it makes my new find almost obsolete.

Here's Gabe in his giraffe costume. I had planned on making him a little indian too but I never found the time to get his completed. So, we used the back up plan which was great because it kept him warm. I tried everything to get a picture of him looking at the camera but he wasn't about to cooperate. This picture was as good as it got :)

Here are my two little sweeties together after trick-or-treating around for a couple of hours. We were lucky that it wasn't as cold as it usually is. Hannah received TONS of candy, in fact I think I took a picture of the bowl. Let me see if I can find it...

Ok, so here it is. It's hard to tell just how much candy she got because the picture doesn't show the actual size of the bowl but that's a full size Reeses candy bar on top. The bowl is the biggest in my set of three nesting bowls, if that gives you an idea. And if you know me, I'm not too fond of letting my kids eat a lot of sugar so this bowl should last us until next Halloween :)

Holy smokes, that was quite an ordeal but I finally got the other videos uploaded!! I hope you enjoy them!! And remember...be nice to those who willingly shared their amazing talents on these videos :)

The Infamous Halloween Party!!

Now for what you have all been waiting for....pictures and video from the Ball's Halloween party!! All I ask is that you don't hold anything against any of us. This is what happens when you get together a bunch of friends, without kids, and hang out until 2 in the morning :)

The costumes...

Greg and I went as Edward and Bella, of course :) As I was putting on his "pale" makeup and adding dark rings under his eyes, he commented that if this is what men are suppose to do to be sexy (he knows how everyone is in love with Edward), then he's been doing it wrong this whole time! By the way, I may have Greg begin wearing the white make-up on his face from now on because it makes me look totally tan!!! Yippee...that never happens!! Also, the reason I look like I have black eyes is due to my "red eye" remover. It obviously got a little out of hand :)

This is what the back of our t-shirts said. Those of you who have read the books know that the ending is still up for grabs!! GO EDWARD!!!

This is Steve and Ashley. You'll get to see the lighter side of these two pirates when you check out my videos :)

These were the single ladies for the evening. Their spouses had to work so I forced them together to take the photo. Maryanne is the Cheerleader and Amy is the gypsie. Maryanne is the artist behind my new hair. She's awesome :)

This is Aaron and Catey (it was their party) or should I say Mr. and Mrs. Incredible :) And yes Catey is incredible!! She's had 6 kids and is able to pull off a body suit!! Totally incredible, don't you agree?!?

Rheanna and Justin decided to play doctor for the party. You can't tell in the photo but Rheanna is about to have a baby. She's actually being induced tomorrow!! Good luck with that Rheanna :)

My Most Recent Claim to Fame!

Last night, Greg and I went to a Utah Jazz basketball game. Our tickets are 6 rows behind the visiting teams bench. To get to our seats we have to walk directly in front of the opposing teams locker room. As we walked by heading to our seats, one of the Golden State Warriors was coming out of the locker room. We just smiled and kept walking. Greg ended up being about 2 or 3 steps in front of me, as we passed by him. As we continued walking, I could tell that someone was right behind me and before I knew it, someone had grabbed me around my shoulders, pulling me backwards, causing me to almost stumble. My first thought was that a security guard was stopping me so that the Warriors player could get past me. But as I turned my head to see who it was, I realized the individual was towering over me!! It was the Warriors player. He leaned down and started talking to me. At first what he was saying wasn't registering because I was so surprised. My mind was trying to process what was going on. I began focusing on his words and began realizing what he was telling me. It went something like this...

"Look, your man didn't even realized that I snatched you. He should never walk ahead of you like that."

Sure enough, Greg was quite a few feet ahead of me by now and hadn't looked back to see where I was. The player continued on...

"If you were my girl, I'd never allow another man the chance to snatch you away. Look, he still hasn't noticed!"

I went on to explain that we have been married for almost 12 years and that the "protective" thing kind of wears off during that time. He repeated...

"If you were mine, it would never happen. I would never walk in front of you."

By this point, Greg was all the way through the tunnel and stepping onto the bleachers. FINALLY... Greg looked back because he realized I wasn't with him or maybe it was due to the fact that all of the security people were staring at me and the G.S. player with huge smiles on their faces and Greg was just following their stare. I'm not really sure, but for whatever reason he finally looked back. His face was shocked as he realized that I had been snatched by the NBA player. The player again reminded me that I shouldn't let a man leave me behind because someone else will swoop in and take me. Then he gave a quick squeeze on my shoulders and quickly walked down the tunnel. He stopped at the end and gave Greg some sort of fancy hand shake and gave him a manly pat on the shoulder, letting Greg know that he was just playing around.

So, anyway, I thought the whole thing was odd but somewhat flattering. It's not everyday I get "snatched" by an NBA player. As the game started, Greg and I watched to see who the player was. He ended up being one of their starters. He was #2, Mickael Pietrus. I told Greg that the player had a really cool accent and it turns out he's from France.

Just as the game started I realized one of the reasons why he may have been so nice to me and Greg. I was looking around the arena and I realized that one of the colors for the Golden State Warriors is orange. I looked down at Greg and myself and started laughing because we were both wearing orange shirts with blue jeans.

So, the moral of the story is if you are going to a Jazz game either wear Jazz colors or research the opposing teams colors so you don't find your wife being snatched by the opposing team's player! :)

I want to finish by defending my adorable husband, whom I love. He was only a couple feet in front of me and I tend to lag behind. It wasn't his fault that I was snatched and he's decided to never let it happen again :)

Spa Party!!

I am going to be posting a few quick posts over the next little while, just so I can catch up!! Things have been so crazy that I have fallen behind on my postings and on reading everyone else's posts!! But hopefully the chaos is over and things will go back to normal :)

So, I want to start out with my "SPA" post. I had a spa party on October 27th, at my house and it was so much fun!! I invited some ladies over and we were pampered with some really great products. I encourage everyone to host one of these parties because they are totally worth it! I took a few photos (I'm saving some of them for blackmail opportunities) but I'll post a few of the others.

Here's Ashley relaxing with her soothing eye-pads on. A rare moment for a mother of three :)

Here I am with my green "seaweed" mask on. They insisted I have a photo taken of me since I was taking photos of everyone else! I know, I'm looking HOT but please try not to bombard me with fan mail...OK?

More green faces! It's totally ridiculous that Aubry & Ashley can look that good with green goop smeared all over their faces!

So, that's it for now. I will return shortly with photos (and unbelievable video) from a Halloween Party one of our friends threw. I promise, it's not something you'll want to miss. Let me give you a hint...just imagine Mr. Incredible getting down with a pirate...I won't mention names now but one is in our Bishopric and the other might be our Executive Secretary. I knew that would peek you interest...so until then :)

Greg's New Toy

I just had to blog about Greg's new toy. He got his new company car yesterday and he's in love with it! I must admit, it's pretty nice. He upgraded to add leather seats, a sunroof, Sirius radio, and a few other things. But what he didn't expect was something called "Sync" which allows you to actually hook up your cell phone to the vehicles speakers. He can call and received calls with only voice commands and then he just talks and the person on the other end, responds through the speakers. It's very cool!! I have to admit that I just had to go get a new cell phone (one that's compatable with Sync) just so I can call people while driving, well, WHEN I get to drive his car!! :)

Here's a picture of Greg and the kids with his new "Golden Calf" (I always mention that just for you, Ken). Oh, I suppose I should say what make it is. It's a Ford Explorer with an additional row of seats in the back...because our family is so HUGE, we really needed that! Please don't take that like I'm complaining, because I am definitely not!

Moving Forward...slowly

"Time passes. Even when it seems impossible. Even when each tick of the second hand aches like the pulse of blood behind a bruise. It passes unevenly, in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does. Even for me."
"New Moon" pg 93, Chapter 4-"Waking Up"


Ok, so I am slowly recovering from my latest addiction. I am now able to sometimes think of other things besides "Twilight", though I still have quite a ways to go. The paragraph above, says it all, at least for me.

Quickly I'd like to welcome some new comers to the Twilight fan club...Katie S., Melissa N., and someone who would like to remain anonymous (your secret's safe with me-though recognition is the first step to recovery). Hopefully soon, we will be welcoming Karie H. and Shannon R., both who will soon be starting the series.
The "Twilight Family" is growing bigger every day :)

Now for my actual "post". I have been working hard on getting my storage room organized. I got the first, of hopefully several, Shelf Reliance Switch Back Shelving Systems up for my canned food storage. It seriously, is a gift from heaven!! Completely amazing!! I recommend the systems to anyone interested. They are totally worth their weight in gold!

The only set back to organizing my food storage has been realizing that I have an over-abundance of some things and not nearly enough of others. So, right now as it stands, if there was an emergency, our family would be living on canned corn, canned green beans, macaroni and cheese, cream of chicken soup, ramen, tomato soup and of course, the 10 yr supply of cold cereal I've somehow managed to acquire. These items are bounteous within our home. If you are ever in need of anything listed above, you know who to call.

So, I still have two more shelves to organize and then I'll be taking a few photos to post, so that you all can "ooooo & aahhhh" along with me. I am SO excited!!! I am hoping to have the photos up later today.

Until then.... :)

I'm back with some photos!

This is my new switch back shelving. I LOVE IT!!!

My original shelving but now it's much more organized!

This is where you can see my "lack" of household supplies (very pathetic, I know) and my "over abundance" of cereal. Now to put this into perspective, Hannah is the only one of us that eats cereal, usually about once a week, and even then I won't let her eat the sugary kind! (I may have to add Lucky Charms, Cocoa Pebbles, & Cinnamon Toast Crunch to my eating plan...NOT GOOD!!) This morning, I insisted she eat a bowl of cheerios, with fruit and yogurt. I would hate to see all my "free & $0.50" boxes of cereal go to waste. What a shame that would be!

100 Dreams

For work, Greg has been reading this book that's suppose to help him inspire those under him to reach for their dreams, at work and in their normal lives. Well, this has prompted Greg to inquire about my dreams. I must admit that I don't have very many. Like I told him, I would love to take photography classes and maybe take some sort of archery/shooting classes, also. And if I could dream BIG, I would also include making it onto a reality TV show! So, my list was very short and did lack in the creative department. He encouraged me to write down 100 dreams that I have for my lifetime. OK, now that may not sound hard, but let me just say, I'm on #14!!! Yeah, and that was with me racking my brain!!! Greg says that the book states that we should have 100 dreams that we can be continually reaching toward on a daily basis. Now, I don't mean that all 100 have to be reached for on a daily basis but progress in at least one of the areas. So, when I sat down last night to begin my list, I was very disappointed with myself. 14? That's pretty pathetic! Anyway, I am now encouraging all those who read my blog, to make a list of 100 dreams that you have. I am hoping that I'm not the only one with a lack of imagination for this kind of thing. I am actually beginning to wonder if I fear failure! Maybe that's why I have so little to shoot for. The more I'm shooting for, the more likely I am to fail in some of the areas. This has given me a chance to analyze myself, which I am always grateful for. I like trying to figure out my inner self and in so doing, helping myself grow. So, I hope each of you have fun with this little challenge and make sure to get back with me on the number you were able to come up with. And while I wait to hear back from each of you, I will be exerting all my energy in coming up with more for my list. I at least need 20, right?!? Good luck :)

Let's Play Dress-Up!

I really thought these photos were cute, though I'm sure Gabe will think differently in the near future :) Hannah was having fun dressing him up and of course, I just had to take pictures. The truth is, Gabe really seemed to enjoy being Hannah's little Ken doll. Doesn't he make the cutest ballerina!?!

Here's some other cute pictures I took of Gabe. I had him playing in his room while I was putting away laundry and I went to go check on him, and of course, he had destroyed his room BUT it looked like he was having fun!! Do any of your kids have fetishes with the heating vents?!? Because Gabe won't leave them alone!! I may have to super glue them in so he can't get them out :)

Well, that's about it! Just wanted to post something and this is what I came up with. My kids are my world so why not blog about them, right?

Cynical synopsis...I'm flattered!

(Please read these words with lots of sarcasm in them, because they've got tons!!)

This is a special post to a new "friend" of mine, "Cynical Synopsis". My new friend decided to go out of his/her way to post a comment concerning my issues with Walmart. I must have offended the individual with my comments which tells me that he/she must have Walmart on a pedestal. I would apologize but I'm not sorry. This is my blog and my opinions. I suppose, Cynical Synopsis, if you would like to shed some light on those of us who can't stand Walmart, maybe you should start your OWN blog and enlighten us! Instead, I see that you have simply registered, without any personal information, so that you could comment on MY blog!! Are you trying to hide who you are? I mean, if you want your opinion heard so bad then at least take credit for it! I really do look at the fact that you went through the registration process, as quite a compliment to me. For you to go out of your way just to comment about my distaste for Walmart says a lot! It says that my opinion counts to you, why else would you even bother to comment? When reading your comment, I did sense a bit of hostility in your words, like some sort of caged-up revulsion toward me. Did I stand you up on a date in the past? Was I mean to you and your friends in high school? Am I thinner than you? What?!? (I believe that there's more to this story than meets the eye!)

As for my real friends, I did "trash" the comment because that's what it was...trash! I really don't mind comments that are different from my point of view, I think diversity is what makes our world wonderful. I challenge you, Cynical Synopsis, to leave a comment about this post BUT own up to it!! Don't hide behind a vacant name, fill in your information, so that we all know who you are. Are you too afraid of standing up to me if I know who you are? It's your choice but really, you seem rather pathetic hiding in the shadows, taking cheap shots at people who choose to voice their opinions loud-and-clear, while also taking accountability for them. I highly doubt you'll comment again, unless you remain anonymous, BUT I could be wrong. There's always a first time for everything, right?!? :)

Pictures, in this weather?!?

Yes you heard me right! For those of you who live in Utah and saw the SNOW falling today, you can only imagine what it was like trying to have our family pictures taken out in it!! We met with Carma Gray up in Alpine for the photos! What a beautiful park it was! Anyway, while we were driving there, we just knew that we were in for it. The wind was blowing SO hard and it was sprinkling which made me so upset because I had spent most of the early morning straightening my hair!! When you add my "straightened" hair to moisture, you get.......FRIZZ!!! YUCK!!! So, we ventured out in the weather because Carma seemed pretty sure she could get enough good photos to make the shoot work for us. We were game because we were already there. Why not try? Let me just sum up the shoot in two different phrases, the first would be..."Carma is AWESOME, seriously!! Love her!!" and the second would be..."We were freezing!! Totally freezing and totally crazy!!" Gabe's poor nose started to run and so we had to wipe his face with a moist wipe which then started chapping his little face. The wind kept blowing mine and Hannah's hair every which way. It was really out-of-hand!! I told Greg that it reminded me of a shoot I did on the beach, in the middle of February, wearing swimsuits! I never wanted to relive that experience again, but I got a second chance, lucky me!! At least this time, I was wearing warm clothing :) Needless to say, the pictures turned out cute and both of the kids were wonderful, under the circumstances. We finished the shoot about 10-15 minutes prior to the snow falling, so we had perfect timing or some amazing luck :)

I would recommend Carma Gray to all those who are interested in new family photos!!

Proud Mom!

I want to start out by saying that I have received my new Twilight Tshirts so you'll be seeing me sporting those really soon :) YIPPEE!!!

Now for the real reason I'm blogging! I am just so proud of Hannah. She started piano lessons about a month ago and she is doing so well!!! I was sitting down with her while she practiced yesterday and I was so amazed at the fact she can already read the music and play the notes. I swear, there doesn't seem to be anything that she can't do! I wish I could claim the genes that have given her such amazing abilities but we all know I can't. And since I can't, I feel like I can brag alittle without offending anyone :) Here are some photos of her practicing!!

Allow me to brag just a little bit more...Hannah brought home a paper from her 1st grade class that rated her on her reading ability. The scale said that children starting 1st grade should be a level 3. Most of you know that Hannah was reading prior to kindergarten so I assumed that she would score a bit higher than a 3. As I looked at her rating I was pleasantly surprised that she was rated a 16+, which was the highest rating :) I was so happy for her. She loves to read, especially the scriptures! She's such an amazing child. What a blessing she is in my life :)

Well I hope I didn't make anyone nauseous with all of my gloating BUT I really am so proud of her. But I also know that every mother is proud of their children's accomplishments, that's something we all have in common.

I Despise Wal-Mart!!!

Let me just say a few words about how much I can't stand shopping at Walmart!! After shopping and only finding about half of the items I needed, because they were out of EVERYTHING, I headed to the front with my "not-as-full-as-it-should-have-been" cart to check out. I decided to go to the self checkout because I was in a hurry and only had a hand full of items. The place was a mad house and the lines were forever long! I committed to a line and started the waiting process. All I have to say is "if you don't know how to use the self checkout system, please don't get in front of me when I'm in a hurry!!!" That's what I have to say to the man who had 4 items, 2 of them were produce. He tried multiple times to attempt to weigh and ring up his produce which weren't successful. The worker on duty who was making her rounds to all the self checkout stations, came to his rescue, oh I'd say about 5 times!!! HELLO?!? Why don't you just do it for him?!? I was livid. Finally by the 5 time or so, she finally realized that he wasn't going to go anywhere unless she helped him out, instead of just resetting his register. So, I took a deep breath while his receipt printed and told myself that the nightmare was over. All I had in front of me now, was a lady with 5 kids and about 8 items! I mean, how hard could that be, right? Well between the facts that every kid wanted to scan an item by themselves and that the older kid kept sitting on the bagging station making the register freeze up because the weight was incorrect(on purpose, mind you), I thought I was going to lose it!!! Then when the little girl weighing the produce kept leaning on the scale with her elbows making the weighing incorrect, I seriously could feel my face, like it was on fire!! I was completely beside myself. I kept telling myself that this won't mean a thing in the eternities!! But the final straw was when the lady tried to check out and the register froze up again! She had to wait for a good 5 minutes, I'd say, for the worker to come help her fix the problem. By this point, it took all the self control that I have to keep the tears from flowing from my eyes!! I WAS SO MAD!!! LIVID!!! I SERIOUSLY COULDN'T THINK OR SEE STRAIGHT!! I had been in line for over 30 minutes!! 30 MINUTES!!!!! Can you believe that?!? I kept considering going to another line but they were all so long and they didn't seem to be moving either! Well, I finally made it out of the store but not before the alarm went off and the worker had to check all my bags with the items on my receipt first! I think by that point I had literally shut down. I didn't even try to process the rage inside of me!

On the way home Greg called and I vented to him because I had to let it all out!! Poor Greg!! But when I got home, Greg had a surprise for me...

He had bought me a dozen roses, just because!! I tried to let go of the anger and realize that truly, my Walmart experience doesn't mean a thing in the eternal perspective, my eternal relationships are what's important!!

BUT that doesn't mean I have to go back to Walmart, right?!? We'll see how I do because I am quite the bargain shopper and their prices are much cheaper. I'll have to weigh the pro's and con's. I'll keep you posted :)

Better Late Than Never!

On September 3rd, our family went to Lagoon. Hannah had been waiting all year for this exciting event! She loves the "Bat ride" and couldn't wait until we got there. It wasn't very crowded for being a holiday (Labor Day) so we were pleasantly surprised :) Gabe was wonderful because he had his stroller, of course! (For those of you who don't know about our little guy, he is completely content in his stroller, even for hours on end!) The day was a lot of fun but I have to admit, that is the exact day that my obsession for the Twilight series started. I had taken my book along with me, which I was about 4 or 5 chapters into, so that when I had to sit out with Gabe, I would have something to do. Well, by mid-day I had reached the "no-turning-back" point of the book where you realize that the addiction had begun. So, needless to say, I began being the one to volunteer to stay with Gabe but then Greg caught on, and began insisting that I go on some rides with him! I suppose after paying the price I did to get in there, I should have at least got a few rides in. Like the new ride "Wicked" whose name says it all, WOW, I'm glad I didn't miss that one :) I am proud to say that Hannah went on every ride that we went on, even Wicked!! And for those of you who have rode on that, you understand how unbelievable that is! She's such a brave and daring little thing! Well, here are a couple of photos of us on the train, which is the ONLY ride that Gabe went on :) (Please keep in mind that it was like 110* outside at the time these photos were taken.)

Greg, Gabe, and my mom, JoAnn.

Hannah and I

Today Is a GREAT Day!!

Yep, you heard me....today is a GREAT day!! You may be wondering, why? What could make my day so Great? Well let me just say two words...."size 5". I went shopping for some warmer clothes for Gabe and I decided to get myself some new jeans because my others are getting pretty baggy. I grabbed a 7 & a 5, hoping for the 5 to fit but deep down knowing the 7 would. I was so happy when I realized that I was wrong!! I fit into the 5's!!! Totally crazy!! I haven't worn a 5 since I was 21yrs old. That was almost 13yrs ago!! I am so, so excited!! Now, I'll be sporting my new "size 5" jeans and hopefully soon, my Twilight shirts will get here and I can be completely and utterly happy :) And to make the moment even sweeter, the jeans were from the Juniors section!!! YIPPEE!!

Big Bummer!!

For those of you who have been patiently awaiting the arrival of my fanclub Tshirts, I have some bad news to share. I actually did receive them today but I must not have been paying attention to their sizing chart, when I ordered :( None of them fit me!! I have to return them now and wait another 2 weeks to receive my new ones. I'm so bummed!! :(

My poor attempt!

Yesterday I went on a "girls night out" with some ladies in my ward. I jumped at the chance because as I stated, in my last post, I am bored out of my mind!!! I thought that it would give me a chance to get Edward off my mind :) Well, all I have to say is that Edward has many fans and I found myself in a huge vehicle full of Twilight fanclub members!! Or should I say "Edward" fanclub members. So needless to say, I wasn't able to escape from Edward and Bella but I suppose I didn't mind :) I also realized that the addiction is really wide spread and that I am not alone in the "detox" process!! That made me feel somehow better, knowing that I'm not alone in all of this!

Us ladies went to Gardener Village which is just a quaint shopping place with lots of little shops full of girly stuff!! It was fun to just get out and not have to worry about a screaming 16 month old!! Afterwards, we went to Chili's to eat and the conversation was of course about the Twilight books. I have decided that I am going to have to contact Stephenie Meyer and insist that I start getting a cut of her profits. I am convincing people to purchase her books and of course, her "fanclub" Tshirts!! I think I deserve something for my efforts :)

On the way home, I think we had convinced the two within the vehicle who hadn't read the books yet, to do so. The more the merrier, right? We (Ashley and I) also tried convince everyone to start a blog. We have decided that we need more "friend links" on our blog pages. That way when we go "blog stalking" we'll have more to choose from incase there aren't alot of new entries. So hopefully soon you will begin to see my "friend links" growing longer and longer! I'm so excited about that :)!!!

So this was my poor attempt to post something that didn't revolve around Edward. I know it's pretty sad but I did mention Gardener Village, right?!? :) I know I will get better as the days go by and hopefully I'll start doing more stuff that I can blog about. But as for now, please just bare with me..."this too shall pass" right?!?...well that is until August 2008 and then it will all resurface again! Oh, I can't wait!!

What to do?!?

So, here I sit with NOTHING to do!! I am so bored! I clean, but it doesn't help, I could scrapbook but I don't want to pull it all out, I could go shopping but I seriously don't want to leave the house, I even suppose I could go work in the yard but it's just not going to help!!! My life has been so entertained by the Twilight series that I can't imagine not being engulfed in it! I realize that I must move on--since the 4th book isn't out for another year and since I've already read the other 3, almost three times each--but for whatever reason, I just can't. I have to have my daily Edward/Bella fix which has now turned into a longing for what's coming next in their story. How can I make the time fly?!? Yesterday, while shopping at Smith's (our local grocery store) I was so desperate to find something to take my mind off of those books, that I actually purchased another book while I was there. Now, I have always been the person who laughed at the thought of Smith's even selling books! Who in their right mind would buy a book from Smith's?!? Come-on now!! So now I understand...the books are there for those of us who are overcoming an addiction and become so desperate that we'd overpay for a book that we're more-than-likely aren't going to like!! It all makes sense now!!

I did start the new book but my mind kept drifting away to Edward and Bella's story!! It was so weird! I suppose I am just going to have to take this a day at a time and hope for the best. Hopefully the upcoming holiday season will fill the empty space left inside me :) If not, I'm sure I'll have the 3 books read about 10 times each by the time the 4th one comes out!! I am so pathetic!!

I would like to welcome the newcomers to the Twilight fan club which include Jennifer B., Ashley H. (who seems just as addicted as I am), Michelle H., and Aubry H. I am so glad that we can all enjoy the same addiction but I'm hoping that your detox process goes better than mine is :)

Is there anyone out there who can give me any advice on some good books to read? I'm not sure if the over-priced book I recently acquired is going to hold my interest. Let me know if you have any suggestions! :)

The PERFECT Song!!!

Ok, so I had absolutely nothing to blog about except for that fact that I've been sick with strep throat and that I thought it was going to kill me. I had decided to skip that entry because who really wants to hear about my inability to swallow? But then, I checked my friend Jackie's blog and there it was.......the song!!!! She had posted a song that she thinks should be the Twilight theme song!! So, of course, I went to Youtube and listened to it. I seriously got chills because it seriously is perfect!! It's Bella, totally Bella!!! Those of you who have already read the books and have become addicted to them, you will for sure agree about the song. And for those of you who haven't started yet, the song may motivate you to begin. But you have to listen to the actual words and not just the chorus!! I will post the lyrics below, for those of us who want to take our time analyzing the meaning behind each verse.....Edward, sigh.....( I have to throw in a sigh or two just to keep Greg a bit jealous of my fiction-man!!)

Here are the lyrics... (the actual link for the song is at the bottom of this post)

“LOST ” by Faith Hill

Is it obvious to you
When you walk into a room
Your face is all I see
And my heart races so fast
I never knew a rush to feel like that
Every time you’re touching me

I never did believe in anything
I couldn’t hold between my fingers
But the way you make me feel
It’s just so real the way it lingers

I get lost inside your stare
Lost when you’re not there
When everything I have doesn’t mean a thing
If it’s without you
If it’s a dream, don’t wake me up
I’ll scream if this isn’t love
If bein’ lost means never knowin’
How it feels without you
I wanna stay lost forever
I wanna stay lost forever with you

No, this feeling doesn’t end
It’s with me everywhere I am
Hope it never goes away
It’s like defying gravity
Losin’ all control and bein’ free
And I always wanna stay

I never thought that I’d let go
Long enough to fall for someone deeply
Who had the power to erase my fears
And find me so completely

I get lost inside your stare
Lost when you’re not there
When everything I have
doesn’t mean a thing
If it’s without you
If it’s a dream, don’t wake me up
I’ll scream if this isn’t love
If bein’ lost means never knowin’
How it feels without you
I wanna stay lost

Don’t tell me where we’re goin’
I don’t wanna know
I like the mystery (I like the mystery)
I can’t believe we’ve come this far
So far away from where we started off
You found me when I wasn’t lookin’
You found me

And now I’m lost inside your stare
Lost when you’re not there
And everything I have doesn’t mean a thing
If it’s without you without you (Without you)
If it’s a dream
Don’t wake me up
I’ll scream if this isn’t love
If bein’ lost means never knowin’
How it feels without you
Yeah, if bein’ lost means never knowin’
How it feels without you
Oh, if bein’ lost means that I’m never
Gonna be without you
I wanna stay lost forever
I wanna stay lost forever with you

Jackie!!!!

Jackie, I am so glad that you have finally admitted to your uncontrollable attraction to the Twilight series, or should I just say... "Edward". I knew if you just got past the "dress shopping" part, you'd be hooked. I did try to respond to your post on your blog but it didn't let me. I think it may have been my computer, it has issues these days!!! I do want to warn you, and everyone else who gets hooked on these books that Book two is the book you seriously won't be able to put down!!! You just can't!!! That's the book I read in one day!!! 600 pages in ONE DAY!!!! Insane!!!

Let me know what you think once you get started on "New Moon". I'm just dying to hear your take on all of it!!

Now for those of you who haven't yet taken my challenge to read these books, all I have to say is that yesterday at church, during the "Good News Minute" I expressed that I have finished the 3rd book in the Twilight series (which probably was more bad than good news) and the whole room started buzzing!!! Edward has a lot of fans out there!!! Just give in and start reading!! This means you too, Karie!!! I know your more of a non-fiction reader, but I really think you'll like them. And once you're hooked, I'll get you an "official member" T-shirt!!! It'll be great :)

Happy reading everyone!!! :)

Yes! I'm still alive!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive and kicking. I will shortly begin returning emails and phone calls!! To those of you who came to my door and I was unable to answer it because I couldn't put my book down, even just for a second, it is now OK to again come knocking!!

Not last night but the night before, I finished the 3rd book in the Twilight series. And of course, it left me hanging not knowing exactly what will happen even if it's implying that something is coming in the next book. I just don't know how I will make it until "Fall 2008"!!! Seriously?!? They can't put it out sooner than that?!? So, I am once again reading the first book, just to keep my mind occupied and also because I have to get my "Bella & Edward" fix!!!

So those of you who don't know me too well, probably think I am some sort of psycho!! Those of you who know me almost as well as I do myself (Karie?) know that this is just me. Truthfully, I am a bit quirky!! I admit it!! So, I tend to become obsessed and addicted to things........like chocolate covered pretzels, for instance. Usually I tend to obsess over a certain food or movie and when I do, I just have to eat that certain food or watch that certain movie, over and over again!!! I just can't control myself. Usually after a while, the obsession slowly fades. So, my fear with this whole book thing (which usually doesn't happen because I DONT READ!!) is that it has serveral other books still up and coming!! (It will be years until I can get this out of my system and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure if I want to!!) Of course, I can't wait until the 4th is released but she's also working on a book that mirrors the 1st book but it's coming from Edward's first person other than Bella's. So we'll get to see his point of view!!! She has posted the first 20 pgs of that book on her website and let me just say, it's amazing!!!! I can't wait!!! So, one final point that I would like to share is that I am now an official member of the "I Love Alice" and "I Love Edward" fan clubs!!! Yes, I admit it, I even ordered the T-shirts, so I will be sporting my new prized possessions within a couple of weeks!!! I am sooooooo excited!!!

I also want to point out that I have happily passed on my obsession of these books to my dear mother, who is almost through with the first book and also my dear friend Jackie, who is a little more hesitant about admitting her obsession but she can't hide it from me :) My mom saw her in Walmart carrying the book with her so that when she went out to eat with her husband's family, she could hopefully get a chance to read some of it!!! I swear, once you get past a certain part of the book, there's no turning back!!! It's like some sort of drug in your system, or something!!! You might as well just enjoy the addiction because you can't get rid of it. So Jackie, I plan on checking you blog here shortly, and I would like to see at least one small paragraph admitting to your "drug" addiction and instead of fighting it, embrassing it!!! :)

I think I better go get ready for church! I hopefully will get to talk with Kelsee (the girl who introduced me to Edward Cullen, sigh....) so that I can let her know the monster she has created. She won't find it hard to recognize it in me because she too is a monster herself :)

...the addiction continues......

I stayed up until 2 am last night, reading the beginning of the 2nd book! After about, oh, 3 1/2 hours of dreams filled with story lines that I hoped would come next in the book, I woke up!! Then my mind was going a mile-a-minute because I just had to know if what I hoped was going to happen, was actually going to happen. After about 30min of tossing and turning because my mind wouldn't let me fall asleep, I finally gave in and turned on the light and began reading again!! All today I continued to read, any spare moment, which were plentiful since Hannah's in school all day and Gabe takes two 2 hour naps, and by about 6 pm I had finished the 2nd book!! All 563 pages of it!! That is definitely a world's record for me!! :) I have to say that the 2nd book was very intense and I actually felt like I was forgetting to breath a lot of the times!! I felt myself not wanting to turn the page because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to handle what might be next!! It was almost emotionally overwhelming to read!!! BUT it was WONDERFUL!!!!

So, tonight I hope that I won't be compelled to read than more that an hour or two because the 3 1/2 hours of sleep that I received last night is not happenin' for me!! I actually am hopeful I will be able to read this book slower because it's the last one she has released!! What am I going to do until the next one comes out?!? I'll have to reread the three I have over and over again, just to get my fix!!! Truly Unbelievable!!!

I did want to point out one thing that I meant to state on the last post and that is that these books are not "LDS" books!! They are written by an LDS author but have nothing to do with my faith. So for my Friends who aren't LDS, you'll be fine to read these. The New York Times has "Twilight" listed as the best book of the decade so far!!! That should tell you how good these are :)

Enjoy because I know I will :)

"Twilight"

Ok, so I admit, I do NOT like to read, well, except for the scriptures, of course. I have never really enjoyed sitting down and reading a book! It's just not me (as sad as that fact may be). Well, while visiting teach this month, I had one of my sisters on my route insist I read the books that she has recently became addicted to. I took the book from her out of kindness and told her I would read a little if I had time.........well, here I am not having time for anything else BUT reading this book!!! I finished it off today, I think I read 220 pgs!!! I didn't even get my stack of dished done in my sink! And as soon as I finished the first book, I HAD to run out and buy the 2nd & 3rd!! So, here I am leaving my house at about, oh, 6:45pm when Hannah usually starts getting ready for bed at 7pm!! But that wasn't going to stop me..."she can sleep in the car" I justified in my own brain!! So off I went to Walmart, which didn't have it, so then I decided to go to Deseret Book. Ok, while I was in the Walmart for 30min. some HUGE storm had blown in and I could hardly see infront of my face because the wind was blowing so hard and there were tree branches down all over the place, and carts flying everywhere, but was that going to stop me?!?!? NO WAY!!! Off we went to the book store which is in the same shopping area as Walmart!! I finally made it into the store, Gabe's head covered with a blanket-which he fought the whole way in- and Hannah grasping my other arm with a death grip becuase she didn't want to open her eyes for fear of a tree branch smacking her in the face or maybe she said she didn't want dirt in her eyes, whatever it was, she wasn't opeing her eyes for nothing!!! But we made it in the store, all in one piece!!! Then the hunt was on!! Where were the books?? I did a quick walk thru but didn't see them so I went up to the counter to ask the worker if he knew where they were. Once up there I realized that I didn't know the author's last name, I only knew her first name was Stephanie. As soon as her first name was out of my mouth, the worker said, "....Meyer!" I was floored!! He knew exactly who I meant and I hadn't even told him the name of the first book!! He quickly took me to the books and I picked up a copy of the 2nd and 3rd book. The first was gone and he says that it's really hard to keep any of them on the shelf so I was lucky to find two at the same time!!

So, here I am at home getting ready to snuggle in with my new addiction.....sorry chocolate covered pretzels but there's someone new in town and it's a lot less fattening!!!! The kids are in bed, my mom is at my grandmother's, and Greg is in Denver!! I have all evening to read as much as I can in the second book. To put this into perspective for those of you who know me too well, I am actually foregoing watching "Big Brother" tonight so that I can read this book!!! That's how much I am addicted!!!!

So, of course I am going to recommend all of you out there to read these books!! They truly are moving, completely amazing!!! And for those of you who "don't read" like me, do it anyway, you'll be happy you did!!

Here's the info....

Author: Stephenie Meyer--she graduated from BYU with a degree in English Lit.
1st book "Twilight"
2nd book "New Moon"
3rd book "Eclipse"

She states on her website that there will be 9 books in the series and that they will be making a movie of the first ones in the near future. You have to check it out!!! And if you chose not to, you can't blame me when you realize how much you've missed out on :)

Happy Reading!!! :)

Quick Thought..."Putting Things into Perspective"

Most of you may have heard about the little girl who had gotten into a severe wreck with her family, on their way to Idaho. Most of you may know that they are from our Stake and that they lived in White Hills. Most of you may know the outcome and that this little girl's mother, father, and 2yr old sister were all killed in the wreck, leaving her the sole survivor of the family. Some of you may have been affected from this hitting so close to home. So, that was a few weeks ago and the little girl's family has been buried and she is now with relatives. A tragic story that really hit me hard, because we really never know when we will return to our Heavenly home. I have pondered several times wondering how Hannah would handle such a situation if that were us and she were the sole survivor! I have decided to do even more "sentimental" stuff for my children, just in case I die before they are really old enough to remember me. My grandfather died when I was 12 and I lived next door to him from about the age of 5, and I still have very few memories that are clear in my mind. The fear of Hannah not really remembering me, haunts me!!

So anyway, I had thought about the above tragedy and contemplated what changes I was going to make in my life. The sorrow from the situation has slowly faded, until just minutes ago.

Greg is on our Stake High Council, and today he is overseeing the Stake baptisms. He had quickly come home for lunch and told me that he was going to be there a little longer than the schedule had planned for because there had been a slight change in it. One of the families had moved their baptism to the end spot extending his time there about an hour. I began to be annoyed but before I could get too deep into my annoyance, Greg's face told me that I had no right. He went on to say that the baptism that was moved was for that little girl who lost her family and that family & friends were coming from all over to come support her (approx 175) on this day that she had looked forward to and planned on spending, being baptized by her father.

So here I sit, once again extremely sorrowful for that little girl and the situation that was placed before her but completely grateful that she has so many friends and family to come support her with this wonderful choice she is making. May God truly bless her and her family and may we never take any moments for granted!!

I Remember When........

Ok, so I was looking through some of my old photos on my computer and I saw some cute ones that I just have to share with everyone!! They are so special and precious!! I can't believe how fast our little ones grow!! I wish I would have had digital photos of Hannah as a baby because the youngest I can go with her is 3yrs. So, if you want, take a trip down "memory lane" with me....

Hannah in January 2004, yes she's in short sleeves because we lived Texas!! Nice and warm there, almost all year round. I used to love putting her hair into little pony tails because she looked so cute!! And the pose she's doing in this one is a "Hannah original". She started doing it about this age and has yet to stop.

Pretty in "Orange". I loved that outfit!! I had to pin the shirt to the shorts or else the top turned into a belly shirt which doesn't happen in our house. She always looks so so good in the bright colors! She has such beautiful skin!!

This is Hannah dressing up like "mommy". I definitely took it as a compliment! And, yes, I ALWAYS carry around my maracas with me wherever I go!! You better believe it!! I just remember how proud she was and I also remember it took her quite a while to get her "mommy" outfit just right!! A masterpiece!!

Hannah and one of her many, many CareBears! She was obsessed with CareBears and to be quite honest, she still loves them! I just remember her doing her "CareBear Stare" at every fly, butterfly, ant, or any other creepy-crawly that would come her way. She believed whole-heartedly that the CareBear Stare would send them a packing! I remember one time, when she was quite young probably about 2-2 1/2 yrs., we were staying at a hotel and she was trying and trying to get up onto the bed. Well, she was just too little but I found it entertaining to watch her try. Then she got her little serious face on and went over and stood by the door. Then with all her might she poked out her belly, placed her hands on her belly, then with a loud voice yelled, "Care....Bear....Stare!!!" and then ran full-force towards the bed. I was somewhat taken back by it because like I said before, she usually only "stared" bugs, but I quickly reacted and when she tried to leap onto the bed (she was in no way going to make it) I grabbed onto the waist of her pants and helped the "CareBear Stare" out, just a little bit! I still get a good laugh when I envision it in my mind! She is just so creative and amazing to me!

Cute little Hannah on one of her Preschool Fieldtrips! She had a lot of fun at this pumpkin farm. I just can't believe she's now in 1st grade, when this photo feels like it was taken yesterday!! How does that happen?!?

Hannah and her brand new baby brother!! Gabe is 1 day old in this photo and this was the first chance Hannah had gotten to see and hold him. Don't they look adorable together?!?

Pure love...Pure bliss!! Hannah had waited so long for a baby brother when the time finally came, it was perfect, it was love at first site!!

Gabe was 8 days old in this photo. Isn't he cute!?! I can't even really remember him being this little. I am so thankful for photos because without them, I'd forget actually how little my children once were!!

Hannah and 12 day old Gabe, at Hannah's preschool graduation. I can't believe how little Gabers looks in that carseat!!

This is Gabe's first 4th of July photo. We had our friends out visiting us! Gabe's little shirt says "lil' firecracker" on it. And at the time I guess it really didn't fit his personality BUT it sure does now!! If you don't believe me, just watch him during church!! He's a crazy little man!!

This photo was taken July 29th when Grandpa Matthew was out from Florida for a visit. I just can't help but smile when I see this photo. I love Gabe's BIG eyes!!

This is a classic Gabe face. When he was little you could always tell when he was wondering or amazed at something because this is the look he'd get on his face. This time, if I remember right, he was interested in the camera. I think he was trying to figure out the flash!!

Gabe and his Hero, Da-Da! We had gone to a local corn maze and spent some time together as a family. I think Gabe's little hat is too cute!!

This is little Gabe on Halloween night, 2006. It was cold, as usual, and so we had to wrap him up in his stroller. You can probably hardly tell, but he was a football player and a cute on at that!!

Well, that's it for now but I'm sure I could have gone on forever!!! But I will spare you the endless photos that I have taken of my children. They are such a miracle in my life and I couldn't imagine one day without them!! How blessed I am! How truly blessed I am!!