Idina Menzel and a Blondie

Texas is breaking records this year... but not the kind of records you want to be broken. From October 2010 to July 2011 it has been the driest 10 month period for Texas since 1895, when they started recording rainfall.

In fact, Austin is probably going to beat the all time record of days over 100 degrees for a year set in 1925, this year. It's HOT and very DRY. The grass is crispy and crunches when you walk on it. I planted flowers this year and they literally burned up.

So, can you imagine my delight when I had the opportunity to go to Deer Valley for a concert while I was in Utah. Utah, is experiencing the opposite in weather conditions than Texas. Utah has had excessive rains. Everything is green, alive and full of hydration!

Idina Menzel was performing for this nights concert in the park. I first heard her sing on the soundtrack for Wicked, and instantly loved her voice. In my next life, I've decided that I want her job.

I went with Maurie, Kelly S. and Kelly S.'s sisters. We got a bite at the venue and then spread our blankets on the grass and waited for the concert to start. This was my view.

It was gorgeous! The weather was cool and the air smelled like pine trees! I could have sat on my blanket enjoying the mountains for a very long time. I even got chilly during the show and I had to put on my sweat shirt. A sweat shirt! Ha! It's been so long!

After the concert, Maurie and I were still ready to party. We called up Emily (who had been to a rehearsal for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) and had her meet us at Applebees for a treat.

I have a mild obsession with an Applebees' dessert called, the Blondie. If you know me well, my dessert palate consists of chocolate and chocolate. I NEVER stray from chocolate desserts when it is an option. If a dessert does not have some form of chocolate in it, you may as well have offered me some broccoli to gnaw on.

My sister-in-law, Ashley, and I went to an Applebees' one night and ordered desserts. I, of course, ordered the chocolate brownie with ice cream, and she ordered this new dessert she had fallen in love with, a blonde browine served with ice cream and maple syrup. When our desserts came she professed as to how divine her dessert was. I scoffed, it could not be any better than the chocolate wonderfulness I was consuming. She told me that if I tried it, that I would be sold on the blondie. "Ha"! I thought, "Never"! But try it I did, and a BELIEVER I became! I love the Blondie! It really is divine (but it has to be served on that piping hot plate so when you pour the maple syrup over it, the syrup sizzles.... the sizzle is part of the divine-ness.... no sizzle, no bueno)!

Here Emily and are just about to take a bite, when we realize that Maurie has not ordered a Blondie, but has instead ordered a Brownie.....

What, Maurie? Are you kidding us right now? You didn't order a Blondie?

I'm in shock! How could she not be a Blondie believer like Emily and I?

Look at Maurie's face as Emily and I go on and on about her lack of Blondie appreciation.

What!? Whoa! Is she about to let the bird fly? Yes, I think she is! Put that away Maurie, this is a family restaurant!

Well, whatever! We'll save her eventually! But for now, let's eat!

Leia Mais

Return of the Oreo Bandit...

Two months ago, I pulled out a package of Oreo's to serve my little people a treat after lunch. I pulled open the tab, looked into the package, and tried to make sense as to what I was looking at. We had an Oreo bandit in our midst, and I was going to get to the bottom of it!

Someone had violated these Oreo's in ten different ways, and then put them back in the package (as if no one would notice...ha)! The creme filling had been consumed from every cookie, thus rendering the remaining cookie part soggy, and inedible. Who could have committed such a heinous crime against a chocolate confection?

My first suspect was Eric, but he admittedly denied having any knowledge as to what I was talking about. I then went to.... Miss. Maidie. When the charges were placed before her she happily replied, "Yep, I did it"! I had to laugh at her admission of guilt. She saw nothing wrong with what she had done. I love the naive world of a three year old, and, hey, she was honest!

Fast forward two months to a lovely luncheon at Maurie's house. I went to check on the kids and walked in the back yard. As I approached the swing set, I knew something was wrong.

(cue Matlock music dum-dum-dum)

The Oreo bandit had returned, and this time, she had a partner!

Gracie Dean! They gleefully admitted to slurping up all the creme filling and discarding the cookie part on the grass. But come on, how could one not chuckle when looking at their faces?

Okay, all detective-ness aside, look how cute these two girls are! Gracie is Emily's little girl. It's like looking at a miniature version of ourselves outside swinging! I love it!

Maurie had me, Emily, her mom, Lori, and Katie (plus any of our kids who were around) over to her house to enjoy some Cafe Rio and a little conversation. We had also planned on playing some games, but let's be honest, there was too much to talk about!

I get all giddy and filled with nostalgia when I see our kids playing together. Realistically, I know we live miles apart, and we'll only see each other sparingly, so the concept that they'll all be BFF's forever (like their moms) is a long shot, but.... you never know! Maybe their paths will cross at BYU and they'll pick up right at the swing set they left off on! Either way, I sure do love all these kids!

Talmage, Cade and Davis.

Britaya and Gracie Dean.

Little Nate had come inside and fallen asleep. He wolk up as we were leaving and I took this picture! Sorry, buddy! Go back to sleep!

Kathy with Max, Myles and Kylie.

Emily, Maurie, me and Katie (Lori had to leave early to get home to relieve a babysitter).

I love all you beautiful ladies! Thanks for being a part of my life!

Leia Mais

A High Dive to Remember

My kids have turned into fish this year...

We signed them up for our city's swim team, and they have really become proficient swimmers. So much so, that when we go to water parks, I feel comfortable letting them run around and play/swim while I post up and run our re-hydration, apply more sunscreen, eat a snack for more energy, and "I'm cold where's my towel" station.

Eric.....

I've called him my little Kamikaze for years. The boy #1. Has no fear, #2. Has selective hearing, and #3. (bless his heart) Doesn't think before he leaps. This has made for some exciting adventures.

Our adventure today was to go swimming at the Kearns Oquirrh Fitness Center. I psyched my kids up for this by telling them that it's where the 2002 long speed skating events were held for the 2002 Olympics, which is absolutely true. The park didn't need much "talk" to get my kids excited, it really is a fun water park. One of their favorite attractions were the diving boards and platforms.

I had talked to my boys (okay, Eric) about the diving boards. I told them that they couldn't do any tricks off of the high dive, and that they needed to jump in feet first. They had obeyed and done well all afternoon. It was time to leave, but Eric asked if he could go over to the diving boards one more time. I said he could and asked his cousin, Abby, if she'd stay with him. Off they went.

As I'm packing up our gear, I see Abby running toward us saying that Eric couldn't breath and that a life guard had to jump in and "save him". As I made my way to the diving boards, sure enough, there was Eric sitting by the side of the pool with a lifeguard and an EMT by his side. Everyone's story varied a little, but the long and short of it is: Eric did some kind of dive/flip off the high dive and landed on his back. Then he went off the low dive and as he jumped in, he says, "everything became fuzzy". Abby then says that he was in the water moving his arms like he was trying to swim, but couldn't. The life guard then looked to her and asked if he needed help, to which she said, "YES"! In jumps the life guard for the rescue.

The EMT thinks that the shock from slapping his back as he flipped off the high dive hit him as he was jumping off the low dive, rendering him somewhat out-of-it.

Here is Eric recounting his gripping tale to a captivated audience. I'm so glad he is okay!

Eric, Grayson and Lyndsee.

Heather!

Michelle and Tyler!

Abby-baby! Miss. Maidie loved Abby's braids. She had TWO of them! The next time we went swimming Maidie asked if she could wear her hair like Abby's. Maidie's "Abby infatuation" was also perpetuated by the fact that Abby played with her almost the entire time, Maidie was in "my older cousin is playing with me", heaven.

Me and Abby-baby.

Talmage and Gray.

Later that night, the Gunnell's came to stay with us at Grandma Riley's.

My kids were having the time of their lives! There is something about having your aunts/uncles/grandma's/and cousin's around! We threw a bunch of blankets and sleeping bags on the floor in Grandma's playroom, and they laughed and giggled themselves to sleep! It was a wonderful day.

Talmage and Miss. Mae.

Payton and Brenna.

Ashley and Eric.

Leia Mais

The Joys of a Leisure Afternoon

I miss my neighbor...

My roll making, soda drinking, 'So You Think You Can Dance' lover, card playing Mandy.

She and her family recently moved and the kids and I were able to go and spend the afternoon at their new (and truly FABULOUS) home. Her husband, Jason, even had the day off and was able lunch with us. I love this family, and want to pack them up and take them back to Texas.

Mandy, and her cute Addison.

Brendan. A little dirty after a hard afternoon of 4 wheeling.

After lunch, Jason offered to take the kids to a movie, so that Mandy and I could visit sans children. He was even offering to take Miss. Maidie, and while she's cute and cuddly, she's also three, a girl, AND a diva to boot. But take her (and the boys), he did!

Mandy's mom, Joyce, was also able to pop in for a visit. With Joyce there to listen while Addison slept, Mandy and I scooted off for a quick Coke Zero run. We got our drink, but then became distracted as we saw the Utah Parade of Homes, "Up", house. We drove on over for a closer inspection.

The house is truly remarkable. It was quite amazing to see it up close. We walked up to the house and chatted with "Carl" about it. He let us peek in the windows (since we didn't want to pay the $10 fee to walk through the house) and see how it was decorated.

For around $450,000 this house can be yours! At least that's what Carl thought it would sell for when it was all said and done.

We made it back to Mandy's for a visit and a few games of Nertz. Let's be honest, I like a good game of cards, but Joyce and Mandy are card sharks, and I am a little minnow in their gaming world ocean. Despite my brutal assassination, there was great conversation and a whole lot of laughter! I'll pack away these memories until next time! Xoxo

Leia Mais

A Toast at Hires

My friend, Maurie, is fabulous. Let me tell you why. Last year when I visited Utah I thought to myself, "the next time I come, I'm going to put together a Taylorsville High School girls night. There are so many friends that I haven't seen since graduation with whom I'd love to catch up with". When I was talking to Maurie a few weeks before I came to Utah this year, she had recently been thinking the same thing. But once SHE thinks about something, she immediately starts taking action, where as for ME, my thoughts pretty much stay as.... well, good intentions.

Maurie sent out a facebook invite to high school friends, and told them to send it to anyone else they thought would be interested. The potential could have been a very large turn-out, but in the end, it turned out to be a very intimate dinner of nine, and I could have not enjoyed myself more! Each of us had kept in contact with one woman or another, but for the most part, we hadn't really "seen" or been together for a very long time.

Back row L to R: Me, Laurie, Kellie S., Kelly L. and Monica

Front row L to R: Jamie, Maurie and Ginnie

We met at Hires for Cherry Cokes and hamburgers. Why Hires? Because even though we've grown older, those Hires Cherry Cokes are dear to our hearts.... or at least dear to me and Maurie's hearts.... and since Maurie planned this event, there you go!

Erica and Ginnie.

I actually became better friends with Erica and Ginnie AFTER graduation when we all were attending Snow College together. They are two of the funniest women I know. Erica is the mother of four girls who actually get a long (that is something I'm profoundly in awe of as I had three sisters growing up.... we sometimes got along....sorry, mom). Ginnie has one daughter, and her partner, Rachel, is pregnant with their second.

Monica, Jamie and Maurie.

I sang with Monica and Jamie in our high school concert choir. Jamie, Maurie and I were also in our high school Madrigal group. Monica and Rick have four children, Jamie was able to have twins after adopting her first son, and Maurie just had baby number four a couple months ago. My other friend, Kelly S. (who sadly had to leave before I started taking pictures), has two kids.

Erica and Ginnie humored me when I told them to act natural while I took their picture! Yep, this is their "natural"!

Kelly and Laurie.

Some of my favorite memories of these two ladies happened during sleep-over's at Kelly's parents house. We used to pull out Kelly's parents camcorder and record ourselves being oh-so-clever-and-funny. I would love to get my hands on some of those videos....

Kelly just had her fourth baby and brought her new little bundle of joy to our dinner. Laurie has four kids and is expecting #5 next year!

I love these next few pictures of me and Maurie, they are so typical. Here we are talking, notice how both of our mouths are moving? What did you say Maurie? I couldn't hear you over the sound of my own voice?

Here, you can tell that I have just said something I think is totally funny, and I have to chuckle at my own cleverness. But wait, the look on Maurie's face says she's quickly come up with her own witty retort.... wait for it....

Yes, there it was, Maurie for the win! Isn't it great when you have a friend that gets your sense of humor? I've also loved that we can banter and laugh at ourselves. When we're together, it's hard for other people (let alone ourselves) to get a word in edge wise. But don't worry, we were on our best behavior this night. We are after all (*clearing throat*, he-hem) adults.

Good friends are hard to come by. I'm so grateful for mine!

Leia Mais

Swinging in the Sunshine

The shortest leg of our drive, was also the last! It is only a four hour drive from St. George, Utah, to Salt Lake City, Utah (thankfully).

We are staying with Grandma Riley for the first part of our trip, but made our way over to Granny Great's for a visit. Granny Great is 80 years old and looks fabulous!

When we had Talmage, Ty and I were living in Granny Great's basement apartment. The rent was great, plus we had a Grandma upstairs who was thrilled to be near her first great-grandchild.

Talmage was a high maintenance baby. He was never content and often disgruntled about one thing or another. Most newborns/infants will take several naps throughout the day, Talmage at three months old took one, ONE, 45 minute nap a day.

One of my fondest memories while living with Great is a time she was watching Talmage for me. It was in the afternoon and I came home and couldn't find her. I called to her and walked throughout the house, but she was no where. I finally noticed the back door open and stepped outside to see Great rocking a napping Talmage on her swing. She hadn't answered my calls for fear (and rightfully so) of waking a content, SLEEPING, Talmage. She has rocked all my kids to sleep on her swing, while singing a melody about "Swinging in the sunshine, swinging in the sunshine". It's no wonder they all still like to swing in the sunshine with their Great!

Grandma Gucci also came out to visit while we were at Great's. She has a dance business that she runs from a studio on Grandma Great's property. She was able to keep an eye on her "dancing girls" AND visit with us. It was a wonderful afternoon.

I love this little Miss.' sweet face.

We lunched at Arctic Circle, and when Grandma Riley got off of work she joined us for a movie, Rio. We were beyond thrilled to have our three grandma's all to ourselves!

Leia Mais