Saturday, December 10, 2011

I'm trying....sort of

Wow. Where has the time gone? This year was crazy. I swear it was 3 years rolled into one. At least that's what it feels like. I know I missed so many things to write on here. I keep trying to go back and get everything in, but I'm pretty sure that's a lost cause. Mainly because I can't figure out, yet again, how to get my pictures off the camera. I'm missing the usb cord or whatever. I think it might be because I'm technologically challenged.

Anyway.... my point is I'm just haven't been in the right state of mind to get everything on here. I feel like all I do is go go go. Next Friday I'm going again. To Utah...Next year I hope to actually get to know the people here in Woodinville. I think out of 2 1/2 months I've been to church 4 times. Not a good record.

We have the church Christmas party tonight, which I made rolls for, but fell asleep so they got a little too big and now they look ugly. Smell yummy but still not the prettiest. I'll try to put them in something without my name on it so people don't know I made them. That'll make me feel better. :)

Anyway, my plan is to do better at getting things posted and remembering the fun things we do.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Happy Turkey Day!!

This fall has been sort of weird for us. We moved, we went on a few trips, I've already had a church luncheon.... It's been busy. So when I thought about Thanksgiving, I really just wanted to relax.

Last year we had lots of people over and this year, we don't really know anyone. It was just going to be us. Then Dave remembered we have family here in Washington. What? His uncle and a few cousins live here. So we decided we'd better invite them for Thanksgiving. Time to get to know them a little better. Turns out they were planning on inviting us over. So I didn't end up having to do anything. It was really nice. We had a fun time getting to know new cousins and the kids had a blast playing games (bingo was a hit) and winning prizes.

The next day Dave left for Utah. His mom got married today. She married a great guy Bill. I wish them the best and happiness in their life together. Dave is the only one who got to go, because the cost was outrageous to fly and it wasn't a long enough weekend to drive. 7 hours or less is my limit for a 4 day weekend.

I hear everything went perfect and it was wonderful! Sorry we missed it, but Lorraine will be moving here to Washington. Our kids will have all their grandparents within a few hours of here. That's never happened before so it should be new and exciting.

I am truly grateful for all of my blessings. I have a wonderful husband that takes care of me. He treats me so great and does so many things for me. He works so hard and provides so well for us. I have 4 wonderful kids that are so beautiful, funny, crazy, smart, aggravating, loud, messy, and wonderful. Some days I think I want to change them, but when I look at them I realize what great little individuals they are. Ok I do want to change their messiness but that will take time.

I am thankful for the roof over my head. I am thankful I get to live in such a beautiful place. I am thankful for my freedom to do what I want, and raise my family the way I want. I am thankful I get to worship how I want, where I want.

I am thankful for my parents. They are the best parents anyone could have. They have taught me so much. How to be generous, how to love others, how to help others. How to appreciate the beauty in all things. How to be a hard worker. Although it still makes me laugh when they call in the morning and I'm still in bed they ask if I'm feeling ok. This is usually around 8:30. On a weekend. :)

I have so many blessings and sometimes I forget to show my gratitude. Not because I'm not grateful, but because I think I let the business of life take over. I am grateful and I have been blessed beyond belief. I thank all those in my life, friends and family for being there for me.

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. I now need to get my motivation back and get my Christmas up this week. Wish me luck!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

In Paradise

Dave and I had the opportunity due to his wonderful job at AFLAC to go to Paradise. I mean Hawaii. It was so much fun. We had a blast. We started our day flying out of Seattle at a nice hour of 9am. When we lived in Idaho we almost always left at 6 am and had to fly somewhere else to catch a direct flight. Not from Seattle, we had a direct flight to Hawaii.

This is good and bad. Good because only one flight, bad because longer flight. Shorter than direct from Atlanta, like we flew last time. 10 1/2 hours. No thank you. Seattle was only 5 1/2. Anyway it would have been even more wonderful if we were in first class but alas we weren't that lucky.

I think we were just lucky to be on the flight we were because we were the last row. Which isn't bad if you are only on an hour flight. But 5 1/2 gets a little long when you can't lay your seat back. But really it wasn't too bad.

The bad part of the flight was the person sitting next to me. No not Dave! The other person. Actually it wasn't even her. It was her dog. Yep, a dog. A Shi-tsu. So you can now have dogs on flights so long as they fit under the seat in front of you. Of course you can't tranq them, because what if something happened during the flight, so you have to listen to them yelp. This dog didn't yap for very long. This dog decided to break his carry case and tried to escape. So what do you do with that dog on a long flight? You hold it. You hold it on your lap in it's carry case, because that's the rules and let it snort and pant on the person next to you. That would be me. I got sprayed a few times ( can you say gross?) and it's breath not so great.

Anyway it was heaven when we landed in Honolulu. We rented a convertible and headed to our hotel.
Aren't we cute? This weekend consisted of many activities and dinners. It was fun. On our free day we decided to hike up to Moana Falls. At least I think that's what it's called. It was truly a gorgeous hike.
It's amazing the green and beautiful flowers that grow in the tropics. We have lots of green but not so much the tropics.
The next picture was on our hike and reminded me of the kudzu that grows all over everything in South Carolina.
Some of the roots from the trees we hiked over. They made amazing patterns. They also made the perfect stairs for the muddy trail.
These trees were so pretty and so many. A very beautiful canopy. Heavenly Father truly is amazing.
Here is the waterfall. Yeah, not much to look at. The hike was definitely the best part.
We had the opportunity to see one of our favorite people from Arkansas while in Hawaii. Our wonderful babysitter Elizabeth has moved to Hawaii to go to BYU Hawaii. She came over and had some breakfast with us one morning. It was so great to see her. She was 14 when she started babysitting our kiddos and has never met Abby.

We had another outing on our last day and went to the North Shore. We went to the Dole plantation and had pineapple ice cream. VERY Pinappley. Then we went and had lunch at the shrimp trucks. After that we went to Matsumoto's Shave Ice. Delicious. Craig and I are sporting the blue raspberry tongues.
Here is Dave and his buddy Damon at one of the shrimp trucks. Really scary, but according to everyone, DELICIOUS. I thought the onion rings were awesome.
We also had a few dinners. One night was formal. It always makes it fun to dress up and feel fancy. We had the chance to see Sheryl Crow. She has great music. It was fun, the food wasn't so good so we went and got pizza after. I think I ate pizza 3 nights in a row. Good thing I like it. But I don't think I ate pizza for a couple weeks after I got home.
I'm holding my name tag if you are wondering what is in my hand. We had a wonderful time there. It was truly nice being with my sweety. It would have been even better if we had a king bed instead of 2 doubles. It was sort of weird sleeping in separate beds but I know we wouldn't have gotten any sleep if we shared a double. You definitely get used to your space when you have a king.
Here we are. This is us. I think we are pretty cute.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Welcome to the ward

This week I had visits from both the primary presidency and the Relief Society presidency. They were both very nice and we had good visits. Too good I think. The RS asked me if what I liked to do. So I told them. Read, cook, entertain...

They took that to mean I would be great to host and be in charge of the RS luncheon in 2 1/2 weeks. What? Ok. I guess I'll figure something out. I'm going to do soups and rolls and maybe a salad for lunch, but they want me to have an activity. Like making pies or something. I'm not good at that but I thought maybe we could do homemade cranberries, which is totally easy or a cranberry tapenade. It's like a relish.

If you have any ideas I'm up for anything. I guess there is no better way to meet people them have them over for lunch.

Maybe no one will show. Of course then I'll think it's because of me. :)

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Halloween 2011

Halloween fell at a really crazy time this year. We had just moved, then Dave and I went to Hawaii and then the family went to Disneyland. We arrived home on October 30. That's right the day before Halloween. Never fear we snuck in an hour to pick out costumes and this is what we ended up with.I don't know why the picture is so dark but the one below was taken a week before halloween so you get the gist of our costumes. Noah is a werewolf. Jacob is a ninja. You can see him if you look really close at the picture. He blends into me. Stealthy like a ninja. Sydney is Princess Jasmine and Abby is the cutest Cinderella ever.
That big black dot on my forehead is a spider attached to my witches hat. I figured I was self explanatory since I'm a witch most days.
Here they are again. This time with the grumpy cinderella. If you are wondering where Dave is it's him taking all the pictures. But I did find one of him in his costume at a different event. Can you guess what he is?
If you can't that would be Slash from Guns 'n Roses. He looks pretty good. This year he got the sleeves for his arms so he looks all tattooey.

We met up with some people from church and did a couple streets of trick or treating. Then we came home had hot cocoa and everyone got 2 pieces of candy to eat. It was a fun night. I'm glad it's over and I can put the Halloween decorations away. I only have a few weeks before it's time to decorate for Christmas.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Preview of what's to come

Ok since we moved I've only posted once. That is because I think we've been gone as much as we've been here. Poor Dave was only in the state a total of 9 days last month. How crazy is that. So this is my preview of what is to come. I might actually get some pictures in there too.

First off we have our trip to Hawaii. Second we have our trip to Disneyland. Third we will have our Halloween. And last anything else that was forgotten in the mix of trips and moving. I will try to post some pics of the new house too.

Today I'm just trying to get the house cleaned up, the Halloween put away, the laundry done, dinner made, a visit from the primary presidency and scouts. I wonder if I can fit anything else in there? Probably...the stuff that just happens. Hope you all have a fabulous day!!!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Scared of Heights?

Are you scared of heights? I am. I don't like being on ledges. I don't like looking over railings. Our new house actually has a railing in the hall upstairs that overlooks the family room. I can't even stand to look. I can handle it if I lay on the floor and look thru the rails.

So we decided that our first real weekend here we would go and see some sights. Let the kids get out and see the great city of Seattle.

I grew up in Portland, and we would come visit Seattle every so often. I have never been to the Space Needle. I've seen it in pictures. I've seen it in the skyline from afar. I've never been right next to it, or up it. Why? Because of scared of heights. Didn't you start reading from the beginning?

This is the start of our Saturday adventure. Sitting on a sculpture beneath the Space Needle. We are quite a cute family I think. I need to give a big thanks to Uncle Mark who came with us and took most of the pictures for us. The kids have really enjoyed having him around.
Looking up at the Space Needle. This really made me want to go up. When we finally got in the elevator, (did I mention that I am claustrophobic too? And that I get motion sick?) Anyway you can look out the windows of the elevator, that goes 10 miles an hour, and see the sights as you ride up. I did close my eyes a bit.
View of Seattle area from the top. I've been to the Top of the Rock in NY. But it was at night so it didn't feel that high up. This city is beautiful.
Abigail and Dave enjoying the sights. Abby kept wanting to sit on the railing. It was freaking me out. I liked it much better when she was on Dave's shoulders.
Sydney and Uncle Mark. Hanging out. Checking out the scene. Mark was quite a trooper. He lugged Syd around for a while.
Our family up in the Space Needle. Still smiling. Although I did close my eyes the whole ride down.
Mount Baker in the background. Or is Mount Rainier? I can't remember which direction I was looking. If you look just below whatever mountain it is you can see Qwest Field, now know as Century Link or the Clink. It has the white roof and SafeCo field where the Mariners play is right next door. We are looking forward to some ballgames this year. Ok Dave is. I like going to baseball games. Football, blech.
What a gorgeous city we live so close to. Portland is still my favorite, but Seattle is now pulling a close 2nd.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Deep Talks with Abby

Ok it's been a week since we have been here and I've been sooooo busy. Unpacking. It is an endless battle. Or it appears that way. I have 3 rooms finished. The boys room, the girls room and the guest room. None of these rooms I use. All the rooms I use look like a bomb blew up in it.

I am hoping to really finish the kitchen area tomorrow. I'm trying really hard to get things done before my parents arrive on Monday. It's great motivation.

The kids have been loving school. Jacob stayed home "sick" today. Not sure what was bothering him but I think he was pretty tired. He went to bed last night at 7 and slept till 8 this morning.

Abby was so excited he was here to play with her today. She came in while I was soaking in the tub and we had this little conversation...

Abby - "Mom, I want to marry Jacob."

Me - "You can't marry Jacob."

Abby - "Why? I want to."

Me - "He's your brother. You can't marry your brother."

Abby - "Oh, then can I marry Noah?"

Me - "No, Noah is your brother too."

Abby - "He is? Who can I marry then?"

Me - "When you are older you will find a nice boy who will marry you."

Abby - "I want to have orange flowers when I get married."

Me - "Ok, I think that would be great!"

Abby- "I'm older now."

She's such a smart and funny little girl. While I love that she goes to school and I get a little bit of time for me, I really love how her little mind works, and I really love hanging out with her around nap time.

Love love love my kids.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

We made it!!

We made it to Seattle. Woodinville to be exact. What a crazy last week we had. I'm glad it's over and now I get to continue the crazy here this week. A different kind of crazy.

2 years ago when we moved to Idaho as we were heading into Boise we got pulled over. Dave was speeding a little bit. But because we were just moving to the area, the cop let us off with a warning and told us where the speed limit changed.

The night we left our house for the last time, we got pulled over. Apparently the trailer light wasn't working while we drove but the blinker and brake light worked. Well they couldn't find a plate on the trailer so they pulled us over. We had a plate for it. It was on the moving truck. I had pulled it out and put it on the counter but the movers got it first and so it was somewhere in a box in the middle. Well that cop also let us off but said good luck not getting pulled over your whole way there.

Guess what? I found the registration with the plate info in my important papers and we never got pulled over again. I guess that was Idaho's way of welcoming us and saying goodbye.

We are here. All the kids started school today. Yay! I went to get them registered and Jacob was short a shot. One they don't require in Idaho, but do here, so happy to say we already have a doctor. That was quick.

I really don't like traffic and there is lots of traffic. We did venture out Sunday to get some food because the movers didn't finish until after 2 so we missed church. We drove into Bellevue and had some Cheesecake Factory. Noah thought it was the fanciest meal he had ever had. He ate it all and had a hot fudge sundae for dessert.

I am happy to announce that I love my woodinville bubble. What's that? I have the kids school, doctor, grocery store, bank, gas station and of all things Costco, within 5 miles of my house. Heaven!!! I'm a person who like things easy and simple. I am not a fan of traffic. I'll venture out farther later, but for now....I'm good.

Oh and Dave loves his job. His commute is a bit longer than his 1 mile drive in Idaho but he gets his calls done in the car and we get to relax when he gets home.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Happy Birthday times 3!!

I know it has been a while since I've posted anything. I have somethings still to post from our Oregon Beach trip. Those will have to wait just a little bit longer.

Why?

Because it's September! What happens in September? Birthdays and Birthdays galore. This is the biggest birthday month for our family. It starts at the beginning with our newest addition to the family Eve, and then we have my dad, Dave's stepmom, Sydney, nephew Damon, Dave's Dad, Noah, and our nephew Isaac bringing up the end of the month. How crazy is that?

This year is a crazy time, with us moving to Washington. So there won't be any parties for the kids. :( Sad. But we are lucky to have had Mom and Dad, aka Grandma and Grandpa here with us for Dad's birthday and their anniversary. Yep that's right on the same day. They say it's because they didn't have any other tine. I think it's so he would remember. :)

Here is the birthday crew. Dad's official Birthday, September 11, Noah turning 10 - September 22, Sydney being the youngest turning 6 - September 15. That is quite the towering inferno. We had candles for all of them. But let them blow all of them out at the same time.
There was too much going on for me to take the time to make a cake so Costco to the rescue with the all american cake. 7 lbs of pure chocolate. It was yummy. And rich.
Blowing out the last little candle. They did a great job and the fire alarm didn't even go off. Probably because I took the battery out 2 years ago. That sucker kept going off for no reason. I guess I should put it back up for the people who are going to rent the house. They might want it.

Anyway we had a wonderful with wonderful people. The Sunday dinner was pretty great too. Happy Birthday to 3 of my favorite people. I love you very much. We'll get you parties next year.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Spudman!!!

My hubby is a total spud!! Yep that's right for the second year he ran in The Spudman Tri-athalon. I think he is so inspiring. 3 years ago he wouldn't have even tried to do this. The first year he did it his time was 3:07. I think that is pretty awesome. His goal this year...finish under 3 hours.

Did he do it? Yep! Of course he did. His time this year was 2:49. I think or 2:48. But it was under the 3 hour mark.

I almost didn't make it to see him finish because I got a speeding ticket. I know. I got a ticket in Burley Idaho. I definitely deserved the ticket. When the cop pulled us over (my friend Krissy was with me. Her hubby ran the race too.) He asked if we were in a hurry because our husbands were in the crash. WHAT CRASH? Apparently there were some people who had a big crash on their bikes. But no, fortunately it wasn't our hubbies, unfortunately I still got a ticket.

So after stopping for the ticket, then having to park at what felt like the next town over, we were hurrying along only to have some random lady go off the trail on her bike. We stopped to help her. She seemed ok and said "that's what you get when you don't ride a bike for 20 years." or something like that. Funny thing was there was no one on the trail just us and she chose to crash right there.

I did make it to see my hubby finish!! Yeah!! Unfortunately Krissy didn't. Sorry. :(



Here is Dave and he is heading for the finish line. Below just about to cross it.

This is Dave and his buddy Nate who also was in the race. Dave next to the mass of bikes. And no he isn't flipping off the camera. He was giving the peace sign but you can't see his one finger very well.
Below is the whole crew from Eagle that ran in the race. They went down the night before and camped. It's definitely a guys weekend.
L-R Jeremy Paddock, Wayne Slaughter, Nate Paddock, Dave Hannant, Steve LaBau, Sid Ahlstrom.

They all did great and had a great time doing it. I had a nice drive back with my hubby and a great lunch at Cafe Rio in Twin Falls on the way home. No more speeding tickets! We made it back safe and then I believe we went and saw the smurfs. It was a great day.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Does anyone smell that?

You know when you are driving down the road and suddenly skunk smell permeates the car? And you are looking all over for where the smashed skunk is so you don't run over it?

We have that smell here a lot. In fact the second or third day we lived here Foster had the opportunity to meet one face on. It was stinky and actually made me a little bit nauseous. You would think he would learn his lesson but no... It took him 3 or 4 times before he realized to stay away.

We have a very big population of wild things here. Foster also met a porcupine once. He was such a good dog and sat quietly while we pulled quills out of his nose and mouth with needle nose pliers. Poor old dog. We have seen deer and foxes, turtles and porcupines. There is a blue heron that lives in our pond behind the house. Lots of different kinds of birds like woodpeckers and quail. I love waking up and hearing the birds. Except the pesky woodpecker who likes to peck the metal on the roof. Sounds like a jackhammer and it's always at 6 am.

Our neighbors have chickens and rabbits. So we get to see lots of animals. Oh yeah and skunks. Dave once saw an owl swoop down and try to get a skunk on our road while he was driving. It missed.

We have learned to bring the dog in at dark or make sure he is chained up. To avoid having to give him a bath in the skunk concoction of Baking Soda, Hydrogen Peroxide, Dish Soap and water. Works wonders on the smell.

One night I was out talking to a friend who rode by on his bike and we saw a movement. A massive black movement. I couldn't figure out what it was until it got closer. Then I of course stayed away. You know that skunk smell? Yeah I figured out why it was so strong around our area sometimes. We have not one skunk, but a family of skunks.I had to crop the picture a lot so that's why they are a little blurry. Plus it was a black mass moving as one. It's a mom and 6 babies. Yep you read that right...6. Do they think they are bunnies or something?

Here is our little family heading home. Mom's tail is up and the the babies are following. Let's just say no walks at night for us and Foster started coming in early.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Too pooped to poop!!

We have been trying so hard to get Abby potty trained. She has good days and bad days. Mostly bad days when it comes to pooping in the potty. She is actually my worst to potty train. I thought she was going to be the easiest. Boy did she prove me wrong.

She doesn't like to go poop. I have a book called everybody poops that I think is disgusting but if she doesn't start doing what she is supposed to I might just have to read it to her. Not looking forward to that.

So one day I knew she had to go, so I sent her into the bathroom to poop. She cried and threw a fit. All while sitting on the potty. I told her she couldn't get up until she went. Or until I came and got her.

I sort of forgot about her. I got busy and she got quiet. Here is the result.
Sadly this is the 3rd time it has happened. You will be happy to know we talked to the doctor and have added some fiber and such to her diet and she is a pretty good pooper now.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Seattle? Sure!

We just found out some news. Ok a couple of days ago....but still...

We are moving to Seattle. Yep my awesome hubby is getting a bigger state!! Yeah Dave. He is so great and such a hard worker. I am so happy for this opportunity for him.

Of course we will miss all our friends and family in Idaho. We have really liked living there and we have the best house and yard. So kid friendly. But as in any adventure we bloom where we are planted so it's time to transplant to a bigger pot and there will be plenty of water to help us grow.

I'm guessing we'll be moving in the next couple of months. I am sad for the boys to not be able to finish the football season with their teams and that the girls won't have dance with their friends but it'll work out. There are dance studios there and football teams too.

Bring on the Adventure... I think we are ready.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Beautiful Portland

We are here hanging out in beautiful Portland. It has been relaxing and fun. Today we are going to the park and have a picnic. I'm just hoping the clouds burn off soon. They say it's supposed to be 81 today. So here's hoping.

I really don't have a lot to say just wanted to let you know where we are so you know why I haven't posted anything. Plus all my pictures are on my computer back in Idaho. I am here for my 20 year high school reunion. I'm interested to see what everyone has been up to.

I'll post more later, but we really have enjoyed the beautiful weather we've been having and just being able to relax and play. Sometimes it's nice to "come home".

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Jacob's Baptism

Finally here are the pics of the day Jacob got baptized. Only one month late...

Jacob was baptized on July 2, 2011. He was so lucky to have all of his family in town with the exception of two cousins and one uncle who had other things happening... like being on a mission. Not all of them but one of them.

He also got to choose who gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. Guess who he chose? Mom. It was a great honor to speak at his baptism. And a little scary to speak to all the kids in the stake being baptized. I thought it would be a little easier if I didn't know anyone else. Yep it's not.

I have never been at a stake baptism like this before. Originally there were supposed to be 25 kids but because it was July 4th weekend there ended up being only 8. It was perfect. There was one kid per ward.

The way they do it is everyone meets together for the talks and then everyone splits in to two groups and half go get baptized while the other half watch a video and then after the first group is baptized every ward goes to their own room for the confirmations. It was great. It also only took 1 hour. Amazing. They have it down to a science.


Here is my sweet boy before the program started. He was very happy and a little nervous I think. Dad and Jacob getting ready. Such a handsome couple of guys.
I tried very hard to keep it together. I thought the non-waterproof mascara would help me. But no I just ended up wiping it all off.
Here we are. Jacob is distracted but what else is new with an 8 year old.
Here is the family that came to visit. We had so much fun this weekend. It was perfect. 5 days of cousins and water and sun. I've got to find the fourth of July pics. When did I become so unorganized. Oh yeah, When I had kids.
Here is our sweet family, including Foster dog who is now 12 years old. Looks pretty good. He's a golden retriever but we shave him down in the summer. Makes him cooler and less stinky when he goes for a swim in the pond behind the house.
Grandma and Grandpa Parker with Jacob on his special day. I was hoping he'd ask Grandpa to give the talk.
Us again in the back yard. Jacob posing as usual. I'm surprised he didn't throw any signs up. He's good at that.
Jacob and Grandma Lorraine. What a great pic of the two of them.
Sydney and cousin Lucy. Being the big help. Look at my peas in the background. They were delicious too. Still waiting on the carrots though. Maybe when we get back from Oregon.

This is Dave's family. (L-R) Mark, Paul, Joy, Lorraine, Laura and Dave. Good looking bunch.
There always has to be a crazy, butt scratching uncle and the hungry one. The cinnamon rolls were tasty. We ate 4 dozen. Me possibly a dozen on my own.
And showing a little family love. Sisters and a cousin Joannah.

It was a great day and good food. We had so much fun. And Jacob is a great kid. We are so proud of his decision to be baptized and so happy he had such support on his special day. We love you Jacob. You are the best!!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

This is my post for today....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!!!!!!

It's all about me.

Selfish I know. I'm ok with it.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Sometimes we actually learn from our mistakes.

I had an experience this week with a friend. I have known her for about a year. I thought we were good enough friends that we could talk about pretty much anything. I felt I had been pretty supportive this year and a good friend. I know sometimes I can give the "look" when I'm irritated or upset. Those of you who know me and love me throw it back at me or just ignore it. It used to be there a lot.

Well apparently I gave it too many times to this friend and she didn't like my sarcastic sense of humor. Ok that's fine. I asked her months ago if she was upset with me and she said no. So I let it go. Well I took her a gift the other day and it's been probably a couple of months since I've seen her. I sort reduced the amount I was seeing her. She quit answering my calls or texting me. And she had an emergency in her family that consumed her, which it should had.

So anyway I went over there and thought everything was fine until she asked why I didn't like her and was mean to her. What? She said I had been that way the whole time she had known me. I thought this was weird. So I talked to her and told her yes I was irritated by a couple of things but got over them and even asked her if anything was wrong. She went crazy. She started screaming at me and threw me out of her house. I have never been treated like that in my life. I know I have been the bearer of such crazy things in high school, sorry people. I do have a temper.

It seems that everywhere I have lived I have had one sort of "friendship" that ends up like this. What am I supposed to learn? Why haven't I learned it? Well as I left that house.... It took me the bike ride home to really get angry, but actually more hurt I realized that before I would have been right back in her face yelling and screaming profanities. Yes not proud of that, but my reaction would have been there. Not this time. I was calm and collected. I didn't swear at her. I talked never yelled at her. When I got home and over my anger, I realized that I have grown as a person. Sure people might not like me and think I'm a terrible person, but I have realized that I am of worth and I don't deserve to be treated that way. I'm not saying I didn't have a part in what happened, I did as I said before, but I tried calmly to talk and work it out.

For that I am happy. I'm never happy to end a friendship. I feel that I am a loyal friend but I realize too that I don't need to have such negativity in my life and am happy to move on. Sometimes relationships aren't good for us and I think I have finally learned from my mistakes to quit trying to make it work and just move on. I think we need to be kind to everyone but we don't have to be friends.

I think this was my bit of therapy for the day. I'm going to make this new week and year the best yet. I have a new outlook. After all I have less than 24 hours left in this year of my life. I'm excited to make changes to the next one.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Spontaneous Family Fun!!

I am a planner. Anyone who knows me knows I want the details. Where are we going? When are we going? How long will it take to get there? How long are we staying? These kinds of things I like to know.

My hubby Dave is not this way. He likes to just go. He's good at a moments notice. He can fit everything in a backpack. Who cares how long? Let's go!!

We have now learned to compromise a little bit. It's taken a while. He puts up with my questions and I try not to get upset about little notice. He's pretty good though, he tries to give me a couple of days.

A couple of weeks ago he asked me if I wanted to go to McCall. I said when? He said tomorrow. Ummm.....OK I guess. Well I had a hair appt. so Dave said he would take the kids up and I could come when I was done. Ok. That meant I got to drive the BMW. Nice ride.
Here is Dave and the crew on their way up to McCall. They seem to be having a great time. Wonder what movie they are watching.
We got a great price last minute on a 4 bedroom condo right in downtown. It was beautiful and perfect. We were so lucky.
We went on Bike Rides and one day went to the "other" side of Payette Lake. It was a beautiful day. About 63* and sunny. Here is Abby and Dave hanging out on a long havin' a chat.
Our bathing beauty. Sydney had so much fun and made a new little friend while we were there.
Jacob, exercising? Maybe? or just being his goofy self. Probably the last one.
Dave catching some rays. Surprisingly we all got a little bit of a sun burn. I wasn't thinking about sunscreen. It just wasn't that warm. Oh well. They weren't too bad.
Jacob building something with sticks. I think he scored.
My little sweetie. I only brought half of her swim suit, so yes she is in her underwear. Somehow I had 2 pairs of those. Go figure. She had lots of fun anyway. And thought it was pretty funny she could wear undies.
Here is Noah taking the plunge into the water. There was still some snow on the ground so you know that water is freezing. They all went in it. Good on them. I wasn't going in.
In he goes. No thanks! Even as I watched him do this I was cringing with anticipation of cold.
And he's in. He did come up. Gasping for air. It's amazing how cold just takes your breath away.
Noah crossing a log. Pretty good balance. I'm happy about that too. That water was a little questionable.

It was such a great trip. We all had a fun and relaxing time. After the lake we went back to the condo and the girls had a jacuzzi tub and all was well in the world.

Thanks Davey for having these great ideas! And making it fun for our family.