the one about my favorite man in the whole wide world

(I got permission from Brett to use that title!) My Grandpa, Pop, is the most amazing man ever. I love him so much and I just treasure every single moment I spend with him. He is seriously the glue that holds our family together. I haven't been close to my dad for a lot of years, and Pop has really been the one to fill that place. Even when I was a tiny girl. I just can't even put into words how much I love him. This picture was taken yesterday, and I was going to post it with all of the others, but I love it too much, so I decided to dedicate an entire post to it!

the one about Grandma Karren

Wow..... What a crazy week/weekend. I wasn't sure where to start, so I will start with my Grandma Karren, then I will move on to Quayd and his Birthday.

I am sure I have mentioned this before, but I don't expect anyone to remember every tiny detail of my life, so I will give you a refresher. Grandma Karren is my Great-Grandmother. Quayd's Great-Great-Grandmother. Her Birthday is April 19th and she was born in 1910. Nearly a century old! When Quayd was just a tiny baby, Grandma was still living on her own in her house, which is now my house. In January of 2003, she fell in her house and broke her hip. She had to have surgery and ended up in the Care Center and has not been able to leave since. She had still been in excellent health, but over the last few years, her mind has started to slip as well as her health. It has been very sad to see her going downhill. My Great-Grandpa, Victor, passed away when I was in the 5th grade, and Grandma has wanted to be with him ever since. She has never been afraid of death and knew that when it was her time, she would go. Well, my Grandma called me on Wednesday morning to tell me that Grandmas had taken a turn for the worse and that they didn't think it would be long. My mom and I met my Grandma at the Care Center. She was totally non-responsive. We talked to her, held her hand and spent as much time with her as we could. At one point, I looked around the room and noticed that this would probably be the last time the Four generations of women would be together.

I was right. She passed away Thursday morning. I had just gotten Quayd off to school and I went to work. My Grandma had gotten ready for the day and headed to see Grandma Karren. They were alone in the room, and Grandma just stopped breathing. One of the nurses was nearby, so she stepped in and listened to her heart, and confirmed to my Grandma that Grandma Karren was gone.

It is such a blessing, for her. She was 98 years old and had really had a couple of rough years. But she lived such a full and active life and as silly as it may sound, I learned EVERYTHING from her. Either directly from her, through my Grandma, or through my mom. She was an amazing woman and I am so proud to call her "Grandma."

So while planning the funeral, it was decided that it would have to be on Saturday the 30th. Quayd's 6th Birthday. (Last year, Brett's dad died on August 29th. Sad huh!) Anyway, Quayd was such a good sport and he handled it all wonderfully. We already had his party planned for the 29th, and I will tell you all about it later. After the funeral, there was a meal planned for the family and everyone sang Happy Birthday to Quayd.


Anyway, it was a beautiful service and I am so glad that Grandma Karren can finally be with Grandpa again. She was such a great woman, and even though I could go on and on all day about all of the great memories, I will just tell a couple of quick stories. When I was younger, I played city-league softball. I wasn't any good, but I sure loved it. Grandma Karren loved it even more! Because my parents worked, Grandma took me to every game and every practice. She cheered louder than anyone there. I LOVED having her there. After the games, we would spend hours talking about every play, every error, and every last detail. She could still drive at that time, but probably shouldn't have! We seriously traveled either 9 MPH or 90. No in between! It was awesome, and I will treasure that time forever.

Another little story... I have often wondered why Grandma Karren lived so long. Don't get me wrong, I loved that she did and I am so grateful for her long life and wonderful legacy, but when she started forgetting everyone, I just ached to know. I wondered what her "Purpose" was. Obviously, her work on this Earth was not complete, but at 98 with a failing mind and body, what did she have to do? What COULD she do? Well, my mom spoke at the funeral yesterday and she said something that has really stuck with me. I think I may have gotten my answer.... Grandma was always so worried about the ditch (or "gulch" as she always called it!) in front of her (now MY) house. She just knew one of the kids would fall in. It upset her constantly!!! She worried about her kids, her kids' kids, their kids, and now our kids. Four generations of kids! That is a lot of worrying. If ever one child was not right where she thought they should be, she ran down to the gulch to make sure they weren't there. Well, as I have mentioned several times, the city came in this summer and covered that dang gulch. Now we have a beautiful yard with no gulch!! In my mom's talk, she mentioned this and she said that now, finally, Grandma can quit worrying about that darn gulch! Maybe that was her purpose. Who knows? But whatever reason, she is finally at rest and in peace, and with her partner that she has longed for for so many years.

I want to leave you with a few pictures of Grandma Stella Marie Karren.
(Poor quality, I know, sorry! It was from my scrapbook!) This is 5 generations! I know I look horrible. I was pretty sick, of course we didn't know HOW sick. Actually, this was right before I got REALLY sick. Anyway, my Grandma (Doris), Quayd, Grandma Karren (Stella), my mom (Julie) and me.
This is grandma Karren with the cutest most handsome baby boy in the whole world!!!
Another 5 generation picture. We all look AWFUL in this one, but there is no excuse. I don't know what was up with us! (Thank goodness I didn't look the worst, my mom had that one in the bag!!!) It was taken on Christmas Eve, 2002 at my Grandma's house.

I took several pictures at the after funeral dinner, but only of my favorite people. JUST KIDDING. I wish I would have been more diligent at taking pictures... so here are the few that I got.

This is my mom's cousin, Margie and her two beautiful daughters, (My second cousins) Lisa and Marcie. Marcie and I were pen-pals for years!! They live in California.
My mom's cousin Rick and his wife Virginia. (These guys are so funny!)
My Rock Star uncle Kim!
My one and only cousin, Brooke and her husband Steve, who I am sure I totally freaked out!!! There was a "nipple incident," and I am very very sorry Steve!

The night before the funeral (Friday) we had a big dinner at my Grandparent's house on their patio. It was so much fun and it turned into a "jam" session. My Grandpa plays several instruments and he had to practice a song he and his buddies were playing at the funeral. They all stayed and played music for hours. It was so cool! Brett even got involved by singing along.

Quayd wanted to get in on the action, so he got his fiddle, but he got to shy to play.


By the way, the picture at the very top of this post was taken at my wedding! That was also the dress she wanted to be buried in. She looked just as beautiful yesterday as she did in this picture. I love her so much and I can't wait to see her again!!!

the one about the first day of school

I have been so busy the last couple of days that I haven't had a second to blog about Quayd's first day of school. You wouldn't believe the number of phone calls, emails and text messages I have received asking how Quayd's day went. So I thought I better get on the ball and get blogging! I had to work tonight and I am usually so wired after working, it takes some time to unwind and get sleepy. Everyone is asleep, so here I sit!

First of all, I was not excited for Quayd to go to school for a full day. He is still only 5 and he is my tiny baby and I just don't feel like he is ready to go to school all day. Notice, I said "I don't feel like he is ready." He is SO READY! I think it was just that I am not ready. He is so smart, besides being very social. I am sure a lot of it is that he is an only child and is around adults 24/7. I can't imagine how bored he would be if I had kept him back last year. He is reading, writing, spelling and doing simple math problems. Needless to say, he is LOVING IT!!!!

I have laughed at some of my friends blogs talking about the first day of school. I have also been very relieved to hear what they say. Allow me to explain. Quayd insisted that he ride the bus to and from school. I offered to drive and even walk him to his class, but he refused. So, when he got off the bus, I was SO EXCITED to hear all about his day. I couldn't wait to sit down with him and have him tell me every last detail. So I ask, "How was it?" He replies, "Good." "Well, what did you do?" he says, "Just learned and stuff." I ask, "Well, did you like it?" "Yah. It was pretty fun." That was it. I couldn't get one more detail out of him. I guess that is good. I know he likes it. He is happy there. He is thrilled to be riding the bus. He LOVES his teacher. So, I guess I should just be satisfied with that. Kim B. made a good point... I am just going to copy and paste it because I can't make it sound right in my own words. "I could tell that school is VITAL to all things. They each have re found their sense of age and accountability in just one day." I hadn't thought about it, but its true. At this age, kids are cut our for school. That is really their purpose right now, so it is just a very smooth transition because, well, it just is. I am just amazed at how Quayd adjusted to going a whole day as opposed to a half day of Kindergarten last year. It makes me feel more confident that sending him when I did was the right thing.

On the first day, I was FREAKED OUT about being home alone all day, so I was actually relieved to get a call from work at 7:00 am. The morning girl was sick and they needed me to cover. It was a GREAT thing for me to do. I still worried and wondered all day, but work kept my mind occupied. I was home in plenty of time to get him off the bus, so all was well. I had to be to work at 8:00 and the bus comes at 8:10, so I just asked my Grandpa to walk them to the bus stop. He was pretty excited.

Since pre-school, Quayd has always liked to give his teacher an apple on the first day of school. I am not even sure where he learned about it. Anyway, Talia and Gleneita were in SLC this weekend so I asked them to go to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory and pick up a yummy caramel apple. They chose Strawberry Cheesecake flavored. Yum! It even has graham cracker crumbs on the bottom! When Quayd got off the bus, i asked him if Mrs. Green liked her apple, and he had forgotten to give it to her. He was so upset, so I offered to drive him to the school so he could take it to her.
Then I asked him if she liked it and, just like his earlier response, he said, "Yah." And that was all I got.

So to sum it all up, Quayd LOVES first grade. He is doing well and adjusting perfectly. Thanks to all of you who wondered about him. (and me! Trust me, it has been much harder on me then him!!!) Just like we all guessed, he is doing WONDERFUL! The jury is still out on how I am doing!

the one about the Christensen's

We were pleasantly surprised last Saturday morning when Brian and Lindsay called to invite us to come play with them on their new sand rail. K, I had no idea what it was, but I was game! It is a type of ATV/Dune Buggy thing that can cruise on the sand, rocks or whatever. I am still not totally sure how it all works, but I do know that it was a ton of fun! We couldn't stay long, but it sure was fun while it lasted!

It started off with Brian taking Quayd for a ride. Then he took Brett. (I was terrible with my camera, by the way. I kept forgetting to take pictures!) The rest of the kids got to go for a spin, then he offered to take me. I said I wanted to go with Lindsay, and boy oh boy, did we have a ride or what!?!?! He He He. She drove for awhile, and did AWESOME, but I couldn't wait for a turn. Well, I was not so awesome. I got us stuck several times, drove us into a tree, which resulted in a scratch on the brand new toy, I bottomed out on some rocks and scared poor Lindsay to death. Not because of my driving, but because I was swearing like a sailor! I was actually pretty careful while driving her because she is pregnant and I just wanted to be extra safe.
Anyway, it was a total blast. Thanks Brian and Lindsay for the invite! We love these guys. They are so much fun and we are glad that they pretend to be our friends!!! ;)

the one about the end of summer

I just can't believe that summer is coming to an end. It went by way to fast. It doesn't even really feel like there was a break from school. We had fun all summer though. I can't complain. It was very busy though, and I have to say that I am glad school is starting. Not because I want Quayd to be gone!!! But because I am ready for the routine. Anyway, we will talk about that stuff later. Lets talk about a few things that we did to wrap up our summer.

Last Friday, Holly called Kandice and I to invite us to go to lunch and to the local Showcase of Homes. We had a great time! We drove around and looked in some of the nicest newest homes in our area.
We had a yummy lunch at Arby's too. Sweet little Alison was a good sport to watch Quayd for me while we played all afternoon. Kandice had to leave before me, so Holly and I ran around town, planned a BBQ and went to the grocery store. That evening, I had to go to a Jewelry Party at Aunt Debbie's house and Holly came too. Then we came back to my house and had a swimming/BBQ at my brother's pool. Brandon and his family were on vacation and we were pool sitting. It was fun having the Olsen's over.
We don't get to do much with them because we are all so busy all of the time, so it worked out perfectly. The kids had a blast swimming and the grown ups had a blast eating the GREAT food! Brett cooked chicken on the grill, Holly made a salad and root beer floats, Lavell provided the corn from his garden, I did fresh fruit and veggies and it was just the PERFECT summer meal. It's always yummy when Holly is involved, but I believe this meal was exceptionally delish! Thanks to the Olsen's for coming over and playing with us!



As I was loading the pictures from my camera to my computer, I remembered these pictures. Remember when I was telling you about the crazy things Quayd was saying at the Doctor's office? Well we found out that he needed two more shots! He had all of his Kindergarten shots last year, but they changed it and added a shot. Plus, they told me that he didn't have a Hep A shot last summer. (Which was wrong, I came home and found the record of it. Errrrrrrr!) He also had a strange thing on his back. we weren't sure if it was a skin tag or what. It turned out to be a wart, so they froze it off. OUCH! I felt so bad for him, but it needed to go away. It was super big and it got caught on lots of things. It irritated him a lot too. It was super ugly. Here are some before pictures.
It is still kinda blistered, so I will post after pictures later. Besides, he is still a little apprehensive about anyone getting close to it. He was so brave, by the way, but he did cry and I had to comfort him, so I wasn't able to take pictures at the Doctor's office.

Quayd had Kasen over the other day to play and we went swimming. Kasen looked so funny, but he wouldn't take these goggles off the whole time!!
Really, I just feel like summer has flown by. I am sad and happy at the same time. The end of summer always means a new school year, and a Birthday! Only 4 more days, Quayd!!!

the one about Brett's needs

I just had to Google "Brett needs." And it did not disappoint! he he he
Of course, some of it had to do with Brett Favre and the recent football garbage, but it was still funny!

"Brett Needs To Complete His Life."

"Brett needs to retire."

"Brett needs to think of a title."

"Maybe Brett needs a personal trainer?"

"Brett Needs A Cell Phone."

"Brett needs a little kissy." (lol, you can't make this stuff up!!)

"Brett needs to stay a part of football."

"Brett needs meds."

"Brett needs to realize that his time is up."

"Brett needs to find a new home."

"Brett needs not to avoid berating himself for these "bad" choices."

"Brett needs to scratch." (I didn't know you had an itch, honey.)

"Not that Brett needs the money..." (actually, he does.)

the one about Mandy's needs

Ok, this is so funny..... My friend Stephanie had this on her blog, and I had to try it out. You Google your first name followed by "needs." So I googled "Mandy needs." Then you read all of the funny things that show up. Here are a few....

"Mandy needs little introduction, having established herself as one of the funniest and most frequently pregnant comics in the local area." (Well, I have only been pregnant once!)

"You can donate to the Mandy needs fund. i am moving in about a month and a half. i haven't found a place yet, but i am working on it." (actually, I am quite happy where I am, thanks. But you can still donate to the fund if you want too!)

"Mandy needs lunch money!"

"Mandy needs to give John fashion tips." (even Google recognizes my great fashion sense! NOT!!!)

"Basically it means that Mandy needs extra TLC." (It is true. I do require a lot of extra TLC.)

"Mandy needs a knight in shining armour." (tee hee Brett! Apparently Google doesn't think you are good enough for me!)

"Mandy needs to stop being fake about her music and she needs to start being confident in what she says." (Ouch! That one hurt.)

"Mandy needs three-hour dialysis three times a week at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough." (Oh, yikes. I hope not! And where in the crap is Middlesbrough???)

"Santa's little assistant Mandy, needs help with a present for her best friend."

"Mandy needs to get her head out of her bleep!" (ewwwwww, I'll have to work on that one.)

"Mandy needs a Meth addiction." (Actually, no. I am good. I will stick with my Diet Pepsi addiction, thank you.)



That was so funny! Love it!!!! You should totally try it out. Thanks Steph!

the one about conversations with Quayd

Oh my heck, this kid is such a nut!

This is a conversation we had just seconds ago....

Quayd: "Mom? Do we have any Daka shoes?"

Me: "What is that? A shoe? a brand? What?"

Quayd: "Oh, just forget about it."

Me: "No! Quayd, what is it? I just don't know what you are asking me."

Quayd: "I said, 'DO WE HAVE ANY DAKA SHOES?'"

(at this point I am laughing at his frustration with me. I know, I am terrible!)

Me: "Quayd, you are going to have to tell me what you are talking about."

Quayd: "Well, I have seen them on iCarly and Drake & Josh and I just wondered if they really exist."

Me: "I am sure they exist. Should we try to find out?"

Quayd: "Yes. Maybe you could Google it."





By the way, they do exist. As a result of my Google search, I found out that Daka is a shoe brand and somehow they worked it out that iCarly, Drake & Josh and Zoey 101 all advertised for them on their shows.

Ok, another funny conversation.... This was with his dad. Quayd's cat, Orange, has been so naughty lately. He really thinks he is cute since his new haircut and he has just gotten out of control! He picks on our other cat Skeet all of the time, he runs around crazy all night long, etc., etc. So the other night this is what happened.

Brett: "Quayd!!! Your cat is being horrible! If you don't take care of him, I am taking him to the pound!"

Quayd: "What's the pound? Is that the place you take your pet and leave them so someone else can come and get them?"

Brett: "Yes."

Quayd: "And they probably go there to get some respect."


ummmm, yah. Respect. That's what animals get at the pound!!

Ok, Anther conversation at his Well-Child check the other day... We had been at the grocery store, Jubilee, that morning and Quayd got a cramp in his foot. He had told me that he was glad we were going to the Dr. That day so maybe she could see what was going on with his foot. The cramp really only lasted about a minute and a half, but whatever. I actually think he was hoping she would x-ray it. So typical Quayd, at the appointment, he offered just a little TOO much information. After he had already told the doctor that his mom and dad spilled water on him in bed, he told her that he once had a sore on “ween,” (Yes, that is what he calls “it”) and that we went to the doctor and got some ween medicine. So if it ever bothers him, he just puts ween medicine on it and it feels much better. Then he brought up the foot thing. He told her that his foot had been hurting that morning and (actual words) “maybe you could take a look at it.” She felt around his foot and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, so she asked, “Well, where was it hurting?” He said, “at Jubilee.”

Seriously. Where does he come up with this stuff?!?!?

the one about single words

My cousin Amy sent me this email, plus Tara posted it on her blog, so I have to get in on the fun. Give it a try.... You know you want too.

Type only ONE word. It's harder than you think!!!

1. Where is your cell phone? charging

2. Your significant other? Dorky

3. Your hair? highlighted

4. Your mother? Crippled

5. Your Father? Oklahoma

6. Your favorite thing? Quayd

7. Your dream last night? shoplifting

8. The room you are in? livingroom

9 Your favorite drink? dietpepsi (that is TOTALLY one word!)

10. Your dream/goal? Lottery

11. Your fear? cancer

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Wealthy

13. Where were you last night? hotel

14. What you're not? punctual

15. Muffins? donuts

16. One of your wish list items? health

17. Where you grew up? Vernal

18. The last thing you did? watered

19. What are you wearing? nothing..... JK! Gotcha, didn't I?

20. Your tv? off

21. Your pet? Skeet

22.Your computer? Dell

23. Your life? FUN!

24. Your mood? nervous

25. Missing someone? Janice

26. Your car? dirty

27. Something you're NOT wearing? bra

28. Favorite Store? Maurice's

29. Your summer? too-short

30. Your favorite color? Purple

31. When was the last time you laughed? Tuesday

32. Last time you cried? weeks

33. Who will re-post this? Chauntue

the one about the candy drop

Each year during our county fair, they do a candy drop. They hook candy to parachutes and drop them from a big bucket truck. Well this year, because I was working and Brett was out of town, Quayd didn't get to go and he was devastated. Shae was babysitting for me and I actually thought she was going to take him but it just didn't work out. Anyhow, I felt like the worst mom ever because he missed it. He called me at work crying and everything. Brett and I decided to do our best to make it up to him, so we had our own candy drop at home. Yes, we realize how spoiled he is!!! But since we only get to have one, we can do that stuff. Right? It is one of the benefits of having only one child! I didn't want him to have a ton of candy, so we dropped mini boxes of cereal and chips, capri sun's and school supplies. Brett was such a good sport to climb up on the roof and drop the stuff down. Quayd insisted on catching everything on the trampoline and I got to be the photographer. Quayd loved it, by the way, and so did his parents!!!!

the tag about me and Brett

Cute little Lindsay tagged me. I love her. She is just too sweet. I had a similar tag several months ago, but I decided to do it again, just for fun. We are coming up on our 10 year anniversary and I thought it would be fun to refresh!

How did we meet: Brett and I had known each other for lots of years because we grew up in the same town and went to school together. He is actually a year younger than me so I knew his brother Brandon better because we are the same age. But we became friends the summer before my senior year of high school, and started dating that fall.

Where did you go on your first date: That tough because when you are 16 and 17 you are just together all the time, right? We went to school dances and movies and stuff and we have pretty much been inseparable since then. I don't really know what is a date and what isn't!

How long have you been together? 12 years since we started dating; 10 years of marriage next month. And through the whole thing.... we never broke up, split up, left the other one... Nothing. We have been an "item" since the summer of 1996

Who said ‘I love you’ first? I can't really remember, but I think it was me. I asked Brett though, and he thinks it was him. I hate to admit it, but I was SO into him, and I was probably a little desperate... so I am sure it was me. Like Lindsay, I felt like I needed to claim him.

Who is taller: Brett, lots! He is 6'1" I am only 5'5"

Who sings better: Oh Brett, for sure. I can't carry a tune in a bucket but Brett comes from a very musically talented family.

Who is smarter: Brett. Don't you know? He knows EVERYTHING!!!!

Who does the laundry: Me. Not very efficiently, but I try.

Who does the dishes: Me. Thank goodness for the dishwasher.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Laying in bed, Brett is on my right side.

Who pays the bills: Both of us. We try to do it together, anyway.

Who mows the lawn: We both take turns at it. We both sort of enjoy it. If Brett is mowing, I usually go outside with him and move stuff as he mows and vice-versa.

Who cooks dinner: Me. I love to cook. Brett can cook, and he is pretty good at it, but I love doing the wife-ey thing and having it ready when he comes home.

Who drives when you are together: Brett always drives long distances. If we are just running around town in my car, then I usually drive. I hate to drive and Brett hates the way I drive.

Who is more stubborn: 100%, no doubt about it, BRETT!

Who kissed who first: He put the move on me!!! But don't worry, I kissed right back!

Who is more sensitive: ME! TOTALLY. I can count on one hand the number of times Brett has cried since we have been together. I can't count on 10 hands how many times I have cried this week!!!!

Who proposed: Brett. I knew it was coming though, and I was in a crappy mood when he did it. When I saw him get on one knee, I was like, "NO!!!! Not now! Not here! It has to be PERFECT!!!!" But he did it anyway. And no offense to Brett, it wasn't very magical. I totally ruined the moment.

Who has more siblings: Brett. He has 2 brothers and a sister. I only have one brother.

Who wears the pants: I let Brett think he wears the pants. But, shhhhhhh. Don't tell him. It is actually me who wears them.

I want to tag Cara, Tara, Shae and Rachel. And anyone else who might be interested!

the one about GRASS!

Look! I have grass! And they put the final coat of black road stuff on my street today!! I am so excited! Wanna know something else?? I think they are going to start delivering mail at my house today. After 5 1/2 months, its about FREAKING time!

the one about random thoughts

I actually have some time to blog, but I have nothing to talk about. Seriously, nothing exciting or blog-worthy has been happening in my world, so this will just be a post about random things happening in my world.

First of all, it was my buddy Holly's birthday and Kandice and I took her to lunch. as we were driving by, we saw this on a local motel billboard. We had to stop for a photo!! No, Kandice or I were not that thoughtful, it was just total coincidence. But funny, huh!

I have been working TONS! I only want to work a couple of days a week, but they are so short handed so I offered to pick up a few extra shifts... but holy crap!! I have worked EVERY DAY since I started. It is crazy. I can't work this much again. I feel like I never talk to or see anyone. And I miss my baby! I am off today, thank goodness. Then I work the rest of this week and weekend. And we will see what next week holds. I really like it though. I have had so much fun and I love the people I work with. And I totally love all of the guests I have met. Well, most of them anyway!

I am pretty excited today, because I woke up to find a mailbox in my front yard!!! Is it true? Could this really mean that our stupid road construction is coming to an end? I sure hope so. If nothing else, I sure hope I don't have to go to the post office to pick up mail anymore! Ours is the box in the middle. YIPPEE!

I have also been super excited about the Olympics. I totally get Olympic fever! We have it on in the lobby at work all day so I get to keep an eye on whats happening, plus I try to have it on at home as much as possible. I just love it all! I get so into it. I am so proud of and excited for Michael Phelps. I am an official PHELPS PHAN! I am totally addicted to indoor women's volleyball!!!! I can't get enough!
And of course, softball.
I am so proud of these athletes. I am in awe watching their skill. They make me even more proud to be an American!

I guess that is all I really have to say. Nothing too exciting happening in our world. What's new with you?