the one about some old stuff

Can you believe this is my 300th post!?!

I have been wanting/needing to catch up on some stuff, but I have misplaced my camera. I know, sad, right? Anyway, I finally decided to just do some catch up on some old stuff that has been piling up.

First of all.. I LOVE this weather, I love Fall and I love Thanksgiving. This truly is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it. I did notice, however, that the leaves and stuff are past their beauty. It is starting to get into that ugly pre-winter stuff. But it has been so nice lately, that I don't really care. Its amazing and I love it! I am also reminded of all of the things I have to be thankful for. I have noticed that many of my friends have been blogging once a day about the things they are thankful for. I love that, and I love reading them. I would love to commit to that, but considering my recent posting track record, I probably wouldn't make it. I know I have said this before, but I love blogging, I just don't have time. Actually, I have time, I just don't spend my time wisely. I am a chronic time waster.

Well, lets play catch up, shall we?

We no longer have roommates. (phewwwww...) We had 2 this summer and now they are both gone. My buddy Spencer moved in last Spring, and he left in August. He was ready to move on, and I don't blame him. He needed to find a job and he wasn't having any luck here. He moved back to the Wasatch Front to be near his family. We also had Brett's friend Morgan. He moved here mid-July and left at the end of October. It was fun having both of them, but I am also glad to have my home and my life back.

Quayd finished his flag football season last month. He liked it ok, but he is super excited to play tackle football next year. Now we have started indoor soccer. Brett and I are coaching. It is kind of a pain to coach, but I enjoy being so involved. Plus, we are the perfect candidates for coaching since we only have one child. That way we have no distractions and we don't have to worry about taking care of other children. Oh and also because we are huge suckers. Brett and I were playing co-ed softball and it ended in September. That kept us very busy. Now women's volleyball has started. Our team isn't very good, but we have fun. I have to keep reminding myself that it is just for fun.

Brett got a big fat promotion at work a few months ago, and I am not sure if I ever mentioned it. He now takes care of outside sales and he does a great job at it! I have been very happy to see him take more pride in his work and to finally enjoy what he is doing. He takes very good care of his customers and they take care of him too. I am so proud of him!

Same old, same old at The Country Bear. Here are a couple of the fun things I have made this month.

I am still loving working there. It is a VERY LOW STRESS job and that is what I love the most about it. Also, I love being able to use my creativity on a daily basis. Sometimes, my craft projects get put on the back burner, but making all of these fun things for work forces me to do it, and I LOVE it!

Quayd has become quite the little hunter. You know, Brett hunts but he is not an EVERY WEEKEND kind of hunter. Actually, he hasn't even had a tag for anything for about 5 years. He likes to go when asked, but doesn't make a huge effort to do so otherwise. Me? Hunt? NO THANK YOU! My father-in-law was a very avid hunter, and so is Brett's brother Cory. A few months ago, Cory asked Brett and Quayd to go with him to hunt prairie dogs. I figured Quayd would be bored of that in no time, but he actually LOVED it. They sent this picture to me. They helped Quayd with the gun, and he shot this himself. (Sorry if it is gross or disturbing to anyone!!) Brett said that Quayd got so hyped up over shooting! So after that, Quayd started begging to go prairie dog hunting every weekend. Once Elk season rolled around, Cory had a tag for the book cliffs. He invited Brett and Quayd to go with him. They went early one morning and came back that night. We figured Quayd would get bored. Well he didn't. He LOVED every second of it. So the next weekend, they decided to take a tent and stay all night so they could get up early and go. (It was still fairly warm at this time.) That night when they were going to bed, all three of them were still and quiet and Cory did an Elk call. They heard bull Elk calling back to it. They weren't very far away. Within 400 yards. Brett said Quayd was FREAKING out, he was so excited!!! They called back and forth for a little while, then finally went to bed. First thing in the morning, Quayd was ready to hunt. Unfortunately, they didn't get anything that day. But Cory got one during that next week while hunting with some friends. Quayd was excited for Cory, but disappointed that he missed out. A couple weekends later, Brett's friend Todd and his boy had tags for diamond mountain so they decided to take our trailer up and camp for the weekend. Quayd was more excited than anyone!!! Again, no luck on the hunt, but he still had a great time. The next hunt is in December. Brett's Grandpa Lane and his twin brother Elmer have tags for Elk in Colorado. They are both getting pretty old and not in the best of health, so Brett and Cory are going to go along. Oh, and guess who else will be going??? Yep, good old Quayd! It has always been cool to me how when the weather starts to turn cold, and the feeling of harvest sets in some men have this instinct that makes them want to hunt. It's like a survival instinct or something. I see it in myself too as a woman. I always feel like I need to stock pile food and can fresh fruits and veggies. Maybe I am crazy, but I notice this about Brett and I every year. I could see it in Mike, I see it Cory and I am sure I will see it more and more in Quayd as the years go by. Pretty cool stuff. On a funny note, Cory came over and dinner with us tonight. Quayd asked him, "When we goin' huntin' again?" Cory said something about deer or something and Quayd pipes in, "Well I know where we can get us a nice deer. Out in the book cliffs! We saw lots of nice ones when we were out there." He said it like an old pro. Just like he had hunted them a thousand times before.

Ok, on to other things. The status report on Triple Scoops Ice Cream, since many of you have asked, was good. We did well, for just starting out. We were able to get ourselves out there and get recognized in some of the neighborhoods. I am glad we have a head start for next Spring. We made a few mistakes, and we learned from them, but we will be pumped up and ready to go in a few months. I am so proud of my nephew Brayden. He has been an awesome business partner! He is very involved and works hard to make Triple Scoops a success. We are hoping to get involved in the community Holly Days celebration in a few weeks, which includes a parade of lights. That is still in the works though.

Another news tidbit, is that I celebrated my 31st Birthday last month. It was very laid back and not too exciting. Which is GREAT! My Birthday was on a Sunday. The Friday night before my Birthday, my buddies Kandice and Jamie took me to dinner and a movie. We had Casa Rios then went to The Stepfather. (Intense!) Saturday, Brett took me out for dinner and we met up with some friends at Club XS. It was ok. The morning of my Birthday, we went to breakfast with my Brother and his family. That night, we had baked potato bar with my family at my Grandma's house. Monday, I went to breakfast with Holly and Kandice. That was about it. Oh! On Monday mornings, I help in Quayd's class, so that Monday I took treats with me. I told them that they are all my friends so I wanted to have a treat to share with them. We had donuts and orange juice. It was fun, and the kids thought it was super cool. They are happy with any chance for a treat, right? Here are some of the awesome gifts I got. This is my new favorite thing on Earth, besides the two people that gave it to me.
Brett and Quayd got me this nice, soft blankie. I have been dropping hints for one for quite sometime, so I am glad Brett finally took the bait. I love it! It is so soft and I cuddle up in it all the time. Kandice got me this awesome necklace! And Grandma Galley brought this by on my Birthday.
She is so sweet, and her bread was AMAZING! It didn't last very long. This was my cake from my family party. Holy Delish!!!! It was awesome. I love white cake and white frosting. And last but not least, Holly made me some of her amazing cupcakes, and gave me this adorable turkey.
It was a great Birthday. I didn't mind turning 31. 30 didn't bother me either. Age is just a number, right? I actually enjoy being in my thirties. It makes me feel more grown up and more respected. People take a 31 year old woman way more serious than they take a 25 year old. Maybe not, maybe that is just in my head, but it makes me feel better. I feel like I am officially grown up now. I have been married 11 years, I have a 7 year old and I am in my thirties.

Ok, I guess I will end it there. I will post more when I find my camera. Hopefully soon. It's not to far away because I just had it the other day. I have some great Halloween pictures to share! Happy 300th post!!!!!!! Thanks for reading! :)

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 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?

the one about feeling blue, reversed

So, I have been a little blue lately. I have just been feeling all alone. I know.... sounds corny. But I can't help it. Several events have triggered my case of the blues. One of them being the fact that my friend Janice moved clear across the country. It affected me a lot more than I imagined. I knew I would be sad... don't get me wrong, but the emotions I felt really took me by surprise. I cried for days and everything. We ended up being on vacation on the day they left, and I am really glad about that. We sorta said goodbye the Monday before they left, but I planned on seeing her again before I left for vacation on Tuesday. Well, I just couldn't. One goodbye was hard enough. So when I was almost to Salt Lake, I called her and told her I was gone. Then I cried some more. These pictures were taken a few weeks before she moved at a BBQ we had at Kandice's. Another thing I was a little sad about was that the week I got back from vacation, I couldn't find anyone. Kandice was at a family reunion, Holly visiting her family, Tara was busy and worn out after their many trips right in a row and Brett was gone a lot. So I just kinda felt alone and left out. I wanted to see the movie Mamma Mia SO bad, but I didn't have anyone to go with. I had invited a few people, but for different reasons, it just didn't work out. I was so sad about it, so on Saturday afternoon, I went by myself. The show was SO good! I loved it. I mean REALLY LOVED IT! I want to go again. I think Holly and I are going to go when she gets back. Janice went and saw it alone in Kentucky around the same time I went so we text each other and called when it was over. It was cool! I actually didn't mind going alone. I didn't have to share the arm rest, I pigged out on my own popcorn (which was So good that day!), and I even crunched my ice when my diet coke was gone, and I didn't feel guilty about it. Even though I enjoyed going alone, it is still funnere to go with friends. Anyway, I started feeling better. (Don't worry about me, its really no big deal. I was just kinda down. I don't need sympathy or anything.) I started to feel like I am back to my old self. The emotions have tamed a bit and I am much better. My friend Chauntue called and invited me over on Saturday morning and I had a great time with her and Joey. Thanks girls! Sorry I had to take off early. (dang kids!) My mom took me to lunch yesterday to help cheer me up, and it was nice. We even went to my favorite place! Canton City. Well, anyway... Kandice got back last weekend and invited Quayd and I over today for swimming, slip and slide and lunch. We had a ball!!! When I say swimming and slip and slide, that means me and Kandice too! We were so dumb, but it was a blast. We lined up with the kids and patiently waited our turn. Little Hallie, though, was a bit of a line cutter! I had to call her out on it a few times. ;) Kandice filled the pool with water from her kitchen sink and it was so warm, so we totally sat in it. It was NICE! At one point, she noticed a black head on my back and I invited her to search for more. You all know how we LOVE picking! It was funny. We had a great time. It was a well needed break too. I am so grateful that she invited us over. I think she knew I needed something fun to do. What a great friend. Anyway, here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure... Thanks Quayd for the pictures! Good job, buddy! Oh yah! And Kandice got on the trampoline for awhile and check out her sweet back flip! Again, thanks to all of you who have worked on cheering me up. I have such great friends and family. I love you all!

the one about four wild and crazy girls

Oh my gosh, I have had the funnest couple of days!!! My friend Janice is moving next week, and I have been trying to get in as much time as I can with her. And boy, have we had fun!

When she moved here a few years ago, she was one of the first friends I had after having my baby. I was so sick for so long, and being a new mommy, I didn't have much of a social life. She was in the same ward as one of my other friends, Valeri. Valeri told me that this cute girl in her ward, Janice, was starting a BUNCO group, and would I like to join. I really needed some friends so I gladly accepted. Janice and I hit it right off. We became really good friends really quickly. She really helped me to open up and to just enjoy life. I know that sounds strange, but I was in a really dark place after all I had been through with my health. I was scared that whatever I did, I might die. I was really having some depression and weird issues at that time. (Awkward moment...I don't want you to think I am a freak, but I also want you to understand that I was really having a hard time.... Awkward.....) Anyway, Janice probably doesn't even realize it, but she really helped to pull me out of that stuff. She was so cute and fun, and I just couldn't believe that someone like her liked someone like me. It was awesome to have a friend that I really connected with. Ok, moving on. About a year later, I met Kandice. Kandice joined Bunco, and the three of us were great buddies. A little while later, Holly moved to Vernal and she was an instant friend to all of us. It is weird to say, but it was just like we had all known each other before. (And personally, I believe we did!) We were inseparable! There was never a struggle for attention from the other ones, no jealousy, and no back stabbing. Kandice, Holly and I don't have sisters, so we all decided that the four us us were adopted sisters and we were meant to be friends forever. Of course, things change, people change, we move on, our lives change, we find other friends, we have other things that occupy our time, we have babies, we struggle with depression and anxiety, among other things, and, well.... unfortunately, it just CHANGED! The four of us have still been awesome friends, don't get me wrong! But we just haven't been able to spend as much time together, as just the four of is. Do you get what I am saying?

Anyway, Kandice, Holly and I made a scrapbook highlighting our friendship to give to Janice as a "moving away" gift. We wanted to be able to give it to her with just the four of us. So we went to lunch on Wednesday then hung out for awhile after that. They had Bunco that night and someone cancelled at the last minute. I quit the group several months ago, so I went as a sub. We sat together, for awhile and just had a BLAST!

After Bunco, the four of us decided to go out for dessert. We just giggled and had the best time. We actually wondered if the "over-friendly" dessert chef slipped some kind of drug into our dessert because we just got SO SILLY! We drove around and laughed. We got out of Holly's van and laughed. We trespassed on private property and laughed. We peed outside and laughed, and I think the laughing caused is too pee some more! We even jumped on a trampoline and laughed. And I am pretty sure all of the jumping caused more pee! We went on a short hike in the moonlight, of course laughing more! Anyway, that is all I am going to say about our adventure, but Kandice said it well.... It was good clean fun! (wink, wink, right girls!)

During our hike, I fell climbing over the fence and my "FRIENDS" thought it was funny so they took pictures of my pain. I was COVERED in pokey things after falling into a sticker bush. I even had a sticker in my eye! Right in the tear duct. OUCH!








We had so much fun! We also spent part of yesterday together and it has just been a blast. I love these girls and I hope we can have more fun like this in the future. Janice, good luck with your new "adventure." Come and visit us! Holly and Kandice, thanks so much. You guys are the best!