the one about SNOW!

I love snow. I am so glad it has been snowing for the last couple of days. I love that it is so fresh, white, clean and makes everything seem so peaceful and beautiful. Nothing gives me Christmas spirit like SNOW!

This is my front window from the outside.


When I got out of bed this morning (at 10:30!) I could see that I needed to shovel some more. Brett cleared it all last night, but it needed some more work after snowing all night. My cute little Grandpa was out shoveling too so I went over and helped him. I took Finny with me and he had so much fun playing in the snow! It snowed the whole time I was shoveling and I couldn't believe how beautiful the snow flakes were today. Even more so that I remember. They were perfect and looked like something I would work for hours trying to cut out of paper. I just stood there for several minutes looking at the snow and enjoying the beauty. Here are a few flakes that landed on my coat. Beautiful!!!

the one about Kentucky

Ok, so this is just funny. And yes, Janice. This is involves you! ;)

My friend Janice and her family moved to Kentucky last summer. She has been so bugged that they have closed school so many times because of snow. Being a Utah girl, she thinks that the little bit of snow is NOTHING compared to what she is used to. I realize that weather is much different there and one of their biggest problems is ice. So even though it just looks like a little skiff of snow, it is really thick, slick ice. They have ice storms and everything. Anyway, enough of that. If you want to read more, click on this link.

Anyway, today she sent me a text saying that they changed their Church schedule tomorrow from 9 until 1 and they are only having Sacrament meeting because they never plowed the parking lot and now it is pure ice. She was so annoyed by it. All three of us were in the car driving down the street when I got the text. I told Brett and we just started talking about how different the weather is, blah blah blah. It has been a huge topic of conversation lately because Janice keeps me updated on everything and the storms have been a big deal. Anyway, later this evening, Quayd was talking to Brett about the Kentucky storms. He said to his dad, "I guess it's kinda funny that they don't know how to deal with all of that snow in Kentucky. We are lucky because here in America we know exactly how to deal with it!" HaHaHaHa!!! I don't know where he thinks Kentucky is! He is so funny!

Check out this cool picture Janice took. It is a berry tree and all of the little berries are encased in ice, but it looks like glass. I think it is so beautiful. We love you Janice!! And we miss you! The Utah snow misses you too!!! Come back to America. ;)

the one about our jazz trip

We came to SLC today for our Annual Galley family Jazz extravaganza. Brett and Quayd are at the pool right now and I am sitting in the hotel room listening to my iPod (LOVE IT!!!) and doing a little blogging. Tomorrow we are going to the Apple Store so I can get a case and some screen protectors for my precious iPod. I am so worried about it getting scratched that I am a little scared to use it. I have some amazing music on it and one of my most favorite movies in the whole world... Notting Hill. I also have a couple of games and a bunch of pictures. I so love it. Yes, Ramanda. I have really come a long way in the the world of iPod. I even downloaded my songs, movies and pictures... all by myself. I didn't even have to bug Shae.

Anyway, enough about my iPod, lets get back to our big adventure. Let me just say that my car is the suckiest thing EVER in the snow. We were worried to drive it to Salt Lake because it has been so stormy. We did ok all the way here, then we got to the I-80/I-15 interchange. Brett was driving and we hit a really slick spot when we were getting of on our exit. We started sliding all over the place and hit into a snow bank. It was like slow motion. Shae rode out with us and she and Quayd were in the back. We hit on the passenger side, front corner, right where I was. That was cool because I would rather me get hurt than anyone else, but we were almost to a stop by the time we hit, so nobody got hurt. It was so weird though. We still hit pretty hard though and we were just sick to think about what damage it did to our car. We were able to drive away and when we got to our Hotel we checked it out and we can't find any damage. I am so thrilled, but surprised. It was pretty crazy. It all happened so fast and we immedietly got back on the road, so I didn't get a picture. Dang.

We made it to the hotel, then rode with the Galley's to dinner. We went to this cool Italian place called Buca di Beppe. It was so delicious. It was family style dining so were just ordered big plates and we all shared. YUMMY!!!
Ahhhh, look at Marcie's big cute belly. SURPRISE!! ;)

This is a picture of Tara and Shae's boyfriend.

From dinner, we went to our game. It was a good game. The Jazz won. Nothing too exciting except that Brynn fell down and landed on some people. That was prettycrazy. She is fine. A little embarassed and sore.
Drake and Quayd were LOVING the game. They were so cute watching it.
Then Beau'D wanted to get in on the action. He just wants to be one of the big boys. We did have another crazy thing happen at the game.... Brett and I walked down to get a drink. Quayd didn't want to go, he had just been for a snowcone with Gleneita. He was sitting right in front of her, just watching the game. Brett and I had been gone for a few minutes and Gleneita said he just dissappeared. By the time she realized what was happening, he was clear down the bleachers. Cory and Talia ran after him. In the meantime, Brett and I had got our drinks and were heading back up to our seats. Gleneita asked if we had seen Quayd, Cory or Talia. She told us what happened and Brett took off to look for him. I just stood there. I didn't know if I should go look for him or what. Gleneita told me in detail want happened and we figured it out. He had his snowcone in his hand when he left. He needed more flavor on it. I guess you can pick your own flavor and squirt it on your snowcone. I sent Brett a text message telling him to head for the snowcone stand. Pretty quick, good old Quayd was headed back up the stairs. Alone. I sent text messages to Cory, T and Brett telling them he was back. When Quayd got back up to his seat I was like, "Quayd!! Where did you go?" So casually, in total Quayd fashion, he says, "I just had to go get more stuff on my snowcone." I said, "Buddy! You can't just run off like that. What if you got lost?" Again, in pure Quayd style, "I knew where I was going. Just to the snowcone place then back to 'MM'(that was our section). I wasn't going to get lost." Then I said, "Well, you still can't take off like that. We were so scared and someone could have taken you." He just rolled his eyes at me and promised not to do it again. We were all about to have a heart atack. Little stinker.

After the game, walking back to the car, Quayd and Amelia found this snow cave on the sidewalk. They decided a hobo must have made it. They are obsessed with hobos.

So far, our trip has been super fun. We still have 2 days left, so we will see what other fun and excitement we can stir up with the Galleys. :)

FAST FORWARD....
Now it is Saturday. I didn't post yet because I was having trouble loading the pictures. Now it seems to be cooperating a little more, so we are gonna try again. Today was just a laid back day of shopping and fun. I made it to the Apple Store so now I feel like I can protect my new precious baby. It's all hooked up with a clear acrylic case and a clear sheet for the screen. I feel so much better now. That was the only thing I cared about doing while we were in SLC. The only thing Brett cared about was getting a new tattoo. He got that today. I will have to post pictures later. We haven't taken any yet. It is pretty cool though. The only things Quayd cared about was swimming in the hotel pool and going to Toys-R-Us for some PlayMobil toys. We did those things today too. So mission(s) accomplished. Tomorrow we are going to head home. Yuck. Back to our Christmas mess. I wish I could go hame and magically have my tree in its box, toys put away, laundry done and everything put back together. Oh well. It is so fun to be able to get away for a few days. It was a well-needed break after a hectic holiday season.

the one about MORE SNOW!!!

Seriously? This is what I woke up to on Sunday morning. Are you kidding me? It is the middle of March and I am super sick of all of the stinking snow! We are going on 6 months of winter hell. I have tried to optimistic and grateful, but come on. Enough is enough. It is March, so lets start having some rain, at least. Everytime it snows though, Quayd gets so excited. He loves it. I love it to a point. But, do you wanna know why he loves it so much???

You guessed it... SLEDDING! This was right in front of my Grandma's house and he was having a blast! There was just enough grass at the botom to stop him from falling in the ditch. Crazy Kid!

the one about cold spring weather

So it's official. Spring Fever has hit our house, big time! We are all itching to get outside, but it is still just a tad to cold. Janice said it got to 50 today, but 2news said 42 was our high. I don't know.

After work and school, Quayd and I ran to town with my mom and grandma. We had lunch and went to Wal-Mart. Quayd and I wore flip-flops, short sleeves and no jackets. We knew it would be plenty warm, but to our surprise, burr! Then when Brett got home, we decided we would go search for my long lost wedding ring, since the snow is melting at the park. Again, Quayd and I wore flip-flops, short sleeves and no jackets. Still burrr. By the way, no luck. We actually even went to the pawn shop to see if by any chance someone had found it and pawned it. Nope.

Anyway, this is where my story gets very chilly.... tonight, the Galley kids came down to play with Quayd. They went right outside to ride bikes and jump on the trampoline. Brayden and Brennen came over too. I knew they must be freezing, but they didn't care. They played outside for hours! Since the time changed yesterday, it stays light until nearly 7:30. They were loving it, so I ran outside to snap a picture. Look, there is still a ton of snow! That is Brayden and Eli at the top, then Brennen, Quayd and Amelia at the bottom. They are crazy! Check out Brayden's new do, by the way. Thanks Janice! This is just a preview of what our house will be like this summer. We have night games here almost every night! (Watch future blogs for more info.)

I also took picture of the ugly ditch that runs in front our our house. This will be the last time you see it this way because the city is putting in culvert and filling it up. We are so glad! It will be a mess for most of the summer but it will sure be worth it. Last summer, Quayd, Brennen and I were riding our bikes to 7-11 and Quayd lost his balance and rode right into the ditch. It was so scary. He could have and should have been hurt so badly, but he wasn't. It was crazy. Anyway, we are glad to see it leaving! Here are some bad before pictures. I hate this time of year. It is so ugly and brown and dirty. Only a few more weeks until it starts getting pretty. Thank goodness.

the one about all of this SNOW!

I can't believe all of the snow we have had. It is just crazy. I don't remember ever having a winter like this one. When I was a Sophomore or Junior in High School, it snowed pretty bad one day and they closed school, but it all melted right away. It was nothing like this. I love it though, most of the time. It usually doesn't bother me one bit. I usually don't mind the cold, or the crunch under my feet, or even the frozen snot, but I am starting to get a little sick of it. I love it when it is actually snowing, but I hate the ugly brown dirty stuff. According to the groundhog, there is still 6 more weeks of it so I better get used to it.

Speaking of getting used to it, my sweet son LOVES everything about the winter. He wants to play in it every minute. On sunday, after Church, he and Brennen went outside to play. Brett and I were inside and we could hear a giggle out our front door. We peeked outside and saw these two crazy boys making a sledding ramp out of my front steps. They packed snow on all of the steps to make it a smoother ride. They did this for a long time. I could see that my brother was using his 4-wheeler to plow snow into a huge pile in the back yard, so I suggested to the boys to go out there and they would have a bigger hill. On the way back there, they noticed the big stairs going to the new deck and Brandon and Danette's house. The just couldn't resist, so they started sledding on them. They are about twice and steep as mine and there are about twice as many steps! They were so funny! Brett, Brandon, Brayden and I got such a kick out of them. Well, Brayden decided he wanted to play, so they all headed out to the big hill in the back. Brayden would use the tube to make the ramp, then the little boys would take turns going down. One time, Brayd was on the very top of the hill trying to get his tube situated, then he suddenly fell backwards and fell about 3 feet down into the fresh powder. It was so funny!!! They had such a great time. They stayed out there for hours until the dark finally forced them to come inside. Then they were ready for hot chocolate!

I was just so surprised at how clever they were and how they came up with all of the ideas for their new ramps. Boys are so funny!