{lucas and mindy}

Isn't love the best?

2012-02-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

Valentine's Day. Definitely not my favorite holiday, but not my least favorite either. I don't think I have a single V-Day decoration for my house. Pathetic.

Even though I don't think it's the best, I do hold a very special place in my heart for this holiday. 3 years ago on Valentine's Day weekend Lucas and I decided we were in love. So in love that we should get married. We took a super fantastic weekend trip to St George. It was a pretty big deal of a weekend. Here we are:

Not to mention, we got to go with some of our very favorite friends - Matt & Julie. They live really far away now, and we really miss road tripping with them ... and hanging out with them in general. All 4 of us:

We were married 3 months later, less than 6 months after meeting (don't judge, we're perfect for each other).

Happy Valentines Day to my very favorite boy. I sure wish you weren't in Phoenix all week.

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And here are some of my favorite Valentine's Day links from around the internet:

Remember writing on the backs of pictures? So romantic.

A wonderful quote about love - thanks to President Uchtdorf!

Valentines Day printables from my favorite crafty blog - How About Orange

What a cutie ... I love this little guy.

What's Your Focus?

2012-02-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been trying really hard to focus on having a positive attitude. I feel like I'm doing okay, but sometimes I just get into such a negative rut. I saw this on Kelle Hampton's blog the other day and it made me really stop and think:

There is reason for everyone to be unhappy. There is reason for everyone to be happy. What's your focus?
I have a million reasons to be happy.
I have the best, most supportive, understanding, funny, and hot husband. He is the greatest.
I have brand new little nephew. I got to go see him the day he was born and feel his sweet little newborn spirit.
I have an incredible opportunity to work with kids dealing with substance abuse issues, and I get to watch Lucas be the best role model for them.
I have a testimony. I have faith in Jesus Christ and knowledge of the restored gospel. I have the scriptures and personal revelation and the Holy Ghost.

Friedrich Nietzsche said, “To live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.”
I'm finding some meaning in my suffering. I'm growing closer to the Lord, and I'm learning a lot about myself. I have thought about what my trials would be like without Lucas and I can't even imagine going through life without him. I'm lucky.

PS Here is the boy:

patience.

2012-01-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

I went to Target yesterday, just to grab a few things. I wasn't in a hurry ... but I did want to take Brok for a hike and it was getting later and later in the afternoon. And there were a million people at Target, so all of the check-out lines were monstrous. I grabbed my 3 or 4 items and went to stand in the shortest line I could find ... behind two nice looking gals. Probably college students, and the one buying something was about 6'1" and weighed maybe 110 lbs. I hated her for a second.

So these two girls get up to the cashier, and she scans their single item. $4.77. It took her, no lie, 2 minutes to dig around in her clutch looking for her debit card.... realize it wasn't in that pocket, check the other pocket and finally produce her card. She then slid the card through the reader backwards and just sat there staring at the machine. Ummmm, nothing's happening. The cashier told her to slide it the other way, so she did. Then it took her another 2 minutes to remember and enter her PIN number. Cash back? Do you want to put it all on this card? (yes, I have the Target credit card machine questions memorized). Another minute or so with those difficult questions ........ declined. So she pulls that clutch back out, digs around for the card again, slides it backwards again, then runs it as credit.

Here comes the hard part for me to understand. The screen has a little box for your signature, right? And it says "sign in the box", right? Pretty basic, RIGHT?? Nope. She tried pushing the enter button at least 7 times before the cashier said, "you have to sign in the box first ...." So she signed and hit enter again and that was that. At this point I had a couple of thoughts go through my head. OH MY HECK was one of them, and then I immediately thought, "boy I need to be more patient." And then, that cute little blonde 17 year old cashier said to me, "I think maybe that was her first time buying anything .... ever."

Maybe I'm not so impatient after all ... and maybe that story was a lot more funny in person. Either way, here are some pictures from a hike Brok and I took in the 65 degree weather in a t-shirt in Utah in January (yesterday):

for Blaine

Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty slow day at work ... here are some fun things I found while puttering around on the internet:

This might be my new favorite song.

I LOVE Wes Anderson. I cannot wait until May 26th.

My cute friend Ela started a MOVIE CLUB! I'm super excited, I love the movies and it will be so nice to have a guaranteed movie and a night out with the gals each month...

a dandy lion. thank you pinterest, via imgfave

And this quote, that I love:

Compared to God, man is nothing;
yet we are everything to God.

( Dieter F. Uchtdorf )

random

2012-01-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

- The first presidency message from President Monson in the January Ensign: Living the Abundant Life. A great read and a great reminder.

- Diet Coke. I don't know that I would be alive without it. I've been making myself drink 12 ounces of water before each can to even things out ... but I just love it so much.

- This is an awesome blog. Thanks to my SIL Paulette for showing me ... especially the "scripture study" section.

- Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University - We're going! Starting next month ... I'm super excited for financial freedom :)

-Lucas is going on Trek this weekend. He'll be gone for a few days and I might get lonely .... I am working a lot, and I have a fun dinner planned with some of my best girls on Saturday .... but if you find yourself wanting to catch a matinee or go to lunch, please give me a call ....

Boulder Trek, April 2011

thank you.

2012-01-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you thank you thank you for your kind messages and words of encouragement. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends, neighbors, and family. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, we have definitely felt it.

Secondly, I wanted to document my 2012 goals. Here are mine from last year: 2011 goals. I succeeded with about half of those.... Here are my new ones (with some repeats):

Improve my personal spirituality. I need to do better at my personal morning prayers, my individual scripture study (hooray for the B of M in Gospel Doctrine this year!), and my personal relationship with my Father in Heaven.

Family Home Evening. We never do it because it's just the two of us, and that's ridiculous. We have plenty of opportunities to improve ourselves and our relationship and why shouldn't we get in the Monday night habit? (I say as I blog this from work on a Monday night....)

More house projects. We did some work on the house, but there's still a long way to go. We will definitely be doing some outside projects this spring, including a garden (fingers crossed), and a fence around the yard. Chickens and bees may have to wait until our next house ...

Uggg - will obviously lose 20 lbs. I want to get in great shape, and hopefully run another half marathon this Spring or Summer. The fire department boys are doing the Timp Trail at the end of May .... wouldn't that be fun? Of course this goal also includes eating healthy, eating at home, and drinking more water :)

Finally, win the HGTV dream home. Have you seen this thing?! It's in Midway. That's right, a short 25 minutes from my very own house. Lucas and I drove up there the other night and spent the whole trip back planning our rich, awesome future. The grand prize also includes a GMC Terrain SUV and $500,000. Here is some of the awesomeness:

All pictures courtesy of HGTV. I might be slightly obsessed. But it was fun day dreaming with my darling husband about what kind of parties we would throw and how awesome our holiday decorations would be and what we would do with half a million dollars ... I think our odds are about 1 in a billion, even though I enter twice a day.

family update

2011-12-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

December 19th. The best day of my life, and the worst day.

I got to be a mom. Even if it was for just a few minutes before I had to send them back to their Father in Heaven, I got to be a mom.

Lucas and I have come to recognize our important role in the lives of our sweet babies. They were lucky enough to come to earth only for a short time to fulfill their missions. We were lucky enough to supply them with the bodies and the love they needed.

I am so grateful for the wonderful doctors and nurses at Memorial Hospital. They were there to support us through difficult times, and difficult news. They cried with us. They shared their own stories with us, and made me feel at home for the worst weekend of my life. In Indiana. When Josie and Wyatt were born, they let us hold them and take care of them for the few minutes they needed us. And then they let us hold them some more. They made phone calls for us, and took care of everything we needed. They let us be a family.

I don't know what I would have done without my Kane family. I wanted my mom to be there with me, but my in-laws were perfect. Their love and support was unmeasurable. We received so many wonderful and encouraging messages from our family and friends, we are so blessed.

Lucas is my rock. He didn't leave my side. He prayed with me and gave me Priesthood blessings. He was encouraging and faithful, and the best dad I could ever imagine for my babies. Oh how I love him.

My cousin Wendy shared this quote with me ... I've read it a hundred times in the last week:

Joseph Smith rightly taught:

"The mother who laid down her little child, being deprived of the privilege, the joy, and the satisfaction of bringing it up to manhood or womanhood in this world, would, after the resurrection, have all the joy, satisfaction, and pleasure, and even more than it would have been possible to have had in mortality, in seeing her child grow to the full measure of stature of it's spirit...When she does it there, it will be with the certain knowledge that the results will be without failure; whereas here, the results are unknown until after we have passed the test."

announcement

2011-12-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

I know most everyone has seen it on facebook already, but here's the announcement. We get:

1 girl baby

&

1 boy baby

Lucas and I are dying of excitement and I'm starting to get the shopping/crafting/decorating bug. Since I'm not crafty, and these kids are making us poor already, I'm going to need someone to make/buy me the following items:

(all images courtesy of pinterest of course)
Any volunteers? I'll let you come play with them when they're born ....

And for those that have requested maternity shots, here you are. Please keep in mind, I'm only halfway through this pregnancy.

Maybe it's time to give up on those stretchy non-maternity shirts.

Links

2011-12-05T23:33:00.000-07:00

Some things on the internet:

Best-selling books of 2011, according to Barnes & Noble -- I need to start making a list.

The 2011 First Presidency Christmas Devotional -- Super awesome, watch if you have a chance. This is one of my favorite things each holiday season...

Kelle Hampton's Awesome Christmas Party -- I can't wait to do fun things like this for my kids...

*PS my SIL Ellen LOVES Kelle and promised to have a party like this for me next week in Michigan - can't wait Ellen!

I'm obsessed with these boots. They're practically a million dollars, and I have several pairs of boots already, but I just LOVE them.

Pinterest is still the best thing on the internet. I love love love pinning things for the kiddos.

2 babies (tumblr)

I want this. (etsy)

baby outfits (etsy)

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And a baby update: Still feeling super awesome, getting pretty big pretty quickly. Maybe I'll put some pictures up one of these days ... Wednesday is the big gender reveal, so get excited :)

thankful

2011-11-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

I love Thanksgiving. Not the food so much, except the potatoes and rolls, but the whole idea. So in the spirit of gratitude, I thought I would share some things that I'm grateful for:

I am grateful for my darling Lucas, who loves me every day no matter what. I'm grateful that he goes out of his way to make me happy and comfortable, even on my crazy days.

I'm grateful for the Gospel. I'm grateful for the knowledge that I am a daughter of God and that He loves me. I'm grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and especially for the knowledge of eternal families.

I'm grateful for these 2 tiny souls growing in me. We are so blessed, I can't help but feel completely overwhelmed with gratitude and joy each time I think of them. I'm also grateful that Luke is super excited to be a dad. He's been reading tons of books and studying everything he can get his hands on to learn about everything .... I love it.

I'm grateful for family and friends who are wonderful and supportive and I just love them so much. Lucas and I are extra lucky to have such great families and great friends.

source: google.com via pinterest

airplane ride

2011-11-15T23:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things in the whole world is flying. It doesn't matter if it's a 21 hour flight to Beijing or a 45 minute flight to Boise. I love being in airports and airplanes and having a carry on with special snacks and magazines and my ipod.

I especially love when my flight ends up somewhere exciting and fun, and tomorrow is no exception. We're going to Portland to visit Andy, Emily, and their kiddos :)

I can't wait to meet baby Pepper, run around with Jude, and paint Sadie's toenails. Not to mention, they just bought a new (old) house and Lucas (and me I guess) is helping with some of the renovations. His dad will be there too, so it will be a mini family reunion, I'm so excited.

It's a short trip, but I'm in desperate need of a break from work and boys and everything and this will be just perfect.

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PS My dear friend Julie had a baby this week! Isn't he the most darling little thing?? I want to squeeze him. San Fransisco is next on the travel agenda....

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T22:38:00.000-06:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE {4} OF US!

trek week

2011-10-22T11:51:00.000-06:00

Finally it's Saturday.
Lucas has been gone on Trek all week and I've been a single mom. It was fun for a minute, but then it became Fall Break and they were home all the time ... plus one or two extra boys depending on the day. I need a break from boys.
I did get to go visit Lucas on Trek on Tuesday, did some hiking and lunch with the therapists and punk ranch boys. They started at the top of Hobblecreek Canyon (Springville) and went up and over the mountains to Strawberry Reservoir. Beautiful.

tuesday

2011-10-04T21:36:00.000-06:00

I would like to start out with how much I loved General Conference this weekend. I just love President Monson and his wonderful sense of humor. There were so many great messages from our church leaders ... And Saturday was so great. Lucas got us all excited to do some deep cleaning (I don't know why I'm never motivated to wash blinds ...) and we turned conference up loud and cleaned. I loved it. Then Sunday I got to work the day shift, which is the best shift ever. I get to work by myself and nothing ever happens (except that Sunday mornings are probably the most common time for people to die). This Sunday morning was wonderfully quiet at work and I got to watch practically uninterrupted. Glorious.

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And how exciting is this?? 2 temples in PROVO? I can't wait ... the Provo temple just gets SO busy sometimes.

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Speaking of church things, I watched this Mormon Messages video on youtube and actually cried at work. And then I made a list of things to do to help people. Anyone want to give blood with me?

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Next item of business. This blog is one of my new favorites. Mostly because of things like this. Oh, how I love Ryan Gosling.

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I have always loved Pat Green, but lately I've been listening to him a lot. If you haven't heard of him, you should listen to this song. I just love him.

And that's all I have to say.

For Sarah

2011-09-29T18:00:00.000-06:00

First of all, I had the best lunch date today. All of my favorites from Provo were there ... and my dear friend Sarah says I don't blog enough. And it's true.

So, Adam came home. It's been a few weeks now, but he was normal from day 1. Here are a few pictures I stole from my sister's blog:

Thanks Steph, for letting me use those.
Speaking of Steph, I'm sure most everyone knows she's expecting ... due in February. She was extra sick and 100% sure it was a girl. Well, she had her ultrasound last week and SURPRISE! IT'S A BOY! I'm so excited. I've been going crazy on the pinterest looking for cute little boy things:

In other excitement, General Conference is this weekend. I just love it. The chance to hear from our church leaders about real issues we're dealing with as members of The Church.
And wasn't the Relief Society Meeting the best?

8 good things right now

2011-09-07T22:16:00.000-06:00

grilled cheese. oh how I love a good grilled cheese, with miracle whip on top ....

vanilla tootsie rolls. limited edition.

this guy. i just love him to death.

willie nelson! we saw him in concert in real life last night. Luke bought a bandanna.

this book. it's so so so great. about the history and work of the Relief Society.

new tires on the Pilot. it looks super awesome ....

we will be picking up Adam at the airport in 12 hours.

Julie A B Gillrie. solved my picture problem ... what a dream. thanks jules! (ps REALLY cute pictures in Tahoe)

nothing

2011-09-03T13:30:00.001-06:00

I have nothing. I feel like nothing exciting is going on in my life right now. I just work and take Brok on hikes and work some more. I think Lucas is starting to hate my job.
Since I have nothing going on, I will give you some things that I like lately (thanks to pinterest of course) ....

Ron Swanson's Pyramid of Greatness - we're loving Parks & Rec!

I need a good adventure before summer is over ....

Soooo excited for fall fashion ...

.... and fall crafts.

This I really love. I'm so glad to be married to my best friend.

Wait, does anyone know how to re-size pictures on the new blogger format? Not that I did it before, but my pictures seem so small ... I hate it. I feel like I've tried everything, and I suck at blogging.

some things

2011-08-25T18:47:00.013-06:00

1. My sister Steph made a really exciting announcement on her blog today :) She's making me an auntie again ... this will be #16 for me and Luke, pretty exciting. She'll be making her (or his?) appearance at the beginning of February. Any suggestions for names?

2. It was my birthday last week. I'm 28, if you were wondering. Lucas is a dream, he got me tons of great camera stuff, including a new lens and a fancy bag ... now if only I was a really great photographer. Then we had dinner at Texas Roadhouse with some of our favorite friends, it was the perfect day. (thanks babe!)

3. I feel like I've mentioned how much I love Brandi Carlile here before ... she's just the most awesome. We got to see her last week at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheater, which was super cool. One of the best shows I've ever been to, and she made me cry when she played The Story. It's our song. Here's a lovely live version of it from her new album, Live at Benaroya Hall (which you can get for only $5 on Amazon.com this month!). Watch out! This song might make you cry.

PS Brandi likes girls (not that there's anything wrong with that), so there was some really great people watching. AND, Ivan & Alyosha opened for her. Maybe Luke's new favorite, and they're coming to Kilby Court next month if anyone would care to join us.

4. Has everyone seen this? It's incredible.

5. School started this week. I don't know how to express the joy felt by this. I can do anything I want in the mornings (except sleep in ... I have to drive one of the boys to school in Provo every morning at 7:20). It just feels so nice to get my office hours done in the morning again ...

6. 2 weeks from today we will be picking my baby brother at the airport. He's been serving a mission in the Philippines for the last 2 years and I am dying to see him! He's such a great missionary, and he would probably stay longer if they would let him, but I'm really excited to hang out with him. September 8th can't come soon enough!

why do I love this?

2011-08-16T22:34:00.005-06:00

I don't think I'm terribly vain, but for some reason I love answering questionnaires, especially about myself. Feel free to skip this post if you're just not that interested in my life....

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:15

2. How do you like your steak? on the more rare side of medium rare, but not RARE

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema: Crazy, Stupid, Love - loved it.

4. What is your favourite TV show? right now? Friday Night Lights. obsessed.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Texas, duh.

6. What did you have for breakfast? a greek yogurt

7. What is your favorite food? avocado on toast

8. Foods you dislike? mustard, onions, fatty meat

9. Favorite place to eat? Texas Roadhouse :)

10. Favorite dressing? ranch

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? Honda Pilot (I know I'm not a mom...)

12. What are your favorite clothes? jeans and a t-shirt and chacos. every day.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Thailand. Or Egypt. Or Ireland. Or South Africa. Or Alaska. Or Spain. Or Russia. Or Fiji.....

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full!

15. Where would you want to retire? on a ranch full of long horned steers in the north of Texas with a huge porch and horses.

16. Favorite time of day? 10:30. kid's bedtime.

17. Where were you born? Logan, UT

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? tennis :)

19. What is your favorite fragrance? Thierry Mugler - Angel, for men

20. What is your favorite face cream? mint chocolate chip, breyers

21. Favorite baby/kids products? ummm.....

22. People watcher? yes.

23. Are you a morning or night person? morning. I would go to bed at 8:30 every night if I could.

24. Do you have any pets? Brok and Artemis

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? not new ... but Adam comes home in less than a month!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? a veterinarian, an architect, a lot of different things ....

27. What is your favorite memory? road tripping with Luke on our honeymoon

28. Are you a cat or dog person? dog person

29. Are you married? yes

30. Always wear your seat belt? of course!

31. Been in a car accident? yes.

32. Any pet peeves? yes- mean or stupid people. animals dressed as humans.

33. Favorite pizza toppings? olives and mushrooms

34. Favorite flower? eh.

35. Favorite ice cream? mint chocolate chip

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? arbys I think.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? zero

38. From whom did you get your last email? Steph

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? anthropologie or target

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? not really, I feel like I'm pretty boring...

41. Like your job? which one?

42. Broccoli? absolutely.

43. What was your favorite vacation? I loved my honeymoon- it was perfect. honorable mention to the Coast Rica week in paradise with the girls!!

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Megan (happy birthday!)

45. What are you listening to right now? Charlie Winston pandora

46. What is your favorite color? green ... any shade

47. How many tattoos do you have? just one.

48. coffe drinker? nope!

Sorry I'm a total nerd.

baby

2011-08-11T13:22:00.003-06:00

Luke's brother and his wife Emily (maybe our favorites, unless Ellen is reading this, then our second favorites) had their third baby yesterday! (a home birth with not so much as an aspirin according to Dad...)
Welcome Pepper Kane to the family:

Isn't she a doll?

another new favorite song

2011-08-10T21:55:00.003-06:00

Maybe I'm that annoying person who always has a new song that I'm obsessed with. And the only place I have to tell people about it is on my blog. Well, here's my latest:

A - I have a huge crush on the boy, mostly because of his hat.
B - I love this kind of music.
C - Please pay special around minute 2:25, it gets crazy.

Also, I finished season 1 of Friday Night Lights. For some reason I thought there was only one season, so how excited was I to see 3 MORE on my Netflix! Score!

I might have cried several times during this show, it's so great.

family vacation time

2011-08-01T10:03:00.025-06:00

A month ago we went on a sweet road trip to Mount Rushmore. I know, I month? I'm ridiculous at blogging ... in my defense, summer is crazy busy! Anyway, the trip was so much fun, and tons of driving. We headed up through Wyoming, stopped at the Wyoming Frontier Prison, which was super cool. I know that touring an old prison doesn't sound super cool, bit it totally was.....

1. an actual gas chamber!
2. water tower from inside
3. cell block B - Lucas scared the H out of some kids on the tour with us ... one of them fell on the ground
4. Lucas
5. cell block A - I love the lines ...
6. the prison

Then we headed up to Keyhole State Park and camped by Keyhole Reservoir. It was SO pretty, we even got up to swim in the reservoir early in the morning before heading to Devils Tower....

Devils Tower was pretty awesome, with lots of history. We hiked around for a while, saw plenty of wildlife (and some awesome rock climbers!) then headed to

Mount Rushmore! Smaller than I expected, but I guess that's what I get for living in the Rockies. It was super cool to see how the faces were carved and everything. We'll take the kids in 15 years probably.

We spent the next couple of days in that area, saw some other sights (some caves and other mountain carvings and WALL DRUG) then headed back through Wyoming. We stopped in Thermopolis and stayed at a ~~pretty trashy~~ quaint motel owned by the nicest Mormon lady in the world. Lucas commented on her huge stack of B of M's and she fell in love with us.
The next morning we checked out the Thermopolis Hot Springs (sorry, no pictures), and they were super awesome! We'll go back there for sure...

We headed West and spent most of the day in Yellowstone. We love that place.

Had dinner and did some shopping in Jackson, then drove to Idaho for the night.
The next morning we drove through Bear Lake then stopped in Logan to see the kiddos for a while, then headed home.

All in all, great trip.

Harry Potter

2011-07-13T14:42:00.010-06:00

I love Harry Potter. So much that I saved The Deathly Hallows (the last book) until this week because I didn't want it to end.... Well, I read the book. I didn't cry, but I wanted to a couple of times. I loved the book, read it in about 4 days, and I can't wait for the movie! We're going to the double feature, Part 1 at 9 pm, Part 2 at midnight. I'm SO excited. Rotten Tomatoes is currently at 95%. That's pretty good.

Maybe I'm 12 years old, but I really want some of these things:

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independence day

2011-07-04T12:36:00.011-06:00

First of all, I just finished reading The Hunger Games series. I know, I'm way behind. Lucas has been trying to get me to read them for some time now ... I just loved them. I might have cried a little at the end. If you haven't read them, do it now. And ... they're making it into a movie!

Secondly, Happy 4th of July! It's one of my very favorite holidays ... I love the food, activities, and the general attitude of patriotism everyone has. Tonight we're heading up to Oakley for the rodeo. It's a pretty big deal up there. And I secretly want to live in Oakley. (bull picture from the Strawberry Days Rodeo)

Also, check out my friend Ela's blog - Lorien is a guest blogger today and wrote a lovely post about our amazing country.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

artemis

2011-06-13T19:19:00.010-06:00

I've never been a cat lover. In fact, most of my life I've been a cat hater ... they're sneaky. Well, one of the perks (downfalls?) of working at the police station is animal control side of things. We get to see some pretty fun things - a baby cougar found in a stairwell, some tiny raccoons in a chimney last week ... this time it was kitties. A mama and her two babies. Well, Justin (our animal control officer) remembered that one day (last January after I had watched a particularly sad movie about a kitten NOT getting adopted) I mentioned that I wanted a cat.
So I brought one home. Turns out the boys love it, and Lucas didn't complain at all. In fact, I think he likes it too ... It's a girl kitty, so obviously we named her Artemis, after:

from It's Always Sunny

She's actually pretty cute, for a cat.

We've decided to keep her ... at least until Ryan's snake gets so hungry he eats her.

And just for fun, a couple of my very favorite boys:

more hiking pictures

2011-06-10T11:26:00.013-06:00

I know that all I ever blog about is hikes. They're just my very favorite. Yesterday we went up to Big Springs (my favorite) with some friends from work. It was early in the morning and a little chilly, but it turned out to be just perfect. I took a bunch of pictures (I'm practicing 100% manual), so here are a bunch for your viewing pleasure:

Also, bought our tickets for this today. Best date night ever.

And, I'm obsessed with this song lately. I don't know why I'm loving Kenny so much lately, usually he drives me crazy.

family

2011-06-05T09:01:00.022-06:00

Lately I've been really grateful for my family. Maybe it's that we just celebrated our anniversary (2 years!) and then Luke's birthday yesterday (31!), but I'm just really happy to have my own family. Not to mention my other families ... my wonderful sister and hers, my parents and little brothers, AND my in-laws, who are all incredible.

I've been getting really irritated lately at work when I see pregnant 16 year old girls determined to keep their babies with no idea how to be a mom, let alone a responsible adult. Or drug addicts with several children that have been taken away by DCFS ... pregnant again and using and drinking throughout the pregnancy. This is hardest part of trying (unsuccessfully) to have kids for me. I knew it would be hard for us to get pregnant, I knew it would take a while ... so I'm not stressing about it. But I do feel so sad for all these babies born into crappy situations without dads or with health problems resulting from drug/alcohol use. It makes me want to cry. I could be a really good mom to those babies.

The point: I read this awesome article in the June Ensign. It's by Elder Bruce D Porter of the Seventy, you can read it here. It's kind of long, but totally worth it. My favorite part, from James Lincoln Collier:

“We have abandoned our children. Between a soaring divorce rate and an equally soaring rate of children born to unwed mothers, it is now the case that the majority of our children will spend at least a portion of their childhoods in single parent homes—in effect being raised without fathers. A large minority will spend their entire childhoods essentially without fathers, and a considerable number will not even know who their fathers are.

“This is an extremely unusual circumstance—perhaps unique in human experience. In no known human society, past or present, have children generally been raised outside of an intact nuclear family. The nuclear family is one of the most basic of all human institutions, a system of doing things so fundamental that until this century it occurred to very few people that life could exist without it.”

I love that last part. The family is so fundamental that until this century it occurred to very few people that life could exist without it. So weird. And this part I love also ... kind of a challenge:

"The Church is a small institution compared with the world at large. Nevertheless, the Latter-day Saints as a people should not underestimate the power of our example, nor our capacity to persuade public opinion, reverse negative trends, or invite seeking souls to enter the gate and walk the Lord’s chosen way. We ought to give our best efforts, in cooperation with like-minded persons and institutions, to defend the family and raise a voice of warning and of invitation to the world. The Lord expects us to do this, and in doing so to ignore the mocking and scorn of those in the great and spacious building, where is housed the pride of the world."

That's all. And read this also. It's the perfect example of how I want to raise my daughters.

2011-06-03T10:37:00.012-06:00

I love it. I could spend hours just looking at photos (but I don't), and I love that so many of my friends are getting into it! Find me on Pinterest so I can see what you're pinning :)

Here are some recent favorites (watch out, there are a bunch):

Also, check out this etsy store for some extra cute earrings -- all proceeds go to Jillyn's cancer funds!!

baseball

2011-06-01T19:50:00.000-06:00

I love baseball. And I love these two. Just wanted to make sure everyone gets a chance to see these:

Fire doesn't have a rivalry with kindling, lawnmowers don't have a rivalry with grass, America doesn't have a rivalry with Costa Rica ...

summertime

2011-05-31T20:39:00.013-06:00

Tomorrow is June 1st. I feel like it's about time to make a Summer To Do List. I'm going to take it seriously this year.

1. go camping, a lot
2. Mona rope swing at Burston Ponds
3. bike Moab with Lucas
4. cook outside at least 2 or 3 times a week
5. 5 canyons, I don't care which ones
6. float the Provo River
7. outside concerts (Twilight, Red Butte, USANA)
8. go fishing! and get good at gutting fish
9. rodeos
10. at least one demolition derby

Hopefully we can do everything on the list ... or maybe more.

exciting news

2011-05-29T20:32:00.008-06:00

Remember this? The Element I mean. My favorite dream car. It was the best day. I just love that car, even though the back windows didn't go down and there were only 4 seatbelts. 4 seatbelts in the whole car! It was kind of ridiculous. It especially sucked when it was our carpool night and only one of us could go pick up the kids... Which brings us to the exciting news. We got a new car.
We've been looking into possibilities, mostly at Subaru Outbacks. I love that they have a great space for a dog, and 5 seatbelts. We checked out the Larry H Miller 500 tent sale last week, and found something really exciting... not a Subaru. Another Honda. The Pilot. We got a really sweet deal on it (I think because there are a whole bunch of different dealerships competing to see who can sell the most cars). It's just beautiful. It even has a DVD player and seating for 8.

Who wants to go on a road trip? We have plenty of seatbelts ...

PS Remember Daniel? He graduated from high school! It's a pretty big deal ... he's only 16!

the cancer

2011-05-19T20:41:00.007-06:00

I hate cancer. I hate that it ruins lives and causes so much pain. I'm pretty sure I'll get it in some form or another eventually, I just think that it will probably be when I'm an old lady. The only time I knew someone my age with cancer was when my best friend Blake had leukemia ... we were 5.
Well, my great friend Jillyn has the cancer. It's a bad one too - colon. She's had some stomach problems the last little while, went in and got checked and had surgery last week. You can read about it on her blog, here. Well, she found out a couple of days ago that she has stage 3 colon cancer and will be starting chemotherapy in 3-4 weeks.
My thoughts immediately went to one of my favorite scriptures ...

Doctrine and Covenants 122:7
And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

I realize that this is probably the last thing she wants to hear, but I think it's a good reminder that even during the crappiest times, God still has us in mind. Jillyn is one of the strongest people I know, and most funny. She always has the cutest hair (and it's red!) and her little dogs are some of Brok's favorite play dates (even though Jersey is scared to death of him). She's in a really sucky situation, but handling it like a champ.

Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks.

inspiration

2011-05-17T18:20:00.006-06:00

So I have this friend, Arielle. She's an Olympic athlete. Truly. She rides BMX for USA and actually lives at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego. I work with her mom, Lori, and we've been friends for a few years. So maybe Arielle is only my half-friend ... but she's a super cool chick and I really like her. She's inspiring.

Anyway, she has this friend who also lives at the training center, Lex Gillette. He's an '08 Silver Medalist, two time Paralympian, and completely blind. Here is a little video to give you some background on Lex:

Arielle wrote this about him:

INSPIRATION

When I think about the opportunity I have had to live and train at the Olympic training center what comes to mind is not the world class equipment, the physio, the state of the art technology, or the best SX course in the world. Its the other athletes. The ones I eat lunch with, live with, and pass on the campus en route to training. Athletes that inspire me to be a better athlete, to work harder as I see them work harder. Diversified in many different sports we are all united in one common goal: The Olympics.

None have impacted me more than Elexis Gillette. At first glance Lex appears to be a typical Long jumper. Long dark muscular body with an obvious athletic astuteness and awareness of a high caliber athlete. Always surrounded by people, Lex has an energy that is contagious, a smile always on his face, and it usually takes two or three glances before the average person finally realizes that he is completely blind.

It never ceases to amaze me how he gets around campus on his own, often without his walking stick. Or how he always knows its me when I walk in the cafeteria and shouts my name before I have spoken his. If thats not inspiring enough his athletic ability is phenomenal. Watching him charge a runway to the sound of his guide runners claps before launching himself blind into a pit of sand seems impossible. A silver medalist in Bejing, Lex has proved the impossible wrong. His blindness has only made him more aware, and his attitude being so positive all the time makes me wonder why I complain about the small things.

Lex has got an insatiable curiosity, and after attending our World Cup a few weeks ago he asked me if I would take him out to walk our course so he could feel it. Understand it. I was hesitant at first to take him to the top of the 3 1/2 story start ramp, but he insisted we walk it from start to end. Over the next 45 minutes he touched and felt every lip, landing, berm and surface while I explained it to him. It was an incredible experience for me, I had never seen the course like this before. As I was describing it to him while his fingertips were touching the gate, the ramp, the soil-tec on the dirt, it was opening my own eyes. Like I was seeing it for the first time.

Lex also happens to be an incredible musician. He writes, he sings, he plays. Its evident after spending just a little time with him that his real passion is music, none of us that know him doubt that he is going somewhere with it. He has real talent.

After we went out to the BMX track Lex wrote a song about it. Its raw and funny but I thought it was pretty cool, and I felt like sharing. The experience has inspired me.

Arielle

Here is a video of Lex riding the BMX track at the training center ... the music in the video is his song. I love it.

Some days I just need a little extra inspiration.

April Trek

2011-05-06T10:19:00.010-06:00

We took the Focus kids on Trek last month ... girls and boys. It was intense. We went to my favorite place in the whole world: Boulder, UT. Here are some pictures from our lovely trip.

1. hiking
2. climbing up a tree to get to our campsite
3. moon
4. jake's last picture before he shot himself in the leg (reminds me of Aron Ralston in 127 Hours ... the last picture of his right hand)
5. hiking
6. hiking
7. tired brok
8. scenery
9. Kane Cave (named after the discoverer of the cave, the very Lucas Kane)
10. more hiking
11. sky from the top of Boulder mountain

renovation

2011-05-05T23:04:00.013-06:00

The house remodel has begun. I guess we're not remodeling the whole house, but we do have a few exciting projects lined up (sprinkler system, more painting, more floors, etc if anyone is interested).
We started with the floor in the front room, bedroom, and hallway. The house was built in 1957 and came with sweet original hardwood ... it was just under several layers (carpet, carpet pad, linoleum [circa 1972], particle board, and TAR paper). So one day we started to rip things up.

We pulled up so much crap, and heat-gunned the glue off. Then we my dad sanded for like 9 hours one day ... it was really dusty. Thanks Dad.

Then we stained the wood and put on a lot of polyurethane. A lot. Meanwhile, our furniture was in a storage unit and our poor boys had no place to watch TV. Sad.

But now it looks awesome! And the TV is plugged back in. And I feel like I live in a new house. I just love it.

And a special thanks to my mom, who got the "house flipping bug". The bathroom's next.

thoughts

2011-04-10T04:41:00.010-06:00

It's 4:42 in the AM and I'm at work. I arrived at work last night just in time for a major federal felony warrant service involving 4 agencies, 2 K9s, and SWAT, as well as a knife-wielding old lady accusing her neighbors of breaking into her apartment ... all at the same time. Things were pretty intense until 3 or so. When it cooled down, I started a netflix and pulled out a magazine... Then at 4:30 the 911's start ringing (PS I'm by myself) and there's a big fight going on at one of our favorite apartment complexes. I called another agency to help out, and 30 minutes later that's over.
I just love my job. That's all.

This week is Spring Break for the kids. And for us, that means Trek. Lucas and I will be taking a bunch of delinquents down to Boulder for 4 days of backpacking, solo overnighters, an exciting rappel, and much much more... we're actually taking our 2 boys down a night early to help set up the rappel for another group. And Brok is coming. He loves Trek.

Also, we went to dinner tonight with some friends to celebrate a birthday, and got into some really great conversation about kids and drugs and how when we were 12 we had no idea about the real world. And here are these kids that are using and selling meth. And all kinds of other things. Crazy. It just makes me think about how scary it is for the youth of the Church, and how it will be even more scary when my kids are faced with even harder challenges and trials. I don't really like to think about it. Lorien and I decided we'd really just rather be living in 1955. Next door to June Cleaver.

And speaking of Lorien .... I really want to say how grateful I am to have great friends. I feel like the trials in my life are hardly mentionable compared to what others are going through, but sometimes I need to whine. I have a bunch of really understanding and supportive people in my life (sisters and friends and co-workers and neighbors and HUSBAND) who know just what to do and say to brighten my day.
I'm lucky.

Introducing:

2011-04-06T15:17:00.002-06:00

Amelia Rae - the newest Kane baby. Actually, she's a Casper, but she comes from Luke's sister.

And she's adorable.

at conference time

2011-04-02T12:58:00.007-06:00

I just have a few random things I want to blog about:

1. I love General Conference time. I love that we are lucky enough to have living prophets to lead and guide us, and that we get to hear directly from them twice a year.
I love that the messages from our leaders are directed at us, to help us deal with real life, current issues we're dealing with.
AND, we got tickets to the Sunday morning session, so take that!

2. George and Reba. Tonight. I'm pretty excited, but Lucas is SUPER excited.

3. I've mentioned before how much I love boy haircuts on girls. Well my long-haired sister cut hers (not a total boy cut, but short). Shorter than mine, which might be a first in our lives. I'm 100% jealous, and have already called my hair lady. How cute is she?!?!

4. I have been listening to Damien Rice constantly for the last week or two. I just love him.

March 30: Today's To-Do List

2011-03-30T07:06:00.002-06:00

- Skylar to work at 6
- Diareece to school at 7
- lawn replacement/landscaping estimate guy at 7:30
- work on monthly reports until...
- shopping with Rachelle at 10
- sushi at the Naked Fish with Vicki and the gals
- snowboarding with Rachelle 2:30-8:30? (or however long we can last)
- home before carpool drops off boys at 9:15
- midnight snacks
- bed.

March 29: Favorite Foods

2011-03-29T09:07:00.005-06:00

I love food. My #1 is easy.

Avocado.

I really love steak or burgers or hot dogs or anything than can be cooked outside.

But I really really love fruit. Berries or pineapple or apple slices or grapefruits. Just not mango.

I also enjoy a good salad bar. As long as I can have garbanzo beans, peas, and sunflower seeds I'm happy.

And also a Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law Mike - I'm sure he won't read this, but Steph will. Steph, please tell him.

What a great guy.

March 28: Vacations to Take

2011-03-28T16:58:00.005-06:00

Ireland

Machu Picchu

Thailand

Alaska

Texas

... and a million more.

March 27: Lessons Learned

2011-03-27T10:08:00.004-06:00

- If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
- It's okay to say no.
- Children should be neither seen nor heard.
- Always take a phone charger.
- Practice being thrifty and frugal.
- You can do anything, but not everything.
- Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

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March 26: Books I'd like to read this year

2011-03-27T09:53:00.006-06:00

I have no excuse for being late on my March 26th post.

- Pride and Prejudice (because I do every year)
- The Book of Mormon (because I don't every year)
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
- How Could You Do That?!: The Abdication of Character, Courage, and Conscience (Dr Laura)
- A Year Down Yonder (Richard Peck)
- The Magic of Ordinary Days (Ann Howard Creel)
- Cities of the Plain (Border Trilogy) (Cormac McCarthy)
- and this ... I plan on spending a lot of time in canyons in San Rafael this summer :)

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March 25: things I'd rather be doing right now

2011-03-25T16:18:00.004-06:00

-sleeping
-kissing
-watching Jeopardy
-snowboarding (yahoo for late March snow!!)
-hanging out with my favorite kiddos

March 24: I make lists for ...

2011-03-24T20:19:00.004-06:00

Everything. I love lists.

-shopping (grocery and otherwise)
-errands
-To Do
-a daily work list (court report for ______, close file for ______, new files for new kids, discharge summaries)
-actually I have 4 lists in my Journey binder just waiting to be completed...
-cleaning lists
-books to read and movies to watch
-projects to do

I love the satisfaction of being able to cross something off, especially if it's with a sharpie on a post-it.

March 23: Guilty Pleasures

2011-03-23T14:43:00.005-06:00

Weeds (the show), and probably any tv other than Jeopardy.
Afternoon naps.
Romance novels.
Real Dr. Pepper.
Yoga pants all day.
Double stuff Oreos.
Swearing.
Searching the boys room.

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March 22: Today I Saw ...

2011-03-22T10:15:00.003-06:00

Today I saw people of all shapes and sizes at the gym. It was a great session. I saw my visiting teachers, which was awesome. They're great. I saw some great deals at Costco, my favorite place. I saw a computer screen for a long time at work, court reports and weekly reports and discharge reports .... I saw 2 case managers and 2 moms and 2 therapists at 2 team meetings for 2 kids. Awful. I saw some great friends put down a lot of sushi at all-you-can-eat sushi night. And then I saw great scores from the kiddos after programming. It was great. Good day.

March 21: Things to do this SPRING

2011-03-21T09:39:00.003-06:00

CAMPING!!
hikes
bike rides in Moab
tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point
run outside
spring cleaning
outside rock climbing
a lot of outdoor adventures
maybe a 5K?

March 20: Celebrity Crushes

2011-03-20T21:03:00.005-06:00

Here are just a few...

And a couple of girl crushes ... can you tell I miss my boy haircut?

1. James Franco
2. Adrien Brody
3. Daniel Craig (I know he likes boys ... maybe I just have a crush on 007)
4. Brad. Doi.
5. Jude Law
6. Mark Ruffalo
7. Natalie Portman
8. Keira Knightley
9. Pink

(all photos courtesy of imdb)

2 lists

2011-03-19T07:53:00.010-06:00

March 18: Road Trip Must-haves

I just love road trips. My necessities are:

- ipod
- road trip mixes (usually courtesy of Julie, she makes the best mixes)
- snacks, usually from Costco
- books & magazines (I love that I can read in the car without getting sick)
- camera
- final destination

March 19: Recipes to Try

- chocolate layered pie
- the best frosting I've ever had
- parmesan zucchini crisps
- mushroom ragout
- zucchini and corn risotto
- pie in a jar
- irish wheaten bread

And here are some of my favorite cooking/recipe websites:

- Our Best Bites
- Tasty Kitchen
- Bakerella
- Scrumptious Sisters
- Tasty Pursuits

For Japan With Love

2011-03-17T22:46:00.005-06:00

Here's something:

I know I'm not a "blogger" or anything, but I'm going to observe the blogger day of silence tomorrow. You may look forward to 2 lists on Saturday.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

And look at some really cool photos that Julie found, right here.

March 17: words that are hard to spell

2011-03-17T08:59:00.003-06:00

I think I'm a good speller. I feel like I always have been. I get really irritated, especially at work, when people misspell things. I get even more irritated when people use incorrect grammar (we was down to the park).
Here are some of my favorites:

-paraphernalia
-entrepreneur
-lieutenant
-aneurysm
-phlegm
-bivouac
-chassis
-hemorrhage
-connoisseur
-reconnaissance
-dachshund
-entrepreneur
-hors d'oeuvre
-eucalyptus

And Happy St Patricks Day!

March 16: Places to See in Your Town

2011-03-16T16:32:00.005-06:00

Orem, UT. Not the most exciting place. Not even the most exciting place in Utah County. So maybe I'll give you some highlights for the whole area....

FOOD: Guru's, Pizzaria 712, Los Hermanos, J-Dawgs, and Taco Amigo of course.

ADVENTURE: Provo Canyon (south fork, Sundance, Heber), American Fork Canyon (best rock climbing in the world), Rock Canyon (more climbing, and BASE JUMPING), a million other canyons for hikes and bike rides and climbs, Timpanogos Cave, and Utah Lake is pretty cool also.

RELAXING: 7 Peaks, The Alpine Loop, Thanksgiving Point, scenic lift rides at Sundance, and Young Living Lavender Farms.

and many many more ...

So there are a few things in Utah County ... we managed to have an adventure club dedicated to Utah County Adventures (UCAC). So it can't be that bad.

photo courtesy of provo.org

March 15: My Shopping List

2011-03-15T08:37:00.001-06:00

Target. Dusting spray, toilet paper, fabric softener. The boys need to get body wash, deodorant, and face wash.
Costco. Dog food, clementines, water softener salt and maybe some shoes or a book if I find something I love.
Nordstrom. This sweater, this skirt, and these shoes. And these.
I love errand running days.

March 14: Things I Love About _________

2011-03-13T20:11:00.008-06:00

They said I could choose anything I want to love. I just can't decide ...
After much deliberation, I went with loving the outside.
Today has been glorious. I love the springtime.

- I opened my windows and doors to air out the house, it's so refreshing!
- I can do a million things, especially in Utah:
*hiking
*biking
*climbing
*canyoneering
*fires in the canyon
*snowshoeing
*snowboarding
- The smells of outside, especially in the summer
*grass mowing
*cooking outside
*thunderstorm
- Eating and cooking outside, it's the best
- I love that babies and little kids are so intrigued by the outside... and my dog.
- I love reading outside, it reminds me of being a kid, we were always reading out on the tramp.

The list could go on forever ... I would rather be outside than in any day.

Here are some pictures from our most recent outdoor activity: The Graffiti Adventure (there are quite a few pictures ... sorry)

March 13: DIYs I want to try

2011-03-13T09:23:00.007-06:00

-sewing (I know how, but I want to be like Julie...)
-soap making (Lucas does it, and it's awesome)
-candle making
-home improvement stuff (I love this blog)
-homemade greek yogurt
-canning

I don't know if it counts for DIY things ... but I really want to learn to be more self-sufficient. I want to learn:

-how to raise chickens
-how to make yummy bread (like my mom)
-how to make cheese from goat's milk (from my goat that I milked)
-bee keeping
-how to make compost for the garden
-organic farming
-and a million other things on our small farm that we will have someday ...

March 12: weekly rituals

2011-03-12T15:42:00.003-07:00

Mondays: clinicals from 8-noon, lunch with the QA girls.
Tuesdays: my longest work day - sending weekly reports to case managers
Wednesdays: Modern Family!
Thursday: ?
Friday: something fun with the boys after therapy (off the ground tag season is quickly approaching!)
Saturday: Bountiful Basket
Sunday: church, naps, Sunday dinner at mom's

Maybe I need a more solid schedule ... I don't really have one.

March 11: Date Night Ideas

2011-03-11T09:13:00.002-07:00

My favorite dates:

-bonfire up the canyon
-hikes!
-movies, especially matinees
-snowboarding
-jump on it (our first date)

-and Luke's favorite date is July 6th.

March 10: wishlist

2011-03-10T09:40:00.004-07:00

I wish for ...

- the time and money to travel all over the world
- a baby
- new floors in my house
- a college degree
- shopping spree at anthro
- tickets to this
- for my mortgage to be paid off
- a farm
- xbox 360 with kinect
- this print in my kitchen
- a library in my house

And ... my new favorite baby: Sophia Kate Adams - congrats Caleb and Ellen! She couldn't have picked a better family :)

March 9: Favorite Websites/Blogs

2011-03-09T08:36:00.007-07:00

Well I kind of did this already (blogs at least). Here are a few of my favorite websites:

-amazon
-etsy
-backcountry
-netflix
-lds
-pinterest
-svpply
-picnik
-grooveshark
-martha

This list could go on forever. I have a lot of internet time at work ...

Carter would like me to add Disney , as it has the best games.

PS I'm babysitting Steph's kids in Logan for a few days ... my favorite.

March 8: In My Bag

2011-03-08T06:55:00.004-07:00

You might think I was preparing for the end of the world. In my bag I have:

-2 books: The Conscious Kitchen and The Sea Runners. I haven't read either of them yet.
-a post-it note book I got at Hobby Lobby, my favorite
-a couple of bills waiting to be thrown in the mail
-wallet and check book
-2 packs of gum
-2 boxes of Altoids (one small, one creme de menthe)
-a little hand sanitizer
-a little lotion
-2 bottles of fingernail polish
-USB cable (for charging my phone or plugging in a camera)
-FAXED stamp, white-out, sharpie, more post-its and a bunch of pens (office on the go?)
-2 chapsticks
-2 crystal light packets
-gloves (just little ones for driving)
-vitamins (or I would never take them...)
-a Baggu
-and 3 oranges (probably not necessary, but these oranges are SO good)

I guess what I'm saying is that I'll be cleaning out my bag today. Downsizing.

March 7: Blog Goals

2011-03-07T19:24:00.005-07:00

I kind of hate this list. I mostly only have a blog because my sister made me ... don't get me wrong, I love it. I love reading and looking at blog posts from the past and remembering the fun times. I love that our faraway family can see what we're doing. But we don't have any kids ... so many blogs revolve around kids, or something specific (cooking, sewing, etc). Mine has no special meaning.

So my blog goals are:
-display more projects (I'll have to do more)
-write more (or actually write in my journal)
-learn more html
-update at least twice weekly
-somehow make my blog more interesting (so more people will read it)

I'm open to suggestions!
And for fun, here are a few (okay, a lot) of blogs I enjoy. I only know a couple of these people in real life, but I really love their blogs.

Betty Mountain Girl
Blonde Canary
Finding My Niche
Jenn King
Oh Happy Day
Mr & Mrs Globe Trot
The Polished Pickle
Fish Hatchery

March 6: Least Favorite Words

2011-03-06T16:00:00.004-07:00

-moist
-anyways
-awkward
-nugget
-anything ending with in' (dunkin' donuts)
-pic

I'm sure there are more, but I have a lot more favorite words than least favorite ...

Also, remember that book I love, Food Rules? Here is a little article about some of the rules that were submitted ... I love Michael Pollan.

March 5: Weekend Goals

2011-03-05T17:39:00.003-07:00

SATURDAY:
-clean the house!
-volunteer with the boys at Bountiful Baskets
-Andrea's baby shower :)
-see Rango
-nap

SUNDAY:
-bake in the morning (coffee cake?)
-church at 11
-work
-probably a couple of discharge summaries ...

It will be a great weekend ...

March 4: Today's Playlist

2011-03-04T08:36:00.007-07:00

I started out the morning with Bright Eyes on the way to work.

I got to work and pulled up my Grooveshark. I love Pandora, but I feel like this is way better ...

I put on some She and Him
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Followed by a whole bunch of Eva Cassidy

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I just love her. If you want to read about her, and maybe cry a little, read this.

And then more Bright Eyes to round out the afternoon ... they're my favorite.

Also, this whole BYU basketball star business is making me laugh. I don't care about college sports, but I love this. I love Heather Armstrong, even if she's a little inappropriate sometimes ...

AND, my sister-in-law Ellen had a baby girl this morning! Congrats Adams Fam! (pictures coming soon I hope)

March 3: things I'm looking forward to

2011-03-03T12:06:00.004-07:00

This is an easy list for me ... hopefully all of these will come true:

-being pregnant
-going to Ireland
-planting a garden
-having new floors in my house
-The Young Dubliners!!
-spring
-watching the Modern Family episode I have on the DVR
-and a whole lot more ...

March 2: Things I'm Good At

2011-03-02T08:38:00.009-07:00

-directions (maybe this is only in Utah where directions are easy)
-making cookies
-hiking
-writing court reports
-reading
-dispatching
-spoiling nieces and nephews
-taking bubble baths
-making lists
-ironing

And here are some photos from our recent weekend in Portland:

1. Amazing Race line (just a tiny part of it)
2. Luke and Andy waiting (for 16 hours, overnight, in the coldest week of the year)
3. Luke & Sadie
4. Luke & Jude
5. Sadie
6. Jude
7. Mt Hood

30 days of lists

2011-03-01T16:48:00.007-07:00

I'm going to try something. In addition to my usual (sporadic) blogging, I'm going to make some lists. Like this, and this. Just for March, to see how I do. Hopefully it will work :)

March 1: A few things about yourself

I'm 27.
I'm a wife to a really really great guy.
I'm LDS.
I'm a proctor mom to 3 punk teenagers.
I'm a sister.
I have 2 dogs: Brok and Belle (Belle is a foster).
I love to hike and bike.
I can play the piano, but I don't very often (maybe I'll learn this one.)
I love to take pictures.
I drink too much Diet Coke.
I love giraffe prints, and also zebra.
I love my life.

PS I have 2 new favorites: SVPPLY and PINTEREST - follow me, you'll love it.

the happiest place on earth

2011-02-21T18:31:00.010-07:00

I just love Disneyland. It makes me feel like I'm 6 in such a good way. Here are a whole bunch of pictures from our trip, which was totally awesome.

We stopped in Vegas on the way down and had a blast, then spent a night in San Diego with my favorite, Abby and Kevin. We had dinner at a super fancy restaurant ON the beach. Like, 20 feet from the water. It was glorious.

I'm trying to be artistic and a photographer with my lovely new camera, so feel free to roll your eyes at these. We spent at least an hour in line for Indiana Jones ... I just love how anywhere you go in Disneyland they make you feel like you're really there ... wherever it is they want you to think you are.

We celebrated the Lunar New Year and visited some of the classics ...

All in all, it was a glorious trip ...

vacation time

2011-02-08T19:24:00.005-07:00

The time has come. My 30-year old husband, who has never been to Disneyland, will finally be able to experience the magic. We're spending a day in San Diego (with my bff Abby, can't wait!!), then 2 days at the Magic Kingdom. Hopefully we'll be able to see and ride everything ...

What's your favorite part of Disneyland? Your must-ride? What should I make sure Lucas gets to experience??

snow

2011-02-06T21:20:00.004-07:00

Well we went snowboarding once. Sad that we've only been one time this year ... there will be more. We went to Solitude with Luke's brother Andy, who was here for the Alt Summit. It was his first time, and he was awesome!

and..... I got a new camera!

Thanks to my favorite sister Steph for getting a new camera so I can have hers. You're the best!
Here is sample of my photo-taking skills, mostly attributed to the camera and Steph for teaching me everything I know.

Yes, that is a broken pipe. My handyman of a husband fixed our plumbing with his own two hands. What a dream.

Voice of the Spirit

2011-01-30T14:46:00.003-07:00

I love President Faust, and I LOVE Mormon Messages. This particular video was exactly what I needed to hear today, and is a great reminder to listen to and follow the voice of the Spirit, which is calm and quiet and leads to eternal life.

a good read

2011-01-25T22:42:00.006-07:00

I read a book last week. I actually only took an hour or so, but it was so great. It's called Food Rules. Michael Pollan wrote it, he's pretty wonderful. He also wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four
Meals and In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, both are also wonderful.

It's 64 rules about food that are awesome. Here are some of my favorite things from the book:

*Don't fall for the food industry's latest scam: products reformulated to contain "no HFCS" or "real cane sugar". These claims imply these foods are somehow healthier, but they're not. Sugar is sugar.

*The healthiest food in the supermarket - the fresh produce - doesn't boast about its healthfulness, because the growers don't have the budget or the packaging. Don't take the silence of the yams as a sign they have nothing valuable to say about your health.

*You're better off eating the real thing in moderation than bingeing on "lite" food products packed with sugars and salt.

*It's not food if it's called by the same name in every language. (Think Big Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles)

*Eat animals that have themselves eaten well. It's worth looking for pastured animal foods in the market - and paying the premium prices they typically command if you can.

*There is no such thing as a healthy soda.

*Old wives test: If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you're not hungry. Food is a costly antidepressant.

*According to the National Gardening Association, a seventy-dollar investment in a vegetable garden will yield six hundred dollars' worth of food.

*Gas stations have become "processed corn stations": ethanol outside for your car and high-fructose corn syrup inside for you. Don't eat here.

It's a really funny and great book. Highly recommended. You can borrow it from me if you want.

art for everyone

2011-01-18T08:49:00.002-07:00

How cool is this website? They sell really neat prints for pretty good deals ...

20x200: IT'S ART FOR EVERYONE.

Some of my favorites:

Also, I love this quote:

“Resolutions are like goldfish; if you never kept one alive for a week? Either care more or try other things. Just quit acting so surprised.” ~Merlin Mann

post #100

2011-01-16T14:10:00.004-07:00

Gwen (Brok's BFF) came to stay for a couple of weeks while our dear friends Matt and Julie went on a lovely trip to Brazil ... see how much fun they had here and here. We didn't have as much fun, but we did do a lot of hiking in the snow ...

(Brok FREAKED out when we saw this deer ... luckily we were in the car or we would've never seen him again).

ALSO, I know that half of my blog posts are youtube videos, but I really can't help it sometimes. I'm completely obsessed with this commercial (but I don't drink beer). I love the commercial, especially the music. The Asteroid Galaxy Tour is my new favorite band.

Maybe I watched it like 19 times on a graveyard shift, and we've probably watched it 100 times since then. And downloaded the song on my phone.

a wonderful song

2011-01-11T06:07:00.001-07:00

Have you heard this song? I love it, and this band.

Now watch this, it's adorable:

cold

2011-01-01T22:24:00.002-07:00

Work is awesome ... no traffic stops tonight :)

2011

2010-12-31T20:51:00.005-07:00

I suppose I should document some resolutions ...
Here they are:

*more veggies*

*more cooking at home ... less Taco Amigo :( *

*quilt!*

*read more scripture/church non-fiction*

*blog more regularly?*

*buy a fancy camera and learn how to use it*

+
*house projects (floors, yard, everything)*

++
*build a coop and get some chickens for it*

+
*plant a huge garden*

+

Oh yeah, and I'm totally off carbonated beverages. Sucky.
AND, we're not eating out for the entire month of January. Maybe more. Wish us luck, and feel free to invite yourself over for dinner and games.

christmas youtube

2010-12-25T17:47:00.001-07:00

How sad is that I haven't blogged in over a month??
Even more sad I guess that this won't be an actual post, just a hilarious Christmas Youtube video.
Enjoy!

the end of autumn

2010-11-21T14:09:00.007-07:00

Here are some of our last Autumn adventures:

1. Journey employee/friends/family/proctor kids paintballing extravaganza
2. Hike to the G!
3. Family picture from the G
4. Lovely scenery
5. Diareece & Mindy's drive to Price to drop off Estrella
7. Estrella was adopted!
6. Interesting stop on our Price trip (Spanish Fork Canyon)
7. Another shot of Mill Fork Cemetary
8. Diareece loved the windmills at the mouth of the canyon
9. A glorious sunset

christmas list

2010-11-01T23:39:00.002-06:00

Item #1 on my Christmas list:

Only $1300.
Golden Goose

General Grievous

2010-10-27T09:43:00.003-06:00

We got a new foster dog. Her name is Estrella, but Lucas calls her General Grievous ....

Okay so maybe it's not so obvious in the picture ... but her eyes are really scary!
image

I love people

2010-10-26T21:27:00.003-06:00

I know that my attitude is generally the opposite of this, I'm usually annoyed with everyone ... but today has been a great day.
Lately my car has been dying randomly. At the post office, my driveway, Summit High School, and today: Target. I was procrastinating having it checked out because I didn't want to accept that my car had a problem and I really didn't want to pay to have that problem fixed. But today was the last straw.

Reason I love people today #1 - the nicest lady in the Target parking lot ever. Apparently she just moved here from San Diego and is getting used to the sweater weather .... she was so nice. Pulled her car right over and gave me a jump. Thanks lady.

Reason #2 - Autozone. Period. I freaking love that place. I went to the nearest store and the guy came right out and did some tests ... it was only the battery. He even came out and installed the new battery for me.

Reason #3 - Deseret Industries. I'm not saying I want to quit my job and work there, but they're the nicest employer I know. Billy ran from our house TWICE and ended up in Detention for a week and a half and they still gave him his job back. In fact, when he went down to beg for his job today they asked if he could start right back up again. Right then. Incredible. With any luck he'll have his cell phone and ipod priveleges back in no time ...

There are tons of other reasons I'm loving people today, those are just my top 3.

Also, this website made me smile.

- kiddos -

2010-10-19T22:23:00.011-06:00

So my sister's brother in law got married this weekend in Salt Lake.
We headed up to the big city to spend some time with the kiddos while Steph and Mike had a lovely afternoon without them ....

We started out at the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum at the Gateway. It was awesome! The kids got to work at a construction site, drive around and pump their own gas, pick veggies from their garden, go rock climbing, ride horses, and even ride in a Life Flight helicopter! Plus much more, it's a really fantastic place ...

Then we went and grabbed some lunch and headed to Liberty Park. Huge playground, fish pond, pioneer museum, mini-amusement park, tons of grass to run around on ... this park is awesome. Plus there were tons of weird people there.

Thanks to Steph for letting us play, and thanks Uncle Brett for coming with us! We had a blast!

fall colors

2010-10-17T22:36:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures of our recent hiking and adventures to see the lovely fall colors ....

(Plus Andy came to visit and teach a screen-printing class, he's our favorite)

One Source of Peace

2010-10-14T22:13:00.001-06:00

"In the most difficult circumstances of life, there is often only one source of peace. The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, extends His grace with the invitation, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' (Matthew 11:28)."

Donald L. Hallstrom, "Turn to the Lord," Ensign, May 2010

mini UCAC

2010-10-08T03:26:00.009-06:00

Remember UCAC? It was the best. Ever.
Well Luke and I decided to go on a little adventure with the boys ... a Sunday afternoon drive adventure to re-enact the first ever UCAC adventure.
We went to Thistle.

We stopped in Diamond Fork on the way home to chase cows. There are no pictures of this because I wasn't chasing cows. But I did take this picture, which I love:

PS Thanks Julie for the UCAC remembrance link.

blurry

2010-09-11T20:43:00.004-06:00

I know the pictures are blurry... I didn't have my camera, so these are from the phone.

I feel boring lately. A lot of the excitement in our life has been kid related, and most of that is confidential. I will say that we've been dealing with drugs, gangs, emails from teachers, theft, no xbox, no cell phones or ipods, lost home visits and lots and lots of work hours over the last couple of weeks. Ahhhh ... the joys of being (proctor) parents. But that also means apology notes, which pretty much rip my heart out. Little Daniel had me in tears last night, bless his heart. It is worth it, and it's SO much fun.

From our hike today:

Lucas and boys having chicken fights on a log, Randy ended up with wet shoes today ....

I love the colors changing

I'm sad that summer is coming to an end, but super excited for the cold ....

And happy 9/11. Happy? Maybe not. Good to remember? For sure. This really nice family brings pies every year to thank the public servants of Pleasant Grove. Banana cream and cherry - I'll have that, thank you.

Again, sorry for the blur.

clutter

2010-08-26T18:34:00.009-06:00

So, remember when I cut out 98% of the stress in my life by quitting my job? Well, it's creeping back in. I recently became full-time at The Journey, which I'm really really excited about. Mostly because it's full-time on my own terms. I can work pretty much whenever I want, as long as I get everything done. So I can go in when the boys are at school in the mornings, or in the evenings before I pick them up after therapy ... I really love it. Plus, it's quality assurance, with a lot of filing and stapling and highlighting and faxing and organizing. I wonder how long I'll be fascinated with the idea of being a secretary ....

So that's new.

Also, I'm having kind of an issue with clutter. I know we've only lived in our house for 4 months, but I feel like the clutter is taking over my life. Maybe it's the boy stuff everywhere or the laundry taking over my life ... but I think mostly it's the kitchen. I feel like I have about 10 square feet of counter top space and it's completely covered. The toaster, the kitchenaid, my fruit bowl ... I hate it. I need help. I feel like I can't get rid of these things ... I need a kitchenaid, obviously. But I have nowhere to put them. I suppose the kitchenaid can stay on the countertop, but I'd really like to stop it there. Any suggestions for organization in a small kitchen? Should I just get rid of these things that I think I need? Help.

In recent news, our dear friends the DeHarts were married. They had a lovely wedding ceremony at the Manti temple, isn't it beautiful? Sorry MJ's face is covered by her hand, it was the only non-blurry photo.

If you go here, Elle Imagery, you can see some awesome photos taken by their photographer, Lacey. In the weddings, then bridals section. They're just great. And the greatest reception. They made jam and had pie instead of cake.

And it was my birthday last week. My mom brought me a lovely cheesecake from costco, the gals at work and I nearly polished it off ... thanks mom, you're the best.

Pine Creek

2010-08-15T17:21:00.012-06:00

So last weekend we headed down to Zion to do a couple of slot canyons. We planned on Pine Creek Canyon on Sunday then Mystery Canyon on Monday. We got to Zion late Saturday and camped then got up early to get a permit for the canyon Sunday morning. We checked out the weather and decided that since the forecast called for thunderstorms off and on all day, we'd rather not risk our lives with a flash flood.
So instead we headed to St George for a little climbing at Black Rocks, my favorite St George climbing spot. I didn't take any climbing pictures. Sorry. But we did see a rare desert tortoise, true story. I took this picture on my phone:

Then we went to Red Cliffs and did some hiking around, it was cloudy and so pretty.

We went back to our campsite and went swimming (this is important later)with our friend Danny, his sister and his wife Erin (my new favorite), and their
adorable little guy, Jude. Ate some extra yummy dutch oven chicken and rice curry. So good. Then to bed, we were getting up at 5 to start hiking ....
5 AM comes along, Luke tells me to go wake up the boys to get ready and starts packing up our tent. I knock on Danny's tent, then Ryan's, then go back to ours to pack up. I look over and here comes Danny, staggering like a full-on drunk towards us. He says he has a problem. He was supposed to wear ear plugs last night in the pool ... he's been puking all night ... he has vertigo and can't walk straight ... he feels totally dizzy and doesn't feel like he should stand at the edge of huge cliffs then lower himself off them. Fair enough. So we decided to do Pine Creek and went back to bed.
Pine Creek was so incredible. I've done it before, but it was both Lucas and Ryan's first canyoneering experience. The canyon had flashed 3 times the day before (if we had tried it we would have for sure been battered to death by rocks), so it was all murky and cold and really wet. There were a lot of sections we had to swim through ... here are some of my favorite shots (sorry there are a million and none of them are awesome, the lighting was awful):

{before shot}

{Luke on the 1st rappel}

{looking straight down - 60 ft rappel}

{cute boys}

{cute helmets}

{setting up the last rappel - 100 ft}

{me on the last rappel}

{the end}

ha

2010-08-10T21:39:00.003-06:00

Maybe I've watched this 19 times tonight at work.

And this one that julie introduced me to a long time ago that I recently saw again. And laughed.

"I want pie. I want beef jerky"

prop 8

2010-08-05T13:22:00.003-06:00

I don't usually like to get involved in political discussions ... mostly because I don't know anything about politics. Also, because I have a lot of mixed opinions.
I'm not crazy about prop 8, like I don't want to get in a fight with someone who feels differently than I do. I just really believe that marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman.

Here is the statement from the Church, which I totally agree with:
Church Statement on Proposition 8 Ruling

And I really love being married to a manly man.

ditty

2010-07-29T18:49:00.003-06:00

So we were driving along today, on our way home from Cabellas, and this little beauty comes on the radio:

That's right -- Ditty, by Paperboy. 1993. I've never heard of this, but my extremely music savvy husband exclaims, "this is paperboy, turn it up .... this takes me back to my roller-skating days ...."

Love him.

PS He spent the whole afternoon trying to convince his friend Craig, who owns a skating rink (IN MICHIGAN) to have a 70s, 80s, 90s old school rap night.

summertime

2010-07-27T22:04:00.006-06:00

Our life has settled into a nice little routine lately. We currently have 2 proctor boys - Daniel and Billy - and we're loving it. We get a 3rd boy this weekend, more of short-term (probably about a month) and we're super excited. I was pretty nervous about having proctor kids, but it's been great so far. Maybe we've just been extra lucky, we do have great kids.

We've been rock climbing a bunch lately, and spending as much time up the canyon as possible. Since I quit Provo I've had tons of free time and I've actually been able to hang out with Lucas ... I love it.

(a neat little cemetery -- freedom, ut)

(daniel climbing)

(brok making himself at home)

(luke's first lead climb)

(hot boy)

I love summertime.

some things

2010-07-10T05:22:00.010-06:00

Here are some photos from some of the things we've been up to recently.

Strawberry Days Rodeo (I know, almost a month ago ...) with the DeHarts and Peays. Love them. And I do realize the picture of us is blurry, it probably won't be the only one on this post ...

We had an extra fun little visitor, our darling neice Halle while her family went to St Louis without her.

throwing rocks

rolling down the hill with uncle yuccas

watching dora

Lucas went to Nauvoo for his brother's wedding ...

siblings

babies. layla and elliot

kyle and melissa

luke at the nauvoo temple, probaby missing me

We've been doing our usual hiking and playing in the canyon ... with a little rock climbing lately.

south fork

south fork

maple canyon

Oh, and I quit my job. Today is officially my last day ... it's bittersweet.

the 4th

2010-07-03T09:30:00.005-06:00

I think I need these.

red, anthro

white, anthro

blue, anthro

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”
Erma Bombeck

remember, safety first

best night ever

2010-06-26T05:03:00.006-06:00

First, we went to a lovely wedding reception - Kate & Kenny Powell.

Then we grabbed the kids from therapy (oh yeah, we have had proctor kids this week - Dylan and Jeremy) and went miniature golfing. I lost.

But the best part of the night was this:

Lucas bought me a piano. My mom's BFF Deb and her family were cleaning out her mother-in-law's house to sell and they had this awesome piano. According to her husband, it was only played for 6 months when he was a child - the worst 6 months of his life ....

I love it.

Gadianton Robbers

2010-06-22T22:39:00.008-06:00

So I was at work today (job #3, at the Journey Impact Ranch), and we were talking about kids with gang involvements and how to deal with that. We were talking about how these kids are born and raised as gang members ... their parents and grandparents are involved in gangs and it's a lifestyle to them, more than a hobby or after-school activity. It's really quite scary how these 14 and 15-year old kids would kill or die for their gang. Scary.
Maddy - the head guru, therapist, owner, etc of The Journey was there and she has the best analogy for this issues. Gadianton Robbers. They're totally like a gang. And what's the only way to get rid of Gadianton Robbers? Love them. Teach them the truth. That Maddy is pure genius.

This is Kishkumen. A leader and co-founder of the Gadianton robbers, he was a deadly assassin who killed Pahoran son of Pahoran as he sat on the judgement seat. He planned to murder Helaman, son of Helaman but is slain instead by one of Helaman's servants. I love this picture, I think it's exactly what he looked like in real life.

President Hinckley spoke just after 9/11.
He said, "The Book of Mormon speaks of the Gadianton robbers, a vicious, oath-bound, and secret organization bent on evil and destruction. In their day they did all in their power, by whatever means available, to bring down the Church, to woo the people with sophistry, and to take control of the society. We see the same thing in the present situation."
The same can be said for our current situation ... we are facing adversary at every turn.
President Hinckley in the same article said, "Occasions of this kind pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift. So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary. When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure. He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children. I was reared on that kind of doctrine. I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day."

We're loving Dave Ramsey lately too, the idea of being debt free is so exciting! Maybe someday we'll pay off our mortgage ...

Anyway, back to the original point of this post. We officially started proctor care this week. We're filling in for a family and taking care of their 2 boys, Dylan and Jeremy. We get our first actual proctor boy next Monday and we're super excited. I love that we have great examples to help us through this exciting and kind of scary time in our lives.

#1 - Our own parents and families. We have awesome parents and awesome brothers and sisters who are all great parents.
#2 - Great friends and co-workers who provide great examples to us. I love that Maddy didn't hesitate to bring up the Book of Mormon at work, and that she's obviously thought of this analogy many times. I love that the Book of Mormon goes right along with our currents lives and is the most awesome tool to help us deal with latter-day issues.

We may be getting another boy who has been physically abused by his father. Lucas mentioned that one of the reasons he's excited to be a proctor parent is so that he can show these boys what a good man looks like. That good fathers and male examples exist. I love that. He's the best husband and he'll be the best dad and best proctor dad in the world, I'm sure of it.

President Hinckley talk from the Liahona, January 2002 The Times in Which We Live

a good read

2010-06-16T16:48:00.007-06:00

I know I'm probably way behind the popular reading crowd ... but I just finished this book:

I totally loved it. Maybe it's the way Gerald Lund makes it so easy to enjoy the awesome history (which he totally researched the crap out of and made it completely accurate) and also adds a cute little love story. Or maybe I loved it because every single chapter I was checking maps and indexes (included) to see if I could go see the places where these incredible people were risking their lives to fulfill their mission.
Unfortunately, most of the places they went are un-visitable. But I still want to go see what is available.....
Here are some photos from the internet:

"The Chute", from this blog, one of the crazy hills they took their wagons down after building the road.

"Hole in the Rock", from another great website, which is an awesome source for cool pictures and great info about the Hole in the Rock expedition.

If you haven't, you should probably read it.

road trip

2010-06-09T09:35:00.007-06:00

We recently went to St Louis for Luke's best friend Kyle's wedding.
I didn't get too many pictures of the actual wedding because I was on backup photographer duty for Kyle's mom, but here are some from our trip:

on the road again

we went from colorado

to the flatness of kansas

we LOVED kansas - no joke, the people were so nice!

I loved Missouri and kind of want to live there for a minute

we stopped at the temple dedication site in Independence, MO - it was -awesome-

Luke at the temple site

Community of Christ temple

St Louis!

St Louis temple, very lovely

We had a great trip, but how embarassing, not even one picture of the bride and groom ... maybe next time!