Life Changes Yet Again

     The day after Christmas I got a text from a friend, nothing unusual there. Her brother that lives in New York was here for Christmas and was looking for a nanny (his nanny had something drop in her lap & had moved) and they were wondering if Morgan would be interested. I told her that is exactly what Morgan had been talking about doing actually. She said have Morgan call me. I did and she did. She talked to both my friend and her brother the next day, babysat for them that night, and just needed to talk to our boss about the fact that she was now moving to New York City! Our boss was perfectly okay with it. She only said "Go. This is your dream and what you've been wanting to do. Go and don't think anything about it. I'll get someone to sub for you until we find someone to take over." Our boss is the absolute best.
     The last two weeks have been slightly crazy getting her packed up and all the things that need finalized before she moved across the country, possibly forever. She has been going through everything in her room deciding what to take, what to pack away, what to throw away and what to leave for me to send her later, and what to just leave to deal with later. Wow, who knew she had so much stuff? Who knew these decisions were so hard to make? Who knew she wouldn't have enough time to go through everything? They will be back for a while this summer for a visit, maybe she can finish it all up while they're here?
     We will miss her, but we are so excited for her new adventures. This puts her right where she's wanted to be. An actress in New York City, oh the possibilities!  My brother has some friends there in the acting/music industry he has/can connect her with to get her started. After a year and a half of her figuring out how to get where she has always wanted to be, everything has started falling in place. The sky is the limit for her.
     We are now down to two children at home. It was just two years ago we still had 5 of our 6 kids still at home...so we bought a Suburban to replace the van that had worn out and needed replaced. Now we no longer need such a large vehicle. Time to start looking for a car I guess. Who knew how fast we would no longer need that vehicle? Who knew in that two years we would have one child come home from his mission, get engaged & get married. A second child meet someone the week of the other child's wedding, get engaged, get married and send her husband off to Afghanistan and have him return safely a year later. (Yes, I need to backdate blogs about all of  that) Then have a third child move across the country to New York City hoping to live her dream there, possibly forever.  
     Life is ever evolving, changing, morphing. Sometimes we feel like nothing is ever going to change, like we will be changing diapers, wiping noses, potty training, or breaking up bickering children forever. Then we realize we are helping with homework getting them to ballgames, taking them to friends houses, taking them to parties and they are taking care of more things themselves. You blink and you can no longer help them with their homework, they are driving themselves everywhere, instead of getting them ready for a play date, you're getting them ready for a date. All of a sudden they are in college, getting married, having children of there own and you are down to two children at home.
     We are okay with that. We have plans and dreams of out own. We love out kids and grandkids, and we will enjoy the time we have left with the kids still living with us. We still have a few years of homework, one more child to teach to drive, dating and all that comes with it, two more high school graduations, college and career choosing, and we'll enjoy it, or not, just as much as we have all along. There is no problem with looking forward while enjoying the journey.

New Year 2014

     I got on here today after not having written anything for a while with full intentions of just saying Happy New Year! Intentions of just spending some time for a few days or nights getting caught up on this blog of my life. It seriously took me quite a while to even figure out how to get on here, much less post anything, and the next time is probably going to take me just as long. What do I discover when I finally do figure it out and  navigate my way here? I discover that I haven't been on here or posted anything for longer than I thought. I discover that it is going to take a lot longer than just a few days or nights of updating past happenings and writing new posts to get caught up, and stay caught up, and re-figure out how to do things on here. After all, I'm not a technology whiz by any means. I need to load pictures on here, from the last 2 1/2 years apparently, update the background, get caught up on family happenings and lives...and things have changed on here drastically from what I can see.
      It is the way it goes I guess. Time passes and we don't even realize how much has passed or how fast it's passing. We have all the plans and intentions to do so many things and accomplish great goals and make great strides in our lives. Do they happen? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. And why is that? Do we get busy? Not pay attention to what is really going on in our own life? Waste time with what is considered by some to be silly or frivolous things or only with the 'mundane tasks' of the reality of life? Sometimes both? Is it bad, never good, to just take a self-imposed time out in our life just playing, watching tv/movies, FB or just the internet in general? Is it always good, never bad, to only focus on the 'mundane tasks' of life in general...kids, chores, errands, work, etc etc etc. And is it good to just run on the proverbial gerbil wheel day after day after day? I don't feel either is necessarily right or wrong, just different, and both are needed to have some sort of balance in our life.
     So maybe that is what I should hope/plan for myself this year, balance in my life. A balance between what I feel to be the mundane and the fun, Spiritual and worldly, peace and chaos (because chaos can be fun after all).  Maybe I can get caught up on here while I'm on one of my self-imposed time outs.
     This is the first day of a New Year. People feel it is a time to start with a clean slate, of new beginnings, to start over, or again, or just start. What is it that the turning of the calendar to a new year makes us feel this hope and resolve that we didn't have a week ago? Today is just yesterdays tomorrow after all. Maybe all of our tomorrows should hold the same bright outlook.    

End of May 2011 Mission Poster

This is the last month!

Look at that. The poster is full....

And then some. We had to add 5 more stickers for May.

Oh what happy little bugs these are to finish out the poster!

Except that's not the end.....there will be one final sticker tomorrow! The day he comes home!!! :)

.

This is how we told Elder Gary whether he had a nephew or a niece. He doesn't like to find out in advance. So it was a good thing he was on his mission......cause it wasn't a secret around here!

Needed a little love before the pictures.

Cutest little Brody bug.

So tired. Maybe he will be awake when we get to the airport in 2 weeks.

I think it's not a secret anymore. He has the cutest little nephew Brody!

End of April 2011 Mission Poster

And we come to the end of yet another month. This is an exciting month as we have only one more left!

The triangle that is left is very small now!

Aren't those the cutest little Easter stickers?

Yep. That's what it says, 26....but there are a few more days than that. We're going to have to add our own 'circles'.

So little left!

End of March 2011 Mission Poster

The end of another month already. The end of countdown month number 3.

Getting quite full.

Smaller double digits....

The triangle is shrinking ever so much smaller :)

End of February 2011 Mission Poster

This was month number 4. It is flying by. :)

Look at it filling right up!

In double digits!

Look at that smaller triangle. Shrinking even more.

End of January 2011 Mission Poster

And we end a new month, and the beginning of a new year. And a countdown of only coming home. This was month 5.

And it fills even fuller

Look how happy those penguins are about those numbers :)

Shrinking of the triangle

End of December 2010 Mission Poster

And it comes to the end of, not only another month, December, but that of another year.

Getting fuller, ever fuller

The days are counting down

Ever smaller triangle

End of November 2010 Mission Poster

As November draws to a close, we give thanks that Elder Gary's poster is as full of stickers as it is. :)

And the poster gets fuller, the empty triangle smaller

Not many rows left!

Cute little turkeys

Yep! Only that many days left.....plus any extension.

Color Guard 2010

It is the close of another Color Guard season. I have a video, but for some reason I can't seem to get it from the camera to the computer. I'll have Morgan help me later. Then I'll post it for you.

They had a most awesome program this year....Koto. It's Japanese and means....again, I'll have to have Morgan find out.

They had a really great season this year. Taking first overall at ISU, and winning all captions, color guard, music, etc etc etc, except percution there. They took 2nd or 3rd at the other competitions, Weber, Davis, BYU, Mt Timpanogos, BBI (at USU) and color guard was consistently 2nd, percussion 1st, and all others placing well.

This past weekend (Thursday Nov 4th through Saturday November 6th) they were at Red Rocks and BOA (Bands of America) competitions in St George, UT. These have bands from California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and I don't know where else come and compete. They are in division depending on school size. So these kids were competing against some pretty awesome bands, as well as the ones they compete against all season.

Red Rocks-----the band placed 6th overall (which made them 3rd in the state), and color guard placed 2nd just behind Clovis West, CA. (which made them 1st in the state!)

BOA-----They performed in the afternoon and were one of the top 5 bands!!! Which put them in the finals, performing at 9:00pm, the first of the top 5 bands. They said it was the best performance they had done all season. They were sooooo excited, to say the least. I didn't hear from Morgan after they performed. Of course they had to wait for the rest of the bands to perform and then go through placing, awards etc etc etc.

So after going through that, loading the trailer, saying goodbye to everyone, driving all night on the bus, Morgan walked in the house pretty close to 6:00am Sunday morning. The results?.....

Sky View Marching Band placed 5th overall....which places them 3rd in the state! Colorguard placed 2nd only behind Clovis West, CA. Which places them #1 in the state! Since Morgan and her bestie Mandy are on the Rifle Line, they (and we) are pretty excited. They worked hard and deserved every win they got. They put everything they had into this year.

I think it has really hit Morgan that she only has one more year. She is going to miss it. But, who knows, maybe she will get to go to a college that has a color guard? Only time will tell. :)

Yay me!

So, I know I said I was going to be better about keeping my blog updated. Yeah, I know, not so much. I just don't seem to get downstairs to the computer except for a few minutes each day. So much to do. Remodeling the house, never ending laundry, work for 3.4 hours a day (I know, hehehe), random Mom/wife stuff, etc etc etc.

But today I got completely caught up on Elder Gary's mission posters! Yay! Take a look, it's amazing to see how much of a difference there has been. We are so EXCITED!!! And I also got the Halloween blog done. I know. Nice. Only 6 days later on that one. So much of an improvement over how I've been for about the last year, huh?

Now I need to catch up on birthdays, last years Prom, this years Homecoming, (since Sadie Hawkins is just around the corner....literally), some Color Guard, and just every day life. I'm not promising anything.....just saying I'm going to 'strive to be better'. How's that for non-committal?

Hope your November is going awesome so far!

End of October 2010 Mission Poster

Fall is well on its way. Another month, fun days, and Halloween are all over.

And even more stickers are on the poster!

Looking AWESOME!!! Row 7 into the second half.

That triangle is dwindling down.....

Yep, the numbers just keep getting better and better looking!

Halloween 2010

Halloween is a favorite holiday at our house. We love the dressing up for school/work. The dressing up for trick or treating. Seeing all the cute/scary/weird kids that come for candy.

Well, here is who and/or what we were this year...

Wynn the gunslinger

Pretty normal, huh?

Mom the hippie

(both school & passing out candy night of)
And this was Elder Gary's costume the last Halloween before

leaving on his mission.........

(nobody recognized me in this.....the kids, coworkers, friends,

people in the ward....)

Scary part is how much I LOOK LIKE HIM IN IT!!!

Nothing feminine here!

(absolutely wore my 5 inch heels to

church the next day!)

Drew as Pebbles for work on Friday

Drew as a ghost for Halloween night








Scary?

Morgan the zombie
(for school)

Nothing like her Homecoming pics huh?

Lexie ready for her Hillbilly prom?

(school)

Ain't she purty?

Lexie and friends RaQuel and Sharilyn

The Purple Ninjas

ready for trick or treating

Scary Ninja pose

Tanner wanted to be a baby girl doll

(both for school/and treating)

after all, his dad and brother (Elder Gary)

had both done it before!

And isn't he a cutie!!!

(nobody recognized him either!)

And now you see why we love Halloween. How can you not? We have soooooo much fun. Hope you had fun too!

End of September 2010 Mission Poster

And another month has gone by...a whole month of school, fall is here,

the leaves and weather are turning....and another month of stickers

are on the poster!

Look how small the triangle of days left is getting!

Look at it filling up...start of row 6.

Yup. That number is looking good!

Why Do I Do This To Myself?

Over and over again I get behind on my blog. I tell myself I enjoyed it much more when I stayed caught up! But yet, again I find myself behind. And farther behind than I've ever let myself get. But I find myself behind in so many things right now....

I decided to get caught up today on my blog, only to discover that my last real post was Elder Gary's mission poster the end of April. April? Really? I could have sworn I had done it since then, could have sworn I was only a couple of months behind. And in May I got ambitious and did numerous mission poster pictures because of it being a monumental month for him and all. I really could have sworn that I had posted them already!

I need to finish getting Tanner's things sewn on his Scout shirt. I was caught up at one point, and now they've changed some things. But that actually works to my advantage. Most of the things I don't have sewn on, they aren't doing any more and don't need to be put on his shirt. Yay me!!! Oh, wait, but then I need to put them on something else so they don't get lost. Boo! Maybe not an advantage after all.

I need to make some decisions on paint colors for my bedroom and bathroom. Why is this room the hardest to pick out? All the others I at least know the color I want and just have to find the shade. My room? Not so much. Though I'm thinking blue for the bathroom. But I don't want it so intense I can't stand to be in there!

I have two dvr's. Yes 2. One in the family room and one in my bedroom. Since Tanner is in my room for right now, I am behind on my shows in there......most of which are to help me in my house remodel. *Sigh*

I have some library movies Lexie and I were going to watch. She informed me that she has never seen the Pride and Prejudice movies. Really? Where did I screw up on that? I could have sworn I had watched them with her! So I got them from the library last Friday, which means there due tomorrow.....not watched yet. Good thing I can renew them on the computer! Done. Will watch this weekend since it's a Holiday and she has no soccer games!

And on that same trip to the library, I checked out a car full of books. I have been reading a lot this summer. Turning in a book just about every day. Plus all the other stuff I got done in a day. In the past week I have turned in one book!!! What happened? I have the house to myself all day!

So today I did get caught up on my blog......well, partly. I caught up on May. :) And I posted something for today. That in its self is a major improvement. Tomorrow I plan on working on June, and a new daily post.

I swear I'm going to keep up this time. I swear!

Now I see that Tanner is watching Pink Panther cartoons. Then after that, it's Flintstones, Jetsons....Maybe I'll go reward myself for posting May by watching with him. :)

End of August 2010 Mission Poster

And the summer is coming to a close. School has started.

And the poster is making progress. :)

The days left are slowly getting fewer!

(ignore the date, new camera)

On row 4 now! That second half is going down!

Now look how many days are left. Making us happy!