Letter to Driver

Dear Stupid People Who Don't Know How To Drive in the Snow,

I know that it surprised you that it snows in Utah, but it does. Just in case you were not aware, Utah makes a lot of money from the snow with our ski resorts. We have 14 ski resorts that flourish when it snows. So normally it doesn't surprise us when it snows. I wanted to let you know that it snows every winter just in case you plan on staying.

When it snows, the snow usually stays on the ground and eventually turns to ice. Even if it doesn't turn to ice, the slush is still slippery. Because of this, it is best to take it easy and drive slowly and careful through it. That is why the rest of the drivers are driving slow and easy. If you were running late and think that driving fast would help, it won't. It will cause others to have accidents. The multiple accidents on the freeway last night and today were probably caused by you. Yes, your actions do affect other people. You are not the only person here.

Also, just because it snows doesn't mean that you forget how to read or how to read signs with pictures. I understand that you are selfish enough to cut people off or drive close to them which can cause accidents but was unaware that you are so selfish that you think you can use other peoples properties how every you want to. Just because you couldn't read the "Dead End" sign or notice the fence at the end of road is no reason for you to drive on my lawn. I can see by your tire tracks that you noticed enough to pull into my driveway but not enough to notice that the lawn between the road and my driveway was not road. Was the "reverse" broken on your car? Maybe you should get that fixed. If I had a fence would you have crashed through it? Would it help you to pay for me to have a fence so we don't have this problem EVERY WINTER? If it would make it easier, I can cover my lawn with sticking up nails or land mines if it helps you to stay on the road.

I hope that this information will help you out for the rest of the winter and all of the other winters we will be having. I hope that you will notice how polite I have been to you with this matter. If my mother didn't read this blog, the language would have been more colorful.

Sincerely,
Me

1940s Radio Hour

Last night I was able to attend "1940's Radio Hour" presented by West Jordan City. What a cute show! I brought my friend Cherie with me. She is Perrin's runner-up Godmother. You know, if Perrin's Godmother (Stephanie) can't fulfill her duties, the runner-up steps in. Yes, I pick my child's Godmother like I pick Beauty Queens. heehee!! Anyway, my friend Megan was in the show and gave me 2 comp tickets (thank you Megs!) and I'm so glad she did! She did such a wonderful job! The show was really fun and helps you get into the Christmas mood. I love the songs of that time period. Megan sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and she did such a beautiful job. Her high notes were so clear and just floated in the air. It was angelic! So if you are able to, go and see it. It is performing at the Midvale Arts Center, I believe through the end of this week. Here are a couple of photos I took of Meg during the show. They were taken with my cell phone so they are not very clear.

Provo Utah Girls

This video was made by BYU students. It's hilarious!!

6 Months...What?!?

Today my little sweetheart Perrin is 6 months. 6 MONTHS!! When did that happen? It seems like yesterday we were hurrying to the hospital to bring him into this world. I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for trusting us with his child. Our life is 100% better having him in our life. One of my favorite moments in the day is walking in his room when he has woken up and when he sees me he smiles really big. He knows who I am and loves me as much as I love him. He has a wonderfully contagious laugh and smile. I love him more than I can say and I'm thankful to have him.He's not usually this serious. He will be laughing really hard and once we pull out a camera, he gets serious. It's rather funny. This was taken around 6 months.

Last night Perrin tried squash for the first time. He has been eating rice cereal and enjoying it and decided to try something new. My boss gave me a really big banana squash last night so I cooked up some of that for our dinner and did a separate amount for Perrin. Below is a short video of him trying it. He doesn't seem to like it at the beginning, I think it was because it was new. Once we got half through, he was leaning forward wanting to eat more.

Thankful Day 30

Today is my last "thankful days of November". That doesn't mean I'll stop being thankful for things, it just means there's no guarantee that I'll blog about it every day. :) Today I'm thankful for my family, my friends, the gospel, my testimony, my job, my talents and everything else. I could count my blessings over and over again and never reach an end. I'm thankful that I have blogged each day about what I'm thankful for. It's amazing how quickly your attitude can change from negative to positive when you're concentrating on what you're thankful for. It reminds me of the hymn, "Count your Many Blessings" and the song "Count your Blessings instead of Sheep" from While Christmas. Since it's the Christmas season and I do love me some Bing Crosby, I'd like to leave you with a clip from "White Christmas". I'm so grateful for the many blessing that I have.

Thankful Day 29

Today I am thankful for knee high boots. I have written about my awesome boots before but I have to say, I'm really thankful for them today. With the snow as heavy and it was, Hutch and I drove to work together. We also don't have a power garage door opener. So usually Hutch will pull the car out and I'll close the door and lock it. Well this morning, I closed the door, locked it and turned to get into the car and the snow was really high. It hit at about the bottom of my door if not a bit higher. But luckily I was wearing my knee high boots and just trudged through the snow and got into the car with dry feet and legs. Yeah for boots!

Thankful Day 28

Today I am thankful for snow. I hate driving in it but I still love that we have snow. It isn't a proper Christmas without snow. Unless of course you live in Hawaii or someplace like that. But I don't, I live in Utah so snow is expected for this time of year. It really helps me get into the Christmas mood. It's been fun trying to show Perrin the snow. We haven't gone outside in it yet (it's cold) but he has been fascinated in watching it. I hope you all are enjoying the snow and being safe. The reason I hate driving in it is because there are people out there who think they are invincible and can drive crazy. But that's for another blog entry. :) So to help get you all in the Christmas mood, if the snow hasn't already helped, here is a fun clip of Andrea Bocelli and the Muppets.

Thankful Day 27

Today I am thankful for eternal families. In my church we believe that when we are married and sealed in the LDS Temple, we are sealed together as a family for all eternity. I am so grateful that Hutch and I were sealed in the temple and that Perrin and I and Hutch will be together forever. Today I went to a funeral of my friends baby. He was 4 days old when he passed away. For his story you can go to www.ianjamesmurphy.com (you'll need tissues). Knowing that they are an eternal family has really helped Annelise and Mickey get through this. Annelise has always been a really strong and confident women but watching her go through this has shown what an incredible and faithful women she is. I also thankful that I am able to watch women like Annelise and the example she is for her daughters and everyone else around her.

Thankful Day 26

My sister-in-law, Kellie, told me yesterday that she reads my blog regularly and wanted to know why I wasn't thankful for her. :) So today, I'm thankful for my sister-in-law Kellie. Kellie is hilarious! I always have a good time sitting next to her and giggling about different things. I am very proud of the two of us for not cheating at Bingo this year. :) Yesterday the turkey was taken out of the oven and it was covered in bacon. Kellie said, "Bacon on a turkey. Not a bad thing." I laughed. It was the way she delivered it, hilarious! (I also don't think that was the exact wording, but it was funny). She does share my philosophy that bacon improves everything. Kellie, I love you and I'm so thankful to have you in my life. Thankful for your willingness to watch Perrin and your willingness to welcome me into the family. We still need to go to Morelia soon. Love you!!

Thankful Day 25-Thanksgiving

FYI: this is a long blog.
Today I am thankful for the number one thing I've received and am most thankful for this year. My little miracle, Perrin. Some of you might not know this, but it was hard getting Perrin here. It took over 2 1/2 years and 2 miscarriages but I finally got pregnant and stayed pregnant. The pregnancy itself was fine. The birth on the other hand...that was a different story. My water broke at 5 a.m. on June 7, 2010. I was in bed asleep but I felt like I needed to roll over. Those who have been pregnant before know that's not an easy thing to do. I woke up a bit to do so and my water broke. It actually makes the sound you hear on tv. I felt a ton of water come from me and jumped out of bed (which was amazing since I was HUGE) and said, "My water just broke!!!" and ran to the bathroom and sat on the toilet. I should preface this that this story might be TMI (too much info) so don't read this if you get uncomfortable. :) Hutch got out of bed and pulled the sheet off the bed and put a towel down on the mattress. That might sound insensitive to some people because you'd think he'd check on me first, but for me, that was perfect. I always talked about how I was afraid of my water breaking because I didn't want to ruin the mattress or the carpet or anything so I really appreciated and loved that he hurried and did that. He then brought me the phone so I could call my mom. I called her and she answered after like 2 rings and she knew it was me calling. She said she'd get dad up and they'd meet us at the hospital. I then had Hutch call his mom. Hutch then gathered up my bag and put towels down on my seat in the car. During this time I was trying to figure out how to get to the car without making a mess. I still had water gushing out of me (I warned you TMI). I went through 3 or 4 under garments before I said, "forget it, I don't care, we're leaving". I ran from the bathroom to the next room with tile and so forth until I got to the car. My contractions started while we were heading to the hospital and jumped to 5 minutes apart while we were driving. On the way there the song "A Moment Like This" by Kelly Clarkson came on and I just started to cry. The song fit perfectly. Once we got there we checked in and I told them my water broke. She said they would have to check me first to see if my water had broken before they could check me in. They said this to me while I was creating a pool of water on their floor. :) They took me to a room and nurse checked me and said, "yes, your water is very much broken" They hooked me onto some monitors and noticed my contracts were very close apart. My super awesome labor nurse, Wendy, was checking my monitors and I told her that I'd like to do this natural. She said ok. She checked me and said I wasn't quite dilated to a one yet. Yup, not at a ONE. Then Perrin's heartbeat started to go down. They hurry and put me on some oxygen and inserted a monitor into me onto Perrin to keep a better eye on him. They had me lay on my side and relax (yeah right! you just put me on oxygen and said his heartbeat when down) after a bit his heart rate went back up. When you do have natural child birth you need to be able to relax. After that incident, relaxing was really hard. It also didn't help that my contractions kept getting closer together and harder and more painful but I wasn't dilating. After five hours my wonderful nurse, Wendy, came in and asked me if I wanted an epidural. She said the anesthesiologist was going into a c-section so it would be awhile if I needed one. I said I wasn't sure. I had so many people tell me that I couldn't do it or laughed at me when I said I wanted to do it that I was really hurt and wanted to proof them wrong and I also didn't want to disappoint myself. I asked my mom. She said to get one if it hurts and that I'm not going to let myself down. My mom was one of the only few people who supported me in the decision for natural childbirth. For those of you who laughed or said I was crazy or anything like that, don't ever do that to someone else. When people decide that, they want your support. When you doubt them, you're planting that doubt into their mind and it makes it harder to relax. Sorry, off my soapbox. My doctor came in while I was talking to my mom and he said that I haven't reached the peak of pain yet. I told them I wanted the drugs. :) BEST decision. It helped a lot. I wasn't able to take a nap still because the nurse checked on my a lot because of the complications before they wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. I did try to nap though. At one point the left side of me lost the numbness. It HURT! It was weird to only feel it on one side. The doc came back in and upped the dosage. A few more hours later I started to feel like I need to push and badly. They check me and I had jumped to dilation baby coming time. They cleared the room (my parents and Hutch's mom were there) and told me I could push. That was hard. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours. Yes, hours. Longest 2 1/2 hours of my life. At one point, I thought if they could get the pain to go away, I could sleep for a few hours and try again. It hurt...a lot. It wasn't a pain hurt since I had an epidural but it was a pressure pain that no one had told me about. At one point I said, "I would give anything for a Diet Coke". During one of my not pushing times, my incredible nurse, Wendy, stepped out and brought me a cup...of Diet Coke!! It had mostly ice in it but I drank it and it was my magic juice. It gave me a boost of energy. It seemed that Perrin just didn't want to come out. It didn't matter how hard I pushed, he didn't want to come out. The doctor had called for one of the nurses to bring in the vacuum thingy because he wouldn't come out (never used it though). While I was pushing my doc had to cut me to get his head out. I FELT IT! I screamed. The doctor said, "push through the pain" my thought was "push this through the pain". My mom happened to be just outside the door when he cut me and heard me scream. She said it took all of her strength not run in and find out what happened. But he finally came out. The feeling right after he came out was indescribable. I was such a relief, I can't describe it. They put Perrin on my chest to clean off but he was there for only a second. I barely saw him. They took him to the corner and were doing something with him. I hadn't heard him cry so I was wondering what was going on. Especially when my doc told Hutch to go over there and take pictures and the nurses said not to. Finally I heard the greatest sound ever, Perrin cried. And he has my lungs. That boy will be a singer. They cleaned him up and wrapped him up and Hutch got to hold him. They said they needed to check him out in the nursery so I was only able to see him and hold him for a few seconds. They let Hutch take him to the nursery. Here was our first picture of him...well, first picture where he has clothes on.My parents came in and hugged me a lot. My dad got to me before my mom and he was crying while he hugged me (and I was crying) and my mom was trying to get him to stop hugging me so she could hug me. The first thing I said to them was, "He's beautiful and I did it!" My nurse had my parents leave so I could finish getting cleaned up. They put me in a wheelchair to take me to my recovery room but let me stop at the nursery to see Perrin. I didn't get to hold him but I got to hold his hand. He was hooked up to different things. Now the hard part. When Perrin was born, he died. That's why the nurses took him. Heavenly Father blessed us in so many ways and one of them was to have the nurses resuscitate him. He had to stay in the nursery because he was having breathing problems. He was breathing too fast, then they slowed it down and was breathing too slow. They ended up putting him on a 48 hour antibiotic treatment. Perrin needed to stay extra days at the hospital and the hospital was willing to let us stay there as well. During that time he got his strength, his appetite, and his color started to get better. After a couple of days, he was able to go home. We were so happy and grateful. I'm so thankful that my Heavenly Father blessed us with a child, and also blessed to be able to keep him. I don't think we could repay him for this great blessing and miracle.

Thankful Day 24

Today is the day before Thanksgiving and there are still a ton of things to be thankful for. Today I would like to share how thankful I am for my besty Stephanie. She is a wonderful friend and the kind of person you should be thankful to have in your life. She is always there to listen when I'm having a hard time. She's there to tell me that I'm talented when I'm feeling like I'm not. She's there to help me find my sanity when things are going wrong. She's there to pick me up from work when I find out my grandmother passed away. She's there to hug me after I get engaged, even though she's sad. She's there to wear a green sparkly shirt at my reception even though she's uncomfortable (she looked awesome though). She's there to wear an awesome purple dress that I made for a show she was in, even though she couldn't breath. She's there to hold my hand while I'm in pain. She's there to move our Glee night location to the hospital so we can still watch it together. She's there to bring sandwichs and Jane Austin movies when something tragic happens. She's there to play with my son so I can have a rest. She's there to introduce me to new music and shows. She's there to love me for my flaws and mistakes. She will always be there and I'm so grateful and lucky to call her my Besty.

Behind Again...

Day 21
Today I'm thankful for my ward. I have a very friendly ward. Everyone cares about everyone else and is always willing to help with what they can. We also have a wonderful choir. It was the first ward choir I've been in that has a lot of people in it and everyone CAN sing. I'm sad that we haven't been attending practice recently because it interferes with pumping and/or nap time for Perrin. We also can't participate in the choir performance (evening performance) because we have our family Christmas party at the same time. We can perform during sacrament meeting though. We just need to work on our schedule so we can attend practice. I also have a wonderful relief society presidency. They are so nice and caring and they are also hilarious! It's so nice to have a ward that is welcoming, fun and willing to share their testimony.

Day 22
Today I'm thankful for my parents. Today is a good day because it's the exact day between their birthdays. My dad's is October 22 and my mom's is December 22. My parents have done so much for me, I don't know where I'd be or what kind of person I'd be without them. They have sacraficed so much for me and my family that I know I can never repay them. I am truly blessed to have them as my parents. There is no doubt in my mind that I picked them when I was in heaven. I might have even beat up some people to guarentee that they are my parents. :) At least I know I would have if needed. :) I'm so thankful for all that they have taught me and for all of the support they have given me. I have never doubted the love that they have for me. I know there were choices I made that worried them or didn't make them happy but I'm grateful that they stayed by my side and were always there if I failed. Thank you mom and dad for everything. I love you so much and I'm so thankful to our Heavenly Father for letting me be with you forever. p.s. the photo is of a very pregnant me and my parents at my sister-in-laws wedding.

Day 23
Today I'm thankful for weathermen. Yes, most of the time they are incorrect and sometimes (like this day) they say a storm will be worse then it turns out to be, but I'm thankful we have them. Can you imagine if we lived in a time when we didn't have them and this storm came along? Would you have been prepared for the storm? I'm thankful that my work let us go home at 1 p.m. so we were home before the storm hit. I know it wasn't as bad as predicted but it was bad enough that there could have been A LOT more accidents and problems had everyone been heading home at their normal time. So, no matter what people say about weather people (have to be P.C.), I'm thankful we have them.

Thankful Day 20

Today I am thankful for my wonderful Husband. I love him so much. I love him more and more each day. He is always willing to clean the house, do the dishes, do the laundry and everything else without being asked. He also laughs at my jokes, even if they're not funny. He also has grown to like musicals just as much as I do. Or at least is willing to sit through many musicals with me. He is also a wonderful father. He was unsure about whether or not he was ready to be a father but once Perrin arrived, he was ecstatic! He is very protective and loving to Perrin. I've been able to see his silly side a lot! He loves to make Perrin laugh. I am also thankful that Hutch is a worthy priesthood holder. It was such a blessing to have Hutch be able to give me a blessing just before Perrin was born and also gave Perrin a blessing while he was in the hospital. He also gave a wonderful blessing to Perrin in Sacrament meeting. I couldn't ask for a better husband. He's the perfect husband, father and best friend. I find myself truly lucky and blessed to have him in my life forever. Hutch, I love you!

Thankful Day 19

Today I'm thankful for my job. The job market isn't that great and there are those out there who don't have a job. I feel bad and pray that they will be able to find one soon. I'm thankful that I work with some people who are wonderful and fun to work with. I'm thankful that I've been blessed with patience to handle those I don't enjoy working with. :) Having a job has made it possible for us to have a home, food, vacations and other nice things. I'm very grateful for this blessing and I hope that I never take it for granted.

Thankful Day 18

Today I am thankful for musicals. I LOVE musicals! For those who know me, know that LOVE is not quite the right word...maybe...obsessed! I wish my life was a musical. My favorite musical is The Drowsy Chaperone (with Sound of Music right behind it). For many years I couldn't say what my favorite musical was. There are so many out there that I just adored that I had a hard time picking one. Until I saw the touring company of The Drowsy Chaperone and fell in complete love!! Right now Hale Theater is performing The Drowsy Chaperone (I would have auditioned except something about just having a baby...). I saw it last night and it was REALLY good! There was only one character that I really didn't care for. It made me sad because this character is one that I really liked in the 2 touring companies I've seen. If you have the money and time, go see this show! You won't regret it. Here's a clip of it:

Thankful Day 17

Today I am super thankful for talented friends. I have so many talented friends that I feel ok not being as taleted because I can take advantage of their talents and buy the wonderful things they make. This Saturday my dear talented friends and talented mother are having a boutique. Come and buy treats, clothing, bags, candles, vinyl lettering, etc. There are so many wonderful things to buy and give as gifts for Christmas or keep for yourself. :) I'm already putting a list together of things I'm going to buy there. Also, my mom is selling her chocolates and candy and I have sampled some over the past few days...SO GOOD!! So come!! You won't regret it!!!

Thankful Day 16

Day 16
Today I am thankful for my niece and nephews. Last night I went to my mom's house after work to help her make treats for the boutique on Saturday. She ended up babysitting Fancy Nancy and Batman so I played with them so she could work on treats. We had a lot of fun. They both helping me with Perrin. While eating dinner they both made sure that Perrin had his toys to play with. Each time he dropped one they got worried and hurried and pick up his toy for him. After dinner we watched Toy Story 3 since I had never seen it before. Batman made sure Perrin had plenty of toys to play with and would make faces at him to make him laugh. Fancy Nancy played with my hair while we watched the movie. I love that! There's a part of the movie near the end where I started to tear up. Fancy Nancy and Batman noticed and said, "don't worry" and explained what was going to happen so I wouldn't be sad. Yes, they ruined the part for me but that was ok because they wanted to make sure I was ok. They are so sweet and I love them dearly!!

Behind in my Thanks!

Day 13
Today I am thankful for George Frederic Handel and his works "Messiah" (not THE Messiah as many have said, wikipedia corrected me). I am participating in a Midvale Tri-Stake production of Messiah and I also have the opportunity to sing one of the soprano solos. I usually hate hearing Christmas music before Thanksgiving but I'm ok with this music. It amazes me how much talent Handel was blessed with to be able to write all of this music. It matches perfectly with the beautiful words from the Bible.

On a side note: I do LOVE Christmas music but I feel bad for Thanksgiving getting skipped over. Yes, I treat Thanksgiving like a human being with feelings. :) heehee!! But I do prefer the old Christmas music over the teen boppers and pop starts trying to remake those songs.

Day 14
Today I'm thankful for our Primary. Today was our Primary program. The Primary Program is my favorite Sacrament meeting. It's wonderful to hear the children teach us what they have learned this year. It was also adorable not to understand the verses of the song "Follow the Prophet" but the chorus was loud and clear.

Day 15
Today I'm thankful for smiles. My favorite moment of each day is when I see Perrin for the first time in the morning and he gives me the biggest smile possible. It really starts my day off. Then when I see him after work he does the same thing. He gives me the biggest smile and giggle and is so happy to see me. It's amazing how something as simple as a smile can mean so much.

Thankful Day 12

A little bird came to me and said, "If I were blogging about being thankful this month I think today I would be thankful that we do not work on Saturdays." What a great suggestion! I should thank this little bird sometime. :)

Today I am thankful that I don't have to work on Saturdays. Yes, there's life work (dishes, laundry, cleaning, yard work, etc.) but that doesn't involve someone belittling you or people yelling at you because they don't know how to read an email. It's work I want to do and if I don't want to do it, I won't. It's wonderful to have two whole days where I don't have to have the stress of work. Too bad it's not more than two, but I'll take what I can. It's fun to be able to spend time with Hutch and Perrin and Besty and my family. It's days like Saturday's that make it possible to have Potter-A-Thons. So I'm very thankful for Saturdays!

p.s. I have to share how cute Hutch is (again). He usually packs my lunch each day for work (yes, he's that sweet). Today when I opened my Harry Potter lunch box, there was a baggie full of Cheerios. I felt like a little kid in Sacrament Meeting. It really made me smile.

Thankful Day 11

Today I am thankful for Sushi. My "Besty" Steph took me out today for lunch and we went to Simply Sushi which is an all you can eat place. Yum!! We had so much sushi, all of it was really good. I tried Unagi (turns fingers next to forehead and says "Ah salmon skin roll") and really liked it. I think the sweet sauce helps hide the fact I just ate eel.

I know you would think, "why don't you say your thankful for Steph for taking you" or you'd think "you should be thankful for a best friend who loves it as much as you!" I am very thankful for Steph but I'm going to wait for another day to thank her.

I'm showing thanks, this month, for the little things. There are a lot of big things that cause or lead up to the little things that I'm thankful for. It's just sometimes the little things aren't appreciated as much. That's why I'm being thankful for the things that aren't that obvious.

Throwdown

Here is a website that I love: The Pioneer Woman Cooks. It's a wonderful website with a ton of recipes with really good step by step instructions. My dear friend Stephanie introduced me to this site. This woman is hilarious!! You'll love this site. Well, she is having a throw down with Bobby Flay on the Food Network!! It is Wednesday, November 17 at 9 pm (8pm central). I am sooooooo recording this!! She talks a bit about it on her site...empire waist shirt. So if you have time, swing over to her site and read about it and read some of her yummy recipes. AND don't forget to watch Throwdown with Bobby Flay on Wednesday, November 17!

Thankful Day 10

Today I am thankful for the fall, it's not too hot, it's not too cold, all you need is a light jacket. During our 5 minutes of fall this year, my friend Jessie was able to get some cute photos of Perrin in the leaves. I love the fall. I enjoy seeing all of the fall colors outside. This is one season where you can actually see the change. It goes from Summer to Fall to Winter (usually in one week! heehee) right before your eyes.

Thankful Day 9

I'm a day late on my thankfulness again. Oops! For Day 9 I'm thankful for Relief Society. There's a lot to be thankful for when it comes to R.S. Women in my ward are always willing to help each other whenever they can. We also have some great classes that we can take together. Last night I went to my mother's R.S. to learn about emergency preparedness with our finances. It was a very good class. I'm thankful that we have these opportunities to learn things together as women, and have really yummy refreshments. :)

Thankful Day 8

Today I am thankful for a clean house. I had a candle party on Saturday afternoon and since I was having people over, I needed the house clean. Hutch was super nice and helped out A LOT by cleaning most of it. I so appreciate Hutch and everything he does for our family (it's fun to say "our family" rather than just "me"). I'm hoping that we'll be able to keep it clean. As the sister from Wendy's mission said, her house stays clean because she "puts everything back where it's supposed to go." I'll have to try it. It's so nice having a clean house...or most of the house clean. We still have other rooms to get to.

Thankful Day 7

Today I am thankful for FHE, also known as Family Home Evening. Every Fast Sunday my family on my mom's side get together for FHE. One family does the lesson and the treats each month. We also get together to celebrate holidays. We have been doing this for as long as I remember. One of the last things my grandpa told us before he passed was to keep the family together and having FHE each month has helped make that possible. It's wonderful to get together as an extended family and to learn the teachings of the gospel and to hear my uncles, aunts, cousins and grandma bare their testimonies. It's a great way to spend an evening.

p.s Perrin is five months today and growing like crazy.

Success!!!

Rice Cereal a Success!!!

Thankful Day 6

Today I'm thankful for friends. I have so many friends surrounding me, I'm very lucky. I have new friends, work friends, theater friends and friends from years ago. For the past few days I've been having a hard time at work and it's amazing how quickly my friends jump to help. They email, call, do lunch and plan get togethers. I'm so grateful to have people in my lives that care that much about me. So to my friends, I love you dearly and I appreciate that you are in my live. I thank Heavenly Father for letting you be my friend.

Unicorn Meat Anyone?

I'm a registered Republican. BUT I'm an American who votes for who I think will do the best job. I vote for both Republicans AND Democrats. I think in the most recent election, I voted equally Republican and Democratic. I wanted to state this so people don't think I'm posting this to bash Republicans. I'm posting this because it is important that we find the FACTS. Just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean it's real. Both sides have done this, not just Republicans. Please be careful with what you say is a FACT unless you have proof it's a fact. (and yes, I should read my own blog with how much I use wikipedia. heehee!)
And here's a link for an Anderson Cooper report that debunks the $200 million a day Obama trip. When I first heard about this, I immediatly didn't think it's true. Why did so many people think it was? $200 million a day...that's just rediculous.

Thankful Day 5

I'm thankful for babies. My friend and co-worker brought in her new baby today. She's adorable and tiny. It's amazing how quickly a baby can change your mood. I alway get really happy when I see a baby because it's a reminder of how much Heavenly Father loves us and all that Jesus Christ has done for us.

Thankful Day 4

I'm having a hard time finding something to be thankful for today. It's been a really rough day. I think today I'm thankful for wallpaper on my computer. I'm thankful that I can have pictures of my adorable little boy on my wallpaper and have the pictures change every 30 minutes. It helps to look at him and know that I'm doing it all for him. Then it makes it easier.

Thankful Day 3

Yes, I'm a day behind. I meant to get on the computer last night to type up my blog but got a bit busy with a cute little boy.

I'm thankful for ringtones. I know silly, but it's fun to have them. It's nice to able to make special ring tones for special people. (even though my current phone won't let me do that). The other night I audio recorded Perrin laughing. He was laughing so hard that some of this laughs turned into squeals. I made it my ring tone. heehee!! Last night Hutch and I were watching TV and Perrin was in bed asleep. We heard him make some noises and they seemed to get louder. Hutch got up to go and check on him and he noticed that the sounds were louder in the dining room. It was my cell phone, not Perrin. Heehee!! Maybe it wasn't the best idea for a ringer but I am thankful that I can record him and use it as a ring tone.

Thankful Day 2

Today I am thankful for Lydia Taft. She was the first woman legally allowed to vote in colonial America.

Women's suffrage in the United States was achieved gradually, at state and local levels, during the 19th Century and early 20th Century, culminating in1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provided: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the Unites States or by any state on account of sex." (info from wikipedia.com)

I'm so thankful for those strong and couragous women who put their lives at risk to make it legal for everyone to vote. I can go to my polling location today without any worries of harm and decide who I want to vote for by my own free will. With all of the sacrafices that were made to ensure I had this opportunity, how could I not thank them by going out and voting. If you haven't voted, please do. If you're not voting because you don't know who to vote for, it's not too late, all of the information is on the internet. ("The internet? They have it on computers now?" heehee!) If you're not voting because you don't want to, then I'm sorry you feel that way. Many lives were given so you would have this opportunity.

In honor of what Lydia Taft, Lucy Stone, Paulina Davis, Abby Foster and many more have done to ensure my rights, I thought I'd play this fun clip from Mary Poppins. You can sing-a-long if you'd like.

California 2010-Part 2

I have some pictures to add to this portion, but they are on my mom's computer...because she took the photos with her camera. So we'll come back to this time period again later.
Dooku and Batman on the Bugs Life train ride.An hour or so into our first day of Disneyland, Perrin is already napping. That is one thing that made me jealous. He could take a nap at any time.Batman and Dooku being silly and eating fruit snacks.
This is Perrin after his 2nd blow out. TMI. Perrin had a blowout every day of our vacation except for Sunday and the day we came home. One time it was on Grandpa during the Snow White ride. Sorry Dad! It just means Perrin likes you. heehee!Here is Hutch and Perrin in front of The Haunted Mansion. It is decorated as Nightmare Before Christmas. That made it more fun since Hutch and I both love that movie.My parents next to the carriage. Aren't they cute? :)

Thankful Month

I know I should do this during other months too but we have this perfectly nice month that helps remind me to do this.

Each day this month, I'm going to blog something I'm thankful for. Might be some short blogs, might be some long blogs. Who knows! But we all know how much it helps life to count our blessings so I'm going to make note of at least one a day.

I'm thankful for Dragon Diner restaurant. (you thought I was going to say my family - I've got a whole month I don't want to say the obvious ones first). Saturday night I was going to make these yummy open faced sandwiches but things didn't go together like planned (had them on Sunday instead). We ended up ordering delivery from Dragon Diner (it's Chinese food). When we called they said it would be about 40 minutes because they are busy with deliveries. We said no problem. 20 minutes later our door bell rings. We thought it was trick-or-treaters but it wasn't, it was our food. They are soooo fast even on busy evenings. We did give our delivery guy a good tip and some candy. Their food is really good and their service is awesome. I'm thankful for the family that started the business and is sharing their wonderful cooking talents with the rest of us. And I'm thankful that they are willing to spend a holiday making food for others.

California 2010-Part 1

We were able to go on a family vacation a week or so ago. And when I say "family" vacation it was my whole family (on my side). My parents, Becky, Chad, the kids, James, Lindsay and us. My sister Liz and my brother in law John blessed their adorable little boy in California (where they live) so the whole family decided to be there and make a vacation out of it. And since they live close to Disneyland, we went there too. I'll do my best to get pictures in order, but some might not be.

We rent a house a few minutes away from Disneyland. One of the best decisions we ever made. It was perfect for our family. It helped that it had a pool and hot tub. So much fun!

Here's the start:
Heading to the airport! Oma took us to the airport so we didn't have to leave a car. Perrin flew great! We gave him a bottle during take-off and fell asleep. He woke up just before landing and started to cry. The really nice flight attendant came over and tried massaging ears to help. We just gave him another bottle and he fell back asleep. A lady on the plane stopped us after the flight and told us we had the best behaved child on the plane. What a compliment!Morning of the first day at Disneyland. He's really excited! :) Or he's just laughing with Mommy. Grandma, Fancy Nancy (after falling down), Batman, Becky and Perrin watching Grandpa, Chad and Dooku ride on Grizzly Rapids. (Hutch was buying a hat). The ride broke down right before the first hill. They were given fast passes to use on any ride though. This is Perrin's first ride ever. It's the carousel at California Adventure. Batman was excited to ride the ride next to Perrin. Perrin seemed to like the ride.
Here's Fancy Nancy and Grandma on the carousel together.

More to come later.

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!

You may have thought I didn't see

Or that I hadn't heard,

Life lessons that you taught me,

But I got every word.

Perhaps you thought I missed it all,

And that we'd grow apart,

But Dad, I picked up everything,

It's written on my heart.

Without you, Dad, I wouldn't be

The woman I am today;

You built a strong foundation

No one can take away

I've grown up with your values,

And I'm very glad I did;

So here's to you, dear father,

From your forever grateful kid.

~Joanna Fuchs

Boots = Happiness

The past few days I've had fat, ugly days. Days when my self-esteem is really low. I've been stressed and busy and not feeling great about myself. I've been struggling with my weight and getting depressed about it. My adorable hubby has been doing his best to make me feel better and I know he loves me dearly but it doesn't always make me feel completely great. As many of you know, I have a love of shoes. Shoes never make you feel fat. (except the last month of my pregnancy because my feet were swollen but it was ok because I could wear flip-flops the whole time and my feet went back to normal having having Perrin). So today I'd like to introduce you to my new little friends. They put a huge smile on my face and I do feel better today!It's probably materialistic of me to have boots help my mood, but whatever works! Aren't they cute!!! And yes, my desk is cluttered but won't be soon.

Costume Shopping

Today I was reminded why I make my own costume each year...I don't want to be a slut for Halloween. It is beyond ridiculous how the only female adult costumes are slutty characters. Do people who make costumes think that we all just want to dress that way? It's sad. You'd think that finding a Princess Leia costume would be easy...you'd be wrong. I found a slutty Dorthy, a slutty nurse, a slutty Queen of Hearts...you get the picture. We're going Trick or Treating at Disneyland soon and I don't think I'll have costumes finished by then. Looks like I'll be reusing costumes and maybe I'll have time to make Hutch and Perrin their Star Wars costumes before Halloween.

Untitled

This blog is untitled because I couldn't think of a title worthy of this video. Some friends shared this with me on Facebook and I had to share it with you. Hopefully this powerful video will make you think. Hopefully it will make you think about your relationship with God, your relationship with others, your relationship with yourself. Think about the decisions you make each day, small and large. Each day learn and know why you are here and how important each of you are. Follow the reason why you are here. Everyone is important. Everyone deserves to be here because everyone will have effect on each other and the world. Everyone has a reason AND A RIGHT to live.
Part One:

Part Two:

Already Reading

First Time Belt

Isn't it funny how you can remember random things at random times. Today while I was driving to work I remembered when I first discovered that I could belt. I was at the Johnson house practicing my song for the Miss Midvale pageant. (yes, I was in a beauty pageant...get over it) I was singing "Hold On" from The Secret Garden. I remember that Colleen, Stephanie and one of Stephs friends (can't remember who) was there. I sang it through once and sang the end normal (the end being "...is bound to go away!" for those who know the song). Everyone told me that it was beautiful and I'll do a great job. I asked if I could sing it again because I wanted to try something different. I could hear the belt in my head but I hadn't tried it. So I sang it again but belted the last note. After I was done, I remember Stephanie starring at me and saying something to the effect of "yes. do that." Heehee!! I'm so greatful to have friends that help me become who I am and who are always there to let me try new things and don't judge me if I screw it up. I ended up belting the last note at the pageant and I won the talent scholarship and First Attendant.

I'm a Gorilla Mom!!

My sister Liz and I were talking today about our kids and comparing "bad mom" stories. (we're not bad moms, we just share stories of things we've done and call ourselves bad moms) Liz told me about a documentary she once watched about Gorilla's. There was a gorilla that was having a hard time holding her child and the documentary commentator was saying how she was having a hard time developing her parenting skills so she will probably be a bad mother and not raise her child well. Liz said that she was having a hard time holding her boy and thought of that documentary and thought, "I'm that gorilla mom!" So now instead of saying we are "bad mom's" we are saying we are "gorilla mom's"!! Hee hee!! Again, we not bad moms. We just have moments were we doubt what we're doing but we're doing a good job and we love our kids a ton! But sometimes we feel like Gorilla Mom's. :)

p.s. and we sometimes feel hairy like a gorilla. heehee!! :)

New Harry Potter Trailor

I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Circus Is In Town!!

Today was the elephant parade at The Gateway for the Ringling Bros & Barnum Baily Circus. I haven't been to the circus since I was little but I do enjoy the parade each year. I didn't post all of the photos I took. It will be fun to take Perrin to the circus one day when he is older.

Shopping Is Hard

Some people might feel that using the word "breast" in any form can be a TMI or make people uncomfortable. So if you are one of those people, stop reading.

As you know, I recently had a child and I recently had to go back to work. My awesome friend Colleen has let me use her breast pump. I greatly appreciate that since they are EXPENSIVE. We (Hutch and I) have decided to invest in our own. There's a particular one that we have been looking at and pricing. At Target and BabiesRUs it was about $270; at Amazon.com it was about $230. My awesome mom was looking online to see if she could find it cheaper, which she did! This website was put together in a weird way. They have all of these breast feeding items but they don't list prices. To get their prices, you have to call them or email them your email address and they will email their prices to you. Weird! So my mom and I both emailed them to get their prices. The pump I want they have for $219 with free shipping. Yeah!! So I called Hutch and we decided to buy it. The sale only goes to the end of this month, then the price goes up. So it was weird how you find out what the price is, ordering is not just weird but confusing. I apparently never learned to read. I clicked on the button to place an order. You type in the item you want (not item number, just item) and I clicked complete. Then I went through the credit card info stuff (takes you to PayPal) in the end I was charged $7. Yes $7.00. That didn't seem correct. So I read through the instructions again (because I'm smart like that) and it seems that every item is listed as $1 and in the quantity amount you put the price of the item. So I would type in the type of breast pump and put that I want 219.95 of them. Then go through the PayPal process and they charge me $219.95. I emailed the company and told them about my mistake and they reversed the first charge of $7. ($1 for item $6 for shipping) But even after all of that confusion, I'm still getting the item I want. Once the item has arrived and if everything turns out good, I'll let you know what website just in case any of you want to order from them.

Greek Festival 2010

Today I went to the Greek Festival in Salt Lake City. I love the Greek Festival. I haven't been able to go for the past few years so I was very giddy that I was able to this year. I went with two of my friends, Rebecca and Heidi. We originally were going just for lunch but that always changes.

We got there and got in line for food. The line was long but totally worth it. I love how many choices of food there were. I had a gyro, souvlaki, stifado, roll, calamari and pastitsio. I also bought some loukoumades to bring home for dessert tonight. I also got a container that had one of each dessert in it to share with my office. I'm nice like that. It all was incredible!! Here is a picture of the desserts I took before they were all gone.

When we first arrived at the festival I saw a painting out of the corner of my eye and I fell in love with it. Then we got in the food line and I forgot about it. Food does that to me. :) After we got our desserts I saw that they were selling paintings in the same room. I suggested going and looking at the paintings. They has some wonderful paintings in all different sizes. My friend Heidi found one that is very beautiful and very big. She was so torn on getting it. She didn't know if she wanted to pay that much (it was actually a good price but still $200 or so). While she was talking to the guy who was selling them, Rebecca and I looked through the other paintings and I found that painting that I saw before. I said how much I loved it. I asked the guy how much it cost and he said the price. I decided not to buy it because I can't really afford it. I put it back and Rebecca asked me why I wasn't getting it. I told her I could afford it. So she said, "I'll buy it for you." I immediatly said "no you're not!" We had a mini fight over it. I told her it was too expensive and she said it would be a birthday and Christmas present. I told her it was still too expensive but before I could stop her, her credit card was in the guys hands and running through the machine. I told her I felt guilty for her spending that much money on me and she said not. She said she loves that she able to do that for me. I am completely overwhelmed that she would do that. I do, however, really love it. Here is a picture of it:

It's so beautiful!! I love Rebecca for doing that for me and now I'm going to think of something awesome to get her for Christmas. If you can't tell, it's a scene of Paris. I love that it's an actually painting, not a print/copy of a painting.

I must also add how much I love the people that work at the festival. Every single person is sincerly nice and helpful. They go out of their way to make sure you are enjoying yourself. I love it!!

Also, back to my friend Heidi. She did buy that painting. She also bought a frame for it. She did pay a pretty penny but with the painting, the size of it, and the frame she got a really good deal. The fun part was getting it into the car. We rode in Rebecca's car. We walked out to her car and we spent about 20 or so minutes trying to figure out how to get it in her car. It woudn't fit. Heidi said that he car was bigger and would probably fit in there. So Rebecca and Heidi drove back to the office and I stood just outside the parking lot on 300 West holding Heidi's painting. Heidi and Rebecca came back and spent time trying to get it into Heidi's car. We were laughing and struggling the whole time. It was awesome! Finally we were able to get it in the front seat, then we laid both seats back and were able to lift the painting up against the ceiling. Then it sat on top of the front seats and the back window ledge. Heidi must of looked great driving with a painting practially on her head. The adventures and fun times we have!! What a great day!!

New Aunt & First Week

I'm a new aunt...Again!! My sister Liz had her first child this morning. She lives in California so I can't be there to see her but my mom is and she sent some pictures via text messages. He seems adorable! I get to meet him in person in October. Congrats Liz and John! Love you!!I hope Liz doesn't mind me putting a picture of her on here. She looks great though! Isn't he cute!!

Well it's my first week back to work. I survived. And most importantly, Perrin survived. At least I hope he does, he still has a few hours left before Hutch and I get home. :) I only had a few things to fix when I got back. After they (my company) fired my temp (heehee!) they were lucky enough to use Jamie (another admin) to cover the rest of my time. She was able to fix a lot of problems the temp caused. It's amazing how many people (tenants and co-workers) have said how happy and greatful they are that I'm back. My boss has said that to me multiple times a day. My response has been, "I like money for appreciation" :) I did cry Sunday night and Monday morning but I did stop before leaving for work. Luckily Hutch has been the one to take him to our babysitters. We are also lucky that we have my mom, my sister and Hutch's mom available to watch him. Plus many others who have volunteered if needed. It's so wonderful to have so many supportive friends and family members. He did get a cold this week so I felt bad leaving a sick baby, but I knew he was in good hands.

I'm excited for the long weekend and another full day to play with Perrin. I do love that boy so much! He getting the cutest little personality. I'll try to post some more pictures. Here's one my sister sent me on the first day she had him.

Yes, he is adorable!!

End of the World

I go back to work today.
Know why it's raining? God didn't want me to cry alone.

Bad Mom?

I've started second guessing every decision I make about Perrin. I have this huge fear of screwing up his life or making him hate me for any decision. Even just putting him down for a nap I think, "is he really tired? What if he thinks I'm abandoning him by putting him down to sleep and walking away?" It doesn't seem to matter if it's a small thing or a big thing, but I never know if I'm doing the right thing. Did/does anyone else feel that way? I want to do everything right for him and make sure he has a wonderful, happy, loving life and I might be driving myself crazy over it. :) I love him more than anything and I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything right but I just want to make sure I'm not the only one that has felt that way.

Need Suggestions

I need some help from my crafty friends out there. I recently bought some tall, plastic containers to put cereal in. With our swamp cooler running almost constantly, our cereal doesn't seem to last as long as it should so I purchased these containers to put our cereal in to help keep it fresh. Since I don't buy the same cereal each time, I'd like to find a way to mark what cereal is in each container but I don't want to do anything permanent. Does anyone have any suggestions for tags or something that will still make it easy for me to change it when the cereal changes?

Best Friends

Phoebe and Perrin had a play date today and Phoebe wanted to make sure Perrin knew who was in charge. :) Don't worry Perrin is fine.

Fight Club

My cousin Justin shared this with me. So funny!! I promise I will type stuff about myself on my blog soon instead of video clips.

I Miss Summer Theater

This video makes me miss doing a show this summer. I hope you enjoy it, it's hilarious! Thank you Steph for sending me this video.

A First

Today was our first time taking Perrin to the movies. We saw a matinee of "Despicable Me". Hutch and I were both really nervous about it. People have told us that when they're (babies) that young they are over stimulized so they shut down and sleep. Perrin did sleep through most of the movie but over stimulized or not, when a movie is loud, it's still loud. He jumped a few times and woke up a few times from the sounds in the movie. He always went back to sleep though, thankfully. The movie was really funny. Perrin did a great job at the movie but I think we'll wait until he's older to go to the movies again with him. We'll use babysitters. :)

Playing on the Floor

Love Never Dies

This song is from the musical "Love Never Dies" which is the sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera". When I first heard about this show my first thought was, "What is Webber thinking?" Especially when I heard it was placed at Coney Island. Then I heard this song. I cried. The guy singing this in the video is playing the Phantom in London. It's so beautiful. I haven't heard the rest of the soundtrack but I plan on either getting it or seeing if the library has it. (sometimes I like to listen before I buy). So please enjoy this video. I Love Music!!!

A Blessing

On Sunday, July 4 Hutch blessed Perrin in Sacrament Meeting. He did such a wonderful job. The prayer was beautiful!! I started to cry before the prayer had even started. While I was crying, I realized I didn't pack any tissues. Luckily, my aunt did and passed me some during the prayer. I'm so proud of Hutch and the prayer he gave to Perrin. I'm so grateful he's a worthy priesthood holder. Hutch and I also bore our testimonies during sacrament meeting. I must say that Hutch is A LOT more eloquent than I am. I think of these wonderful things to say then I get to the pulpit and it all leaves and I can barely form a complete sentence. But the spirit was there and I assume everything felt what I meant to say. Thanks to the friends and family that came and thanks for all of your support during the past few weeks. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends!!

My Boys-I Love Them!

Tide You Over

My precious man was born on Monday. I've been extremely tired and busy kissing his chubby cheeks so I haven't had time to write. I promise I will write all about my experience soon. I just wanted to let you all know that we are both doing well. Here is a picture to tide you over.P.S. the age tracker on the side is off by one day. My due date was Sunday but I had him on Monday.
P.P.S thank you everyone for keeping us in your prayers, they worked!!

Happy Due Date!

Today is my due date. I'm still home. Waiting. He apparently is too comfortable to come out. :)Here I am at 40 weeks. No makeup, hair pulled back and tired. You know, a normal 40 week pregnant women. The only difference, I'm measuring at 43 weeks. 43 WEEKS!! For those that don't know what that mean, at doc appointments you get measured and it's one inch a week. That helps to determine how far a long you could be. I'm measuring ahead. My doc says it's because I have a small torso so the baby has no where to go but out.

I'm tired, I'm experiencing some contractions and I'm exhausted. But I still feel great and I'm excited for him to come. Keep us in your prayers that he'll come on his own...soon. :)

3 Days!?!?

3 Days?!? I'm due in 3 days! How weird is that?

I Feel Pretty

I haven't been feeling very pretty lately. I guess pregnancy does that to you. I know many people have told me how cute I look pregnant but I just didn't see it. Hutch is also telling me how pretty I am all the time but I just didn't feel it. So Hutch decided to do something about it. Tonight we had a at home spa day. It was a lot of fun.

Hutch colored my hair.Then we did a face mask while soaking my feet.Even Hutch did a mask. I'm not smiling that much because the mask had hardened.Then Hutch gave me a mini-pedicure. Here he is painting my toe nails. Yes, my feet are swollen. It's sad.Thank you Hutch for the fun evening. Thank you for making me feel pretty, loved and special. I appreciate all that you do for me. My life is better because of you. I love you very much!!!