living in the now

2012-01-13T00:20:00.001-07:00

on a winters day

2011-12-01T15:49:00.001-07:00

give thanks

thankgiving

has been my favorite holiday since i have become an adult.

its all about chillin in the kitchen with family and cooking up some D-lish food.

i am so thankful for the people in my life

both family and friends

that have been with me my entire life and those who have come into my life later on.

i LOVE you all

i am MOST thankful for my 4 children

who drive me crazy

and

keep me sane all at the same time.

you 4 are the best thing that i have EVER done in my life

i LOVE you more than anything else in this world.

THANK YOU

for being patient with me all these years and loving me through all the ups and downs

through the good times and bad

through the tears and joys.

i am a very blessed woman!!

2011-10-14T08:54:00.001-06:00

beach cruiser

journey earned half the money to get some new wheels

pretty cute new bike.

pretty cute kid.

2011-10-11T14:00:00.001-06:00

hoops

the other day me and the mac man played some hoops together

we played

horse

around the world.

i kicked his trash in horse

he kicked my trash in around the world

then we went and got a coke

and talked about life.

we both are happy

and life is good

life isn't perfect

but

its

really

GOOD!

2011-10-07T09:46:00.002-06:00

pure happiness

journey has wanted a horse of her own for basically her entire life

she has prayed for

wished

hoped

begged

that she would get one.

the planets must have been aligned just right

or some divine intervention was going on

or maybe both

cause she FINALLY got one for her birthday.

she cried like a baby and just hugged the horse when she got it.

she was in major shock

she was in HEAVEN!!

he is a paint and journey named him

sia

and they are both in love with each other

wishes do come true!!

2011-10-05T10:42:00.002-06:00

autumn stroll

and

a grumpy tree troll

journey and me took a lil hike up maple mountain

she is a fun lil chic to hang with

juju eating elderberries for the first time

she thought they were a lil sour.... but good

the grumpy tree troll

super rad eh?

2011-10-03T11:03:00.001-06:00

peaches

so good they will make you wanna slap yo momma.

in other news

missy cat had 3 kittens

oh goody!

2011-09-30T11:09:00.000-06:00

candlebox

if you know me

then you know that i LOVE music

i go nowhere without my ipod.

music is a huge part of my life

i went to the candlebox concert at the depot

it was soooo good

i love when bands sound great live

if you don't sound great live

then you suck!

end of story

ROCK ON!!

2011-09-28T08:55:00.001-06:00

drive

one of my most favorite things to do

is to get in my car,

roll the windows down,

turn the music up LOUD

and just drive.

i seldom have a destination in mind

i just drive

i did this over the weekend and ended up at sundance.

its starting to look like fall

and it is

B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L

2011-09-26T09:16:00.001-06:00

mac & me

love this lil crazy, sweet kid

he is fun to be with

he melts my heart.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

2011-09-22T10:35:00.000-06:00

happenings

fun run/walk

getting a pedicure with my bestie jules

biking by myself

2011-09-20T11:55:00.001-06:00

float

i have a MAD love for the the outdoors!

get out and enjoy it!

2011-09-18T12:04:00.001-06:00

football

big mac

# 25

cowboys

its been a rough start so far

o wins

o touchdowns

big mac is still having fun

and

that's all that really matters

go cowboys!

2011-09-15T14:33:00.000-06:00

vegas

vanilla

my friend amy owns blue cattle truck trading company and sells the finest mexican vanilla EVA.

it is fantastic vanilla.

look it up and buy some

you wont regret it.

amy rented a beautiful house for us to stay in.

when we weren't working we were

swimming

eating

and

playing pool

thank you amy for thinking of me and allowing me to tag along!

i love both these girls dearly

i am so lucky to have these cool chicks in my life

2011-09-06T09:09:00.000-06:00

strawberry reservoir

spent the day with my brother

and Lil's

catchin' and cookin'

crawdads.

2011-09-01T11:55:00.000-06:00

maple moutain hike

in pictures

2011-08-22T18:51:00.000-06:00

back to school

2011-06-27T12:45:00.000-06:00

WOO HOO

schools out for summer!

2011-06-23T13:02:00.001-06:00

sunshine

took the camera and the ipod out the other day.

went looking for beauty

that's just what i found.

it was a beautiful day

found lots and lots of sunshine!

sunshine makes me happy.

2011-05-15T21:18:00.000-06:00

more moab

delicate arch

double arch

me and the boys hiking through park avenue.

negro bill canyon

this was my favorite place to hike

canyonlands

regan and the kids viewing mesa arch

thanks brian for being our river guide

and for showing us your neck of the woods.

great trip with great friends and family.

the end

2011-04-25T14:37:00.002-06:00

day 2

we met up with brian and his boys.

first stop indian ladder, then our guide took us to see some rock art then on to a short but challenging hike to cable arch. back to the murdocks for elk tacos that alina made.
DE-LISH!!

fun day!

journey standing in a 100 + yr. old cottonwood tree

look, bridger found a rock shaped like oklahoma.

all the kids putting on war paint.

2011-04-19T13:44:00.001-06:00

wanderings in the red rock

day 1

best spring break in the history of spring breaks.

we loaded up the trailer and headed to moab.

we were in search of warm weather and serenity

and found both in the shadows of the la sal mountains.

we camped along the colorado river at goose island.

the kids got a feel for the slick rock adjacent to camp

we went into town that night for some pizza at zax.

may we recommend the "bbq chicken" and the "tree hugger".

next morning we took a short walk to see courthouse wash rock art panel while we anticipated meeting up with our good friends brian and alina murdock and kids.

courthouse wash panel

"PEACE LOVE and HAPPINESS"

~g. love and special sauce

2011-03-29T12:36:00.000-06:00

Little Wild Horse Canyon Trip

Took a trip to the San Rafael Reef with my Dad, Brothers and some of the kids. I have wanted to hike this canyon for some time now, and finally got down to do it. Little Wild Horse did not disappoint, what a beautiful and amazing canyon. We camped over on a Friday night and woke up to do the 8 mile loop up Little Wild Horse and down Bell canyon. This was Grandpa Clark's longest trek since having both knees replaced a little over a year ago, way to go Dad!!! After the hike, we made a quick stop at Goblin Valley and headed home. We finished the trip planning our next adventure down to explore one of the other nearby canyons.

2011-03-16T15:27:00.001-06:00

DINERS DRIVE-INS AND DIVES

you see, we are obsessed with the show diners drive ins and dives and they featured a lil diner in salt lake called the blue plate diner about a year ago and we have been dying to try it.

yesterday we decided to check the place out and let me tell you it did not disappoint.

the food, atmosphere and everything was spot on.

check it out if you haven't already.

menu:

we started with the hummus platter: really good

we love hummus

if you don't like hummus you wont like it. tee hee

regan got the corned beef hash breakfast

um........de-vine.

i had the blt with avocado

and steak fries

very very good

they don't scrimp on the helpings either

so next time

we go again

we will defiantly share.

after the blue plate we headed to park city to go to the vans store so i could get some news shoes.

i remember getting my first pair when i was in the 6th grade.

they were white and red lace up ones

i loved those shoes.

still love vans.

after we shopped i took all these pictures

while the driving down the canyon.

good day!

have i mentioned how i am loving this weather?

2011-03-14T15:05:00.000-06:00

hallelujah!

its spring.

thought i would never see you again my friend

i really really struggle with getting the blahs during the winter months.

so, when the sun finally comes out, i like to jump in my car with the windows down, hair blowin in the breeze, ipod blaring fantastic tunes and just drive!

these drives really clear my mind and help rejuvenate me.

what helps you clear your mind and rejuvenates you?

**********

here are some shots i took while enjoying this delicious weather.

2011-03-11T18:07:00.002-07:00

ridin high
these two have been spending a lot of time at the pasture brushing the horses and going on LONG rides in the sunshine. no matter how long the ride, it never seems long enough for journey.
love my beautiful and free spirited horse lovin girl.

2011-03-09T12:14:00.002-07:00

my boys

i have some really good, sweet and talented boys.

they are like night and day in personality and with their likes and dislikes

but they love this momma perfectly.

when they give me a hug
or
when they whisper "love ya mom" as they are heading off to bed.
these are the moments that i cherish the most and these are the
moments that melt my heart.
*************

bridger graced us with his talent the other night with a concert in the living room.

the boy can play the viola!

mckray was jimmy carter for the 5th grade presidents day program.

he memorized all his lines perfectly.

he doesn't look very much like jimmy carter,

more like one of the guys from mumford and sons.

tee hee
he is one handsome lil man.

****
if you haven't kissed your momma today
then go and do it
it will make her day

2011-03-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

pampering
i was given a gift certificate for a pedicure 6 months ago and for the life or me i don't know why it took me so long to use it. I love getting pedicures...love getting my feet rubbed and massaged and having my toes painted. my feet are pretty ticklish so i giggle through most of the pedicure which makes the cute lil chinese lady rubbing my feet giggle too.
I was thrilled that aubrey came with me...love having her home again. we have been spending a lot of time together and i cant think of anyone else that i would rather hang with. she is one of the funniest, coolest, sweetest girls that i know. its pretty fun to have your 19 yr. old daughter become one of your best friends.

2011-03-02T14:08:00.002-07:00

night on the town

for the weekend we went up to Salt Lake with my sister and her husband. We ate at the roof (the view was incredible) and went to a classical guitar concert. It was really good. I loved it a lot. I LOVE all kinds of music. love to go to concerts, listen to music the second i wake up. listen to it in my car, listen to it while i'm at work, when i come home, while i'm cleaning the house, making dinner, i even have to drift off to sleep listening to music. cant seem to get enough.
fun night.
i really must get out more.

2011-02-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

shoot

aubrey's friend chelsey is going to hair school and ask her to be her hair and make-up model.

since she was all dolled up we thought we would fun to make a photo shoot out of it.

you rocked it aubs!!!

2011-02-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

searching
this week has been SUPER emotional for me. i seriously feel like i have felt every emotion possible x's 100. happy, ecstatic, giddy, sad, hurt, mad, jealous, loved, hated, appreciated, unappreciated....and the list goes on and on. i have had many, many different thoughts rolling around in my head as well. sometimes i feel like everything is going along really well and then some days or weeks life seems to not be going along good at all. sometimes i'm very happy and content with life and then other times i'm not content at all. i know everyone goes through this and it is a natural part of life its just extra in my face this week. i love being a mom and wife but sometimes i feel like there is SO much more to me that i'm not tapping into. i so desperately want to tap into that person. I was "ME" before i became a daughter, sister, friend, wife and mother. i guess im just going through a period where i have to find myself a-gain. i have layers and layers that i have to uncover and peel away at different times and periods of my life. i will continue to keep looking and searching and loving myself and picking myself up and brushing myself off through this journey. i have to learn to be more patient with myself and more patient with life's eb's and flows.

2011-02-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

a sweet day

regan had the day off so he started valentines off right by making the kids the traditional pink, heart shaped pancakes.

my gift to everyone was homemade hand dipped chocolate covered strawberries.

regan gave me flowers and new headphones cause i caught my old ones on fire.

yeah, you read that right..on fire while having a candlelit bath while listening to my ipod. the cord caught on fire....it about gave me a heart attack... i know, pretty dumb move on my part.

i promised him that i wouldn't do that again...ever!!!

this time i wont put the candles by my head

live and learn as i always say

living with me is such an adventure :)

happy valentines day regan

i wub you!!!

2011-02-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

mighty hunter

regan took the lils over to the pasture this week so that juju could ride the horses

and mckray could shoot his bb gun.

mckray ask if he could shoot a bird and regan said yes

but all the while thinking that he prolly wouldn't get one

well , he was wrong

he shot one and was pretty proud of himself.

as a mother

i am not a fan of hunting or killing or shooting things for recreation.

and i want to teach my kids to respect nature

so i talked to him about my feeling of only killing animals that you will eat.

blah... blah... blah... im pretty sure is all he heard.:)

i said my peace, so now i guess he will have to make up his own mind about hunting.

love this cute lil boy

even if he does

kill cute lil birds.

2011-02-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

lindor lovin'

if lovin' lindor truffles is wrong
i don't wanna be right

2011-02-03T15:39:00.002-07:00

orange crush
luvin these lil bad boys
so good
so yummy
the end

2011-02-01T14:53:00.001-07:00

is it summer yet?

i miss the lazy days of summer

i miss the sunshine

i miss having sun kissed skin

instead of my now pasty white skin

i miss flip flops

i miss playing in the water

i miss paddling my canoe

i miss camp fires

i miss hiking

i miss camping

i miss being excited to go outside and play all day long

i miss long summer nights

i am happy to say goodbye to yucky january

and say hello

to one day closer to summer!!!!!

2011-01-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

A BUNCH O' CRAZY PACKER FANS

packers vs. steelers

packers all the way baby!!!

2011-01-24T20:48:00.003-07:00

popkins

(palfreyman/hopkins)

martin luther king jr.

weekend of fun

the weekend started off with dinner at wallaby's

good eats mate!

next stop

the hopkins for a fun sleep over and many more activities

we played around the world ping pong till 2:00 a.m

we couldn't stop

we just wanted to play one...more...round

we finally decided that we would place a little wager

we all fought to the death

and tried our hardest

but

regan won the grand prize of 10 big ones

eric took 2nd and received two coupons for free tacos

and

bob placed an impressive 3rd place

and received a handy dandy pen

we ate some really good food. my sister is a fantastic cook and my girls love to be in the kitchen and learn all they can from her. thanks karen,you are always such a great hostess.

we played guesstures

after a couple of days living in our p.js, no make, no showers

who had time to shower?

way too many games to play

football to watch

food to eat

but

we were getting a lil cabin fever

we headed up to salt lake

to see some sights and

to ice skate

can you believe bridgers luck?

while walking down the streets in salt lake he found

a coupon for a free taco

alllllll righhhhhhht!

living the dream

2011-01-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

what makes me happy

*collecting vintage board games

*playing said vintage games with my littles and my bigs

*the weekends

*music

*lean mean sobe

*the winter sun warming things up

*being outside

*hangin with the family

im a simple girl

what can i say

life is good

and

im happy

2011-01-11T18:36:00.001-07:00

CHA-CHING

everyone in mr. smarty pants school had to take the state geography test. He placed 3rd in his grade and walked away with a cash prize of a whopping 15 bucks.

bridger has always been really good at geography

at a young age he would "play" more with the globe then he would with his toys.

bridger would study the globe for what seemed like hours

he would say things like

mom, ask me where madagascar is?

mom, ask me where france is?

mom, ask me england is?

mom, ask me where japan is?

it would NEVER stop.

looks like all that "playing" paid off.

he can thank his father for his smarts

they have the smarts

i have the street cred.

winning combo eh?

2011-01-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

WHY............
is there toilet paper in the outside fridge?
no one will confess
how does one do this?
this kind of behavior goes on ALL the time at my house
i will find cereal in the fridge and milk in the pantry?!?!?
does this kind of craziness go on in anybody else's house
or am i the only one?
please tell me i'm not the only one.....please!!!

2011-01-05T18:41:00.002-07:00

525,600 minutes in a year

goodbye 2010 and hello 2011

we made the most of the final few hundred

minutes of 2010 with a Palfrey/Hopkins party!!

We played 6 minute to win it games in 120 minutes. the final 10 minutes of 2010 were spent watching seacrest and dick clark drop the ball. Then the next twenty minutes consisted of much noise making, pan clanging, pot banging, merry making, toasting, kissing and other such razzle dazzle!!!!!

we hope to continue to enjoy as many minutes of this coming year as we can.
worry less and live more

2010-12-31T11:54:00.001-07:00

happy 39th birthday to my man

i ask regan what he wanted for his b-day and he quickly said

"i want YOU.............and i wanna go to true grit."

i aim to please so i gave him myself all wrapped up in a pretty bow

(sorry, no pictures of that)

and

took him to true grit

well, rewind that

true grit first

me in a pretty bow later

anywho..................

we met my sister and her hubby

afton and jess

after regan got off from work

after the show we stopped at 5 guys

then to farr's ice cream

and can i just say that the dole pineapple is DE-VINE

me and lova shared and

i have been craving it ever since.

***************

this next part is just for you honey:

if your wandering ever leads you

to a place you don't know which road to choose

leave your worries behind

take the road that leads to mine

and i'll be waiting there for you.

if your dreaming ever wakes you

and you find your dreaming wasn't true

wipe the sleep from your eyes

leave the nightmares behind

and i'll dream a better dream for you.

if your fortune ever fails you

and you're down without a dime to see you through

there's still luck that you can find

you can have a piece of mine

yeah,, i'll make a wish for you.

all my love

i give to you

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

2010-12-29T13:53:00.002-07:00

christmas day.........

was mostly spent

rockin around the christmas tree

to our new favorite wii game

just dance 2

it is oh.....so..... much..... fun

we are addicted

2010-12-27T12:48:00.001-07:00

christmas parties

family traditions

nativity

santa

and

tons of fun

palfreyman party

queensberry party

2010-12-22T12:26:00.001-07:00

love this time of year when we load the whole family including granny queenie in the car and head out to see the city lights.

we get pretty excited about this tradition

as you can plainly see by the pictures.

bridger and i getting a little carried away in the back seat

guess its just all that christmas spirit and christmas cheer

2010-12-17T21:16:00.001-07:00

serious talent
bridger had his annual orchestra concert the other night. he is in the advanced class and just kicks some serious butt on the viola.
it was a crazy day of running errands and regans work christmas party so i forgot my camera... BUMMER!! hate when i do that. oh well, at least i got one of him when we got home.
the orchestra played the following pieces
*troika
*journey of the magi
*christmas carol suite
and my favorite
*wizards in winter
wow!!! they did a fantastic job. i was in awe....for real
and in other news
he tried out for fiddler on the roof and made the part of fyedka
congrats bridger on getting the part that you wanted
you deserve every good thing that comes your way
your good looking
very smart
kind
gentle
well liked
and oober talented

2010-12-15T14:21:00.003-07:00

gingerbread houses

well, more like graham cracker houses.

notice the dividing of the sexes...boys table and girls table

they do this every year.

girls RULE of course!!!!

grandma making the frosting while regan stands around looking a little dazed. he just got done working a 12 hr. day at the hospital.

finished products

(sorry aubrey no picture of your awesome house

the picture was too blurry.)

the whole gang

love family and love tradition

2010-12-13T18:03:00.001-07:00

stone cold crazy

2010-12-09T13:10:00.001-07:00

young love
the other day journey came home from school singing, dancing and yelling at the top of her lungs "mathew likes me, he likes me, he really, really likes me." "Look, mom and dad he gave me a kitkat and told me that he liked me." to which regan replied. "wow journey, your really excited aren't you?" to which journey replied "well dad wouldn't you be excited if mom liked you?"

2010-12-06T16:12:00.000-07:00

blizzard smizzard
there was much anticipation and fuss made over the "blizzard warning."
it ended up being no more than a lil ol skiff.
the temperatures and the wind gust were hairy
but
that didn't stop the youngins from playing in the snow until their nose and toes were froze.

2010-12-02T13:20:00.001-07:00

he's getting big
mckray earned his arrow of light in the scouting program. he worked hard and earned tons of badges and belt loops while he has been in the cub scouts. at pack night he got to cross the bridge going out of cub scouts and into boy scouts and as he was walking over the bridge he kissed his two fingers and held them in the air and said "see ya"....it was pretty funny.
mckray gets so excited about life and really dives into whatever he is doing. he is a fun kid and fun to be around. the other day he and journey came to me and ask me if i believed in santa clause and i said YES, i do. they both looked at each other and kind of laughed and smiled. mckray then looked at me with a very serious face and said. "mom, im going to ask you again on the day i get married, cause i really need to know if he is real.........so i can make sure my kids get a really good christmas".
isn't that just the cutest thing?

2010-11-30T12:21:00.001-07:00

a very happy turkey day............

i love thanksgiving.

i love that is is just a chill holiday spent with family

eating and playing and relaxing.

we had thanksgiving this year at my moms

and boy do we know how to put on a feast

we always make WAY too much food.

oh well, that just means more leftovers and

who can complain with thanksgiving leftovers?

i am the pie maker in my family

i made

punkin,nana cream,coconut cream and choc.

all from scratch.

i also made a yam apple casserole that i learned how to make while living with regans grandma palfreyman's.

i am grateful for my family, good friends, life and good music

i am also learning to love opposition....my cute lil nephew that is serving a mission in virginia wrote a letter saying that he is learning to love opposition and it really hit me hard. so i too will be following his example of learning to love opposition and learn to love whereever i am good or bad.

i am thankful for more than this

this is just the short list :)

hope your thanksgiving was as good as ours.

2010-11-16T16:14:00.001-07:00

thankful for these cute ya-hoos that bring such joy to my life......most of the time :)

2010-11-12T12:13:00.002-07:00

dinner conversation
i love to cook dinner and have the whole family sit down and eat together.
at our house we go around the table and tell something good that happened on that day
i love this time day and i love that we are finally slowing down enough to REALLY listen to each other
and to reconnect.
most of the time we are pretty well behaved......(yeah right, who am i kidding)
but the other night this was how the conversation went
journey: "ugh, mckray got his spit germs all over that."
bridger: "well, you have butt germs in your mouth juju."
mckray chimes in and says well, i farted on your potato bridger."
hows that for classy??

2010-11-10T15:12:00.005-07:00

a birthday..........

just isn't complete until you have tried a mickey d's mcrib for the first time

or getting to go to nickle city and play thousands of the games

and win like a gazillion tickets so you can get super cool prizes

or play lazer tag

and

kick everybodys butt doing it

turning 11 is pretty rad!!!

2010-11-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

a stroll in the autumn sunshine

2010-11-05T13:23:00.001-06:00

sometimes........
sometimes when a girl goes off to college she is sooo happy to be on her own
sometimes she really misses home
sometimes she is having the time of her life
sometimes she's not
sometimes she loves boys
sometimes she hates them
sometimes she's getting along with all her roommates
sometimes she's not
sometimes she wants to be the life of the party
sometimes she just wants to be alone
sometimes she wants to forgive everyone
sometimes she doesn't want to forgive anyone
sometimes everything is going right
sometimes everything is crashing down on her
sometimes a MOM knows these things about her daughter
sometimes she doesn't
sometimes a girl just needs her best friend and mom to drive to school and take her for a shake
and let her vent
sometimes she has to do things on her own without her mom..no milkshake to make it better
sometimes she wants to share almost everything with me
sometimes she doesn't want to share anything with me
sometimes im o.k with her not sharing stuff with me
sometimes that makes me sad
sometimes i say the right thing
sometimes i don't
but
when she needs me i will ALWAYS be here for her
i am proud of who she is becoming
i am proud of where she is going
and proud of the great choices that she is making.....on her own.
I am so thankful that she is mine and that i am lucky enough to be a part of her fantastic life.
i am one lucky momma.
i love you aubrey........ ALWAYS!!!

2010-11-03T15:23:00.000-06:00

not the greatest lighting

shakespeare

bridger, following in the footsteps of his big sister aubrey, joined the Shakespeare team at his jr. high.

they performed a mid summer's night dream this year

with bridger playing the part of Demetrius

they worked hard during the summer and at the beginning of this school year

so they could compete

at the Shakespearean festival in cedar city with 100 other jr. high schools

which is kind of a big deal.

regan and i wanted to go down and watch them perform but bridger said "NO WAY"

guess he is a little embarrassed of the good ol' parents

good thing they had a parents night at the school so that we could watch

great work bridger

you are an awesome

and

well rounded teenager

2010-11-01T14:23:00.002-06:00

spooktacluar

halloween

bridger: link from legend of zelda

thanks granny q. for making his costume you did a boo-rific job

journey: 70's girl, bow- chicka-wow-wow

mckray: skater/punk dude

aubrey: lady gaga

mena: homeless girl

regan: homeless guy

the weather played quit the "trick" on us with

crazy hail, rain and lighting

some super kind people let us come in from the cold and freezing rain

and fed us warm soup.

couldn't believe that i actually ran into obama.

LOVE US SOME HALLOWEEN FUN!!!!!!!

2010-10-30T12:38:00.001-06:00

perfectly fine day for a round of golf
perfect weather
perfect company
hubby kicked my not- so- perfect butt.
maybe next time i'll kick his not-so- perfect butt.
not likely gonna happen
but one can wish.
gladstan golf course
elk ridge, utah

2010-10-28T10:07:00.006-06:00

school carnival and life's ups and downs........
the littles school and the PTA put on a fabulous carnival this year,
some of the woman in my ward were in charge
and they ask me to help out a little bit.
everyone involved worked hard
and the hard work paid off
we earned lots of money for our school
and the kids had a blast
we had lots of blow up toys to play on
tons of games
pizza and treats
my kids are old enough to go and not stay "right by mom and dad"
so they roamed around with friends
which led regan and me( or is it "I") to ask....how can our little kids be this old?
and where has the time gone?
the answer we both gave is.....we have NO IDEA!
anyway,i had wanted to take some fun pictures of the kids at the carnie
but they were off running around
so these are the only ones i got of them....(SIGH).
the picture of mckray jousting
reminds me of how i have felt as of late
getting jabbed,sucker punched and feeling like life is beating the H*%% out of me
all while im trying so hard to stay standing up
you see, stress has gotten the better of me
and i am having to really fight to keep stress at bay
stress can really take its tole on you if your not careful
i have lots on my mind
questions like:
will we ever be able to pay off regans student loans?
will we ever have more money coming in than going out?
its hard to believe that once upon a time we did.
will i be able to find a better job? ....yeah i got a job, its not glamorous or what i want to do forever, but its a job.
am i doing a good job as a mother,wife, friend, sister,daughter?
am i living the life i want to?
am i floating.....or am i really living?
anyway........ you get the picture
i guess it comes down to having FAITH
having faith in myself and having faith in god
having faith in myself is the one i REALLY, REALLY struggle with
believing that all is well and that all will be well
if i am doing all that i can
and working hard
and having faith
it will all work out
when i stop and think about all that i have
and all that i have to be grateful for
the stress seems to LIFT
but, when i focus on the "crap" of life
well, then everything seems
CRAPPY
right now i need to focus on what i DO have
instead of what i DON'T have
focuse on the postive qualities that I DO have
life is as EASY or as HARD as i want to make it
its really all about ATTITUDE isn't it??
heres to happier days
and
better attitudes

2010-10-26T15:06:00.003-06:00

the alpine loop

nothing brings me more joy,

than to pack the family into the car and head

for the

mountains

on a lovely fall day.

the beauty is breathtaking

and

it makes me feel like my chest will burst wide open from all its awesomeness.

i wish fall could last forever

2010-10-22T15:12:00.000-06:00

is the magic number

bridger turned 15 on the 15th

pretty cool eh?

he is a pretty chill kid and wanted his birthday to be the same way

CHILL

and that is exactly what he got

we hung out

went to the mall and bought him a few things

came home and

made him a coconut cream pie ( his favorite)

thats right...from scratch...yep including the crust.

i loved that i got a smile out of him

with his pie.

that is a rare thing lately

must be the age.

he is now old enough to get his learners permit

SCARY

i always thought that i would be really good about being in the car with teenagers

when they first learned to drive

guess what???

im not

it freaks me out

BIG TIME

so regan gets all the fun

of teaching them

he is sooooo good and doesnt freak out

unlike me

i guess its win win for all of us

LOVE YOU BRIDGER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2010-10-15T13:25:00.004-06:00

loving this delicious fall weather

delicious popsicle's from the ice cream man

delicious kiddles

2010-10-13T09:03:00.000-06:00

IT'S THE FALL

2010-10-11T10:11:00.002-06:00

punkins
every fall we go with the preston's (my other family) to the pumpkin patch
the lil's go up and down every row in search of the "perfect" pumpkin
this year at the patch they had a small petting zoo the lil's thought it was pretty awesome that they had a baby kangaroo.
i love fall and i love my preston family
thanks for the pumpkins mom and dad

2010-10-08T09:11:00.001-06:00

CLASH DAY

not only was it clash day at the jr. high

but also lots of clashing going on at our house

you know parent vs. teenager

you know that age old battle

i remember doing the same thing with my mom

except

i was MUCH, MUCH worse

than my teenagers have ever been

he is a great kid (most of the time)

and we are great parents (most of the time)

but sometimes during these lovely teen years

we are

just gonna clash!

him not liking rules and regulation

us not liking the attitude.... oh the attitude.......
im sure we will both survive

*************

on a brighter note

he is away competing with

100+ other schools

at the Shakespearean festival

midsummer night's dream

he plays the part of demetrius

he is a great and very talented kid

he sent me a really nice text when he arrived

made my day

dang teenagers

one minute you are just over the top frustrated with them

and then the next minute

they are melting your heart

at least there are moments of him melting my heart...right?

2010-10-06T12:36:00.000-06:00

conference

normally we get together with my mom, sister and her family and watch conference on t.v at one of our houses.

this year we thought it would be fun to head up to the conference center and watch it live.

we couldn't get enough tickets for us all to go together

so, my mom and my lil family went to the saturday afternoon session

and my sister and her family went to the sunday session.

we have never gone as a family

it was fun to get dressed up and spend time together

juju slept through half of it and was snoring just a wee bit..tee hee

the boys were perfect

we missed aubrey and wished she could have come

i took lots of notes..like i always do

i have set some new goals for myself

and am going to work harder at becoming the woman that i want to be

love conference