Procrastination

I realize that I haven't journaled in a while.... So many things to say, but nothing that I feel like sharing with the cyber world. I've decided that I should go private- only me being invited-as I spew out my thoughts and lessons learned and ideas and good and bad experiences and.... Maybe I should rely on my memory for most of that recall, but I happen to be well aware of my tendencies to forget some of the things that one ought to not forget:) The second pickle when it comes to blogging is that I spend my free time writing things -sometimes lengthy blurbs- about pieces of life that strike me. If I were to post them, I think I would inflict migraines for anyone who doesn't enjoy hanging out in left field once in a while;) I would hate to contribute to the already inevitable headaches of the allergy season, so  i'll have to figure out another  place to put my oh-so-earth shattering writing before it eats up all the remaining space on my hard drive.  

So I made a lady cry in church on Sunday. Being the only one in relief society under the age of 60, I sat by this cute lady that told me all about her life. I opened my big mouth about whether or not she was married, and then I did her in. She told me that her hubby died and that she was seeing the man next door, who just died too. Way to go Andrea. Other than that, it was a great day. On Saturday, the three of us went through Zion's. Logan thought it reminded him a lot of Radiator Springs:) We are excited to go again in a few weeks when everything has greened up. 

I checked out this uber fabulous house up in the Ledges a few days ago. It was unlocked and vacant, so Logan and I helped ourselves. Next thing I know, he is running right past the pool house and on to the bathroom. He had a bad tummy, and I didn't realize that the water throughout the house was shut off. Oh man, I felt bad about that one. I think i'll forget that it ever happened.

The next bit of excitement is that Logan and I are officially in  love with the Summit Athletic Club. Snap.  So nice. I took Logan swimming after I worked out this morning and he was loving the new friends. The little scaredy pants finally went under the water today. He came back up and said, "I DID IT! It was like magic, and I didn't die!" We got some major stares with that one. They probably thought I had tried too many fear tactics to keep my kid from learning to swim. We both got sunburned- lesson learned. Braddo has a conference in Vegas so we will be meeting up with the Harker fam in Vegas tomorrow night through Sunday to watch grandpa O race his car and hang out with Mikey before he is back in school. We are excited to see everybody;)

A few thoughts on the day....

Note to self: ALWAYS stay at least 10 meters behind the snowbird folk. I think I almost got smash-crashed by 5 different sweet elderly people today. Despite the scares on the road, I sure have been on them a lot. Logan and I have an odd habit of getting ourselves intentionally lost. He calls it 'peaking' until it's dark, then we are 'sneaking'. I have spent too much time in the car for my own good, but I had to check this place out. And there is a lot of stretched-out land to discover. Logan and I met Stephanie, Taylor, and Kai at the Washington City rec center today for a 3 hour swim. To my surprise, it was awesome. With the exception of running as fast as he could when the bucket tipped, Logan was uncharacteristically brave on the tube slides and water jungle gyms. That place is beautiful, big, and clean. It will definitely become part of the general routine. So I ran into a good friend, Arielle, there today, followed by 2 guys who grew up in my ward, at Cafe Rio. Small LDS world down here for sure.
Brad is working 11-12 hour days! He gone by 7:30 and home around then as well. I am really excited for his new job, as he is enjoying it very much. I am also CRAVING a hard day's work (not in the form of a job:)), responsibility, schedule, obligations, you know, the usual that moms go through with only one little tike running around. I look forward to finding ways of getting involved in some kind of something that pushes and challenges me. Alright, enough of trying to catch up this journal. My fam is the greatest and I hope all is going well for each one of them. If any of you read this, visit or call Grandpa F, okay? He really loves company. Alrighty, signing off!

Home, home in the desert....

Well, I suppose that it is time to update my blog as the wintry scene of Idaho has taken direction south  to a quite summer-ish desert landscape! We officially moved to Saint George this past weekend. The move came abruptly in my opinion, for which I am thankful. As my dear friend Suzie assured me, "Ripping the band-aid off is less painful than slowly tugging at it." To that, I agree. I am gawking out my bedroom window at the hustle-bustle of a busy freeway, the comfort of vast blue mountains in the distance, and the orange atmosphere most adjacent. I think I can hear it screaming, "Put on your Chacos, go buy a fanny pack, and let's go climbing!" I even ate granola for breakfast this morning, He-he:) Greening palm trees add a nice touch to this crazy sight, I must say. 

Amidst settling in to the housing provided by Brad's new boss, the three of us decided to guess which ward we belonged to. We were told 1:00 pm. and were feeling pretty confident about a nearby stake center, just one of the million LDS-bannered  steeples you can see in each direction. After walking in and looking around, we doubted. A younger man commented to us that this temporary branch is exlusively full of wonderfully old people. With that, we hurried across the parking lot to another church building. After the sacrament meeting, a kind bishop informed us that the ward we should be attending is in Redcliffs, and that we would fit in just fine among the newly-wed and nearly dead. (Leg slapper, I know.) 

Not to my suprise, I found myself at the Home Depot garden center for a few hours yesterday. I can finally grow my coveted 'firesticks' euphorbia, and don't think I won't! I also potted some annuals and re-potted my tulip bulbs just before their grand showing. One more memory from the weekend: Logan began his 24-hour puking party on the floor at Tai Pan, and wound the excitement up a day later in my bed. Glad that bug has come and gone. 

I miss my family. Nichole and Joe just concluded their move into the new house without the help of the parents, who escaped to Maui just in time to miss both moving projects. Ah shucks, right mom and dad? Rachel and Tyler went on the Maui trip with them. They are having a marvelous time. Kim and Jesse are in Rexburg until we blindfold, kidnap, and bring them here to Saint George. I love the people of Idaho Falls, Shadow mountain ward and always will. We met and made some of the greatest people we know while there, and it will always feel like home. 

A journal entry about the BOSS

His pajama shirt that states, "I'm the boss around here," has become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Logan is always making me laugh with his silly logic and peculiar habits. He loves to hide whenever dad comes home. He drinks and pees more than anyone I have ever met. He absorbs new information like a spunge and is quite insightful. He loves being with his mom and really treasures all of his grandparents. He is a great cook, a super-duper reader, and works hard at school. He has become quite an ice hockey player and loves to pretend that he is a basketball star. Infact, he wears his jersey and shorts whenever his spiderman costume is not on. HOWEVER, this nearly 4 year-old little boy has transitioned from a sensitive, adaptable, easy going, mommy/daddy pleaser to a tyrant in a spidey man costume. As I sit here, he is chasing three friends with a gun in each hand. Last night he started to become so delirious after after resisting bedtime that he ran himself right into the closed door! (His sleep hygeine is a joke.) He can throw a tantrum lately that shakes the roof. And he has mastered whining rather than talking. He has been sassy and incouragable the last few days. Seriously, I will go ahead and blame myself for pampering him. The kid pretty much gets our attention whenever he wants or needs it. What else would I do? He knows that I have the time. The little dude is always with me. Where is the happy medium between spoiling and neglecting when you only have one child? I will have to keep working this one out in my head. In the mean time, I am going to go break up a fight.

Abrubt End

Maddy moved out. 

Digging deep to find it....

In the depths of winter I finally learned 
there was in me an invincible summer.

~ Albert Camus

Multimedia message

Great grandpa is teaching logan how to paint!

We will miss you

This is my beautiful, sweet Grandma, Jaquoline Ferney. She was loved very much by her family. My grandpa took wonderful care of her. She was a fantastic woman and a very good friend. Grandma had a strong testimony of the truth that she learned through her life. She and my grandpa were married for 61 years, and were sealed in the temple 13 years ago. She was a talented skiier, golfer, socialite, and storyteller. She had a serious obsession for shoes and jewelry. She usually wore atleast 6 rings at a time. Grandma even had a fake pinkie fingernail that was dipped in gold. She loved to dance growing up. Grandma spent most of her time fishing and camping in the summers. She took her girlfriends on fishing trips in Island Park. She loved her ladies golf league and organizing the Women's day ski trips at Targhee. She took suntanning seriously and once showed me how to surround your body with tinfoil to attract the sun rays. She really loved little children. Logan adored his grandma as much as she did him. I have been a lucky girl to live only blocks away the last 2 years. She died on Sunday night, at the age of 78. I will never forget that night together. She motivates me to attempt to make life as fun and exhilirating as she did. Party on grandma, I love you love you love you. 

A quick catch-up

This past Saturday Brad, Logan, Maddy and I started home from Calgary. Due to some monstrous roads, we detoured over to the cabin outside of Kalispel for the night. Upon our arrival, we discovered that the driveway had remained peacefully undisturbed by any neighboring snow plows through the winter. Moreover, the area had experienced some record-worthy snow dumps. What a wonderful surprise to greet a path of fluffy snow that measured above Brad's waist! Well, being the dignified man of the family, be began to dig with a shovel until he could envision his manly truck busting through the drifts and onto the trail:) We tried, we got stuck, and we got neighbors to help us out. We then loaded some essentials onto Logan's sled and followed the deer trails down into the cabin. Logan loved every minute. After sharing a bath tub (clothes on)between the four of us to warm up the frozen piggies, we went to bed anticipating the rest of the next day's drive.

Okay, now I have to just record a few of Logan's latest and greatest words. I forget whatever pearls of wisdom he shares unless I record them promptly after regaining my composure.

"Mom, do you have hair under your arms? Nope. Hold on, I'll be right back. Daaaaad! Do you have hair in your arm pits? Woah! That is awesome. I want some!"

(After refusing for the umpteenth time to go climb into bed, he starts to sob as I tell him that he will be grounded and to get up those stairs and into his room.) "Mom, I love you but I just can't do this."

"Heavenly Father, please bless mom that she will start excersizing." (He had heard me recite my New Year's resolution to start lifting weights more regularly.)

"Logan, you are so cute." (very angrily) "MOOOMMMM! STOP IT! I am not cute! I am cool and you know that."