Tagged

I have been tagged by two of my dear friends. These are easy fun ways to add a post so for any of you that read my blog and are looking for a free and easy post to update your own blogs, consider yourselves tagged.

20 years ago!
1988
1. I was 13 years old and starting 8th grade.
2. I had a very regretful mullet haircut.
3. I was in girls chorus in middle school and loved it very much.

10 years ago!
1998
1. Alex was two and Jay was in school at NC State.
2. Spencer was on the way and my resting heartrate was 100 all the time. I also had trouble walking. Overall I was one sick pregnant woman.
3. We lived next door to Ken and Lauren and played card games all the time. Life was very fun.

5 years ago!
2003
1. Living in Virginia now.
2. Alex was 7, Spencer was 4, Sarah was 2.
3. Jay's ship was in the ship yard and I was working hard as the Spouse's Club Pres.

3 years ago!
2005
1. Living in Rhode Island
2. Nathan was born in December and so I spent most of that year in bed.
3. Jay was home all year long.

1 year ago!
2007
1. Living in Virginia again
2. Jay returned from a year in Iraq in the summer and Spencer was baptized.
3. Cross country family road trip and summer in Rhode Island.

This year so far!
2008
1. Jay commuted the first half of the year from Rhode Island and then deployed.
2. Children finished 1st, 3rd and 6th grades
3. Taking a dance class for the first time in 15 years.

Yesterday!
Saturday
1. Went to the airport
2. Went to the beach
3. Went to the pool

Today!
Sunday
1. Went to church
2. Went to the playground
3. Talked to Jay

Tomorrow!
Monday
1. Going to dance class
2. Going to the grocery store
3. Organizing for back to school

Next Year!
2009
1. Another cross country car trip for the family, minus Jay.
2. Another deployment for Jay.
3. 15 Year Wedding Anniversary. Still very happily married.

Tag You're It

Memory Game

1. As a comment on this post, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

And if you're just a "lurker" that I don't know very well, please use this as an excuse to comment and say hello!

Gratitude Weekly - Good Food

I love good food. If I am not careful I will become obsessed and gain weight and spend all my money on good food. To prove my point, one summer in high school I spent half my earnings on eating out that summer and gained 20 lbs.
This week I had a great week of food. My dear sister-in-law came to visit and I used the excuse to enjoy many of my very favorite restaurants and it was awesome. First night that she was here we went to The Cheesecake Factory; I had Chicken Piccata and Chocolate Moose Cheesecake. It was fabulous. Thursday night we went out for seafood. I had shrimp, scallops and clams. Friday lunch we went to Paul's Deli. That is my favorite place for lunch and I always get the same thing there; a Club Special. It never fails to totally satisfy me. Dinner Friday night we went to a Japanese Steakhouse where I had shrimp and scallops again. Then later to Coldstone Creamery. It may have been totally glutenous, but I loved every minute of it.
So what am I thankful for? I am thankful for great food put together in great combinations and cooked by people who have practiced their craft and perfected it. Yum! I am also grateful for the opportunity that I had this week to take a break and eat.

Jonas Brothers

Last night we had a great night back in the back in the cheap seats at the Jonas Brother's concert. We got lawn tickets and really sat in the very back. The good news was that we didn't have to worry about being in front of anyone. The Jonas Brothers really put on a great show. We had a wonderful time and I am very glad that we went.
It didn't start off great however. The opening act was Demi Lovato. Because it was still light out we couldn't see the big screen TVs, and were too far away to see the stage well. The children were very discouraged and thought the night would be a bust. After Demi Lovato there was an hour long intermission while we waited for the sun to set before the Jonas Brothers came on. When their show started we could see the TV screens really well and we could see the stage. The energy was amazing. If we could bottle the energy at that concert all our energy problems would be solved. I would just like a little bit of the energy to save for a bad day.
One of the greatest things about the concert was the way the Jonas Brothers talked to the audience about working hard at your goals and anything being possible if you work hard and try hard. Also, they have a wonderful section talking about diabetes and they are really doing a great job of teaching and bring attention to not just childhood diabetes, but ways to stay healthy to prevent adult diabetes.
At the end of the concert here are the children's thoughts.
Alex - "That was really good."
Spencer - "This was the best night of my life. I want to get really good at the piano"
Sarah - "I have never had a better day than this one, can we do it again?"
My thoughts were also along the lines of "That was definitely worth it."

Gratitude Weekly - 15 years

Last night was my 15 year class reunion. My friend Carol and I have been preparing mentally and physically for the past month for this reunion. It was a casual affair and only a handful of people showed up, but I am very glad we took the time to go and see some old friends. I am very grateful to the girl who organized everything. Someone has to do it.
What I am most grateful for in regards to our 15 year class reunion is the mental preparation. I have been through the yearbooks and mental rewind of my high school years. Not all the things that happened back then were happy memories, but there were a lot of good times too. I am grateful to look back and learn from things that happened 15 years ago. In two years I will have a high schooler myself and the memories of what it felt like to be a teenager will be helpful in helping my own children to get through those years.
High school is probably the most dramatic time of life, but as Brad Paisley says about high school in his song Letter to Me, "These are no where near the best years of our life."

Happy Anniversary

Today is our 14th anniversary. Or as Jay would say, Susan's Anniversary. The first time Jay and I met I thought he was old. I was 18 and didn't see guys in college wearing suits often. The second time we met he was on a date to the school dance with my roommate and I was wearing a very revealing dress and trying to date two guys at the same time. He thought I was a floozy, but a cute one. The third time we met was by phone and really the first time we had talked to each other. We talked for two hours and when we got off the phone I thought I want to marry a guy just like him, not him, but someone like him. I had great instincts. He is the best husband and father any woman could hope for. I'm not just saying that because he has been gone more than home for the last 2+ years. The thing that I remember most about our wedding day is that I was smiling so hard it hurt as we got married and it is one of the few weddings that I haven't cried at. I was way to happy for even happy tears and I still am.

Gratitude Weekly - The Cabin

My first trip to the cabin July 1975.
This weekend the children, my parents and I went to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a family reunion and 100th anniversary celebration. My father's maternal ancestors bought a large area of land in the mountains and built an orchard. This was the anniversary of that orchard's start. They had a wonderful day of sharing memories. Most of these relations are Quakers and in true Quaker form they had a scheduled program of speakers sharing their memories and history, but allowed for anyone with questions, comments or additional stories to stand and share also. I didn't get to enjoy much of the program because I spent the day climbing up and down the mountain with a 2 year old, but what I did hear I enjoyed so much.
What I really appreciated about our trip to the mountains was visiting The Cabin. The Cabin was built for my paternal grandmother's mother. My great grandmother had 4 daughters and their husbands worked together to build her a cabin on the orchard. The cabin is basically three rooms downstairs and a bathroom, with one room upstairs. On the back side of The Cabin is a large screened in porch with a newer bathroom that has been added on. It isn't huge, but it feels roomy enough and the view is spectacular. View back in 1975, has only improved through the years.
Growing up I didn't really like to go to The Cabin. I prefer my nature climatized and bug free. Stories of snakes and bears kept me close to home, but truly The Cabin is one of the great places where children can go out and play and just go back in time to safer time and place where all you really hear around you is nature. We spent one summer at The Cabin painting and cleaning the inside up really nice and ever since it has been a much better place to visit. I have only visited The Cabin once since getting married 14 years ago. When we visited this time I was greatly impressed by how well kept up everything is and how much I would like to return with my family again soon. I do believe that to fully appreciate the beauty and peace and mostly the special quality of the the area growing up is required. We had a wonderful trip and I was really impressed by all that we saw and were a part of this weekend.

Baseball the way it should be

Spencer and I went to baseball game last night with the cub scouts. The leader was able to get us a sky box for the game. I was totally meant to watch all sporting events from a sky box. There was food and leather couches and chairs plus a TV that showed us instant replays. I have always thought instant replay was what was missing from live games. But the very best part of the sky box experience was the air conditioning. The team lost 7-0, but the fireworks afterward were terrific.

Gratitude Weekly - Sunday Classes without Children

I was released from teaching Primary and called to teach once a month in Relief Society. This was my first week to attend Sunday School and Relief Society in so very long. The last time I was able to attend, Nathan was still running around the hallway and I missed so much. Then I taught Spencer's class for about a year and now I am back to attending my classes. It was so wonderful to sit and have the opportunity to be taught. Our teachers were wonderful and I learned so much and really felt so recharged at the end of church. I will miss my class, but I am so very thankful for a Bishop who knew what my needs were even if I didn't.

Gratitude Weekly - Vacation

Last weekend when I would have been updating my blog about what I am grateful for I was out of town. The children and I went to Raleigh for a few days with friends. It was so great. We rested and relaxed and got away from the phone and computer which for me is as good as it gets to getting away. On top of all that I won best 3 out of 4 games of Phase 10. I love to win. Our friends made our stay great and we had so much fun. Thanks.

Gratitude Weekly - Family Home Evening

I am grateful for the blessings that come from having Family Home Evening. Most of the time when Jay is gone it seems to be too overwhelming to me to try to have FHE. Evenings with my children is not my strong time. With children I am better with mornings than evenings. I have a tendency to have a short temper in the evenings and it seems wrong to snap and fuss and sometimes even yell during FHE. Lately we have been making more of an effort to hold our FHEs every week. The children are older now able to help more and appreciate the attention of family time more. I love the way the family feels the Spirit when we sit down together and sing songs and have a lesson that relates to our daily needs. Every week I think how much easier it would be to just watch a movie as a family and call it good, but when we go to the extra effort of having a lesson the feeling of happiness that we have as a family is increase by so much that I am beginning to realize that we just can't afford to not have FHE. We are blessed as a family for having FHE and even more we are blessed to have church leaders who know our needs and can council us with what will help our family grow strong.

Lieutenant Commander Select Forsgren

Congratulations to Jay for being selected for Lieutenant Commander. We are very, very happy with this news.

Gratitude Weekly - Jill

This past week we returned my niece Jill to her family. Sarah cried most of the way home from Kentucky. Jill was with us for two weeks and we loved having her here. She took so much stress off of my shoulders. Just having another person in the house was great. We stayed up late girl talking and played all day. She cleaned my kitchen every evening without being asked or complaining. In fact I don't think she whined or complained once the whole time she was here. It was so much fun having her here and so much of a relief for me. I wish we could keep her, but it is back to the real world now. I am so very thankful for the time we had with Jill and I hope she can come back again soon.

Gratitude Weekly - One week late

Last week I missed writing, but I am no less grateful for our country's birthday this week than I was last week. Here is a quick quote from my husband about the 4th of July. He wrote this on July 3rd, "Tomorrow I have duty. It isn’t the best way to celebrate Independence Day, but it is quite appropriate. The Declaration of Independence was an act of war. I stand now to defend all that that document and the Constitution stand for. I don’t mind; I love my country and my job. I love my family! They are all worth fighting for." In speaking of his shipmates Jay said, "I realized that these people have sacrificed so much for people who have never met them. What a good group of people. I am proud to serve with them."
I am very proud to be his wife and I am grateful to live in this country and support those who protect us and keep us safe daily.

WARNING - Overly proud Mom alert

Alex is home from his first week of Scout Camp. I survived and he thrived. He had a great week and is feeling really great about himself thanks to himself and the wonderful boys and leaders that he spent the week with. We went up on Tuesday night to celebrate Alex's 12th birthday with him. It was a surprise visit that the Bishop planned and didn't tell Alex about. Alex said he was having a good time, but he still looked scared and shy to me. The boys in his troop were really making efforts to make him feel a part of the group. They are good boys and have big hearts. Unlike school they don't seem to care about anything except that you are part of the troop and so you are accepted.
It was good to see Alex and it made him feel good too. Our Bishop had given him an Indiana Jones hat for his birthday and they nicknamed him Indi. After that we just sat back and waited for the week to be over. When we went up to camp on Friday he was definitely acting more comfortable and no longer scared at all. In fact on Wednesday night he completed the Wilderness survival overnight camp out. He built his own shelter and slept in it without a sleeping bag or anything. Considering he has only been camping about 6 times and only once without a parent it is terrific that he did this and did it on his first try.
He is very proud of what he accomplished. At the end of the week on Friday a storm blew through the camp and got everything wet. The troop decided to come home a night early and Alex was the only one who wanted to stay. I told the leaders that obviously Alex has the worst home life.
A note about tooth brushing. When we got there I asked Alex if he had brushed his teeth or changed his underwear and socks. He had changed underwear and socks, but claimed he couldn't find his tooth brush. He hadn't opened his very neatly packed toiletry kit all week. At least he changed his underwear right?

Gratitude Weekly - Jill

My niece Jill is here for two weeks. I am so happy to have her here. You can't imagine how much my stress level is down. She is cute and fun and helpful and just a pleasure to be around. I wish we could keep her. It is great to have another girl to talk with and all the children love her. Sarah thinks that Jill is here just for her and has made her a sister. You can't believe how great Jill is with all the children. She is kind and patient and gentle. I am totally spoiled for two weeks and loving it. Thank you Jill for coming and Jennie and James for letting her.

Gratitude Weekly - Growing up

It keeps happening. My children keep growing up.
Alex is leaving tomorrow morning for scout camp. He will be gone for 6 days. Okay that is an exaggeration, he will be gone five days and a few hours. There is a chance of rain 3 days he will be gone. It is going to be hot there. He will be in charge of remembering to brush his teeth without me to double check on it. There is a chance that he won't brush his teeth all week. I know I sound a little crazy here but there is a reason people call me bossy and controlling, it is because I have trouble letting go of the little details. Camp will be a great thing for him and hopefully I will grow up a little bit too.
As if Alex growing up isn't enough the baby has the nerve to grow and change every day too. This child would cry every time we drove into the parking lot at church for a year. He thought we were out of our minds if we thought he was going to go nursery. We didn't even come close to getting him to let us leave him anywhere, he had the worse attachment difficulties I have ever seen. Then it all changed. Today he ran to nursery and waited at the door until I got there to let him in, then he waved goodbye to me. What happened to my clingy baby? I love that we don't have tears, but does everyone have to grow up at once.
I am so proud of those two boy and of the other boy and his sister. I love every stage and I miss them when they pass. The only solution I can see is that I am going to have to grow up too. Wish me luck.

Gratitude Weekly - Too many for one week

First off I am so grateful that school is out. I am so glad to have my children home and for it to be time for just us.
Second, I am grateful for the teachers who taught my children all year long. They spent so much time with my children and helped them grow all year long. They gave so much and I could never do what they do.
Third, this weekend was my parent's 50th wedding aniversary. I am grateful to them for all they have given me over the years and I'm especially for their example of how to love another.
Finally, with Sunday being Father's Day, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have the best Father a girl could ever have. He is so wise and someone I can always be proud of. I am also so lucky to have married someone so much like him. I have the best husband who is the greatest dad. Our children miss him so much while he is gone because when he is here he makes our world so great.

Gratitude Weekly - Dance

Sarah completed her third year of dance this weekend. It is her second year at her present dance studio and it was a terrific year. She took ballet, tap and jazz and performed a ballet routine and a jazz routine in her dance recital. As a very proud mother I must say with as little bias as possible, she was fabulous. She knew her dances very well and had no stage fright this year. Last year she was a little nervous. She has developed a great deal of grace over the last year and I am very thankful that she not only takes dance, but that she really loves it.
I love to dance. After the children go to bed at night I frequently dance around the kitchen while cleaning up and dance up and down the hallway. I always dreamed of a daughter that would enjoy dancing, but I didn't count on it. I am beyond trilled that Sarah is enjoying dance. She had a great time and wonderful teachers. To top it all off Sarah showed great gratitude herself this weekend in telling me frequently how much she appreciated my help with taking her to dance and preparing her for the recital.

Photos by http://www.carolehayes.com/

Bone Marrow Update

As I posted earlier, I was the best possible match to donate bone marrow for a lady with leukemia. I went to Georgetown University had a physical, interviews and other things and everything came back good. Unfortunately, I have a questionable history that looks a great deal like autoimmune disease. Because of the previous problems that I have had with my legs they believe the surgery would be to much of a risk to my permanent health. If they can find another suitable match then I will not give. If they can't they may call me and discuss the risks again and give me another chance.
I was very disappointed to be deferred, but everything happens for a reason. My best wishes and prayers go out to the lady in need of a transplant.
I would encourage anyone who has considered getting on the bone marrow donor list to check it out. Here is there website.
http://www.marrow.org/

Gratitude Weekly - Memorial Day

I am so thankful for those who serve our country and have served our country in the past. Serving is what it really is. The hours are horribly long and the dediction required is incredibly high. I know personally by what I see Jay give of himself and know that there are those who regularly give more and still those who have died who have given all to serve and protect our country and us as indiviuals. They leave their homes and go to fight in other countries so that the fighting doesn't happen on American soil.
On Memorial Day Toby Keith's song American Soilder was on the radio and Jay said, "He really gets it right in this song. That is exactly how I feel."

And I will always do my duty no matter what the price
I’ve counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
Oh and I don’t want to die for you, but if dyin’s asked of me
I’ll bear that cross with honor, cause freedom don’t come free.

Jay's peers were asked to complete a survey on the factors that made them stay in the Navy and what makes them want to get out. The number one reason for staying in was Loyalty to Nation/Sevice, number three was Patriotism. Those were ranked well above pay. I am proud of my husband and so very thankful to all those who have come before us and paved the way and those who stand beside him and continue to work to keep us safe and free.

Spencer's Says

Spencer has been taking his yearly state assessment tests for the last 4 days. He has his last one tomorrow. Everyday when he comes home from school and I ask him how his tests went he says, "It was easy." So today I said something to him about being smart and that must be why the tests seem easy.
He replied, "I just can't help it that I am so smart, my Dad taught me so much."
We sure do love Dad.

Exercise is bad for you

First thing on the agenda when Jay leaves is to lose weight and get in shape so that I will look good when he comes home. He does the same thing with usually awesome results. I do this every time with pretty good success and then he comes home and we eat out a bunch to celebrate and it all goes down hill again. So I am taking the moderation idea this time. I am cutting back on fast food BIG TIME. And I am going to start walking. Yesterday with all good intentions I put the baby down for a nap and began a leisurely stroll on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Nothing to hard right. Remember that I was out of commission for three months with leg problems. Only problem with this is that I didn't really have any good walking shoes so I used an old pair that should have been retired long ago. Last night my knee blew up like a balloon. Don't worry I am doing some better today and in a few days I hope to be ready to try again.
I bought new shoes today, but I do think exercise is just bad for you.

Bye, Bye Daddy

Jay is gone now. We had to take him to the airport and ship him off to his ship. Already you might say, that is what we said too. We thought that we were going to have 6 weeks with him, but it ran down to 3 1/2. Don't worry, we are going to be okay. Nathan was fine when I showed him that I had Doritos. They are like a drug to him. The boys were like me resolute. We have done this so much that it isn't easy, but we know it must be done. Sarah was a basket case. She is finally asleep, but it was rough getting there.
Jay will be gone until mid fall. I would love to say where he is and what he is doing but that wouldn't be safe. I can say that his ship is the USS Oak Hill (LSD 51). He will be the Officer in charge of Operations.
We had the BEST time while he was home. There is nothing like having the family all together.

Gratitude Weekly - Music

Music is on my mind this week. Today was the last day for our Primary Chorister who will be moving soon. She has really made the effort and succeeded in teaching the Primary children at church. She has worked on helping them sing better, to hear the notes better, to follow and lead music, to know the behavior that goes along with singing, she taught them to sing in other languages, and many more things that I am sure that I am forgetting. I have never experienced such a music leader for children this age. She only sees them for 20 minutes a week basically and yet has taught them so very much in this time. Her work with them will last them a lifetime. One big example to me of her influence is that Sarah used to not be willing to sing at church and now she sings at church and she sings her primary songs that Sister Johnson taught her all the time. On a side note this wonderful sister taught both Alex and Spencer piano this year and for that I will always be in her debt.
Alex was called up in Primary today as the spotlight child and one of his questions was what makes you unique. He said that he loves music. If the same question had been asked of me I would have replied with the same answer. He had his end of the year band concert this week. He plays the clarinet and he plays it very well. He hopes to add the French Horn to his list of musical interests this summer.
I personally love music and I love to sing. I love hearing my children sing and play, especially the piano. They wouldn't know how much I love hearing them play with the number of times that I make them use headphones, but I love hearing them play. I love that they sit down at the piano so much during the day just for a few minutes of playing time if that is all they have. Undoubtedly I am thankful for music in my life.

Gratitude Weekly - Local Church Leaders

Today at church the wards were rearranged. Ours was only affected minimally and our bishopric stayed the same. While we were sitting there in the gym in uncomfortable chairs and chaos all around I noticed that I had an unobstructed view of the Stake President. The stake president is someone we know well seeing that he used to be our bishop when we lived here before and his son Nathan used to babysit for us too. When he was called a few years ago to be Stake President I was very disappointed that we were moving and wouldn't be able to watch the stake grow under his leadership. As I watched him today I was overwhelmed with how glad I am that he is our local leader. He is a truly good man, he really tells it like it is and expects us listen and then go forth and make our lives better and work harder for the Lord.
The bishops from all the wards and branches spoke and bore their testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel. As they spoke I was thrilled to realize that all of their messages were unique and that I would be glad to have ANY of them as my bishop. They all said things that needed to be said. Things that were thought provoking and inspirational. I believe that anyone listening in our meeting today couldn't leave there without feeling like improving themselves and sharing that improvement with those that surround them.
Here in Virginia we are certainly being lead by some great men and I am grateful to all of them for their service on our behalf and for the Lord.

Best Possible Match

Last Thursday I found out that I am "the best possible match for a recipient in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant".
I joined the Dept. of Defense Marrow Donor Program back in August of 2006. An author that I really enjoy was having a book signing on a book about Navy SEALs. She had joined with the DOD to add people to their bone marrow registry at each of her signings. At the time one of the active duty Navy SEALs from Virginia Beach was looking for a match. I had always wanted to be on the national list for Bone Marrow Donors so I managed to register at her book signing.
Back in March I was contacted that I was a possible match for someone. The next step in the process was that I went to a lab and gave them some more blood. I was contacted on Thursday May 8th and told that I am now the best possible match and would I proceed. YES. They sent me a DVD and book to read followed by a phone interview in which the details for donation were discussed. I was asked if I would proceed. YES. Next week I head up to Georgetown University for a Physical with the doctors who will be performing the surgery. Then we wait for about a week for two doctors and the DOD coordinator to sign off saying that I am okay for donation. At current time I am scheduled to donate on June 19th.
All I know about the person that I am donating for is that she is a 41 year old female with prolymphocytic leukemia.
When I signed up for the Donor program it was an abstract thought that I might be able to help save a life. I feel kind of like I have won the lottery.
There are still some hurdles to cross, but we are on our way.

Gratitude Weekly - It's Crazy, but it is true

I hate to say what I am truly thankful for this week. It sounds crazy. I am going to have to say that I am thankful for what I gained from the separation from Jay. Everyday that he is here I am so grateful for him. I appreciate him so much more for having been apart. I can't bring myself to say that I am glad that we were apart, but I am going to say that I have learned from our trials. He walks in the door and I can't believe how happy I am to see him. The level of stress that I feel on my shoulders feels like it has been lifted with helium and is almost lifting me off my feet. Life feels easy. WOW!!

JAY'S HOME! JAY'S HOME! JAY'S HOME!

Jay dropped us off and left us(Spencer's words to his teacher) in Virgina on June 2, 2006 to head for training in South Carolina before heading to Iraq. He returned from Iraq on June 20, 2007. During our summer we traveled and summered with him in Rhode Island. Starting Labor Day we began the pattern of weekends with Dad. He worked all week in Rhode Island and flew home on weekends. It wasn't ideal, but it was a wonderful blessing every week and for the most part no one complained, we were just glad to see him.
Last night, May 2, 2008 Jay finally moved home. I flew up to Rhode Island and helped him pack up his life there and move home to live with us in our little green house. Now he gets to spend all of his at home nights in his own bed with his own family. We are so glad to have him back.

Weekly Gratitude - Good Friends

I am so thankful for my good friends. I am up in Rhode Island today and the reason I am here is because I have a wonderful friend who came up from North Carolina to take care of the children for me to come up here. She was really brave to take this on considering we had no idea if Nathan would let someone else take care of him.

Tomorrow we will say good-bye to Rhode Island and Jay and I will drive home together. But I will be grateful for that next week.

Gratitude Weekly - Our Wonderful Vacation

A few years ago my wise sister-in-law explained the difference between a Vacation and a Trip. A trip includes children, a vacation is time alone for yourself or yourself and your husband. Jay and I just took a wonderful vacation to Houston, Texas this weekend. I don't think we could have changed one minute of our trip to make it any better. Everything was so terrific.

Our dear friend Brad got married this weekend to a wonderful lady who truly complements him. We are so happy for them. Brad and Heather know how to have a party. Every detail was outstanding and they planned the perfect weekend. As far as we are concerned they could do the same thing every year and we would gladly come.


I also had the great privilege of visiting with a friend that I hadn't seen in years. We had dinner Friday night and I got to meet his love, then they came down and had lunch with Jay and I on Saturday. It was so great to finally see Marv again.


We have 10 days left until Jay moves home from Rhode Island.

Gratitude Weekly - Priceless

Spring Break
1136 total miles
Fast food
Cold
Wind
Less than pleasant apartment
Week with Jay - Priceless, and worth every minute.

Gratitude Weekly - Many, Many Things

There were too many things to be thankful for this week. I couldn't pick just one. Sadly though I can't remember the beginning of the week so I may be missing something. Over the weekend we went to Western New York to visit Jay's brother Pete and his family. We had a great time with them. If we hadn't had so much fun I would have taken some pictures. While we were there I saw Spencer's smile continuously. It was amazing. Spencer has a beautiful smile, but it has been absent a lot over the last year and while we were at Pete's I noticed that he was smiling so much you would think his face would break.
I am also very thankful that we made the trip safely. The children and I are becoming experts at traveling without Jay, but we don't like to do it. It was a long stressful drive with a lot of non interstate driving. We made it with no troubles at all and much success. Jay also traveled safely to New York to meet us there for which I am thankful.
Last week began our rehiring of a very nice lady to help with the household cleaning. I had been planning to wait to have her come help us until we unpacked, but reality set in and I found that sometimes you just have go ahead and do somethings. The amount of relief I feel in having her assistance is way out of proportion with the work she does, but just knowing that I have some adult help makes all the difference.
Finally, last week I meet a lady in need and stopped to help. It was something that needed to be done and I am very glad that I didn't just keep walking past her. I would want someone to help me if the situation was reversed. I am thankful that I was in a position to offer her my help.
It was a good week and now we are in Rhode Island for the week. It is cold and dark and dreary, but Jay is here and so life is great.

March Recap

Easter Egg Hunts, Spencer's 9th Birthday, Bullriding and the Pinewood Derby were the highlights of our month.

Gratitude Weekly - Relief

It is so easy to say what I am grateful for this week. After 14 weeks of pain and swelling in my legs from something called Erythema Nodosum I am almost pain free. I have suffered horribly during this time and the relief and gratitude is overwhelming. I had two doctor appointments this week and they gave me a couple of medicines to see if they would work and they sure haven't hurt. I don't know if I truly give the meds credit for my recovery though. I would say that prayer is probably more the cure, but I will take the relief in any form and be thankful for it.

Gratitude Weekly - Clean House

Today is Easter and as such there are many deep and thoughtful things that I am thankful for. I am going to express my gratitude however for something less deep or meaningful, yet something I am so overwhelmingly grateful for I must share. My house is cleaner than it has been in several months.
We had the wonderful pleasure of company this weekend. Five adults and seven children shared our small house for the Easter weekend. We celebrated birthdays and Easter and just hung out. It was a great time. Before the company came, we had a major crisis cleaning. The children pitched in and from 6:30-9:00 in the evening we worked as hard as we could to get the house in good shape for company. Now our good shape would probably be considered unacceptable to many, but it was the best we could manage at this point in time.
Now I know that you are thinking to yourselves, she had 12 people in her house all weekend, it was probably trashed by the end of the weekend. You would be wrong. I have the greatest friends, before they left they made sure that the house was in a place that when everyone, including Jay, had gone, I could sit down and put my feet up instead of sit down and cry. I have clean towels, clean floors and a straight house. For me that equals happiness.

Tagged

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago
1. We were living in Raleigh.
2. I was taking Art History at Peace and hating every minute of it.
3. I suffered from depression severely during this year, which prompted me to drop the above Art History Class.
4. Alex was almost 2 and adorable.
5. I was massaging Lauren's super swollen feet.

5 Things On My To-Do List
1. Buy Easter stuff
2. Balance Checkbook
3. Finish the boys' laundry
4. Grocery shop
5. Vacuum

5 Snacks I Enjoy
1. Cupcakes from Cake Ladies, Inc.
2. Cupcakes from The Sugar Tree Bakery
3. Peanut Butter Passion Ice Cream from Schwans
4. Cereal
5. Cinnamon and Raisin English Muffins

5 Places I've Lived
1. Yorktown, VA - 23 years
2. Provo, UT - 2 years
3. Raleigh, NC - 4.5 years
4. Charleston, SC - 1 year
5. Portsmouth, RI - 2 years

What I Would Do if I Became a Billionaire
1. Be debt free
2. Have a slightly larger home
3. Make sure all my family had a dependable car
4. Travel
5. Have a housekeeper, nanny and cook. Not really, but it is fun to think of having all of those for a week or so, make that a month.

5 Bad Habits
1. Eating Sugar
2. Not exercising
3. Worrying about things that I can't control.
4. Not picking up after myself.
5. Not following up on things that I need to do.

5 Jobs I've Had
1. Making cotton candy, drinks and snow cones at Water Country USA
2. Dancer in Kiddie show at Water Country USA
3. Selling dresses
4. Grocery Checkout Girl at Harris Teeter
5. Cashier at the BYU Bookstore

Some things people don't know about me ...
1. I love to take hour long bathes with the water up to the rim of the tub.
2. I read myself to sleep almost every night.
3. I have a totally irrational fear of ticks.
4. I am afraid to go outside in the dark. I do it, but I have to talk myself up to do it even as an adult.
5. I love state fairs, rodeos, bull riding and all the things my husband considers to be redneck.
6. Jay and I are tax fanatics. (Emily, that's for you)

Spring

I am so grateful that Spring is on it way. The official first day of Spring is coming up this week on Thursday, March 20th. Spring is my favorite season. It was the season that I fell in love with my husband and every year when I start to see and smell the beginnings of the season I am overcome with the same feelings that I felt when I first got to know my love.


My favorite tree is the Bradford Pear and right now they are in their glory all around.




My favorite spring flower is the Hyacinth. It's fragrance is what Spring smells like to me.

For those of you not experiencing the wonders of Spring, please don't hate me because I am, just come visit.

Domestic Goddess

Today, I was plunging the toilet, (isn't that a great way to start a blog) when Sarah comes in the bathroom and stops to watch me work. She is making faces and I thought that was bad, but then she started to express her views. Here they are.

*THAT is the most disgusting thing I have every seen.
*I am never doing THAT when I grow up.
*When I grow up my husband is going to do THAT so that I don't ever have to.
*If my husband is at work THAT is the only time I would ever do THAT.
*I am going to marry one of those husbands who works at home so that if THAT ever happens I don't have to do IT because IT is disgusting.

I am doing something wrong?

New Starts

I know that I am a week behind on sharing my thoughts about what I am grateful for, but it really seemed to defeat the point of looking for my blessings when I say that I am grateful that this week is over. That could go for this past week or the week before. I have been sick or someone else has been sick or all of us have been sick for so long that I can't remember what life used to be like. Throw a bunch of personal crisis in for each of my children and it seems like I live in a tornado. But when I thought about the fact that it is Sunday night and the last week is over and a new one has begun I thought about why Sunday feels like such a relief, and this is what I came up with.
I love having a new start or a clean slate. This feeling comes from taking the Sacrament each week. I apply the new start feeling to other areas of my life, but the main one is, on Sunday when I go to church and renew my covenants with Heavenly Father by partaking of the Sacrament then I know that as I go out into my week I can go forward into a better week. I can do my best to forget the mistakes of last week and try again in the week to come. It helps me to focus my goals back to my ultimate goal which is to live my life for Heavenly Father and put forth my best effort in the places that matter most.
So today, Sunday night, after a great day at church I would say that I am grateful for the new start. Ultimately I am grateful for the Atonement of Christ.

Valerie Has A Blog

This week I am greatful that my dear friend Valerie now has a blog. We met Valerie and Cannon in Charleston, SC while Cannon and Jay were going through Neclear Power School together. Valerie has twin boys who are two months older than our Sarah. Now she has four children and is expecting her fifth. We saw their family while traveling through Utah this summer and it was so great catching up. Please go check out Valerie's blog. You can even wish her a Happy Birthday as she turns 8 (she may only be 7, but Jay says 8) tomorrow on February 29th.
http://neslen.blogspot.com/

I'm Happy

That's what I am grateful for. I'm Happy. I love my life. I am trying very hard to live in the moment and not look to the future for my happiness and what do you know. . . I am happy in my present. There is a song out by Trace Adkins right now called, You're Gonna Miss This, and it has really helped me to realize how much I am enjoying my life.

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

I already know that my children are growing up too fast and that though every day is very hard, I love it. Every day there are new and very frustrating things that happen, but I wouldn't miss it for anything.

My Friend Kara

Today I have to say that I am very thankful for my friend Kara. We met in Charleston, but didn't know each other well there. Since she has moved to Virginia it has been great getting to know her better. I teach her daughter Rachel in my Valiant 9 class, she and Spencer get along well. But back to Kara, she is such a generous person who gives until it hurts. Kara is Spencer's Wolf leader and is great with the children. Several times she has substituted for me in my Primary class. This week while her husband was out of town she brought me dinner. It was so nice of her to go out of her way for us and it was the best meal we had all week. The children loved it and we saved leftovers for Jay and we all enjoyed the meal over again. Today Jay texted me at church to let me know he was at home throwing up and needed help with Nathan who was also at home sick. Kara, again, came through for me and taught my class at the last minute. She is a great person and a great friend and I am very grateful for her friendship.

Vitamin C

This week I am thankful for Vitamin C. I have been sick, real sick since Thursday. When I went to the Dr on Friday they said, it sure looks like strep, I guess we will wait until next week when the test comes back and if it comes back positive we will give you some antibiotics. Oh and by the way, go home and look at your throat in the mirror because that is exactly what strep looks like.
Well, without the benefit of an antibiotic I have been attacking my illness with Vitamin C round the clock and I am feeling only half as bad as I did on Friday. I have used Vitamin C many times to help ward off a cold and now I firmly believe it is the only thing keeping me upright.

Alex's Faith in God

Alex after receiving the Arrow of Light award in Webelos. He also received the Religious Knot and an award for completing all 20 achievements in Webelos.


I am thankful tonight that Alex has completed almost all of the requirements for him to receive his Faith in God award in June when he turns 12. He has lost his Faith in God book twice during his four years while working on it. Neither time was it his fault that the book was lost, both times he gave it to an adult and it was not returned. Tonight we sat down and went through a new book and he could recall and tell me about all the different things he had done. He remembered them, and when they happened and most importantly each activity seemed to mean something to him. He has two more activities to do and he needs to finish up his Preparing for the Priesthood section then he will be finished. I am very pleased with him and he is pleased with himself. I am thankful that the Lord blessed me with a child who has such a great understanding of his purpose in life.

Happy Children

This week I am going to have to chose my darling children as my area of gratitude. They are good kids who really are so agreeable. When things don't go their way they are disappointed, but they are also quick to move on and be happy again. I am always surprised at their fast rebound when they have a disappointment or get angry and they find their happiness again. A mother couldn't ask for more.

I'm Grateful for ???

I am stealing this idea from Laurie's (a friend of my friend Emily, who's blog I peek in on regularly)blog. She is writing something she is grateful for every week. So here goes my first week at this, we will see if I stick to it.

I am always grateful when my husband comes home for the weekend. I will try to only let that be my pick this one time, but know that it is every week's main gratitude. I am glad to see him, hear his voice, talk to him about what has happened during the week and talk about nothing. He is the hardest worker I know and he comes home and goes right to work trying to make my life easier in the week to come. It makes the children happy to see him and he always takes the time to do something with just them which makes them feel special and gives me down time.

This week I am especially grateful he came home because I woke up with tons of pain in my back and chest Saturday morning and couldn't do anything for myself. By the time he left tonight, I had the pain under control and the house under control as well. I am very grateful for my sweet husband and his weekly visits. Someday we will hopefully get to live together.

Not so bad after all

I learned today that I am not so bad after all. I had a really rough day and felt the need to self medicate with food, lots of food and the really bad stuff too. I was careful enough to only gorge myself on the snack food that I had bought to try to snack more healthy. I felt really like a failure for having less control and strongly considered not recording what I had eaten today in my Weight Watcher's tracker, but I didn't want to lie to myself anymore. I turns out that I didn't do that badly after all. I was only 2.5 points over my daily allotment and I was well within the points I can use to help me through the week. Yea Me! I also managed to stay away from the bakery. That was the biggest struggle of the day.

Weight Watchers

I have officially given up and I am getting help. I went to weight watchers yesterday. When I weighed in before deciding to join I weighed 1 pound more than I weighed the day Sarah was born. That is an all time high for me. So I gave them my money and promised to come back every week. After that I went for a walk and had a piece of birthday cake. I'm not perfect, but I am trying. Today, I ate salad at lunch and dinner. I ate other things at dinner too, but considering my dislike of salad and most things green, I am trying. For exercise today I took Nathan to gymnastics. That might not seem like exercise to most, but if you saw him trying to do all the climbing and jumping you would see my workout. He is probably over 40 lbs and doesn't jump yet so I am constantly lifting him and helping him jump. My upper body got a great workout.
On a side note, it was 72 degrees here today, if this is global warming sign me up.

Merry, Merry Christmas

We had a very Merry Christmas. Everyone was very grateful for all their gifts. My favorite part was the hugs of gratitude.

Nathan Turns 2

My baby Nathan turned 2 on December 13th. He is such a doll. My days would be completely boring without him around. We have the most fun together. He loves to be outside more than anything. Now Nathan has just started a gymnastics class and is rolling all over the place. His favorite time of day is when his siblings come home.

We saved our celebration until Jay was able to be home with us. Nathan got a new tricycle and he helped his daddy put it together.

Also this weekend we had a birthday celebration for Nathan, my brother Steve and my nephew Sam. Sam and Nathan share a birthday.

Nathan ate cake for the first time this weekend. He had been offered cake before, but just didn't trust it. He was most pleased to have two cakes and thought they were the best part of the party.

Warning: Funny

I have to set this up. I got a forward today from a friend. The forward had the warning on it that it was funny, but lot of them do and I didn't take it seriously enough. I have put my children to bed, but no one is asleep yet. While reading I am hearing, Mommy, what are you doing? Mom, are you okay? Mom are you laughing or crying? Mommy are you snorting? Mommy are you choking? I was trying really hard to be quiet with my laughing, but I think I just made it worse. So here is your warning, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

GIRLS EYES ONLY!! Warning: Hysterically funny! Hair Removal

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner,play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet." So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those"cold wax" kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax," yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip). I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!! I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious. Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch... I am touching wax!! I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? *WRONG!!!!!!!* I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter"So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?" She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and.. OH MY GOSH!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works !!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair...THE HAIR IS STILL HERE.......ALL OF IT! So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point. Next week I'm going to try hair color.....

Nothing to Blog About

I was trying to keep my blog more current, but I can't find anything to blog about. I feel a little like a hamster in wheel going round and round everyday. I could say that we need more pencils in the house at homework time even though during the rest of the day there are plenty. I could tell you that each of my children would have been great only children with the amount of things each one has to do each day and the way they blossom when given undivided attention. I don't even have the attachment on my camera to add picture to my blog right now. I think my husband took it with him. It was almost 80 degrees here today and my baby wore shorts in December. In two days it will be cold again. Not much to report, but I am reporting it anyway.

Totally Inspired

I watched the show Fun-Shui on HGTV tonight and now I am adding that website to my favorites list. I as mentally going through my house rearranging and buying lots of plants. I don't know if it will help our energy in the house, but I don't think it will hurt. Any decorating I did at this point would help. Check it out, it has great ideas. www.hgtv.com/fun

School Papers

I am constantly amazed and frustrated by the amount of paper that my children bring home each night. Most of it appears to be busy work, but you never know how much that busy work means to a child. I try hard to keep a few things, but many need to be discreetly moved to the recycle box during the night. Sarah comes home the other day with no less than 12 different paper items all of which she is extremely proud of. I asked which things she wanted to keep in the keep box for school papers. She carefully went through the pile and moves all of the papers to the keep pile. After that she says, "Can I have my own file folder box to keep things in, I just can't trust you, you throw things away?" Nothing like a child to keep you honest. Meanwhile that trader of an oldest child is discreetly laughing at my situation from behind her back. Her own box seems like a good idea to me.

Silver Lining

We were planning a great trip to Kentucky for Thanksgiving. After having had a sick baby and myself being totally laid up for a day and a half that felt like a week, I dragged myself from the bed and began to pack for the trip. I accomplished miracles. I packed everything and left the house in decent order, better than before illness. We picked Jay up from the airport and were on our way. No real traffic for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We made it to the West side of Charlottesville, almost 3 hours from home when the baby threw up and we turned around and came home. It was very sad and many tears were shed, but there was a silver lining to this dark cloud. It is Sunday night now and our Christmas Tree is up, there is a pretty new wreath on the door, our furniture is rearranged and looks better than it has since we moved in, I have a new rug in the family room and those are just the obvious improvements. Now the baby still doesn't seem quite right and I still have an iffy stomach, but we accomplished much. Oh and not to forget, Jay and my dad completed the shingles on half of the garage. We did very well.

In Sickness and In Health

Jay has been able to come home and join us every weekend since we left him in Rhode Island at the end of the summer. We have been having a wonderful time. We work hard most of Saturday and watch a movie and football Saturday night. Then Sunday he plays games with the children and lets me have a bit of alone time with my pillow. It really has been good. Since last weekend had an extra day for Veteran's Day and next weekend is a long weekend for Thanksgiving, Jay didn't come home this weekend. We did well without him, no tears since he will be here Wednesday night. Last night, I was working hard on the laundry and had just told the big kids to go to bed when at 9:15 what should I hear but the sounds of throwing up. Nathan was doing the projectile thing big time. I won't go into details because that is just gross, but I will say that this is why children should be raised with two parents. There are other good reasons besides sickness, but that one right there seems good enough for me. One parent can't clean the child, comfort the child, rock and sooth the child and do the laundry at the same time. By the way, my washer takes 52 minutes to do a super duty wash and 2nd rinse. I have timed it now. We made it through and I received lots of good snuggles from the sick baby who still isn't feeling great. I just couldn't believe of all the weekends Jay missed this one. He was very sympathetic over the phone though.

Dancing in Red High Heels

Last year inspired by Kelly Pickler's song Red High Heels I went out and bought a pair of Jessica Simpson 4 inch red high heels. They are my daughter's favorite thing to play dress up in. Rarely are those red shoes neatly in my closet. Most of the time they are in different rooms scattered throughout the house. Today tops it all. Thursdays are crazy here. Dance and piano follow school very fast on Thursdays. I told Sarah to go to the bathroom and wait for me. Bathroom time is very important right after school and there is usually a line. So while Sarah waited for me she got undressed to get ready for dance. I found her practicing her dance completely naked in my red high heels with some random jewelery on. My first thought is I can't believe this, it is so funny I need to get the camera. Quickly followed by my second thought, I can't take a picture of this. So my third thought was I have to share this moment. No picture to go with this blog.

Remember Me on You Tube

My sister-in-law sent this to Jay today. Alex came home from school to find me crying from watching it. It really moved me. Tissue alert.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1

Cookies and Milk

I try to be a modern mom and feed my children well. At least that is what I tell myself when it isn't dinner time and all is calm. When it is dinner time and we are out and about at dance and piano and Chick-Fil-A is having family night I forget all about being concerned with a balanced diet. Anyway, my point is that especially after school I want the children to have a nice healthy snack. That usually digresses to complaining about what is being offered, or not eating anything and complaining of starvation. Today however, I was making chocolate chip cookies for a pack meeting tonight and I gave the boys a warm cookie and some milk after school. You would think that Mary Poppins had moved in. They were so happy. The look of peace and pleasure on their faces as they ate the warm sugary treat made me want to give them that everyday. I believe it was truly as emotionally satisfying as it was tasty. Makes it hard to give them carrots and cheese now.

Our Incredible Summer - The Forsgren Family Reunion

Our summer vacation began early in the morning of June 24th. That is my oldest birthday. We began our car trip out West with the Forsgren Family Reunion as our destination. Day one, load into the new Hyundai Entourage (that is worth every penny we paid for it). It has automatic doors, leather seats and a mounted DVD player. YEAH! We had four days to get to Bear Lake Idaho. We made it within 10 minutes of check-in on Thursday afternoon. Pretty good timing.

Jay comes from a family of 10 living children. Those children have multiplied and replenished to the tune of 39 grand children at the time of the reunion. Since then we have added 1 more birth and great hopes of two more to be adopted soon. Jay's sister Carolyn planned and executed a great gathering. We shared 1 very nice large house that overlooked the lake. After Friday morning picture taking, which was interesting to say the least, there was much fun to be had. People went to the lake, played pool and ping pong at the house, and just hung out all over. No one had a schedule to keep so we just spent time together. Our favorite way to play. Carolyn and her husband Chad bought all the food, but we took turns preparing it. Every evening we spent time playing games until too tired to see and think.

The children are spaced so closely in age that it has allowed for them to grow up very close as siblings. They all love each other so much and it comes across very clearly when we get together. They have the best time when they are together. They play rough and then they sit around and talk about how old they are getting. Our greatest accomplishment of the reunion was that there were no trips to the emergency room.

Our Incredible Summer - Birthdays and Baptism

I neglected to mention on Jay’s homecoming that he came home a whole day early. That left us with a day that had been blank on the calendar that we could fill. My parents always say that if I can fit it in the calendar square I think I can do it. Well, we decided to celebrate Sarah and Alex’s birthdays. Both fell in June and last year both had sorry birthdays due to their dad leaving. This time it wasn’t looking any better because the calendar was so full. We sent out email invites to Chuck E Cheese for the day after Jay got home and put together two rockin’ parties. Both had a great turnout for last minute parties and most of all their dad was home to help celebrate.
On the second day after Jay got home we had Spencer’s baptism. That was wonderful for him. He had asked Grandpa to speak at his baptism and even though it wasn’t the most convenient thing for Grandpa to do, he came. It meant so much to Spencer who really hates living so far from Grandma and Grandpa.
We ran late to the baptism, but considering it was just our family and friends it turned out okay. Our friend Ken gave a talk on baptism that involved car keys. Spencer was really impressed by it. Then Jay baptized Spencer. Grandpa gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and compared it to an imaginary friend which Spencer could totally relate to. Then Spencer was confirmed. We forgot our camera and so we don’t have any pictures to document. Spencer’s friend Nathan from school came. Grandmama, Granddaddy, Mr. Mike and Miss Mary Sue were also there. Our best friends from church were there along with all of Ken’s family too. What a special two days!

Our Incredible Summer - Jay's Homecoming

A week after school got out for summer vacation, Jay came home from Iraq. He had been gone for a year with only a two week visit at home during that year. We were so glad to finally have him back. Jay caught an earlier flight from Baltimore than we had thought he would and so at the last minute after months of planning we were rushing out the door unprepared. In hind sight, you really don’t have to prepare; he was just glad to see us and didn’t care what we were wearing or how our hair looked. We had a poster that Spencer’s class had made for him. The airport made us passes and let us go to the gate to greet him. A crowded flight to Orlando was lining up in between where the passenger got off and where we were, but when he finally got off and saw us the crowds parted to let him through. He looked fantastic. No kidding, it wasn’t just the six months of not having seen him, he looked terrific. In all our rushing we hadn’t been able to bring the baby because he was still sleeping, but my parents with the baby and our neighbors and Jay’s dad were all waiting for us after we gathered Jay up and left the terminal. I just love homecomings!

Our Incredible Summer - School's Out

Our incredible summer began with finishing out school and activities. Sarah performed in her first dance recital and was so great. All we heard the whole dance year was that she was not going to go on stage and no one could make her. By the end of the year a star had been born. I didn't believe that she would do it until the day before when she completed her dress rehearsal. The fancy make-up really helped. Sarah knew her whole dance and did fantastic.

The boys had their first piano recital. Their teacher was awesome and she helped them pick the best music to show their talent well and make them comfortable. Alex played the them from Star Wars and Spencer played I Love to Ride the Roller Coaster. They were very proud of themselves and all they had accomplished. So was I. It was a great recital.

For school, Alex finished Elementary School and Sarah completed Kindergarten. Spencer completed 2nd grade, but they don't make a big deal out of that at this school. Alex had a great completion ceremony and a pool party. Sadly though two of his best friends moved away right after school got out.

Sarah's class had a completion party too with superlatives included. Sarah was given the award for "Most Glorious Hair" and an award for not "moving her bear" the whole year. That means that she didn't get in trouble. She worked and worried very hard about that all year.

It was a great school year. Sarah's dance teacher was Miss Tammy. Alex and Spencer took piano from Melissa White. The children's teachers were Mrs. Christensen, Mrs. True, Mrs. Stitt and Mrs. Kulas.

Cape Cod

Last Saturday the family went to Cape Cod for the day. It wasn't the best time of year to go, but we were looking for an activity and this seemed like the one to do. We played Mini-Golf in Hyannis and rode the carousel. It was a beautiful day and we had a great deal of fun, but we also had a tired baby and so much traffic you couldn't believe it. My favorite sight of the day was while we were in traffic for 2 hours and a half we saw a bumper sticker that said, "If it is called tourist season then why can't we shot them?"

Surprise

I did it. I kept a secret. It is hard for me to keep secrets. I hate them. I want to know what I am getting for Christmas and birthdays and everything. I also like to tell others what they are getting just as much. In spite of this personality flaw I kept a secret from my husband for two weeks. Actually, I kept two secrets. The first one was that I had invited his friend Ken up from North Carolina to visit for the weekend as Jay's birthday present. Ken is in the red shirt in the background. The second surprise was that we had a surprise party for Jay for his 35th birthday. It was a beautiful day and so many great people came to help him celebrate. Jay was truly surprised and loved it. As people kept showing up he could believe so many people had come out for him and he was very humbled by all the love shown him. I love him so much. He is such a wonderful person, it makes me very happy to have given him this gift. He was also totally floored that I actually kept a secret.

All is quiet

Inside my house all is quiet. Not a sound, not even snoring. Everyone is asleep, even my husband who is waiting to use the computer and has fallen asleep on the sofa.
But outside my house life is a party. Cars are going past steadily, horns honk randomly, someone is reviving an engine and the other people with him think it is really funny. Several different groups of people are gathered around on the porches and roofs visiting. It is clearly a Friday night and because we don't have air conditioning we are hearing it all. Such a contrast between inside the house and outside.
But the house is cute and in a fun location and it is only for a month so I'm not complaining.