I'll be back

I know this had been a month of sporadic posts. I have sat down to blog several times since I got home and either I've gotten side tracked or nothing has come to my mind. That being said, I may or may not be posting until my kids are back in school. September 7 is the magical day! Until then, I have to finish the school shopping, figure out how to get Anna into Kindergarten [Its harder than you may think] and find a way to torture some felines in PA.

I'll see you soon!

Viva Las Vegas!

I spent my anniversary in Las Vegas with my sister and the big kids. Here we are in our hotel. Gina's the photographer...

 The Excalibur

 m&m world

 random pics from the strip.

 Mario

 Star Wars dudes. Matthew was the white one for Halloween a few years ago. There is a black on between them.

 The Eiffel Tower

  More m&m world

The Belagio. The reason I wanted to go to Vegas.

 The fountains were not a disappointment. I could have watched them all night. They were AWESOME.

 The Las Vegas Temple. We didn't get a good photo of this one. 

 There is an elliptical machine in the back of this truck with another truck bed over the top plus a lot of tie downs. We thought it was funny.

I went. I saw. I took a lot of pictures. I don't ever need to go back. Ryan said it the best. You feel the spirit leave when you enter the city limits. I do believe he is correct.

From my side view mirror...

Matthew's feet. Yes, I'm one of those parents. 

ps, there was virtually no fighting in our car while traveling to and from Utah. Maybe because I let them lay down and stick their feet out the window.

Yes, I'm one of those parents.

(They did not lay in the back window, sit on homemade boosters made out of pots and old pillow stuffing or pee on the side of the road...but I may or may not have when I was their age.)

 I don't know how well you can see it, you may have to click on the photo, 

but the mountain in the mirror is Mt. Hood.

Things That Bug Me Mucho...

Subject: Interstate Driving

Breaking for cops. Please don't break for cops. Especially when they are pulled over giving someone else a ticket. The speed limit does not go from 75 to 50 when a cop is on the side of the road. Just try to keep it under 80!

Slow exiters. When you exit the interstate, please don't slam on your breaks before you are on your exit. There is plenty of time to stop before you get to the end of the off ramp.

This bugs me most of all!! Do you see it? There are 5 semis, tailgating each other, and trying to pass each other. This was my view for FORTY TWO miles. I was actually starting to feel a little road rage.

Things I love about driving on the Interstate:

• 6% grades and jake breaks {oh how I love the sound of jake breaks!}
• I love seeing all the windmills.
• 6 or 8 lanes
• I love to drive fast.

Here are the stats for our trip to Utah:

Max Speed: 95 MPH (Idaho, right after the Utah line on our way home.)

Moving Time: 49 hours, 43 minutes

Moving Average: 60 MPH. (Not too bad for driving almost 50 hours!

Total Miles: 2,982.

Awkward and Awesome Volume II (all pictures)

Awkward:

 Gina likes cutting my hair into a mullet before she does the actual cut. I think she secretly hearts mullets and wants to raise a houseful of children sporting mullets in various lengths and hair colors.

 Once again, Gina is super awesome. I had just woken up. Yes, that is what my hair looks like.Yes, that is a moomoo. Yes, I'm old.

Awesome:

 Stalker

 My niece, Tayla.

 'Yes, this is my truck. No, I won't help you move.' (Adam, I took this picture for you.)

 Anig sent a nice text to Recneps. This is what he responded with. Her nice text as a vampire. He's a photoshop ninja. There's an app for that!

 Rice Crispy treats straight from the pan.

 Wild fires all over Idaho are stinky, but they sure create a fantastic sunset!

 Watching the Incredibles with a projector. This is Gina's whole wall.

Awkward and Awesome:

Matthew breathed this air for like an hour.

Awkward and Awesome

Awkward:

• Playing the organ in church after not practicing for almost a month. I stink.
• The side effects from drinking 32 ounces of diet coke from 10:30pm - 1:00am. I stayed awake during the movie, slept horrible, had freaky dreams and woke up with a dry mouth, heart palpitations and a little jittery. A Mormon Hangover, I'm sure.
• I spent 4 hours cleaning my room yesterday. I'm almost done. {My room resembles a hoarder in the making}
• Last night I was talking to my friend Amy on the way home from our movie and her speech was slurred. It was also awesome.
• The following conversations:

Matthew: I have an itch on my neck and a rash and it hurts. {a heat rash}
Nicole: {Sitting straight up in her bed from a lying down position} Mom! Do you think it's chicken pox?
Note to Self: Hide the healthwise book. {Nicole was reading it again yesterday.}
****
oh that's creepy!
What?
I never noticed that before!
What?
BONES IN MY FOOT! Gross!
*****
27 miles from Bliss. I got diarrhea there 3 years ago. {Sorry for the TMI}

Awesome:

• The movie, The Help. I really recommend you seeing it.
• I took my friend Amy cookies the other night and I was officially her BFF for 24 hours. Yes, she's that shallow. {A direct quote from her.}
• I got a free pioneer girl outfit for Anna that's a little too big for her. She's worn it everyday since last Saturday.

• Ryan is giving me a juicer.
• My birthday party is October 21 at my house from 9pm to 9am. Are you coming?
• Free fabric
• White elephant gift exchanges. {We had one last night at an RS meeting and we're having one at my party! Another reason to come. You can receive a really crumby gift.}

Awkward and Awesome:

• We encountered this woman in a restaurant in Las Vegas. She is not naked, although from the photo you can't tell. She was wearing a really low tube top sans brazier. A saggy situation indeed.

Good Idea - Bad Idea

Good Idea: Blowing your nose.
Bad Idea: Picking your nose.
Bad Idea: Blowing your nose with a linen napkin at a restaurant. Two reasons: blowing your nose at the table is disgusting! and do you want to be the one who has to clear that mess out? (I'm dry heaving while I type this.)

Good Idea: Going to Las Vegas.
Bad Idea: Getting your picture taken with this Elvis. This is the only picture I can show you because the other 3 or bad. Elvis is mucho perverted...just not with the  minors.

Good Idea: Zupas, Cafe Rio, Macaby Fresh and Red Lobster.
Bad Idea: None - We are at all these places while we were gone.

Good Idea: Letting me borrow your juicer.
Bad Idea: 'Buying NOW!' just because I watched a captivating infomericial. {Do you understand why I don't watch television much?}

Facts.

Fact: Spending 19 days in Utah/Nevada in 90-100 degree weather makes you want a sweater and a warm bed when you get home. We're a little bit chilly.

Fact: No housework was done while I was away.

Fact: We have been cleaning our house all day.

Fact: I want a juicer. Does anyone have one I can borrow that lives in my time zone?

Fact: I like this picture...

Fact: Nicole and Matthew were standing in the corners because they were being naughty. How was your summer vacation?

Happy Birthday Caitlin!

Happy birthday to my niece, Caitlin! She is 10 years old today. Here are 2 fun facts about Caitlin.

Cait is an awesome helper around the house.

She also has great taste in music.

Happy birthday Caitlin. I love you.

Quote of the day

I may or may not have just slobbered on your face.

Yesterday Gina and I went and saw The Help. It was so good! I can honestly say it is the very first time I've watched a movie after I read the book and wasn't disappointed. They left some things out that I didn't enjoy in the book (the inturder at Cecelia Foote's home for instance) and they added little things to enhance it. I give it two thumbs up for sure.

We have eaten good food too - Zupas and Cafe Rio.

Spencer came over and set up his projector last night so we could watch True Grit and that was really cool too.

I think that's all for the minute. I could easily share a few of my frustrations about this trip but suffice to say, people don't always get what they want and a baby tantrum is never an appropriate way to show their frustration. You can't take back mean words spoken.

Have a good night! I'm going to go have cereal for dinner.

A couple random Utah pictures...

I bought a plethora of flip flops from Old Navy.

 Matthew and I went to a Thai Restaurant for lunch one day.

 I got a sunburn.

 Matthew bought a nerf gun