Haaaaappy Halloweeeeen!

The Africa 5k Benefit Run...

Last weekend Sara and I were able to participate in The Africa 5k Benefit Run that Tara, being the race "Director", had helped to organize. I was so glad to do it but it was way too early (early puffy face) and way too cold and when you put those 2 factors together???...that equals a little bit of anger in my heart!?! The kids were so excited because they were able to come to this one and see me actually race. It was the best, as I was coming around the corner, to see them at the end cheering me on! My parents and my sis Jenny were able to also come which is always an added bonus...when your family and people who actually KNOW YOU are there to see you perform! Kindra was giving me pep talks the whole ride over..."Mom. Remember what we've talked about. You never give up. I want you to win but don't be too upset if someone beats you." I was laughing so hard to myself because I realized just how good she has gotten at quoting her Mother!!!

Congrats to the Foundation as well! They were not sure what the turn out would be but there ended up being over 125 racers so not too bad I'd say....

...the half-way point ...

I will say that it's nice to be the ONLY hand cycle participant and/or the only female competitor because then I'm always guaranteed a 1st place medal/award! hehehe Serious...I'm going to have to designate one of my walls pretty soon!?! But really...I have found my new passion! I get so pumped and into it. Even though I am the only one in my "category", I am so competitive against myself....making sure that I am beating my previous finish times. It's all about my motivated, highly competitive, determined mind set I guess! :)

Trying Something A Little Different This Year!

We finally made our way over to the Monson Pumpkin Patch to choose out this years pumpkins. Even though they changed their minds a million times and even they though they searched every pumpkin row possible, the kids finally picked their winners! Let's be honest...I had to give them a 10 second time limit or we would've been there all night. Seriously!

I figure that since I "go to town" when it comes to Halloween, or in this years case, partly "go to town", I should be able to say how we "decorate" the pumpkins and when I say "decorate", this year that's exactly what I mean. A few weeks ago I went over to my cousins blog and saw what she had done this year with their pumpkins. The wheels immediately began turning..."I can totally do that and without even a mess to clean up! SOLD!!!" I made a few changes but I am happy with the way that they turned out. Even better? The kids had so much fun because it allowed them to be so much more interactive and to pretty much do it all. It's all about the craftiness, remember? So Cami...here they are...Count Dracula and Mr Mummy!

PS---I just heard the weather report and yeah....Friday? 70 degrees!!!

I've Been Thinking...

I've been thinking about something today that a friend brought to my attention earlier.

I use to think that-

1. bad things happen to bad people
2. bad things happen if you are doing something that "YOU KNOW" is wrong
3. bad things happen because of bad karma

I was reminded today and it got me thinking. I really do know that it is because bad things happen to everyone whether they are good or bad people. Whether they deserve it or not. Bad things happen to GREAT people all day long! We all know of a story.

And it's what you do with it. It's how you act afterwards...after the trial. It's what you turn it into. It' s all about your attitude.

And sometimes? Not all times. But sometimes I also think that some of us are the lucky ones that GET to have something bad happen...because of who it allows us to really become.

Thank you S for that update and for that great post.

Traded In...

Our conversation played out a bit like this tonight...

Kindra: You are so mean. You are the meanest Mom ever and you always make me go to bed when I want to play and make a horseland. You are so, so mean and right now I don't like you!

Me: Goodnight Kindra.

Kindra : I am going to get a new Mom. I am going to call someone and tell them how mean you are and they will send me a new one!

Me: Goodnight Kindra.

20 minutes later she came into my room.

Kindra: I love you Mom. I made a new choice. I want to take it all back. You are not a mean Mom all of the time. Just at bedtime.

Me: Goodnight Kindra. I love you too.

Oh me and that child are going to have some rough years ahead of us. Mark my words. They will be rough! I can hardly wait!

Sorry...More Wedding Bliss!

This is one of those "bragging rights" moments. Look how "in style" my kids look! They are getting so big and independent and I LOVE IT!!!...and yes...they still hate having to take my pictures!

We made it! It was a little scary at times but we survived it. The weather was perfect and the day ended up being great!
We all met up at The Joseph Smith Memorial Building for the Wedding breakfast right before the ceremony. We also had to do the ever-so-loved Wedding pictures but we had fun doing them as usual.

Jake, Nat, Stewart, & Jenny

Abby the Princess Girly Girl

Colin & Kindra...being told to be on their best behaviors! Those 2 can get into quite the trouble when they put their minds to it :(

Carter & Uncle John-Charles

...the men ? er boys of the Terry family

I was so happy for Joe & Lyssa because they were able to come up for the wedding sans les enfants! It's always nice to have a short break and to be able to mingle with the adults without having to worry about your little ones! Sorry but TTTTRRRUE!

We didn't do the best job of planning so we were short one seat so with that being said...Kindra got to sit up with Grandma. She thought that she was the luckiest girl alive "sitting up with the Bride"!

...the half-time entertainment waiting for the honorary couple...

These 2 pictures are my absolute FAVORITE! The Terry sisters could not look any hotter! Really. Seriously. :)

Jenny & Stewart ps I am so LUCKY to have the best bro & sis in laws ever! Here is a shout out to you Stew...for all of your wonderful words of advice! We're "tight...tight like a tiger"...... Kindra was bound and determined that she was going to get in one way or another. She thought that she was being all conniving and sneaky until I called her out and asked her what she was doing :) ...more half-time entertainment...John-Charles & Ashley

I loved the way that Ashley's cake turned out, especially when it was being shoved into John-Charles face! :)

John-Charles has great friends who just couldn't get enough of the reception dancing. They were taking turns taking it old school so I just had to show them up with a "kt" attempt of a wheelie with a little "scratchin" on the side....wicki wicki weeeee :)

Now that sucks! They were all ready to go....well you know what they were all ready to go and do" but not until he dug into the pop cans and dug her out a spot to sit! Michael thought that it was real funny....until the next day when my Dad made him go back to the parking lot and clean it all up!?! ouch....

Congratulations! We are so happy for you! Fine...secretly you know how I really feel...JK...no we are so happy that you were able to move up the date and that you were able to make it work! It turned out gorgeous plus I got a new dress and the kids got their snazzy new church outfits!

Cleaning for The Cleaners?

Let me first say that I am not complaining AT ALL that I have Cleaners that come once a week and I promise that if I could save the money, I would. I've tried and it's way too much of an ordeal to get down and scrub/mop the floors and to crouch down behind the toilets and to vacuum and to.....? Yeah....the lack of a third or fourth arm just hinders that quite a bit since my two are being used to just get me around!?! :)

But I will complain about the fact that every Wednesday night begins the 24 hr STRESS and PANIC that I've forgotten something. I have to listen to my kids complain when they hear the words "Go clean up your rooms because The Cleaners are coming in the morning" and every Thursday morning I have to HIDE things so that the cleaners don't see them and put them away in some random, hidden, secret, never to be found abyss. I am not kidding! At first glance, my house is clean but it's those nooks and special spots where I've placed "things" that are organized in MY OWN way but not in The Cleaners way. I have lost so many things because of them! They're just too good, so for that I am ecstatic, but it has always been a concept that I just don't get?

Cleaning for The Cleaners....hmmmmmm

Sunday Dinner...

Finally! I got a picture of Michael where he is smiling! Look how cute he is! Hoooottie (in a not so pervy sister way) Just a quick shout out...There has never been a time when I have asked him for help that he does not do it...even if he's pissed and yelling at me...he'll do it. The best though, is that he always tells me how much he loves me and my kids! Carter looks up to him so much and is always asking him to do stuff but Michael never gets bugged. He always comments on my good sense of style and since he is so in with the new age style...he is always giving me cute brotherly pointers. I love it! Both fortunately and unfortunately, he is the last one at home so now he can retire to a spot in the house, the basement, where he can hide away and be left alone...or so he wishes!?! I looooove youuuuu!

We went over to Jake & Nat's house because it was Abbi's birthday. I can't believe that she is already turning 2! She is so stinkin cute and is such the girly girl which her parents just feed right into....
...the designated child spot where ,of course, my daughter spilled her red jello all over the carpet! :( Just picture my obsessed brother doing all that he possibly can to get the stain out....
Thanks Nat for being a great hostess like always! Your food was delicious and the entertainment was great! And bonus...this basement is even better now to herd the kids down to!

PS I love your Dad's new car!!!

The Crass Bitter Bee-otch

This is more for me than for anyone else to read and it helps me to get it out of my head. I read a friend's blog whose post inspired me. She is really good about being honest with her feelings, both those that are good and bad and though I feel like my blog is also honest, I don't always express the bad thoughts that are going through my head.

My family has had it fair share of weddings this month and though I am so EXCITED for them, deep down I despise their joy, their futures, their twitterpated-ness. Evil I know! (of course you know this is because I am so sickly jealous and desire this happiness in my life)

It's only because I look at them and wish that I was there....and because you know that I THOUGHT that I was going to soon be there but we will not discuss he who will not be named or that horrific event (though the plot has thickened and I PROMISE...I KNOW NOW, BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT I'VE JUST DISCOVERED, THAT "THAT GUY" IS NOT WHO I WANT TO BE WITH, EVEN IF I COULD!!! and I will leave it at that...)

The sadness is not that fact that it's not going to be with he who will not be named, but the fact that it's not ME and I don't know what I'm doing right or wrong anymore. It seems so draining to get to that point with someone new. It just gets harder and harder! I mean, I'm OK but who does not want to grow old with someone? Exactly....

I am learning that it's 100% a choice for me to decide how I am going to react. I am sad, my heart is hurt, but will it all work out in some random way? Maybe. Maybe not. The point is that I'm really ok with who I am and with what I am doing in my life. My kids. My adventures. I'm having fun and I constantly remind myself of the joys that ARE in my life, not the ones that AREN'T.

I AM so happy for my sis and bro. I've had this conversation with them too so it's nothing that they have not heard. I told them that's why I going to move away to some remote area, to grow old and bitter with just my kids at my side. TOTAL JK but still ... way too funny when you think about me being that old and crass bitter bee-otch :)

NEVER....HELL NO!

I Knew That 10-20 Was Something...

Since Trevor and I have remained the best of friends, I don't feel so bad about posting these old pictures.
When I woke up this morning and looked at the calender, the date 10-20 just felt like it should be one to remember. The more that I thought about it, I soon remembered why.
10-20-2000 was the day that Trevor & I got married :) I sent him a "hmm hmm Happy Anniversary" text and he sent me one back. At least we can laugh about it, right?!?

I went down with Kindra and we pulled these out for her to look at. With all of the weddings that have been going on, Kindra was so excited to see the wedding pics of when I "was a bride and was walking"! She just ate it right up!
My Mom made all of those dresses except for my wedding dress or the mothers dresses. She did a great job huh?We really are so much better off just as friends! It makes me happy to know that our kids don't remember us ever fighting since whenever they see us together we are having fun. So I'll take that as the silver lining of it all. he he he Happy Not Anniversary Trev!

....and for those of you who know how I constantly bitch about my "man buff arms"??? yeah, it's because look at this above picture! Look how petit and cute my arms were!!!!!!!! boo hoo hoo....so there! I have my proof!

TWO Chances Mom. You Only Get TWO Chances...

While we were on a walk this afternoon, I got quite the talkin to. It sounded a bit like this...

"Mom. You made a bad first choice when you married Daddy. I mean I love Daddy but you two are too different. The next time that you have a question about what you should do...just call me and I will tell you how to not mess it up. I will remind you that you are only allowed two chances Mom. You only get TWO CHANCES. Not three. Not four. Just two chances to get the man of your dreams. Most people only get one but you can have two. OK?"

I just played right along with her, agreed, and nodded to everything that she was saying. Everything that she was lecturing me on. Where does she come up with this stuff? She can mix up a little of my stuff with a little of her stuff added in and cook up the best ones.

Thanks Kin! I got it. I promise. I got it!