Back to Work

Well, I'm back from what was the best vacation I've ever been on! It's hard to put the nose back to the grind stone. Maybe if some famous rapper would come and pimp my cubicle, I'll feel more motivated to be at work. Does anyone know how I can apply?

Stormy Weather? I sure hope not.

Kevin and I leave for the airport in a few hours and the weather doesn't look good. 4 straight days cooped up in a beach house with 12 kids and 14 ADHD adults = disaster.

Krull 1983

You may have a movie from your childhood that you watched repeatedly. At our house, one of those movies was Krull, released in 1983 (the year I blessed the earth with my presence.) I grew up playing Queen Lyssa and thought I would find true romance when I could look into a man's eyes and say..."Take the fire from my hand." Now a big pull for me to this movie was of course the horses. They were called the "Fire Mares" and were Clydesdales that could run so fast flames shot from their hooves. The Cyclops and Ergo the magician were two of my favorite characters and I had nightmares about the Lady in the web and her evil Spider. Colwyn was my second movie crush. (Val Kilmer in Willow being my first.) Here are some fun pictures from this classic 80's sci fi film.

It's all coming back.....

Ain't- am not, are not, is not, have not, has not

All y'all- Intensive form of y'all

Fixin'- about to, to be on the verge, or "We had burgers with all the fixins."

Ill- in a bad mood, ornery

Cut the light on- People in the south cut things on and off, they don't turn them on or off. Occasionally they flip stuff on and off.

Water Spicket- water faucet, water tap

Mash- the south loves mash potatoes, but Mash made my list, because the south is the only place where you mash buttons.

Feel free to add more.......

6 Months

It’s been 6 months since I last stepped on to South Carolina soil. I’m so excited to be with my family and loved ones, and I can’t wait to wrap my arms around Crystal’s neck and look into her great big eyes. The babies will now be walking, the toddlers will now be children, and Crystal will have a few more gray hairs mixed in her dark black mane. She turned 19 this year. I’ve had her for almost 16 years now. Things will be different, but it will still be home. My room will still have my king size bed with the best mattress in the world. The kitchen will still be the gathering place after every meal, the fields will still be lush and green, and the humidity will still be there to greet me each time I step out of the shower. I can not wait to wake up to the sun beaming through the window in my east facing room or for the sound of crickets singing as I rock on the porch at night watching the fire flies. Returning home will be just as amazing as it always is, except one thing…..this time I get to bring the most wonderful person in the world with me.

We miss ya Blue!

One of my favorite people in the world, Jess Blue, recently moved to MN. Here are a few pics of her last week in town. We miss ya Blue!

Eric Jackson, Blue, Dodson, Wendy, Steph

Me, Blue, Wendy, Steph

Wendy, Dodson, Blue

Memorial Weekend 2007

Busy, Busy, Busy!
Friday~ Rode four-wheelers up Diamond Fork canyon with Kevin, Jake and Melissa.
Saturday~ Hiked up Y Mountain, rode horses up Mapleton Canyon with Kevin, Jake and Brick. Dollar had his best day ever! It was such a gorgeous trail and we saw a bear and her two cubs (but they were really far away).
Sunday~ Great dinner at the Bird’s house
Monday~ Trail running with Tatia up to Stewart Falls, rode four-wheelers with Kevin, Brandon and Luke up Spanish Fork canyon, cooked out with Kevin and his family.

Things I should have done but didn’t over the weekend~
Clean house, do laundry, go grocery shopping, wash my car, pay bills, shop for summer clothes/bathing suits, give Dollar a bath, organize the stacks of papers on my desk, etc…..but it really doesn’t matter because it was the most fun Memorial Weekend I can remember! I’ll post more pics when I can!

Moni's Wedding

My good friend from work, Leamoni Leauanae, married his sweetheart on May 19th. Here are pictures from the reception.
Natalie, me, MJ, Kahiki, and Janelle.

Kevin and Me

Birthday Fun!

Here are some pics from Steph's Vegas b-day party and my b-day celebrations. We pretty much partied for 2 weeks.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

So I made it to 24. My body aches and I’m much more tired today than yesterday; I will attribute these symptoms of an aging body to the softball games I played last night and the gobs of Italian food and chocolate cake I just ate, not to being a year older.

For some reason I’m happier today than I’ve been on recent birthdays. Maybe it’s the great friends in my life, the handsome guy who sent me flowers, or the way it feels to be full of Italian food and chocolate cake. Yes….life is great!
So if any of you have read my "poetry" you know I hate rhyming and seldom do. However, I decided to be crazy and write a poem about being little in the same rhyming style I wrote poems when I was little. Enjoy!

Little Dirty Mitts:
I talked to the wind as she traveled by.
I saw wild horses and dreamed I could fly.
I played outside with out a single care.
I loved to smell each flower as I placed them in my hair.
I spoke to the birds and listened to the trees.
I crawled with the ants and ran from the bees.
I named the purple flowers and had tea with the squirrels.
Oh how I miss the joys of being a little girl.

Softball Time

We are for sure in "a league of our own" this year. We had our second work softball game last night. We won our first game and lost last night. My hamstrings and hip flexors are so sore!

Idaho Adventure

Courtney and I drove up to Rexburg, ID to pick up my cousin Whitney from school. On our way up we made the mistake of eating at a gas station diner in Preston, ID (home of Napolean). We had to pull over at the next exit because I was so sick and Courtney was sick the next morning. Once we got Whitney loaded up and on the road, we had a great time. We even trespassed into BEAR WORLD, which is this random place in ID where they keep bears in fenced in areas that you can drive through. They were closed, but we drove in on a back road and saw a few bears.
It was a fun trip!

Family Updates

Some of you are great about sending pictures from home, some not so much. Here are some recent pictures I've received from the home front.



Kaitlin, Jeremy and Lexi







Jason's sweetheart, Lainey






Hay Bug eating breakfast

Myrtle Beach 2007

It is official. Kevin and I are flying to SC for 10 days in June for the family beach trip festivities! Kevin will get the crash course in southern culture as we explore from Charlotte to Charleston. Load up the boogy boards, start boiling the peanuts, pass the sun screen, Here we come!

Muddy Creek Ride

I recently spent a day riding horses in the Muddy Creek Wilderness area in central Utah. 10 horses, 10 riders, and 3 dogs rode back and forth across the Muddy Creek in a beautiful canyon. We made our way to a cabin well over 100 years old and it still had a cast iron stove sitting on the buckling floor with the year 1899 on it. It left my mind full of questions about the people who lived there and the sacrifices they made to live in such a beautiful yet remote place.
About 4-5 hours into the ride our group separated into two groups and we kept our eyes open for the wild horses living in the area. The scenery was beautiful and the terrain rough; the horses worked hard for us. The final few hours of a 10 hour day in the saddle is a little “uncomfortable” and the horses were really tired. We kept getting cliffed-out and finally decided to maneuver down a sketchy drainage off of the plateau. As I led my horse, Laredo, down the steep and loose boulder filled drainage; it was a bit scary. Laredo would begin to lose control of her footing with me standing in front of her. A few tense moments later, we were all safely at the bottom.
When are spirits needed it the most, two wild horses put on a show for us. They ran away down a side canyon and circled in front of us. After watching us for a few moments they ran straight towards us, stopping a couple hundred yards away. My childhood day dreams were being played out in front of me.
Although it was a great day in the saddle, my body has never been so glad to see the truck and trailer. We were all walking a bit funny the next day.