Happiness Is Not The Destination It Is the Journey

22 Weeks/ 5 months

2012-01-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

I stole this picture from Jessica's facebook. Thanks Jessica!

It's a bit late. I am 22 weeks in the picture and 5 months. I am now almost 27 weeks and 6 months. New pictures to come... as soon as I take some. :)

Christmas+Family=The Best of Everything!

2011-12-29T20:02:00.000-08:00

I didn't get any pictures of the actual Christmas tree getting, but Christmas tree hunting would not be complete without doing some kind of shooting.

Every year we get a new ornament to represent that year. This year I took an ultrasound picture of each of the girls and made this little ornament. It not only represents our year but our world.

Christmas at Alan's parents house.

Alan spoiled me more than he should have. Thanks my love!

Of course the girls are already being spoiled!

My parents, Nicole, Creighton, Carter and Abbey came up the day after Christmas and stayed for a few days. I don't have any pictures but we had a great time eating, shooting guns, going to the movies, playing Wii, and laughing a lot. Thanks everyone for a great Christmas.

Pictures

2011-12-19T12:40:00.001-08:00

These were taken on Nov. 29th. I go in again on the 27th to get more!

Baby, Oh Baby!

2011-12-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

Can babies at 5 months have their own personalities already? My answer is YES! This is what I know of my girls so far:

Baby A:
She is a lot like her mom.
- she is very active
- she kicks hard
- she likes to stay up late
- she is stubborn (I have to move not her)
Not like me but still true.
- she is very territorial, if I lay on my left side or up against the counter she kicks until I move. Her space is hers!

Baby B:
She is a lot like her dad.
- she is very chill
- she doesn't like to get a lot of attention (she shys away during ultra sounds)
- she is a morning girl. (like 5 in the morning type)
- she is very giving, if I lay on her side, or poke at her she just moves and gives me some space.

I love my girls! They are so fun. Alan has been able to feel both girls kick. We have lots and lots of pictures (I need Alan to scan them then I can post some). Everytime I go in and see my girls I walk out missing them already. I can't wait for April to come so I can see them all day everyday. But until then I am enjoying the time we have together and each little kick and twist.

Pop Quiz

2011-11-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

A. I ate way too much at Thanksgiving dinner.
B. I'm 4 months pregnant.
C. Both A and B

SUMMER TIME FUN-- A FEW ADVENTURES

2011-07-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

4TH OF JULY AT THE RANCH AND MYSTERY CANYON

CAMPING AND RANCH WORK

BACKPACKING FORTYMILE GULCH

ENGLESTEAD CANYON

BIRTCH HOLLOW

BRANDING IN MOAB

I LOVE GOING HOME AND BEING WITH FAMILY!

Crepes

2011-05-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do. I still haven't even put our pictures from Mexico up yet. But all of that will have to wait another day (mainly because I hate waiting while the pictures load). A few people have asked for this recipe so as I was typing it out for another person I thought I would just add them here.

Small history on the crepes and filling. Every year for Alan's family reunion each family takes a meal and prepares it for the whole family of about 70-90 people. I love to cook, but I hate choosing what to cook. You never want to do the same old same old, but you can't get too fancy when cooking for that many people; so last summer I came up with crepes (which I had ate a lot of but never made). You could fill them with fruit and sauce, eggs with sausage gravy or nutella. I was pretty proud of my idea. Simple, yet different. The crepe recipe came from Alton Brown on the Food Network. The sauce is actually a cream filling from Betty Crocker's Cookbook. I have to mention the cream filling because I miss hanging out with my bro! I found it one day a long long time ago in 2009, as Ben and I had set out to make Eclairs. I'm don't remember why we wanted to make them but we had fun. The cream filling is the filling for the Eclairs and it is yummy yummy.

These recipes are easy easy and are seriously the best.

Crepes
Ingredients
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons melted butter
Butter, for coating the pan

Directions
In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and pulse for 10 seconds. Place the crepe batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour. This allows the bubbles to subside so the crepes will be less likely to tear during cooking. The batter will keep for up to 48 hours.

Heat a small non-stick pan. Add butter to coat. Pour 1 ounce of batter into the center of the pan and swirl to spread evenly. Cook for 30 seconds and flip. Cook for another 10 seconds and remove to the cutting board. Lay them out flat so they can cool. Continue until all batter is gone. After they have cooled you can stack them and store in sealable plastic bags in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for up to two months. When using frozen crepes, thaw on a rack before gently peeling apart.

Sauce
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter softened
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Pour half of the mixture into egg yolks stiring constantly, then pour back into saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into bowl. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until cool.

*I cook on high instead of medium when I want it to be a sauce. The lower temperature and cooking it longer is what makes it more a custard.

AHHHhh Honey, Honey....

2011-02-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

12 pounds of honey really isn't that much. Right? Okay maybe it is, but I... I like honey. Not in a really really like honey type of way, but I like it. I like how on a peanut butter and honey sandwich it makes the bread kind of crusty. But that’s really the only time I use honey. But what I really really like is the idea of honey. I want to be a bee keeper. Not in a someday kind of way, but in a, if the class was on any other night other than Tuesday nights I would be in the class right now. I have it all planned out. The bees come in a box in the mail. :) That sounds fun!! I will put them on the mountain during the summer and out at the pastures during the winter. And bam, I'm a bee keeper.
I don't think I came to this idea all on my own. I think it is in my blood somewhere. I know of at least one ancestor who was a bee keeper, and on their way along the Hole in the Rock trail the wagon tipped over and the bees went everywhere. They had to wait a day for the bees to come back to the hive at night before they could move on. My Uncle Joe has or had bees, and I know my dad wanted to be a bee keeper until he got stung and quickly found out he was allergic.
So it is my blood. It is meant to be. I will be a bee keeper. All you unbelievers just wait. Someday you just might want my honey.

Late, but better than never! Christmas

2011-01-17T18:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas was AMAZING!! My parents, Jessie, and James all came to our house for Christmas. I wish everyone could have come, hopefully next year. On Christmas Eve, we all went to Alan's parents house for dinner. It is so nice that my family and Alan's family can spend time together. Our dads can sit and talk for hours. Christmas morning at 7:00 Alan and I went to his parents house for breakfast and to open presents with his family. Then we came home and ate breakfast again and opened presents with my family.
Christmas is a great time of year. I love that we were able to spend so much time with family. A HUGE thanks to my parents, Jessie, and James for coming so far to spend Christmas with us.
This is a picture of our beautiful Christmas tree. I know to some this is not much of a Christmas tree, but to us it was perfect this year.

I got a slanket, and some rock climbing shoes. The slanket is by far the best present ever! It is like a snuggie but better. It has a pocket at the bottom for your feet so they don't get cold.

James opening his bran new camera that he didn't know anything about. :)

Alan opening this way cool camping organizer. Thanks Ben & Brina!

My mom opening her T.V. while my dad opens his present (the bracket to hold my mom's T.V. to the wall.)

Opening presents at with Alan's family.

I LOVE shoes!

Christmas Is On It's Way

2010-12-13T20:52:00.000-08:00

For our Christmas ward party I signed up to take cupcakes/cake pops. Since I like to bake and don't really do it all that often I chose cake pops. I had to look them up on the internet because I had never heard of them let a long know how to make them. They looked so fun, and not too complicated. They are basically a baked cake crumbled up then mix the frosting in to make a dough. Then stuck with a stick and dipped in chocolate. These were my first try! Not too bad, if I say so myself. I learned a few tricks as I was nearing the end, and I think they will be easier next time. I had so much fun with them and they are soooo good that I think I will take them around to the neighbors as my Christmas treats this year.

Anyone that knows me and picking out Christmas trees would know that the next picture is not a picture of a tree I would typically pick. Lets just say I have a thing with picking really good Christmas trees. Well, this year we were discussing if we wanted a bushy tree or one that you can only get high up on the mountain, like the ones around my cabin, and are not found too much here in St. George area. We wanted a perfectly spaced, green, triangle shaped tree that you get high in the mountain, but since we were only going up on Pine Valley, a bushy tree like the years past was what we were going to get.

We dressed really warm and drove up near Pine Valley. We started hiking around looking for the perfect tree. After about an hour of looking we found one tree that was not a typical tree for this area. Since it was like one we wanted and knowing we wouldn't find another one like it we decided to go for it. it was actually three trees in one and was really tall. Yes, we topped our tree. Alan climbed several feet up and started sawing. Our saw was not a good saw but it was all we had. It took about 30 minutes to finally cut the tree down. Once it was on the ground we realized it was way too tall. So I laid down on the tree to measure out and we went back to sawing. As Alan and I took turns the saw blade began to stretch. We did the best we could but the tree put up a fight. Just before we were all the way through the tree the saw broke completely. We had to just break the rest off and call it good.

We stood the tree up and realized that it was not a good looking tree. In fact it was quite ugly. But, we had no saw now, and we had put so much effort into this tree that we decided it was ours for the year.

It now has pretty lights and lots of decorations, yet it is still ugly. It is our poor Charlie Brown Christmas tree. But even though our tree is ugly, misshapen, and has sparse branches I LOVE our tree. It grew on me. I know what you might be thinking... but thats okay, we still love your tree.

Life is Great!

2010-10-19T18:39:00.001-07:00

The colors on the mountain were breath taking.

My hott cowboy.

The storm rolling in. It didn't help with gathering the cows that day, but it was beautiful.

We didn't want the calves to get crushed, so we locked them in the nose of the trailer. They didn't like it too much, but I thought it was cute.

Mom, dad, and Ben eating lunch.

Admiring a hard day's work.

Amazing Weekend at the Ranch

2010-10-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

The perfect place to sit and listen to conference.

Good food, and great family.

We are so blessed!

Stress...Why?

2010-09-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Stress
Stress is to life as caffeine is to soda.
Addictive, no nutritional value, adds nothing good to life.
Negative effects: weight gain, wrinkles, gray hairs, zits, increased heart rate, perspiration, sleep loss, bodily functions to not function, irritability, increase/decrease appetite, and an emotional roller coaster.
So why do we stress? Nothing good comes from it and yet it is addictive. Sometimes I even stress about trying not to stress.
Is it a learned behavior or innate?
Is it possible to be 100% stress free? How?

No longer will I sit by and do nothing!

2010-09-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

I hate it when we are driving along and I go to get a drink and there always seems to be a bump in the road or the driver just happens to hit the brakes or gas and without fail water is all over the place. This has always seemed to be a passenger’s problem. You try to be sneaky and reach over and tip the cup of the driver but that only works once before the driver learns and just uses the other hand out of reach.

BUT….. last night as we were on a dirt road and I had a hard time getting a drink then handing it over to Alan I got a small idea. As he removed his foot from the gas and placed it on the brake to come to a slow roll, he lifted his cup up to take a drink. I was sitting girlfriend in the truck and slid my foot over ever so lightly and pushed the gas. Water first went all over Alan, and then he retaliated and splashed me with the rest. I was more wet than Alan but it was so worth it. We laughed for over 15 minutes. It was the best I have gotten him in a long time.

He may rethink tapping the brake or gas when I take a drink as a passenger from now on.

2010-08-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Why I Teach

I will never claim,
I teach for the glory or fame.
The paychecks are small,
but, I don’t teach for that at all.

Some nights I can’t sleep,
I try my hardest to count sheep.
But I’m lost in thought,
Have I helped each student or not?

Most students pass,
And just move on from my class.
They were taught what they need,
But, did I really feed?

In over 4 years,
I have only twice been brought to tears.
Only twice….
I have known, I made a difference.

In most professions things are tough.
Knowing you succeed twice is not enough.
But, twice is all I need,
To know that I did succeed.

Moab & The Mountains

2010-07-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Alan had a few days off and in trying to plan where would be the most fun and adventurous we decided that Moab was the place. Saturday morning we went climbing in Millcreek along the loop road. We have never been there before but knew there were climbs. I think it is so stupid for people to park on the road right where the climbs are. It is so narrow there and makes it difficult to pass another car. So we decided to pass the bridge, park on the side of the road where there is a lot of shoulder to park on and then hike back down canyon. We found a way down at the bridge then bush whacked it to the climbs. We had a blast climbing there. It was totally different rock for us and so fun to climb in a new place. When we were done we found a rock slide and followed a trail out of the canyon. It was sooo easy and our truck was right there. No need to bush whack it and NO need to park on the other side of the creek where it causes problems for other cars passing.

We went to church on Sunday in my parents ward. In remembrance of the pioneers and 24th of July, Jean West gave a talk and at the end of it she read "missions" to people in the ward like the pioneers would have been called to. My dad's was the first and I started to cry. He was asked to take his truck and horse trailer and travel to Alaska to live. He could take Ben with him but Brina and my mom had to stay behind. My mom and us girls were to take care of the property and all the cows and such. He could take one horse with him if he thought he would need it.
She then continued to read other people in the ward their situations. Like the Calls had to take the remainder of their kids and travel to Mexico and live and teach the gospel. They had to get there in one vehicle and had no paper work to cross the border. Another family had to raft down the river but they would not have any medications for their daughter that has some health problems. It was so spiritual and really made you feel a small part of what the pioneers felt as they were given their callings.

Sunday after church Alan and I went up to the cabin. Ohhh how I love being up there. There is just something about being up in the cooler weather with lots of green that makes you feel like you could spend all of your time there and do nothing and still be happy.

On Monday, we decide to hike up Mt. Peale. Lots of my family has done this hike, but I have not. I was actually excited, which surprised me. There was fog on the mountain which made it beautiful. We hiked and kind of just found our own way up. It was absolutely amazing on the top. I loved that in all directions I could look and recognize places. Fog kept rolling in and out, but there were no signs of a real storm so we just stayed up there and enjoyed the scenery. Later I found out that we took a long time to do the hike, but we weren't in any kind of a hurry and it was just nice to be out and enjoying the mountains.

Part of being on the mountain is being reminded how great my family is. While we were there Uncle Lyman, Aunt Sandy, Uncle Lynn, and Aunt Cathy came over. We had great food, conversations and lots of laughs. I love how close our family is and how much fun we have together.
Tuesday, we packed up to get ready for the long drive home, but not before it decide to pour rain. When you think the mountains can't get any better than it rains. I love it when it rains at the cabin. We leave the door open and build the fire up really big and just watch and listen. Life doesn't get much better than that.

We finally decided that it was time to start home, even though it was still raining. We left my mom and dad at the cabin hoping they would stay a few more days, but my dad just thinks he has too much to do, and they came home later that day.

I have had this written for a while now but keep waiting on getting the pictures off of our camera. I decided to go a head and post it and I will add the pics later.

Summer Time Fun

2010-07-09T09:20:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of some things we have been doing this summer. The first picture is of Ella in a pond out at the pastures where Alan's dad runs his cows. All of the other pictures are us at "The Spot." It is a new bouldering gym here in St. George. We are friends with a guy who works for the owner. It has been fun going (sometimes more than once a week)and playing around or placeing some of the holds. It will be open to the public soon!

Birthday Week

2010-06-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

This week is my birthday week. I am turning 27 this year meaning I only have two more birthdays before I am 29 and stop having birthdays all together. So, I am having a birthday week this year to make up for all the non birthdays later.

Monday was my first day after surgery that I could get up and do whatever I wanted. So my gift for Monday was time. It was so nice to have time to do some of those things I just couldn't get to before.

Tuesday, Alan took me shopping. It was a lot of fun to just go from store to store and try on clothes.

Wednesday Alan took me to Tarzan at Tuacahn. We got seats in the second row and had a blast. Here are a couple of pictures we took with Alan's phone. They aren't very good but it proves we were there. Another cool thing was Denny Miller (the guy who played Tarzan in the 1959 movie) was there.

Today I went in for my post op appointment and was cleared to do all activities again. Yahoo! That means lifting more than 5 pounds, swimming, rock climbing and lots more. It was a great present.

Friday, Alan and I are headed out camping.

Saturday, more camping and fishing.

Sunday, my actual birthday, and Alan is going to do all the cooking.

I am really loving this birthday week stuff. I guess I can keep having birthdays after 29 as long as they are a whole week long.

Only Alan...

2010-04-14T16:28:00.000-07:00

will go from this.

To this in the same day.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

For Easter weekend Alan took a couple of days off so we could have a long weekend together. My idea of a long weekend together was a cruise. Alan's was to go backpacking. Alan's plan worked out better, so we decided to go backpacking. We left early Friday morning and I was sleeping in the truck on the way out to Escalante. Alan woke me up about an hour outside of Escalante so I could see the scenery.

As you could imagine I was not excited to see SNOW!! I made some comment about how there wouldn't be snow on a cruise and how I was not at all excited to go backpacking anymore. Thankfully this was at 7777 feet at Bryce canyon and we had some altitude to drop before we got to Escalante.

We decided that backpacking probably wasn't the warmest idea but that we would see the same things just in 2 miles not 26. We pulled put to the trail head and started to make lunch when 2 guys came up out of the canyon we were about to go into. We talked to them for a minute and found out that it wasn't cold in the canyon and they just spent 4 days down there. I got really brave and decided we could take the stuff down and have the possibility of just coming back up. From the picture you can see that I still packed warm.

It wasn't long before I got pretty warm and started shedding the winter clothes. It was a really pretty hike in the 2.6 miles. (Can you spot the arch?) After we got to the bottom of the canyon we realized that everything we read it was 2.6 miles to the bottom not to all the really cool stuff to see. Because it was warm and really pretty we decided to spend the night and make it a full backpacking adventure.

We found this cool spot and set up our tent. The next morning we got up late. (I had to wait for it to warm up.) Then went and explored the canyon. There were three arches and lots of water falls.

This is Alan filtering us some water. The water tasted really good!

On Sunday we jumped on the 4-wheeler and drove out to Hole in the Rock. We were really glad we took the 4-wheeler. We passed a few trucks and they didn't seem to enjoy the ride as much as we were.

This is my favorite picture. Someone has taken the time to mark the wagon trail from Escalante to the Hole in the Rock with these markers. Sometimes they are right on the dirt road other times you can see them off the road a ways. In the background you can see the opening to the Hole in the Rock.

I have always wanted to go out to the Hole in the Rock. It was amazing to be right where these incredible people showed their faith and overcome such an endeavor. There was a lot of emotion walking in their footsteps and looking out to where they went. I have a great love for them and am so thankful they stayed strong and completed what they were asked to do no matter how hard it was.

Essential Oil Party

2010-03-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

Over the past few months I have discovered how wonderful essential oils are. Not only has it helped me in my life but it has helped my mom with her MS and her friend Sue. There are so many uses for essential oils. At a later date I will explain more about the oils and how I use them almost everyday. But for now I want to invite everyone to an Essential Oil Party.

On March 12th at 6:30 pm we are going to meet at Comfort Suits. I am brining all of my oils, my mom's and Sue's oils. We will be doing a short presentation on how to use the oils and how they can help from things like calming a crying baby to reducing the affects of MS.

There will be food and a whole lot of fun. If you are going to be in Moab that night you should stop by! Everyone is welcome. Spread the word and lets party.

Disneyland!

2009-12-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun in Disneyland. There was way too many people and I don't think we would ever go again at that time again. Even though there was a lot of people it was still magical. The highlights were when they made it snow at night, seeing all the characters, eating churros and ice cream, and getting to be like a kid again (okay, having a real reason to get to act like a kid again).

Here are a few pictures in random order because I couldn't get them to move.

Woody

Train Ride in Frontier Land

Tower Of Terror. Really fun ride really creapy workers!

It's A Small World

Newest Princess: Princess Tiana

Mr. Incredible & Mrs. Amazing

Monsters Inc.

Pluto and Mickey

Disneyland Main Street

Goofy

Toy Story Army Men

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Life the size of a bug.

Spoiled

2009-12-13T09:21:00.000-08:00

It has been a very long wait but finally our couches came. After we bought our house we knew we wanted new couches. We decided to wait until a show so that we could get the most for our money. So in September we found the couches we wanted and ordered them. After being told many delivery dates over the next three months they finally shipped.

They came in really big boxes! I was so nervous the whole way home that they were going to tip over. Since we ordered them in September I had forgotten exactly what color they were. I was afraid they were going to be too light. I was so excited when we opened the box and they were dark. I love them.

It is so nice to come home to real couches. Now people can come over and not have to sit on the floor.

Salt Lake

2009-11-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

Alan and I went to Salt Lake for work last week. As I lay in bed the first night I had a strong feeling of going home. Not home in St. George, but to our house in Salt Lake. I really missed our house. What I missed the most was the sound of the door opening and closing. For anyone that had been to our house they would know the sound I am talking about. Our door had blinds over the window and each time the door opened and closed it made a distinct noise. It was a heavy door and as it closed it banged a little louder than most doors as if it was slammed shut even when closed softly. As I talked to Alan about this I figured out what I missed the most were the things that went in and out of the door. I missed what it meant hearing the door open and close.

I miss Oso coming in and out of the house. Oso was such a good dog. He was so calm, loving, and good with children. I miss him searching for your hand to pet him, and I miss the way he slept by the fireplace.

I miss the sound of the door opening as Alan brought in dinner in the Dutch oven. Tim, Lindsey, Dan, Tony and their families would come over and we would make something new in the Dutch oven. I miss having everyone over for Dutch oven parties.

I miss the joy of K and B throwing the door open with excitement to go camping, or rock climbing. Cooking breakfast in the mornings together and riding bikes outside in the driveway. I miss all the funny things B would say, and all the games K would make up for us to play. The last time the door closed behind them was one of the hardest days of my life, but I am thankful for all the times that they were able to come in and out of that door.

I miss our neighbors and how we changed the gate in our fence to be closer to the house so that they could come over easier. The first time they knocked on our door and we realized we had already met and had something in common.

I loved hearing the door open as Alan came home from work on his lunch breaks. There are few things better than taking a nap in the middle of the day together snuggled up on the couch.

I even miss the sound of the door opening as people brought stuff over to store in our basement and garage.

There are many more memories of people and things that entered our door in Salt Lake. I am so grateful for those memories. As I look back on the 2 years that we lived in Salt Lake, and all the people that came in and out of our house for just a minute or to stay for months I long to experience those memories again. It makes me even more excited for our house here in St. George and all of the memories that will be made here in our home.

Cupcakes & The Lying Media

2009-11-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

For our work party I made these bats and mummies.

How the Media Lies!

Last week I was feeling a little under the weather. I had a runny nose, and a mild fever. People at school kept saying "I hope you don't have H1N1." I knew I did not have it because I did not have flu like symptoms. I had cold symptoms. I took a few half days at school then Thursday night I had a high temperature and I could not get it to break. Friday, I kept getting worse, and since we now have insurance and baby Carter was coming up for the weekend I wanted to find out if I was contagious.

When we got to the Dr. Office the receptionist made me wear a mask. I felt like they had just stamped LEAPER across my forehead. I only had a cold and I probably wasn't even contagious.

As the dr. was doing her checks I asked the only question I came to get answered. This is how it went...

Mariah: "Am I contagious?"
Dr. "Yes! Very!"
Mariah: in a sad tone "Oh"
Dr. "You have H1N1."
Mariah: "No. No, I don't. I haven't thrown up; I don't feel nauseous and no diarrhea. I just have a cold."
Dr. "That is the normal flu. H1N1 is the Influenza and it is a respiratory virus. Cough, chills, congestion, and a fever."

I had tried so hard not to get H1N1. Even going to Mexico for 2 weeks, I didn't get it. But going to school did. Oh well, it will be a time to just sit and relax right? Ya, that’s what I was hoping for. But it isn't that at all. You sit here all day miserable, with a long list of things you would rather be doing. Even doing the dishes would be more fun than this.

Alan has been amazing, making me food, getting me drinks, going to the store, and playing wii all day with me. Sweet Ben and Brina even brought me over chicken noodle soup. Well, brought it to Alan in the driveway. No one is allowed to come within 6 feet of me.

This has been a huge lesson learned though. When the Dr. was telling me all about it and what to do, it was pretty much no big deal. She said take a fever reducer if you want, but the fever is good because it is killing the virus. Here is a prescription for cough medicine, but don't really take it unless you can't sleep at night. It is better for your body to cough and break it up anyway.

No big scare like the media has made it out to be. I am not going to die and there is a very little possibility of dieing from it. I can't believe the media lies!

Hunting vs. Getting

2009-10-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Hunting =

Riding the four-wheeler all over the mountain only to end up hiking...hiking... and more hiking only to find 16 doe.

Getting=

Driving in the truck seeing a buck (at least 50 feet off the road because it is illegal to shoot any closer).

I was not at all happy to find out that the 9 day hunt did not include the Las Sal Mountains on opening day or the next 5 days after that. This was my first hunt having a license and I was really bummed to find out I had to hunt on the Blues. The worst part was that on Friday while gathering cows I jumped a 6 point buck.

We gathered cows on Friday and Saturday and decided that since we spent all that money on 5 tags we might as well go hunt on Monday even though it had to be on the Blues. We started really early before the sun came up so we could be in the hunting approved area when the sun came up. We first just drove around and scouted out an area. My dad has to haul water to Island in the Sky so he knew there was a lot of deer down by News Paper Rock. We drove the area but only found a few doe and a lot of hunters. So we were forced to move on. None of us were very familiar with the area so all we could do was find a place that "looked" good and go for it. We stopped at Monticello Lake and jumped on the four-wheelers. Creighton drove me with my gun and Logan and Alan took the other one.

It wasn't too long before Creighton and I found some deer. We slowly snuck up on them but could not see any bucks with the 6 doe. We thought we moved them up the ridge so we circled around and went to comb the ridge. We saw nothing and as we got back on the four-wheeler we saw a butt staring at us 20 yards away. It was a sight to see, us crawling on our hands and knees trying to see if they were doe or bucks.

After only finding doe we decided to ride to another spot. We rode around but did not find anything and returned to the previous area that we actually saw deer. We walked and walked but only found doe. Later that afternoon, Logan and Alan came and we walked another ridge with them. On our way out we saw a bunch of deer and decided to follow them. We moved them all over that area, and other hunters were even telling us where they were going from the top of a hill. Still no bucks, only doe.

We found my dad back in the truck sleeping and decided to go drive the News Paper Rock area one more time before it got dark. We were on our way back out when suddenly appeared two doe. The boys all got out to see what they were when MY buck walked out from behind the tree. If you hear my dad tell the story he will say that I took forever to shoot. But it really wasn’t that long. I think the whole canyon heard that I just got my first deer. Not by the sound of the gun, but by the screams of joy from me.

It was a very exciting day and I am so glad that we went.

WARNING there is a little blood in the picture.

He was only a little 2x3 but I was sure glad to get anything.

The fun part of hunting is the getting part. The not so fun part is the “making of the white packages.” There was so much meat that for the next couple days I didn’t want any meat. Not because I felt bad for killing a deer, but because after handling, cutting, packaging that much meat you just don’t want to see meat again for a while. I could never be a butcher.

This only a very small amount of white packages!

Mexico Part 2

2009-09-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Tulca is a very large city but one of Alan’s cousins lives there so we stopped for the night. We went to dinner on taco street and had some Al Pastor. Ummm Al Pastor is my absolute favorite. Alan’s cousin has three young children. It made me laugh because they kept talking to me not understanding that I did not know what they were saying. The next day we headed to some ruins outside of Tulca. These ruins were beautiful. They hadn’t done as much to fix the buildings up as they have at other cites so it was cool to see the buildings in more of their real form.

We then left to the city to return our car and just take Alan’s cousin’s car the rest of the trip. We ended that night in Cernavaca. We have been to Cernavaca before so we just slept there and headed to Acapulco. We arrived in Acapulco around 1:00. We decided to stop at the store and get bread and drinks before checked in to the motel. When Jessie and James went to Acapulco for their honeymoon I told them to do the same. I guess I didn’t explain it as well as I should because they were completely surprised when they went to the bread store. Going and getting bread is really going and getting a little piece of heaven. You walk into the store and get your large pizza like pan and tongs. Then you go up and down the isles piling it high with all kinds of sweet breads, plain rolls, rolls with cheese in them, rolls with ham and cheese, soft breads, hard breads, bread with chocolate, cream, fruit, sugar, nuts. All kinds of delicious treats. (I don’t advise the doughnuts, cakes, or brownie… they are always dry and yucky). You take your overflowing tray to the checkout stand. They add it all up and the grand total is never over $5 dollars. It is the best.

We checked into the hotel and for the next two days we just played at the beach, swam in the pool, and ate. Life does not get much better than this.

9/04/09 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALAN!!
Normally it would be sad to leave Acapulco but this time is was not because we were heading to Taxco. Taxco is a silver mining town where they still mine the silver. It is a city built on a hill with cobble stone streets. Of all Mexico, Acapulco and Taxco are my favorite. There is just something about the cobble stone roads and lots of jewelry that makes me smile. I love eating on the balconies around the center and watching people. It is almost enchanting.

From Taxco we went back to Mexico City.

Our last experience with a wedding in Mexico taught us a lot and we were determined to be smarter about the Quinceanera. We checked into our motel around 2 and then headed down for a large meal. Then we headed back to the motel for a nap. We showered and got ready then ate again. I was not about to go hungry this time. Around 6 O’clock our ride came and picked us up and took us to the church for the ceremony. The Ceremony was supposed to take around 20 minutes but took and hour. The Ceremony was extremely boring to those that understood the language but to me that could not understand a thing it was beyond boring. I was so glad once it was over. From the ceremony we went to the party. The party was elaborately decorated and so were the people. The fifteen year old boys all had suits, and all the girls had on fancy party dresses. The party finally started at 9:30 with Xareni dancing with her dad. Then for the next hour she danced 4 choreographed dances with professional male dancers by her side. At 10:30 they started to serve dinner. It was only a 4 course meal this time starting with soup and ending with cake and ice cream. While dinner was served a string quartet played what the announcer called “romantic music.” After dinner the dancing started. I love parties in Mexico with dancing. Even the 80 year old grandmas and grandpas dance the night away. Finally at 2:00 we called a taxi and went back to the motel. While in the taxi a car rear ended us. But the Mexican way is to look at the damage then just drive off, and so we did.

The next morning (almost afternoon) when we woke up, Alan and I went to the Zoo. The Zoo is free and if there was a Mexican PETA the whole place would be shut down. Thankfully there is not and we got to see a lot of animals and a lot closer up than here in the States. Then we went to Coaycan, (a park in Mexico City) where they have the best quesadillas. We meet up with more of Alan’s relatives… a lot more. This means a lot of kisses on the cheek, and me just stand there and smiling. Not much else to do when there are a bunch of people you have never met before speaking a language you don’t understand. It is a lot of fun though meeting family from another country. They are so nice and accommodating. Later that night we went to see some friend's shop and ended up getting cought in a huge rain storm instead. I wish it would rain like that here in Utah.

Monday was our last real day in Mexico. We just wanted to do our same ole same ole in Mexico City, which consists of riding on the metro (without catching the swine flu), shopping, and walking the streets by the center.
While we were walking we came across this protest. The people are really mad at their government for giving Obama such luxuries when he came to visit a couple of weeks ago. They want the government to spend money on the people starving in Mexico, not on foreign leaders.
This was a great way to end our trip to Mexico. We had a blast while we were here but we are finally ready to be home and eat real American food. Oh and drink water, good old water and ice, from the tap.

Mexico Part 1

2009-09-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Leaving for Mexico was not as easy this time as it has been in the past. Now that Alan and I work for Adams & Co/ Krumpet’s, we live our jobs more than we used to. It is different working for a company that you really like and enjoy. Before when we would leave for vacation we would just leave and forget everything else behind. But just leaving our jobs behind this time was not as easy. Alan in fact still works while we are here in Mexico. He has his phone and makes and receives phone calls and emails all day long. It amazes me how much technology has changed and developed that we are able to send emails from anywhere in the world. As hard has it has been to leave for Mexico now that we are here I am loving it.

We left for Las Vegas on Thursday, and flew into Dallas Thursday night. The flight was supposed to be 3 hours with a 1 hour layover. There was a storm so we got stuck in a holding pattern in the sky for an extra hour. Luckily everyone was behind schedule and we were able to make our next flight from Dallas to Mexico City. On our flight from Dallas we saw an amazing lightning storm from the plane. It was beautiful to watch the sky light up without ever seeing the lighting bolts.

Finally we made it to Mexico. There is just something about being in Mexico that excites me. It is truly a different world. We went straight to our motel room and slept a few hours. On Friday morning we went to the Mexico City Temple. Anyone that knows me knows that I get a little teary eyed more than normal people do. The temple was beautiful and it was absolutely amazing how the spirit in the temple is the same all over the world and no matter what language the ceremony are preformed in it is all true and the same. Going to the temple made the trip worth it all.

After the temple we got our rent-a-car and headed to our first stop Tula. Tula was meant to be a short stop where we were going to buy some leather. We never found the leather market but we did find some ruins instead. I love going to the ruins and seeing how people lived and worshipped so many years ago. It always fascinates me how there is little bits and pieces from our beliefs just distorted.

Next we went to Queretaro. (Don’t ask me to say the name of this town. For the life of me I can’t say it.) This is where most of Rosa’s family that still lives in Mexico lives. I was able to meet Alan’s Grandfather and uncle for the first time. We meet in the center of town ate on the patio then went and explored the town.

In Mexico the center or Zocolo is the best place to be. Everyone comes and just sits, eats, and shops. There is always beautiful architecture and a few grand cathedrals, all in a few block ratios.

We spent the night in Queretaro then moved on to San Miguel De Allende in the morning. Because it was a Friday the center was buzzing with people, and venders selling everything from balloons to bracelets. Mariachi bands filled the air with music and the smell of corn on the cob smothered in mayonnaise and cheese completed the ambiance of being in a small town of Mexico. We had churros and hot chocolate and just enjoyed being surrounded by culture. We spent the night a block from the center in an old rundown hotel, with an amazing view of the city.

Dolores Hidalgo was our next stop. This was a very short stop but we still had time to buy some handmade pottery and ice cream. Dolores Hidalgo is known for having homemade ice cream vendors in the four corners of the center. After trying 20 different flavors of ice cream including sausage and Alan trying shrimp I settled on “Beso De Angel”.

Guanajuato is a favorite of Rosa and she wanted to spend as much time there as possible. So we quickly left and drove to the Motel in Guanajuato. In Guanajuato the streets are so narrow that we left the car and took the bus to the center of town. We walked up and down the streets until our feet gave out. It was a beautiful city full of color and buildings built hundreds of years ago. There is a street that the buildings are so close that they say people on opposite balconies could kiss. The street was adequately named “Callejon Del Beso.”

After Guanajuato we started our 3 hour drive to Tlelpujahua. This town is known for it’s hand blown Christmas ornaments. Not many people know this but it is not Christmas time and it was hard to find any of the ornaments. After some “Mexican directions” (Mexican directions take a simple direction like “walk two blocks then head north 3 blocks, turn left then at the next block turn right, half way down this block there is a black door that is the factory. No their directions are oh “just up that street, you will see it.”) If you are ever in Mexico and need directions ask someone then a block or two later ask again, keep doing this until you are at your destination. You will never find it by asking only one person. We finally found the factory which is no bigger than my house. It was really cool to see them painting and making the ornaments. Interestingly we found out that they are the suppliers for some of Wal Mart’s ornaments.

We then went to El Oro. Oro means gold. This is an old mining town, it was a busy town but the mine has been shut down many years ago. There wasn’t much to see so we drove around for a minute then headed to Tulca.

From El Oro to Tulca it was only supposed to take an hour to an hour and a half but I missed a turn and took us down a yellow road. On the Map we were only supposed to take red roads with yellow line in it or solid red roads. Yellow roads take much longer and are not safe in Mexico. I did not realize until we were half way down it that we were on a yellow road and it seemed faster to continue on the road than turn back. We safely made it but not without a lot of speed bumps and massive potholes in the road. Hours later we found the red road and quickly made it to Tulca.

Summer TIme Fun

2009-08-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

This summer has been so full of funness that I have completely neglected my blog. So here is a summer recap.
We bought a house!! I love it. I loved our house in Salt Lake but this house is Home. I love spending time here.

Alan and I got a new calling of teaching one of the 6 nursery classes in our ward.

I now work for Krumpet’s and have an office at Adams and Co. It has been fun going to work everyday with Alan. Alan got a promotion and is now the General Manager at Adams and Co. We have been traveling a lot with work doing the summer shows. If you read Nicole’s blog you saw that we got to go to Texas to visit her and Creighton and meet Carter. Who is my favorite baby ever! He is sooo cute and loves to snuggle. I miss him tons and can’t wait for them to move to Las Vegas. September 18th can’t come fast enough. We have been able to go climbing a lot this summer.

I went to the Grand Canyon for the first time. We camped at Mount Trumbel with Alan’s family then drove to the Grand Canyon the next day. (the camping was my favorite part of the trip.)

And lots of other summer usuals like family reunions, camping, trips, and ranch work for both of our fathers.

This summer has been a little different for us and we haven’t done as many canyons as usual but we have done a few canyons this year, Behunion (in the snow), Pine Creek, Yankie-doodle and one of my favorite new ones to take people on called Bitch Hollow. If anyone is in the area, has a few hours, and wants to go canyoneering give us a call!

Over the years we have done a lot of different canyons and yet we have never done the most popular canyon in Zion, Subway. Until now.

We went to Zion Mountain Resort and stayed in one of their cabins with the Hansens. On Saturday, Alan, Logan, DJ, and I went to do the Subway. We got a late start and were the last ones to start and yet we passed all 50 other people in the canyon to be the first ones out. It was a beautiful canyon and I am so glad we were able to go. Here are a few pictures.

This is the hike in.

Logan and I swimming.

Me in the first swim and it was cold!

Saved By The Bell

2009-06-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, it is true I could probably recite every Saved By The Bell episodes to you by memory. I was the biggest Saved By The Bell fan as a kid. So I could have been reading or doing something more educational but who could resist AC Slater?

Jasmine don't hate me for this one but anytime Jasmine and I would play and we needed fake names I would change between first names but usually it was Jesse, and my boyfriend was Slater. And Jasmine would always be Kelly and her boyfriend was Zack. I don't think we had any idea what a boyfriend really was but we knew they were cute and that was the way it was.

Jessie (my sister) sent me this link and I couldn't stop laughing.

Enjoy!

http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/09/the-return-of-zack-morris/

Oh and yes, Alan does know that there is still a small spot in my heart for A.C. Who could resist those Dimples?

3 Years!

2009-05-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Alan and I have now been married for 3 years. I love being married to my best friend, he is everything and more. Here are a few reasons why I love my husband.

His dimples
He opens the door for me.
He loves to snuggle.
He holds me when I cry.
He likes my cooking.
He taught me how to rock climb, long board, and canyoneer.

He knows how to make me laugh.
He is a hard worker.
He is an honorable priesthood holder.
He always drives, so I don’t have to.
He helps others.
He is a handyman.

He always keeps food on the table.

He always makes me feel good.
When we go out to eat he always orders the best.
We talk all the time.
He always misses me when he is gone.
He sends me cute texts.
He loves my family, and likes spending time with them.
He likes going to Moab.

He is the best person at math that I know.
He is kind.
He always kisses me good night.
He works hard to support us.
He picks me wild flowers.
He saddles my horse for me.
He is always thinking of fun things to do.
He learns really quickly.
He carries the heavy stuff.
He is HOTT!
He likes to cowboy.

He lets me cut his hair, and always says I did a good job.
He supports me.
He keeps me warm when it is cold out.
If someone asks him to do something he does it.
He is close to his family.
He has mountain property too.

He loves to read.
He takes me to Mexico.

He is a good example.
He tells me I am beautiful.
When he wears the cologne I bought him, he smells amazing.
He lets me take my career down any path I want for that year. (even if I don’t make money)
He is smart.

He rides a motorcycle.
He tells me that he loves me.
He bought me a house.

He is a truck man.

He is a good listener.
He helps me make cookies up until the dough is ready. (he only likes the dough)
He talks to me while I cook.
He is really good at figuring things out in his head.
He lets me help him work on his truck, then just smiles when I tell people I fixed it.
He takes all the credit for Dutch Oven Beans.
He takes me camping.

He looks good in anything he wears.
He encourages me to go shopping.
He lets me take naps.
He bought me my own saddle.
He calls me just to say hi.
He talks nice to the mean people on the phone.
He looks good in a cowboy hat.
He married me.
He keeps the goals he sets.
He reads his scriptures and prays every night.
He likes to make big fires.
He makes me feel safe.

He makes me feel like I am on top of the world.

The past three years have been the best of my life, I love you Alan and I look forward to the rest of our lives together.

Winnie's New Baby

2009-04-27T12:24:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Winnie's baby. He was supposed to come out either Dun or Grulla. He has markings of both so we will just have to wait and see what color he turns. I love having new colts around.

ZOOM ZOOM

2009-04-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

Alan won tickets on the radio to the Drag Races in Las Vegas. This is something that we have never done before, nor did we think it would be that fun. We had bought permits to go do a canyon but as the sky turned dark that morning we decided to use our free tickets. First, we just walked around the pits and saw the crews working on the car. Then we went and found our Platinum seats. Yes, we were in the Platinum seating which means we got to ride the elevator up. In Drag racing the higher up you are the better the seat.

It was so much fun to watch the cars race by in matter of seconds. The fastest cars got to 300 miles per hour in just 4 seconds, in a quarter of a mile. There were no wrecks but one car’s engine blew and it tore the shell off the car. They let two people from the audience race with just normal GMC cars. They were only able to get to 80 miles per hour before the quarter of a mile was up. It looked like they went soooo slow.

It was a really fun day. We had an over priced corn dog and made our own little bets on the cars. As two cars came to the line we would take turns picking which car we thought would win. It was 50/50 odds and for some reason Alan won each time we bet.

It was extremely loud, and as the cars went by it shook everything. We only stayed for three hours, and I am so glad we went and were able to experience it. I would definitely do it again… if the tickets were free.

Here are some pictures of the cars. I didn’t get any racing because I had to cover my ears as they went by to prevent from going deaf.

Mr. & Mrs. Polson

2009-04-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

BFFs

2009-03-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ben was telling someone the other day how he was going to school at Snow College when I told him he should come and live with us here in St. George and go to Dixie. He did and it was a huge mistake…

Ben and Alan have been getting into trouble ever since. These are only a few pictures of there adventures as BFF’s. Now when one of them wants to go and do something the conversation go something like this.

Alan: Hey Ben do you want to go riding long boards?
Ben: Ya, lets go when I get off work today.
Alan: Okay, we can go to that big hill that we crashed on last time.
Ben: Ha, ha, that was fun!
Mariah: MMMmmm….
Alan: Oh, Mariah you can come to if you want.

This may sound like I am complaining, but I am not. When Ben left on his mission I told him I would wait to get married until he came home. Well, I met Alan two months later and we were married a year before Ben got home. I always hoped they would get along, I just didn’t expect them to get along this well. I am really thankful for this time that Ben gets to live with us. He has also become part of Alan’s family. All of Alan’s nephews and niece love him. When we have a family dinner if Ben is not there everyone misses him. Alan’s mom even said she would adopt him into the family if he would wear contacts so he had brown eyes.

Being the “third wheel” isn’t as bad as one might think. There is a lot of fun and laughter when Ben and Alan go on their adventures.

I am a Graduate!

2009-03-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

I finally graduated from Utah Hunters Education!!! I know most of you did it all when you were 14. So I am a few years late. I am also turning in my concealed weapons packet today so that I can protect myself and my family.

In our family we have had the conversation many times about owning guns and having guns in the house. I know that it isn’t the popular vote in society today to own guns, especially have them in your home. It scares me more to think of someone entering my home with a gun and not having one to protect my family.

There is a new law that they are trying to pass that would make it almost impossible to own a gun.

To find out about this - go to any government website and type in HR 45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009. You will get all the information.

Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless: .It is registered

.You are fingerprinted

.You supply a current Driver's License

.You supply your Social Security #

.You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing

.Each update - change or ownership through private or public sale must be reported and costs $25 - Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail.

.There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a child-access provision. Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18.

They would have the right to come and inspect that you are storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison.

Here are a couple websites that tell about the law.

http://thomas..loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.45:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/show

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45

And lastly here is some funny statistics I came across. I have no websites to validate these statistics but I found them funny none the less.

Federal statistics show that doctors cause accidental deaths are a rate 9000 times greater than firearms. It's a fact.

Here are the actual numbers: Think about this:

a. The number of physicians in the US is 700,000.

b. Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year is 120,000.

c. Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171. (US Dept. of Health & Human Services)

Then think about this:

a. The number of gun owners in the US is 80,000,000.

b. The number of accidental gun deaths per year (all age groups) is 1,500.

c. The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .0000188.

Statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR. Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets out of hand. As a public health measure I have withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear that the shock could cause people to seek medical attention.

OUTLAW DOCTORS before we're all dead!

Picture Tag

2009-02-23T20:29:00.001-08:00

1. go to your my document/my pictures
2. go to your sixth file
3. go to your sixth picture
4. blog about it
5. tag six people
(no cheating!!!)

This is my picture. Alan is rock climbing up Maple Canyon, near Ephraim Ut. We have only been climbing up there a couple of times but it is really fun. When I went to college at Snow we went and camped up Maple Canyon, the next day I remember one of our friends staying and rock climbing. I thought it was cool that he did that but also thought of it as an "extream sport" and didn't think much of it again. Then I met Alan and it is one of our favorite activities. It was 60 degrees outside today and I think some more climbing is on its way. Yeah for spring!

I tag: Jessie, Nicole, Stephanie (Stretch), Becca, Tori, Megan

The Journey to Atlanta

2009-01-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

Lots and lots have happened in the 5 weeks since I have posted last. The most recent was the trip to Atlanta Alan and I took for his work.

Last year Alan and I moved from Salt Lake to St. George without Alan getting a job. I had a job as a Special Education teacher for the public school system. In May, I decided not to renew my contract with the public school system and instead take a volunteer job for a private school. At this point Alan still didn’t have a job and we were still paying our mortgage on our house in Salt Lake. We sent in resume after resume and Alan had job interview after job interview. At each job he was either over qualified or not qualified enough. Then we filled out an application for a company called Shift 4, for a job that we thought would be “perfect.” Alan went in for a job interview at Adams and Co. Adams and Co. is a home décor store and Alan said he would decline the job even if he was offered. The next day the president of the company and his wife took Alan out to lunch and offered him a job. Not ever hearing back from the “perfect” job Alan took the job at Adams and Co. Alan went to work one day and was way over qualified for the position. That night the President of the company called him and promoted him to a higher position. Then Shift 4 called and offered Alan the “perfect” job. They gave him 4 hours to decide and only one week notice for his current job. We prayed and prayed of what to do but got no answer. At 5:00 we decided to go with Shift 4 because it was the “perfect” job. Giving Adams and Co. one week notice at their busiest time of the year. Alan went to work for one day at the “perfect” job. After one day he knew it wasn't perfect job. Good thing Adams and Co. called at 12:00 and asked Alan to come back with a raise.

Getting this job at Adams and Co. has been a huge blessing in our life. Alan likes what he does and the people he works with. He has been able to use his skills and have the flexibility he desires. There are also a lot of opportunities for growth. In August they were short on employees so I started to work at Adams and Co. as well. Once I started teaching again I would just go in on Mondays and Fridays but now I just work from home on the web page.

This is where Atlanta comes in. We were asked to go to Atlanta the biggest show of the year. It was our first business trip and we got to go together. It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of work. We had to be up at 6:30 a.m. and work all day then go back to the hotel and prepare paper work until 12:30. We were exhausted and our feet hurt like they have never hurt before. But it was a lot of fun and we learned a lot about the product and buyers.

Some of the highlights were eating at the Corner Bakery everyday. Umm I love muffins. Eating ribs with Alan’s cousin Michelle, and racing up 11 flights of stairs in my high heels. We also went to the Aquarium, and the famous Varsity car hop. It is true what people say about southern hospitality. They are so nice and accommodating. We loved the trip but we are also happy to be home.

This is the 11 flights of stairs I raced up. The escalators were packed and an old man jokingly said “lets take the stairs” so I stupidly said “I’ll race you” 11 flights of stairs later my calves were killing me but I found out he was a buyer. I convinced him to come and look at our booth, which he did and he bought $566.00 worth of product.

THE AQUARIUM

Gathering Cows

2008-12-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

At this time of year the only cows left on the mountain are the crazy ones. My dad is still out 9 cows and as soon as they see us they split into 9 different directions at a dead run. Most of us try to keep with them tying to ignore the branches hitting us from all directions. The rest of us are smarter and choose to be the watch out. Even though it is freezing and we come away with new injuries each time it is still lots of fun!

After a long cold ride tying to keep up with the cows and not succeeding. Alan, Ben and I took off on the 4 wheelers to look for Christmas trees. We found this beautiful view instead.

Last Camping Trip of the Year

2008-11-20T07:23:00.000-08:00

This was our last camping trip of the year. It was really really cold. We built a fire with a dried up palm tree, that Ben had in the back of his truck. Who knew palm trees had layers, and could be so much fun!

Trying to light their hats on fire to scare off any unwanted beasts.

Like I said it was really really cold. On our way out it started to snow "dip and dots."

Boys will be Boys

2008-11-12T11:34:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we needed to move a group of Alan's dads cows to a different pasture. It started off as a little bit crazy becuase we were seperating some of the cows from thier calves. After moving the cows for several miles the cows settled down and Alan and Ben started to get creative to make the ride more intresting. This is what they came up with.

Side saddle

Ben trying to stand up.

Alan is not too sure about standing up.

After a few more miles they needed even more excitement. They started to ride the cows. I got a few of the good rides on video but I could not get them to load. I will keep trying and hopefully they will be added soon.

Oso Bear

2008-10-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

This is just my little tribute to Oso. He will be missed greatly! It is intresting how we know that we will live again and when someone dies we miss them but we are comforted by the fact that we will see them again. It makes you think about animals and what is their full purpose is? Will we see them again and to what extent? I guess the best thing to do is love them the best you can while you have them.