My heart works better when I'm around these cherubs

Felt an urge to post a bunch of pictures of my lil' guys and gal. I never had a clue how much I would care about these little ones. I miss them everyday of my life since each of them was born. (It's obvious that there are more pics of some then the others, not because I'm biased, only because some parents post more pics than others)

Olive in Utah, chilling by grandpa's car, holding Pyper

Olive and James in a stroller war

Olive and James with their favorite aunt

Max in skeleton PJ's and tights

Sam and me after chowing on ice cream

Max demonstrating downdog

Just rescued Sam from getting pelted with water (I thought it was funny, he didn't)

Classic brothers shot

Max and Sam (who looks ticked)

Best outfit EVER!

They are gong to be great friends

The boys with their dad

James and his dad asleep in my car

James sucking on a hose

James talking on a camera

??Just having a good time

Love the tongue

Sometimes Failure is the Best Option

I felt like I should knock on wood as I made the statement, "I'm so excited, I'm going to accomplish my physical summer goal." It was 5:30 am and I was in the car with Tiffany Peterson as we headed toward the Ghost Falls trailhead that would take us on a 12 mile journey to Lone Peak. I've wanted to hike this for years, but felt intimidated. This year was going to be different.

Tiff and I on a campout up Big Cottonwood

This IS NOT Lone Peak, but I wanted you to see a picture of mountains incase you didn't know what they are

I couldn't sleep the night before. I can never sleep when I'm excited about something. All night the elevation and distance of the hike were running through my head as I made comparisons to other hikes (Olympus, Pfeifferhorn, Timpanogos). Seriously, numbers rolled through my brain all night. It also didn't help that the wind was blowing...I can't stand the wind...except for the time I was a passenger on the Santa Maria (sister to Nina and Pinta) crossing the Atlantic.



To be honest, I felt like I should throw the towel in when my alarm went off. No sleep, wind and an already 76 degrees is not a combo platter I want to order. However, you all know I can be extremely stubborn and I was afraid this might be my last chance for the year, since snow was predicted for the following day (prediction correct). I didn't care. I just wanted to accomplish my goal. So off we went.

This is to show how stubborn I can be

And stupid (but a fighter too, yes?)

So when I forgot to clock the distance on the dirt road (supposed to go 2.6 miles) to the trailhead we just weren't sure where to start. Tiffany expressed some concern about getting too late of a start, I of course shrugged it off and thought we should go back and clock the distance....we would only be 40 minutes behind schedule. Tiff is a person that I think understands how I operate....I just need time to come to the right decision...AND I need an insurmountable obstacle in my way. WHich is why I'm positive she prayed that I would have the worst allergy attack I've ever had in my life. It's two days later and my eyes are still swollen shut. The attack was awesome! In three minutes time I was sneezing like crazy, tears streaming down my cheeks, eyes puffing up...and I was driving. I was too dumb to have Tiff drive, because it was only 20 minutes to my place, I didn't know that in minutes I would be blind!



I usually feel really bad when I don't do what I say I'm going to do. Even a good excuse makes me feel like a loser. However, there was NO STINKING WAY I could've done that hike. And now? I'm left wondering if I will accomplish my goal...and if it doesn't happen...it doesn't happen. It was a good lesson for me, sometimes you gotta give, and if you don't, God will blind you.

My Time, Well Used

I have several things to discuss or state at you so I might have to break it up into a few different posts.

First: Serena Williams. What the crap?! I get it...you work so hard to get to the finals (this is tennis we are talking about) and then someone makes a bad call in a CRITICAL part of the match...You still don't yell the f-word at a little Asian lady making the call. You are a big, powerful, black woman and a scrawny little lady will run to the umpire judge and get you in all the trouble she can...she is afraid for her life...I was afraid for her life just watching it on the tube. However, Yippee for The Belgium who went on to win the championship...she took two years off to become a mom and in the first year of her return, unseeded, she won a grand slam event! WOW!

Next: I went to Seattle for what was supposed to be five days and it ended up being eight. I had no clue Seattle has the weather in the summer that is my personal heaven. I've never been happier, not even the day my kids were born.

Two things happened...the first...I got to spend those days with my Elaine Benice dancing niece, Olive and my amazing sis-in-law Shannon.

I was introduced to Mad Men and watched it everynight on my double decker air mattress placed perfectly in front of a huge flat screen tv (I think I slept about 10 hrs a day, 2 hr nap included...I always napped when Olive did). Olive and I would chill on the bed in the mornings eating cheerios and watching Sesame Street...which is now my favorite tv show (I also grew to hate Curious George and a book with a bunny rabbit that would hide).

Olive and I had a pizza party while Shannon was fulfilling a bride's dreams by being her wedding planner. We watched Grease, can you see it in the background? Can you also see my double chin?

We also rode the ducks all over Seattle for a tour. The transportation was WWII vehicles that could go on land and water. We did both...it freaked me out on the water.

This is Olive's happy place

Olive and I took the bus into town and ate fish n chips, fed disgusting Seagulls, and walked the streets of Seattle looking for New Born Vampires

May I also report for my second thing that happened...since I was in Seattle...I naturally thought of Vampires, New Borns. WHich led me to thoughts of Port Angeles and Forks...which happened to be a couple hrs away. We never quite made it to Port Angeles (where Bella went shopping and almost got killed by the four gross men...and Edward saved her)...we probably got about 5 miles away from the city limits, on our tour of the Olympic Peninsula.

On the ferry to Bainbridge Island that would eventually get us to the Olympic Peninsula. This was right before Olive fell off a seat in the ferry and landed on her head. Shannon got it on video and aunt Chrissy was too late to catch her from falling...stupid aunt. But there was a beautiful dark haired single man right by us who thought is was just as funny as we did. I kick myself for not kissing him.

What a gorgeous tour it was. I would love to live there, in the summer. I'm planning a nice long trip next summer to the area which will include Seattle, Olympic Peninsula, Victoria, Vancouver and Oregon Coast....google them...they are beautiful and you should join me. Unfortunately, I've become obsessed again with the vampired. I watched the movie again, also with commentary and it was hilarious. I highly recommed it to those who were upset with the film. I was/am one of those, it seemed so poorly done in countless ways BUT the actors, Bella and Edward, were so funny with the commentary and pointing out the same things that I thought were lame that I'm not as upset as I had been. I'm ready for New Moon to come out. I'm totally recommitted and I'm looking for a group who will go with me to the midnight showing, something I swore I would never do again. It's gonna be awesome no matter how dumb it is...because one day the dvd will come out with the commentary and the world will be right again.