Ah, Nauvoo

I feel like I now belong to the elite club of Nauvoo-ers. We have never been to Nauvoo before. Heck, we have never been anywhere before. A trek to Grandma and Grandpa's is as far as our little family has ever gone. But now, we have been to Nauvoo. I understand now why everyone who mentions Nauvoo turns into a blubbering puddle and gets that homesick look in their eyes. I can see now why the Saints were so devastated to leave their beautiful city, why they loved it so much, and why the "Trail of Hope" is such a powerful experience. Thank you, Erik and Kristi, for organizing such a memorable family reunion for our family. We are so thankful to have these memories of this wonderful place of legacy. We had such a good time! We now belong to the club that gets that faraway, homesick look in their eyes when talking of Nauvoo. We plan to accept a mission call to Nauvoo, anytime. That is if a 5 year old didn't cramp our style a bit, and if mission calls actually worked that way. We may have to wait, I guess. But, at least we have our reunion.

Let me sum up:

* Overnighter with cousins in Kansas. Great way to kick off vacation

*Wagon ride through streets of Nauvoo

*Sweltering heat, humidity...and mayflies!

*Dressing up in pioneer clothes, playing pioneer games.

*Puppets shoes and plays

*Learning of family legacies at the Memorial down by the Mississippi

*Walking the "Trail of Hope"

*Hearing the stories of my ancestors that lived in Nauvoo, and learning of several of Jeff's that were there.

*Visiting the spot where Jeff's ancestors had lived with their acre

*Lovely senior missionaries that added to the spirit

*Standing where the Prophet Joseph Smith stood

*Feeling the incredible spirit that lingers there

*Celebrating Father's Day with our whole family gather around Grandpa

*Collecting souvenirs, in a ziploc baggie

*Sharing our touring with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Yeah, I know; COOL!

*Swimming, late nights, visiting in the hallway at the hotel

*Family pictures

*Getting to watch my brother Clark's reaction at the Carthage Jail

*Getting a red brick

*Getting the best family reunion t-shirts ever. Thanks Kirk and Heather!

*Relearning Church History facts I have taken for granted

*Watching Jeff have the time of his life

*Attending the Nauvoo temple

*Cousins! Cousins! Cousins!!

*Family Conference

*Two and a half day car ride home with my brother Jeremy and our kids.

*Trying to communicate with a family as large as ours. We all missed the memo at least once.

Anyway, sorry about a lengthy post. It just had to be done. I am sure I missed a lot of things. It is late and I keep getting sidetracked with daydreaming about our time in Nauvoo. Thank you, Erik and Kristi for planning this for us. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making it possible for us to enjoy this time with our family and for having the faith that we could pull off this Exodus.

WE HAD A GREAT TIME!

Dear UPS Driver,

I was just wondering if I could ask you a little favor. I was wondering if you would be able to find it in your heart to SLOW DOWN!!! I know that time is money, but the speeds that you reach as you sail in and out of our cul-de-sac are a little on the ridiculous side. I love to get packages from the "Brown Santa Claus" as much as the next guy. But, and I feel pretty safe in saying this, I don't think anyone would think that their Jelly of the Month, or their home shopping channel big buy, or their new set of Ginsu knives, is worth the life of a child. I love my child and value the lives of all of those living on our street, more than I need that package. So, please, please slow down. Maybe we can talk someone into slapping a "How's My Driving" sticker on your big brown bum. I'd call, for sure. Fair warning, though. The next time you come into our street, flying like a bat out of ****, there is a possiblity that we may be hiding in the bushes, waiting to pelt you with tennis balls.

Thanks!

Whoa...Ho...Ho

I went outside to help load up my niece and nephew that had been here today. This is what I saw, riding on his bike.

Chase had been playing with a balloon earlier. I wonder what the thought process was that led to this. Ah, the brain of a five year old.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

I have a sink full of dishes that I should have done today, but didn't. I could have folded clothes. I would have mopped my muddy laundry room floor, but it was raining today, so what's the point. I sliced the tip of my finger wide open today, should have gotten stitches, but didn't. Really should have gotten to that stinky bathroom today. I would have paid bills, but didn't feel like going into depression. I coulda cut Chase's hair. Should have got the pictures of my b-day so I can do my b-day post, but didn't. Did I mention it was raining today?

After all of the shoulda, woulda and coulda's I didn't do today, here is what I did do today. Chase and I ate a very late breakfast in bed. Played hide-and-go-seek. Had one mean tickle fight. Pitched a tent between the door knobs down the hall. Ate lunch in the tent (while Mom nursed the finger she sliced open, instead of the bun she was trying to open). Read books and ate chocolate in the tent. Had so much fun in the tent, we dragged in the video player and watched "The Mouse and the Motorcycle" in the tent. Probably shoulda got a picture of this tent, but didn't.

These are my favorite days. These are the days I feel like a success. These are the days I feel like a really have it all together. I love these days. At least for now. When I wake up tomorrow and am faced with all the things I maybe should have done today, well, maybe not so much. But now...now, I love today.

More Bubble Wrap, Please

Last Sunday, our bishop stood up in Sacrament meeting to make a special announcement. The swine flu has hit Cache Valley, and the poor person is in our ward boundaries. Yikes. My heart might have skipped a little beat, but not much. I have to admit, I haven't been too horribly nervous about it. We have just graduated from licking grocery carts and we are pretty good about washing our hands.

At the last hour in our meetings, our Bishop again addressed us in a joint Priesthood/Relief Society meeting. He talked about the scary things that our youth are dealing with, here, in our own ward. SCARY, SCARY STUFF!! Pornography, "sexting" (never had heard that before!) heavy duty relationships. Some of this stuff is even happening with youth under the age of 10.

Now, I will be the first one to admit that I have been surprise at how uptight I am as a mom. I have read back in my journals and am reminded of how fun I used to be. I am so different now. But, now I am a mom. I found out what a mother bear I was going to be while Chase was still in the womb. I am ultra-sensitive about motherhood. You want to hurt me? Kick me in my motherhood and I will drop to the floor.

It didn't surprise me at all which address from the Bishop caused me more stress. I came home from church in a sweat. It scares me horribly to be raising a child in today's world. It will probably be even worse when Chase is older. One of our youth has even asked his mom to home school him. Middle school is that bad. SHEEEEESH!!

Jeff and I were talking a mile a minute when we got home from church, making our game plan, reiterating rules that we have set, rethinking some others. Anything that we could think of that will help us raise this beautiful child in today's society. We were only slightly wise enough to realize that Chase is entirely too young and innocent to lecture him about all of the sins of youth. But, he did get a healthy dose of "We never" and "We don't" and "We can't", etc. This poor kid just nodded innocently, while pouring over his chips and dip, probably having no idea of anything that we were talking about. At the end of the rip-roaring lecture, I topped it off by saying that the adversary really does not want us to do well and be happy. There are a lot of scary things in this world that can make us unhappy and hurt us. Chase sweetly said,

"Well, why don't we just wrap me up in bubble wrap? Then I won't get hurt."

You're on, pal! Bubble wrap, blinders, ear muffs, all while safely handcuffed to my side, until you are a least 19. Think that will work?


Just to show you how innocent Chase is, the bubble wrap idea came about after a bath one night. Chase's legs looked like they had been through a shredder. The mark of an active boy, but painful to a mommy. I told him we should wrap him up in bubble wrap for the summer so he will stop getting hurt.

If only bubble wrap could protect us from the kind of hurt this world can offer!!

What's Going Through Your Mind

Have you ever knelt down to pray, only to have the phone ring. You pick up the phone and accidentally answer with the beginning of your prayer? Have you ever started the Pledge of Allegiance with the beginning of a prayer and ended it with "Amen"? Have you ever answered your phone at home, with the salutation of your place of employment?

You have to be on your game, or the average man can really slip. Last night, Chase and I were finishing up bedtime and knelt down to say his prayers. I am not sure what was running through his mind, because he took a deep breath and started his prayer,"

"1,2,3,4,5....uh....."

Chase and I busted out in a pretty good laugh. So, we calmed down, for take two. He took a deep breath again, and said,

"Uh, how do the beginning words go again?"

After a refresher and a few more giggles, take three, and the prayer finally begins. The prayer went off without a hitch, until Chase said,

"And please bless us tomorrow with a good rainy day...or not."

I seriously thought I would detach my uvula I was stifling my laughter so hard. I guess some times your funny bone is more exposed than others.

Uh.....

I don't know why, but I am feeling a very overwhelming, immature desire to say a big,



"Made You Look!"

Thanks for being such good sports, all. That was really a fun prank, for me at least!

And Here They Are!

Here it is!


































The long awaited picture...



































of my new set of...

Eyelashes!

How FUNNY that anyone of you would actually think that I would get "those" other things done!Have you seen mine?? The only thing they need is a good reduction. I am sorry about my cruel joke, and my crude sense of humor. The parallels were just way to good to not try and pull this off.


Incidentally, have you ever tried to take a close-up picture of your eyelashes? I got the camera so close that my eyes were crossing. I was wetting my pants laughing when I saw the pictures. Finally, after 129 takes (no exageration)I got smart and realized I could crop the picture instead. All I can say is, thank goodness for digital cameras.

I have had these eyelashes for two and a half weeks and only two people have said anything. Therefore, only two people have known. I guess they did a pretty good job making them look natural, eh? My fear was going to be that they would look so blingy on me. Everything else about me is so understated...pppfftttt...yeah right!! No, seriously, I was worried that they would look fake and gaudy, to the point you would think, "Kachow! Here comes Danielle and her eyelashes!"

But instead, I have loved these extensions. They are permanent in the sense that they are glued to my natural lashes, but not permanent in the sense that your real eyelashes fall out naturally, taking the extensions with them. I can get them filled again when I want to. And don't you be thinking that I won't be wanting to!

So, there you have it.

Given a few hysterical phone calls, I guess I had a few of you scared. Nah, the "bosom of narcolepsy" remains untouched. Besides,I don't think I would ever be brave enough to post a picture of THOSE, thank goodness!

In Search of Perfection

Deep down, we all have at least one. We all have at least one body part or one thing about our bodies that we want to change. To be honest, I have several. None that I have really ever thought that I would be drastic about. In the same token, I am a very low maintenance kind of gal. First glance at me and you would tend to say that my priorities lie elsewhere. I have never died my hair, had fake nails, nothing. The most that I have ever done to alter my appearance is a perm now and then, and one painful eyebrow waxing. If I HAVE to wear makeup, I will. But if I have the choice, heck no.

This is why my husband reacted so strongly when I told him I wanted to have "them" done. He was stunned to hear me say that I wasn't happy with them and that I would actually pay money to fix them. I consider "these" a very important feature on my body and have just not been happy with them lately. It seems like time and gravity have just grabbed hold. I have always thought that I had quite nice "ones" and have been pretty proud of them. But now, they aren't. They sag and point straight down. They are not perky anymore. Not matter what I do to them, they will not stay up and be where they are supposed to be.

So, I got this wild hair up my nose that I would have them done. I did research. I was worried about cost, obviously. I was worried about the procedure, safety, long-term issues, what people would think of me, things like that. I called around and asked lots of questions. Mostly, I wanted to see if I was brave enough to actually go through with this.

Then, I found out that my husband had actually been paying attention to me. He had actually been listening to me. And, like any good husband, he wants me to be happy and to feel good about myself, no matter what the cost. So, for Mother's Day, he and Chase presented me with a gift certificate, telling the procedure has been paid for. Yikes! This means I actually had to go through with it!

So, I did. I was totally petrified and couldn't believe that I was actually going to do something this drastic. But I made my appointment and went for it. I did it! I had them done! I wasn't sure how I felt about them when they were done. I felt a little embarrassed at first. But now, now I am happy with them. I feel so much more confident. Isn't that what it's all about?

As we know, a picture is worth a thousand words. Not to mention, it makes a blog way more interesting, right. So, I will be posting a picture, as soon as I can take one that is decent enough. So, until then!

What I Find Funny

I think life is so funny. Real life is funny. I think people are hilarious. My dream job would be to be paid to people watch. I could do that for hours. Facial expressions, sounds and unexpected bodily functions turn me into a puddle. And commercials? Have you ever stopped to pay attention to commercials? There are some hysterical ones out there. Not those commercials that have pristine children and pristine homes and high pitched sickeningly sweet voices. Those are not real. All they can hope to accomplish is a few moms being caught saying,
"Oh, is that how my life is supposed to be? Well, dadgum! I might as well quit now 'cause I have SERIOUSLY FAILED!"

No, those are not funny. If you want a REAL laugh, really pay attention the next time you watch commercials or movies. Pay attention to the little things. They are funny.

Watch people. They are funny. Heaven help if you ever trip or pass gas in front of me. I will laugh. I can't help it. It would be more fun if you would laugh with me. But, I do have no problem doing it alone.

Another thing I find funny. A little boy finally getting a long anticipated backyard camp out with his dad. Boy and Dad...sleeping bags under arm...clad in camping jammies and a huge excited grin. Boy and Dad step out onto backyard patio, smiles slowly replaced with perplexed looks. After a moment of confusion, Boy and Dad realize...their tent blew away.

I find that funny. That happened on Friday, and I still find that funny.

Incidentally, Jeff and I went to Rigby on Friday to pick up his new love (another post for another day) and apparently missed quite a wind storm. The next morning, Chase and I and a few neighbor girls go on our bikes to go and find our tent. We headed west. That is the direction we were told all of the swimming pools went. We looked too far. It ended up only hopping one fence, into the backyard of our next door neighbors.

Yep, I still find that funny!