Birthday Stuff

Well, my birthday is almost over, the last one beginning with the #3. Time flies when you're having fun, right?

It's been a good day and I am grateful for the thoughtfulness of family and friends. I walked this morning with my friend, I came home and cleaned and straightened (it is Monday after all!), I laid on my bed to read and ended up having a little nap in my quiet house, then our family went out for an early dinner to P F Changs, and for a walk around Temple Square.

I appreciate the cards from my parents and grandma's, the awesome gifts, the cupcakes from my skinny neighbor who is always bringing treats by, and even though I am not a fan of Facebook, it was fun to receive birthday wishes from friends scattered all over the country.

I was thinking of some past birthday memories and thought I would share-

The year I was born was exactly like this year with Father's Day falling on the Sunday before I was born. I'm sure I was the best gift my dad could ever hope for. ;-) I was born on the first day of summer too.

When I turned 3 (I think) my mom told me I could do anything I wanted to celebrate my birthday. Apparently I was lacking in the imagination department and could not think of one thing to do. I believe I ended up dancing on the coffee table. Does this girl know how to party, or what?

I remember a slumber party in my backyard with all my neighbor friends.

When I turned 16, my parents threw a surprise party for me. I was so surprised and happy, I started to cry.

When I turned 20, I went through the St. George Temple for the first time and married Clint the following week.

Clint threw another surprise party for me after we were married. It was a surprise too, I had no idea.

For two birthdays in a row, Clint and I celebrated without kids. Caleb and Caitlin were at Camp Hobe.

Life is good and I have so much to be grateful for. Goodnight!

More Summer Favorites

#3- Concerts in the Park- we saw Peter Breinholt

#4- Morning walks around the lake and uninterrupted time to visit with a friend

#5- The smell of fresh cut grass (and the 15 year old who cuts it; as well as the neighbors while he’s at it)

#6- Wearing flip flops

#7- Eating lunch or dinner (or both) outside

Our Weekend

I should be cleaning my house, but I am having such a hard time getting motivated today! So, here's a little bit about our weekend...

On Friday night, we hired out our kids to babysit our Bishop's son and Clint and I went out for a much anticipated group date with some friends. We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant we used to frequent when we lived in that town and to a comedy club (that I thought was a college hangout, but really it attracts people of all ages). It was a fun night- we ate too much, laughed a lot, ran a red light, and stayed out way past our bedtimes.

On Saturday, we went to the library, ate crepes, and then took the kids to Shrek. I feel really bad because I fell asleep in the movie and missed almost the entire thing. Caitlin went to a birthday party in the evening and was one of five Caitlin's there. She should really consider going by her first name one of these days. I had the house to myself most of the night and after I finished folding laundry, got to read the book I am finally really getting into.

Sunday, the family went to church and I worked. I miss my old schedule with Sunday's off. In the evening we went for a ride around the neighborhood and admired all the houses with new mulch. We're lucky to live in such a beautiful area of the valley and love our neighborhood.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Some of the special things about my dad.

• I am grateful for the love you show mom, your children, and grandchildren.
• I appreciate how you care about your mom and sister.
• You have always worked hard to provide a comfortable life for us and we have never gone without anything we need.
• I am grateful for your testimony of the gospel and your desire to do what is right.
• I love that you take the time to write special messages in the cards you send to us and let us know you love and are proud of us.
• I appreciate your courage to travel with my family, especially when we fly standby.
• I love that you care about having family dinners and are always excited when we come to visit.
• I think it's pretty cool that you finally have an email address and send my kids emails.
• I think it's even cooler that you know how to text and I don't!
• I love that you have found a new hobby in genealogy and hope you will teach me what you know someday.
• I am impressed that you gave up drinking Coke and wonder if I will ever be able to do the same. I think your peanut M&M habit has replaced your Coke habit though. ;-)
• I appreciate how you encourage Clint and have been a mentor as he experiences the ups and downs of a sales career.
• I appreciate how you have helped us when life has been difficult.
• I really appreciate how confident you felt about Caitlin's recovery and future when we didn't know what effects cancer would have on her.
• I love that you have confirmed both of my kids and I was especially touched by the special blessing you gave Caitlin.

And just so you know, you may not be Kysa's favorite guy, but you are ours. We love you dad! Have a great day.

Summer Favorites

I know it’s not officially summer yet, but it is finally warming up and kids are out of school. I love summer. It’s my favorite season, with fall a close second.

Now and then I’m going to write what I love about this season. Tonight I have the first two.

#1- Clint’s grilled salmon with mango salsa. Yummy!

#2- Sitting on the porch during a rainstorm watching natures fireworks. We were not the only ones out, you could hear kids shouting out “Did you see that one?!?” and “Ohhhhhh!” up and down our street. We finally came in when the storm had passed to the other side of the valley and Caleb said, “Well, my life’s not in immediate danger anymore. I’m bored, let’s go in.” Oh, and I noticed I was the only one sitting on a metal chair.

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One Busy Week

This past week has been full of activity as school comes to an end (for one of our kiddos) and summer begins. This next month will be a little tricky as we  are all ready for the slower pace of summer and yet still have Caitlin in school until July 2.

Last Saturday we went to a family reunion for my Grandma Edwards family. We had lunch, an auction, a Silly String fight, and a program and dinner for my mom’s aunt and uncle’s 50th wedding anniversary. It was a nice day and we enjoyed catching up with family members we haven’t seen for a while. My little grandma is the oldest and smallest of her siblings. At 85, she isn’t able to see and hear as well as she used to, or sew and work on her garden with as much energy, but she still manages to show her family she loves them.

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On Memorial Day we weeded, edged, mowed, and washed all the outside windows and the porch furniture. We also had a little barbeque and then went to Robin Hood once our work was finished. We worked hard, didn’t have to threaten the kids with bodily harm to help, and now it feels good to be caught up and able to maintain. Twice this week I have been able to relax on our porch (my favorite area of our house) and not feel guilty about all the work that needs to be done.

On Tuesday, Clint, Caitlin, and I went to dinner with our friends, the Cooper’s. We have known Jay and Maggie for a little over a year and have come to really enjoy and appreciate them. They have been the leaders of our Financial Peace classes and have been a huge source of support and encouragement to us as we work to become debt-free. Jay made the mistake of asking me about my job and that started a whole conversation about air travel gone wrong. I think he won with his tale of an emergency landing due to a tornado. I certainly have stories of my own to share (about other people) but I have to keep some secrets to myself, right?

Wednesday was Caleb’s 9th Grade Lagoon Day and my day to have lunch with my work friends before the kids are out of school for the summer.

Thursday was Caleb’s last day of middle school and our CCCF Summer Luau. It was fun to see our cancer friends and meet new families. We sat by a family who lost a little boy two years ago. They have the most unusual story as their five year old was diagnosed with a rare form of AML on Thursday and passed away the following day. There were no symptoms except for a bloody nose and then more severe symptoms the day he was diagnosed. The doctors think he probably had Leukemia for a week at the most. They are a really nice couple and I was impressed with their attitude and gratitude that their little son did not suffer through treatments that wouldn’t have saved him in the long run.

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Today… Caleb left for Youth Conference in Manti and Caitlin did something I am so proud of… I am trying to encourage her to branch out with her friendships and today she went to a book club that some friends from school have started. She has really cute school friends and they have helped her, along with her teacher, to blossom this school year. Most of these girls will be in her class next year too, so I am hoping she will make some lasting friendships.

So that’s it. Looking forward to the weekend, to summer, to hopefully a slower pace and lazy days at the pool.

Paint, Proud, Proceedure, Painful, Pink Polka Dots, and Performing

The past several days have been strange. Interesting conversations have taken place and a lot has been accomplished.

I met with some of my old neighborhood friends for a painting party in celebration of my friend, Caisa's birthday. It was a fun and productive way to spend time together and I liked having a project instead of going to lunch or dinner for a change. We worked together to paint her daughter's bedroom and would have completed it if only we'd had a taller ladder.

On Monday night our family helped clean our church building for Family Home Evening. We were the first ones to arrive and chose to clean the Chapel. We dusted, vacuumed, and organized until the room sparkled. Caleb noticed that the cloth on the Sacrament table was stained and asked if we could take it home to wash. After getting permission from the Bishop, we did take it home for a good cleaning. I was proud of Caleb for being proactive and taking a personal interest in something so meaningful.

Last week I was flossing my teeth and ended up breaking a small piece off one of my bottom front teeth (I knew there was a reason I hate flossing!). I went to see our dentist to have it fixed and he was astonished to find how much my jaw has moved and my bite has changed since our visit in late January. I don't know what is going on, but he said my TMJ symptoms are going to continue to get worse and he's afraid of the wear on my teeth. He highly recommends I get braces ASAP. What a decision. Clint and I have made the decision not to go into unnecessary debt and I have to decide if this warrants $4300. Bleh!

We have known a young mother with the same type of brain tumor as Caitlin's for the last five years. Unlike Caitlin though, she has had continual symptoms, tumor growth, surgeries, and treatment. Her extended family has found encouragement and hope as they have watched Caitlin grow and remain unaffected by her cancer. Brain cancer is weird though and depending on the location, grade, and general health of the patient can have varying symptoms and outcomes. A few weeks ago I was told this young mother was in hospice care and wasn't expected to live more than a month. I tried to decide what and how I should tell Caitlin. I didn't say anything though. Earlier this week, I found out Heather had passed away. I waited a day before I said anything to Caitlin. When I finally had my little speech figured out and had enough courage, I told her. Guess what she said? "I already know." One of her little friends had told her a couple of days earlier and she didn't say a word. Now I have to wonder if Caitlin was coming up with her own little speech and working up her courage to tell me. Interesting how we can want open communication and honesty, but we mess it up with the desire to be brave and protect. Again, bleh!

Today I went out for lunch and pedicures with my friend, Jen. It is so nice to have friends in my neighborhood who I enjoy spending time with. We did something a little different with our pedicures this time- hot pink polish with white polka dots. I love polka dots!

Tonight was Caleb's last middle school choir concert. He has loved being involved with the concert choir and has had good experiences performing and competing. His new High School is supposed to have a wonderful choir director and plans are in place for a good music program.