Seven years and counting...

Jennie and I took our annual trip this weekend...for 7 years now we have been leaving our families behind to enjoy some good, old-fashioned girlfriend time. Our activities usually involve laughter, sight-seeing, food, movie-watching and this year we did something new...we threw in some exercise just for the heck of it. The first morning I was up before 5am and actually wanted to run...I was obviously out of my mind. The sqeaking of my shoes woke Jennie and she soon joined me...the good work out help to cancel out some of the poor food choices I made that day...and the days after. We also took a wonderful bike ride through an adjoining neighborhood...I loved the cool mornings in Hilton Head...we didn't really have much sunshine and no pool time to speak of, but we did see some cool sights...friends are so important...I count myself blessed by mine. Thanks for a great trip Jen.

BYU vs Texas

Grant's pre-game snack...fried pickles:)

Seats up high in the shade with Texas fans...

Texas Proud!
Bill and Grant traveled south to Austin for another game...lucky guys. BYU wasn't as successful this time around...but they still had a great time. One of these days I think I might figure a way to join in on the fun...I don't really enjoy sitting at home, watching by myself...plus all of the yelling cheering scares the dog.

Look what I got in the mail!

For all of my blogger friends, I think you will be interested in this...go to blog2print.com and have them make you your very own book! It's pretty cool. My family loves it too. It's a great way to preserve our blog in a more tangible way. I haven't been good about keeping a family journal, and this is just the same...let me know if any of you actually go through this company, or if you have an even better option...chao...

What motivates me...

What is it that makes me want to roll my sorry behind out of bed each and every day? How come I'm not one of those people I hear about who sleeps in, or heck, stays in their pjs most of the day, only waking long enough to kiss their kids goodbye as they head out to the bus stop or to the car to drive themselves to school? Why do I feel the need to be up with my kids, complete with a smile on my face? Lunches and breakfasts made, backpacks in order, homework done...And why do I insist on exercising most mornings? Really, let's be honest...I certainly don't appear to be working out every day:( So back to the question at hand...what motivates me? Well...perhaps it's fear...fear that my kids will grow up and tell stories about their lazy mother who never got out of bed. Or maybe I like to control all aspects of life. Or maybe, just maybe I love sending my kids off to school and/or seminary with the sure knowledge that I love and care about them. Also, Bill works so hard for us, I guess by being up and at'em, I am doing my part too. Honestly, I have no real life during the school year...I don't work for money...my household chores don't have to be done in any particular order...I have no schedule...I just make sure the house is presentable, the laundry is done and the fridge and pantry are stocked...piece of cake. Perhaps my motivation is order...I like order. Shocker, I know. And as far as working out...I don't even want to think about what I would look like if I stopped. So, I will continue to roll out of bed and put one foot in front of the other in this life I have been blessed with. Now if I could just find the motivation to catch up on scrapbooks...as each day passes, I am further and further behind...ugh.

BYU Fans for Life!

Grant and Bill made the 8 hour trip north to see BYU play Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi. They had a great time especially because BYU pulled their heads out of their rear ends and won the gane. It was looking pretty bleak, but all is well and they have their first win playing as an "independent" team...apparently that is significant in the world of college sports...Ole Miss being an SEC team...again, whatever that means. The guys had a blast and things around here were super quiet...:) On Saturday they travel down to Austin to watch BYU play the Texas Longhorns...more photos to come...Happy Fall and Happy Football season! I do love it!

One of these things...

An old Sesame Street song keeps running through my head as I look out the window and see these trees..."one of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong..." Thanks to 60 days of 100+ degree weather this summer, we have a dead evergreen:( I guess $600+ a month in water bills can't keep everything alive. I know what we'll be doing once the weather cools off...planting a new tree!

Peace and Quiet and Friends

All is right with the world:) The kids started back to school today. Grant is an 8th grader, Garrett is a junior...both William and Christine are starting their sophomore years in college. (William actually starts on Wed., but left for Utah on Saturday.) Christine has decided to finish up at the local community college 10 minutes from our house rather than return to "Snow"...there is more than one way to "skin a cat" my friends...our pocketbook sure is appreciating the local tuition compared with what we are paying in Utah! I surely will need to get a job soon:)I enjoyed the day by making a run to Home Depot...trying to get a small project out of the way, and then I had lunch with a great group of friends...2 hours of laughter does the heart good. It's always comforting to know that we are all "in this" together, and that there really is support all around us. Thanks for coming to town Lorraine so we could all catch up:)