Fun with Friends....

I really detest creating posts without pictures but unfortunately I have had a really bad habit lately of bringing my camera and not taking any pictures with it! Case in point: the kids and I spent an evening last week at my friend Karolyn's house. She had her daughters for the weekend and her boyfriend had his kids as well. They surprised my kids with a real treat....2 hours at a place called "Jump on It" which is basically a warehouse of trampolines.

The floor and even some of the walls are trampolines. How fun! They were red faced and sweaty by the time we left and slept like angels once we got home...thats always a bonus!

Karolyn fed us dinner as well and I stepped outside of my food comfort zone and ate Elk and Venison. I about died inside when she told me what we were having but I have to say it was very tasty! Even Ian ate it knowing that he was eating the poor Elk that was hanging on the wall above the fireplace. Yes, they killed it! The whole way home Ian discussed the possibility of him taking up hunting....oh boy. We had such a fun time and I realized that I need to get out more. I really enjoy socializing with friends. But, like I said...didnt pull out the camera once! So, I have resorted to photo theft....this picture above is of Karolyn and one of her daughters, Bryn (sorry Karolyn) which I took off of her Facebook... I really wish I would have taken a picture of the Elk that we ate, haha. I did snap the first 2 pictures above on my phone though so they will have to suffice: Addison jumping on one of the trampolines, and Ian's red face as we were leaving.

Last night I was able to enjoy a nice dinner with my friend Linda. I haven't seen her in so long it seems, so it was nice of her to drive up to SLC and go to dinner with me. We ate at Red Rock and I had a nice Filet Mignon...I eat those so rarely that I couldn't resist it! We had a great time and again, I am reminded that I enjoy having a social life even if it is a small one! But no pictures of course! Here is an old one of Linda from last year; just so I can have one on here :)

ESPN & Pizza...(and a flat tire)

Seems like a strange combination for me, I know. But, here is the story... Today was the boys' last soccer games for the Fall season. Thank heavens. I dont know that I have ever been so glad to have one of their activities be over with. Not that I don't enjoy watching them but this was a crazy Fall and truthfully I never really got to watch much of any game completely due to running back and forth between fields!!

After Ian's first game at 8am, his coach cooked up pancakes/sausage/eggs...I brought fresh fruit and we all enjoyed a great breakfast before they played a second game at 10:30....after we ate, I had to run Evan over to his field for a 10am game. Sadly, when I got up to the van, the back tire was completely flat. It has a nail in it. I didn't have time to do anything so a nice mom took us over to the game and then another mom from Evan's team drove us back to the other field to deal with the tire. Ive never changed a flat tire before so I figured I may as well learn how! I got the van jacked up but was having major trouble getting the lug nuts off. They were on soooo tight. I was completely floored by the number of soccer Dad's who walked right past me as I sat on the ground struggling with the tire, and didn't so much as look at me let alone offer to help. It actually became quite comical and the boys even were in on the joke. I took the opportunity to point out to them how important it is to offer help when you see someone in need. Hopefully they will remember it. Ian did announce the situation once we returned to the apartment to one of the women in our court....obviously the whole thing made an impression on him. But, I did get the tire changed all by myself and I felt accomplished for doing so!

When we got home, we had planned on watching some of the Harry Potter movies but a friend of mine from the choir that I sing in called me and asked for some help.

She is friends with Trevor Matich who is an announcer for ESPN (he played football at BYU and then the Redskins in the NFL).... she wanted to stop by and say hello to him since they were set up at the University of Utah for the big game today (which the Utes lost miserably).

She lives in Provo though and wanted to know if I could drive her to where he was because she isn't familiar with the campus up here. It was fun for the boys to watch the live broadcast of ESPN and then get to take pictures with Trevor Matich.

Ian kept saying "I cant believe I am watching this live!" Afterward, we all went out for pizza. It was a good time...I'm so glad she called me. She has really become such a great friend! Here are a couple of more pics.....

Christmas Card.....

Ive changed my blog header to the Christmas Card I would be sending out if I had the time to do it. The way my life has been lately, Im lucky to get a shower in each day. The other problem being that I dont have any real current pictures of Alec....we dont even get school pictures from him so I cant use those either and he has changed a lot from this picture which was taken 2 Christmases ago. Perhaps when he comes here for Christmas this year I can get a nice family picture and then I will send out "Hope your Christmas was great & Happy New Year" cards!

Anyway, my point is, this blog header is my Christmas card to all those that read our blog. We do wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope that your coming year is even better than the last!

Love to all,
The Shannon's

Where to Begin....

So, here is a quick run down of what has been happening at the Shannon household for the past week or two. WARNING....this is a long post!

The first bit of news would be that over Labor Day weekend my parents flew into town for a visit. We always love it when they come and it never seems like it is a long enough visit. They got here late Friday night and first thing Saturday morning they came to Ian's first official football game. Friday night Ian was sick.... throwing up, diarrhea sick. Denver felt like it was just nerves because he was a little bit anxious about this big game with Grandpa here to watch him. So, when he got up in the morning, he seemed OK and off we went to the game. Let's just say that he confirmed to everyone that he was really not feeling well at all and it was not nerves. The game was horrible and he hardly played at all. I felt really bad for him because he had wanted to play for Grandpa.....but he was relieved when it was over and after we got home, he layed down on his bed and fell fast asleep still in full uniform with pads!

My mom and I spent the afternoon at a movie. We saw Julie & Julia and it was OK...it was fun to go out with my mom though. I'd love to go on a trip somewhere, just to two of us....shopping and seeing movies and laying on the beach. One day soon.....

Sunday afternoon, Addie started complaining and crying about having a stomach ache. I was getting ready to go shopping with my mom for my birthday, which was that very day :) Suddenly Denver is screaming at me to come downstairs as Addison had barfed all over the place. We got her cleaned up and bathed and not 5 minutes later Denver is screaming again because now Evan was throwing up all over the place. Good Times!! Mom and I left to go shopping anyway and when we returned, it was obvious I had some really sick kiddos.

The next day I woke up sick....like I said, Good Times. It felt like I was pregnant again ***( dont worry, IM NOT PREGNANT!!!)*** but every smell made me Gag. We were having Labor Day dinner at Nates that evening and we were in charge of the food. We made Kalua Pork (which is amazing by the way) and the smell of that liquid smoke on the pork was enough to do me in. I survived though without throwing up and enjoyed a nice dinner with my family. I love it when we can all be together. My parents left the next day to go back to Reno.

So, next on the list would be that Evan got placed on a soccer team finally (it was up in the air as he was on a waiting list) and it turned out that 8 of the 10 boys on this team are either in his current school class or were in his class last year. Needless to say he was ecstatic! His first game was yesterday and he did great! Looks as though Goalie might be his position....he blocked every ball the other team shot at him. It was awesome. Addie started Dance classes on Friday and she had an ear to ear perma-grin on her face all day. She loved it and Im so excited for this time in her life....she is becoming quite the girlie girl. I LOVE it! Ian had another game on Saturday and did so much better since he wasnt sick. In fact at practice this past week he actually enjoyed himself for the first time and couldnt wait for the game yesterday. Im so happy that he is finally gaining some confidence and having a good time.

School is going great for me although Im finding it difficult to get my homework done timely.... its hard to get used to remembering such a thing. Saturday night I attended my very first symphony. I had to critique it for my music appreciation class. It was the Utah Symphony playing Beethoven's 5th Symphony. My friend Linda came up from Provo and we went to dinner first and then the concert. It was really great....except for the horribly uncomfortable seats! I love this class and am excited to see more concerts throughout the semester including the opera, Macbeth.

I think that about does for it for the main events.....we are just busy as can be right now between school, work, football, soccer, and dance! Fun times!! Here is a slideshow of some extra pictures....

Welcome July....I think.....

I cannot believe it is July already! The time is flying by. This is good for some things and not so good for others. We have a busy July but not with anything really fun. Lots of Doctor appointments....appointments for school stuff...and thats about it. The weather is hot but we are about to get more rain which will be nice. I enjoy rain in the summer when it is HOT outside. The one good thing about Utah is that it can be 95 degrees during the day but as soon as the sun starts setting, it cools off nicely. On Monday my good friend Linda made the trek up to SLC from Provo to spend a day at the park with us. It was a good time and although it was a little hot, the kids really had fun together. Here are some pics from the day...Linda has 4 boys and her oldest is about to enter the 5th grade! I can remember the day he was born....time has truely flown by.

Fun with Friends.....

My good friend Julee, who I met while living in Arizona, was in town visiting her family this weekend. She found some time to squeeze in a visit with me, which I appreciate knowing how many people want to see her when she is here! Her sister Dana also came with us and we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dessert. Im so proud of myself for resisting a piece of cheesecake in spite of how unbelievable it looked! I just couldnt gain back that 5 pounds I lost this week....we had a great time catching up and I am so glad we have remained friends through the years. Her sister is a lot of fun too and I had a great time getting to know her better. Thanks girls for a great evening!

Goodbye Friends....

Well, we have had such a fun time with Kevin and Angie this weekend. They are really wonderful people and a lot of fun to be around. Oh and I was wrong...Kevin is Denver's 3rd cousin. I can never keep his family straight. Today we drove around SLC and showed them a couple of places they would be interested in. We would really love to see them move here someday....I think it would be a lot of fun for everyone! They have 3 daughters....Hannah who is 14 and Savannah who is 12 and Reannah who is 8. We were so happy to have them stay with us and hope that they come again really soon. They are talking about coming back out this summer and we will surely look forward to it. I didnt take anymore pictures but I did high-jack this one off of Angies Facebook! She took a bunch of pictures and will email them to me so I may post more later.... Addie really took to Angie. I wasnt sure how she would react having strangers in the house but it only took a few minutes to realize that these strangers were special!

In other news, I received word from the Veterans Administration that I am still eligilbe to recieve GI Bill education benefits! Apparently they have extended those benefits to 10 years after an honorable discharge so guess who will be enrolling in school this fall!? Me! Im very excited about it.... I help Denver type his papers for school all the time and it makes me want to go back. Denver graduates in May of next year. What a great year that will be!

General Conference for our church is next weekend. There are many people that we know coming into town for it. It looks like we will be receiving a visit from our Kentucky Bishop - Ken Carriere and his daughter Staci which we are looking forward to. Also my little cousin Sarah who I havent seen since she was just a little girl has mentioned possibly getting together for lunch on Friday so hopefully she will have the time for it. I would sure love to see her again! Lots of visits and reconnecting going on in our lives this past year....I have Facebook to thank for it! In fact I think I will end this post and logon to Facebook right now! Goodnight all!

Spring is Never Coming....

Okay...now I'm almost convinced that Spring is not ever going to be here. We are being hit with back to back snowstorms! According to the weather it is supposed to snow for the next 3 days. We received 3 inches just today. It made for a really sad site down at Temple Square today. We have visitors in town staying with us and spent the day driving them around and showing them the place. Kevin and Angie are here from Kentucky. Kevin is Denver's 2nd cousin but they are the same age so they are good friends too. They had been here once before but it was 8 years ago! We are hoping they will relocate eventually ;) I'll introduce them more in a later post.

So we get to Temple Square and get out to walk around so Angie could take pictures and it was FREEZING! Not only was there snow everywhere but the wind was blowing and it was just almost unbearable! All the flora on the square had been starting to bloom from the warm weather last week so everywhere you looked were colorful flowers peeping out from under the white blanket of snow. I sure hope they survive the week! Poor Addison had to go to the bathroom desperately...we tried to walk into the Joseph Smith building but it was locked and so when I turned around to tell her, she was already going....right there all over herself. We had to run to the car before she froze to death because she was soaked. We went home and changed her and then drove around some more. We went up to the Salt Lake Cemetary to see President Hinkley's grave and also to show off the gorgeous view of the Salt Lake valley. It is truly beautiful and I love living here...in spite of the awful snow.... Then we drove them out to see the Great Salt Lake. I found out today that the Great Salt Lake has enough salt in it to supply the ENTIRE world for 1000 years. Can you believe that? We ended the day at Tres Hermanos for dinner....mmmm Mexican food. Cant beat it. So, all in all is was a great day....cold, but really nice to be out with great company! I will post more pictures later but here is a quick slide show of our day today.....

Home Again....

Ok....Ive been gone for too long! This has really been a hard month for some reason. I'm thinking it must be Spring fever or something....I just cant get into the swing of things. I did, however, have a wonderful break for 4 day in Taos, Nm. I returned Sunday night....late.....and am just getting the time to sit here and blog about it. I left Thursday morning and flew to Denver, Colorado where I met one of my friends....Kellie. She lives near Vail and had decided to drive to Taos so because it was quite a bit cheaper to fly to Denver than Alberquerque....I did that and gave her some company on the drive down. Our other friend Kris drove herself to Taos from San Diego. The drive down was fun....it took about 5 hours to get there. You may think that this seems like a long time to drive somewhere but even if we had flown to Alb.,NM....the drive from there to Taos would still have been about 2.5 hours. So anyway...it was a fun drive and I got to see parts of the country I probably wouldnt have seen otherwise. Kellie has a vacation timeshare deal so whenever we go on these trips, we dont have to pay for the condo. And these are nice places....I loved the place we stayed this time. It was beautiful..... So, I had a totally different picture of what Taos would be like. It is much smaller than I thought and way more laid back than other similar towns such as Park City or Aspen....and the ski resorts (there are 3) are actually about 20 minutes away. I always thought that the ski resort was right there in town....like Park City. If you like art and jewelry, then Taos is the town for you. The first full day that we were there was Friday and the other 2 went skiing (I decided not to ski).....so I slept in, went to the gym in the resort, went to breakfast/lunch and then spent 2 hours walking up and down main street. There were sooooo many shops to look through and I thoroughly enjoyed this time alone. I dont get much alone time these days and it was very rejuventaing to have that time to myself. I bought my kids some fun souvenirs then went back to meet the girls. We had dinner at a very yummy "new" Mexican restaurant. I learned something interesting. Green chiles are normally fairly mild. Sometimes I get a can that is a bit spicier than normal...they come in a little yellow can and are "Hatch" brand green chiles. Well, Hatch is a town in NM that grows these green chilies and they are much spicier than regular green chiles! Wow....who knew. I can tell you that I ate a lot of these green chiles on my trip. Just about every meal, including breakfast had them incorporated somehow! So the next day was another relaxing day topped off with dinner which was so much fun. I really enjoyed reminiscing with my friends and we laughed and laughed the whole dinner through!

We of course have decided to make this a yearly event and have already planned next years trip to Cabo San Lucas! Wahoo! I cannot wait. I had such a fun, relaxing time and although I missed my family, it did me a lot of good to get away for a short time to "refuel".....Now, Im back to the grind and wanting winter to be OVER. I need some sun! Here are a couple of pictures from my trip

Just Like Riding a Bike....

Im really hoping that everything people tell me about skiing is true. That it truly is just like riding a bike. I havent put on a pair of skis since the winter of 1992.....seriously. Now, I am meeting some girlfriends in Taos on the 29th for a ski weekend. Im getting nervous....its been 16 years! One of my friends offered to bring her extra snowboard so that I could try it out. HA! I think I'll take my chances on something Im at least vaguely familiar with. Either way, Im so looking forward to my little vacation in a place that I have never been before....should be fun, I'll be sure to let you know!

Friends....

So it's been a year of reconnecting with old friends for me. Saturday I met up with Jessi again....I posted about my lunch with her and Shannon a month or two ago. Shannon had other plans this weekend and wasnt able to come but it was nice to visit with Jess again.

Last night I met with Karolyn and Martha (karolyn left, Martha right). Ive been friends with these girls since about 1991. I worked with them at NuSkin in Provo. We used to go fishing all the time and me and Karolyn went mountain biking quite often. In fact I believe I was with Karolyn biking down the face of Squaw Peak when my toe clip broke and I went head first over my bike.....no helmet either....yikes. Martha and me and Linda took a trip to Vegas once which was a good time....oh, the stories. We took a fly fishing class together and had lots of fun. So, anyway, I actually saw Karolyn shortly after Addie was born. She came to visit me out in Saratoga Springs one night and nearly got lost......I was a bit out of it though so it was good to have a "normal" visit with her. We met at Z-Tejas for dinner and I really enjoyed it! We plan on making it a regular thing and Im excited to hang with these girls again soon. It is so hard to believe that it has been 15 years since I have seen Martha.....time passes by so quickly. Hopefully we wont lose touch again....Thanks girls for a great night. I hope to see you again soon....

A New Baby....

I told you the day would get better....I just got word that some friends of mine, who have been trying to adopt for a while now, have officially become parents to a beautiful little girl. Congratulations you guys....she is one lucky little girl.

My Friends.....

Can I just tell you how much fun I had yesterday? I have reconnected with 2 of my very best friends from childhood. We went all through elementary school together and a year of Jr. High... then I moved to another part of town. We met for lunch yesterday at Chilis and it was so much fun! I have not laughed like that in so long. I mean the kind of laughing where you snort and cant catch a breath. I thought I might pee my pants at one point when Jessi broke out with her bat in the wind impression. Im sure the people driving by thought we had lost our minds. What a sight! To tell you a little about them, although I think I may have mentioned them in a prior post, Shannon lived on my street and I practically lived at her house. Her brother and my brother were also best friends so we were a fixture in each others lives. I have many many good memories playing barbies and all sorts of stuff with Shan. Jessi and I became friends in the 3rd grade. We had the same teacher and although she lived in the neighborhood over from mine, we became fast friends and shared a love....or possibly obsession with....Olivia Newton John. I even got to go to her concert with Jess and her parents. Both Shannon and Jessi are the most hilarious people to be around and I was happy to see that it hasnt changed. Between the weird faces and funny sayings.....it was like I was 8 years old all over again!

Shannon was unbelievably generous and brought Jessi and I a beautiful gift and then paid for lunch! It was just a great afternoon and I didnt want it to end. We have vowed to do it more often and soon......I cant wait to see them both again.

I had to find some old pictures of us and this was all I could dig up for now. Thats me and Shannon at my 6th birthday party (or maybe 5th).....and the other is Jessi from our 3rd grade class picture.

Put to Work....

We have put Ian to work officially....at his own request I might add. He did a pretty good job too considering the size of our backyard. Denver had to help him turn it but overall he handled it! Im sure Denver cant wait for the day that Ian can truly do it all by himself! What are sons for right?

Meanwhile, Addison smiled and cheered her brother on....literally. She kept screaming "Dee, Go! Woo Hoo! " She calls both of the boys "dee" and if they are both in the room she calls them "dee dee" collectively. Not sure where she came up with it but its cute. Evan enjoyed the evening with the neighbor friend, dancing and playing the willow branch "guitar". I love summer nights!

We had a CRAZY day today. It started this morning at 11:30 with swim lessons for Addie. They got out at noon and then I had to run her and Evan home to Denver (who came home early) and then back down to Ians school to pick him up at 12:30. I had to rush Ian over to the clinic to get his allergy shot because the allergy dept closes at 1:00 on Friday's. I had an eye appointment at 1:00 as well at the same clinic (different dept) so after the shot we ran downstairs for that. When that was over with we ran home to drop Ian off and pick up Addison who then had an appointment at 3:00 for her 2 year checkup. By the time I got home, I was ready for bed. Funny how its now 10pm and Im still up. I never learn I guess. Addison got a shot today too and was not happy about it. She is growing though and despite being 5 weeks premature, she is in the 97th percentile for her height and the 80th percentile for her weight.

I havent been back to work this week because I still havent received my birth certificate (another long story).....its very frustrating but I should have it by Tuesday, hopefully.

My friend Linda came for a surprise visit Wednesday. We dont see each other much because she lives in Provo and, like me, is busy being a mom. So, I was excited that she took the time to come and visit us. The kids loved playing with her boys and it was nice to just sit and talk for hours. I wish we lived closer to each other. We have been friends for a very long time....18 years or so! Wow. Just typing that made me feel really old. Here is a picture of her from way back when. I think this was taken in 1993..we were in Vegas, trying on funky clothing at a store in Caesars Palace. And another of her and her family (minus Gibson who was in her belly at the time!)

Well thats my update. Not too exciting but Im glad the week is over. Now Im off to read a few chapters in "Breaking Dawn"... yes Im hooked too.

A Visit with Friends.....

Today I received a visit from two friends that I havent seen in a while. Liz & Julie! They were in my ward (church) when we lived in Chandler, Arizona. They still live there of course but were in town this week and found the time to stop by! It was so much fun seeing them again and it really made me miss living there. I have to say that although I love my ward here, it does not compare to the one in Chandler. I have never lived anywhere in my life and made friends as quickly as I did there..... Thanks girls, for the visit and the food. I hope it isnt too long before we get together again!

Back to Reality....

So I have returned from my Vegas trip. It was a great success and I really enjoyed seeing my friends again. It didnt feel like nearly 12 years has passed since I have seen these girls....time really flies. I was happy that we just fell right into having fun and it was like old times (Ok maybe a few things have changed) ;) I was a bit nervous before going....worrying about things that really didnt matter, but those fears and worries were gone the minute MK got off the plane. The highlights for me were my FABULOUS steak at Mon Ami Gabi. Wow.....cant say enough about it.....Im sure I'll never have another like it! Also, the Limo ride was quite the experience....from seedy bars to scary strip clubs.....and Roman, our friendly driver. It was very fun although I got quite car sick by the end! I won $20 playing video poker at the pool tableless bar across the street from our condo....that was great! Im not much of a gambler or a drinker much to the bartenders enjoyment ( he made us all shots and then had to drink the one he made me....on the job, only in Vegas!) . He thought I was strange because I didnt drink but I saw a look of understanding when I mentioned later that I was from Utah.....Ah but of course. It was a little weird being away from the kids considering it is really the first time in 7 years that I have been able to be away for longer than a few hours. I had fun but it was a real JOY seeing them today when I got off the plane. Addison ran to me and wouldnt let go for almost 15 minutes. LOVED that.

Well, girls, if you are reading this......lets make this a yearly thing!