Changes......

Change is good right? I always have thought that as hard as it can be sometimes, change is necessary to keep life from becoming stagnate. So, with that, I am looking at the new President of our country with hope that his version of change is what we need. I was on the treadmill at the gym yesterday watching the inauguration on the TV above me and for the first time in my 37 year old life, I was struck by just how huge this transition is. I have never watched an inauguration before. Never cared about it really. I know that sounds horrible but I just never felt the need to watch it I guess. But, as I watched I was made aware of all of the tradition that surrounds the event.... I never knew that the new president goes to the church before hand as a matter of tradition. The old president leaves a letter in the oval office on his way out.....the procession and who sits where in the limousine all has significance..... So, I guess that even though I did not vote for Barrack Obama, his winning of the election has somehow caused me to become a little more educated and a little more appreciative of the transition. I was quite disappointed to hear that people....adults....actually had the nerve to Boo President Bush. Come on people, show some maturity. The whole world was watching you act like little children....you should be ashamed of yourselves really and it doesn't say much for Obama supporters and your intelligence level. I really hope that he (President Obama) lives up to his promises. I hope that he helps our country pull itself out of the muck that it is in right now..... I hope that this change is good.

On a more personal level, we had a big change or transition ourselves this week at our house. Our boys who are just 18 months apart are now in their own rooms. They have either shared a bed or a room for their "whole lives"....as Ian so dramatically put it.... So, we have a guest room that is too small for the queen sized bed that is in it. Considering the fact that we really don't have guests all that often and Alec is getting to the point where he isn't spending much time at our house anymore, I decided to give that room to Evan. I took apart their bunk beds and put Evans half in this "guest" room and then took the queen bed from that room and gave it to Ian since the boys shared room is the biggest room in the house. I then took Ian's half of the bunk bed and put it upstairs in Addison's room for her to sleep on. If/when we have guests, they can have Ian's room with the queen bed..... What this means now is that we are adjusting to sleep habits. Addison still sleeps with us so now I am trying to transition her to her own bed....so far 3 hours is as long as she has lasted in her new bed. We have to get her to sleep first and then put her in the bed. At some point she gets up and comes to our bed. Hopefully this will end eventually. Evan has had to adjust to sleeping without Ian in the room. This has been hard for him so we leave his light on until he is asleep.....but Oh how happy he is that he has his own room! I think it has shown him how much his brother means to him too. That is the best part about change, it helps you see the good in things that maybe you didn't appreciate before..... I suspect that Americans will eventually be able to recognize the good in President Bush as Obama makes his own mistakes. Rest assured he will....they all do.

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!

Jefe....my littlest brother is 33!

Today is Jeff's birthday....he is 33! Im laughing because when I was talking to him earlier today he said he realizes he is now officially "in his 30's". I wish I was just barely getting into my 30's. I guess that is the luxury of being the youngest in a family....to always feel "young" because your siblings are older. Oh well. Jeff is such a great brother and I love him lots. You will see the picture on my sidebar (fav pic of the week) is Jeff as a little boy. He had the best personality and loved to impersonate Popeye which is why he is wearing the sailor hat!
Happy Bday Jeff...be careful, your 40's are just around the corner :)

I just wanted to share a funny story about Ian that I found out about this morning. Those of you that know Ian, know that he is very perceptive and nothing, I mean nothing gets past him. Sometimes it is very frustrating as a parent when you want to do something without the kids noticing or when you do something accidentally and really hope they didnt notice.... Well Ian is always right there to point it out, whatever it may be...... However, sometimes it is awesome the way he notices everything. Here is the email I received this morning from Ian's cub scout den leader:

~By the way, I wanted to tell you something about Ian. He is
such a great boy! After our last Den Meeting before Christmas, I got my
hair cut and colored, nothing drastic or anything, but at our first meeting back in January, Ian looked at me and asked me about my hair.
"Did you get your hair cut, the color looks a little different."
"I did Ian-- I can't believe that you noticed."
"It looks really nice, it's lighter."
I could not believe it, no one in my family noticed, but one of my scouts did? I loved it, and it really made my week! Thanks for raising such a great boy! ~

Its always nice to hear that your efforts to raise kind, considerate children are actually working. Thanks Ian......I love you and am very proud of you! :)

Where Have I Been....

That seems to be the question of the day..... I think this is the longest I have gone without posting since I started this blog. I was thinking about it yesterday and wondering why I havent sat down to post anything since the new year began. I came up with a number of reasons, the main one being that I simply havent had anything to blog about. It seems like the holidays were over and then it was back into our routine and that didnt happen smoothly. It is difficult to get back into the swing of things sometimes and I believe that has been what my problem is. That being said, the second reason is that Im tired. Really tired. Maybe its that new sydrome everyone is talking about "S.A.D".... Seasonal anxiety disorder or something to that affect where the winter season puts you in a funk. They actually treat this now which makes me laugh. They will treat anything nowdays....any excuse for some medication I guess. No offense intended if this actually affects you. Im just in a cynical mood. Ignore me.

So, whats new with us. Nothing really. Denver got back from seeing his dad and family and had a good trip. Although it was difficult for him to see just how sick his dad is, I think it was good for him to be there and spend time with him. Plus Alec came and that was a bonus to be able to see his son too. Im sure Ive mentioned it before but Denver's dad has colon, lung, and liver cancer....all stage 4. Its a rough situation. We love him so much and I wish we could have gone with Denver to visit. Denver is plugging along in school and has just over a year left to finish his degree. That will be a big relief to get that over with. Me and the kids are doing our thing. Up early, off to school, then the gym.....watch Soren, fix dinner, go to work. This is my routine in a nutshell and like I said Im tired. Thankfully, I get a little repreive at the end of the month when I will meet my girlfriends in Taos, NM for a little ski trip. Actually I am flying to Denver, Co to meet one of them and will then drive with her to Taos....saved money that way! Its going to be fun and I am sooooooooooo looking forward to it! I really need it.

I also think part of my problem is my weight loss efforts and my running progress. I signed up for that massive race in June which I have subsequently had to back out of. The whole month of December I dealt with sciatic nerve pain.....it was awful and I rarely worked out. Upon returning to the gym this month, it was like starting over. I could barely run a mile. I had to be realistc and face the fact that I would not be able to run that race. It was sad and I hated to back out but it was a huge weight lifted when I did. Now Im going to take it slower and try to prepare myself for the Deseret News 10k race in July. That is much more realistic for me.....Of course I still have 75 pounds to lose if I ever really want to be a runner. It seems like no matter what I do, I cant lose a pound. Oh well, guess I will just keep plugging along.....I will try to give a better post later this week with some pictures. Until then....

Im not much of a football fan. In fact I really cant tell you when the last time was that I watched a game.....but I understand a good thing when it happens! Technically I am a BYU fan. I am a former student afterall and hope to actually go back and finish. However, I live in a VERY red neighborhood...... I live just blocks from the University of Utah. So, I support them too....Im just not into the "rivalry" like everyone else. They are Utahns after all and even though fans from both sides say you have to choose a side and you cant be a fan of both, I beg to differ. I will say this though....when the Utes play the Cougars, I tend to bleed a little blue. Sorry guys.

This snowman is around the corner from our house and I thought it was hilarious and awesome so I took a pic this morning. Lots of red flags flying in our neighborhood this week!

A Quick Visit....

I was excited to hear that my cousin Marcy and her family were coming to SLC for the weekend! They called and stopped by for a quick visit....It was so fun to see them again. Wish they could have stayed a little longer but I will take what I can get. Addison was so funny....the last time she met Marcy (last spring), she wouldnt even talk to her let alone go to her. Marcy had to bribe her with candy to even get a smile. It was sure different this time...when Marcy was ready to leave, Addie kept reaching for her and clearly did not want to let her leave. It was too cute. We need to go down there for a visit. Maybe this summer we will drive down....that way we can visit with Alec if he decides not to come to Utah. Thanks so much guys for taking time out of your busy schedule to come by and visit me....Ive been lonely since Denver left :(

We had a discussion about the best angle to hold your head in order to
look skinnier....clearly I didnt get the angle right in this
picture......yikes~ Marcy sure looks great though doesnt she! I
believe she gets more beautiful with each year that passes.

This is Addie with her oldest son Jaron. He is such a funny
kid. He is at that age where it is more interesting hanging with the
old folks instead of the "younger" kids....I remember being that age!

Marcy is getting ready to go and Addie isnt wanting her to leave.
Marcy is so great with kids.

Here was supposed to be a nice photo op with Marcy and Addie.....as you
can see Richard couldnt resist his antics. What a crack-up. I was
going to crop him out but just couldnt bring myself to do it. I thought it
was a great representation of who Richard is....

Welcome 2009.....

Well, I wanted to write something fun and interesting for my first post of the year....however, Im just too tired. Sorry. My New Years Eve was spent in front of a proof machine working, but dont feel sorry for me. I wouldnt have been out doing anything anyway. Ive never understood New Years Eve really. Even when I was single and "having a good time" I never really liked the concept of New Years Eve. Dont get me wrong, celebrating the coming of the new year is great! Im all about welcoming in another chance to wipe the slate clean and accomplish my goals. I guess I just dont need a party to usher it in. Quiet recognition that it is a new day in a new year is enough for this girl.

So, what about those Resolutions? I tried explaining this concept to the kids this morning.....with not much response other than "mom, are we going to play Wii boxing now or what?".... Geesh....where are my priorities? I did, after that comment, enjoy a rigorous upper body workout on Wii Sports. I think playing that once a day will have to be one of my resolutions! I would have arms and back of steel if I boxed like that every day. Oh....so, the resolutions. Here are my big ones:

• Lose weight.....how cliche is that? How many times have I failed at this resolution? Not this year, I promise you!



• Be able to run a 10k by June.....which I wont be able to do unless I accomplish the first resolution



• Be a better wife and mother....more patience, less criticism



• Love myself more....which will help me attain all of my goals

• Go Back to School....in hopes of actually finishing this time

I have some other smaller resolutions that I will keep to myself but, in a nutshell, this is the year I become a better person both physically and mentally.

I was thinking of posting a top 10 list from 2008. Like most years, it was up and down. Good sometimes and not so good other times. Overall though it was decent and compared with some, I have nothing to complain about. I love my family and even though we are done having children, I am enjoying watching the kids grow and become bigger-little kids.....they bring me so much joy that it overshadows just about anything negative.


I hope that you all have the best year of your lives and keep those resolutions or at the very least have fun while breaking them! :)