I don't think you understand the importance of what I'm trying to tell you

Last night at 3:30 in the morning, Rob sat up in bed and tapped me on the shoulder as if something urgent had happened.

Me: "What? What is it?"

Rob: "Frosting....glove box."

Me: "What?!"

Rob: "The frosting container in the glove box!"

Me: "Glove box? Frosting container? What do those even have to do with each other? Are you even awake?!"

Rob: "YES I'm awake!!"

Me: "Then what about the glove box and frosting container?"

Rob: "Never mind."

...................................................

I asked Rob this morning if he remembers waking up in the middle of the night and asking me about frosting and glove boxes. He said he remembers it, but he has no idea what he was talking about.

Neither do I, Rob. Neither do I.

November

...started out looking like this:

 {the old farmhouse}

 

{digging in the dirt}

 

{kicking a ball around the yard}

 {playing with Boots the cat}

...and ended looking like this:

 

SNOW!

{video: apparently cats don't like to eat snow}

an almost 2-year-old in a 6-12 month sweater (or: who needs warm wrists anyway?)

Just realized I haven't posted this on my blog yet.... My cousin's wife is an amazing photographer (see for yourself!) and recently offered to take portraits of our little Sara. (Thanks again Jessica!) This is the only one I've seen so far, and I can't wait to see the rest. Just look at that adorable pose and cute little face. I just want to smooch it!

some photos we found at Grandma's house

Can you believe I have never seen any of these photos before? My mom and I came across them while looking for photos to include in a remembrance photo slideshow for my grandma.

Grandma Ruth and me at about 1-year old.

at the park with my Dad (far left), my Mom (showing a little leg!), my sister Laura (look how cute), and Grandma Ruth holding me (under the blanket, sipping on a bottle).

At Grandma's house: my Great-Grandma Annie, Laura, Dad (holding Derek), me (holding a purple Care-Bear), Paul, and Grandma Ruth. (She still has that couch, but now it's pink.)

Me at about 2-years-old hosing off my cousin Marisa (in the bowl) 

with my sister Laura in the background.

Annakins with her Daddy-Dear.

And finally, I leave you with quite possibly the most awesome photo I have ever seen: my parents at their wedding reception looking very "music album cover"-esque. 

 Love it.

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Wasn't my grandma a beauty? This photo was taken when she was about 18 years old, just before she married my grandpa. 

About five years ago my grandma was diagnosed with colon cancer. She opted for surgery at the time, and enjoyed four good cancer free years after that. Then in July of this year the cancer came back, but this time it had spread to her liver. She chose to do chemotherapy and started treatments about 5 months ago. With the exception of one major setback in August, she seemed to tolerate the chemo relatively well, and it even helped to reduce some of the symptoms she was having from the cancer. When we moved in with my Grandma toward the end of October, she was doing great! The only help she needed from us was mostly just preparing meals and taking care of the house, but she was still very independent with everything else (even with climbing and descending the stairs everyday! -- although I always tried to be right there with her on the stairs, just in case). 

On Friday, November 19, Grandma went in for the last scheduled round of a series of chemo treatments. The doctors and nurses warned her that this particular dose might make her mouth more sore give her more side effects than the previous treatments had. Well, they were right. As my aunt said in regards to this last chemo treatment, "You never know how much is too much until it is." Grandma's body just couldn't tolerate that last round of chemo, and after three weeks of sickness and other complications, Grandma passed away just before 9:00 AM Friday morning. 

It was hard to see my Grandma's health deteriorate so quickly during those last three weeks of her life. As I wrote on my extended family's website, "It really breaks my heart to see Grandma like this. I just want her to get better and be able to interact with us and her visitors, or I want her to be able to pass quickly with as little pain as possible. This in between stuff is so awful!"

Well, as it turns out, I guess I got my wish when I said "I want her to be able to pass quickly". I just hope the "with as little pain as possible" part was also true.

It is a strange experience to live with someone as they go through the dying process and to be with them when they pass away. Something I have never experienced before. Definitely something I will never forget.

I was in denial about my Grandma's condition and about just how close she was to death right up until the moment I went to check on her yesterday morning and found her not breathing. I think most of us were in denial about it. We all hoped she had more time; that she would make one more rebound (albeit a small one) before the cancer finally took her. I suppose wishing she could have stayed with us a little longer is a selfish request, but I miss her already.

I am so grateful for the the opportunity I had to live with Grandma Ruth and to be with her during the last few weeks of her life. She was a truly selfless woman and was always serving others, especially her family. I am so thankful I was able to give back just a tiny bit of all the love, service and sacrifice she has given to me and my family over the years. It is an experience I would never trade for anything else in the world. 

Finally, I want to share with you the following beautiful experience; the last moment I had with Grandma.

The night before my grandma passed, my Aunt Marie, her daughters Shannon and Karen, and my Mom were at the house with me. Shannon, Karen and I were sitting with Grandma in her room. Grandma had been mostly unresponsive since Sunday night, so we were just sitting on her bed, holding her hands, and talking to her or to each other. As we were sitting there, an almost overwhelming feeling came to me that I wanted to sing "Silent Night" to Grandma. I asked Karen and Shannon if they would sing with me. It wasn't until we reached the end of the first verse that the words finally hit us:

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

All three of us were overcome with emotion and could barely sing through the tears as we reached the words, "Sleep in heavenly peace". It was a very powerful moment. Marie and my mom joined us as we continued singing other hymns and children's Primary songs to her throughout the rest of the evening. I will never forget that sweet serenade we were able to give to Grandma on her last night here on earth. 

I love you Grandma.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Turkey Day!

{via - as seen on}

Did I mention Grandma has a big house?

I don't think I need to exercise anymore with all the house and yard work I've been doing lately.

On a related note:

I need a leaf blower.
Rug tassels are not my friends.
I wish dust did not exist.
Carpet should stay clean longer than 5 minutes after being vacuumed.
Same goes for floors after being swept and mopped.
Laundry really needs to learn how to fold itself.
And dinner, please just appear before my eyes every now and then would you?

I'm tired.

Flying Monkey

Ok ok, I know it's already the second week of November, but I couldn't find our camera for a few days, so here (finally!) are some Halloween photos of the wee babe.

We had some trouble deciding on a costume for Sara.

She tried on an adorable elephant costume at her cousin's house, but it was too small (notice the elephant feet about two inches off the floor)

 

    

 {Kaya the bee, Sara the elephant, Eli the lion}

Then I saw a bee costume that was on sale at Kmart, but it was a little too big on her.

look at that cute little face

Then my mom and I were at a local 99¢ store and saw a cute witch hat and skirt for only a dollar each! And at another dollar store we found a cute little broom. Then we picked up some Halloween leggings and we were set! Here is the final result.

 

{The Wicked Witch of the West, complete with a flying monkey}

I must admit, it was a much cuter costume in person that it appears in these photos. And the bee costume sure looks cute in that picture up there! Hopefully it will still fit her next year. That is the intent since I didn't return it!

We didn't do much in the way of celebrating Halloween this year since we were finishing up our move at the time. But Sara wore her witch costume to visit Rob's parents on Sunday. That was it! No trick-or-treating, no carving pumpkins (although we did buy a big one and a little one, and Sara drew on her small pumpkin with crayons. She thought that was the funnest thing ever!). We didn't even attend our new town's awesome trunk-or-treat at the local drive-in movie theater down the road! It looked very well attended though. We drove past it on our way to go finish cleaning out our apartment that we had to turn in the keys for on Oct. 31. What a way to celebrate Halloween, eh?

Oh, and I just noticed that (for some odd reason) Sara is not smiling in any of the Halloween photos! So here's a silly photo of Sara wearing her mommy's sunglasses (upside-down) and carrying mommy's purse, and looking like her hair hasn't seen a comb in a few days....Enjoy!

What to do when you're running late for a flight

1. Make sure you have the maximum number of luggage items to check (two bags and a child car seat) to make sure your check-in is as long as possible.
2. Have your husband drop off your bags at the scan place so you can RUN to your gate while carrying a backpack and pushing a baby stroller (both fully loaded).
3. Coast down the switchbacks of ramps instead of taking the elevator to get downstairs, being sure to avoid all wheelchair passengers who are traveling in the opposite direction.
4. Quickly weave through other travelers who create a Frogger-like atmosphere as they leisurely walk through the terminal (probably because they know how to be on time for a flight!).
5. Accidentally go to the gate number that matches your boarding assignment instead of the actual gate number.
6. See that there is no attendant at the gate (because it's the wrong one) and ask a nearby attendant if she will scan your ticket so you can board the plane (you don't want to miss your flight!).
7. Refrain from strangling said attendant when she looks at you with a "don't bother me" kind of stare and replies, "She'll be back" when you tell her there is no attendant at your gate.
8. Walk onto the boarding walkway anyway because you can see the plane is right there, and you don't want to get left behind!
9. Tell the airline worker (possibly the pilot) who you see at the front of the airplane, "I'm late and there is no attendant to scan my boarding pass."
10. Show your boarding pass to said airline worker/pilot so he may consider you an ignorant dummy as he replies, "that's because we're not boarding yet, and this isn't your gate" (pointing to the B15 gate, NOT the B22 boarding pass number).
11. Run back down the terminal to your correct gate (the one you passed on the way to the wrong gate) and give a sigh of relief when you see the plane still attached to the walkway AND an attendant at the gate.
12. Hand your boarding pass to the attendant while telling him about and laughing over your funny story of going to the wrong gate.
13. Notice that he is unimpressed with such anecdotes.
14. Board the plane which (thankfully!) has plenty of empty seats, even though you missed the "family boarding" time and every other passenger is already on board. 
15. Choose an empty row in the rear of the plane where your toddler can have the window seat during take off, and can stretch out across two seats during nap time.
16. Arrive at your destination and wait at the luggage carousel for your bags and car seat.
17. Go to the customer service desk after you wait until the carousel stops moving but have not seen any of your luggage. 
18. Listen as the airline worker informs you that your luggage did not make it onto the plane but will be arriving on the next flight in two hours. 
19. Rent a child car seat from the airline and go get lunch at an overpriced sandwich shop nearby.
20. Return two hours later to collect your luggage, then cry when the airline worker tells you it didn't arrive on that fight either and the next flight comes in an hour later.
21. Wait in the seats by the baggage claim for the airline workers to call your cell phone to let you know your luggage arrived on the previous flight after all.
22. Finally leave the airport with your luggage in tow but get lost trying to find the freeway entrance, and then get stuck in traffic once you do find it. 
23. Arrive at your destination 7 hours later than expected. 
24. Enjoy your stay!

Nerd Alert

I just scored 53 points in one round of Boggle.

It was amazing.

My longest word was blistered. 11 points just for that one word, plus several other 5 or 6 letter words and their plurals. Insanity. Rob did pretty well that round too scoring 20 points, an impressive number for most rounds, but it just couldn't compete with my more than double score from the same round. We saw a completely different set of words. Mine just happened to be longer. It was ridiculous.

Now I think I have to retire and end my Boggle playing career on a high note, because there is no way I can ever top that.

I'm having trouble keeping this thing up to date.

Perhaps you've noticed.

Stuff to look forward to:

Our trip to CA
Halloween
Sara's incoherent ramblings

and I guess that's pretty much it. Man, for as busy as we've been lately, you'd think I'd have more to blog about!

Ok then, TTFN.

FREE

Let me just say that if you have something you want to get rid of but don't want the hassle of loading it up and taking it to the nearest thrift store, all you gotta do is put it in the online classifieds under the FREE section! We wanted to get rid or sofa and first tried selling it online for $100. No bites. Then I switched it to FREE and got 8 phone calls in one hour, and now it's gone! Somebody came and picked it up just a few hours after I posted the ad! Awesome.

So long fella. You've been a good place to sit for the past 5 years or so. Thanks for that.

So perhaps you (my dedicated readers) are wondering why we got rid of such a wonderful sofa. Well, it's because we moved. Did I forget to mention that?! Hee-hee. Well we moved in with my Grandma to help take care of her, and we didn't want to move the sofa because 1) it's really heavy, 2) there's no room for it in her basement, and 3) we'll just buy a better, more comfortable one the next time we move!

So there you have it. Online classifieds are the best. We had better results with KSL than we did with Craigslist, but it doesn't really matter because the couch is gone! Three cheers for a job well done!

My Hometown

Not everyone can say they grew up in a town that 100 years ago had the largest on-land oil spill U.S. history.

I can.

Although as the feature that NPR recently did on my hometown says, "no one ever considered the Lakeview Gusher a disaster. It was a time when small lakes of oil covering the landscape meant only one thing — wealth and prosperity."

I don't know how an oil gusher shooting 200 feet in the air and raining down onto the surrounding hills for a year and a half wasn't considered a disaster, but apparently it wasn't anything to worry about. I guess all they saw was dollar signs.

{Take a listen right here or read about it here.}

As you may have deduced from the previous info, oil means a lot to my hometown. It's pretty much the whole reason Taft exists. Those who know me may have heard me talk about the upcoming 10-day celebration called Oildorado. It happens every five years, and since this year's celebration coincides with the 100th anniversary of Taft, it's a pretty big deal. The city has gone all out for the celebrations with everything from parades, barbecues and carnivals to hot air balloons, beauty pageants and dinner theaters. Should be fun! Sara and I have plans to visit my folks and attend most of the festivities, and Rob will join us in time for my 10-year High School reunion which is scheduled during the last few days of the Oildorado celebration. We are ready to party!

Oh, and if you happen to visit the Oildorado Days website (out of curiosity or just plain boredom), just go ahead and ignore the part about men having to grow a beard or purchase a "Smooth Puss Badge" to avoid being thrown in the hoosegow that travels around town looking for miscreants during Oildorado. It's just one tiny little redneck part of Taft's anniversary celebration, and I'd prefer if you would just go ahead and forget I ever made mention of it. Thanks a million.

---

p.s. ~ thanks to Katie for her post about the NPR article. Hope you don't mind my copycat post!

We went to Colorado

We visited the town of Castle Rock, CO last week to visit Rob's sister and her family. Rob's brother-in-law recently opened a new Pediatric Dentistry practice, and Rob did a lot of the design work including the logo and website. So when we got an invitation to their open house in the mail, we decided we should attend! Plus, there's the added bonus of Sara getting to see her cousins. She spent the week doing a whole lot of this:

While in Castle Rock, we helped setup for the dental office open house, and also helped pass out balloons and free toothbrushes in a booth at the local Oktoberfest. In between those two events, we spent a day down by Colorado Springs to take the cog train up to the top of Pikes Peak. Much easier than hiking the 13 miles to the top!

 The train

taking a ride.

enjoying the scenery.  

At the top.

 
It was cold up at the top. And the summit was much larger than I imagined. It was pretty flat, and looked like it had been cleared a little because it wasn't completely rocky. Makes sense because you can actually drive a car on a paved road all the way to the top of Pikes Peak. There is even a restaurant up there! We got two donuts (world famous of course); one covered with chocolate, and the other with vanilla fudge. Yum!

Sara with her cousins.

Don't get run over!

Oh, and also while in Colorado, Sara became the world's best 21-month-old soccer player. Don't believe me? See for yourself. 

Zebra child

 

This is what happens when you let your kid play with a pen.

 

Staring Contest

I find this completely awesome.

What a fun excuse to get together with friends!
I just might have to copy this idea sometime. Any takers?

{Found here}

a clean, cheesy, predictable chick flick

If you like that sort of thing, then you'll love Leap Year!

I had heard mostly negative reviews of this movie. Things like "generic" and "uninspired". Because of this, I never had high hopes for it even though I wanted to see it after watching the previews. So when I put Leap Year into my Netflix queue, I was expecting pretty much exactly what I got; a cheesy and predictable rom-com.

I think it was because I wasn't expecting much, but I didn't hate this film as much as the critics did. In fact, I kinda liked it! For sure there were some pretty slow parts (like her whole traveling to Ireland escapade), but once she arrives and starts her cross-country trek with the mysterious Irish stranger, there are a few funny and/or idealistically romantic scenes that really redeemed this movie for me. Plus, an added bonus, it was clean! With only a PG rating, there was no language, no sex, nothing you'd be embarrassed to watch with your grandmother, and I found that rather refreshing. Too many movies add scenes that really don't need to be there and practically ruin the movie. But this one steered clear of anything offensive, which made for a nice surprise. It's definitely not the best chick flick or rom-com I've ever seen, but I'm adding it to my list of "I'd watch it again if it ever comes on TV" movies.

We've got ourselves a little musician

 

 

Utah State Fair

We took Sara to the Utah State Fair the day before it left town. She liked going on the rides she was big enough to do. I think her favorite by far (although the photos do not capture it) was the wiggle worm.

 

 Can't you just see the excitement on their faces?! 

Rob rode with her the first time, and then she wanted to ride again, so I went with her because Rob was about to lose his lunch! Haha, just kidding, but he didn't think the ride was nearly as fun as Sara did. After her second turn, I literally had to pry her little fingers off the lap bar. She did NOT want to get off!

She didn't enjoy the merry-go-round quite a much however.

 

 

But she thought the train was okay. 

 And she really loved the big slide! As you can see, I did too.

 

We both wanted to ride it again but the line was too long. 

And to leave you with the ultimate Utah State Fair experience, here is a video of Sara dancing to the music that was playing as we waited for the pig races to start. Yes, that's right; I said pig races. We had front row seats (on the ground) right in front of the racing circle. Sara loved every moment of it.

 

mommy's shorts

Sara decided to put on a pair of my pajama shorts the other day. This was the result (after some help from mommy).