Let's Do the Time-Warp Again!

Life has a way of getting away from us as we get older. The older I get...the more busy I am and it should be the other way around, I would think. But we've been pretty busy, we've been through some tough times lately but things are smoothing out.

The fall always find Mike and I heading to our favorite trails up on Monte Cristo. The trees are so beautiful with the changing colors. Riding our ATV is one of our many favorite things to do. We haven't been able to do it that much this year because of the economy and his job takes him away more than not, but we manage.

With the weather turning colder, it's time to put our camper away and count down the days until spring comes upon us again, we always miss our camping/ATVing days when it's snowing. I guess maybe we should get into snowmobiling. Nah...I'll stay with our ATV.

Well now, tomorrow night is Halloween, I am not a big fan of the holiday but I do love seeing my family dress up. Last Friday night was our wards "Fall Social". And here are my fairies...Kaitlyn (in the blue), Kyla (in the pink) and Kamryn of course in the stroller. And my Danielle was called the "Night Fairy". I consider myself very lucky and blessed to have the family that I have. With all the bomb threats, terrorism, etc. I don't want to take my family for granted and miss all the small opportunities to be with them. We may never know when it will be our last moment here on earth with them. I want them to know how much I love them and always will. Nobody and nothing can take that away from me. I am thankful to my Father in Heaven for blessing me with my daughters, and then my husband who I love with all my heart, just wish it didn't take so long to find each other, but we have each other now...like the song says from Sugarland "you and me baby we're stuck like glue"!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

I apologize from the bottom of my heart and soul, I have not had internet connection for a long time and boy did I miss it. I went on strike again with Comcast with their huge pricing and finally canceled my cable and internet services. Now I have Qwest internet and loving it.

Anyway, last weekend when my wonderful husband was home, we went to a Raptor's baseball game. I hadn't had so much fun in a long time. I yelled and cheered with the best of them. Dani and her friend Jake were also getting into the spirit of things.


As you can see I am not very good at taking pictures of me and Mike, Mike turns out good but I always look like I am learning way back with a huge neck. Kind of embarrassing. But I really enjoy spending time with my husband, miss him so much when he is gone for 2-3 weeks at a time. So we spend as much time together doing something fun and cheap. At least the baseball game was free with a coupon from McDonald's. But it's the memories of a good time that counts.

Then my sweet granddaughter Kaitlyn took her first major plane trip...alone...to Grandpa Santi's out in California. She did great, had a ball. Grandpa Mike and I bought Kyla this huge Teddy Bear from Costco. Kyla has it on her bed and sleeps on it, just like Dani did with her big Zebra. But my other beautiful granddaughter Kamryn loved laying on her sisters Bear also.

I look at these pictures and I am pretty sure some of you who read and follow my blog probably think I am obsessed with my family but you know what? I am! I would rather be obsessed with my family than other early things. Because it's not the earthly things like my home, car, clothes, who I know that is going to get me with my family for all eternity, it's my relationship with no only first and foremost my Father in Heaven and Christ but then it's the relationships I have with my family.

Friends are going to come and go, friends will hurt you and family members will also but it is up to us to "Forgive and Forget", it's not up to Heavenly Father because he will forgive who he will, but it is commanded that we do it regardless. I have to think of the lesson we had today in Gospel Doctrine about Job. Regardless of what he went through, the loss of his family, his wealth, etc, he still praised God. Can we do that? So for my strength to get through my trials, my health problems, and anything that may come my way, I rely on the strength of God and then rely on my family. My husband Mike is such a great example of strength is. Can you imagine being out on the road for weeks at a time, away from your family? He does it with the right spirit and I know he relies on Heavenly Father for him to get through the times alone, until he comes home. It's hard, he hardly complains. I think I do it enough for both of us. But what an example he is for me.

So that is why my family is everything to me. My question to you is this...what does your family mean to you?

Time To Catch Up!

What a beginning of the summer our family has had. First...Danielle went to California to visit her sister Ashley and from what I have heard...it was the bomb! From what was told to me, they went to the beach, Magic Mountain, went down to West Covina to visits our old home, hung out together. I know it was hard for Dani to come home because she really enjoyed being with her sister and visa versa.

During that weekend it was our 8th wedding anniversary along with Father's Day. Mike and I took our camper and ATV up to Hardware Ranch, outside of Logan (Cache Mountains) and spent 4 wonderful days together. We also had Uncle Don and Aunt Irene with us. The riding was great, the food was great and the company was great also. For a gift for Mike I had our talented son in law Mitch design and create a wonderful hoodie. Mike was so excited and pleased, it even brought a tear to his eyes. Of course the picture above is our Grizzly Bear who loves to ride on our ATV. We have a new speedometer system. If we are going fast enough that at least one ear is up it's about 20mph, if two ears are up and his beard is messed up...then we are going fast enough. He loves speed.

We've been pretty lucky the past few weekends, we've just left our camper up there in the mountains and we've gone back. Last Saturday I drove 51 miles on the ATV, when I got back to the camp ground I was in so much pain and suffered greatly the next day, my hands were so swollen, I couldn't move my rings around. As you all know I fight Fibromyalgia every day of my life and that fun was more than my body could handle...but I wouldn't change a thing! It was great! And we are doing it again this weekend.

Saturday, July 3rd, my little granddaughter is marching in her first parade with her Girl Scout troop. I am excited to see that and take pictures. And then after that it's back to the mountains. But it is also sort of a celebration or remembrance, haven't decided. Saturday marks the one year anniversary since my accident that I broke my ribs. Ouch! Let's don't replay that again!

So after this weekend I'll have more pictures but I have to put this picture in, it's my granddaughers with their new skirts. They were outside twirling and so happy, I love doing things like that for them.

WOW! What's That Smell?

After a long day at work, and I mean long, on the way home I kept going over in my mind what was in my freezer to make for dinner. There was the usual phone calls from Dani asking when I would be home and I gave the usual answer..."You'll see me when you see me". But when I walked into the house and deposited my shoes and belongings, Dani had me sit down on the couch, she gave me the Wii remote and said "Relax mom, I'm cooking dinner". My first thought was "oh, oh...what did she do now?" But I was wrong...she had a wonderful conversation with her brother Aaron during the day and feeling pretty good about herself. And I have to admit...dinner was VERY GOOD! She made her own rendition of Chicken Alfredo.

There has been a big change in Dani ever since her relationship with her dad has improved and then this new fresh relationship with her brother. That big hole that was festering in her soul is healing. But we are still taking things one day at a time because this could be the "high" before the "low". Everything happens in cycles with these FASD kids, at least in the older group I've found.

Tomorrow we are spending sometime in the afternoon with my granddaughters (Dani's nieces) at "The Tree House" in Ogden. It's like a children's museum...but better. This is where Dani can let her teenage years melt away and be the kid that she tries so hard to contain. Makes me sad to see that because society dictates how a person should act, even with disabilities. So I am looking forward to letter her hair down, literally!

Family...Thank you Aunt Debbie!

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,"Oh excuse me please' was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me to; I wasn't waching for you."

We were very polite this strange and I. We went on our way and we said goodbye.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My daughter stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked her down."Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

She walked away, her little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,

but the family you love, you seem to abuse".

"Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll see some flowers there

by the door...those are the flowers she picked for you. She

picked them herself; pink, yellow and blue."

"She stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never

saw the tears that filled her little eyes"

By this time, I felt very small and now my tears

began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by her bed; "wake up little one,

wake up", I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"

She smiled and said, "I found 'em out by the tree. I picked 'em

because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em

especially the blue."

I said "Honey, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't

have yelled at you that way."

She said "Oh, Mom, that's okay I love you anyway".

I said "Honey, I love you too, and I do love the flowers, especially the blue".

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that

we work for could easily replace us in a matter of days?

But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, if we pour ourselves more into work

than into our own family, it would be unwise investment indeed,

don't you think?

So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

FAMILY = (F)ather (A)nd (M)other (I) (L)ove (Y)ou

Let The Fun Begin!!!!

What a fun and wonderful day we had today. Our first trip out on our ATV's. There was Mike and I, Danielle and Shawn, Uncle Don and Aunt Irene along with our next door Paul. We went up to Ant Flats just underneath Monte Cristo. We had planned on driving the 14 miles to Hardware Ranch but we found a better route, purly by accident, but it was the best route we could find. Took us up around some of the prettiest mountains and views that our wonderful Mother Nature could offer. At some places it was pretty muddy, which makes Mike pretty happy. We headed back into town around 3pm and had a good meal at "Golden Corral". When we got back home we unpacked and Dani surprised me by washing my car. Bless her heart. But we all had a wonderful time, it was great seeing dad and daughter work together in harmony. Now we are enjoying a quite evening home watching "Up" and munching on M&M's.

Thoughts From the Past...Or Are They Ghosts!

I've discovered as I grow older, not that I mind it, I find that I am more well seasoned in age and wisdom, like a well used and worn dutch oven. In theory, a dutch oven cooks so much better after so many uses, not saying that I have been used or are being used, it's just a theory. It's like fine wine...it gets better with age...that's what I am saying. They say we learn from our past and our mistakes...I believe I have learned a lot, wishing I could go back in time to change a few decisions, rethink things, etc.

One decision I regret and I will blog about because it affects my family directly. Back in 1994 my ex-husband's sister passed away who lived in Texas. He went down there before me and I soon after joined him. During that time in Texas we discovered two children that were extremely neglected and needed to be taken care of. Long story short, we brought them home to Utah and adopted them. That would be our Danielle and her big brother Aaron. During the course of 4-5 years, Aaron was diagnosed as BiPolar and was showing inappropriate behavior towards Dani. The decision was made to take him back to his great grandmothers in Texas, where she gave him back to his birth mom...wrong decision on our part and hers. He was soon taken away from his birth mom and put up for adoption.

Well, to show that miracles do happen and to always listen to our promptings and dreams, my niece Joanne in Washington had a dream that she needed to look on a website (this was a couple of weekends ago) and there she found Aaron. 12 years later, there is my little boy (I still consider him as my son) and he is looking handsome. But the disturbing part is he was back up for adoption, leading me to believe he had been in and out of homes for close to maybe 12 years. What would have happened if we would have still had him, would he had a better childhood, it's just ironic that he is experiencing the same problems as our Danielle.

So I've contacted the State of Texas and I am just waiting to hear if there is anything I can do, any assitance of history, etc, or even just to see him. We'll just wait and see. It's funny how life plays out! Here is a picture of brother and sister, Aaron and Danielle!