Google

I woke up from a bad dream the other night and began to try to figure out if it was really happening. (you know those times when it's hard to separate reality from dreams, even when dreams are ridiculous) and in this particular dream, there was a gang from Ogden, Ut who were big drug dealers. The leader of that gang, aka the "Drug Lord" would kill anyone who tried to stop him. So wouldn't you know, who got put in charge of stopping him? Yep, Nate. Of course I was worried sick, and soon enough the gang, and more importantly the Drug Lord, found this out and were coming for Nate.

At that point, I woke up.

Later that afternoon, while talking with Nate, I remembered my dream and began to tell him about it. I got to the end and the part when I "woke" up and said something to the effect of:

"Around 5 AM, in a panic, I was trying to think of all the things we needed to pack to get out of Dodge and make a run for it." (formula and diapers were the first two things I thought of, naturally)

Then all of the sudden I had a distinct memory that I hadn't remembered earlier.

"Oh my heck Nate, I think I googled it!"
"Googled it?" he questioned, confused.
"Yeah, when I woke up. I think I googled it." I said as I picked up my phone and began looking for the search history on my internet.

Sure enough, there it was. "drug lord Ogden, Ut"

As soon as I read it, the memory came rushing back to me.

When I woke up, I realized my worries might have been a dream, and rather than rolling over and asking Nate if he was in fact the new leader of the good citizens trying to stop corruption, instead, I very rationally decided to "google it". Yep, google it. Because surely, (according to my groggy brain) if I googled "drug lord ogden, ut" and it pulled up any news stories of drug lords killing innocent citizens, then I would need to worry.

Shockingly, there were no such stories. (a few involving drug busts in Ogden, but none too scary) This apparently sufficed me, because I put down my trusty iphone and easily fell back asleep.

And there you have it...(and yes...I heard Beyonce was prego, and I was watching Karate Kid that afternoon) :)

As you can imagine, Nate was all but rolling on the floor in tears. As was I.

Moral of the story:
1. Don't watch "Border Wars" (the show on A&E about the U.S. Border Patrol trying to keep illegal immigrants and drug smugglers from coming into the U.S.) before bed, and
2. Google does in fact have an answer for everything.

Pet Peeves According to Laci

Sorry peeps...I can't hold it in any longer. Sometimes you just have to let things out and right now I feel my blog is the best outlet. Everyone has them. I'm talking about pet peeves. These are mine: (at least the ones that bug me the most) :)

POOR GRAMMAR!! Now let me just say before I dive into it: I don't claim to be perfect. I am well aware that I make my fair share of mistakes. You can probably find some mistakes in this post alone. However, I try very hard to make sure the basics are correct.

1. The incorrect use of the apostrophe.

Let's clear up one of the things that grinds on my nerves the most - apostrophes!!! As my friend Maren once posted, "Leave the poor things alone!" People are throwing them into words (unnecessarily) all over the place!

Example #1: Blogs.

It is NOT necessary to put an apostrophe in the title of your blog UNLESS you are calling it your family's blog. To clarify: if you put your last name as your blog title, like "The Anderson's", it is incorrect. You only need the apostrophe if you have the title, "The Anderson's Blog". A simple "s" will work just fine, "The Andersons". (same goes for the name you choose for when you leave a comment) Now things can get confusing if the last name already ends in an "s". Prime example being "Buttars". If you need to show ownership of something when the last name ends in an "s" you simply put the apostrophe at the end. (Buttars') In some cases, I've heard that putting "Buttars's" is still technically correct, but not necessary.

On a similar note, if I needed to refer to many members of my family, I would say, "the Buttarses". I agree, it looks funny, but it's right. As you can tell, this bothers me so much that I have even researched it out on the internet. I've also asked the same Maren friend mentioned above, if I'm right. Unlike me, she has an English degree to back her up. :) (I do have 2 years worth of English classes though...and a mother with an English degree who corrected me daily. I blame her for my inherited pet peeve.)

Back to the peeve. Please, please, PLEASE(!) do not stick apostrophes in words like "boy's" (wrong) or "tornado's" (wrong)! A simple "s" will do the trick. Or in the case of tornadoes, an "es". I can't explain the rules out in proper terms BUT I can tell when it's correct or incorrect. (which by the way, "it's" has an apostrophe because it is a contraction of  "it is")

Like I said, I am no grammar saint. I probably overuse commas and make a lot of English teachers cringe. (Maren?) :) But for some reason, I feel it is necessary to let those who are innocently using apostrophes in the wrong situations, the error of their ways. Don't kill the messenger. (please) :)

2. Speaking of the word "their", let's clear things up...
     their = possessive form of the word (their car, their dog, their shoe)
     they're = contraction of "they are" (they're coming over for dinner, they're nice, etc.)
     there = let's go over there, there is no more food in the cupboard, etc.

Same goes for your and you're. This one kills me. Facebook picture comments are famous for these. "Your so cute!" (WRONG) It should be, "You're so cute!"
     your = your cat, your house, your hair
     you're = you are (you're cute, you're nice, you're going to fall)

Oh and while I'm on a grammar/spelling rampage, let's not forget my other favorites.
     yeah - A.K.A "yes"
        - "Do you want some candy?" "Yeah, sure."
     yay = excitement
         - "Yay! I'm so happy for you!"
     ya = slang for "you"
         - "There ya go."

Last but not least, the improper use of "I". This is the one that catches me up the most. I'm trying to master it though. I think people are afraid of sounding uneducated if they don't say "I". As in, "John and I are going to the store." In that sentence it is used correctly. How can you tell? The simplest way I know to explain it is if you take the other person's name out of the sentence, you should be able to still say "I" and have it sound right. The times my stomach starts to churn are when people say stuff like, "Would you like to go to the store with John and I?" Wrong!!! Does it sound right if I take "John" out of the sentence and say, "Would you like to go to the store with I?" No my friends, it does not. Compared to the first sentence when I take "John" out and say, "I am going to the store." It still sounds ok.

Again, I want to emphasize, I never have, nor will ever claim to be a grammar snob. (I imagine some of you may be snorting right now because you disagree) :) But I feel SO much better now that it's off my chest.

I also know this post will generate many purposely incorrect comments. Especially from my sister. Go ahead, bring 'em on. I'm ready for ya. (ya = slang for you, remember?) :)

I saw this picture recently and had to laugh -

Oh, and just in case you want to brush up, THIS is a link I found that explains it a lot better than I did.

Will + Kate : A Modern Fairytale

Did anyone else get as caught up in the Royal Wedding as I did? I didn't really think I cared about it until the day before when I decided, on a whim, to record the wedding (which took place at 2 AM my time) just for curiosity's sake. The next morning, as I sat watching with my bowl of Fruit Loops, it didn't take long before I was hooked! Navi recklessly roamed the house and did pretty much whatever she wanted for the 3 hours I was transfixed in front of my TV. I had promised Nate I would wash the sink full of dirty dishes before he came home from work, but as I sat drooling (possibly even Fruit Loop-tainted milk) over the women guests and their whimsical hats, over the magical London setting, and over the historical Westminster Abbey, the dishes quickly slipped my mind.

I guess I just got wrapped up in the idea that Kate, or as she is now known, Her Royal Highness Catherine, grew up a "commoner" and after a "simple" wedding, she will be the Queen of England someday. I couldn't help but think that thirty years ago, when Prince Charles and Princess Dianna were married, my Dad (who happened to be serving his mission in England at the time) was right around my age. Perhaps in another thirty years, I will be watching the wedding of one of William and Kate's children with my daughters.

Weeks ago, when I heard Americans were making the trek to London just for the occasion, I questioned their sanity. Now I wish I could have been there, standing the middle of all the thousands of people, cheering right along side them! I think I would have been screaming and yelling too when the newly named Duke and Duchess of Cambridge drove by on their way to their first kiss as a married couple at Buckingham Palace.

And let's not forget the dress. The dress that will forever be a part of history. Sigh...

To put it simply,

I didn't know I was such a hopeless romantic.

P.S. I LOVE the little bridesmaid on the left. I love that it will be such a funny part of history as well.

Also, if running your mouse over the above picture shows the saved title, you will notice that it is named "best-photo-ever-will-kate-kiss". I did not come up with this, I simply downloaded it.

However,  I agree.
So I left it.

Cheers to Will and Kate!

{Insert Creative Title Here}

Summer? Is this summer? So far, crazy schedules in our little Buttars family haven't allowed much time for summer. Well ok, or the weather either. Maybe it will get warm in July...
The other day, I was struck by the thought that if we were out doing the summer sales stuff, we would have already be gone a whole month + some. That is how fast May went, and then to think it will be the MIDDLE of June next week....I'm baffled.

It all started with our move. We officially got our keys during the last week of April. So amidst finals, we began our 27th move. Or so it felt. But seriously, I lost count at five or six moves.

Painting was my first priority. For one, because I was so excited to finally be able to do it (!) pick our own colors, etc. and two, because I knew that if we didn't paint before we moved one box in, we'd just get used to it, and it wouldn't seem like a big deal. So paint we did! I would try and get as much done during the days while Nate was at work. Navi would either nap (in a well-ventelated room upstairs) or she would be rescued by one of my sisters or my very helpful sis-in-law. Then when Nate got done around 9 pm, we'd take Navi back to his parents' house (where we were still living) and put her down for the night. They would take her baby monitor and listen for her while we went back and painted until at least 1 or 2 in the morning. This fun process went on for about a week. Keep in mind, that when we bought our place, the kitchen was a deep red color, and I wanted it to be a light tan. Just 3 or 4 coats, around all the cabinents, no big deal.

But hey, as much as it might sound like I'm complaining, I'm not! It has been so awesome to have our own place. And it wouldn't have been possible without EXTREME amounts of help from my dad and other willing parties.
Speaking of dads, both of our dads have been troopers in the moving department. When I say five or six (or more) moves, both have them have been right there (mostly) willing :) to help each time. Not to mention all of our friends! We have worn out everyone of Nate's friends with every move we've made. I know that whenever they hear we're packing boxes; they probably cringe and want to disconnect their phones. But we are so appreciative of all their help and I personally sign Nate up for any upcoming moves on their behalves. I'll even help too!

So after a month and a half, we're finally feeling a bit settled, and although I'm still holding Nate to one last bathroom to paint, our house is beginning to feel like home. Navi has made the adjustment like a champ. Her sleeping schedule has even gotten better if that's possible. {knock on wood} She will go down around 9:30 or 10:00, sleep until 6:00 or 7:00 ish, take a bottle, and go back to sleep until 9:00 and sometimes even 10! The other day I let her stay in her crib until she was absolutely crying (not just the whiny babbles) and before she ever cried too hard, she fell back alseep until 11!! Love that girl. Now, that's not by any means an everyday occurance, but let's just say she appreciates a good "morning sleep-in" like her parents. :)

In other less exciting parts of life, I un-luckily ended up taking 11 credits this summer. I foolishly thought I was going to get away with 3....HA. Mostly because I had precious grant money and and didn't want it to go to waste! And well, it is enabling me to FINALLY get into the Elementary Ed program this fall (just one more group interview until I'll know for sure) and then it's 3 semesters in the program, and possibly one semester of a few random classes I need for graduation. That sounds like forever, but seeing as how time is flying by, I'm hoping these semesters will as well. Now if only I would have been doing this 3 majors ago...

Nate is also taking a few summer classes. (How old are we again? Does this ever end?) And if all goes well, he'll be getting into the MBA program this fall. The only catch will be his work schedule compared to the strict class schedule the MBA students have to be in. It's looking like he'll take the "night and weekend" route, but only time will tell. I'm so proud of him and his motivation to keep going. His goals always take our family into account, and what will benefit us most.

I'm still holding out for our schedule to normalize. I've been a slacker on a lot of things lately, including my Zumba schedule. (I'm sorry Alisha!) It's just been very hard to juggle with the move, Nate's switch in work schedule, and that we're still balancing on one car...someday I will feel normal again!

Anyways, we're still waiting on internet companies to quit standing us up for installation, and when I finally have wireless at home, I'll have more time to upload pics of the new place!

Until then...

It Won't Be Like This For Long

I've always had a thing for Hootie. Hootie and the Blowfish that is. Due in large fact that my mom loved the band, and whenever I hear a certain couple songs I'm taken back to some good memories with her. So when Hootie came roaring back in the country music scene, I was thrilled! (Even though he now goes by his "serious" real name Darius Rucker, he'll always be Hootie to me!)

A few weeks back when this song came on the radio, I was pretty much in love. Not only because I love his soft raspy voice but mainly because of the story in the song. It also made me realize that even though we've been anticipating the arrival of our baby and getting so excited for her to finally be here, we should enjoy these last few weeks of "alone time" so to speak. I don't doubt we'll love the parenting roles but these next four weeks will also be our last as just Nate and Laci.

Before we know it, we'll have the baby and we'll be looking back wishing she was still a newborn, or then still a toddler, and so on. This is why I loved the Hootie song even more. So as for now, I'm just enjoying the present.

A Tag and a Truth

Usually I'm somewhat reluctant to complete a tag. Probably due to the fact that I feel a rush of anxiety when the time comes to tag some of my friends. (HUH? You ask...)

Let me explain:
Once upon a time...in high school my friends and I would have some crazy sleepovers. We'd do the usual girl things. Toilet paper, sneak out, take goofy (great for blackmailing) pictures, make sugary foods at midnight (one of our specialties included cheesecake made with Sprite...naturally what you might use if you ran out of milk...?)

And then there were some not so usual nights.

It seemed like maybe twice a year we'd gather up after making it home by midnight, and for reasons unknown, we would nominate a friend, then everyone would take turns saying something that that FRIEND did that might bother them. (back-stabbed, didn't return calls, flirted too much, haha KIM.)

Yeah, we were a really close group of friends. Or maybe just a group of really mean friends...? (this is why teenage girls are always fighting I guess) Well, until just recently, I found out we weren't the only group of friends who did this. (So there is at least one other crazy group out there somewhere)

Anyways...in case you're still confused, I'll give you an example. When it was my turn for my friends to turn on me (I would brace myself for the worst) and 99.9% of the time they would tell me their biggest pet peeve about me was that I cared way too much about what others thought. Not necessarily that I cared too much about what others thought OF me, just that I care too much about what others were thinking.

Basically, I stress myself out for trivial reasons.

To this day, when I go to a store and I'm walking next to someone, say Nate, and we're walking towards another couple, I immediately see that there is not going to be enough room for the two couples to pass each other in the isle, so I will go out of my way to move in front of or behind Nate, to make sure the other people will have room to get by.

This may not sound like such a bad thing...to be thoughtful of others. The problem comes when I'm doing this for "every one and their dog". In the grocery isles, for the people coming out of the doors, for the people going into the doors, for the mom with 5 kids, etc. etc. etc. It can be quite overwhelming. And let's just say my friends and Nate, get sick of me always worrying.

The worst part is, and it hasn't been until recently, that I realize A LOT of other people rarely show the same kind of respect in return, if at all. That in turn tends to bother me that they are so unthoughtful, and you can see where the anxiety sets in. Silly? Crazy? O.C.D ish? Yes. But I can't help it.

So what does ALL this have to do with a measly Tag???

Well, I can answer the tag easily. But when it comes time to "tag" friends, the caring too much about others part sets in. If I feel like someone would be upset, angered, and mainly inconvenienced that I tagged them, I worry. Believe me, I realize how silly and downright crazy this all sounds. But some of you might have your own outlandish little ticks. Whether it is sanitizing your hands at the grocery store, color coordinating your clothes in your closet, or alphabetizing your cookbooks...this is my weakness.

However, due to extreme blog boring-ness, I will get over my psycho personality trait and complete the tag. And to avoid the anxiety, I won't be tagging anyone! HA.

Maybe divulging too much information when it's extremely unnecessary is something my friends forgot to tell me at the sleepovers...

On to the real reason of the post:

8 Shows I Watch:

1. Survivor!!

2. The Amazing Race

3. The Unit - a recent find Nate and I love

4. Friends (all 10 seasons on DVD will most likely be included in my emergency preparedness kit)

5. The Hills - everyone needs a guilty pleasure

6. Law and Order - SVU is my favorite but Criminal Intent is also great

7. Without a Trace - what can I say, I've been liking the police shows lately

8. Most anything HGTV but House Hunters is probably my favorite



8 Restaurants I Love:

1. Olive Garden

2. Costa Vida

3. Wingers

4. Callaway's

5. Chili's

6. Cheesecake Factory - a Virginia find

7. Panera - another Virgina find that is unfortunately too cool for Utah... sandwiches on yummy bread and extremely over-priced frozen lemonade, but I loved it.

8. Firehouse


8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. Slept in way too late

2. Went to work

3. Tried not to loose my patience at work...Is a short temper a pregnancy thing? I'm just going to say it is.

4. Wandered around stores cause Nate has been living at the library due to finals.

5. Talked to Kimi on the phone while I wandered

6. Bought Baby Buttars some cute new pants for the 6 month stage

7. Watched Law and Order for I won't say how long (it was a marathon)

8. Blog stalked

Don't judge me on how unproductive I was. Not everyday is like that... :)



8 Things I Look Forward to:

1. April 6th, 2009!!

2. Learning how to be a mom

3. Watching Nate be a dad

4. Christmas! Duh.

5. Nate graduating in April

6. Going to Disneyland with the Buttars clan in January - even though I might be pouting a fair amount of time because I won't be able to go on all of my favorite rides.

7. Cade getting home...hahaha I know.

8. Living somewhere for more than 6 months



8 Wishes:

1. That I will indeed be able to live somewhere for more than 6 months

2. That Nate will get a good job in this scary economy!

3. That I will be a good mom

4. That our baby girl we be healthy

5. That I could magically loose my baby weight instantly when I'm done being prego

6. That my family was how "it used to be"

7. That I was in Hawaii right now...instead of my sister

8. That I didn't have to work tomorrow!!

And obviously I won't be tagging anyone. Hahaha!

Edward + Bella

AWESOME.

It had me quite shocked at a few parts, laughing, crying. . . the whole spectrum.
So what did you think??

Princess Laci

I've seen this on a few people's blogs so I decided to try it. I'm very sure if it's accurate...but entertaining none the less!


You Are Mulan!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

just for fun

I know I have posted more than usual lately, but things have been slow. (oh how I love to say that) This is just a cool thing I saw on my blogging rounds.

It is a bit time consuming but still fun. Here is what you do:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the FIRST page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Here are my answers:

1. Laci
2. Italian
3. USU
4. blue
5. James McAvoy (right now at least)
6. Diet Coke
7. Hawaii
8. chocolate covered strawberries
9. mom
10. Nathan J
11. changing
12. lbutta, but it didn't work so I tried "buttars" and it pulled up my nephew!

Then Nate participated as well:

1. Nate
2. Mexican
3. Sky View (I guess he thinks of his high school glory days....haha)
4. blue
5. Kate Beckinsale - she's gorgeous I'll admit
6. Dr. Pepper
7. Hawaii (yes we are a lot alike)
8. pizookie
9. retired
10. Laci Jae (notice the freaky/dominating cartoon woman he chose, love you too Nate) :)
11. fun
12. n8

Go ahead, try it!

Simon Says...

Usually I agree with Simon, but not tonight. I love Jason. He should win. But he might not.
Watch him and you will agree, or you should.
That is all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMuwfVSucQs

aMeRiCaN iDoL

Who doesn't love American Idol? I'm a fan. It's on right now, but I prefer to wait for DVR then fast forward through commercials...it's more intense that way. I'd just like to get my votes out while it's still somewhat up in the air, so hear me out...
First off:
Jason Castro.
Call me crazy, which a large percentage of people might, I'm over it. Dreds and all, I like him. #1 - his eyes, and his voice kinda reminds me of Jason Mraz slash Gavin Degraw, which equals hot. He pulls some goofy looks and says some awkward things, I'll admit, but he's got some kind of funny "charm" if you will. I don't know if the rest of America sees it, or will see it, so I worry about his overall chances. But now you know, I like him.


David Cook:
There's not a whole lot to say about David besides he rocks! I like his Creed "ish" style voice and he can flat out play the guitar.


And of course, I've got to side with everyone in Utah, plus the nation's teenage girl population and say David Archuleta. Come on...Simon loves him, that says it all. He does have an amazing voice - his Beatle song rocked. Although, like Jason, he's EXTREMELY awkward but therefore hilarious. His goofy puberty laugh is worth tuning in for. Let's face it, he has a good chance of winning.

As for the girls...I'm not to impressed. I think Carly will do really well, but I'm sorry she gets on my nerves. I liked Alaina a lot, but now she's gone so we'll see who steps up. :)

That's my 2 cents for the week.
The End.

sick of being sick!

Can it get worse? (I'm sure it can, but I'd hate to imagine how) Three weeks ago I came down with the usual flu symptoms...throwing up, achy body, high fever, etc. I battled it for a week. Last week, it seemed to calm down a bit as it transferred to the cold. So as I was coughing, sniffling, and the like, Nate then took on the flu bug. WELL, this week - now the 3rd week - I figured we would be on the down hill slope. NOT.
Around Monday or Tuesday Nate complained of heavy chest congestion that burned when he coughed...every ten seconds. I was popping pill after pill to relieve sinus congestion that was now eeking to my throat and ear. (I had horrible earaches as a baby and I eventually had tubes, so as an "adult" I get more than my fair share of earaches) I guess yesterday was the climax because while I was sitting at work my ear made a very loud pop and fluid started oozing out. I know, this is such a cool story. That was around 3, and I figured it was just a very bad earache. When Nate finally got home from work at 9, he said his chest pain was almost too much to handle and I was on the verge of tears from the extreme pressure in my ear...
Because we've had too many ER/doctor visits than we'd like to pay for, we have both been stubborn about seeing a doctor. (I've been hearing this influenza crap just takes a couple weeks to get out of your system) So, we tried to deal. At 10:30 I was now in tears. In attempt to help, Nate called his mom then the ER. They both seemed convinced my eardrum was ruptured....what a scary word - RUPTURED! The fact that it was still leaking and I was having trouble hearing were also a good indicator. So we gave in to the stubbornness and headed to the ER. Two hours, a shot in the hip, and some loritab later...the pain was finally subsiding but I was still miserable. (I like to think of myself as someone with a high pain tolerance...and call me a baby but the ear pain was right up there with breaking my foot!)
So, long story short...I'm now on amoxcicillin and trying to wait out the pain as my ear keeps drip, drip, dripping. Nate held out his doctor visit to this afternoon just to find out what we kind of expected, he has pneumonia in one lung and it might be partially collapsed!!
We are quite the pathetic pair as we lay side by side moaning our own pains. Taking turns to make perscription runs, bathroom bolts (food doesn't settle too well), etc. Our bosses are ready to fire us I'm sure, and school...well that's just scary. Let's just say I'm MORE than ready for spring....this is the worst flu season ever!

My latest crush...sorry Nate.

Since my Grandma and Grandpa are vacationing in Hawaii, my family has been dubbed the lucky ones to fill their Jazz season ticket seats. (8th row I might add) My Dad quickly called dibs on Saturday night's game, however, Nate and I were able to attend last Monday's game.
Enter: Kyle Korver. P.S. The above photo is not my handy work, I wanted a close up to post so this comes from the Jazz's official website. Wouldn't want to be accused of plagiarizing or something....
You know, the Jazz's latest trade player? Besides being known for his 3 point shooting ability (he was like 6 for 8 at the 3 point line Monday), #26 happens to also be VERY good looking. Our seats overlooking the Jazz bench were in great view of timeouts and such so I thought I'd share a few of my limited pics. You see, my camera had about 1 ounce of battery life so I only snapped these quick photos before it got banished to my coat pocket. You can see where my priorities lied that night...I didn't get a chance to take any of Nate and myself. :(

I couldn't help myself. I made this little impulse buy after the game...Nate just laughed. :)

We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet

"We thank thee, O God, for a Prophet, to guide us in these latter-days. We thank thee for sending the gospel, to lighten our minds with it's rays. We thank thee for every blessing, bestowed by thy bounteous hand. We feel it a pleasure to serve thee and love to obey thy command." ("We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" - first verse)

I don't think I can express in words how thankful I am for President Hinckley, but I am so grateful for his life and his example. One of my first thoughts after learning about his passing was what a great day in heaven it must have been. I can only imagine the happy reunion that took place on the other side of the veil!

A snowy walk through memory lane...

So last Thursday my family packed up the Tahoe and headed south for warmer weather, to Disneyland that is. (To the Wallentines reading- you'll have to be sure and give Clark a hard time because it was initially his idea to vacation in the tourist trap) You see, my younger, bigger, and surprisingly muscular brother is getting set to leave us all for his mission. So my Dad, with much assistance from my travel savvy uncle, decided a final family trip was in order and Mickey land was the place. Now why didn't Nate and I get to join the trek to the happiest place on earth? Because after all, I am a Disney child at heart. (Disney World was my request for our honeymoon)
Well, last summer Nate's security sales offered a deal - anyone who could sell more the second half of the summer compared to the first, would be rewarded with a cruise. Nate did very well, and tomorrow we leave for the cruise. So you see, of all the weekends in the year my family decides to head to California, it is the only week Nate and I can't go because of our cruise. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that we are spending a WARM week in the western Carribean, but I was sad to be left out of the family party.

Anyways, the point of my very long post was to tell about reliving my childhood experience. You see, since the family is gone, Nate and I were called upon to take care of the barnyard chores. (Yes, real farm chores) Allie, my sister, left us a list of all the animals that needed taking care of. Steers to be fed, sheep and goats to be attended to, eggs to be gathered, and then I saw it- the calf to be fed by bottle. My stomach slightly lurched. When I was younger the chore I despised the most was bottle feeding the "spare" (long story) calf. I had to scoop the milk powder and dump it in the bottle while it's stench made me gag, then fill it with water and shake it until the powder clumps were mixed. (Which was a hard task in itself to not spill the bottle) And then feed the slightly stupid calf.

Well now that this job was assigned to me again, I had a little fear creep up. However, Nate was there, so I had to prove I could still feed the little calf. Therefore, I opened the big powder barrel prepared for the stench, but much to my surprise it was not near as bad as my memory made it out to be. After scooping and filling the bottle with water, I was ready for the next bad part - the mixing. After 12 years my hand is bigger, thus easier to cover the bottle's hole, and I discovered the mixing was not half bad. Still a little messy - but alright. Then came the feeding. I recall many snowy nights trudging out through the snow, with frozen tears forming on my cheeks, to feed the calf who would jerk and thrust the bottle while my little hands struggled to hang on.

It sounds simple enough now, but for one reason or another, it was traumatizing then. Maybe it had something to do with the never ending teasing I received from my Dad. When Nate and I reached the calf shed, I was ready to show him that this was in fact annoying. However the calf latched to the bottle the first try, he drank somewhat slowly with few jerks, and in a matter of a minute, he was finished. Nate just smiled, "Not so bad huh?" And I proceeded with reasons why that particular instance wasn't bad at all. In the end, I have to admit it wasn't that bad. I do however, look back and laugh at all the times I did questionable things to get out of feeding the calf, (enter: the brussell sprouts story. Shron? Crystal?) :) I am grateful my Dad has taught all of us, the siblings and myself, how to work. Sometimes I wonder if that was the only reason he had animals, to make sure we had chores. Granted I shyed away from the farm life a lot sooner than Cade or Bekka has. But I still appreciate the things I learned from it, and in turn all the one-on-one time I got to spend with my Dad.