Puddles

There is something disconcerting about a puddle. Not rain puddles, which are great for splashing around in while sporting wellies and carrying an umbrella... I'm referencing the puddles found in your home. Is the roof leaking? Did the washer over flow? Did the plumbing fail? None of these options lead to happy thoughts.

Then there are the puppy puddles and the spilled lemonade. Those puddles are bothersome, but hardly worrisome.

We had a different type of puddle appear under cover of a dark night. But this puddle wasn't a mystery. There were witnesses to its appearance. The Princess was sleeping when she heard a Buddy entering the room. He proceeded to pull down his pajama bottoms and "puddle" the floor. HRH, in a startled state, tried to get him to stop. But, in his sleep-altered mentality, he thought he was in the bathroom!

I have children who talk in their sleep. It may even be a hereditary thing, as I've been known to give entire speeches in my sleep... But sleepwalking is a new experience for us. We will lock the doors, make sure there is nothing to stumble upon, do everything we can to protect our nocturnal wanderer... But all I can do is hope that the puddles are kept to a minimum. And I'll keep feeling gratitude that concrete floors are so easy mopped up!

The Mister and Me

Sometimes life comes at you like a freight train.  You flinch as you bail out of the way and hope you cleared the carnage!  It's times like that when I'm so happy I have such a great guy at my side.

The Mister and I certainly have our differences of opinion.  We disagree on bedtimes (for us and for the kids!), we can find no common ground regarding literature, he likes lemon, I prefer chocolate...  But the one thing I know is that he will always be my rock when I really need it.

Tonight we attended the 50th Wedding Anniversary bash for some family friends.  As we were getting ready for the event, The Mister adamantly informed me that we would be having no such celebration.  When I raised my eyebrows, he informed me that one of us will have killed the other long before then!  Truth is, he'll be in his 80s by then...  But given the family history, he should still be alive and kicking.  And unless he significantly ups the amount on his insurance, he's actually more useful right here...

So, there it is...  My ardent admittance of undying love for The Mister.  Romantic, wasn't it?

End of Summer

Well, we knew it was coming to an end...  Summer is officially fading, and in the evenings it's becoming even more apparent that Fall is on its way.  There is a new bite to the evening breeze that has been absent for the past few months.

A few days ago I noticed the orange tinge on the Japanese maples.  The golden flutter is gaining purchase on the aspens in my yard...  The evenings are cool and pleasant...

I guess the truest indicator that we're at the end of Summer is that school starts tomorrow.  The backpacks have been purchased.  School clothes are ready to be hung in the closets.  New shoes.  Freshly sharpened pencils.  The smell of Crayola and Elmer's.

Summer has been really wonderful this year.  Days on the boat.  Vacations at Lake Powell.  Seven Peaks, Trafalga, the local park...  Snoasis, BBQs, homemade ice cream.  It's been one of the best Summers I can recall.  But the truth remains, I love Fall.  And I can't wait for it to bloom in all its glory! 

It's Back!

It's back! My topper, it's back! YAY!  Where did it go?  Who brought it back?  YAY!

You know you've got a keeper...

Every mom likes to think her kid is the best.  But once in a while, it's really nice to have someone else confirm it.

Last spring, at early registration time, we attended our scheduled appointment in the counseling center.  When HRH gave her name at the front desk, the secretary was so excited to meet her.  She told us that she was the resident "talent scout" and that HRH had been requested to work in the counseling office for the upcoming year.  HRH was flattered, and when her schedule looked like it would allow it, we signed her up.

Today I took HRH to our local middle school.  We are making some significant changes for the coming school year, and we had to withdraw her from the majority of her classes.  Upon entering her counselor's office, Mrs. Brown said,

Ah!  It's so nice to see you!  You are a very popular girl!  

We smiled, but had no idea what Mrs. Brown was talking about.  Apparently, there was some confusion regarding the request for HRH to work in the counseling center.  She was scheduled as an assistant, but there was no information saying where she would be assisting...  Mrs. Brown had sent out an email asking who wanted HRH for an aid.  She got responses from nearly every teacher saying,

Me!  I want her!!!

Unfortunately, nobody at the middle school gets her...  She will be otherwise engaged for the year.   And I'm going to enjoy having her around a bit more!

So many questions...

OK, remember when I was updating my blog and I lost everything?  Remember how I ranted?  Remember how I cried?  Remember how I thought I'd never see my photos again?  Remember how long it took to get things back up and running?  Remember when I uploaded the cute new header with the bees buzzing around?  When did that header disappear?  How long has it been gone?  Where did it go?  How do I get it back?  Just wondering...

Maggot Mouse

I know, doesn't that title just scream for your atention?!

I think I've mentioned our family cat in the past...  You know, the one who doesn't have a name, doesn't know how to purr, and apparently doesn't know how to say, "No" to the neighborhood Tom.  (Yes, we're expecting kittens any day...)  That cat, currently being called Floozie, is good at her job.  Her job being, of course, keeping the mouse population under control.  She's a hard worker, probably underpaid, but exceptionally skilled.  My only complaint is that she loves to leave proof of her good work for my inspection.  I know, ick...  Anyway, we have encountered a new problem...

Enter, Lola...

Lola is not such a dedicated worker.  She loves to chew on expensive shoes, steal toothbrushes, and nom on decorative pillows.  She is definitely not pulling her weight within the family, and aside from the Cute Factor, she has relatively little to offer.

To counter her lack of contribution to the household, she had taken a new tack.  Instead of actually doing anything helpful, like fetching me a Diet Coke, she is trying to steal the cat's thunder.  The cat leaves a mouse for my inspection (acceptably discarded in a remote region of the yard)...  Lola discovers the mouse...  Lola brings the mouse to my very doorstep...  Lola tries to bring the mouse into my house.  I do not appreciate this new direction that Lola has taken.  Lola must drop Maggot Mouse immediately!  No, Lola!  Not in the house!  No!  NO!!!  Lola is FIRED!

Can someone come get rid of Maggot Mouse?  Mister???  Please???

The Dentist

I have an unreasonable, purely irrational, overwhelmingly unmanageable neurosis regarding  my teeth.  (I know, I need help...)  Anyway, for this reason (the neurosis--keep up!) I searched far and wide, making many errors in judgment, before finding the perfect dentist.  And no, "perfect" is not an exaggeration, at least not as far as I'm concerned.  In fact, not only is my dentist awesome, his whole staff is top-notch.  in fact, I've even consented to see his partner on occasion with outstanding results.  But the truth is, I love Dr. Larsen.   

I have a good friend who hates her dentist.  Of course, it's hard to like any dentist who drills holes in your head without using Novocaine!  But here's the rub.  She (my friend) requests to be treated without  any anesthetic...  (And you thought I was neurotic!)  Her reasoning is that this gives her bragging rights when talking to her all-brother siblings.  I'm sorry, but I don't need the "tough" title that bad... 

Recently, this same friend mentioned how much she disliked her dentist and asked if I liked mine.  I told her how gentle my dentist is.  How painless the treatments.  I mentioned how careful he is with my extremely sensitive teeth...  She asked where his office was located, and after my response she guffawed--right out loud!

She doesn't think it's necessary to drive from the Greater Salt Lake City Area to the nether regions of the fine state of Utah to find a good dentist.  But then what does she know?  She lets people drill into her head without numbing it first!

P.S.  In case anybody out there cares, the best dentist in Utah practices in HOLDEN!

Weeds

I have weeds growing in my yard.  Not one or two...  Lots of weeds.  I could argue that I suffer from seasonal allergies.  I could complain that weeding is a never-ending and thankless job.  I could curse the neighboring yard with it's over-grown tumble of weeds that go to seed and infest my lawn and flowerbeds.

But then I find this...

And a little later, I find this...

And then I find this...

And after appreciating the vibrant colors and interesting shapes,
I figure these photos provide an adequate argument against weeding.
And that is the real reason why I have weeds in my yard.

That's my story...  And I'm sticking to it...

The Cabin on the 24th

I know I'm a little behind in posting these photos, but I wanted to get them up before our next little vacation.  We were lucky enough to get to the cabin for the 24th of July (Pioneer Day for those of you not familiar with Utah holidays!).  It isn't very often that we get to go to the cabin these days...  School, dance schedules, sick days...  so many reasons.

But I'm so glad we made it this time!  We brought our new paddle boat and the kids had a blast with it!  It's like that big box at Christmastime.  All the kids want to play in the box instead of playing with their new toys.  Someone remind me, why did we buy the big, expensive motor boat when the kids are just as happy pedaling across the lake...?

The Princess captained the maiden voyage onto Puffer Lake.

 The Buddies all took a turn powering the watercraft.

 Later, we took a hike.  

Everyone was a little apprehensive about the posted warning of BEARS!
(pst, Grandma!  You are supposed to look scared!)

 Then we hiked to this remote location...

 We don't know where it got its name--but if this is poison, it sure is beautiful!

 We climbed as a group and were able to summit with a minimum of whining...
and only a couple grumpy faces...

 The last stop for the day was at the top!  

Above the tree-line and with plenty of snow for a snowball fight!  

No better way to cool off on a hot July afternoon!

Before we know it, there will be more snow than we can handle!  But for this day, this was the perfect ending to a really fun holiday at the cabin!

aaand... Repeat.

Last night I was telling a friend that I feel like I live in the movie Groundhog Day. Although I have referenced that movie in another post, you should not infer that it is my favorite movie. It's just that it happens to have a significant resemblance to my life. 

Anyway, we were discussing the restless point at which we've both arrived. The point at which we are dissatisfied with the status quo. She, being unencumbered by children's school schedules, spouse's work obligations, and other entanglements, is considering making a drastic change to her repetitive life. Me? I am not so flexibly situated.

We discussed her dreams of moving to Europe, Asia, California... And my willingness to visit her in any or all of those exotic locations.  I have to admit, the potential for her to pick and move on a whim is more than a little appealing to me.  Not that I'd ditch my family (really, I swear that I wouldn't!  lol), but there is certainly something appealing about her freedom to change course at will. 

After concluding my wistful pondering of her independence, I decided that maybe it's my own fault that I live in Groundhog Day.  And maybe, just maybe, relocation wouldn't really resolve anything anyway.  After all, for the foreseeable future my life will consist intermittently of packing lunches, walking to the bus stop, afternoon carpools, puking, laundry, washing dishes, cooking, cleaning toilets, and sundry other chores/obligations/duties/privileges.  And all of those things will be a part of my life whether I live right here, or somewhere beachy and tropical...  But maybe I can still extract myself from this persistent, cinematic cycle.

Since I will be doing all the above whether it's here or somewhere else, maybe it's what else I'm doing that I need to modify.  The Boy and I took an excursion to the bike shop on Friday.  I have to say, all those shiny new bikes, helmets with cool graphics, and other nifty doodads made me (if only briefly) reconsider my prohibition on cycling.  But then I reflected on why I ended my stinted cycling phase...  And I remembered that my girlie parts just didn't appreciate that specific form of exercise.  So, I guess that I am stuck in the movie until I can find another outlet for my entertainment needs.  I've considered golf--but who has that much extra time in a day?  I've considered going to the gym...  OK, it was never a serious consideration.  I contemplated cooking classes, but my hips and thighs are begging me to reconsider...  Maybe I'll just take up Olympic-level Shopping.  I'm pretty good at shopping...  Or speed racing!  I can practice while I drive the carpools!  Now, that's an idea worth investigating!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday.  We wish her many more years, good health, and lots of adventures!  We love you!