Tag! You're It!

I got tagged. (Thanks Melysa) Cool. This is all so new to me so here I go...

Q. where were you 10 years ago?
I was mom of 2 year old Rett(See picture in blog below), living in Georgia, yearning to have another child, and selling Pampered Chef (I think)

Q. 5 things to do on my "to do" list today?
This is tough because we (Rusty and I) have had a weekend "away" from the children. So I guess
1. Pick up children from their cousins
2. Watch conference
3. Write in my journal
4. Savor motherhood
5. This sounds awful, but put my boxes of Christmas decorations in their rightful storage (out of the gym)

Q. 5 foods I enjoy...
1. Chocolate -- in particular dark, but Melysa introduced me to the wonderful world of Lindt.
2. I'm with Melysa, Salad, but the fancy kind with chicken, oriental, etc.
3. "Welcome to Moes!"
4. I discovered Cheesecake factory about 2 years ago
5. California Rolls Sushi

Q. what would you do if you were suddenly a billionaire
1. Buy a golf course or island
2. Get Rusty a T-REX to ward off midlife crisis ;o)
3. put away for some of children's college and their 1st house downpayment
4. Travel
5. Buy "land, lots a land, with starry skies above."

Q.5 jobs I have had...
1. telemarketer - HATED! I knew quite a few of the people I called UGH!
2. golf marshal - LOVED!
3. salesperson for Hewlett Packard and home sales
4. receptionist
5. waitress at Pizza Hut. Told I was "too friendly" HELLO!! I'm trying to make tips!

Q.5 things you don't know about me...
1. I like going to school
2. I took accordion lessons
3. I love to sew
4. I dream of playing a round of golf once a week when Ivy goes to school (Rusty says give it up - too expensive)
5. I'm a packrat. It's in my DNA

Q. 5 places I have lived
1. Taylor, AZ
2. Miami Beach, FL
3. Rexburg, ID
4. Provo, UT
5. Canton, GA

Tag Maci, Tori, Sara S, Karina

April Fool's Day

I love April Fool's Day. Perhaps it's that I love a good surprise, but this day has fond memories for me. 17 years ago, today, we announced our engagement. Then 3 years ago, I had THE BEST prank ever and it was on me.

I was going to pick up my nephew for the weekend. I arrived at his school. The plan was to load up their luggage first and then go back into the school to retrieve my nephew. When I walked back out to my truck with luggage in tow, I couldn't find my truck. How could this be? I had parked right in front of the preschool...I thought. Where I thought I had parked was an excursion just like ours, but it had those racy mud flap girl silhouettes. That would NOT be my truck! But as I took a closer look, the mud flap girl was actually a PREGNANT mudflap girl. Okay, so it WAS my truck. My fun husband had got me! I was 8 months pregnant so he modified the girl to be pregnant. I had driven a good 15 miles without noticing. I proudly drove around the rest of the day with a smile on face, we took pictures, and then peeled them off. I love that about Rusty! He keeps me laughing.

Chapter closed

It's been a fairly crazy week and today was no exception. Nearly 2 years ago, we ventured into something I never thought would happen...GOATS. After much trial and error, we decided to cut back and simplify our life. We decided finding the goats a new home would fit into our new vision. So I placed an ad in the Farmer's Market Bulletin, calls came, visits made, and this evening, Annabelle and Daisy went to live somewhere else. Daisy (loud open mouth bleet)was very pregnant and Annabelle (the strong, silent type) was just content hanging around with or without Daisy. They were not easy to catch and the new owners totally hog tied them to transport them. Hog tied goats was something I had never seen. I felt uneasy seeing my girls all tied up. Somedays they were a pain and somedays they were just so cool. Today was a cool day. Shea felt the same. She cried and later said "I didn't think I would miss them." It's bittersweet. We plan to go visit them when Daisy has her baby/babies in a few weeks. I really dig goats. Their unique personalities are totally fun.

Hey Batter, Batter, Swing Batter!

So Asa wanted to try his hand at baseball. He has an amazingly accurate throw & hits about 50%. He has a tendency to hit it down 3rd and it goes out. So a lot of foul balls leading to either a good strong hit or a not so good strike out. He does quite well, but he did something I have NEVER seen in baseball.

He started the bottom of the 2nd inning batting. He struck out. Didn't bother him too much and it obviously didn't bother the other players because most of them batted terrific. They actually went through the ENTIRE batting order with only one other out. So it got back to Asa up to bat AGAIN, IN THE SAME INNING with 2 outs. "Hey batter, batter, SWING Batter!" Smack! Foul ball. Strike 1. "Hey batter, batter, swing batter!" Swung again. No contact. Strike 2. "Hey batter, batter, swing batter!" Swung a third time. STRIKE #3! Can you believe? 2 strike outs in ONE INNING by the SAME PERSON?! Leave it to Asa. Didn't phase him. He ran back to the dugout with same ole' zest and zeal in Asa Passion.

New Blog Skin

My husband really rubs off on me. When I was looking for a new skin for the blog, all I wanted was 'something with orange.' I decided it was because Rusty has rubbed off on me. A couple of months ago, we did some redecorating. We painted the 'man cave' industrial/contemporary rust orange, black, and grey. It looks great! Rusty has been hankerin' for a real 'man cave' with game area, home theatre, leather couches, etc. Well, I can finally say "He's got it." And we did it all on our own. So now I yearn to watch TV...in the man cave. Family movie night is something I don't dare miss. It's just too fun to go hang out there.

More (or less) of me...

So here I go again. A little about me...When I added the subtitle, I thought, "Hey. That is something others may not know about me." Go back about 30 years and ask me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I would reply, "A clown. Clowns make others happy." So when I prepared to go to college, my mom made me a clown costume. I used it a few times...Halloween, singing Happy Birthday to my roommate's brother, visiting a little boy in the hospital. It was years later that I wore it for Halloween with my first born. Then I learned to make silly balloon shapes. I added a new dimension to the costume and was able to make others happy. It doesn't fit as well, the elastic needs replacing, but I think I may have to pull it out and use it in the near future...to make my children a little happier than they already are. I'm sure it will bring me cheer also.

I fell into a black hole....

Okay. So I didn't fall into a black hole, but with the lapse from when I opened this blog to now, well it's obviously been awhile. So we're back in the game. I have to thank ALL my friends who have inspired me. I was thinking yesterday, how blessed I am to have truly high caliber people in my life. If you're reading this, you are one of those people. Thank you.

So did I mention I have been a mom for over a decade? 12 years this week to be exact. Rettman has an airsoft party this evening. We're following up with tinfoil dinners over an......oven (to ensure they get done just right), but we'll have a bonfire (weather permitting), a cookie cake, and a movie. He's asking for our edited Black Hawk Down. I have a child who can actually view the same movies we enjoy? That is a new sensation. A couple of weeks ago, he watched Sixth Sense with Dad and cousins and LOVED it! This will take some getting used to.