Jan 24 - 30

Monday, January 24 - Here we go again...I am starting Optavia again and therefore, starting my workbook over again. I thought this quote was really powerful. That all things are possible because you have the ability to make them possible! So inspiring!

Tuesday, January 25 - I was out running some errands when I got a text from Simon asking if I have seen Ricki get on Kendra's hoverboard. Um, no, I haven't. Apparently, she pushes it up against the bottom of the cupboards and gets her balance, while the thing is hitting the cupboard repeatedly, before she takes off. Simon had to sand down the cupboards in several places and touch up the paint to cover up the damage that she has done. Darn it!

Wednesday, January 26 - I was asked to come to Catherine Cumming's house tonight to teach a simple cake decorating class. I think the girls had fun but I had a great time and enjoyed talking with the leaders. :) I hope they ask me to do more with them. It is so fun to be with these cute girls!

Thursday, January 27 - Sweet baby Brooks is doing great! Look at him all dressed up! And is he a mini-Gary or what?!?! I cannot wait to meet that little boy in person! Tonight, Kendra and I took my parents to the airport. They are going to Florida to see Kenny and Katie then go on a short cruise to the Bahamas. On our way home, we saw a smoke plume so we drove around it to get a closer look. Come to find out, several trailer homes in a trailer park went up in flames. It is just so sad for those people who lost everything. Luckily, no one was hurt in this fire. 

Friday, January 28 - In order to be back on Optavia, I had to figure out a way to pay for it. I have heard a lot about donating plasma but have never done it. I decided to give it a try and to be honest, my first experience wasn't the best! I had a "reaction". I started to see flashes of light, got super hot and sweaty, felt like I was going to pass out and/or throw up, and my blood pressure tanked from 122/85 to 95/65. I had to sit for 20 minutes in observation to make sure that I was okay to leave and I only donated about 3/4 of what I was supposed to. However, I did get paid for what I did and I do plan to try it again. Once. If I have that reaction again, I might have to do something different for extra money. 

Saturday, January 29 - Simon and I decided to take the kids to Chili's early today because we had the adult session of stake conference at 7pm. Right before we left for dinner, Simon got a call from his fellow soccer coach Scott. He was calling with the devastating news that Sean had passed away after a week-long fight following a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We thought he was going to be okay and recover but he took a turn for the worse at the end of the week and passed away yesterday. There are so many that will feel his loss for a long time but this is especially hard for these young boys that look up to him so much as their coach and leader. We truly adored Sean and hope that we can stay close to his family as Owen, his son, is still on our team. We will miss you Sean!

Sunday, January 30 - We had dinner at the Pearson's tonight and Ruby & Ricki were inseparable. They had so much fun running around and playing together. They even had the same ice cream together and were all smiles. I couldn't help but grab a picture of them and their sweet, happy faces.

Jan 17 - 23

 

Monday, January 17 - Our family got to really enjoy the gift Kenny and Katie sent us for Christmas. We had yummy pork chops for dinner and they were just that - super yummy! My kids were in heaven! It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Tuesday, January 18 - We started our day at the orthodontist where Dr. Rosvall told us that Zack is definitely ready to start phase I of his braces journey. His teeth are going to need some major work but if start now, there is a change that he may not need permanent teeth pulled in the future. We'll get this started in the next few weeks. After his appointment, we met Jenni, her girls, and mom at the theater to see "Sing 2". Mom treated us (so sweet!) and the kids loved the movie. Even though it's a kids movie, I really enjoyed it too. The music is good and the storyline is fun so it was very entertaining! It was a good day!

Wednesday, January 19 - The school district decided to do Wed-Fri this week virtual because the Covid cases are getting out of control and since the kids already had Monday and Tuesday off, it would give a 9-day stretch without kids in the school. Since I'm a cafeteria worker, I still went in to help prep and hand out lunches. I thought this was quite the sight with the take-out containers all lined up but they assured me this was nothing after the actual shutdown of 2020! I can't even imagine! In other news, we got this adorable picture of Baby Brooks! He is now over 2 lbs. and doing pretty well! He is a mini Gary if I have ever seen one! I can't wait to meet this little nephew of mine. I love him so much and I haven't even gotten to meet him yet!

Thursday, January 20 - I'm starting over with Optavia. I don't know how I feel about it but I am back up to my heaviest weight again and I know this works for me so I'm doing it now before summer fun (at Cowabunga Bay...in a swimsuit) starts! I still have enough food to get me through the next couple of weeks and then I will start ordering again. Bridget and Ricki keep getting together at our house because they are loving to play dress up. They love to get the Elsa and Rapunzel dresses and wigs on and then act like princesses. I love these girls! 

Friday, January 21 - Zack got invited to go to Max's birthday party up at Soldier Hollow. They went tubing for 2 hours, to dinner, had cupcakes, then came home. He had so much fun with his good buddies from school! And so much for my diet today! Haha! Mom took the McCullough's and my whole family out to ice cream at Leatherby's for our help during her knee replacements. It was so fun to be together and SOOOO yummy but it didn't help with my weight loss any. Haha! I'll get back on the plan tomorrow...or on Sunday. :)

Saturday, January 22 - This fun group of friends took us to Roc Taco in Salt Lake tonight. We had never been there and man, it was so good! We then went back to the Mortensen's house to watch the Packers vs. 49ers playoff game. Jeremy is a huge Packers fan but unfortunately, they lost in the last 3 seconds by a field goal kicked by the 49ers. Bummer ending but it was a great night with great people!

Sunday, January 23 - I was pretty sneaky in sacrament today and quick snapped this picture of my boy. This was his first time preparing and blessing the sacrament. It was an exciting and good day and a step forward in his priesthood progress. Good job Nick!

Jan 10 - 16

 

Monday, January 10 - We have arrived! Our first day started at California Adventure and what an adventure it was! We learned quickly that it is hard to navigate the park with a large group but it was fun getting to know Amy's clan. It was a group of fun girls and it was non-stop laughter and jokes all day! Around 3:00, we headed over to Disneyland and hit a few rides there before the parks closed. It is always a great time with Liz at Disney but I got 30,000 steps so it's a little exhausting too!

Tuesday, January 11 - Our second day started in Disneyland. Liz introduced us to churro gears for breakfast and they were yummy! We got this fun picture together in front of the princess castle before heading out to do as many rides as we could. Our goal on the rides that take your pictures is to make the ugliest face possible. I have tons of them from the week but this one is my very favorite. I think all four of us hit it spot on! :) Haha!

Wednesday, January 12 - We had half of a day to spend in California before we had to head home so we took full advantage of it. First, we went to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Then, we hopped in the car and drove to Huntington Beach. We ate lunch at a yummy place called BJ's then walked down to the beach for just a few minutes. We had to leave to head to LAX at 2:00. We were worried about traffic and dropping the car off and LAX being crazy...but it was opposite of what we expected. We got there in about 35 minutes (instead of the 50 we were planning on), dropping the car off was simple, the shuttle to take us to the airport was sitting at the lot just waiting for us, and LAX was really just dead. We made it through security and to our gate with 2 hours to spare! We commented that if we would have known it would go so smoothly, we would have stayed at the beach longer! It didn't matter though, we have fun no matter where we are. What a fun trip and great memories with these ladies! Can't wait for the next trip! :)

Thursday, January 13 - Look what came while I was on my trip! It wasn't supposed to get here until the end of the month so I was shocked that it already came! I love my blog books! It makes it worth keeping up on these posts each week! :)

Friday, January 14 - We were running around all day long so when Zack asked if I could play a game with him, I willingly agreed. :) It took a while but it was really fun to play and spend this time with my main guy! Plus, we are loving our new game, Ticket to Ride.

Saturday, January 15 - A crazy world event happened today. A volcano erupted in the ocean about 40 miles away from Tonga. The explosion reached up to 20 miles in the air and destroyed every home on the nearby Mango Island. They haven't been able to send humanitarian aid because the runway of their main island is covered in up to 4" of ash. It's so sad and they are basically alone out there without help for a couple of days until ships can bring aid. In the meantime, all the Pacific shores are on tsunami watch because the surge could be devastating. Well played 2022, way to show up the last two years!

Sunday, January 16 - Debby Keel did a fun singing time today. She made snowmen out of toilet paper rolls then let the kids throw a ball at them to try to knock them down. The kids loved it and aren't these snowmen so cute?!?

Jan 1 - 9

Saturday, January 1 - Happy New Year! We had a busy and fun day! The whole fam dressed up in our RED gear to support our favorite team, the University of Utah. We had a wonderful "linner" (lunch/dinner) at Chuch-A-Rama in celebration of dad's 60th birthday and then we all went back to mom and dad's for the big game. The U of U made it to the Rose Bowl but unfortunately lost. :( It was still fun to be together and spend the day with the family!

Sunday, January 2 - Today was Simon's first day with his new Primary class. He has Ricki's class this year and they are both very excited! His team teacher, Bret Peterson, was gone for the weekend so I went and subbed with him and we had lots of fun. :) It's going to be a good year! This afternoon, we went to the McCullough's house to be a part of Jake's ordination to the Priest Quorum. It was a great experience to be in their home and feel the Spirit as BJ gave Jake the ordination and blessing. I'm so glad we were able to be there.

Monday, January 3 - The kids went back to school, Simon went back to (at-home) work, and I suppose it's now time to take down the Christmas decor. I'm kind of sad to see it all go but a little excited to have my normal house back again. :)

Tuesday, January 4 - We normally go to the movies the week between Christmas and New Year's but this year, they decided to take away the Tuesday discount so we decided to wait a week. We went tonight, in honor of dad's birthday today :), to see the new "Spider-Man; No Way Home". It was so good! I actually really loved it! I love these fun memories with my cute family!

Wednesday, January 5 - I did Ricki's nails. She usually has to ask me for about 2-3 days before I give in so today when she started asking, I decided just to stop what I was doing and spend some time with my girl. They turned out fun and cute! :) While I did that, Kendra decided to make cookies. In her defense, she did follow the recipe. However, her first batch (on the right) just did not turn out. I told her the dough was way too wet and she needed to add flour. We did that and maybe added a little too much but the ones on the right were much better! She is baking almost every day right now which is great for her learning but not so good for my waistline! 

Thursday, January 6 - Little Brooks decided to pull his intubation tube out today so they decided just to try him on CPAP and see how he does. Because he is currently un-intubated, Alexis (this morning) and Gary (this evening) were able to do some skin-on-skin time and hold Brooks for the first time! We got these pictures and I cried both times; in the morning when we got Alexis' pic and in the evening when we got Gary's. :) We sure do love Brooks!!!

Friday, January 7 - Amie and I were able to get together to have lunch and talk about a book club we want to put together. I love these little visits we still get to do. I miss Amie when I don't see her enough.

Saturday, January 8 - I started my day off at a wonderful baptism for Garrett Lattin. Ricki came with me too so that she could see him get baptized and get to know what is going to happen at her upcoming baptism this summer. I am getting ready to go to Disney tomorrow so I thought I needed some cute Mickey nails. :) Soooo excited!!

Sunday, January 9 - What a great day! Nick was ordained a Priest today at the church by Simon. We had a huge crowd as both of our families came to support him and us. It was so wonderful! I just love this kid and the example he is to me and everyone around him. He is always happy and cheerful and lightening the mood. I love my Nick! After dinner at the Pearson's, I met up with these ladies (Liz, Marisa, Brooke, and Diane) to head to California and Disneyland! From the moment we got together, it was non-stop laughing and fun! Even though I don't work there anymore, I hope I can keep going on these trips with them. I enjoy being with them so much!