Service is fun!

Today we had a stake YSA activity at Paris Mountain State Park here in Greenville. I worried & fretted that no one would come but was so excited at the great turnout! They all worked super hard -- even after the rain started coming down. (There is a reason the weatherman calls them Rain Showers!) The crew hauled & spread mulch & rocks & made a path. The ranger was delighted with all of the hard work & impressed that they completed as much work as they did.


I just feel so blessed to be able to work with the YSA in our ward & stake. They are such great people & I love to be with them. I love the chance that I have to work on something with Scott rather than staying home & keeping track of the kids all the time. It has been a year this April & I keep crossing my fingers that we get to stay where we are. (I should write some fancy disclaimer here about being happy with whatever we are called to do but I really, truly love what we're doing now!)

Today, Ryan & Jared were able to come & work with us. They did a great job hauling rocks & staying out of the way. Jared even made the Crystal Light -- it was as delicious as possible. Chris & Scott & Ryan went on a bike ride this morning. Christopher took a bad spill so he stayed home to let his open raspberries heal. OUCH!

Embrace the Puke???

Okay, so whenever I go to Cycling at the gym, I push myself too hard or get too hot or something and ALWAY feel like I am going to throw up. I finally came up with the motto "Embrace the Puke" to just see how far I could push myself before I really, really threw up. It hasn't happened & I have been able to work out a little harder.


Yesterday, Scott took half the day off work & we went up to Asheville to go to the Biltmore House with the kids. HUGE house & always lots of people. We had an annual pass so we were able to go in for free with the kids. In front of the house is a huge lawn and then some stairs and finally another huge hill with a statue on top. The kids decided to go up to the top & so we all went up & saw the view. From way up there, the house looks a wee bit smaller.


Jared started rolling down the lawn & it started a revolution (pun intended). Kids everywhere were climbing the hill and rolling down the lawn. There was evidence of deer in the area but the kids sort of steered clear. One group of kids included a high school boy who was encouraged by his friends to roll down the hill -- he bounced and landed finally with his pants falling down. Our Ryan started at the top of the hill and somersaulted and rolled the whole way to the bottom!!!

All of this rolling around left Jared feeling very, very queasy. He threw up & I got sick about the same time & eventually threw up in the car. AWFUL! We're hoping that this brush with sickness is all that we have for the year.

Here's to good health!

Bowling with the YSA

Some pictures of the boys --

By the Numbers

10 years ago -- We were living in Maple Valley. Scott was working for Boeing. Ryan was 1-1/2 months old & nicknamed "Cryin' Ryan" because he was not the happiest baby on the block. Christopher was in preschool a few days a week (in Renton) so we drove 25" each direction for dropoff & pickup (& Ryan cried a lot of that time). When Chris was home he was 100% addicted to the computer. I was totally & utterly overwhelmed.

9 daily uses -- the van, my gym membership, shower, dishwasher, cell phone, computer, black socks in the winter & sandals in the summer, scriptures, & my debit card. (... shouldn't my day planner be included in this list???)

8 things on my to-do list -- read 10 informational books for Kiddie Lit & write little blurbs about each one , hang up most of my clothes, find new church clothes for kids, talk to Paris Mountain about service project, make care packages for missionaries we know, find the top of my desk, send birthday cards for my two sisters & Scott's brother for Thursday, & watch No Reservations because it was due last Friday. (These are the first eight off the top of my head -- there are a million more random to-dos.)

7 places that I have lived -- Park City, Midvale, Provo/Orem, & SLC, Renton, Maple Valley, & Greenville.

6 things I enjoy -- Lieu's Spicy Chicken, coming home after T&T have cleaned my house, children playing happily together, date night with my husband, helping kids find books at the library, talking to my friends on the phone.

5 facts you might not know about me -- I blush when I hear the word jock strap. I try to plan what's for dinner by 10a; if I don't figure it out before lunch, it's bad news at 5p. I can't stand having any cupboard doors left open; even if I am at someone else's house, I have to close the doors. When I go shoe shopping it takes forever because my feet are ultra-sensitive princess & the pea-style feet. I yell at people when I am driving all the time.

4 jobs I have had -- bank teller, carpet store accountant/orderer, picture framer, algebra tutor. (I have only had 6 months worth of full time employment in my whole life!)

3 bad habits -- throwing my clothes in a basket to hang up later, playing on the computer way too much, eating the whole box of Girl Scout cookies before anyone else knows we ordered them.

2 books I last finished -- Three Cups of Tea and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. ... and probably six other novels last month and innumerable children's books for Kiddie Lit.

1 favorite -- spending time on the beach.