Turn on your TACTOMETER please

I have started this post a few times in the last few days and I am not sure this one will make the cut either.  That being said, I am going to go ahead anyway and trudge onward.  There have been a few things happen around me lately that are truly tragic.  We have had some pretty sad things happen in our family over the last several years, but there have always been answers to our questions and with the help of a loving Heavenly Father we dealt with those events.  In having to deal with such things, I am an open book and most people know that about me.  If you ask me a question, I will most likely tell you the answer or let you know you are out of line for asking me that question.  Other people in my family are not like this at all, they are a closed book and don’t want anyone to know things that happen in their world.  My point being is that people are so different in the way they handle issues, tragedies or just life in general and we need to be respectful of the differences.  I follow a blog of a cute mom who lost a daughter several years ago.  Just recently she posted a list of appropriate things to say to people who had recently been dealing with the death of a loved one, and I looked for that list, but was unable to find it to share.  I wish I could be more precise in the reasons I am writing this post, but because of others and the respect I have for them, I will not stoop to that level.  However, I would ask that anyone that does read my blog be so careful in the questions you ask people who have suffered tragedies or even things you don’t believe qualify as tragedies, because people’s opinion on such matters do differ immensely.  Just remember when trying to console other people that you don’t live in their minds or their lives and you DON’T know how they feel, even if you have suffered something similar.  One thing that I would hope we could all remember also is that we don’t need to know the details of their tragedy and especially don’t ask for details.  I know I am not a certified counselor or anything close, but I think a little common sense goes a long way and we need to make sure we turn on what I call our tactometer when talking to people in need of our love and support. 

BYU I festival time

 

So, I have gotten in the horrible habit of not taking my camera with me when I should be taking it with me.  Kinlee’s festival being the perfect example, even though I had some really good excuses.  She was scheduled to play at 9:15 Saturday morning and they like you to be there at least 10 minutes early.  Well, at 8:45 I woke up and realized I had shut off my alarm and that Kinlee hadn’t gotten up either, so it was a rush to get ready.  We did make it though and we were 10 minutes early, yeah, time to spare.  When we got to where she would play we saw the names of the judges for the day on the door.  The first judge of the day was Karen, one of my good friends, and Jerika’s piano teacher when she was younger and the other judge Gaye is in our ward.  I am not sure why, but this made Kinlee super nervous, but her judge ended up being Karen, and Kinlee did a fabulous job (not sure yet what her score was.)
When you arrive at festival, there is always someone playing on the baby grand in the lobby.  I never really understood who they were or why they were playing there, but we got to find out this year.  The teachers are allowed to ask a couple of their students to play where after they have finished their judging and this year Lori Ann (Kinlee’s teacher) asked her if she would play.  So, that is what the really blurry picture is right after Kinlee played.  I did video tape it but I am not sure how to post it here.  But, she did an amazing job and I was super proud that she had worked hard enough for her teacher to ask her to perform.  She has really done an amazing job with her piano and she really loves it too. 

  

Scrapbooking old style

Tiff & Allisa (sorry a little blurry). 

 

Me & Karen Beagley

I was really order pictures so I can scrapbook old style.  But Tiff and Karen were really scrapbooking and we are going to do it more often for sure!!  We had tons of fun!!

Halloween

We got home the other night from Kinlee's concert and this was waiting for us outside our house.  It was from our cute home teacher and of course his cute wife.  They were so festive and the soup was for Ray so he could feel better. 

I totally dressed up for Halloween as the itsy bitsy spider's fat big sister.  I wanted to do something and this was plenty.  That was pretty much the only dressing up that happened at our house, Kinlee did dress up as something in the morning and then as something else in the evening, but yup mother of the year didn't take her picture. 

This was the revolving skeleton from work, they had him or her set somewhere different for over a week and I must say it scared the crap out of some people. 

This is where it was located all day Halloween, those are my computer screens so it was my view all day.  I have to admit too that everytime I came up from the back of the office I thought someone was waiting in the chair.  That night we went to St. Anthony for the annual dinner with everyone else. 

Choir concert

 

 

 

 

Marvelous Mattsons

Nakia asked me to take pictures of her family a few weeks ago and I felt a little unworthy. I just feel like I do the same thing all the time and I look at other photographers photos and don't feel great about my pictures. But, I decided I would do and I am glad I did, they really turned out pretty good and we had a fun too, even though I was slightly grumpy that day.

Gaven, he's getting so big and he is just so stinking cute!! 

 

Tragen, I can always count on a hug from him. 

 

Kaden finally smiled nicely, he wasn't too excited about pics either. 

 

Rylen, look at that dimple, he thinks it he can rule the world with that thing. 

 

Brayli, the only girl and yes she can told her own. 

 

 

I must say that they turned out pretty good, cut they are all so cute!! 

Shout out to doTERRA oils

I totally forgot on my last post to mention the oils we used on Ray while he was sick.  I don't think I have ever seen someone recover so fast from walking pneumonia. The doctor did give him stuff for breathing treatments and he did that for 2 days but couldn't take the machine with him on the truck. So, he has been using just oils this week and feels much better.  The doctor didn't give him any antibiotic either so that makes it even more impressive.

Sick hubby = grumpy wife

Ray had walking pneumonia last week and I am pretty sure I am the least sympathetic wife ever!!  He was home on Thursday night and snored like crazy so I slept on the couch since I had to work the next day.  Friday night we pulled the twin mattress downstairs so I could sleep on that instead of the couch and he graciously gave up our bed and slept in the living room.  Saturday morning I finally made him go to the doctor and the doctor got him all set up with breathing treatments.  Even though he was a little better the next two nights, he still slept in the living room.  Yup, I am creepy like that.  I also left most of the day Saturday to go have lunch at KaReena’s house for her birthday.  Mom, Nakia and I made lunch and took it over there and spent the afternoon just talking.  It was so much fun!!  Then I had to return to “sick land” and I was tired, so I took a nap.  Kinlee went to help at a Halloween Carnival for the day and I think Jerika just stayed in her room most of the day.  We had Stake Conference on Sunday and nobody felt great so we didn’t go and then we paid the price later in the day, because sick dad and grumpy mom equals external combustion.  Enough said on that.  So, Ray is feeling a little better, I think.  He still left on the truck and is in Canada for most of the week.  Needless to say it was a super fun weekend and he was not happy that I took pictures of him while he was sick. 

 

 

Parental Guidebook

Each child should be born into this world with an attached parental guidebook, mine included.  Lately, I just thank my lucky stars that I only have 2 children.  And don’t get me wrong, they are pretty amazing kids, even if I do say so myself.  I really wouldn’t trade them for anything and I really can’t complain too much about what they do.  If you will please read the first line of the post again, it says “parental guidebook”, which means I need guidance, not my kids.  I feel like lately I have really dropped the ball on several things and wonder on a regular basis how I can do something better now that the ball is rolling away.  This isn’t a pity party on my part and I am not posting this because I want people to tell me I am a good mom.  I am just observing my lack of know how and knowledge and I find myself wondering how to fix what is broken and wondering if it is a little late to do so.  Maybe I am broken and need fixed, I am just really not sure today.

Wow!

Isn't it funny how some people never grow up mentally? That's all.

Indiscriminate thoughts and views

The other day I wrote a pretty lengthy blog post about things going on it our world.  However, it is still sitting there waiting for me to push “publish” because there are people that can’t know yet what is going on in our world.  This is one reason I think I should make my blog private and because I think some mean people that block me from social network sites are still reading my blog.  Yup you know who you are.  That being said I am having another Random thought day and if for no other reason than to get a few things off my chest, I am writing it down for all to read.  One of them is really silly and I think it has come to my attention lately, because I really hate doing my hair every day.  I know that sounds really lame, but it just seems like a bother most days.  I have noticed that people on tv don’t really do their hair anymore, I know really random thought.  For instance, I was watching Dancing with the Stars the other night and Julianne Hough’s hair was horrible and looked as if it had no style.  The other person I made note of recently was Ellen D. “wife” Portia.  She has the weirdest looking hair I have seen in a long time and she is on a television show that I watch and they try to style it on there which makes it look even worse.  I would post pictures of both, but I don’t want to waste any space I might have putting pictures of insignificant things on here (google it if you get a minute).  So, I am thinking, do I really need to even do my hair for work every day?  I might try one of these crazy “styles” and see if anyone says anything, because I can do these styles by simply rolling out of bed in the morning. 
And speaking of Ellen D., that brings me to my random topic for today, which is gays and marriage.  Please note I said gays and marriage , not gay marriage, because I don’t 100% agree with that term.  I would like to clarify right off that I agree with the LDS church’s stand on gays and I am not questioning that at all.  One of my very good friends in high school was gay, but we didn’t know it until several years later, I also had gay roommates when I lived in Utah.  I have a few gay friends now and I am not judging their choices at all, however I think that the word marriage in the traditional sense is between a man and a woman.  And if they want to be “married” maybe they could try calling it something else.  I also am not a fan of them calling each other husband and wife, I don’t know why that bothers me, but it does (maybe because there just can’t be 2 wives or 2 husbands in a union).  Now, I am a pretty liberal person, especially considering where I live, and I am very tolerant of a lot of things and if you want to be gay, then you just go right ahead.  However, I saw an article the other day about a little church and preacher being sued because he would not perform gay marriages.  This is where I have a problem!!!  They (I am sorry but this is how I am going to refer to gays) are wanting us to be tolerant with them and accept the way they believe, however they are not willing to do the same thing.  Tolerance is a two way street which also involves choices and not just our own choices, but the choices of others.  It seems to me like they are wanting everyone to change the way they believe and make people whose churches do not “believe” in gay marriage skew their belief system.  If we allow them to live the way they want and they don’t want us to “judge” them, then they can’t “judge” others that don’t agree with them.  That is pretty vast statement I realize, but think about it a little, they didn’t want us to force our beliefs on them and so they have been fighting for their rights and now they have the “rights” they want, they want us to change what we believe just to accommodate them.  Are they going to start trying to sue the LDS church because they won’t allow them to be sealed in their temples?  This is why we have freedom of religion they can stick with the religions that do believe in gays being married and let the rest of us believe and worship how we would like.  Once again, just to reiterate if you want to be gay then please feel free it does not make you a bad person, but don’t berate others for not agreeing with your choice because we all have a little thing called free agency.  Maybe this should have gone in the “unpublished” portion of my blog as well, but this how I feel, I just hope I don’t come across as a hater, because I am so very tolerant of many things.

My Favorite PEEPS

Some of these pictures aren't the best quality (I used my cell phone) but I wanted to use them anyway.  Peyton got baptized so of course I had to take pictures and I keep telling everyone when they complain that they will thank me later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Escape.....to Utah

Amanda and I went to lunch on Friday and decided that we were going to Utah the next morning and so we did.  We left at 9 and stopped for lunch at Maddox in Brigham City and then went across the street and bought my mom 2 huge squashes.

After that we headed to downtown Salt Lake.  My sweet friend Becky lost her husband to cancer a few months ago and they donated his body to research, so we stopped at the memorial to take pictures for her of his name on the wall.  Here is a picture of the "monument" the wall was glass so the pictures of that didn't turn out fabulous, but it was nice to see what giving people there are in this world.  The wall was huge with many donors names and it was a good reminder to me of how giving David really was. 

 

Of course I couldn't go to Utah without seeing my family.  So that night we met up with Ashlin and her boyfriend (who we really liked).

Shelby, Catie, Austin and Kelsie for dinner.  Doesn't Austy look thrilled?  He loves me, he just doesn't like his picture taken I guess. 

 

It was freezing at Red Robin so we were using napkins as blankets it didn't help a whole bunch but it was something. 

That night we stayed at Amanda's in-laws, aka Travis' parents.  They were so nice and it was really nice staying up late talking to them.  The next morning they fixed us a really nice breakfast and then we watched the first session of conference with them, which was very nice also. 

Contrary to my most recent relief society lesson, which said to keep the Sabbath Day Holy, we went to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory before heading home.  But, I think the ox was in the mire and we needed to eat before our long drive home.  We had a really nice time and it was so much fun getting away for a few days.  Thanks Amanda for being such an amazing friend!! 

 

Oh, I can't forget Ruby Snap, which is an amazing cookie store in down town Salt Lake that we stopped at on Saturday.  The cookies were pretty expensive but they were WAY worth it and they gave us samples of anything we wanted too, which made it even better!!  It will most definitely be on our places to stop in Utah from now on. 

Spud harvest

I was thinking this morning, since the kids are out for spud harvest, about my 2 short jobs working in the spuds.  As I thought further of my own fun experience in the spuds it occurred to me that I should write it down somewhere.   So, this is a story from when I was in high school, so if that doesn’t sound of interest feel free to stop here.  I am not even really sure what grade I was in, but I am guessing maybe a Freshman.  Blake got a job with one of his friend’s dads who had a little property out in Parker.  I don’t remember how it all went down but he got me a job working on the digger too.  The first day we went to work and I don’t remember much about the day, but I remember it was horrible!!  Riding that stupid thing non-stop all day long outside was really not my cup of tea.  We worked later into the night and then I started getting so very cold, which I hate even more than just being outside.  After we were done on the digger, we went into the spud cellar to help them finish in there and then we were finally able to go home.  We left with instructions for Blake to call in the morning at a certain time and they would tell us what time to come to work.  So, the next morning Blake called to see what time they would like us to come to work.  They told him what time to be there and at the end of the conversation they said in what I am guessing was a nice, tactful, polite way, “do not bring your sister with you.”  So, working in the spuds was technically the only job I have ever been “fired” from in my life.  I can’t say that I was sad, because I was so very happy that I didn’t have to go back to that field ever again.  I haven’t really thought about it a lot since, but now as a parent, I wonder what my parents thought and if they were embarrassed or disappointed.  I also find myself wondering sometimes how horrible I must have been on that digger, was I complaining that bad, I didn’t think so.  Maybe I let too many vines get past me, I don’t know, but I didn’t have to go back and that was all that mattered.
A few years later I had a friend whose dad needed some help for just one day at his farm in Egin.  They were desperate and promised they would be done early.  I agreed to go help that day and it was so much better than I had remembered the first time.  The sun was shining all day and it wasn’t the nightmare of the first spud experience.  However, it was not something I ever did or wanted to do again.  I had babysitting jobs during the summer of my freshman year and my sophomore year I worked the summer at a snow shack and my junior year is when I got the job at the law firm and worked there for what seemed like 10 years, even though I am sure it wasn’t that long. During my senior year I got out of school at 12 worked at the law office from 1 until 5 and then I went and worked the nights at Big J’s.  Wow, I was a busy girl my senior year.  Anyway, the moral of this story is that I will never make my kids work in the spuds.  If they want to that is their choice, but I will not ever force them to do so.  Your welcome Jerika and Kinlee.

Carlson 2014

They are all getting so old, which makes me feel really old!!  They are all so cute and I am glad to have them all in my life.  I did of course babysit Allisa when she was younger.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks again guys for letting me take your pictures!!