Swiss Miss

Welcome to Midway, Utah. Home of the annual trip of Swiss Days and my weekend adventures. I had such a wonderful weekend and am trying not to focus on the realities of mom-hood coming alive at 5:45am this morning (especially after staying up late for show-and-tell with Tyler.) By the time I am writing this post I have already fought the wardrobe fight, finished a procrastinated GATE project, and dropped the girls off at school. I figure that gives me a couple more hours while Caylee is at kindergarten to get my wits about me.

Really, the weekend was FABULOUS. For the first time (this is the 4th annual trip) we (me, my sister (Erin), adopted sister (Terry), my dad, and Matt (Terry's husband who drives his own car) left on Thursday night and got to Provo to stay at the Mohler's townhouse about 2am-ish. I LOVE driving on a roadtrip when there's great conversation and thanks to Senator Craig from Idaho we had plenty to discuss. And special thanks to Daniel for his insight and wisdom. Friday morning we headed up to Midway to check out the craft booths, shops, and yummy eating opportunities. There were so many people. Seriously. So. Many. People. But, who cares? We had an extra day to meander (sp?) the booths. Stacy (my SIL) met us and it was high-fives all around as the trip wasn't getting much better. Oh, wait, then we ate :) We hung out in Midway until dinner, ate again, and stopped by Roberts (the first of two visits over the weekend) before getting back to Provo. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard, but that may be because my memory wasn't saved on my battery :) Julina came to visit and ended up getting a authentic wheel boot for parking in the wrong spot. What a racket! That's pretty much my only issue with Provo, the parking nazis. Other than that I love, love, love the vibe of the college town, the clean campus, the endless shopping opportunities, etc. {Friday's purchases: New iron hanging rod, Swiss chicken sandwich, marble solitaire game, wrapping paper, marshmellow guns for the boys, yard shepherd's crook, iron Welcome sculpture, ties, Swiss Navajo taco, two scones, a carmel apple, and some scrapbook supplies}

After a slumber party (three grown women trying to sleep in one bed), we all met Julina at Village Inn for breakfast Saturday morning and shopped at The Quilted Bear. I found a couple cute things, but this was my favorite purchase of the morning (made by Stacy):
So then we got back up to Midway to re-shop the craft booths. Okay, actually we were more concerned about eating again. They have THE yummiest BBQ dinner and last year we missed it (thanks to some bad advice :( ) so we wanted to make sure we were at the beginning of the gravy train instead of the end. We met up with Dave and Hilma Bellessa and his kids (Greg, Lizzie, and Kelly) and thier kids (Anna and Emma). I wasn't feeling 100% (thank you leftover UTI), so I sat and people-watched for a couple hours. I did manage to also fit in some pumpkin pie and ice cream (which helped me feel better. Bloated, but better.) Let me just make this observation about craft fairs in Utah. Those shoppers sure do run the spectrum from trashy and sleazy to la-tee-da big hair/boob-ed. It was very interesting. We went back to the Bellessas to visit for a bit and then back down the canyon were I maneuvered around dead deer in the road. Nice, huh. {Saturday's purchases: Biscuits and gravy, Halloween skeleton, Turkey bobble-head, Family home evening packets, 2 Halloween hollograms, BBQ dinner, pumpkin pie/ice cream, a "Welcome friends" plaque} Here's the whole group at the BBQ dinner, minus Matt who was taking the picture. Starting from the bottom, counter clockwise: Lizzie, Kelly, Hilma, Emma, Greg, Dave, Terry, Stacy, Erin, Me, and Dad.

Sunday morning was super-casual, which I love. Sleeping in until I wake up is a rare priveledge and who can say enough about pillow talk with the girls?! We didn't really have an observe-the-Sabbath type day, so if that offends anyone, skip to Monday and pretend we went to church and bore our testimonies of the tender mercies of a Swiss Day vacation. We DID go to breakfast at Mimi's. Here's a typical moment of loving this trip's reality on Sunday morning: My BIGGEST decision I HAD to make was whether or not I would order breakfast or lunch. I didn't have to get all the kids ready that morning. Instead, I was able to shower, do my hair, wear make-up AND jewelry. And none of my conversations included sending someone to their room (however, I do think Stacy was almost kicked out of the car for dissing on BYU.) After brunch we stopped at IKEA (yes, yes, the angels DO sing there on Sunday). I got a bunch of stuff to organize our master closet. Then Stacy left us to return to her folks' in Huntsville to see Zoee again. It was a sad departure as I love spending time with her and she's so stinkin' funny. Again, high five, Stac. It was rainy Sunday afternoon by the time we headed back to Midway after stopping to pick up dessert pies at Costco. Dinner with the Bellessas was AMAZING. Hilma really put on a spread for us with fresh vegetables and fruit from her garden. AND the table was beautifully set. AND there were wonderful people there (except Matt and Terry, who TOTALLY missed out, but whatev, they snuck in a baseball game and Applebees instead.) After the food had settled and the conversation dwindled, we headed back down to Provo once again and the sad reality of our last evening in Utah was kindof a bummer. Here's some pictures on Sunday while we were eating. I'm noticing most of the pictures I took were whilst we were eating. It could be that we ate so stinkin' much, so the time we were at a food opportunity was often.

At Mimi's

Standing around the dining table/kitchen at Hilma's. Seriously, study the details.

Presentation IS everything. {Sunday's purchases: Chicken pot pie, dishtowels, a strainer, storage boxes, hangers, oven mitts, and photo frames.}

Monday morning dawned bright and sunny, but it was bittersweet that it was coming to an end again. Matt had his fill of us by the time we had cleaned the townhouse and packed up, so he headed back to Vegas while we headed up to TaiPan Trading Company. Of course, any Swiss Days trip wouldn't be complete without going to the creamery, so we that's were we had breakfast. TaiPan was a blast. I was an immediate fan and spent most of my time trying to figure out what to do with the stuff I loved. "Would this fit?" "Where could that go?" "How can I not buy this good deal?" "Is Tyler gonna pass out when he sees all this stuff?" It was great fun for me, but I AM a sucker for home decor. We then hit up a few fruit stands to take home some peaches and tomatoes, had lunch at Kneaders, and got on the road sometime that afternoon. We made a couple of stops, one in Cedar to see Erin's new niece and at Cafe Rio for dinner:

Because, really, who are we to resist one more opportunity to eat out? I am sure I have put on several pounds at the end of this trip, but every bit of it is worth it. I had a great time. {Monday's purchases: baskets and filler for ScrapFest, Thanksgiving pilgrims, fall stuffed pumpkins, a planter container, yard frog, darling lantern, ornaments, box of peaches, box of tomatoes, pork salad.}

When we got home, of course I had to show all my goodies to Tyler. He just kept shaking his head. I couldn't help but remind him how frugle I was since ALL of the stuff was such a good deal. And it didn't all seem so bad once you consider that I was just organized enough to pre-buy some of the holiday stuff I'd be needing anyway. He didn't seem to buy into it, just kept shaking his head. This is what all that looks like stacked up on the dining table:

So, in summary of this long post. I LOVE Swiss Days. It is a great tradition and the experience has made me a better person . . . well, made me a better shopped person with a lot of funny memories. I'm glad we had to walk as much as we did so's my hiney isn't the size of Utah (again, from all the good food). It was all worth it, though, and I CANNOT wait for next year!

I do have to say I was sorry to miss Elsa's blessing on Sunday. I am sure it was beautiful was special even though I wasn't there, but I want to send a shout out of love to the Christiansens and their special week-end. Alright. Enough is enough. Hope y'alls Labor Day weekend was also a labor of love :)

My MTC report

So it seems everyone else has blogged about the blessed event of Michael's MTC admission, so if you want to check back later I hope to report on the first day of school. BUT, (tease, tease) I do have different pictures and a clandestine video of the actual good-bye at the MTC. I'm pleading ignorance to the actual "rules" of MTC good-byes; I could have sworn I video taped Nate's, but this lady said "No cameras" and so I filed that under "No flash photography" instead of "No digital videos." You can tell from my cinematography I was trying to be all stealth about it, so the copy's not that good, but for those of you who wanted to be there, but couldn't be for whatever reason (ie., had to work, girlfriend protocol, don't even really know me but lurk on my blog) here's the final goodbye. The major players are Mike, my dad, Mackenzie, our family friends Dave and Hilma, Stacy, Nate, Sydney, and Erin. The voice is me, of course, which I am sure you'll be able to figure since I keep scolding Mackenzie to stay back. But before all that . . .

Mom, Dad, Mike, and I drove up Tuesday. It was a quiet drive. Really. Not much to report. I talked a lot and kept trying to get Mike to chit chat. Even as a missionary he didn't feel like chitting the chat. Sigh. Maybe when he gets back? Nah, I'm not gonna keep my hopes up. We got to Payson and had a lovely dinner with the Smiths. Then I went and had ice cream with Jenn (who was visiting from Texas) and Heather (who lives in Payson.) From back at my freshman BYU year, these girls (and Nancee and Moana) were my closest and bestest friends and I still try to keep them near and dear. They are amazing women. Really, I love the example of wives and moms that they are to me. Any time we get together it's like no time has passed. AND I got to meet Jenn's sweet baby Kate (too cute) and see Heather's home (also too cute.) It was a great divertion of the task at hand of dropping Mike off for two years to West Virginia (sniff sniff). So that was Tuesday.
And for the main event, Wednesday. This is Elaine Smith (you can't really see her), but she is 79 years old and one of my heroes. Seriously. She's amazing. She and her husband, Morris, hosted us Tuesday night and this is a picture of breakfast on the deck, which was REALLY nice . . . BUT I knew Stacy was chilling in Provo because the two of us had assumed (and we all know what happens when you assume) we would be eating out (after all, we are an "eating out family," as Erin explained) so that stressed me out a little. I really did enjoy the deck breakfast and Elaine demanding we eat more, and I couldn't figure out why Stacy was sure about not coming down to Payson until later in the morning. She didn't want to come there since she knew Nate, Erin, Mackenzie, and Sydney had driven through the night and were headed to meet us all at breakfast in Provo and surprise Mike. Oops, bad communication. Anyway, between Nate (who finally texted Mom that he was in Utah), me, and Dad (whom I told the surprise) we got Mike and Mom on the road and we rendez-voused with the other family at Arby's.

At first Nate and Stacy just met us. Then Stacy "had to go to the bathroom" so she went and got Erin and the girls. I took the next few pictures are as they were coming out:

Yeah, probably not so nice to my mom who was already feeling too many emotions. We all agreed Dave would have been the icing on the cake, but we're fans of plain cake, too. (Especially white milk cake, but that's another blog post!) It was great to have the more for the merrier. (Look how tickled Nate is in this picture above to have pulled off the surprise!)
Sydney and Kenzie were cracking themselves up. I think they were still a little sleep deprived even though they crashed the whole trip up through the night. Poor Nate and Erin were pumping the caffeine through their veins, though, to keep awake.

And the reunion. Not that I thought my mom was falling apart, really she was keeping it all together. A bunch of welling and silent tear drops that morning, but this was a doozie of a moment for her. I think she was feeling so badly for Mike that more of us couldn't have been there for him and also badly for Nate, Dave, and Erin who were going to have to miss it. Then, to see some of that sadness made better was pretty sweet.

Mike asked Nate, when we were leaving Arby's, if when eating at fast food restaurants on your mission, it was nice to listen to the piped-in music. It cracked me up how Nate was like, "Pshaw, Yeah, it's so nice. Unless there's a crappy song on and then you're, like, totally ripped." Nothing like a little practical advice. Nate and Stacy also explained what the rest of his afternoon would be like, from the best they could remember, before we left Arby's. Then we went to the MTC.

This is actually down one of the walkways of the MTC. I went with Mike to drop off his bags and he admitted he felt like he was on the cusp of a emotional meltdown where he just wanted to bawl. But he didn't. He kept it all together. Such a stud! He was holding up pretty well.

So were we, at least up to this part. We were all excited for him to get going, but not too excited to make him stop and take a bunch of pictures. Hello? Scrapbooking? He was kinda like, "Alright already," but we couldn't miss the standard photo ops like the ones below:

The family

The "NEW MISSIONARIES ENTER HERE" sign

The "FAMILIES ENTER HERE" sign is down a bit
There was this lady hollaring "Moms put the badges on." This other Elder wasn't listening and she kept repeating it, and finally, all exasperated, the lady said, "Fine, don't listen to me, then." Apparantly Michael was named District Leader once he got settled on Wednesday (We found that out in his first letter home.) Probably because of his astute listening skills (among other leadership talents) since he had Mom put on his badge, "Elder Garrard."
Awww, the dork dot.

Finally, we headed into the good-bye room where the MTC presidency speaks for a bit. Then they show a 1980's "Called to Serve" video, and BAM! it's time to say good-bye. This is where the video takes off, hopefully it works. Enjoy :) [Click on the link]

My Montage 8/27/07

All in all it was a great experience. I told Mike that I was excited to see who he was when he came home. He has high expectations for himself and I'm anxious to see how he develops from the challenge of a mission. I think he's a great example to me and my family; truly a bright spot in our lives. I can't imagine having another end note to the kids in our family, even though I thought for so long a girl would be way better. There's no way anyone else would have endured and thrived the way Michael has as the youngest. He really is a stud! I love him and miss him, but not too much to cry about it too much because I know he will get so much out of this. Don't get me wrong, people, I've had my breakdown moments, but I just think it's awesome.

100 posts!

Here's a list (it's my thing, right Nate?) to commemorate the 100th post on this blog. YEE HAH.
1. I love lists
2. They make me happy
3. I also love even numbers. That's why, if we decide to have another baby we'll be deciding to have two more kids eventually.
4. I did enjoy having 5 kids in my own family, though
5. Church was enjoyable today because I didn't end up in primary.
6. Not that I don't love primary, it's just frustrating that they have more subs than teachers in our ward.
7. And that my husband is the part-time nursery worker every week before he teaches the young men
8. And he's in charge of their activities (technically) as the 2nd counselor
9. And he put together a rockin' scout camp that you can see on YouTube (search for Bermuda Ward and you'll get the slideshow.)
10. There was a good lesson in Relief Society about watching our words.
11. I'm gonna work on being syrupy sweet and less sarcastic.
12. I was being sarcastic in #11.
13. Nah, I really am going to try to be more positive and patient with my kids.
14. That may not happen since I am instituting a new chore chart this week.
15. I'm excited for school to start.
16. Not sad one bit, except that kindergarten is only half day.
17. That's sad.
18. I got sad today thinking about my brother, Michael.
19. I missed not seeing him at church.
20. So did Caylee.
21. She told me so.
22. I started writing him a letter, but didn't finish.
23. My sister is a better sister.
24. She already sent him a package.
25. I think that rocks!
26. I saw Bourne Ultimatum and Haispray this weekend.
27. I enjoyed both.
28. Bourne Ultimatum gave me a migraine by the time we went home from the moving camera angles.
29. Nothing a little pain medication and a good night's rest didn't cure.
30. I took the girls to Hairspray with Sydney.
31. We loved it, except (according to the girls) the kissing parts.
32. Yeah right, I'll remind them about that in about 6 years.
33. I made out with my boyfriend during Hairspray.
34. I am so weak.
35. My bladder infection isn't going away as fast as I wish it would.
36. GOO!
37. I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow.
38. I'm having a hard time getting excited about that.
39. We're hosting a home teaching dinner tomorrow night for family night.
40. BBQ-style, shouldn't that count for two months worth?
41. I need to do laundry, too.
42. Again, not so excited.
43. And cleaning.
44. Ditto.
45. Today on the way home from church Caylee and Brevin were complaining that Kenzie got a toy for reciting the 9th Article of Faith.
46. I tried teaching Brevin and Caylee the 1st one so they can pass off their own next week.
47. They kept getting hung up on the last part, "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, ____________, and in the Holy Ghost."
48. "Heavenly Father", uh no.
49. "Joseph Smith", not quite.
50. "Jesus Smith", closer.
51. "Jesus Christ." There we go.
52. I chaperoned another youth dance last night.
53. No real serious issues like last time excpet for some girls who snuck in.
54. In a mini skirt.
55. I'm thinking, wouldn't it make sense to not stick out like a sore thumb (or, in this case, a hoochie) if you're sneaking in to a church dance?
56. She was really nice, though, and not belligerant like the last time I chaperoned.
57. There IS hope for the future :)
58. We leave for Swiss days in four days.
59. I cannot wait.
60. I am sad about missing Elsa's baby blessing, though.
61. I have THE cutest nieces and nephews; pinky promise :)
62. Babysitting Erin's kids yesterday, mortifying Sydney while I danced throughout Hairspray, looking at Zoee's pics from Huntsville, pinky promising Conner at church today, walking Courtnie to nursery, making Elsa's announcements with Lexi, etc. are all blessings in my life.
63. Tyler's giving the kids father's blessings tonight before school.
64. I love that tradition.
65. Tyler has packed a hiking pack for Brevin and Brock to walk around the house and "practice" their hiking skills.
66. It's cute.
67. They take turns being the leader and the follower.
68. I have pictures from the Daughtry concert the other night at Red Rock that I'll post later.
69. But a shout out for Julie for the invite, the yummy dinner, the awesome friendship, and the example of strength.
70. Mackenzie has been saying she wants school to start all afternoon.
71. Tyler keeps saying, "You're weird," but I'm glad she's weird like that.
72. I'm gonna re-enlist at the gym.
73. Then I'm gonna remember this quote from RS today, "Nothing is that bad that whining won't make worse." (or something like that.)
74. I've got to finish my letter to Air France, too.
75. I keep putting it off cuz it's like picking a scab.
76. Has everyone read my sister's blog about "who's in your circle?"
77. It's freaking hilarious, so here are some further thoughts,
78. My circle includes: Tyler, my brothers (Nate, Dave, Mike, Kevin), my sisters (Erin, Stac, Mindie, Lexi, and Terry) my parents, Jer, Barb, and probably Chris J. and Daniel.
79. I have had others in that most inner circle at one time or another, but they (fortunately for them, probably) have merged into other circles where distance and less time spent together would dicate more decorum and/or etiquette.
80. Upon further thought and discussion, Mindie pointed out that the most inner circle (for those of you having a hard time deciding who makes the cut) would also mean you talk to them whilst using the bathroom.
81. Don't laugh, cuz you know those people have had to pardon your flush a time or two.
82. It may gross them out to know they're on your list of "people close enough to have an echo-y conversation with," but I think it's an honor to be that kind of friend.
83. This is how I am going to abruptly change subjects.
84. We're going over to my in-laws tonight to hopefully score some corn, tomatoes, and peaches.
85. One day I can go to Education Week and get my own goodies (or next week at Swiss Days, I guess).
86. I will be eating tomato sandwiches next week.
87. I guess I can cross off grocery shopping from my list.
88. When we took Caylee to meet her teacher on Friday, she was most excited that her teacher was beautiful and wore a hair scarf and high heels.
89. Who needs academics when you can get fashion?
90. I'm stalled with ten more things to list and Tyler just rolled his eyes at me when I asked for suggestions.
91. He really doesn't like blogs.
92. He does like asking the kids if they're ready to move somewhere.
93. Mackenzie says she'll move to West Virginia OR someplace with all the Garrard and Barlow family.
94. Tyler said she's missing the point.
95. He's just kidding, mostly.
96. I hope you all had a great Sunday.
97. I'm impressed if you made it through the entire list.
98. Here's to another
99. 100
100. Posts!

I've been having an affair

WHOA, not like that! I've written about my love affair with Coke and we rekindled our relationship last month when we were in France. Ever since I got home I have been SO bad about monitering our time together and it seems like, once again, it's part of my normal daily routine to have a Coke . . . or two . . . or three. Well, I think I am seeing a serious downside to this relationship. Not only has my tummy gotten a little more smushy the past few weeks, my replacing Coke with my normal (and healthy) water intake has seemed to have possibly given me a bladder infection.?! I'm still not quite sure about the official diagnosis, but I will quote Julina and say, "Goo." I JUST got home from a quick trip to Utah to drop off baby bro Mike at the MTC. Instead of blogging about all of that, I'm disturbed and bugged and "ew" (I think all this collectively means "Goo") because I am stuck in the middle of chills and pain and discomfort and a constant urge to . . . well, look up a UTI and you can see all the associated symptoms. They could also add onto the explanation that it even blogging isn't as fun when you have a UTI. So, yeah. Tomorrow me and the Coke, we're breaking up. Again. It stinks. And if I wasn't so hurt by the state in which he's left me, I'd probably be more sad about it. Goo.

California Dreamin'

So, my pity party was over a few days ago. I figured I should post again so y'all don't think I am having a complete meltdown. The good news, I guess, is that I am still just on the brink of breaking down . . . in other words, back to normal. I do find myself, today, super emotional, though. My brother Mike leaves for the MTC tomorrow. Somehow I think his leaving will open a floodgate of emotions I have been repressing all summer. BUT, that's a downer, and I don't want to dwell on that too much. [Total personal note on a public forum: Jenn, if you read this by before we leave tomorrow morning, email me your cell number (barlowfamily2@cox.net) and hopefully we can hook up once we get to Utah. We're staying in Payson, but maybe we can meet somewhere for late-night ice cream or something once your baby girls are in bed. We can pre-celebrate your 30th :)]

As far as what's been going on, I should post about the super fun cousin get-together we had last week at Pump it Up, but Erin covered it pretty well, so check out her post about that here. I got a few different pictures that hopefully I can post one of these days. I just have to say I have been very blessed in the family department. And I wish to offer a special shout-out to my in-law family. Some of these unsuspecting, lovely men and women have probably shaken their heads at our group on many occasions, but they still come around us for more craziness. It is a huge blessing in my life that Leah and Kristi and Stacy, etc. like us (or put up with us) enough to let all our kids be friends. And speaking of good in-laws, we can add another to the family group sheet. Friday afternoon my cousin Brandon married Anneke in sunny (and humid) San Clemente, CA. I knew it would be a crazy turn-around trip once I realized it was the day before Leanne's baby shower at my house. BUT, I am a sucker for a family party and I just love the Montoya clan, so I didn't want to miss out. So, I figured if I organized myself well enough I could "do it all."

I ended up calling the cleaning lady to come back to my house. That was a happy day, let me tell you. Honestly, part of my pity party was the solo pre-cleaning that I had to get done the next morning before Paula and her peeps came to dust my niches. Really, I decided, it's worth cutting back here and there to have them come every now and then to do the stuff I can't seem to get around to. Like this time it was my pot shelf niches that were thick with dust. The thought of bringing in the tall ladder to climb up to the high shelves hasn't appealed to me. I know that then I will spend the entire time I am dusting the knick knacks ALSO hollaring at my kids to stop climbing up to join me whilst I am perched ten feet up. Or, just when I get in some precarious position Brevin will call me down to wipe his backside. Needless to say, the dusting hasn't seemed fun enough to make the top things to get done this summer list. Of course having someone else clean my bathrooms and mop my floor didn't seem to shabby either. Once the house was clean my kids got the don't touch anything unless you want your fingers broken talk, and we made sure to be gone "shower shopping" for most of the day Thursday. It was bizarre Thursday night to be hooting and fluffing early. I was cutting and arranging flowers, setting out the plates, cups, etc, and rearranging the flowers with the same fervor that I have on the day of the shower. The whole time I am thinking how weird it was to still have a day in between that I normally would have procrastinated through until Saturday morning before the shower. BUT, since I was leaving bright and early for CA the next morning, it had to be prepped.

So Friday morning I got the kids up and out to my sister's house. [Personal note on a public forum: Thank you so much for being willing to watch my kids while I went and played. I know how much you love yourself a family get-together, too, so it had to be doubly hard to watch my kids AND miss the party. You really are the best sister/friend I have and I'm grateful for you. Your willingness to sacrafice for your family (immediate and extensive) impresses me and I really owe you more than the gallon of milk and corn pops I brought to you Friday morning. Love you, Sis.] David and Michael joined me for the quick road trip and while David slept the entire time, Mike and I had a good chat. Sometimes it took a while to get going as Michael definitely has a handle on the one-word answers. Ah, boys. It was nice for me (probably more painful for him) to spend the time together before he heads to West Virginia. Here's some pics of the drive, which was uneventful until we missed the toll road we were looking for and ended up driving through Irvine. Not too bad, though, we were able to get back on the right freeway after the brief tour.

David sleeping. Gotta love Dave who strips down to his underwear when he sleeps, even on a road trip. He wouldn't eat with us at Del Taco in Barstow (where I seriously had THE best chicken burrito I have EVER eaten at the Del to the T. And they had pellet ice. Does it get much better than that in the fast food world? - Not counting the good Burger King posters, right Jer?) because he was too content to stay in the 100 degree heated car with his heavy comforter.

Michael enjoying the CA traffic. Not so good at navigating. I kept asking him to read me the mapquest directions and he couldn't ever figure out which directions to read to me. Let's all pray for an easy bike area first. Or on-star services if he's in a car area. Could be scary is all's I'm sayin'.

Focused. I thought a ton of times about Tyler's post about driving to California. I can't wait to read the Idaho/Utah rant. I kept thinking things like, "Soo true. Amen, Tyler. Thanks for hogging the only available lane fat slow truck driver!" Oh well. We ended up there just fine and I could always use extra excercise in my right leg with the extra break tapping to kick off my cruise control.

When we got to CA we went straight to the Montoyas to check out the wedding action. We didn't want to get in the way of the hustle and bustle and were pleased to find Mark and Rick just hangin' out at the kitchen table. Their cool demeanor didn't really exude the internal panic as they were trying to figure how to play the reception DVD on the LCD projector. I offered to help (HA HA) and called some people who actually know something about computers. I ended up calling my GO-TO guy and let me toot his horn once again (no sick jokes needed here, sheesh), but Daniel totally saved our bacon. After he could quit laughing as I located some of the simple icons he was referring to her talked me through the hook up and playing of the DVD. Seriously, he was the hero of the afternoon. And not to say you saved the reception, but it was a definite highlight. Mountain Dew Slurpee fo sho! The whole Montoya clan was breathing easier once we got to the church for the wedding. Whilst all the other wedding prep was going on Moana (one of my best girlfriends from BYU) met me at their house and we hung out with her new baby girl, Ocean, for a couple hours. It was such a pick-me-up. I love 'em to pieces. I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of the three of us together, but take my word for how beautiful both Moana and her baby are. Cuz they are. Just great.

The wedding was nice. Different from what I was used to, but I was ready for the interactive Catholic ceremony. However, I kept missing my cue and wouldn't realize it until the other side of the room repeated their congregation's part. It was great to see the Tanner bunch and all the other family. Having never met Anneke, it was interesting to me to figure out who was who from her family, etc. She's one of nine kids. Isn't that amazing? And her mom (well, the whole family, actually) is just beautiful and young looking. Anyway. Here's the new Mr. and Mrs. Brandon Montoya:

Oh, and baby boy due in October. They seemed really happy and it was great to be there to be part of the wedding. Not that you can tell in this picture, but later notice their amazing smiles. More wedding pics:

Julie's my cousin and Mark's her hubby. And they're the parents of the groom. What? I know. It's true. Even though they don't look like it, they actually have a kid old enough to be getting married. They are beautiful people. Inside and out. I always have such a good time around them and appreciate and love them SO much.

The wedding party.

Mark, Julie, Brandon, Chloe, Alexa, and Morgan. Beautiful parents, beautiful kids, beautiful day.

After the wedding we meandered to a beach-site club-house thingy for the reception. There was great food, drinks, and music. I had a great time. It was totally muggy (I can appreciate "dry heat" all over again), so with all the dancing and happiness we were a sweaty, sticky bunch by the end of the night. Brandon and Anneke seemed thrilled and relaxed and totally in to each other while everyone else was having their own good time. I did introduce myself to her since I kept taking their picture and didn't know if she was like, "Who's that woman I've never met all up in our space with her camera?" Here's some party pics:

My Aunt Cloadella and Uncle Chuck. I think my Aunt Clo is one of the cutest ladies I have every met. Plus, she gets spunkier the older she gets. I love her. And Uncle Chuck is practically my grandpa on that side of the family. It was nice to see them a couple times this month since months (or years) can go by before we get to visit with them. They are still sweet on each other, even after all these years. At the end of the wedding, though, I thought it was funny cuz Aunt Clo totally took off back up the aisle at the church and then realized she had left Uncle Chuck in her dust, so she turned back to wait for him instead of going solo. It was one of those, "Oh, wait a minute, I'm supposed to have someone with me at this part" kind of moments.

The happy couple.

Garret, Dave, and Mike at the top of the beach trail before the reception started.

Jer, Katie, and Maggie. You can't see in this picture, but Jerolyn had some DARLING red shoes with her ensemble.

My cute dates for the evening.

I loved this one of cousin Frankie with his baby Landon. This is the "please just go to sleep" moments all parents are familiar with when you're at a party and your baby starts to get fussy. Really, though, Landon's a partier at heart. I thought he was so good and sweet . . . all the kids were. Now, mine would've ruined that impression, so it was good they stayed home. But everyone else's were great, I thought.

Have I mentioned it was muggy? Mike's solution to the humidity.

Jodie, Riley, Kris, Rick, and GOOD FOOD. Kudos on the yummy meal that came with your very own bib. After dinner they showed the video (a success, as earlier mentioned) and started dancing. One of the most touching parts was the father-daughter dance with Anneke and her dad, and then the DJ invited all the fathers and their daughters to dance. I LOVED THIS PART! It was so sweet to see all that, especially the young dads with all their girls. I couldn't resist catching all my cousins and their kids:

Cousin Julie with Uncle Chuck.

Cousin Dustin with his three girls, Page, Madison, and Karley (sorry if I mispelled that?!)

Cousin-in-law Mike with two of his five girls, Heather and Alyssa. I still can't tell the twins apart, so one is Heather and the other is Alyssa :)

Cousin-in-law Darin with Ellie, Katie, and Maggie. I loved this one of Katie who is looking SO grown up, but not too grown up to dance with her dad and sisters. Yes, Jer, I'll get you the copy of that :)

And then they did the same thing with the mother and sons, which totally made me miss my boys for 1.5 seconds. Then I was over it to capture these photos:

Cousin Julie with her son, the groom, Brandon.

Cousin Kourtney with son Bradley (I think Frankie was still trying to put Landon to sleep at this point)

Cousin-in-law, Kris with Dustin (and Page)

Cousin Jodie with her sons, Garrett and Devin.

Aunt Clo and Rick. I'm just realizing I didn't upload Rick and Riley's pic from the father/daughter dance, but that was another precious moment. Ahhh, they all were. Of course, the other precious moments came after the reception when we stayed up way too late talking. Considering Dave, Mike, and I left at 6:30am Saturday morning, it seemed kinda like a blur of a wedding once we came back to Vegad, but SO worth the blur. It was good times.

And Leanne's shower was a hit. I don't have any pictures of it, but I had a good time and I think she did too. She said she did, soooo, unless she's a lier she was satisfied. She got a lot of stuff and I'm anxious to hear what she got on her spending spree the next day. I'm sure she'll get all organized and ready for baby Cole ASAP. I finished this paper bag album for her out of the cute invitation paper, so hopefully she can get some pictures and keep it forever and ever. I copied my friend Sarah's idea for the book instead of a card and it was a hit (Thanks Sarah!)

The day didn't end at that point, but this post is already ginormous, and I have to go to bed now. Tomorrow we leave for Provo, so I'll have to write in the morning or when I get back. Later.

Pity Party

You're invited to a . . . PITY PARTY
Who: Me
When: Right Now
What: A freakin' pity party, which is a party where I feel sorry for myself even though I tell myself I should not be so selfish and whiney and grumpy
Where: My house
Why: Really no good reason. I have tons of reasons why I shouldn't throw this pity party, but I have already started the preparations, have worked myself into a decent funk and I am partying with my pity right now. Actually, don't come. Pity Parties are better by myself.

Blah.

Family Reunion Pics

Thought I'd share some pics from weekend before last:


Brock eating his millionth sucker at the carnival. There were SOOO many treats and junk. Needless to say my kids were in heaven.

Courtnie, Caylee, and Conner posing after the games. The crowns were bought at the "Kid's Store" that Grandma Dodie opened for all the kids. Between the store and the gallon-size baggie of treats from the carnival, we were overloaded with treats. But they look happy, right. Trauma ensued when Kenzie accidentally sat on Caylee's crown when we got home. How is it my kids can lose it over a 99 cent crown as much as they can a $10 polly pocket car. The drama over losing a MacDonald's Happy Meal toy is just as devastating as the entire toy bin. Why do I bother purchasing the good stuff when they're just as happy with the junk? I mean for the same amount of tears and issues, I'm just saying I could be saving me a boatload of money. But, I digress.

Tyler's cousins: Liz and Amanda. Liz was our babysitter while we were in France. We love 'em both.

Every year we hold a dance to boogie woogie. Courtnie and Brock were dancing, which turned into ring-around-the-somersault. It was quite a routine. Tyler's Mom's family is very into music, so we can look forward to the dance every year. This year there were about 75 people, old and young workin' out The Twist and The Chicken Dance on the lawn. It was great.

Tyler's Aunt Karen, his Sister Alexis, and her baby Elsa. We also hang out and talk a lot. It's nice to have such great in-laws who have wonderful families. It was a ton of fun and we're already planning on Park City next summer.