tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21259478030853636122024-03-05T21:20:15.151-07:00Harper HoorahsLisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.comBlogger536125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-16945530364962585372013-11-04T15:22:00.000-07:002013-11-04T15:22:23.796-07:00Halloween 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were the inspiration for the Harper family costumes this year...</div>
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Galadriel, Arwen, Frodo, Smaug the Dragon, and Gandalf</div>
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Baby Smaug (not quite as ferocious as the dragon in the movie, but super cute, and warm as she consented to wear something WITH sleeves! Hip hooray!).<br />
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Frodo, the Hobbit. Complete with creepy hairy feet. His bag has the one ring to rule them all on it (which incidentally I neglected to print in mirror image so it would show correctly once ironed on... then I am pretty sure I ironed it on upside down, but who's keeping track anyway?).<br />
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Galadriel, the lovely elf... her elf ears made it a little hard for her to hear, but helped her look oh, so authentic. Her bag says (in Elvish and English) "The world is changed. I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, I smell it in the air." and has a drawing of Galadriel's flower symbol.<br />
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**What were you for Halloween this year?Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-49114310903327835322013-08-16T23:45:00.000-06:002013-08-17T00:10:29.893-06:00A Happy Little (very very long) UpdateI have been reminded lately at how much I miss journaling… and although I’ve been out of the blog loop for some time now (nearly three-quarters of a year)... and while it is overwhelming to think about trying to catch up, I feel I must get back to recording some thoughts and happenings or it will all slip away.<br />
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<b>Olivia</b> is only a few days away from starting junior high. When she turned 12 in June her strongest desire was to go to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Ryan and I took her early in the morning and she loved it. She spoke of feeling the Spirit more strongly than ever. Her testimony is deeply rooted and she shares it in Testimony Meeting almost every month. She is kind and loving and cares for every person around her. She is sensitive and aware of what is happening around her. She is a fabulous babysitter to Sophia and even some families in the neighborhood. Liv was told it would be a struggle to play the trumpet since she has braces; however, she is determined to follow in Ryan’s footsteps and she wants to be a part of the American Fork High Marching Band, so she works hard and is getting great sound out of that three-generation instrument. She attended YW camp for the first time this summer at Heber Valley Camp. She came home with a deeper appreciation for the gospel, her YW leaders, and her testimony. I missed her like crazy, but I am so glad she was able to go. Heber Valley Camp is indeed a holy place.<br />
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<b>Coleman</b> will turn 10 next month. He continues to love science, video games, Legos, Star Wars, and learning. He has a funny sense of humor and cracks clever jokes that cause me to think. He calls me on it when I give a laugh that isn’t quite what he was hoping for. He loves to sing and whistle… I often say that he is performing his own soundtrack to his life. Some days I don’t find it quite as charming as he does… but I was reminded in a conference talk that it is something joyous is to hear children sing. He has decided that he wants to attend MIT (which he thought stood for “Michigan Institution of Technology). He is fascinated with bugs and weather and how things work. He thinks deeply and theorizes about so many things. Love that boy.<br />
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<b>Sophia</b> cracks us up. She is determined and oh-so strong willed. She says and does the funniest things…<br />
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She LOVES to burp, and she’s a rock-star burper. Loud, long, and frequent they are. Cute for a three-year old… unless it’s while you are walking into church, in any public place, or in front of anyone outside the family. Too bad she has no qualms about letting them loose whenever and wherever. If we want that habit to stop we’ll probably have to stop busting a gut when she lets it rip.<br />
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She loves to pray. She does NOT love to vary the wording in her prayers. She loves to say, “Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for the day and the food. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” She DID go through a “bodies” phase where she asked Him to bless our bodies, but her prayer is pretty much standard. We are working on that one. For a short time she insisted on saying every prayer. Recently when she asks to pray and someone else gets asked to do it she rushes to that person and says, “Good job, Mom! I’m so proud of you!”<br />
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She decided several months ago that she didn’t like kisses anymore. She wouldn’t give or receive kisses, unless it was a kiss on the top of the head in the pattern of Rapunzel from the Disney movie “Tangled” where she’d say, “I love you” and I’d say, “I love you more” and she’d say, “I love you MOST” and plant a kiss on the top of my head. She loved hugs and would remind us as we went to give hugs and kisses of her preferences, sometimes signaling with a hand to stop in our advances to kiss her. Last night she granted permission to give kisses again. Glory be.<br />
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She is very, very picky with the things she wears. She wore two pairs of boots until she could not get her feet in them anymore (never mind that it was 100 degrees outside). She does not love sandals. She does not love tennis shoes (save for the awesome light-up shoes from Grandma Terri that have velcro straps and allowed her to put them on herself... but she outgrew those months ago). She now has a ratty pair of slip on ballet flats with soles falling to pieces. Over the course of the last few months she has decided that she hates clothes with sleeves. Long sleeves, short sleeves, cap sleeves. She does NOT like sleeves. She doesn’t like things that “cover my shoulders or my armpits” and refuses to wear anything with sleeves. I know, I’m the parent, right? I shouldn’t let a three year old run the house and make the rules, but have you ever tried to put a shirt or dress with SLEEVES on a kid who does not want to wear it? It isn’t a pretty sight and has resulted in many tantrums. It’s been a hot summer, and she looks pretty cute in her tank tops and sundresses, so I’ve let it go for the most part… but last week it reached an all new level of ridiculousness when we were out of town (limited number of acceptable-to-her options, no possibility of washing dirty clothes to get said acceptable-to-her clothes back into the rotation) and I put on an almost sleeveless dress. She was busy having a fit, so in an attempt to preserve the peace I very stupidly suggested that we tuck in her sleeves so her shoulders weren’t covered. She LOVED that idea and it placated her, until it came untucked and she became unglued. We spent a good part of that day tucking. It was very humorous when she came up to me as I was getting ready for the day with a cami on over my underclothes… I was getting ready to put on another shirt or dress on top of it. She stroked my shoulders and said, “Oh, mommy, your shoulders aren’t covered, and it’s BEAUTIFUL!!!!” Pretty soon here we’ll have to start phasing out her sleeveless clothes so that she will allow her arms to be covered in the winter months. How do you think a puffy down coat will TUCK?<br />
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On August 14th we gathered with <a href="http://moveforwardwithfaith.blogspot.com/2013/08/day-of-forgiveness-2013.html">Tim and Laura and their family at Mikayla’s grave</a>. It has been three years since she left us. Laura asked us all to share a memory or something we had learned from Mikkie. I was pretty teary-eyed as I said how I was trying to learn to be more prepared---always have bubble-gum and lipgloss in hand (Mikkie loved those!) but more importantly to always let the people that I love know how I feel about them. Mikkie left so quickly and I don’t ever want to regret not sharing my love. My tears were flowing freely, but sweet Sophia put her arms around my neck, squeezed tight, pulled my face to hers, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll always be there for you.” I don’t know where she comes up with this stuff.<br />
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Sometimes, when she says or does something funny I ask her, “Where did you learn that?” For a long time her answer has been, “From Miss Piggy” and occasionally “and the frog.” She kills me.<br />
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My potty-training philosophy is to wait until my kids are so ready to do it that they take only a few days. I don’t have the patience to potty train for months on end. The result is that they have all been well over three when we’ve attempted, but it hasn’t gone on forever and ever. Sophia was no different. While she was likely capable many months ago, I kept putting it off until I was sure she would be successful. With preschool just around the corner, we knew it had to happen this summer. Because of some long road trips, we had only one three week period that we would be home. She did really, really well for the most part. We chose “Hi-Chews” as our method of bribery… she’d get one each time she went. She got in the habit of going, wiping, washing hands, and saying, “I went to the bathroom and I had pee-pee and I want a grape!” She likes Hi-Chew flavors in this order: grape, strawberry, apple, mango. She picks grape until they are ALL gone. Then she eats all of the strawberry ones until they are ALL gone, then apple, and finally the ones left are mango. She only had a couple of accidents, but she was very clear in the fact that she did not want to poop on the potty. She in fact said to me on more than one occasion, “I will NEVER poop on the potty!” She would go into a corner (or under a table or behind the curtains or furniture) when it was time to do her business… she would tell us she needed her privacy… and she would quickly inform us that we needed to change her, but she was so resistant to even trying to go. After a couple of very unsuccessful attempts on my part (“We will buy you ANYTHING you want!” “We’ll have ice cream!” “I’ll buy you a PONY!”“Puh-lease!!!”) I finally decided to let it go, be happy with the fact that she was staying dry during the day and would even wake up dry in the morning, and resign myself to the fact that she would be in pull-ups until college. Tonight she decided all on her own that she wanted to poop on the potty. And she did. Like a boss. Without any forewarning. We are eating ice cream tonight! (So glad she opted for that reward instead of the pony ☺.)<br />
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We have decided that Sophia will go where she wants and how she wants in life. It is our job to make sure she is pointed in the right direction. And to help her think that that direction is HER idea. Oh, the challenge.<br />
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We are loving life and are busy, busy. While <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGnTA8LR3rE">busyness is NOT a badge of honor</a>, there are days that it feels like it should be. I feel tired, but oh, so happy. Most of the time.<br />
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As for catching up on the rest of 2013, we {mustache} you to be patient... it will come.Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-17752773194483586132012-12-30T21:20:00.000-07:002013-01-03T21:20:44.045-07:00Reflections--Magic of a Moment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year Olivia and Coleman entered the Reflections contest. The theme was "The Magic of a Moment."<br />
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Olivia composed a song and won! She got a cool certificate and a trophy.<br />
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Coleman entered in the literature category. He also got a certificate.<br />
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Sophia didn't enter, but I am sure that at some point she will enter in one category (or more)...<br />
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We got notified a few weeks later that Olivia's entry went on to the next level and she will be compete at the district level... Way to go Liv!<br />
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This is the song that she composed:
<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.phanfare.com/embed/8976578-5878808-176651495-47b113da97fc4ea64e1b28b1904749a8" width="640"></iframe>Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-27903458742422248512012-12-28T16:13:00.004-07:002012-12-28T16:14:20.680-07:00Cookie Party 2012One of my favorite holiday traditions is the cookie party that my friend Marilynn hosts. This year, I made some yummy Macaroon Kisses... they are delicious (and I usually don't like coconut!)<br />
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Macaroon Kisses<br />
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1/3 cup butter (softened)<br />
3 oz. cream cheese (softened)<br />
¾ cup granulated sugar<br />
1 egg yolk<br />
2 teaspoons almond extract<br />
1 ½ cups flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
½ teaspoon salt<br />
5 cups coconut (divided)<br />
48 kisses (dark chocolate)<br />
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Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and extract. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add gradually to creamed mixture. Stir in 3 cups of the coconut.<br />
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Refrigerate dough 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle (if desired, I didn't find this to be necessary). Shape in 1” balls or use a small cookie scoop and then roll in coconut. Place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet.<br />
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Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes (or until lightly browned.)<br />
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Remove from oven and push a kiss into each cookie. Allow cookies to sit on cookie sheet 2-5 minutes until chocolate is soft. Transfer cookies to cooling racks.<br />
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If you want to check out some other pictures and recipes for delicious cookies, check out the <a href="http://christmascookiecollection.blogspot.com/">Christmas Cookie blog!</a><br />
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Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-72026413395169249112012-12-19T09:00:00.000-07:002012-12-28T16:09:33.011-07:00David Goes To School<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.phanfare.com/embed/8976578-5863991-174912960-332b60df19edf137dd3d5ee2bb6825b9" width="640"></iframe>
One of our favorite authors is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21346.David_Shannon">David Shannon</a>. We especially love his cute character David. Sophia has loved the book <i>David Goes To School</i> so much that she has it memorized. For a time, she would "read" it to Ryan each night. We thought you might enjoy her reading and her other "activities" while she reads. She keeps us laughing!<br />
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<br />RyanHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03030041462955168624noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-35530042409088480212012-12-11T23:36:00.000-07:002012-12-18T23:37:26.088-07:00Extreme Makeover--Olivia Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This lovely girl got contacts and braces all within a couple of days.<br />
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She keeps looking in the mirror and says she doesn't recognize herself.<br />
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She looks beautiful, no?<br />
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<br />Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-144142878168852192012-12-01T23:13:00.000-07:002012-12-18T23:31:54.149-07:00Festival of Trees 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Megan pulled off another great tree this year in memory of her boy Chance... the theme was the great outdoors. All of her decorations were of moose, bears, squirrels, and owls. She did such a great job on it! I got to go and help put it together on decorating day.</div>
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My mom tied a quilt with Megan and her sisters and many other people contributed.<br />
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Me and Megan with my mom and some friends and our Aunt Becky on decorating day.<br />
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Sisters!<br />
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Meg and Mom</div>
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Our sister Lauren wrote a paragraph to help Festival visitors get to know Chance... it read:<br />
<i>Chance was an inquisitive boy. He loved exploring, getting into everything, and playing in the dirt. He would have been an outdoor enthusiast, for sure, if he hadn't gotten sick at the tender age of 2 years and 11 months. Just weeks before he died he was able to go on his first camping trip. What an adventure! We hoped there would be many more opportunities for him to sleep under the stars, be close to nature, and try to spot the wildlife. But God had a different plan and called Chance home. We still feel close to him when we are outside. He is in the wind, the sunshine, the raindrops, the hoot of an owl, and especially in the dirt.</i><br />
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Later in the week we went with my Grandma Cole to see the tree... The kids love being with her and I love it too. She is so good with them (and they love that she usually manages to bring them a little treat :)).<br />
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Sophia was in a bit of a funk that day, she finally pulled out of it when we saw the gingerbread houses and there was one from <i>Tangled </i> (one of her favorite movies).</div>
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The Festival is such a great event, and I love that Megan has made it a priority in her life to give back to the Medical Center that tried so hard to save her boy. </div>
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On decorating day I was (again) amazed as I looked around and thought about how much love goes into each tree... there is a story behind each tree and a person to go with the story. It breaks my heart that there are so many in the "club" of people who have lost a loved one (often a young child) but it is heartwarming that so many people work so hard to contribute to such a good cause and bring so much joy to others in the process.</div>
<br />Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-81157597119155531882012-11-30T23:59:00.000-07:002013-01-06T22:25:07.209-07:00Thankful Wall 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year we put up our Thankful Wall and get to write down all of the things we are thankful for... as our children grow older they are a bit more thoughtful about what they write, yet random things still seem to show up on the list (cups? dishes?). I love that our kids choose to be grateful for the big and small things in their lives.<br />
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On Thanksgiving Day we asked each of the children to say what they were thankful for... Sophia's response: "Bats." Totally not sure where that came from, but it got a few laughs :).<br />
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Ryan doesn't believe in writing on the walls, but he kindly added these to our list:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">My dear, sweet, loving, thoughtful wife that is always mindful of the details in each of our lives.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">A happy, cheerful, always questioning Coleman.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Considerate, compassionate, cool Olivia</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Bubbly, smiley, playful Sophia</span>Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-428082063939142172012-11-30T23:22:00.000-07:002013-01-03T23:29:00.001-07:00Thanksgiving 2012<div>
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We were so excited that we were able to visit Ryan's brother Scott and his family for Thanksgiving this year. Terri and Bruce flew out from Connecticut as well which made our stay even better.</div>
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Our kids loved being together... they played games, played with Nerf guns, played Wii, wrestled, laughed, crafted, played at the park, and loved every minute they had together.<br />
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Kristen and I had a great time baking and cooking. We spent Wednesday night baking pies... and managed to catch the oven on fire! I made a pecan pie and Kristen did such a good job making a beautiful apple pie (from scratch!) and we also made a couple of pumpkin pies. While it was baking the top crust from the apple pie broke off and fell onto the element, then some of the ooey goodness dripped out onto it and that caused a whole lot of smoke, and eventually some flames. We laughed and laughed (and felt grateful that the smoke detectors didn't go off). Despite their time in the fire and smoke, they still looked beautiful, so we figured we'd try them out the next day.<br />
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On Thursday we had mini pudding pies for the kids and grandparents for breakfast (tradition!) and we spent the next several hours making a delicious dinner. It was so fun to be together and share the cooking and dish washing responsibilities... Kristen is a wonderful cook and had several fabulous recipes. The kids had their own table which they loved... Alyza and Olivia had gotten up early to make table decorations and bookmarks for each of us :). We ate until we were full (and then we ate some more) and waited a brief time before we went for pie. The pudding pie and the pecan pie were hits... the others had an odd smokey flavor :). It was bad, really bad. They tasted a bit like what we imagine an ash tray might. We decided that we couldn't do it... as much as we wanted to, we just couldn't eat the apple and pumpkin pies, so when we went out later that night for a few of the sales we hit the deli (through the crazed DVD shoppers) and picked up a couple of pumpkin pies... and wouldn't you know it, I got sugar-free... not as bad as the smoked pies, but still not great... thank goodness for Costco apple and pumpkin pies... they were purchased and consumed the next day :).<br />
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On Friday we did a little shopping and I met up with my friend from high school for lunch who lives in the area. We went to the Denver temple grounds and spent some time there. Sophia wasn't too happy to be there (she needed a nap desperately) but she finally got her cheer back when we encouraged somersaults (and joined in).<br />
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We had great weather while we were there... We visited downtown Morrison which has cute shops and great ambiance. Scott and Kristen shared with us a fun place for dipped ice cream cones.<br />
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Before we went home (to eat more pie) we stopped at the Red Rock amphitheatre to see a beautiful sunset.<br />
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On Saturday we drove to Colorado Springs to visit Garden of the Gods... it was so beautiful! There were lovely clouds and the rock formations were breathtaking.</div>
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The kids enjoyed walking on the trails and climbing in and out of a very small opening in one of the rocks. Bruce and Ryan took some great photos (Ryan didn't even have his good camera, but was making the most of his iPhone :)).<br />
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Lovely, no?<br />
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We had such a great visit with Scott and Kristen and Sam and Lyz. We were so glad that Terri and Bruce were there also... it was so fun to spend time with everyone and celebrate the holiday.<br />
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The whole gang... minus Bruce who was taking the picture... Our cute girls Lyz and Soph were so sad to say goodbye, there were real tears shed over the thought of parting... we'd had such a good visit! We were so glad to see where Scott and Kristen live. It is obvious why they love it so much... they have a beautiful home and neighborhood and so many wonderful things to do nearby. We can't wait to go back and visit again!<br />
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What a sad, sad girl sitting in the middle there (the one by the window is hiding her face from the camera because she isn't too happy either.)</div>
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(We are happy too that we all fit in our little Prius which makes road trips super affordable.)</div>
Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-80853874095484473472012-11-10T21:31:00.000-07:002012-12-29T21:34:43.993-07:00Kate's Blessing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In November Lindsey and her family came up to our town to bless their cute baby Kate... it was a good midway point so that both families could be there.<br />
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We love baby Kate!Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-88528093368743918642012-11-10T14:00:00.000-07:002012-12-29T21:27:31.032-07:00Duet Festival Fall 2012Olivia competed in a duet festival this year with her cute friend Julia...<br />
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They played really well together, despite the fact that Olivia had strep throat and hadn't been feeling well all week. We used a whole lot of hand sanitizer to make sure she didn't spread disease :).</div>
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Their first song was "Spanish Gypsies" by Martha Mier:<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.phanfare.com/embed/8976578-5828072-172753219-ce88e73b8d5331834e573846739a7ff4" width="640"></iframe><br />
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Their second song was "Broadway Lights" by Robert D. Vandall:<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.phanfare.com/embed/8976578-5828072-172753471-f707668f0b7dce5d5f1594f8a58f19b8" width="640"></iframe>
It It is so fun to see them progress. She practices for 50 minutes a day (most days) and loves it!
Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-87486512842358986202012-11-02T17:30:00.001-06:002012-11-02T17:30:52.461-06:00Hey Ferb, I know what we're going to do today.... Trick or Treat!!!<br />
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Happy Halloween to all.... This year we decided to continue on with our love of <a href="http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/phineasandferb/">Phineas and Ferb</a>...<br />
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The Flynn-Fletcher Family... Sadly, Lawrence didn't make an appearance... and Ferb had to be on Coleman's bag since we couldn't convince any of our neighbors or friends to join our family for the night...</div>
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Liv made an excellent Candace... she doesn't often try to "bust her brother" and isn't in love with someone named Jeremy (lovely bag, no?) but she still pulled it off. She had a parade at school that Sophia and I got to go to. She had to explain to people who she was... but if they were fans of the show, they totally got it as soon as she said it. Sophia loved being there because all of the kids would point to her and say, "Hey, look! It's Perry!" She felt just a bit famous :).<br />
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Coleman loves, loves, loves this show. I love that the the characters are mostly nice to each other, tell the truth, and are quite intelligent. The plots are simple enough that Sophia likes it but witty enough that Ryan and I even sneak in an episode or two after the kiddos go to bed. People who know the show loved the costumes and recognized us immediately... those who didn't... well, they didn't. Some thought Coleman was a rooster! Sophia and I went to Coleman's class for his party.<br />
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Ryan made a great Doofenschmirtz... all evil and ugliness aside, he at least had the clothes down :). Sophia's debut as Perry the Platypus was great. We've been planning this for weeks... and a couple of weeks ago Soph decided she wanted to be a cat instead. We finally convinced her to put on her Perry costume by telling her she would be a kitty cat that looked like Perry the Platypus :). In the days leading up to Halloween we kept asking Sophia what she was going to say at the door... her response: "Me want candy!" I think she caught on to the whole idea of trick-or-treating... when they got home I asked her if they had gone to a few houses... she answered with, "No... a lot!" and then I asked if she got a few pieces of candy she said, "No, a lot, a lot, a lot!" She's been chowing down ever since.... She loved her Major Monogram bag and kept calling it "my Major Monogram bag."<br />
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Ryan rigged up speakers and played the "Doofenschmirtz Evil, Incorporated" jingle from his lab-coat. We brainstormed about what "inator" he could carry around but never built one.... we should have made the Trick-or-Treat-inator to suck all of the good candies out of trick-or-treaters bags...<br />
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We all know that Linda and Heinz didn't end up together... but they did go on that one date... :)<br />
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It definitely wasn't my best year for creativity in the culinary area, but we had a few yummy Halloween treats... My headstone cakebites didn't work as well as I hoped (the white chocolate seized up, likely from the food coloring I added?) so we turned some of them into ghosts... We made some mummy pigs-in-a-blanket, spiderweb salsa with chips, and had some jack-o-lantern slush. The cake in the top right corner was made by someone at Ryan's work and I loved it... they just used strawberry pieces to make a pumpkin. I loved the Frankenstein rice krispy treats that two of my friends made for our pack meeting this month. We didn't have very many trick-or-treaters this year, which was strange because we had beautiful weather... 71 degrees! The ones that did come to our door got to take some Perry fruit snacks, Smarties, Nerds, or Dum-Dums. I am quite sure the significance of the candies was lost on everyone but me and Coleman (and Liv after we explained it to her) but that is okay :).</div>
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They got home with so much candy and spent a bit of time trading and paying the 'mom and dad tax.'<br />
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They taught Sophia how to say "Happy Halloween!"<br />
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Hope your Halloween was great too!Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-9476330576762790252012-10-25T23:00:00.000-06:002012-11-07T10:22:20.565-07:00Second Miler Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ryan's been in Scouts in one form or another for the last 10 years. He was just awarded by our District with the Second Miler Award.</div>
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They served a delicious baked potato banquet and presented Ry with this nifty certificate.</div>
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He's standing up there with our former bishop (who received the same award) and a few of the council leaders.<br />
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Ryan tries so hard to help all of the Scouts and leaders in our ward do their best. The award was well deserved!Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-22567332478421120522012-10-14T23:40:00.001-06:002012-10-14T23:40:42.210-06:00Cute KateWe got to go to St. George for a quick visit to see my sister Lindsey's new baby Kate. My sister Erin came with us too. Kate is adorable... Lindsey is too... and while we are at it Lindsey's boys Jonah and Jaxton are also. We were hoping to have some sunshine so we could go for a swim, but the weather was rainy and chilly. The kids loved playing with each other and did some fall crafts and watched some movies. Lindsey and Erin and I made yummy food and ate it.<br />
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I loved snuggling that cute girl... so did Olivia and Erin and Sophia and Coleman too.</div>
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We made the first batch of caramel apples for the season... Lindsey's boys weren't sure about them and took a little convincing to get them to try them. In the end they decided they didn't love them. What?!?! More for us!<br />
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We got to hand deliver Jonah's birthday gifts! The kids liked exploring all of the new wildlife outside... the rain in St. George brought out all sorts of cockroaches. I love seeing my kids with their cousins... they love to be with them!</div>
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Hooray that Lindsey lives close enough to run down for a day or two!</div>
Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-56862176203586386922012-10-08T23:03:00.001-06:002012-10-08T23:03:11.512-06:00Rocket's Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the most anticipated activities at Olivia's school is the 6th Grade Rocket Launch. According to Liv all of the students can't wait for the day to come when it is finally their turn to buy (cha-ching!) a rocket and some motors, assemble it with specialty plastic cement (that may or may not be available through the school), and launch it into the heavens in front of all the other sixth graders and their cheering families. She picked out the rocket she wanted and built it herself (with minimal supervision from Ryan). Today Sophia and I got to go and be the cheering family and we got to watch Liv and her friends (and all the other sixth graders) launch their rockets. Olivia had a great time and when I asked her if it was as wonderful as she thought it would be.. she said it mostly was, but she regretted that her rocket didn't do anything crazy like spin out of control or burst into flames... maybe next time around, Sweet Liv.Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-12057721147614422812012-10-08T23:00:00.000-06:002012-10-09T09:35:55.122-06:00There's a Bear in the House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Coleman's ninth birthday meant rank advancement in Cub Scouts. He went from a very fun Wolf Den (where he worked hard and completed all of the requirements and earned several arrow points) to a great Bear Den where I know he will have just as much fun. His new den buddies gave him some bear paw stamps all over to show their warm welcome and he got to sport the awesome bear hat for almost all of Pack Meeting.Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-1285414889221868312012-10-08T22:39:00.001-06:002012-10-08T22:40:46.231-06:00Nine!This handsome boy turned nine in September!
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He is such a fun kid to be around. He has a funny sense of humor, he loves, loves, loves reading and Legos. He loves to be with his friends and goof around and invent games. He is thoughtful and sensitive and kind. He loves playing games of all kinds... video games, board games, iPhone and iPad games, word games, logic games, riddles, math games, you name it, he loves games. He also loves the Disney show "<a href="http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/phineasandferb/">Phineas and Ferb</a>" and the rest of us love it too.<br />
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I made some Perry the Platypus cupcakes for his soccer team and for our family gathering. We were so excited that some of our family members could come and celebrate with us! On Coleman's birthday Ryan made colorful pancakes (and carried on the Phineas and Ferb theme) and later in the week Coleman invited a few friends over for a late-night. I did my best to make Phineas' and Ferb's heads for the cake and we had to have another Perry to go along with them...<br />
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We are so grateful to have Coleman as a part of our family... he brings so much happiness to our family!<br />
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(Stay tuned for more Phineas and Ferb excitement in the coming months...)<br />
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<br />Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-56565124886912188512012-10-08T22:23:00.000-06:002012-10-08T22:23:05.502-06:00Faithful & Fabulous<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first weekend of September we had a Relief Society retreat... think of it as an extended Girls' Night Out with a lot of yummy food, a lot of visiting and laughs, some service, games, high adventure, a few gospel messages, and a whole lot of bonding going on between the sisters in our ward. We spent a night at HeberValley Camp where they have bunks and bathrooms (hooray for flush toilets!). Our site had a little cooking pavilion and a few picnic tables.It only lasted for 24 hours or so... some sisters came up just for Friday evening and others just for Saturday morning and afternoon. In total we had 50 sisters come for part or all of our retreat... that is just about half of the ladies in our ward. I loved that so many took the time to come! <br />
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Our focus was to help the sisters know how "Faithful & Fabulous" they truly are... we made cute notebooks out of inexpensive composition books to give to each person so they could jot down a few thoughts. Each person brought their own dinner on Friday night and then we had a wonderful speaker that evening. She talked all about prioritizing and based her talk on one that Susan Tanner gave (first take care of my testimony, next my family, finally my calling). We ate fondue.... in the mountains... and it was wonderful!<br />
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Before bed we had a wonderful devotional by Jacque (2nd Counselor) about light and our ability to reflect the light of Christ. Then we departed to our separate cabins (we divided into Later Gators for people that wanted to stay up late, Early Birds for people who wanted to get to bed early, and Monkeys in the Middle for people who just weren't sure... ironically enough the Early Birds stayed up the latest... but got up the earliest. Go figure!) and played games until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.<br />
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Saturday morning we had Kneader's French toast with caramel syrup and strawberries for breakfast, then a devotional by Jessica (1st Counselor), and a little workshop about being fabulous.... not that I am an expert by any means, but we wanted to look at the basics... we are fabulous because we are daughters of God and because we have a desire to do what is right. Our vision gets obscured for so many reasons and we aren't able to see clearly who we are or what our potential is. We had each person do an acrostic poem with the word FABULOUS--they had to write a word or phrase for each letter of the word that described something positive about them. I think a lot of times we can recognize and verbalize positive traits in others, but it is hard to do that about ourselves. Finally we shared some positive affirmations about ourselves... statements that are positive that we know to be true. I loved that so many people contributed to the discussion.<br />
<br />We made a fun, simple little craft (stuffed pumpkins!) and then after some tidying up we walked down to the Challenge Course which included some team building exercises and a crazy-fun swing.<br />
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It was such a wonderful time to build relationships with sisters in our ward... I hope we get to do it again!<br />
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**What makes YOU fabulous?Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-11243955889799890722012-10-08T19:00:00.000-06:002012-10-08T22:51:34.647-06:00It's A Zoo Out There<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My brother Matt and his family came to visit and we got to spend a day at the zoo with them. My mom brought Erin's boys too and we had a great time. We had a fun visit with everyone and saw some of the new exhibits at Hogle Zoo. I loved watching Sophia's cousins take her by the hand and point out the neat things they saw.<br />
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Olivia and Coleman were sad they missed it... and insisted that I check them out of school to go with us, but I remained the firm, mean mama and made them stay in school.... we'll make another trip to the zoo another day so they can come too :).Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-9303342100725448752012-10-08T16:20:00.002-06:002012-10-08T16:20:30.721-06:00Another School YearThe end of August brought the start of another school year.
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Olivia was excited to start 6th grade! It's hard to believe she is one of the "top dogs" now. She loves school and loves being involved with Service Club. She fought long and hard to convince us to try out the early track and so far it's been great (although I admit that many mornings I am still a little bleary eyed while we are getting ready for the day). Before school started she was a little nervous about her teacher assignment... we talked about giving him a fair chance and judging him on her own experience instead of what she heard others say. She came home the first day so excited and happy and didn't want to tell me how great her teacher was because she was afraid that the words "I told you so" would come out of my mouth. Give me a little credit... but I <i>did</i> tell her :). A few more months of sixth grade and it's junior high for this little lady!<br />
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Coleman was so excited (and a little nervous) all summer long to start school. He changed schools this year to be a part of the A.L.L. (Accelerated Learning Lab) program at a neighboring school. He has loved his teacher and his classmates and it's been a great change for him! His teachers in previous years were great to work with him and give him opportunities to be challenged, but it has been wonderful to be a part of a program where the students are like-minded and motivated to learn and do as much as they possibly can. On his first-day picture he showed three fingers on one hand for third grade, and on the other did a sign-language "A" to represent A.L.L. (He thought that was pretty clever!)<br />
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Coleman and Olivia realized that they will never again be in the same school (except for maybe college) so they wanted a photo together before they went their separate ways. Sophia wanted in on the photo action too... we took the early photo just before Liv left (while Soph was still in her PJs) and another one by the bush when Coleman left. After things finally settled down I actually did something with her poor hair and had to photograph the cute little ponytail. It still isn't super long or thick, but we can get it gathered into one or two "little piggies." The bottom right photo is Sophia's go-to position once the kids are off... a "Fro-Yo-Yo" (frozen Go-Gurt) and an episode of "Lil Ty-Ty" (Little Einsteins). She loves that corner of the couch! I think she was pretty bored at first with just me to play with... and she often pulls my hand and asks me to play "tea-party stuff, now!" which is much more enjoyable than doing laundry or dishes or any other housework :). I love that I get to spend some focused time with her during the day while the older kids are gone.<br />
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The school year is already passing by quickly... and my summary of it so far is "Thank goodness for carpools so I don't have to drive to both schools twice each day!"Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-87378898465610432982012-10-08T14:05:00.002-06:002012-10-08T14:05:40.580-06:00Lovin' the '80's!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the items in our reunion packet was a pair of tickets to an '80's reunion concert at the Usana Amphitheater. We met our friends Rinehart and Lisa there and listened to the likes of Eddie Money, Kenny Loggins, and even Belinda Carlisle (she's still got it!) with a few others. The irony wasn't lost on us that the concert was put on by and for employees/consultants of Usana... a company that sells health promoting supplements... yet many of the artists were NOT examples of people who had taken care of their health or aged well... despite all of that it was a fun night... and we ended with ice cream at <a href="http://www.leatherbys.com/">Leatherby's</a> which is never a bad thing :).<br />
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<br />Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-62936631841340862452012-10-07T23:44:00.000-06:002012-10-07T23:44:11.657-06:00Twenty YearsCan 20 years really have passed since I graduated from Cottonwood High School? Indeed they have... in August we celebrated 20 years since our high school graduation.<br />
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In many ways I was excited to see old friends and renew acquaintances. In other ways I was dreading feeling the same insecure feelings that I had during high school. When it came down to it though I decided that I needed to face my fears and get over my insecurities. I am so pleased with my life and I feel like I have accomplished great things! Even with that "comfortable in my own skin" feeling, I still wasn't completely sure I wanted to go to the reunion. I knew that if I didn't go I would likely regret it (just like I regretted skipping the dinner for our 10 year reunion) so I decided to suck it up and show up. I was so glad I did!<br />
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Our reunion committee planned lots of fun things... on Friday night we had an alumni only night at the school (which to be honest was a little on the weird side to be there) and on Saturday there was a fun family picnic which I dragged my cute family to. Later that night was the fancy soiree at Snowbird. My high school best buddy Kim flew in from the Indiana to be my "date" since we weren't going to force our husbands to come along with us. The printed programs included so many references to pop culture in 1992 and they even included our senior photos on our name tags. We decided that (for the most part) all of the women looked the same or better... most of the men looked pretty good too, but there were a few of us that the years had not been kind to. The program included a slide show of then and now photos, a tribute to those who have passed on, some love shared with a few teachers that attended, prizes for various things (like who had the most kids, who married other '92 CHS graduates, who was the most pregnant, etc.) and a hilarious, remarkably professional video that a few alumni put together (said video can be watched here if you are so inclined:<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFuNyqv5Lvw"> 7 Tips for a Tolerable Reunion</a>).<br />
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In the photo above is a picture of me with Lisa, Sara, and Brooke at the picnic (photo on the left)... and a picture of Noelle (who came from out of state), Kim, me, and two of our buddies Dave and Adam. In the group photo you might be able to find me if you enlarge it... my head is just poking out in the upper leftish area right behind the brunette guy in the light blue shirt. The photo booth was fun... the photo strip on the left has me and Kim and our fun (kissing) friend Rebecca... the one on the right is me with Sara and Lisa. I was so sad that I couldn't talk our other closest friends Patrice and Loretta into coming... but I guess everyone had to do what they felt comfortable with. Maybe for our 30 year reunion they will come with us :).<br />
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When it was all said and done I think I worried about the dumb thing more than I needed to... it was so fun to see everyone and catch up with people that were so important to me during those formative years. I loved learning that although most of us have gone through hard things in the last 20 years, we are mostly doing okay or better (and that there are really a few crazies in the mix too!).<br />
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**Do you attend high school reunions?<br />
**Do you regret going (or not)?<br />
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<br />Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-70708946821683432392012-10-07T21:36:00.002-06:002012-10-07T21:36:44.603-06:00The Long Road Home<br />
In the afternoon it was time to make our way to the airport in Rhode Island... flying out of Providence was an experience... Chicago was experiencing delays due to a severe thunderstorm (multiple lightning strikes per minute) so we were unable to take off for several hours. Our plan had been to find dinner during our two hour layover in Chicago... but when it became clear that we wouldn't have two hours (if we were able to catch our connecting flight at all). The airport is small enough that the few restaurants they had closed early and we had a hard time finding food to buy. Thank goodness for prepackaged sandwiches and fruit at Starbucks... and for the packages of fruit snacks and Oreos that Bruce and Terri insisted we take :). We finally got word that our plane could take off, and the flight attendants all but promised us that all the other flights going into Chicago were delayed too, so we should be just fine. Maybe it was good to have that false sense of security on the flight to Chicago?<br />
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When we landed in Chicago we were welcomed with a wait on the tarmac... so many planes had finally been able to land that there was a big back up and no empty gates... so they had to start clearing out the planes and of course our plane to SLC was one of the ones to go, without us on board. There would be more flights the next day...We were informed that because the delay was due to weather the airline wouldn't help with food or a place to stay.... but they kindly told us they would be setting up cots in the terminal for our "convenience." Hah! Maybe if it were just Ryan and me... but there was no way I was going to stay the night in the airport with our kids... especially a busy two year old who is prone to wandering.<br />
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Coleman was devastated... he was so concerned that we weren't ever going to make it home. I think he was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. He was worried that his stuff was lost forever (including his beloved dinosaur pillow pet).<br />
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Bruce and Terri to the rescue! They secured a room (the last one, anywhere) at one of the nearby Marriott hotels and the kids and I hopped on a shuttle bus with our carry on luggage to get settled for the night. Ryan stayed at the airport hoping they would find the suitcase that held our extra diapers and wipes... wouldn't you know that the ONE time I don't over-pack our carry on bags is the time we will surely need it the most!?! The very kind woman at baggage claim tracked down some diapers for us along with another of our bags (the one with the pillow pets, hooray!).<br />
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We were all so hungry... the kids were begging for "real food"... so right when we got to the hotel we ordered pizza and Chicken Parmesan from <a href="http://barracos.com/">Barraco's</a> which came highly recommended from the guy at the front desk. While waiting for said food to be delivered all three children promptly fell asleep... they were so exhuasted! I wasn't the nicest mom and woke them up so they could eat the pizza that they had wanted so badly... Sophia had nothing of it though and refused to open her eyes :). Both kids ate a couple of small squares of yummy pizza and fought to keep their eyes open. They were so glad when I finally said they could climb back in bed. Ryan finally got back from the airport (after fighting the Lollapalooza crowd to get onto the shuttle) and ate what he could... then we put the rest of the pizza on ice and saved it for our breakfast the next morning (we totally forgot it was <a href="http://www.lds.org/topics/fasting-and-fast-offerings?lang=eng">Fast Sunday</a>). We woke to find that an army of ants liked our leftover chicken and cups with root beer residue... but luckily the pizza was left alone. Despite the ants, the room was great and we were so, so happy to have a safe place to rest our heads and a place to shower before putting back on our dirty travel clothes (also because of my grand idea to "pack light").<br />
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We slept well and made it back to Midway airport... got through security (again!)... and enjoyed a non-denominational Christian church service in the airport. We had an uneventful flight to Denver and then to Salt Lake City. We were most grateful that all of our luggage made it home (likely long before we did). Home Sweet Home! We were grateful that my mom picked us up from the airport and took us to her house where she fed us dinner before returning to our home.<br />
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We LOVED being in Connecticut for a week--it was so fun to be with Ryan's parents and see and do so many fun things... and we loved coming home too.<br />
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Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-84936754971293078052012-10-07T20:42:00.003-06:002012-10-07T20:42:44.558-06:00Thimble IslandsOur last day in Connecticut was Bruce's birthday! It was fun to be there with himon his special day :). We didn't fly out until later in the afternoon... so we got to go on a little boat tour of Thimble Islands (off the shore of Branford, CT) in the morning.<br />
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The Thimble Islands are a group of small little islands that are in Long Island Sound and are part of Stony Creek Harbor. They are made of pink granite so are very sturdy... 23 of them are actually inhabited! Only six of them have electrical power. Some of them are too small to build on and one actually had just a pavilion (and had been for sale for many years). Historically they were a spot for pirates to hide out (Captain Kidd!) and buildings on them have been built and rebuilt following tropical storms and hurricanes.<br />
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We were on Captain Bob's tour boat and he gave us a great guided tour. Some of the homes on these islands were crazy big and some were very, very rustic. It was interesting to hear about some of the stories with the various islands.<br />
<br />We stopped (again) at Rita's on the way back home.. It was a great way to wrap up our fun-filled trip!<br />
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<br />Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2125947803085363612.post-81145547766312070002012-10-07T20:23:00.002-06:002012-10-07T20:23:56.160-06:00Lyman FarmsWe spent our last full day at a wonderful orchard called Lyman Farms. They have a store where they sell all of their harvest (and other delicious things) and a fun pond with ducks.<br />
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We loved the apple cider donuts to start off our day... and a little later on came back to try out a few other tasty things. Coleman's eyes got as big as the cookie when he saw the Black & White cookie... which again, wasn't as good as the ones from Costco, but still yummy. Liv got a croissant and Sophia, Ryan, and I enjoyed some freshly picked blueberries. Yum! Everyone loved feeding the ducks!<br />
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Lyman farms is also home to a beautiful sunflower field that they cut a maze into... much like the corn mazes we have here in the west. They had clues and check points to get us through the maze with a pirate theme. We only got lost a few times :). The sunflowers were beautiful. I don't know if I have ever seen a red sunflower before, but they were beautiful too!</div>
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After Lyman Farms Olivia and Terri and I did a little shopping and drove to a lovely and charming little town that had fun shops and neat old buildings. I love the architecture in the East. Homes and office buildings and stores (although likely much older than most buildings here) look so new and well taken care of. I especially love the white homes and buildings with black shutters... they are beautiful!</div>
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In the evening Bruce and Terri treated us to the best seafood in the area and I hoped and hoped that I would like it. I just have never, ever liked seafood...even tuna is a stretch for me... Captain Scott's was highly recommended to them and they loved it when they first tried it. I was willing to taste... but was grateful for the landlubber's menu that included chicken fingers and fries. Ryan likes seafood much more than I do and enjoyed the sampler platter with his parents. He also ate "lobster roll" which is sort of like a hot dog bun with lobster meat and melted butter. I couldn't do it... although I did taste a little bite :). The kids seem to have inherited my (dis)taste for seafood and they ate the chicken and fries with me. This place had so many people there! It was tucked behind some buildings and not at all easy to find... but it was obvious that it is very well known and was super busy.<br />
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It was fun to see some of the places that Bruce and Terri have grown to love. Driving through so many little towns and through beautiful back roads gave us an opportunity to see a whole lot of the countryside. We loved it!Lisa R.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14353180268149167282noreply@blogger.com1