fun times in slc

last week i was able to spend some time with tod and sadie in salt lake. the weather was absolutely gorgeous, though i was prepared with ski coat, hat and mittens. tod has a new place to live in that i think is pretty comfy, and hopefully a place he can call home for awhile.

















tuesday, while sadie and i were looking for items tod needed in his "unfurnished" apartment, she reminded me she could really use another couch to sit on in her apartment. i told her we could take some time on wednesday and see what we could find. wednesday morning i had the bright idea of getting the addresses of some deseret industries close by, and a cort clearance center. after looking at our first two d. i.'s, the clearance center (way expensive...what does clearance mean anyway?), and ikea, i was starting to lose hope. we only had time to look at one more d.i. we both mentioned we were feeling a little grossed out by what we had seen prior, but we braved the front doors and hit the jackpot!!! thank you to everyone out there who donates items to d.i. before they really need to be thrown away! $25.00 - PERFECT! the next obstacle getting it up the three flights of stairs and into her apartment. needless to say, we laughed and moaned and groaned, and then three neighbors helped us, so they could get down the stairs and out to their cars! thank goodness for helpful neighbors (i don't know if they were really mad because they only spoke in spanish to each other as they were struggling to get it up the stairs, but they were kind anyway...luckily sadie is really hott and can get her flirt on if needed, jk :)



















so, it was really fun to spend time with my kids in their college town, and feel like i could help out a little. the best treat of all when i got home, was to have a surprise visit from the very cutest ladybug i have ever seen. lauren knows how to trick or treat, and enjoy her candy, and get her sticky hands in her hair and on her neck and just about everywhere! oh...the little pleasures!

who doesn't love sunday...sorry jen...

i know it is thursday night, but i had to write a little about the feelings i had this past sunday. it was our stake conference this past weekend and i would say it was a lot on the "missionary" theme. i came away with two thoughts shouting in my mind. (i think it is interesting though, that it took me hearing these things twice before they sunk deep within me)

first; was something i had heard the week before in my own sacrament meeting, because the same girl spoke two weeks in a row. it was michelle, the girl that keri had the shower for. anyway, her comment was this, "what are you HOLDING ON TO, that makes you unable to boldly share your testimony?" i think i have shared on my blog before how i am the poster child of anxiety about trying to talk with someone about the church. i have pondered this a lot this week.

second; satuday evening a recent convert was talking about his feelings as he held the book of mormon in his hands and he realized he was holding God's words and that he was able to read God's words, and how sincere and grateful he was to know that God still talks to His children. sunday as president schlauder referred to the power of this young man's sincerity as he spoke of the amazement he felt about the book of mormon, i realized i really take that great book for granted. how can i go one day without reading from its pages? that has been on my mind a lot this week as well.

i suppose why this particular sunday was memorable was, immediately following conference and a quick sandwich i jumped in the car to go to salt lake, alone. notice the word ALONE. i can't remember the last time i took a road trip by myself. it is very possible it was when i was in college! it is very different to travel alone. you get to listen to the music you choose, you don't have to settle any arguments, no one is complaining at you, and you can think...just think for five hours! trips are also shorter when you are by yourself:) anyway, there is something to be said for pondering. i loved listening to jon's sunday favorites list four different times as i traveled! it set the mood for some wonderful feelings and some soul searching. i could say i have felt like i have been a little in the valley lately as far as my spiritual growth is concerned. it was so wonderful to have this time to think about what i can change and how i can do and be better. thanks tod, for giving me a reason to make the trip and remember why i love sundays. jen, maybe when bridger is twelve you'll get to take a road trip alone and sunday will feel a little different again:)

like a good neighbor...keri is there!

i just thought it was time for a little shout out for my sweet neighbor, keri. she is such a great friend, as many of you witnessed the night of jessie's shower, when i ended up sick and afflicted, and she was here beside kristen and jen, lending her party giving support. i guess that is really why i decided i should write about her, she gave yet another party thursday night for a new girl in our ward who is due with her first baby in about a month. she is always giving parties for everyone who might need one, hence, she has taught me a lot about being a hostess. i'm grateful to have her to talk through the ideas of what to serve and how to decorate and what to do to give each party that special touch. it is so nice to share serving dishes and chairs and punch bowls and tables, and anything with her. so, when i realized she was giving the shower and she told me she was thinking about doing cupcakes, i told her to let me try. she looked on line and got a couple of ideas, and i had so much fun making babies and lambies!!! i thought i might have a new idea for a business, but i decided i'm way toooo sllooowwww. anyway, it was fun being a little creative for a change in my life:)





















TOP FIVE REASONS WHY I LOVE KERI:

5- she can make any one she meets feel like they are her best friend! (a gift i hope to develop)
4- her facial expressions when she is telling a story and the sound of her laugh:)
3- her gentle, sweet, spiritual side (she isn't so perfect that i can't totally be myself, but i am continually being enlightened by her)
2- the fact that i know i can count on her at any time for any thing, no matter what. (does this sound like i'm married to her:))
1- she gets me!!! she understands all of my best and worst sides, and she still likes me. (that is definitely #!)

THANKS KERI!!! YOU'RE THE VERY BEST!!!

FAMILY...

This past week was full of lots of fun and lots of family. Sadie and Tod were out of school for "fall break", and it was really fun to have them home. The boys were being cowboys until late Wednesday night...so we had a few fun "girl" days and then some fun "together" days. Before she came home, Sadie had promised me she was going to spend every waking minute with me. And, we actually got some pretty good girl time in. Megan had her homecoming dance Saturday night, which she had, "sooo much fun at!!!", and then Jon, Tod, Sadie, Tanner, Brynley, and I went to the UNLV vs. BYU football game. It was really so much fun the first half!!:) I'm not sure why Jon's season tickets are smack dab in the middle of the visitors section, though they are great seats, I know he was worried I was going to have he and Tod fighting, because of my big mouth, before the end of the game! I really did try to be good:) Hailey got to go to the temple and do baptisms for the first time this week, and she got to earn some good money babysitting Lauren and a few others Saturday night. Being with your family and enjoying the time you spend together, is the greatest blessing a mother could ask for!!! I LOVE THESE CUTE FACES!!!

A Patriarchal Blessing

I can't go to bed without taking a minute to say what a sweet experience we had tonight as Megan's Grandpa Bunker gave her her patriarchal blessing. How lucky we are to have our grandfather still in good enough health to give his grand-daughter a beautiful blessing! It is always amazing to me to remember that the CORE of the person we are, came with us when we entered this earth life. We come with a distinct personality and with unique gifts and talents and blessings to offer those around us. As I remember Megan as a child, she always had a huge smile on her face. Sometimes mischievous, sometimes not. She giggled at everything. She was out going, everyone was Megan's friend. She demanded attention (in a good way), we could never forget we had a fourth child:). She was tough. She could be running full speed and slam into a wall, fall down, and hop back up and start running again without even a whimper. She was very forgiving. She didn't like contention. She loved music. She was happy. She was very determined. As I look at her today, I see the same person! Sometimes, some of these virtues fade a little for a while, but then I see them shinning again and I remember what a beautiful daughter of God she is! At her core she is amazing, and as her life unfolds and she figures out what Heavenly Father's plan is for her, and she follows Him, she will be an unbelievable force for good. I feel very humbled tonight and very blessed to be her mother!
I took my camera, but of course, I forgot to take a picture of Megan with her Grandfather, so I'm stuck using an old one!

Gathering and Selling Cattle

Jon and Tod went from conference to Wyoming to help Brent with gathering and selling the cattle. They met Stacy in Scipio and off they went for the cold-er country. This has been a tradition of sorts for the past few years. I think they started trying to help with the round-up before Tod's mission. This year is the first time Jon has been there for the cattle sell. Lucky for them, the weather turned a little warmer, I know they were prepared for a lot worse. I think they are actually turning into decent hands, though I could get a different report when I see Brent in a few weeks!:) Anyway, I thought these pictures of Wyoming in the fall were fun.

WARNING...

if any of you see this car driving around las vegas or with the reverse lights on...get out of the way!!!
consider yourself WARNED!

the entomology project

MAJOR PROPS TO MEGAN!!! she made it work, and it looked kind of pretty huh?
i'm glad i wasn't home for the pinning of the monsters that's for sure.
she lost her gnat, i guess it blew away (maybe wasn't pinned securely)
so she just went outside and found a roly-poly.
anyway, we're definitely glad this one left the house this morning!!





ps- every time tod's phone vibrates it freaks me out that something is alive on the counter!
i have been feeling bugs crawling all over me for 24 hours now. think having them out
of the house will help me get back to normal, whatever that is?

the LOST "hissing roach"

remember megan's bug project? well, tonight, when i got home from our wards "pig out" i noticed some small bags on the kitchen counter, it looked like they had been opened and they all had bugs names on them. (flesh eating beetle, cricket, hissing roach) i had sent megan to the exotic pet store to see if they had any insects she hadn't caught yet and it looked like she had gotten lucky:) when i went upstairs to talk to her i asked if she had put all of her bugs in the jar of rubbing alcohol. she said, "did you see how huge that roach is? i don't want it in the jar with all of my little bugs. it's huge. it will take up the whole jar!" I said, "is it alive? you have to kill it in the alcohol. it can get out of the bag!" i made her go downstairs and check to make sure it was still in the bag and i told her i would get her another container with alcohol in it to put the big roach in. guess what, the roach was GONE! i really have this thing with roaches, they really give me the willey's, so i started freaking out just a little. she was blaming me for leaving her bag open, and i was asking how huge it was, thinking to myself, "where could a huge roach be hiding?" i told her to put on my rubber gloves and start lifting everything up that was on the counter and i left the room. when i returned she was still looking and i started thinking, "ok craig came today, how long before the spray will get this huge thing!" i thought i was going to die knowing it was roaming around my house when megan says, "there it is. it's on the plant." HOLY CRAP (sorry, it's the only way to describe it)!! this roach is two inches long and one inch wide, even worse than my wildest nightmare. i just had to share a picture, and tomorrow when i show you the finished product, you will realize how huge this sucker is next to all the other insects she has caught. i know i am going to have bad dreams:( hope you all sleep well!

conference weekend

it is always an amazing treat when i can be in the conference center with the prophet, all the general authorities, the general women presidency's, and the choir, at general conference time! it was especially wonderful to see the prophet feeling so well:) we usually try to talk about the feelings we had while listening to conference (whose talk was especially meaningful to you, or what music touched your heart), but since jon is out of town, i'm ashamed to say, our family home evening tonight consisted of going to dinner, doing laundry, and catching bugs (15 insects) for Megan's project due Friday! (anyone with any extra bugs, let us know!)
but, i personally, have been thinking about what i heard this past weekend, what things i can do differently, what touched my spirit in a powerful way, and i would like to share a few.

1- i loved what elder packer had to say. i have wondered through the years what experiences the general authorities have had to make them qualified to be especial witnesses of Jesus Christ. i loved to hear him tell of his experience as he was called to serve as an assistant to the twelve. it made me feel closer to him.
2- elder holland is always a stand-out for me. as we have spent so much time lately involved with missionary work, i loved his clear explanation of the godhead, sharing what we believe and why we are most definitely Christians.
3- president eyring on sunday morning was also a favorite. when he told us of the journal he had kept for over thirty years (i think!) every day writing how God's hand had been involved in bringing great blessings to his family each day, i was inspired to think it through myself each night. i know what a powerful emotion gratitude is. i know it would greatly bless my life!
4- sister julie beck's talk about the qualities a mother who "knows" would have also touched my heart. i wish i possessed all the strength and wisdom and character that the mother she described had. it gave me a lot to think about, and a realization that i have a lot of things i can improve upon in my life.
5- the music was beautiful. i got to hear two of my favorites; "i believe in christ" (the choir sang it as a tribute to bro. longhurst who is retiring this year, and i believe they did it a little 'extra special') and president faust's "this is the christ". Also two new ones i suspect might be coming out on a new cd; "a child's prayer" and "how firm a foundation". both were unbelievable. i can't wait to hear them again!

anyway, conference is always a favorite weekend of mine. it is extra special when i can go to brenda's during priesthood meeting and laugh with her and her girls as the babies get crazy around us! here are a few pictures of our fun weekend!

The Miller Wedding

CONGRATULATIONS TO TAYLOR AND JESSIE !!!

It was a great day, even though the weather turned cold!
The sealing was wonderful, lunch was tasty, fun and best
of all, your comments were so sweet! The reception was beautiful,
everything about it, and the two of you are the cutest couple ever!

BEST WISHES & MANY HAPPY DAYS IN YOUR YEARS TO COME !!!

a "WICKED" weekend

The young women in our ward got to take a very fun "wicked" trip this weekend. We drove to Oceanside and camped out in a beautiful beach house. Saturday, we played in the ocean until it was time to clean up and head for LA to see our play. After a fun pizza dinner, and a stroll on Hollywood Blvd., we went inside the theatre and enjoyed the play. Sunday we attended the Oceanside 4th ward. They had three young women there, so I think we overwhelmed them with our twenty five. We had a great time! We watched some wonderful, new relationships start to develop, and we all made some unforgettable memories.

Hardest thing- trying to caravan with six cars, at night, on California freeways and toll roads, not going the speed limit:(

Best thing- laughing and loving everyone I was with:)

Funniest thing- being introduced at church by our one priesthood leader who told everyone we were from Colorado City:) (one man with nine women!)

Coolest thing- hearing one of our laurels (probably the happiest person on earth) saying over and over again as we waited for the play to begin, "I can't believe I'm sitting here, I just can't believe it!"

Funnest thing- watching three of our girls who had never been in the ocean before, tackle the waves and never get out (until they had to)

Remarkable thing- having 25 girls and 9 women share 3 bathrooms and being able to leave on time for the play and church

Unusual thing- seeing 25 young women at the beach all wearing modest swimming suits and never hearing a fight or having anyone complain about anything

I DO believe it was very good for us to "do something wicked" this weekend!