When opportunity knocks...

After my big driving trip to ID and UT you'd think I wouldn't want to go anywhere for a while, but Monday my husband said he had to go to Tempe, AZ to get some chemicals we had to have at work. And you know what I did? I said, "Let me go!!!" Of course, right? Because you know who is there? Yes! My baby, and my grandma!! I'd jump at the chance to be with them for a while! And I did!! So the last 24 hours or so I was in AZ. It was only an additional 12 hours of driving. :) And I loved it. I'm so blessed with great friends and family.

The End.

I'm home, I'm happy about it, I'm cranky and tired and so are others around here.

Driving all these hours is pretty hard. Driving and listening to music make me nostalgic. It makes me all weird. Today Pandora played eighty's rock. Journey, Styx, Kansas, Boston, John Melencamp, REO Speedwagon, Def Lepard... Lots of good stuff. I enjoyed it. I was wanting some of those big hair power ballads after a while. So ya, I was like 15 all day. :) Scary. Saturday night dances with Reed... Bahaha! :D





The sunset was amazing tonight. It stretched across half the sky! I tried to take pictures but it didn't work so well. What my eye was seeing was tons better than what the camera was taking as I drove down the road. Doing stuff like taking pictures while I drive helps me to stay awake. The girls thought I was crazy.

So, I've blogged 5 times already this year. It will soon stop, I'm sure of it. Just wanted to get it going again. Blogging stories makes me happy.

BYU and Nauvoo!

Well, first the BYU part.
WONDERFUL day again! Again we took a little (kinda big) golf cart all around BYU Provo today. A nice young man told us everything we needed to know. What I learned was that the two BYU's are really similar! There are a couple of differences, one is that BYUI is smaller but is pretty much patterned after BYU Provo.

Kendahl was thrilled to see this campus. She really hopes to get accepted here.



So none of that is earth shattering news, but the good news is that I grew as a mother today. I have been so worried about Kendahl getting motivated and being able to focus on doing everything it takes to get to college. I feel like I have to push her and get her to do something, anything. But today I realized that I don't have to do that. Sounds really simple, and it kinda is. I just got this vision about her actually being able to do it, and it calmed me down. If she does it all in time for a fall semester at college then GREAT! If she doesn't, I guess she'll work out what her next move will be. But mainly, I don't have to do it for her. I'll hope for her, I'll dream for her. But she has to do it, I can not do it for her.

This may seem silly to some people, this simple yet obvious lesson, but I needed to feel it! (My mind knew it, but now my heart has grasped it.)

The other wonderful thing that happened tonight was that we went to visit my mom's cousin. She has always been Aunt Barbara to me. I haven't seen her for many, many years. But I always remember her as a smiling, spunky, fun woman. And her husband as a sweet heart! We started the visit immediately with genealogy she has gathered. I love talking about family history. I love the stories and the connection with family from the past.

I learned from Barbara that we had family who lived in Nauvoo, and that they were "intimate" friends with the Prophet Joseph Smith! I saw records of this and even had Barbara copy me one death announcement that had what the connection looked like. I wish I could put on here the information, but frankly, I don't know it well enough and I wouldn't know what to write anyway. You can find a lot of it on my aunt's blog. It is:
Barbara's Blog

I was so energized after leaving my aunt's house. I was excited to know my ancestors were part of the wonderful sacrifices of the early saints! I have that kind of blood in me! I have some amazing and wonderful people in in my family who came before me! Both living and dead! I wish I could be just a tiny bit of what they are!!


In this picture: (nephew)Bradly Stock, Me, Aunt Barbara, Uncle Dick, Kendahl

Day Two

Success today on the college front. We had a great tour of BYU Idaho. We got carried around by a little golf cart and a nice young man who gave us a nice tour. The campus at BYUI is really nice. It seems newer, and yet established. They have everything anyone would need close enough that walking to everything is doable! I liked it and I think the girls liked it. A wonderful plus is the Temple up on the hill. You can see it from nearly anywhere on campus and it is a beautiful picture.

After just that short visit we quickly left Rexburg. I guess there was no reason to dilly dally. We headed down to Salt Lake. In SLC we met up with my handsome nephew Bradley. I'm sure Marci (his mother) never reads my blog, but if she ever does I must say that the kid I used to be so bothered by has turned out to be quite a impressive young man! He is kind, funny, friendly, a gentleman and even more!

Bradley did his homework and did a great job of taking us on a tour of LDS Business College where he is currently enrolled. It is a small school but I really like the idea of LDS schools, so it definitely has it's place! I give it kudos! I guess it has about 1800 students and has a great feeling to it.

After that tour we kidnapped Bradley and brought him down to Provo. By the time we found our hotel (which is a Marriott and cute, but not nearly as nice as the one last night) we were off to, in the words of Bradley, "PARTY". This party consisted of a really bad Chinese buffet and the kids going to the dollar movie while I came back to the hotel. The hotel was really close so the kids walked "home" from there and we sat and chatted and listened to music for a while till it got late.

I don't have any pictures, except the ones in my mind, but it was a really nice day. I don't know why I didn't take pictures... It's not my norm, I have to make it my norm! We need pictures!

Tomorrow is a big day. BYU, the big blue, the real deal! I'm excited, but more than me, Kendahl is excited.

I'm glad we did this. I'm glad we're here. I miss my family at home. I miss my other kids.

College Tour Road Trip

We're here! This is Rexburg day one. Kendahl and her friend are taking a trip to tour the LDS colleges. Stop #1 is Rexburg, ID to see BYU Idaho. Tomorrow we have an appt at 9am with administration. But tonight we drove around the temple and the school. In the dark and snow it looked new and really nice.

The hotel we are staying at is brand new and it is really cool! Kendahl said if she can live in the hotel she'll definately go to college here! Ya right!! I don't think so! There are sliding doors to the bathroom/s. There are two half baths, one with sink and toilet, the other with sink and bathtub. It's really cool. And the best part is it was free with points!! :) The next hotel is old, so probably not so cool.

The drive today was 13.5 hours with breif food and potty stops. It was long but not too bad. It actually got better as the day went on. I'm tired, so off to bed for now.

Welcome 2011

Jan 3rd and we had snow! Yay! The kids played in it most the morning till there wasn't any left. I love my kids. They are growing up, so they aren't as cute as little tiny kids, but I see them just like that still. Even the kid who's 6' 2". He's just as cute to me as he was when he was little! I love that about love, it just keeps getting better and better.

Ringing out!

Ringing out the old, and in the new. Calm new years eve tonight. Went to the movies with the littles, then came home to take the bigs to the stake New Years Eve dance. Bless Carter's heart, he didn't want to go. I took the pressure off of him and said it just didn't matter what he did, and then he chose to go! Good kids. We are blessed with really good kids!!

Cleaned up Christmas and the house is more bare. But it's nice to have things a little simpler. I love Christmas but there sure are lots of decorations. This year seemed so quick! The holiday season passed just as quickly as the year did. In a blur!!

Now let me brag for just a moment, I made the BEST broccoli soup I've ever tasted tonight!!! I'm not kidding you. I don't think I could duplicate it, but I am sure going to try. It was awesome! I don't usually brag on my cooking, but this needed some bragging. :) I want broccoli soup to be my new years goal. Try new things, make things pleasing, enjoy! It was the perfect meal to ring in the new year with!!

I think the biggest lesson I learned last year was to be grateful, always. I had tons of gratitude this past year and I truely feel blessed beyond measure. Focusing on that is where joy is at.

So now it's just ringing my hands wondering whether or not to try to set gaols or resolutions. Just wanting things to be calm and peaceful. Right about now I am hating stress and tension and the like. The blurring days will tell how 2011 will turn out. I hope I can accomplish something as they pass by!

Happy New Year everyone. I do hope that the year has something good to offer all of us.

New Year? What the....

Ya... true. It's gonna be a new year in a day or so. I can't believe it!

Scott and I took the kids down to Scandia tonight for the LDS youth new years party. We had a little party of our own and went out to Famous Dave's BBQ, which was super good and had really cute decor and atmosphere. Then we went to a movie that had so much motion in it that it made me sick to my stomach and I thought I was going to have to puke over the rail in front of me. Luckily we got out of there just in the nick of time! :) All is well now and even though it's way too late (cuz it's really tomorrow by 2 hours) we're all home safe and sound.

The new year is upon me and loading all of it's expectations right on top of my shoulders. Ahhhhhhh. Go away dang it! I'm not ready yet!! How am I going to get out of this one? I don't want a new year. Oh well, (heavy sigh).