Tagged for Christmas!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. Some things are just easier to put in a bag.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. I would like to do a real tree one year and Brett and I have talked about getting a permit and cutting one ourselves.
3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever I get to it. This year it was about a week after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever I get to it. Hopefully before my Birthday. JK
5. Do you like eggnog? Not so much
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Cabbage Patch Doll
7. Hardest person to buy for? Brett
8. Easiest person/people to buy for? Me. Oh can I say that. Monika is pretty easy
9. Do you have a nativity set? Yes
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I'm horrible and I never send them out but I enjoy getting them in the mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The gift I didn't get. I was like 4 and wanted a dress up wedding dress. Instead I got a letter from Santa telling me about some other girl who wasn't getting anything so he gave her my dress.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't really have a favorite. Miracle on 34th Street is good
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually sometime in November, but most of it gets done the week before Christmas.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Chocolate Roll -Just for tradition sake because I really don't like sweets
16. Lights on the tree? Colored
17. Favorite Christmas song? I really can't think of one that is my favorite
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. I went to Mexico one year and as much as I enjoyed it, it was weird to be away.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Of course, but I don't feel the need to prove it.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning of course. Santa comes during the night so there would be nothing to open on Christmas Eve. We do open PJ's though.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Feeling like people just want, want, want.
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have a teddy bear theme on my tree as well as my Nativity set
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? Happy, respectful, kind, grateful kids but since that may be too much to expect I want the wii fitness and a gym pass.

Teenage Girls: What's Wrong With Them?

Remember the old saying, "Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of"? I can't help but think that whoever came up with that, never had teenage girls. It's like a crazy transformation takes place between the ages of 10-13where the balance of "sugar and spice" is completely out of whack. The spice takes over and can sometimes leave a pretty bitter taste in your mouth. I know I caused my parents a lot of grief as a pre-pubescent young girl (as well as a full blown teenager) but was I really that bad? I remember crying, yelling, calling names, swearing, slamming doors, playing my music really loud etc., but I also remember feeling bad about those things a lot of the time.
As a mom I try to be understanding and even empathetic to what my daughter is going through but often find myself wanting to pull my hair out (cuz if I pulled hers out it could be considered abuse). Its hard to be patient and to see past the cloud of whirling anger and frustration that surrounds her most of the time, especially when it catches you so off guard. The sun can be shining with not a cloud in the sky but in the blink of an eye a tropical storm with overpowering winds and torrential rain is upon you. Like in any storm of that magnitude the first line of defense is to run for cover, board up your windows and hide in the cellar. Not often is the first response to be a storm chaser driving head on into the path of destruction; seeing each new storm as an exciting event and a learning opportunity. They don't run in fear they jump with enthusiasm at the experience that lies ahead of them. Crazy fools.
The storms will pass (eventually) and the balance of "sugar and spice" will once again be more evenly represented but in the mean time.........

Personality Test

Frustrated

Ok this might sound kind of silly but I can't figure out why my page elements got changed and I can't change them back. All of the links to other people's blogs as well as to old posts etc moved to the bottom of the page the last time I changed my background. I decided to change it back to minima dark thinking that it would be normal again but it's not. I don't know what to do. If I go into layout it shows that it should be set up the way I want. ARRGGGHH. HELP

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free family tree - Family reunion

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Brett's birthday was on September 27 and because we were out of town I wasn't able to get this finished. I want to wish him a happy 38th birthday and I hope everyone enjoys this little tribute.

Random fun at the HardJohnson House

 

 

Park City

 

Brett and I spent 3 days in Park City with the kids at the beginning of July. My parents have a timeshare and were nice enough to try to split it up between whoever wanted to use it this year. We went to the Olympic Park and did the Worlds steepest zipline. I was a little freaked out riding up the ski lift because you realize how high up you are getting, and how far down you will have to go. We also did the Alpine Slide and Alpine Coaster. It was a nice little get away but Park City is so dang expensive. Thanks mom and dad.

Memories

Here are the directions: 1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember. This can be about me or Brett. 2. Next, repost these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It is actually pretty funny to see the responses.

Fun at the Lake

We spent two weekends at Utah Lake with some of our friends. The first weekend was with Julie, Sarah and Paige and the second was with the Dayley family, Austin family, Manolakis family, and a couple others that I didn't get pictures of. I have to say that I love spending time with my friends and their cute families. Enjoy the photos.

 

 

So on July 5th Benson and Christy were married at the Carbon County Country Club. Brett and Tim Jindra were both groomsman and I have to say, looked very handsome in tuxedos. There was a small group of friends who were able to make it down and we enjoyed the ceremony, reception and after party. Congratulations Benson and Christy.

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Burraston Ponds

So a week and a half ago Brett, Monika and I went camping at Burraston Ponds in Mona Utah. We went with the Dayley crew, Vance, Nicole and Cassidy, Beau and Marci and a couple of Beau's friends.

We didn't know what do expect because we had never been there but we were looking forward to a nice weekend of camping, fishing, and relaxing with friends.

BD went down on Thursday evening to set up tents and reserve spots for everyone because Saturday was no license fishing day and we figured it would be crowded. We had no idea that when we got there the campground would be over-run with a ton of young boys on a father/son camp out. They didn't seem to notice or care that they set up there stuff right in the middle of ours. Literally putting their food station 5 feet away from the Dayley's.

Beau and Marcie found a different spot around the corner, so Brett and I moved our stuff by them. That night someone had the "amusing" idea to give all the boys Kazoo's and there had to be 50 boys running around blowing the dang things. I think I would have killed one of them if we hasn't moved our spot away. Luckily because "Saturday is a Special Day" they left bright and early to go home and "get ready for Sunday".

The rest of the trip was very enjoyable. The kids played in the water, BD and the girls found a "Secret Spot" on a canoe ride, Beau caught all the fish (although everyone else tried, and the sun came out off and on which I enjoyed.

Brett playing some crazy mouth instrument.

Julie bundled up next to the fire

Vance and Nicole enjoying the campfire.

We were joined by the Austin family on Sunday and had a great afternoon. There is a really nice rope swing that we all decided to jump off of. The water was FREEZING!! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of that but next time (On a hot summer day) I will make a point of getting pictures of everyone in action.

Moab

So one of the things I forgot to mention in my previous post was out trip to Moab in April. I should've posted these back when it happened but I'm sure there a lot of things that I "should've" done. Anyway we had an awesome time. Spencer hadn't been to Moab since he was a toddler and Monika had never been. We hiked to Delicate Arch and I think both the kids were totally amazed at how big it is up close.
Spencer holding Delicate Arch on his shoulder. I didn't get any pictures of Spencer's first mountain biking experience but I know he had a really good time and I'm grateful for Brett and James for taking it easy on him.
There is a giant sand hill just outside of Arches National Park that the kids wanted to play on. This was the last place we adventured before heading home. The kids had a blast climbing up and then running and rolling down. I have to say my legs were burning climbing to the top through all the sand but it was worth it.

We stayed in an awesome condo with the Dayley's and next door to the rest of the gang. We enjoyed great food, games, conversation, pool and hot tub. Thanks to everyone (Greg, Natalie, James, Kim, Blake, Alison, BD, Julie, Lance and Marissa) for including us on this trip. We had an awesome time and can't wait for more adventures over the summer.

I Know, I Know

Ok, so I know I have been really terrible at updating my blog over the past while. I don't know exactly what my problem is because there has been a lot of stuff going on. It's just a matter of setting aside the time to write a little post and download some pictures. It doesn't sound that hard but....
Anyway, I'm writing this at work so there won't be any pictures. I just wanted to mention a few of the things that have gone on in the past little while. Monika turned 12 on March 30 (Yikes) and we went to Jump On It and then she had a sleepover at my sister Carmens house (check out her blog for some funny pictures). Brett and I ran away to Mesquite over the kids spring break while Monika spent some quality time with my sister Jessica in St George (her blog has pictures). We had our annual fundraiser for work which turned out awesome and they earned more money than they ever have. It was held at the Marriott in Provo where we had a lovely dinner and were entertained by Collin Raye in a private concert. Brett doesn't like country music so I really appreciate the fact that he came with me. For Mother's Day, Brett and I went camping at Notch Peak since the kids didn't really care about spending the day with me (ah, the joy of teenagers). Spencer turned 15 on May 17th and we all went to Lagoon. It was so much fun but I forgot how ridiculously expensive it is. Last week (Thurs-Monday) Brett and I had an adventure on the White River. We did this trip last Memorial weekend as well and were so impressed by the fact that we saw only one other group of people the whole weekend, decided that it should become an annual trip. We loaded up our inflatable kayak with dry bags full of gear and clothes and set out for 4 days and 3 nights on the river. Tim and Jessica Jindra, and Tom and Erin Jindra joined us, and the first day was a little scary. We got a fairly late on Thursday so we didn't get on the river until after 6pm. The river was moving about twice as fast as last year according to the USGS data and the weather was much colder. We had only been on the river for about 10 minutes when Tim and Jessica flipped their boat. They tried to get the boat turned over and get back in but couldn't do it. They got separated from the boat and then from each other. Finally the boat got stuck on the bank and Brett and I were able to pull Jessica across the river just down from the boat and Tim was able to grab the paddle, dry bag and pump that had come loose from the boat and float down to where we were. The guys walked up river along the bank to see if they could get the boat and assess the situation. Jessica was obviously soaked and freezing. She was trying to move around to stay warm but by the time we were able to get their boat down to where the rest of us were waiting her skin was pretty white and lips were purple. We knew we had to find camp asap, get her out of her wet clothes and start a fire but in order to do that we had to get back on the river and find a spot where we could pull the boats onto dry land. Brett and I found a spot about 10-15 minutes down river and everyone set up camp. Unfortunately most of Tim and Jessica's stuff was wet so we spent the evening drying sleeping bags and clothes by the fire. We set up ropes around their tent to hang their clothes on which looked like a hobo camp; clothes hanging in trees, socks drying on sticks next to the fire and sleeping pads laid out on the ground. (I'll post some pictures at a later date). Obviously the next day was a little nerve wracking for everyone. Our choices consisted of leave most of our gear, pack only what you can carry and walk back upstream to the car several miles, or get back on the river and paddle the rest of the 24 miles or so. Once we figured out that there was a problem with the bottom tube on Tim and Jessica's boat that we could fix, we chose to continue the trip downstream. I love the water and have never really been frightened of it but that first 20 minutes or so of day 2, I was shaking. As time went on everyone became more and more relaxed and the trip ended up being awesome. Even Tim and Jessica were back to casual, relaxed paddlers by day 3 and although at one point Jessica said she didn't want to ever do another trip like that, I think it is on again for next Memorial.

Wacky Wednesday- Rachelle Johnson

Rachelle JohnsonTitle: Girls Youth Coordinator (7-12 yrs)Email: rachelle@hopecenterforkids.orgExtension: 1010
Rachelle Johnson was raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she went to high school and became involved in HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America). She then went to the University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii, where she studied medical missions. During college, she teamed up with YWAM and helped serve and study in Japan and the Philippines. Other international mission trips include: China, Taiwan, Jamaica, Fiji, Mexico and Israel. After graduation, Rachelle came back to Council Bluffs where she worked in nursing and performed in-home health care for 3 1/2 years. After hearing a sermon by Pastor Ty, Rachelle felt led to work with the youth at the Hope Center for Kids. She began as Volunteer Coordinator, and now works as Youth Coordinator for girls ages 7-12. Rachelle also helps lead the Hope Center's Mission Squad.

Too Many Hats

Mother, friend, spouse, employee, manager, chef, taxi driver, counselor, maid, partner, sister, daughter, mediator. These are just a few of the hats that women have to wear and it makes me wonder how they do it. Is it possible to wear these hats and to actually fit in all of them or do we attempt to put them on, only to have them slide down over our eyes, making it impossible to move forward? This is somewhat a rhetorical question because I don't think anyone truly has the answer. We attempt to wear multiple hats at the same time but often find it impossible or at least feel that one hat is bigger than all the others therefore becoming our dominant guide for the moment. No matter how hard we try to fill each of these roles, I can't help but feel that there are too many which leads us to perform a half-assed job. As females, I think we look around at other women and assume that they are doing a great job at filling their hats which leads us to compare and unfortunately not meet up to our internal standards. Do other people place these hats on our heads and do they judge us on our ability to perform the expected duties? Again, a rhetorical question. Maybe nobody sees these hats but us. Other people may just look at us and see a woman. Sometimes I feel like taking all these hats, throwing them into the air, screaming like a banshee and running to hills before anyone can catch me. Unfortunately I think if it wasn't hats we were trying to fill, it would be shoes.

Flashback Friday - Tubing

So I had this crazy experience the other day. We have had some random disposable cameras lying around the house that I decided to take in and get developed. We had no idea what we would find because nobody could remember even using a disposable camera in the past several years. Well it obviously had been quite awhile since these pictures were taken. About two winters ago we took the kids tubing at Soldier Hollow, which is a total blast and these pictures are a complete blast from the past. Brett and I look exactly the same but it was a shock how much the kids have changed.

Monika is so short in this picture. I swear she's grown over 6 inches since this was taken.

Spencer looks so young and sweet. It's amazing what 2 years can do and how much somebody can grow up. He looks like a little boy, not the young man he's turned into.

I love this picture of the kids. They look so happy and they even look like they enjoy each other's company a little. Ahh, the good ol' days.

A darling photo of Monika looking so young and innocent. Two years and raging hormones later she is still darling but it is much harder to catch her looking so happy and excited to be doing something with her family.

The Valentines Box

So many of you may remember the importance of the "Valentine's Box" in Elementary school. Every year students are asked to make a box and home and bring it to school to collect all their goodies and love letters. Well this year Brett and Monika worked together to make her box. It is always nice to see the two of them working together to complete a project. They cut pictures and words from magazines and pasted them on a box that Monika had covered in tinfoil. Monika created a design for each side of the box and then Brett pased them onto her box.

As you can see it turned out quite cute and creative; if I do say so myself. I think they were both very proud of their work and I was just content to take pictures of two of my favorite people working together.
Last but not least I have to show you the beautiful flowers that Brett surprised me with. They were delivered to my office while I was out on a visit. I wasn't even going to go back to the office but at the last minute decided to run back in there and make sure I didn't have any urgent phone calls to return. As you can imagine, I was completely thrilled to find a beautiful bouqet of purple flowers (Brett's favorite color) waiting for me on my desk. What can I say, I love that man!

My Purse Has Been Tagged

Ok, so I'm really embarrassed!! I woke up this morning and thought that I would read some blogs. I like to see if anybody has updates. Well I start to read Natalie's blog and my first thought was "Oh dear, I should really clean out my purse because I could be next". Well unfortunately I continued to read the whole thing and found out that I had already been tagged. So the contents of my purse are very random and somewhat odd but here goes. My wallet of course which is so full (of reciets not money) that it can barely close, my work cell phone, and my keys. Those are the items that are pretty normal and I would expect to find in anybodys purse but the rest is where you have to wonder what is going on inside my head, let alone my purse. I had two prescription bottles for prescriptions that I haven't taken in months, a tampon belonging to Shannon, two business cards for local cab companies, a nail file, flower drops, one hard candy (this of course was thrown away), two AA batteries (I don't know if they work), my fishing license reciept, a lighter, a small bottle of lotion, presciption cream for Monika's skin, a travel salt and pepper shaker, 7 (yes 7) lipgloss, and about $3 in change at the very bottom. Of course last but not least the darling picture of my kids taken about 10 years ago that Brett happened to throw in there yesterday. So now that I've laid it all out for you, don't spend too much time analyzing what it might mean. Since I know I'm not the only crazy one, I am going to tag Jessica, Carmen, Tiffany and Shannon.

Flashback Friday

Since it seems like everyone enjoys flashback friday(at least I do) I figured I would join in the fun. As I mentioned before, Brett and I met just over 4 years ago on a fabulous trip to Lake Powell. I was invited by Natalie and decided that it would be a worthwhile reason to take a couple of days off of school. Some people were able to go down for an entire week while others came for 4 or 5 days. The whole vacation was one big party. We had great food, free-flowing drinks, swimming, sunbathing, cliff diving, wake-boarding, campfires, birthdays, etc. You name it, we did it. It's crazy for me to look back and see how much has changed. Kim and James had only been dating for a few months, Natalie and Greg weren't married yet, Holly was married but as crazy as ever, Blake and Alison had only been married for a few weeks, I was in my first semester of school and the only one with kids.


Although we've all had a lot of changes in our lives over the past few years I love the fact that we have all remained close friends. With weddings, babies, graduating from college, new jobs, more babies, Masters Degrees, step children, engagements, and more babies we can look back and remember how fun it was back when and look forward to making new memories together

Although another Lake Powell trip like that one is probably out of the question, it will be exciting to get down there again, this time with spouses, babies, teenagers (yikes) but most of all good friends.

Who are we and why are we here?

Isn't that the questions that we are all asking? At least aren't we told that that is the ultimate question in mans search for happiness and understanding? I'm not going to get that philosophical on you, I'm just going to tell you a little about who we are. Brett and I have been dating for just over four years. We met in Lake Powell on a fabulous vacation and I have been head over heals ever since. He on the other hand would probably tell you that head over heals isn't the right way to describe the chaotic life I've dragged him into. Truthfully our life is pretty mellow but having a teenager and one preteen can definitely cause some ups and downs. Spencer is 14 and over all a really good kid. He is a freshman in high school which is almost too crazy for me to comprehend. It doesn't seem like that long ago when I was a freshman. Yikes! How fast time flies. Spencer is learning to snowboard this year and is off to a really good start. He has a seasons pass at Sundance so has been able to go several times already. Brett is being patient and teaching him. Monika is 11 going on 17. It is scary how different girls are from boys. Not that one is better than the other, just different. Monika is very strong willed which hopefully come in handy as she starts dating but sometimes it complicates things at home. She is very adventurous and will try just about anything. This is something that Brett loves about her and is really looking forward to getting her out rock climbing this year. Monika is also a social butterfly and makes new friends wherever she goes. It seems like everyday she comes home talking about a new friend and is always wanting to head off to someones house to play.

Brett has been able to be home with the kids after school for the past 6 weeks or so which has been awesome. My work schedule can sometimes get me home later than I would like but I don't have to worry when I know he is home with them. He is starting back to work this week which means I have to actually think about what to make for dinner, make sure the kids check in after school, and try to schedule my time better. We'll see how well I do.