Cherokee Legend

My Nana sent me this story via email today. I enjoyed reading it and thought I would share. My Nana is in her 80's and more computer literate than most of us. She always sends me uplifting, God is love, type emails. She has always been a spiritual example in my life even though she does not share my faith. It's kind of funny because her name is Emma Smith and she lives in SLC, Utah, but no, she isn't Mormon! My Nana is a beautiful lady. I wish I had a pic. of her to share. She always looks so nice and put together with her blouses and clean, crisply ironed slacks, matching jewelry, etc. She not only takes good care of herself but of her home and things too. When we go to visit she makes such an effort to make sure your stay is exceptional. She gets out the fancy dishes, sets the table so nice, and cooks the most delicious meals. I love my Nana and am grateful for the things she has taught me.

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of passage?His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is aMAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him.Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man! Finally,after a horrific night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, our Heavenly Father is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Bear Lake

We spent the last few days in beautiful Bear Lake. The McBride clan was lucky enough to stay at Jen's parent's cabin right on the golf course. They let us use their boat and jet skis too. We had a ball tubing, wake boarding, and swimming in the warm, aqua water. Our days were spent relaxing, reading on the beach, riding motorcycles, swimming, staying up late watching movies, singing along to Josh playing his guitar, driving Jared's remote control car, eating delicious meal after meal, enjoying a famous raspberry shake at LeBeau's and of course, screaming across the lake on the boat and jet skis.

Our only regrets were that we didn't have enough time to do all we wanted. We could have easily spent a week in Bear Lake. And, it just went by too fast. We love getting together with Robert's family. There are so many of them, that there is never a dull moment. Someone recently asked me how I felt about my in-laws. I told them that on a scale from 1-10, I give them a 9.5. Come on, no body's perfect! But, honestly, I enjoy and love them and am grateful for their friendships.

So, I developed a big, fat cold sore on my bottom lip. I am sure it was from getting sunburned Thursday. We were all so anxious to spend time on the beach and boat that we stayed at the lake for over 7 hours! Yes, we were fried! Robert looks Spanish, Kristen and Josh received terrible burns on their legs, and Mikkel's lips swelled up like Jessica Simpson's! But, hey it was all worth it!

Now the drive home was another story. What should have been a 5 hour drive took us 9 1/2. I will save all the adventurous details, but boy were we happy to drive into Boise! We arrived about 9 p.m and hadn't eaten. Our neighbors were at our house watering our flowers for us. Then they asked if we had eaten. Since we hadn't, they brought over the most delicious home-made soup and pasta salad. How nice was that? I was so grateful. It tasted so much better than the cold cereal we would have eaten!

So, another trip down....just one more this summer. That's right.....Hood to Coast.......here we come!

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Lilli Lou, Hales Reunion, and Park City too!

Mondays are Lilli Lou days. We get to watch Uncle Clint and Aunt Amy's adorable little one. The kids have so much fun doting over her. She really is the sweetest, cutest little thing.

Clint turned 30 on Sunday. Amy had us all over for dinner. It is hard to believe my little brother is now 30! Clint has always been so much fun to be around. He has a lot of energy and an enthusiasm for life. We love you, Clint!

We are headed for Bear Lake tomorrow for Robert's family reunion. It made me think that I never posted about my Hales' reunion we attended earlier this month. This was the first time we had a Hales' gathering in years and years. It was actually a huge event at Weber State where Elder Hales was a guest speaker. We met up with closer relatives at a park in Ogden before the big event at the university.

It wouldn't be a Hales' reunion without a foot race!

The kids had a ball playing games and eating corn on the cob!
I didn't even know they played tug-a-war. I must have been off chatting. I would have loved to have been in on that action! Here's the cousins.
Here's my dad, his siblings and cousins.
We had such a nice time visiting, looking through old photo albums, eating (of course!), playing games, learning about our ancestors, and just being together! I love my family and am so grateful for all of them.

We snuck up to Park City after the reunion. It is one of my favorite places. You step out of the car and can smell the mountains. It is so beautiful.We walked around main street, had some dinner, and just enjoyed the scenery.The next morning we went to main street again. It was happening! There were booths everywhere with incredible food and hand made jewelry, etc. It was a hot one, but we cooled off with yummy drinks. Each of us picked out one of these hand-made, leather bracelets. They were awesome. She fitted them there right to your wrist.Afterwards we went up to ride the slides. Avery, Payton and I did the coaster. It was a blast! If you go to Park City, you have to do it! The price was high, so we only rode it once. I wish we could have gone, again and again!Owen and Robert did the Alpine slide. It was a little milder, and at both their scaredy cat levels! Just kidding. My boys are both a little hesitant when it comes to heights though! It seems the girls in this family are more the thrill seekers!

I found a coffee shop named, Kristi's! I never see anything with my exact name spelling!

Avery and Owen rode the Carousel. This is Avery's favorite thing! She is riding a horse...go figure!

Payton chose to do the trampoline. She tried real hard to do a back flip, but didn't quite make it over. She had fun anyway jumping high in the air!

And can you believe we didn't have time to do any shopping at the outlets? I was bummed. I was also bummed that the trip was so last minute and quick that I didn't get to see my good friends who live in Utah. I didn't even have time to call. So, I am sorry I missed you! Robert kept saying, " This is killing you that you can't go see your friends isn't it?!" Yes, it was! Some of my favorite people live in Utah!

Spudman 2008

We pulled the camp trailer over to Burley on Friday. We found the perfect spot, right there on the golf course, under a big tree, and close to the starting line. We saved a place right next to us for the Chapmans. They pulled in soon after.These three were in heaven with the sand traps! These three can be entertained wherever they are!
After dinner at Perkins we headed back to the trailers for "skit time!"Sydney had just been to Girl's camp, so that girl had all kinds of skits and songs to entertain us!
Just chillin!It's race day. Robert and Brent started their swims just after 7 a.m. Kim and
I fed the kids, got them dressed and headed for a spot on the course. I had my camera ready, but Robert blew by us so fast on the bike that I didn't get one pic.! After he sped by Kim and I and all our kids ran like crazy people as fast as we could to the exchange. You should have seen us, it was a site! We knew we had to be quick because last year we didn't make it. We arrived just in time. The kids high fived, Robert, and I snapped a pic. of him giving me the "Ah ya!" sign as he ran by me!

Next, we were off back to where we started to see Brent fly by us on his bike. Again, no pics! But, we got our exercise for the day sprinting, once again, with 7 kids, a stroller, cameras, snacks, drinks, etc. across the golf course to cheer Brent on for his run!

After that fiasco we had plenty of time to get to the finish line. We were happy spectators (Well some of us, others whined about the heat and being bored. Can you guess who that was? Avery? No! Really?!) Honestly though, it is a lot of fun to cheer people to the finish. We were hooting and hollering!Then we got really crazy loud when we saw this hunk of a man running down to the finish line. Go Bob!The kids ran up to meet him after his finish.Next came Brent! He even ran over to give his big fan base a slap on the hand. Wow! Check out those killer calf muscles!We are the champions........ Just kidding. I think they were just happy they were done! They should be happy. Each of them beat their time from last year. Great job, Robert and Brent. Thanks for giving us a reason to cheer! We are proud of you!We'll look forward to next year, maybe without the kids?!

Crushin

Pay has a crush on a boy in her class. His name is Dallas, and I must admit, he is a cutie. They were in Kindergarten and 1st grade together. The other day Payton asked if we could call Dallas sometime and have a play date. So, I know he's been on her mind. Well, tonight we were out getting our camp trailer loaded up for tomorrow. The kids were in their pajamas and playing in the driveway. Guess who pulls up? Yes, Dallas! He was so funny. He was so nervous that he walked quickly up to Robert. He handed him an invitation and then walked right off. Pay was so nervous too! It was hilarious. I wish I had a camera to take a pic. of the look on her face when she noticed it was him. She was in shock mode! She didn't even say, "hello." She walked up to me and hid her face in my chest. Robert and I looked at each other and tried hard not to laugh. I walked over to the car to say hello to Dallas' mom and she and her other kids in the car were laughing. So, Payton will get to see her man this summer, next week to be exact, at his birthday party! Dallas and Payton sitting in a tree......... Her first crush.....so much fun!

I snapped this pic. of the love birds on the last day of school. Can't you just see the look in her eye, like she's telling me, "Ah ya, mom, isn't he a total dream boat?!"

Today

So, I've been tagged a few times and haven't had time to do it. Now I do! One was to mention 20 things about my day. Hmmmm......I guess I can do that.

1. I am sitting watching The Lake House with Payton. It is a confusing movie. Poor Pay, she is asking lots of questions, but I am not really watching the show. I'm blogging!!!!

2. We swam at the Chapman's pool tonight. Robert tried to get me to practice diving but I refused. I can't dive! I am too afraid! Never have done it, probably never will!

3. I made sloppy jo's, fruit salad, and potato chips for dinner. I am loving the 99cent trays I bought at Wal-Mart for the kids. It makes me put more than one thing on their plate for dinner! (Ya, I know it isn't the healthiest meal, but my kids love it!)

4. We had a nail painting fest this afternoon. Yesterday we went to Wal-Mart and I let the kids each pick out their own, new color. Avery picked out sparkly pink, Payton picked a bright pink, and Owen chose blue (Yes, I paint his finger and toe nails, but only BSU colors of course!)

5. I drank a Dr. Pepper......I am addicted!

6. I ran this morning. I did 5 miles and tempo ran 2 of them. I was digging Pay's tunes on her ipod. Thanks for sharing Pay.

7. I couldn't get Owen to nap . He didn't nap yesterday either. What's up? Does this mean his napping days are over? Say it isn't so........

8. I had a bad head-ache ( I never get head-aches) and had to lie down for an hour. After that, it was gone!

9. Avery had swim lessons this morning. Robert took the kids so I could get some grading done. I am a little behind, always!

10. I talked to some of my favorite people on the phone today, Mal, Molly, Britt and my dad.

11. I pulled my hair back in two, teeny, tiny pony tails.

12. I didn't do any laundry, and it needed to be done.

13. I told my husband a secret about me.

14. I didn't make the beds.

15. I found Robert's missing Ipod.

16. I sat on the front porch with the kids and their neighborhood friends. I love the little world they live in. The topics of conversation.....Corbin Blue is coming to our fair, they want to have a big, water balloon fight, stick horses rule.

17. I read some articles on Hood to Coast. I really need to get my rear in gear for the big race next month.

18. I said my prayers.

19. The girls played store and took all my clothes and shoes out of my closet and lined them up in Owen's room. That was a big, fat mess I wasn't too happy about!

20. Avery and I practiced writing her name several times. She can do it. It is sloppy and large, but legible!

There ya have it! Nothing too exciting, but a pretty good day.

Family Photos

Last Thursday we had our family photos taken. Whew! What a chore it is! I really hate getting family photos. It is just too stressful to figure out what to wear and making the kids smile and be happy, now that is whole other story! A girl in our ward did the photos (Maren Sijbrich Photography). She is awesome. She met us downtown. We just walked around and had some fun. She was so patient with my kids. We bribed the kids days in advance to smile. If they were good and smiled a lot, we told them we would buy them a surprise. With both Robert and I continuously reminding them that there was a prize in store for good behavior, they actually did quite well. So, the next day Robert took the kids to get their prize. No surprise to me, Avery picked out another stick horse. Owen chose a ball and bat, and Payton got fake nails! I am just glad the photo shoot is done for another year. That's right, once a year is all I can handle! You can check out all the photos at Maren's website. If you live in the Boise area, I would recommend her in a heart beat. She is very reasonable (cheaper than any of our stops at Kiddie Kandids!) She also gives you the entire cd of your shots and you can print what you want. So, here's her site.....

http://www.marensijbrich.com/

Inspired

As a teacher, I want to inspire my students. However, in the midst of me trying desperately to inspire them, without fail, many of them inspire me. Their individual stories are amazing. So many of them are finishing their education while working to help support their families, raising a child of their own, and have gone through more in their short lifetime than many of us could even imagine. I admire them for beating their odds and working towards their goals. It can't be easy, but they do it, and for this I am truly inspired!

There is a lot of ill in this world today, but there are also so many great things, people, ideas, etc. that inspire us daily. I love to be inspired. Teaching American Lit. gives me an opportunity to be inspired by the many witty poets who wrote so eloquently and left us with words of wisdom. Just a few of my favorites are;

Love the earth and sun and animals,Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,Stand up for the stupid and crazy,Devote your income and labor to others...And your very flesh shall be a great poem. ........Walt Whitman

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
Mark Twain

As I think back to all the people who have inspired me in my life, there are too many to mention. But, I am glad for them and think of them often. I am also happy that each day, continuously and always, I am inspired by so many things. For them I am grateful, because what a bleak world it would be without inspiration!

What to read???

So, I finally finished my book, I am a Mother. My good friend, Tessa gave it to me for Mother's Day. It was a good, quick read, once I finally found the time to read it! There were some great stories and lessons to be learned. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. Now I just need to figure out what to read next! Oh the possibilities.......

Friday's Funny

Oh, yes...our fight gear is on and we're ready to go!
Punch, kick, oh ya, this is just a fun little game!
Brittney is realizing Alec is getting serious!
She takes cover by backing up on the bench and using the old, kicking method!
She is laughing here, but realizing this isn't so damn funny!

In the last two pics. she is relentlessly begging for mercy!

Payton thinks everything is uhlarious! She means, hilarious, of course. But the error is so cute that I can't correct her. I thought I would try to post something funny, or uhlarious, on Fridays.

My first post is my bff, Brittney. She and her three kids came for a visit in June. They were here for Avery's birthday party, where Uncle Nate gave her "fight gear!" Britt's boys loved the fight gear! One night when we were hanging out, Britt's oldest boy, Alec wanted her to "fight!" Being the terrific mom she is, she obliged. Boy, she didn't know what she was in for. It started out as a friendly match and ended up being a major "I'm going to kick your butt, mom!" ......uhalarious scene for the rest of us! Sorry, Britt that we laughed at your expense. Thanks for being such a good sport!