Blast to the Past!

I discovered a way to travel back in time...

Go to a roller skating rink.

Be sure the lights are down low and the disco ball is on making little lights swirl around on the rink in psychedelic patterns. (I think this is the part that causes the time travel.)

Skate around the rink in circles, going faster and faster.

Turn on any song from Michael Jackson's Thriller album.

BAM! You will be back in the 1980's in a matter of seconds. It really works!

Natalie and Sarah's school had a family roller skate night a couple weeks ago. Having recently attempted ice skating, we were ready for the challenge. The girls actually thought it was harder than ice skating, but we had fun. As mentioned above, when I had a chance to skate around for a little bit by myself, I had a total flashback to 1987 - 12 years old, skating around the rink to Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Pat Benatar (sp?) - it was LIKE TOTALLY AWESOME DUDE. (o:

We had so much fun, we ended up going roller skating again the following weekend. This time Hal* and I took a turn going around just the two of us and it was just like we were dating again! One of our first dates was roller skating at the 49th Street Galleria and it was the first time we held hands. We had fun and even attempted one of us skating backwards (very clumsily). The girls did much better the second time around. Natalie and Angela liked to hang out in the kiddie rink where they weren't so nervous about all the big people going around. Sarah got pretty good and I'm sure we will be going back again soon.

There's No Place Like Camp 18

We love Camp 18. It is one of our most favorite places to go out here in the northwest. About 80% of our travels to/from the coast include a stop at this incredible restaurant. We have so many wonderful memories there as we always try to take family and friends who visit for a meal.

One of the most memorable was when we stopped there after our awesome family reunion at Tolovana on the way back to Portland. We filled up the whole table made to seat somewhere around 30-40 people. (The top of the table is made of a huge and I mean HUGE slab from a ginormous tree trunk.) Then there are other fun memories with our parents, the time we went with Andy and we laughed our heads off at his gigantic hamburger - the bun was the size of a loaf of round bread. (Everything there is big) I remember going there when I was pregnant with either Natalie or Angela, feeling sick, but the French toast there hit the spot and made me feel better. (They have the best French toast ever.) Camp 18 is a happy place for us filled with years of good family memories. My family is hooked and always asks to go there when they come out.
This particular night was January 10th. We stopped on the way home from an afternoon at Cannon Beach. I took some engagement pictures while my nice family tagged along and tried to keep warm as they played on the beach. We were all pretty cold and nothing sounded better than a cup of hot chocolate at Camp 18.

We hadn't been there for a while, but the lady that hosts there remembered us. We have kind of a funny history with her. I think her name is Laura. She managed a bakery in Cannon Beach a couple years ago. One afternoon, we walked into her bakery and bought a peanut butter cookie. We split the cookie amongst ourselves and continued walking along the main street. But the cookie was so good, we turned back around to get another one to share. This time we sat outside the bakery and enjoyed the cookie together. We just needed one more. So I went back in again. Laura thought we were funny and I'm pretty sure was flattered that we enjoyed her cookies so much. She loved the girls and talked to us for a while.

We brought Kip's* parents the following week to have one of her yummy cookies. The next time we went there, a few months later, it was a deli and not a bakery anymore. Laura was gone. Maybe a year later, we walked into Camp 18 with my family and I couldn't figure out how I knew the hostess. She remembered first - the peanut butter cookie addicts. Now every time we go there she asks when we're moving to the coast. She is always so sweet to the girls and this time she took them over to the fireplace and let them each pick one of the giant pine cones they were playing with to take home.

Camp 18 is a HUGE restaurant/museum dedicated to the history of the logging industry here in the northwest. The building is built of huge logs (imagine a gigantic log cabin). The log that spans the ceiling must be 70 feet or more across and at least a dozen feet in diameter. There is a huge fireplace that is lit in the winter and all kinds of old time pictures, logging tools, animal horns, stuffed mountain lion, etc. The outside of the restaurant has several bigger than life size carvings out of logs of animals, people, bigfoot, etc. And all around the building and in the parking lot are old gigantic logging equipment/tools, train cars and signs. It is a very cool place. We also enjoy perusing the little gift shop and finding fun little trinkets and souvenirs.

Deep Thoughts By Jack Handy

"Here's a suggestion for a new animal, if some new ones get created or evolve: something that stings you, then laughs at you."

Deep Thoughts By Jack Handy

"I think there probably should be a rule that if you're talking about how many loaves of bread a bullet will go through it's understood that you mean lengthwise loaves. Otherwise, it makes no sense."

Love Hate Relationship

This picture is hilarious of Twilight. I guess even cats have dorky faces and blink for pictures. It goes along with my topic well though because she looks so sinister.

So as many of you know, we were very spontaneous one night in October and came home from a school festival with a kitty; wild and crazy people that we are. (o: Now that we've had Twilight for a few months, we are into a nice little routine and I have learned many things I never knew about cats. I wouldn't call myself a cat person, so some of the things that cat people love has taken some getting used to. (I don't know if I'm necessarily a dog person either - I don't get why you have to be one or the other.)

So here's the nitty gritty - the whole truth - no fluff. If you want to know what it's really like to own a kitten, here you go - the good, the bad and the ugly...

Kitten's meows don't actually sound cute. They sound like a whiny baby. It is annoying.

Kitten's scratch and bite. We clip Twilight's nails, but unfortunately, can't clip her teeth. Kitties use these weapons for self-defense (which heaven knows Twilight needs when she is being malled or treated like a toy), but these weapons are also used when they are feeling "playful", which for a kitty is about 70% of the time. We have had to invest a lot more money in Bandaids and Neosporin. I am embarrassed sometimes how many Bandaids Natalie goes to school with.

I read in one of our cat manuals that owning a kitten is like having a toddler that can jump up to 4 vertical feet high - therefore giving them access to all kinds of additional trouble that you can keep away from a toddler. Everything on the tables, counters, bookshelves and even walls are easily accessible to a menacing cat. Cat-proofing is almost impossible. See below what she likes to play with behind my kitchen sink. I noticed one day when I came home that the little, red cacti had some little prickly parts missing. (insert evil laugh) Served her right.

Cat's poop. While I am very happy that cat's have that instinct to bury their you-know-what so that they go in a litter box. You still have to deal with the litter box. And you have to realize that even though cat's are inherently very clean animals, they can still have microscopic things you don't want to think about on their paws, etc. I've never seen anything gross on Twilight, but I am a little bit of a germaphobe so I can imagine.

Kitty Litter is messy. We have itty bitty pieces of kitty litter that get out of the box and on the floor daily. Little pieces all over in our laundry room and upstairs bathroom. I am constantly having to vacuum them up.

Cats like to be RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of everything you are doing. If I am reading, Twilight wants to either play with my bookmark dangling from my book or sit right between me and my book so I can't see the words. If I am working on my laptop, she sits right on the keyboard. If I am putting clothes in the dryer, Twilight wants to climb right inside and be a part of the excitement. If I am folding clothes, she jumps up at every piece of clothing I pick up. If someone comes over, she wants to be right on their lap. If I am cooking, she tries to get on the counter. And that leads to my next gripe...

Because of the aforementioned microscopic yuckies that I imagine all over Twilight's paws, I have been insistent that she not be on the table or counters. And guess where her favorite place to be is? So we have used the squirt bottle method. I think we have squirted upwards of 10 gallons of water on that cat and she STILL gets up on the counters and table. Sometimes immediately after experiencing the wrath of the squirt bottle. I think she actually enjoys the punishment. And that leads to my next item, that I think is one thing that makes Twilight unique...

We think that she loves water. Not just to drink, but to get into and play with. Whenever a sink is turned on, she comes running. Whenever the shower or bath get turned on, she is right there. She gets as close as she can to the water, without actually getting/falling in (except for two times). Until recently. She will actually get in the tub when it is just a few inches high now and get her paws and legs wet. She loves to curl up in the master bathroom sinks. Luckily, the toilet has not seemed to intrigue her, but I still insist the lids always remain down, just in case!

So with all these gripes, why do we still have her?

She is fun.

She is always making us laugh.

The girls LOVE her and Twilight makes them happy.

I love when she follows me around the house to do chores - she keeps me company. Especially those rare times when I am alone

She is fun to cuddle with (when she is not 'crazy cat').

She is teaching me to chill out.

She loves us and she needs us.

That's why.

Even More Reveling...

I know, some of you might be tired of hearing about Utah football and may have hoped I would be quiet about it now that college football is over, but I just had to add one more post (however, I won't make any promises).

Inspired by the incredible season that my dear U of U football team had, I knew that something red would be truly meaningful to my family for birthday gifts this year. My aunt Amy, (Hi Amy (o:) one of my most favorite people ever and very talented, might I add - helped design the boards above for my red-blooded brothers who both have birthdays this month. (In fact it is Andy's birthday today! Happy birthday Rooney!) Hopefully, they don't look at my blog until after Wednesday which is when their presents will arrive. These turned out so cute, however, that I had to make one for Chris (see below) and my parents and myself. Mac* was even gracious enough to help me cut the wood and said I can hang my board up as long as it is on my side of the bedroom or office. What a good sport. Anyway, I just HAD to share how cute they turned out and do a shout out to my dear Amy of "Language Art". (That's the name of her company and if I drum up enough business/interest out here she can make a trip and do a "show" to show off all her awesome ideas. And then I can play with her! (o: So call me if you want some gorgeous ideas for vinyl wall art. Now back to our regularly scheduled program...)
Okay, these are only two of MANY pictures my sister e-mailed me yesterday and I just HAD to put them on my blog (don't say I didn't warn you Chris!) This is exhibit "A" and "B" to share just how big of Utah fans my family members are. I laughed my head off when I saw them. The cute boy on the left in the above picture is my cousin Will. He looks truly scary, but he is the sweetest guy you could ever meet, got the President's scholarship (if I remember correctly) and will soon be leaving for a mission in Japan. (Will, Angela pointed to you and said, "That guy looks weewd! (weird)) If I ran into him looking like that I would definitely keep my distance! Next in line is my dearest sister. My uncle told her she looked like death. Many people think we look a lot alike - what do you think? (o: I think she still looks way cuter than me even with all that white paint on. (Crazy tangent story - my friend out here, Tina, happened to be at Lagoon (an amusement park) in Utah on the same day as my dad and sister. She saw Christine and knew she was my sister because of the resemblance. She was confident enough in her assessment that she walked up to Chris and asked if she was my sister. Crazy eh? Or maybe Tina just remembered what Christine looked like. I like to think that it was because we look so much alike.)

Anywho, that guy standing next to Christine is the totally awesome Brian Johnson, then some other girl I don't know, but looks nice and then my cousin Hailey. Now Hailey, it might be hard to tell in the pictures, is a GORGEOUS girl! (o: She looks a little like a devil with all that RED makeup! (Sorry Hailey - I love you lots and lots!!), but trust me, she is the sweetest girl you'd ever meet and an absolute doll. I laughed so hard when I heard the red makeup did not wash off completely either. Silly kids! But what do you do when you are a die hard Utah fan? Physical beauty, the outer appearance and all that fluff don't matter - looking like a kook for your team is what it's all about. That is true fansmanship.

Another fan picture with Robert Johnson - there were about 10 more such pictures with every other football player. By the way, this was after the big win over BYU. Sorry for the reminder of that disappointing game, Coug fans. I know I'll be getting a comment from Dave. (o: Don't let me down Dave! (O;

Super Cutie

It's Angela's turn for a little update. Angela does adorable and funny things daily, but I'll give you just a sample. (o:

Angela got to move up to Sunbeams in primary this year. She was sad to leave nursery. Angela was the only one of our kids that liked nursery (the class for the 18 month to 3 year olds at church). She was a little hesitant to go to her new "big" Sunbeam class especially when she saw that all the other kids had their mom or dad with them and a few were crying. I was very proud of her for sitting by her teacher and being brave . I was helping watch Natalie's class for a bit, so I got to sit right behind and watch her first time in primary. She loved it! When the kids did the primary motto that they repeat every week, she spoke right along with them. She'd never heard it before and didn't really know the words, but she watched the lady up at the front very closely and mimicked her words. During singing time, she just stared hardly blinking the whole time. She was so into it she forgot to sing (usually singing is one of her most favorite things to do.) She's only been a little Sunbeam for about 4 weeks now, but she already LOVES Sister Goodpaster, her teacher. She gets so excited whenever she sees her teacher (who leads the music in sacrament meeting too). You'd think that she was a celebrity. And all week long she is remembering little things from her lessons and telling me about them. "Mommy, Jesus in my heart, he love me." and "I don't see Jesus, but He in my heart. He take care of me". Yesterday, Angela informed me, "Gampa (grandpa) in Utah and Jesus is in Gampa's heart".

It is so sweet how much she is learning and remembering. She also loves the primary songs and gets excited when "I Lived in Heaven" comes on her primary songs CD. They are learning that one this month and she says to Natalie, "Hey, we sing dat one!" She also tells me of fun things that she gets to do like color and sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" I love that at 3 years old, she already knows so much. The other night, she reminded me to say prayers and knows it is important. I believe little children are so innocent and so close to heaven still, they understand so much more than we give them credit for. Angela is always amazing me with the things she says.

I love this picture, even though there is a random arm at the bottom. (o: It was from when Sarah took Angela up for show and tell at school out of the blue. (Angela and I happened to be there to help with a little New Year party.) Sarah was so excited and proud of her little sis and Angela felt so loved and a little embarrassed (she sticks her tongue in her cheek, like she's doing in the picture, when she is feeling a little shy). Cute sisters.

We took the girls to Build a Bear this weekend. Sarah got a gift certificate for her birthday that we've been meaning to redeem for a long time. We made a family date of it and let Natalie and Angela choose an animal too. They loved the whole process of getting a heart for their stuffed animal, kissing it and making a wish and then helping put the stuffing inside. Angela called that part, "blowing it up". (o: Natalie and Angela spent a long time at the grooming area brushing and "showering" their adopted friends. I tried to keep them occupied while Sarah picked an outfit for her doll with Matthias*. She had money left on her gift certificate to get a little outfit. I was so grateful when Angela saw all the clothes and simply said, "I just want my doggie naked." (o: Luckily, Natalie was a good sport and decided that was just fine too. Phew!

As we left the Build a Bear store, we walked right by a formal dress store. It was full of "princess-y" looking prom gowns. Angela was in total awe. As I walked by the store, I noticed Angela had taken a turn right into the store and was looking all around with wide, starry eyes and mouth open. A magnetic force was pulling her into that store, she didn't even realize that she wasn't following us anymore. (o: I think it would be fun to bring her back, just for a fun "date" and let her look through all of them and pick her favorites. Not that she'd fit in any.

We have a princess book that she looks through at least 2-3 times a week and goes right to the pages where there are different princess dresses and accessories. Her favorite thing to do is choose her favorites and have me pick my favorites. Angela is a princess at heart. She has been playing dress ups since she could walk and she's known all the Disney characters since she could talk. Older sisters helped indoctrinate her early on!

Angela has the most infectious laugh ever. Once you get her laughing, you can't stop doing whatever made her laugh because you want her to keep laughing because it just sounds so happy. It is a vicious cycle. Luckily, Angela is also very patient with those who can't stop tickling her or doing silly things to keep the laughter going. She never gets mad, she just keeps laughing and laughing and laughing. We went to the Halls on Friday night since the dads had gone for a guys night out. The boys could not stop doing crazy and silly things to keep Angela's belly laughs going. One of our babysitters said she could not stop tickling Angela because her laugh was so cute. I state these cases as evidence (because moms are ALWAYS bias!) Angela's laugh is irresistible! My goodnight kisses to Angela always end up in big ticklefests, I just can't help myself! What an adorable, silly girl.

Recipe for a Teddy Bear

Ingredients:

Soft, soft skin in the shape of a bear, bunny, dog, etc.

One heart...
10 Cups of stuffing...

And just a "pinch" of loud noise (little ones may want to cover their ears.)

Give the heart a kiss and make a wish. Put stuffing and heart inside the "skin". Close the back with some string and tie shut. Then groom.

Give your new friend a name and if your parents are really nice pick an outfit to wear. But they will be really happy if you decide like Angela that you just want your stuffed animal "naked".

Give your new friend lots and lots of snuggles. (o:

Angela's new friend: "Twila" the dog.

Natalie's new friend: a bear with multiple personalities; "Hug" then "Grace" then "Anna" (subject to change)

Sarah's new friend: "Sofie" the bunny.