Give yourself a present....

My wonderful friend Stacy Julian gave me a challenge a few weeks ago and I must admit that I forgot about it until last night... so, I sort of missed out on most of the fun. But, I still did it and enjoyed it very much. Here's what she sent me:

 

Be Here Now.
As Scrapbookers we spend so much time creating in the past and anticipating the future that we sometimes forget to live in the present. Your life is unfolding everyday, hour-by-hour and you have the opportunity to live and be happy. Let’s bring the scrapbooking world together in a fun and potentially perspective-shifting challenge to be more aware, more grateful and more engaged with this thing we call life.

You have everything you need right now to be vibrant and fully engaged in the creative process. Join me and dozens of other scrapbookers in a challenge to “Give Yourself a Present”
• Snap ten photos of your life right now.
• Compile these photos in a really small mini-album
• Keep or carry this album with you (in your desk drawer or purse) for one year.
• Promise to glance through the album every time you stumble upon it or pull it from your purse.
• On October 1st, 2009, create a scrapbook page about your experience. Don’t worry, I’ll blog and help you remember!

Since I forgot about it, most of my pictures are ones that I found in my iPhoto library or online that represent my life right now. I think I might cary my camera with me this week and take some action shots of these same things and just replace the older ones. Anyway.... thanks Stacy for making me take a few hours to think about my life right now and appreciate it! I know I get caught up in all the things to do, that I rarely sit back and see how lucky I am to have a great life. That's why I titled my book, "Lucky in 2008". I feel very lucky to have so many wonderful things in my life....









I challenge you to take Stacy's challenge and capture your life right now... it will be a great present to you and your family in years to come! Check out Stacy's blog to read more about it and see more finished books! For my friends who have no idea who Stacy Julian is, you are missing out. She is the founding editor of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine and I had the privilege of working for her when I lived in Spokane. I was her editorial assistant and worked in her house a few days a week and I got to travel the country with her. She is an amazing speaker and she teaches scrapbooking classes all over the world. I helped her with her classes for a few years and loved traveling with her. I never got tired of hearing the same classes over and over.... she inspired me every-time! Love you Stacy!! Miss ya tons!

8 wins 0 losses!

A quick shout out to Mitchell... his JV soccer team at Bonanza is 8-0. Thursdays game was tough... several of the boys on the team couldn't play this week because their grades are too low (that's a whole other discussion for another post... one month into school and you are failing classes????)... anyway, they played against Bishop Gorman (for you out of towners, they are the private rich Catholic school) and they definitely didn't have any grade problems... it looked they could have fielded two teams. So, our 11 boys played in near 100 degree heat with no subs and won!! To make it harder for  Mitchell, he had a terrible cold, and still played great. We were ahead 1-0 at the half and I was so worried that they would run out of gas in the 2nd half, but they didn't. They caught a second wind when they scored again! It was a fun game... it was "pack the field" day at Bonanza and there was a big crowd there...lots of people stuck around for the jv game. It was great to have lots of Freshman girls cheering on Mitch... I am usually one of just a few parents there and probably one of 2 parents that cheer in English! 

They played out in Pahrump this morning and won 5-0 with only 11 guys! Hopefully our boys will get their grades up by next weeks games!

Good job Mitchell! 

3 Turtles! and time out for mom!

Ashley came home very excited yesterday because she bought a little turtle. I wasn't very happy because it's one more turtle for me to feed and take care off. She promised me over the phone on her way home that she would be the one to take care of it and I would LOVE it because it was so cute.... well, I have to admit that it is VERY cute. We will see about who ends up taking care of it. At least the turtles outside don't have to have their cage cleaned out... this new one lives in a little water aquarium.... that will need cleaning!

Tanner came running in for me the other day saying "grab your camera and take a picture of the turtles for your blog. It turned out that the big one tipped over his little night light and climbed up onto his little house. It was pretty funny. I don't think he knew how to get down. So we gave him a hand. They have been eating a lot lately... they must be feeling the cooler air and be getting ready to hibernate. I will keep you updated : )  

My friend Suzanne sent out an email the other day saying she had an extra ticket to "Time Out for Women" and I decided to splurge and buy it. I had a great day today with she and her sister. The speakers were wonderful! My favorite was Hillary Weeks. I need to get on itunes and buy some of her songs she sang. They were very inspiring. I was able to meet the author of one of my favorite books "Running with Angels". It's a book that Pamela Hansen wrote about her struggle with weight loss and the loss of 2 of her children and her amazing triumph of running a marathon. It's the book I read 3 years ago that inspired me to join weight watchers and lose 50 pounds. I was very sad to see that she has gained a lot of weight back, but it made me feel happy that I wasn't the only one struggling with that!

10 more days Brendon!

My sweet nephew Brendon has had a rough year. Last November he was diagnosed with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD). Here is a definition of the disease:

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD) is a disorder of the upper part of the thighbone (head of the femur) that causes breakdown of the head of the femur. This is followed by new bone formation.

LCPD develops because of loss of blood flow to the head of the femur. This causes breakdown (avascular necrosis) and deformity of the femur where it connects with the hip socket. The bone reforms in the hip area when the blood supply returns to normal. During this time, the femur is soft and may easily fracture and collapse. The head of the femur heals in an abnormal shape and does not fit properly into the hip socket, causing stiffness and pain.

The cause of LCPD is unknown. It is seen most frequently in children between the ages of 3 and 12. Boys are affected about 4 to 5 times as often as girls. Usually only one hip is affected, although it is possible to have LCPD in both hips.
Symptoms include pain, limping or an uneven gait, decreased movement, loss of height, and loss of muscle mass in the thigh. Treatment depends on the severity of symptoms but may include physical therapy, a brace or cast, or surgery. Occasionally the disease heals on its own without treatment.

Brendon has been on crutches since November and the doctors have been watching him closley to decide what treatment would be best for him. They had to wait for the bone to stop deteriating before they could start to help fix it. Well, they finally decided it was done going bad, so here is my sister in laws words on what they ended up doing a few weeks ago...

Brendon was scheduled for a major surgery where they were going to cut his femur bone below the hip socket, turn it towards the socket and put a metal plate & screws to hold it together. This was the "sure" way of getting Brendon's femur "securely in the socket". He was in good spirits and ready to go at time of surgery- (I was amazed how brave and calm he seemed-- definitely more than mom!) The surgeon first injected a dye into Brendon's leg to get a better idea what the cartilage around the bone looked like. To his amazement and our surprise- he called the waiting room and reported "the cartilage looks excellent and I think cutting the bone is unnecessary at this time!" He then told us they would cut some tendons in his leg to be able to rotate the leg farther out and then cast his legs. We felt an indescribable relief at that moment- so many prayers were answered.

The reason for casting is two fold: 1. to get the the top of the bone securely in the socket during (or before) re-ossification (new bone growth) which hopefully will encourage the new ball to grow back in a better shape. and 2. to stimulate a better range of motion in the leg after the cast comes off. He could barely move his leg 10-15 degrees to the side because of tightened tendons and muscles around the diseased bone.

We are hoping a praying that when the casts come off that his bone will grow in the right place and he will be a normal 10 year old boy again! I just got these fun pictures of him today... I can't believe he has figured out how to move around with these huge casts on his legs! I've been worried about how bored he must be, but it looks like he is staying busy and happy!




Way to go Brendon! We can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving!

Homecoming 2008...

Ashley got asked to homecoming on Wednesday night. She was so happy. One of the nicest boys in our ward named Brandon asked her. Take a look at the pictures to see how he asked her. I was able to catch her reaction on video.... she was pretty excited.

Of course she said yes. She created a maze through his house with string and at the end of it was a plate of cookies with the little rock on it.  Along the maze she left little notes with all of her thoughts that went through her head when he asked her. It was cute.

Best and worst of the week...

Best:
1. Mitchell's soccer team is 2-0! Way to start the season!
2. Ashley bought some cowboy boots... she wore her cousins while we were in Idaho and decided she needed some. So we went to the "Boot Barn" last night. Who knew that the average price of cowboy boots is like $200! Luckily she found some on sale.
3. Kids had a good week at school.
4. Ashley got her texting back.
5. Mitchell's classes got changed so now he has the broadcasting class he wanted.
6. Tanner won a 5th grade dance off on Friday.

Worst:
1. John's bike accident
2. I didn't eat very good... 
3. Ashley has a sore throat.
4. My house is still dirty...
5. it's still too hot to enjoy my morning run. I guess I could get up earlier... but my body doesn't like that.

Best and Worst combined:
Worst: John went to Spokane without me :( He went for work. Best: He was able to go to a party that all of our friends were at. The party was called "Because Rik is still on the green side of the grass!!!!!" Rik was diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer 10 years ago this month and the doctors told him that he would live maybe 6 or 7 years. So his sweet wife Heidi had a celebration party for him. We love Rik and Heidi so much. They have taught us so much over the years as we have watched them struggle with this trial. They are rocks! Keep fighting Rik!

This is John and Rik when we were in Spokane last March.

Bad Dream?

I woke up to a phone call this morning and thought I was having a bad dream. Remember a few months ago I got woken up by a lady calling and telling me that she hit my husband while he was on a bike ride... well it happened again today. yes I am serious! This time it was John calling and he said he was fine, but could I come pick him up because his bike was broken...again. He was riding up Sahara, just past Hualuapi and a lady stopped at the end of her street and proceeded to turn left onto Sahara without looking to the left.... she hit the back tire of John's bike and sent him into the next lane. Luckily there were no cars coming. He has a little scrape on his arm is all, but his back tire is messed up. Of course I forgot my camera again! I pulled up to see 3 motorcycle police there and a helicopter flying above. I guess there wasn't much going on in Vegas this morning. John said I missed the 2 ambulances and one fire truck! Someone driving by must have called 911. The poor lady felt so bad. It was clearly her fault and she was so sorry.

I think I am going to get him a flashing neon light to put on his bike! he was wearing a bright red shirt, not sure how she didn't see him. Poor John... when i picked him up he said "aerobic exercise is overrated!" He has always been a weight lifter and has never been much into aerobic stuff... I guess he might need to join the gym and go to a spin class instead of outdoor riding!

beach life...

We are down in sunny CA at the beach and having a wonderful time. My parents and my brother Scott and his wife Jenn came with us. We've been beach bumming it all weekend. Tanner asked if we could stay longer and skip school all week!

Here are a few pictures so far...

Grandpa always with a golf club!

Look at Tanner!

Tanner catching some waves!

John can't sit still at the beach! Has to make the biggest sand castle around!

Ashley and Jenn playing some games.

Grandpa and I caught the same wave!

BBQ dinner watching the sunset!

Beautiful sunset!!!!

ashley's corner II

as a result of the praises and compliments i've been bombarded with these past few weeks concerning "ashley's corner", i've decided to keep it coming. for the good of the people. haha just kidding. but seriously! 

so school started yesterday, and in the past 24 hours i've decided that being a senior is the greatest thing ever. we have block schedule at bonanza this year, and a senior can take a minimum of 4 classes, so for me that means 2 classes a day!! its beautiful. this year is going to be the best. 2 of my classes are way easy and 2 are AP, so its pretty well spread out. my favorite part is i get out at 9:55. hallelujah! my mom thinks its nuts haha but i rather enjoy it. i got a new job at a dry cleaners (dont worry everyone, i still work at farm basket) that starts at 1, so i get home eat some lunch, take a nap, do whatever i want and then go to work. the only thing i CANT do is text. i got it taken away. sad, i know. but believe it or not, im still living. the trick is i try to ignore the withdrawls and the pain in my heart that i am going through. 

other than work and starting school, not much has been going on at all. i got called to be on the seminary council, so i think that will be a lot of fun, i love everyone on it. kami has been gone for a week.. and it sure is weird not seeing her everyday :( alex leaves this thursday (in two days!! yikes!) and kristine leaves sometime next week. we've all shed tears and yes, it is going to be hard but i finally think everything will be fine. the more i talk to people about it, the more i realize that the situation isn't just my four best friends leaving me here all alone while they go to party at college. it will be hard for them too! they dont know anyone up there. look at kristine, shes going all the way up to idaho for who knows how long without a single person she knows. i suppose i was being a little selfish and bitter about being "alone" for my last year of highschool :) but they will be going through the same things too. we'll all be meeting new people and joining new groups this year. and the great thing is, as we're gaining all these new friends we will still have each other. i know we will probably never be as close as we have been these past 4 years.. but im just so grateful that they even came into my life. they have all helped me grow in so many countless ways and we've made each other who we are today. its hard for me to grasp the fact that we wont be seeing too much of each other anymore, but thank heavens for cell phones, right? fab 5 forever :) 

well thats pretty much all thats on my mind right now.. i've got some tivo-ed oprahs to watch so i will catch up with ya later. 

i'm out 

-ash

(that was for you cathi haha- IM OUT!)

It's your birthday, shout hooray!

Happy Birthday John!

My honey is 44 today! I have been lucky enough to spend 20 of those 44 years with him! He is the best thing in my life!

In celebration of his life... here are a few pictures of John growing up.Cute little guy!


Looks a lot like Mitchell hugh!

Handsome missionary....

This is the John I fell in love with at college!

John and I celebrated his Birthday Saturday night by going up to Tuacahn to see Les Miserables and we spent the night in St. George. The play was amazing. If you have a chance to go see it there, do! We've seen it before on a regular stage and it was wonderful, but there was something amazing about being outside. They shot cannons off during the war scene and shot fireworks into the sky.... and had horses onstage... so many things that you can't do in an inside theatre. It was a great weekend! Happy Birthday John!!! I love you!




 

Good Job Mitchell!!

Mitchell made the JV Soccer team at Bonanza!!!! YAH! He is very excited. He worked real hard all summer going to the intramural practices. It was hard to go in the Vegas heat... but it paid off. We'll keep you all updated on scores as the season gets going! Good job Mitch!

Weekend review...

We had a great trip last week. Had fun visiting family in Utah and Idaho. Wednesday night we headed up to Idaho Falls for our niece Samantha's wedding. The wedding was Thursday morning and it was beautiful. She looked beautiful and she married a great guy. It was so fun to see Grandma Barnes and 4 of John's 5 sisters.   

We just wish we could have spent more time with them! John had to work... how inconvenient!  Ashley & Tanner had a great time getting to know her "Idaho" cousins. We wish more cousins were able to be there... John's family is very spread out, so it's hard to get us all together. 

 

The reception was very nice. Unfortunately the winds picked up and we had to move everything inside at the last minute! Sam had planned on an outside reception and it was a real hard decision for her to move it in, but it was a good one. It was windy all night! Outside the church building in Hamer Idaho there is a huge lawn and it looked so pretty out there... luckily the church was right across the parking lot. The guys sure got a work out moving all the tables and chairs back and forth! Needless to say we were all very tired when it was over. But it was worth it! (Mitchell was at EFY. It was so strange to not have him there.)

We got back to Lehi Friday night after stopping to see my brothers new place in Pocatallo ID. Unfortunately he was having some nose surgery that day so we didn't get to see him. (no, he didn't get plastic surgery... although he has the longest nose in the family... we measured once)  Luckily a few of the kids were home and we got to see their new house. I wanted to see where they were living now... I like to have a visual picture of where people are.  We definitely want to go back soon and go to the hot springs with them. It looks like a great area and we are excited for their new adventure.

On our way out of town we stopped by our good friends house who just move up to Alpine Utah. Mitchell lived at the Zebe's on the weekends hanging out with Jake and Barbara was my YW secretary... we are going to miss them so much!! We wanted to see where they going to be. Their house is beautiful and they seem to be getting settled.

Saturday night we hurried home and John and I got tickets from his channel 8 rep to see Kenny G. He was amazing. It was out at Lake Las Vegas on the lawn and there was a full moon to the right of the stage and to the left was a huge lightening storm. It was so cool. And the music was awesome. He was a great performer! I would highly recommend seeing him if you can.

What do you do in Utah?

1. IKEA
2. Family
Just kidding... we see family first and then IKEA...

The kids and I drove up to Utah on Saturday...We hung out at my brother Todd's house on Sunday evening. We were suppose to have a picnic but is was raining. We had fun watching the Olympics on his big projector screen and we caught up with cousins that came to visit.

Monday we dropped Mitchell and his friend Dylan off at EFY. They were pretty excited to go. Ashley was extremely upset that she didn't sign up again... oh well. We made her happy by picking up her good friend Leah and going to the mall and a movie. We saw Mama Mia. It was great.

This morning we started the day with a trip to IKEA! We even had breakfast there! I tried not to spend too much money! Then we went swimming with my sister in law at her parents pool. The kids had so much fun swimming together. They are all so cute! The girls LOVE Ashley!

Such cute little girls!

The boys exploring the pool...

Dallin & Brendon!

Fighting for time...

Ashley and I are fighting over this book! I guess we should have bought 2 copies. Ashley and her girlfriends went our Friday night to a few of the book parties at Barnes & Noble and Borders Books. The parties were a "prom night" theme, so they got all dressed in their formals. They had a great time. I will try to get a picture from her camera and post it tomorrow. Luckily she sleeps in till 11:00 so morning will be my reading time!