IN LIKE A LION ... OUT LIKE A LION

I haven't been much for blogging lately I've noticed. I got busy with school and I have felt like I am out of the loop. The last few months I felt like I was watching everything happen from outside and that I wasn't part of it. It's all catching up to me now.

March was a hectic month. It started off crazy and ended just the same and everyday in between was crazy too. Poor Dal ended up suspended from school, which turned into the rest of the year suspension. (Kids don't take a pocket knife to school. It is VERY bad!) He felt like he needed it to protect his classmates in case of a lock down. Ciara was sick the first half of the month. Every time I thought she was getting better, it would come back. Finally we figured out she had an ear infection when one of her drums popped. Poor little bug never even complained about her ears hurting. Ky also ended up with 2 days of in-school suspension, because her teacher let her and her friend out of class early to get on the bus and then told his wife (a school administrator) and turns out it was sluffing. The kids and I went out to Colorado at the end of the month and after 10 hours of driving we were stuck in Rawlins, WY. We had to spend the night there and while Randy was at work he learned that it was his last week working as layoffs came around. We had fun for the very short time we were in Colorado with Kris and the kids. Kris and I even made a bunch of flower clips that are so stinkin' cute!

April has been a bit better, and it's been that time to really reflect on our blessings. Randy is looking for work and I finished school 2 weeks ago and passed my state boards last week. I am now officially waiting for my license. (comes in the mail?!) I am very glad to be done and excited to do something with it. I still feel like I need some more practice as it was hard to get nail clients at school with the hair girls doing the scheduling. Needless to say I got a lot of practice doing pedicures!!! LOL But since I am done and love doing glitter toes I am doing those and doing glitter toe parties if anybody is interested.

Here is how a party works ...

Hostess gets a free set when she has 5 people come and get toes done!!! Simple, and they are just $20/set!!! The glitter toes are basically gel toes with glitter and they last anywhere from 3-8 weeks. 3-4 weeks is about the time you like to have them off since you can see where the nail is growing out. But I have had some people who kept theirs on for 8 weeks.

We have really enjoyed the sunshine this week and have loved the moisture as it has made our grass the most beautiful green!!!! LOVE IT! Of course this weekend isn't looking so sunny, but it's about time for some more rain ... I can put off watering my lawn a little longer!

JEFF MITCHELL

In Loving Memory

August 30, 1968 - April 4, 2009

Jeffrey James Mitchell

Yesterday morning I received a call from my mom telling me that Jeff had died. Unfortunately the home he was living in had burned down while he slept. As my heart breaks for my youngest brother and the rest of Jeff's family I have reflected about the past and about Jeff and the role he has had in my life. My mom and Jeff married when I was 12. And this man took upon himself the responsibility of husband and father of 4 children. He did this at the mere age of just 20 years old. I can only now imagine the burden he carried. I am sure that I didn't make it any easier for him either as I was not happy about the marriage.

I now would like to share some of the great things about Jeff.

Jeff worked hard!

He always worked hard even when it was very physically challenging for him, to provide for his family.

Jeff loved the outdoors!

He took us hunting, camping, 4-wheeling, shooting, and helped us to learn to love the outdoors. Even the very far away outdoors! Who knew that Deep Creek could be so much fun!

Jeff was an awesome cook!

I had never liked fish or wild game until Jeff cooked it. He had lost most of his taste buds because of medications to treat his allergies and so everything he cooked was very seasoned. Deer, goose, duck, catfish, and so much more always tasted great when he cooked. When we were out camping it was common for us to shoot cotton-tail and grouse and cook it over a fire and sometimes it was our favorite meals. BTW it really does taste like chicken ... with lots of flavor.

Jeff looked out for his family!

You don't mess with family. I knew that as long as Jeff was around that you didn't mess with us and expect to get away with it.

Jeff could fix most anything!

Even though sometimes it may have been with duct tape! LOL He was very mechanical and would work to fix up vehicles and other things in his spare time.

Jeff saw a lot of this country!

And he loved all of it. He was an OTR truck driver and seemed to enjoy it. He didn't complain about it and when he was home he didn't complain about having to drive to other places even though that was what he did all week.

It has been quite a few years since I have seen Jeff. The last time I saw him was at his wedding reception and as I walked up to him his eyes filled with tears and he told me he loved me and gave me a big hug! I knew that he still loved and cared for me and my siblings.

Thank you Jeff for your all you have given to us and taught us. To his family my feelings for you are to feel love and peace in his passing.

A BIT OF GRATITUDE

So I woke up this morning about 4 just thinking .... it's a common problem for me. But all of my thoughts have been about my Young Women and my stewardship over them. And led me along these lines that I have decided to share as some of the people I have been thinking about I know will read this and I want them to know how grateful I have been for them.

I always grew up in a home where I knew religion was important, where I was taught to love God and to know that I am one of his special children just as everybody is! As I got to the age to become a Young Woman in our church our family changed. My parents divorced, and my mom remarried. She still went to church as often as possible but the circumstances did not always allow her to go. I have been thinking a lot this morning of the people who have been there since to make sure that I was always at church and my Young Women's meetings and activities. I know it was hard for my mom but I am also grateful that she allowed me to go with my friends families to church. For the first year there were 2 families that did this. Keli Cameron was my best friend at that time and lived only 2 houses away from us. It was funny that we were such great friends after I moved there because we spent our whole elementary school years not liking each other at all! I often went with Keli's family and I am so grateful to her and her parents for helping me to be there. My other really good friend Liz Ficklin lived kiddie-corner from me and her family was also always willing to let me go with them also. They also made sure that I had a ride and was always welcome to go with them to every fireside there was. Both of these families treated me as if I were one of their own and I felt loved every time I was at there homes.

Part way through my 8th grade year we moved to American Fork, which was the last place I thought I wanted to live. I didn't want to leave my friends or go to their "horrible" school! I'm quite sure I made it very clear to my mom and can admit that it was probably hell for her in the way I behaved through that move. My first day there however wasn't nearly as bad as I expected and as I got on the bus to go home I was invited by a girl to sit by her. Her name is Andrea Ault who quickly became my best friend through the rest of my school years as well as I became a member of her family almost as quickly. We lived in different wards however, even though we were just a few blocks apart. My ward only had a few young women and I didn't feel comfortable going alone there. Andrea's family quickly made me feel welcome to go to their ward and I once again was able to attend Young Women's with my best friend. I through special permission was able to play sports with their ward and go to YW Camp each summer. They even took it further and also had me to a lot of their family functions as well and when my family moved away a few months before graduation they once again opened their doors and allowed me to live at their home. That was like a permanent sleep over party!!!

As I have thought about all of this I realize how grateful I am to each of them even now. I'm sure I didn't express enough gratitude then as it was probably more "fun" to me than a learning experience, but it has still helped shape the person I am now. It has also made me realize that no matter who we are, or what our circumstances are, that we should always be willing to reach out to others. I know sometimes our kids friends' can be annoying, and even a bit disrespectful, but they should always feel like the door is open in our homes to them. We may be the only people that can offer them something they may not receive anywhere else. I don't remember the exact quote from President Hinkley, but he has said open your doors and your hearts and feed them until they are no longer hungry!!! I have always been blessed by my friends and their families because their homes were always opened to me.

To the Cameron's, the Ficklin's, and the Ault's, I say THANK YOU!!!

GUILTY PLEASURES

So can we all admit that we have them? We all have a little guilty pleasure here and there ... mine has become school! I love, love, love, school. Well love might be a little strong, but I really do enjoy it. It's my time out and I'm learning things that I really enjoy and even getting better at it which is great. I did Ky's second set of nails this past weekend and they look great! I'm not so big on all of the art stuff 'cause I really think it's kind of corny but that's just me. I've learned the acrylics, gels, toes, mani's, pedi's, and art. And then we even get a personal service day each month and yesterday I got eyelash extensions, and they are lots of fun. It's kind of become my new therapy, so that's why I haven't been so great at blogging lately. This is where my "guilt" comes in. Not for the blogging, just the part that I am away from my family and while I am away I enjoy what I am doing. I miss the kids like crazy, but I am almost half way through now. I am glad that it is only 300 hours, I'm not sure I could do much more than that. It breaks my heart in the morning when Ciara calls for dad now instead of mom. I can't hardly wait to hear "MOM" in the mornings again!

P.S. Kris, I am still working on pics ... maybe on Friday, just not sure which Friday that will be! LOL

A SHOUT OUT

To my awesome hubby!!! Valentine Day turns out to be a good day to reflect on love. And Randy did not disappoint yesterday! We are not much for going out and joining the crowds on this holiday so we stayed home and enjoyed a fabulous dinner with the kids! Randy brought me home some very thoughtful gifts yesterday and even a beautiful orchid. Now my goal is to keep it alive so if any of you have them and have some helpful hints to keeping them alive, I would greatly appreciate the sharing of knowledge!!! I typically don't keep live plants in my house because I can't keep them alive.

Since my hubby was so thoughtful, I thought I could share some information on this great man that I get to call mine forever & ever!

One of the first things I realized about him was that he was kind, and that sometimes his kindness has a weird sense of humor!

He is creative!

And sometimes has good ideas!

He is a great cook! Especially on the grill. Just ask Kylie where you can get the best steak .... she'll tell you "Dad makes the best steaks, even better than the Outback."

He can sleep anywhere!

He likes to keep everybody warm. Everybody knows when you are camping with Randy he is the fire tender, and at home he keeps the stove going and we are never cold!

He is funny!

Did I already mention that?

He is a worthy Priesthood Holder!

He is a hard worker and last but never least, he is an awesome hubby and daddy!

We sure love you babe! Thanks a million for all that you do!!!

ALL THAT SPARKLES AND SHINES . . .

I have now had my first official week of Nail Tech classes ... I love it! Even the not so fun pedicure I had to give couldn't spoil all the fun. Here is a run down of this week . . . .

My first day I had book work (which there is every day) and then learned manicures, so I received one and then had to give one. Then I practiced on Randy at home (without the polish). The next day I did 4 chapter reviews, learned pedicures, I received one and gave one. I had to leave early that night for Young Women's which was a fun night also. We are getting ready for New Beginnings next Wednesday. I'm slightly nervous but I know it will be a great night. Yesterday I took 4 tests (thankfully passed each one) and learned glitter toes!!! I received and then gave.

Sorry about the pic of my own, but they are so much fun! I saw these for the first time at the last craft fair that I did and thought they were fun and now I know how to do them. So starting next week I will be needing "models" to come in so I can practice. Ky gets to be my first and she is pretty excited.

Part of taking this class means Ciara has to go to a sitter on Thursdays for about 3 hours until the kids get home. The rest of the days Randy is home and it works out well. Ciara has never been tended by anybody but her big sister, so I was very nervous. Apparently without a reason because I took her to Nicol's and she pretty much didn't even care if I was there or gone. She immediately went to exploring and trying everything out and didn't even want to give hugs and kisses when I left. Shortly after I left she told Nicol that she wanted a nap and laid down on a bed and went right to sleep. WOW or PHEW? I'm not sure which to feel maybe both? And add a little sadness that she didn't mind me leaving, at least I don't have to worry about her feeling abandoned when I leave her there.

ARE FISH HOT?

The other day Ciara was playing in the living room and all of a sudden started doing her "scared" thing. She wouldn't step on the rug where the fish is because she said it was HOT! She wouldn't touch it and was doing her little fakey cry because it was hot. So she went and got her Tinkerbell doll and made Tink touch the fish and then hugged her and said "hot fish!" It was really quite funny. She is okay with the fish on the rug now, but last night she and Randy were looking at a fish book and she pointed at one of the fish and said it was hot. I'm really not sure where this all came from. We haven't eaten any fish and we don't even own any live fish!

After I tried taking a picture of the whole fish thing, she decided to actually pose for pictures of her and Tink!!!

Saturday the young men and young women went and did baptisms for the dead at the Provo Temple. We had a really great time!!! The baptism area was very busy so they only got to do 2 names each, but still enjoyed it a lot. Afterwards we went and got a bite to eat. It was fun getting to spend some time with them outside of church.

Last Friday I registered over at the MATC in Spanish Fork for their Nail Tech class. Figured I better do something since after the 10th of February I won't be able to legally sell my hair bows anymore! (CPSIA) : ( This is actually a good thing though and I am very excited because I have wanted to do nails for quite awhile and once I finish it allows for flexible scheduling compared to working in an office. So let me know if you want to be my guinea pig ... oh I mean let me practice on you!!!

On a final note .... my friend Kristina (she did our family pictures), is running a special promo and contest so get over to her website and book an appointment if you want some fantastic pictures done!

http://kristinacurtisphotography.blogspot.com/2009/01/january-special.html

I love looking at our pics that she did for us and I get many compliments on them! And it's not just the great looking people in them. They are just great photos and we will be using her from now on for all of our pics!

THE COLOR PURPLE WEEKEND

This past weekend I got to go out to Colorado and spend some time with my sis and her family! A couple weeks ago Rich had called me and asked if he could fly me out for a surprise for her as an anniversary present and send us to a show. He got us tickets to "The Color Purple". When he first told me that was what we were going to see I was so nervous cause I kept thinking that it was Purple Rain, which I've never seen but heard it was pretty naughty. LOL It wasn't until a few days before I left that I realized they weren't the same. I flew out on Friday and we went to the show that night. I had never heard of it (obviously), so I really did not know what to expect....it was a good show, not the greatest show, but was good. There were definitely some really funny parts. Sophia was hilarious and my kinda gal! Most of the show was surprising and sometimes shocking, but we had a good time. Saturday morning Kaden had a basketball game we went to. That was fun and really intense! I've been to NBA games before and they've never seemed quite that intense. We did some shopping and went to "Bride Wars" .... so cute and funny! Since I was out there we had to do some Guitar Hero competitions and I even managed to beat Kris one time!!! Wahoooooo! I love spending time with my lil' sister and I am grateful that we have such a great relationship. Thanks a bunch Rich for bringing me out there, even though it was a gift for Kris it felt like one for me too! I am glad that I have a great hubby that let me go too and that he was happy to be home taking care of the kiddos!

I finally got some pics of Ciara's ears! As usual she wasn't super cooperative, but she is just too cute! She still likes them and likes to get them "sparky" clean!!!

I had to throw in the one of her trying to hide from the camera. This is her new "don't look at me", or "I'm scared" face.

And on a final fun note ... both Ky and Dal drew out for the Turkey hunt this spring. They are both excited, especially Dallin! He even did some happy dance thing that was quite funny!

DANG IT!!!

We had a fun weekend and of all things, I forgot my camera both times I needed it! So that means I will post our fun without the pictures because I am apparently not tech savvy enough to get the pics I did take off of my phone.

Last Thursday Randy and I took Ciara to get her ears pierced! I knew it wouldn't be great fun for her but figured we could get it done while she is young enough to not want to play with them. So far that part of my plan is working well. I asked her that morning if she wanted to wear earrings and she said "yes!" and took off to my bedroom thinking she was going to wear some of mine. It was really cute. We took her over to the Provo Towne Center to get them done and I don't know if the guns they were using were not so great or what, but it took longer then I've ever seen it take. The girl looked like she was really having to squeeze it so hard to get the earring through and of course Ciara was quite upset! She does like her earrings now, and likes to have them cleaned or to have them sparky (sparkly). Soooo stinking cute!!!

Thursday night we surprised the kids and told them they weren't going to school on Friday because we were going to St. George for the weekend. They were excited and so were we .... if nothing else we were getting out of town!!! The weather was sunny and in the mid to upper 40's so it wasn't warm, but it wasn't snowy either!!! We went up to Snow Canyon and did some hiking around and it was great getting to see the beautiful scenery. Ciara really enjoyed the hike too. Sometimes she wanted to walk, jump, or just be carried on daddy's shoulders. She really liked the little squirrels running around too. I think Ky and Dal enjoyed it more than being at school too! We thought it was too cold to be swimming outdoors so we took the kids to an indoor pool out there. There was a large water slide there that actually went pretty quick and Ciara loved it. She would laugh the whole way down. It was a great weekend that we finished by going to Delta to see Randy's family on Sunday, and stopped by the cemetery in Deseret. I just want to tell Randy a big "THANKS" for thinking that we needed to get outta town and taking us out for a fun weekend!

If anybody knows how to get pics off my phone (motorola krazr) please tell me!!!!