Our Halloween Happenings

It all started out with our adventure up at "This is the place" state park. During the Halloween season they put on "Haunted Deseret", or "Sleepy Hollow." Last year we did "Haunted Deseret", which takes you to various pioneer homes in the park and they tell you the story behind the haunted house. We got to see the lady in the window, and hear the child who still moans for her mother. This year we participated, with the Millers in "Sleepy Hollow." An interactive play where you become a part of the village. We followed Ichabod Crane and his fellow towns people to the dance hall where we celebrated "All Hallows eve." They told the story of the headless horseman. Ichabod, who didn't believe this tale set off on his own to find out if it was true. We got to follow!To Ichabod's dismay, he was chased off by the headless horseman, and never to be seen again!! The headless horse man was a real treat and if it hadn't of been too dark, we would have loved to have taken a picture. We saw him galloping through the hollow toward Ichabod. It was great fun. It snowed while we were up there, but it really set the mood!

Over the weekend we had our annual pumpkin carving party. We invited some couples from our last ward over. We all carved pumpkins while the kids played.

We really had a great time, and everyone left with there bellies full of spiced cider, good food, and a carved pumpkin ready for Halloween night!

Tomorrow is Halloween and we are having a costume contest at work. Do you think I'll win?

Happy Halloween everyone!

For the love of Edamame!

Edamame is a green vegetable more commonly known as a soybean, harvested at the peak of ripening right before it reaches the "hardening" time.
The soybean is rich in vitamins and minerals, contains omega 3 fatty acids which benefit many of our body functions, Isoflavones that help prevent cancers, and it reduces the risk of heart disease.
As of last week this bean has become our favorite snack food. We love the soybean so much that we took a special trip to Costco to stock up! I was introduced to the soybean earlier this summer and enjoyed the taste. Scott was introduced to the soybean at work (as a joke from a fellow co-worker) and fell in love. I jumped on the idea of stocking up when I learned that Scott really enjoyed something healthy for the first time!
If you get a chance, and you haven't before, try a soybean. It may just change your life!

Inspired by a comment

My dear friend Edith made the comment that Shott and I looked as if we were in a clothing ad. Here's the finished product that she e-mailed me today. I thought it would be fun to share! thanks for the laugh Edith. Love ya!

Owning a home....a bed of roses, or just plain stinky?

Since we've been in our home we've been doing nothing but upgrades, improving, and changing! For the most part we have enjoyed every moment. The feeling that we can do anything, change anything, and just call this place we live in our own is a wonderful feeling. All of you who own a home can attest to this. There's a lot of pride that goes into doing these great projects that help make our homes unique.
Lately, we've been focusing on our yard. Since we put a lot of time, effort, and most important, money, into the interior of our home we thought we'd focus on cleaning up the yard a little. This cleaing effort has been low cost, and very fulfilling. From the pictures you can see that we've done a little. With some prodding, Scott has really become a man! Next week I plan on putting all my spring bulbs in. I love yard work.


Then there's the "not so great" part of owning a home. Last Saturday Scott was getting ready to finally finish laying the hardwood floor in the bathroom. (I had nagged him for over a month) Since we've been in the home, and before we moved in, there has been a leaking problem with one of the faucets in the main bathroom in the bath tub.
Scott went to pull the toilet off it's base and found a whole load of mold! Yippy! MOLD. I love mold. Everything under the bath tub, the toilet, and even the lower part of the wall behind he toilet was mushy, moldy, and easy to poke.
So, since Saturday we've had a hole in our bathroom with a straight shot to the sewer. (it smells divine) We had to take out the particle floor boards, and now we are pricing a new bathtub and saving our money. Why did we stop renting? "Just call the landlord, he'll take care of it!"
To be honest, I hate the bathtub. It had major water build up and stains plus, if we hadn't of decided to lay the floor, think of the SEVERE damage we would have to deal with later.


But don't worry, we're still as happy as ever to be home owners! We love where we live, and we are thankful for what we have. Come next spring I'll have those beautiful flowers in my yard, and a brand new tub to go along with it!!

True SCARY stories!

Last Saturday night we were at my parents house. It was after twelve, we were licking down our ice cream "drumsticks" when the conversation drifted into things that have happened to us that have either freaked us out, made us stop and think, or made us scream out loud. Under the right light, these stories can be fun to tell. I want to share with you a few of the stories that were shared that night.

* My Dad grew up in a very small mining town in Eureka, UT. For all of his teenage years he was the "paper boy." He would get up early every morning to deliver the news before the sun came up. One dark wintery morning, snow was lightly falling, the crunching of my dad's tire wheels could be heard on the side walk as he passed the houses along the street. It was just him, the papers, and the snow. He had been delivering papers for about 1/2 hr. When he noticed a figure coming toward him down the street. As the figure passed under a street light he noticed it was a young boy and he looked weary and his clothes were all torn. The boy approached my dad, obviously hurt, and in a very ragged and muffled voice he asked for help, "help me,.... help me. My family.....They are hurt." My dad told the boy to stay put and then he ran down the street to Sheriff Bernini's house to get help.
About 2 hours earlier, in the wee of the morning a small passenger plane carrying a family of four had crashed in the mountains above Eureka. Unfortunately this boy was the only survivor. He had climbed out of the pit of the mangled plane, and walked down toward the town lights trying to find help for his family.

*My mom also grew up in the small mining town of Eureka. (obviously strange things can happen in small towns) When my mom was also a teenager she loved to sneak out of her room during the summer months. She would usually go up about 5 houses to visit her friend Donna. On her normal nightly route she would pass by a small catholic church nestled in between the 3rd and 4th home. On this one particular night, she quietly crept out her window and dashed out behind the homes where she couldn't be seen. It was rather warm for a summer night and she was taking her time as she passed by the dark homes. As she approached the bell tower that stood a little off kilter behind the catholic church, the air around her seemed to get a little cooler, and to her right, bounding from the bell tower came an old pale man with his arms stretched out towards her. At that moment she heard a blood curdling scream from her friend Donna who was watching from her room window. My mom took off, heart pounding out of her chest, towards Donna's window. While Donna and her sister were madly pulling my mom in through the room window, sobbing, they watched the old man disappear into the field that slopped toward the mountain.
The next day, my mom found out that a funeral was to be held in the catholic church that day, and that the body of an older gentleman had been kept there over night ready for his funeral!

* My sister Kristy, while living at home, would often stay up reading on the weekends and fall asleep on the couch.
One paticular reading night, she was engrossed in a fantasy fiction book. She had dozed off to sleep for a few hours and was awoken by a faint thud. As she strained to adjust her eyes to the darkness she noticed a hooded figure sitting across from her on the other couch. The couch was against the window so her view of the hooded figure was silhouetted and very menacing. She lay there not breathing, trying to rationalize what she was really seeing. Finally, as she gained the courage to get up and go toward the "hooded figure", It peered up toward her with glowing eyes. (not really, but that was a fun sentence to throw in there)
The hooded figure was really a pile of blankets, and the faint thud was her book falling from her hands.

*One late night, as Scott and I lay in bed, my mind was going wild with all the small noises and non-noises that were around me. Usually, after I here the noises I start making up horrible scenarios to go with the noises. (the things that TV and movies can do to our minds) Sometimes it really freaks me out and I wake Scott up to help bring me back to reality, or I'll just think of lovely things. This one night, my mind had really gone too far. I moved toward Scott and realized that he to was awake and couldn't sleep. He couldn't sleep because he was too hot, not because his mind had gone wild.
As we lay there together I explained to him what I had been thinking.

Me:"Wouldn't it be freaky if you noticed the shape of a man standing in the adjoining room just staring out at you."

Scott:"Yeah! But let's not think about that."

Me: "Sorry if I woke you, and I'm sorry that you are hot."

Scott: "No problem, let's just get back to sleep."

Me: "Goodniiiii.......Snnnooorrrr."( and I was off to sleep)

For the next hour or so, Scott laid awake waiting to see if the man in the other room WOULD appear. In his mind his only protection from this man was the blankets he had on him, the very blankets that were making him hot. The next morning I chuckled at the fact that I had REALLY scared Scott with the idea of a man in the other room. And here I had slept like a baby!

*Having a dog can be great enjoyment, or pure terror! Scott was downstairs playing the x-box, I was upstairs snoozing off to bed. It had been a full week and I welcomed that fact that we had no plans for a Friday night and retired early. Sam, our dog, had joined me. She was nestled next to my arm, warm, and fast asleep. I could hear the very faint sounds of the TV downstairs and was having trouble falling asleep. As I laid there thinking of ways to relax more, Sam shot up from her dead sleep and started growling toward our walk-in closet. Then she started to bark. She was stiff as a board, baring her teeth and staring feverishly toward the closet.
"What the H#@@ is in there!!"
immediately I text Scott (that's the quickest way to communicate with him) and told him to come get Sam out of the room. Scott came and got her, and I left the lamp light on until Scott finally joined me later that night. Whatever was in the closet could stay, I wasn't going to go look!

Happy Halloween!

The BUDGET

As an adult, money can be a tricky thing. Here the devil is on your left telling you to go out and buy that new $2000 micro-fiber sectional for the basement, but the angel on your right is telling you to put what money you do have toward paying off your debt, you know you'd feel so much better. Sometimes the devil wins, and hopeful more then that you let the angel win. Either way it sucks!
Then there's the moment when you think you have money to burn, it's usually on something stupid and frivolous and later you wish you hadn't have made the purchase (and sometimes you're really glad you made the purchase, that's not the point!) Other times you DO buy what you want, feel overwhelmed with emotion because you have it and then turn to your bare fridge and hope you have enough food to feed your family for the next week. I believe we've all been there, and if you're the one soul who hasn't, then you need to fill me in on your secret!

In our family, I'm the one who makes sure all the bills are paid each and every month. Everything down to the registration on a vehicle to paying off student loans. I see the money come in and then instantly see it fly right back out of the account! It can be very depressing at times. But on that one rare occasion I see the money come in, and then I see a little stay. That's when I think, "hummm, maybe this weekend I can finally go out and buy those pants that Shott needs so desperately." Or, "Our house needs another touch of love, maybe I'll run down to Lowe's and pick something up." It's amazing how going into a store and buying something, even groceries is INSTANT gratification for me. I love the high. I know it sounds really silly, but it's totally true. Am I alone in this?

Then there's the ONE thing I can not stand about managing money......The BUDGET! When ever Shott calls, or pulls me aside and says, "let's look at our BUDGET.", or "Can we sit down tonight and go over our BUDGET?" I feel like ripping my arm off and hitting him with it. I despise doing a budget! It ruins my day if I know I have to go home and "go over the budget." Shott has to usually make a deal with me to make this event even happen. "If you sit down with me tonight and do the budget, we can go outside and do yard work." (I love doing yard work) or "When you come home from work this evening, we can go pick up that movie you've wanted to rent." Pretty pathetic huh?!
I think the reason I hate it so much is because we evaluate what we owe, what items we need to put on hold, and what we can't have for a while.

"I need to buy a gift for a friend at work."

"Nope, sorry, it's not listed here in the budget."

"I need to go and buy some milk for those rolls I'm making."

"Can't this week, but you can on the 11th."

"Oh look honey, I got a bonus from work."

"Great, we'll put that toward those student loans."

It's really not that bad, I merely made up (some) of those comments for laughs, or "I know what you mean, we've been there before" type of situations. HA HA HA

Now, don't get me wrong. I have a testimony of budgeting. We were able to purchase a home thanks to budgeting. I was able to pay for college thanks to budgeting, we have been on some great vacations thanks to budgeting. But whenever Shott yells from down stairs, "Hey let's do the budget." I roll my eyes, grab a pillow, and scream into it as loud as I can.
Ah, the joys of being a responsible adult.

The package that came from an Angel

Yesterday was like any other ordinary day. Stopped off at the dr's, slipped into work at 9:00 a.m., took off for home at 5:00 p.m., stopped and picked up the mail, started dinner, and put in a load of laundry....WAIT, back up a little. reeeeeeeeeeeee (my rewind noise) Ok, STOP!, there, at the part where I pick up the mail. This part was the NOT ordinary part of my day.
Background on the mail: We are the only cul de sac in our neighborhood, or street for that matter, that doesn't have mailboxes outside our home. We have a nice little community mail box right on the corner of our street. I love this set up, which I'm sure most of you are used to, it helps out with the whole "identity fraud" situation. Anyhow, next to the conglomeration of mailboxes there are two larger mail boxes designed to hold larger packages. If a key is left in your personal mailbox, this means you have received a package.
This such thing happened to me. There in my small, personal mailbox lay a "package key". Great, did Scott order something from e-bay and not tell me, did I order something and forgot. These were the thoughts running through my mind. Then I thought, this must be a mistake, the mailman must have put this in the wrong box. We never get packages unless it's a birthday, or a holiday. These thoughts were all going through my mind, all before I even had the chance to open the other mail box. With the key in my hand I proceeded to open the "package box".
The package was larger then I expected. I pulled it out and there on the front it read, "To: Shawna Harmon". Well all be darn! It was for me, and when I read who it was from I actually got tears in my eyes! I had no idea what could be inside, but I knew it would be special!
When I finally got inside, I ripped the package open, all while crying of course, and found a very sweet, very personal array of goodies and remedies! The Angel who had sent me this package had put in a lot of time and thought. It was the nicest thing I have had done for me in a while. It was a package full of love and I was very grateful and touched!
The contents of the package was full of remedies and comforts to help combat my blasted shingles. Later that night I used my new bath pillow and soaked in a warm bath that consisted of a combination of colloidal oatmeal, and lavender all while savoring a box of " Junior mints."

What's up? Well, let's see.......

It's funny how we always have our weird bouts of different things to deal with. Lately, Shott's been having allergic reactions to all pain relievers. About 4 weeks ago, Shott was experiencing a headache and so he went and took an excedrine, like he would normally do for a headache. Two hours later, BAM, he had swollen eyes, and his eyes were itching.We were right in the middle of sacrament mtg. He had to leave to take some benedryl. The next Sunday the same thing occurred, then the next. We thought he was allergic to church, but then we got to thinking, was it the excedrine he was taking. He finally (like having a headache is a good thing)got a headache during the week and took some aspirin this time, the same thing. So, he wasn't allergic to Sunday's! He's taken almost everything and what seems to have been the magic charm is tylenol. Wahoo! No more swollen eyes. At least we hope!Oh so swollen, and this was just the beginning.

Last weekend, my sister and her husband came to visit. My sister Kristy just got engaged. Kelly and Andrew didn't have to start their fall school term until the 25th so they came in to visit and to get to know Ryan, Kristy's fiance'. While they were here, we celebrated Kristy's birthday on the 20th, went to a huge family engagement party to get to know Ryan's family, went to the BYU game, and attended the General Women's conference at the conference center. It was a very nice week and it flew by. I love it when I can be with my sister's. When Kristy gets married, she'll be moving out of state too. I'm really going to be lonely then. It's during these times where you wish you could go back in time. I love my sister's!!

Here we are at the BYU football game. It was pretty chilly when we first arrived, but by the end of the 1st quarter we all had our sweat shirts off.

Here's some more of the fam. At the football game.

Ryan & Kristy Jones. That's what their invitation will read. Ryan was a hard kid to get to know. He was never talkative, rather shy, and never stuck around during family events. We thought he was a little stuck up. Now that we know him, we admire him. His parents were divorced when he was only 3, He lived with his sister during his high school years, his sister is 8yrs older then him and pretty much was his mom. He had great friends in high school and joined the church. He served a full time mission, was such an example to his sister that she and her husband joined the church. Currently, he is going to school to be a dentist. With all his family troubles we realized we were the ones who were being snobs. Of course that quickly changed and Ryan is adjusting well to all the hugs, especially the ones from Shott and Andrew. We are so excited to have Ryan a part of the family.

Family picture up Big Cottonwood Cyn. It was a beautiful Sunday, we had to take advantage!

Hello Autumn

I hear the songs, of autumn singing,
The wind, it hurries through the trees.
The air is getting crisper daily,
A chilly nip, is in the breeze.

The katydids, in raspy chorus,
and crickets too, join in the song.
Reminder that, there comes upon us,
another season, won't be long.

The birds now gather, for their journey,
they gossip loudly, as they fly.
Their destination, still uncertain,
just heading south, to warmer skies.

And even butterflies, are going,
their darting seems, to have no plan.
But if we study them, more closely,
they're headed south, to warmer land.

The forest dressed, in all its splendor,
intoxicating, views abound.
All up and down, our lovely valley,
and mountain sides, of country towns.

The leaves are searching, for a new home,
they flutter down, on wings of gold.
The trees they left, are looking lonesome.
abandoned soon, to winters cold.

The pumpkins waiting, for the kitchen,
with shocks of corn, in fields once green.
The season soon, will call together,
our friends and kin, so long unseen.

Boots and mittens, make their showing,
with Christmas things, on shelves in stores.
Lawn mowers now, go on vacation,
snow shovels soon, prepare for chores.

There seems to be, a certain sadness,
another year, has come and gone.
The next one waits, around the corner,
adventures new, and memories born.
~ Unknown

Autumn is here!(it starts at exactly 10:03 p.m.) My favorite season! I love the crisp fall evenings, the beautiful colors, the smell of wood burning, football games, memories of hunting with my Dad, and the harvest from our gardens! This time of year also welcomes in all our favorite holidays. I hope you all get to enjoy this beautiful time of year!

Nervous Poo

Nervous Poo: A phenomenon that occurs when you are about to encounter an event that requires you to step out of your comfort zone.

This term has been widely used in our household. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it was my dear husband that came up with this very unique, very "to the point" term. We use it to describe exactly how we feel (and what happens) when faced with a situation that would take us out of our comfort zone. Let me elaborate:

My brother-in-law was scheduled to take his MCAT on Aug. 19th. He had been preparing for this test since January. The day before the test, we called to let him know that we were thinking of him and ask if he had the "Nervous Poo". He was still a day away and the realization hadn't hit him yet. One hour before he was to take the test, we got a text message from him that read, "I'm now experiencing the 'Nervous Poo'."

Another example:
Scott was applying for a position at work a couple months back. He's an expert in the field they were hiring for and felt pretty confident that his interview and test would go well. The morning before he left for work I asked him how he was doing. Again, he expressed his confidence and felt that all would be well. At quarter to two that afternoon I get a text from him that read, "I have the 'Nervous Poo'." Even though he had had the "Nervous Poo" he made it through rather well!

All of us, at one time or another has experienced the "Nervous Poo" phenomenon, it plays a big roll in our lives. It's a way for our bodies to release stress (no pun intended) and without it I think we would simply blow up!

I remember when this phenomenon back fired on me. I was 10 yrs. old and learning how to swim. Me and my sister's had been through a 12 week swimming program and the last day was approaching; the day where we would have to prove that we could swim and dive on our own. I remember experiencing the "Nervous Poo" just an hour before the test. When it was finally my turn, my stomach was still swarming with butterflies. My first task was the diving board. I climbed to the top, looked down, closed my eyes, and then just jumped. On my way down the "Nervous Poo" phenomenon hit. As I hit the water I knew my life was over. I was humiliated, and knew that I would be teased and tormented. When I came back up for air, I noticed nothing different in the water. My suit felt fine, and just as I was about to take in a sigh of relief, a "dingle berry" popped up! (I won't get into "dingle berries" but you get the picture)

The reason for bringing this up is because Shott has been experiencing this phenomenon today. Today he gets to go and see the doctor. He gets to go in for a nice, full physical. He hasn't had one of these since his mission. I don't feel bad for him,(I've had my fair share) and I'm not trying to relish in his pain. I'm just expressing how interesting it is that we all go through these type of human things and the only way to help make it light is to admit that we all experience it and that we can laugh.

Shott, good luck today!

Lately.....

Over Labor Day weekend we went over to my parents house to help them clean out their basement. It has been extremely messy and un-organized for a long time and we thought we'd go and help them do some cleanin'. We also did some messin' around.

Here we are under the stairs where the food storage is located. Three of us fit under the stairs, one of us doesn't. Can you guess who?

While we were there, I started getting horrible pains in my back and side. I thought I was getting kidney stones, or an appendicitis. The pain was pretty bad. I had a doctor's appointment the following Tuesday and thought I would wait till then. If the pain got worse, I would go and have it checked sooner.

Monday night as I was getting into my PJ's, I noticed a rash on my lower right abdomen, "What the..?" Whatever was going on with my body, it was freakin' me out. My doctor's appointment was the following day. I could wait till then; "unless I don't wake up"......That's one of the thoughts that ran through my morbid mind.

Tuesday finally came and there I was sitting in the exam room. I was in to have a uterine biopsy done. (This is about the time I started to sing primary songs) the Dr. Finally walked in. As he was asking me about my day, I cut to the chase.

"Dr. Bryner, I have this rash on my side. Can you look at it for me. I've had a lot of pain in my back and side and now I have this rash."

"Oh this doesn't look good."

"Doesn't look good, What is it?"

"You have shingles." ( I remember my brother getting this when he was going through chemo. It was very painful for him)

Dr Bryner: "Have you been under a lot of stress lately?"

"I'm coming here more often."

He went on,"Well, shingles is a herpes virus. A cousin of chicken pox. You'll have the rash for about 4 weeks and the pain could last up to a year. You don't want to be around children or pregnant women for about a week and a half. You could give them the chicken pox."

So after all that, we moved on to the procedure.

Fast forward one week:

Dr. Bryner, "We got your results back on your uterine biopsy. It came back abnormal so we'll be putting you on another drug"

"Sounds great doc!"

So, not only am I taking a drug for my shingles but I'm taking over five other pills for my infertility. Work was awesome today. I threw up twice, had the chills for a while, diarrhea became my fast friend, and at one point I thought I would drop to the ground due to exhaustion. I keep telling myself, "This will all be totally worth it."

when I got home from work today, Scott took me for a drive up the canyon. The leaves are turning. My favorite time of year. When we got home Scott made me some cookies to make me feel better. Can you believe it, they did!

So, lately, that's what's been going on!

The Power of Primary Songs

Growing up there never was a car trip that wasn't without primary songs. If we went to Grandma's, we would sing primary songs, when we took a family trip to Yellowstone, we would sing primary songs, when we'd get in the car to go to church, we were singing primary songs. Instead of my parents complaining about all the noise, they would join in. If there was a new song they didn't know, we would spend the travel time teaching them the words. But no matter what, we always sang together!
Primary songs will always be a part of my life. These songs are inspired words that help promote testimony's, bring comfort, and are just plain fun! There were a couple of times growing up where a primary song brought a lot of comfort. In the middle of the night, during a lightning storm I would sing. When I'd go in for my booster shots just before school, I would sing. When my sister fell from her bike and her knee was all scrapped up, we would sing together to keep her from crying.
As I've become an adult I admit that these songs still bring me such joy and comfort. When my brother passed away we sang, "families can be together forever." When a missionary leaves we sing, "Armies of Helaman." When we get together for family home evening we sing, "I am a child of God." Last week when I was perming Jessica and Genevieve's hair, we sang primary songs to help pass the time.
Yesterday I had a Dr's appointment. One that I was not looking forward to. One that I was told would be extremely painful. Of course my nerves were crazy and I could hardly sit still waiting for the doctor to come in. As I sat there with my heart racing and my body chilled with only a small blanket around me I started to sing. I went through all the songs we've been practicing for our primary program. "Scripture Power", "Follow the Prophet", "Did Jesus really live again", and yes, I had to squeeze in the "Popcorn song". While singing these songs it help bring comfort and warmth. I made it through the procedure and I was grateful to my Heavenly Father for the comfort I received from just singing those simple, yet powerful primary songs.

The Simple Things in life

Today I was looking out the big spacious window next to my desk. I'm 5 stories up and I have a great view of the west side of the valley. I love to watch the clouds roll in, and the balloons take off from the local car dealership nearby. Simple things, yet things that really make me happy. From my window I can literally see the seasons change. We just found out that our company is moving to the 2nd floor and I will have no window. It's amazing how just subtracting this window will make a huge impact on my everyday life now. No more runaway balloons, and no more amazing sunrises and thunderstorms. It's the simple things in life that truly make us happy. Here are a few simple things in my life that make me happy:

- When my husband puts his hand under my thigh when we get in bed for the night.
- Listening to my books on my MP3 player at work.
- Making dinner
- Reading through my "Better Homes and Garden"
- Receiving text messages
- When my parents stop by the house unexpectedly
- the smile I get when I'm done doing someone's hair
- When Sam greets me at the door
- talking on the phone with my sister's
- teaching primary
- Kisses from Scott when he gets home
- "Friends"
- The water cooler at work
- Decorating
- Clorox wipes
- When the Dr. bill states "0 balance due"
- Peanut butter
- Thai Chili Gardens (Scott and I both get giddy)
- Shopping at Costco
- Taking trips to Eagle Mountain(it's true Brett & Mindy, we enjoy it)
- Taking pictures
- My window at work!

Take the time to just reflect on the simple things, it will surprise you what truly makes you happy!

Bee's ball

Tuesday, Rheina called me up and asked if we were interested in going to a Bee's baseball game. She had four tickets and wanted to share. Scott HATES baseball and I love it and since we rarely ever go I said yes. All Wednesday I was looking forward to the game, something fun and different to do. Scott on the other hand was in a bad mood. We were determined to make that all change for him when we got to the game (plus it was "Hotdog Wednesday" all hotdogs a buck!) A buck for a hotdog, Scott WAS going to like it!

Here we are after we had our hotdogs, I told you Scott was going to cheer up!

This guy desperately wanted a fly-ball. He had his mitt on his left hand and his huge fishing net in the right hand. Every time someone got up to bat, he had a hold of his net and mitt. He actually got a ball. His hard work finally paid off.

This guy played for the Colorado Sky Sox's. He was so cocky that he hardly ever had his mitt on. He would just walk around 1st base holding his glove. His coolness finally shone through when he missed a catch during the last inning. What a dork!

Here we are with the "BEE"

Scott and Spencer were so determined to finish off all the sunflower seeds before the end of the game. Yippy, they did it!

Thanks Rheina and Spencer, we had a great time.

Happy Anniversary Honey, I bought you some brakes!

For the last couple of weeks I've been having problems with my brakes. There has been a lot of high pitched squeaks and horrible grinding noises. There have been times where I've applied the brakes so hard that I felt like Fred Flintstone.

I was fearful for my life and I expressed my concern to Scott. So, we took the car in for a diagnostic test to make sure it was the brakes. It was, and the damage was so bad that the brakes were totally gone, and the brake pads had worn down to the "rotary girder" ( I don't know if that's the term, but it reminded me of Tommy Boy) So simply, they were as bad as brakes, or no brakes, can get. So obviously for my anniversary gift, I got new brakes. No worries ladies, this is exactly what I wanted. For my safety, peace of mind, and due to the fact that we can't go without a vehicle. Scott was planning on repairing and replacing the brakes and "rotary girder" himself, but after calculating we realized that it would take him 10 hrs to complete the job, vs. 2 hrs it would take the car shop. So, goodbye house remodel money, hello brake repair money. Geez, it was expensive!

As Monica from "Friends" once said, "Welcome to being an adult, it SUCKS, but you'll love it!

So, for our anniversary we ate out at our favorite restaurant (the Thai Chili Gardens) and went and caught a late night movie. We enjoyed each other's company, had a great time laughing and reflected on all the things we've been through, and the great memories we've created, plus all the safety we received while using our new brakes!

Copper or Wool

Around this time of year, I get a little anxious.
Shott has always had this Knack for making anniversary's, birthday's, holiday's, and some everyday's special. With our seventh wedding anniversary approaching this weekend, I'm a little on edge.
"What great idea does he have up his sleeve this time."
As a tribute to Shott and all the great things he done for me over the years. I want to share a few of my fondest memories:

- During our third month of marriage I came home to the tent up in our living room. We cooked hot dogs over the grill and roasted smore's over a candle.

- After school one night I came out to find my car decorated with confetti and roses. Inside was a personalized card telling me to "hurry home". I hurried home so fast I ran a red light. (This was the first and last time I've received a ticket.)

- Our Bahama trip was Shott's idea. He surprised me with the idea, and then planned everything.

- On Valentine's day one year, Shott sent an acapella group to sing to me along with a bouquet of flowers.

- During one paticular bad day Shott sent me a season of "Friends" to cheer me up. He spent the night watching the whole season with me.

- The day I graduated from College, I came out to find my car covered with the biggest card I have ever seen. It was almost as long as the car. Inside it read, "Congratulations on your BIG day, Here's to our BIG future. Your BIG gift to recognize this BIG day is in the BIG trunk of your car. Love, your BIG husband. Come home and I'll give you a BIG kiss." In the trunk was a beautifully wrapped gift from which, after it was un-wrapped, revealed my Cannon digital camera.

- On our fifth wedding anniversary, Shott made me his first music video montage. He also surprised me with plane tickets to California.

- I love Jack Johnson. On our sixth wedding anniversary Shott surprised me with tickets to see Jack Johnson perform at the Gorge amphitheater in Washington.

- This last winter Shott surprised me with a snowmobile trip up to Hardware Ranch to see the Elk. Later we spent the night at the beautiful Alaskan Inn with a complimentary spa basket that to my surprise, Shott had put together.

- Yesterday I came home to my Kitchen totally (totally meaning: All cupboards closed, all countertops washed off, and every little dish put back exactly where it goes) clean and laundry in the washer.

They say that the traditional anniversary gift for your seventh year is either Copper or Wool. Whatever the plan is for the weekend, it will sure beat out pennies and coats! Thanks babe for making EVERYTHING special!!

Our Random Weekend

So, are weekend started out with us coming home to no dog greeting us at the door. Let's go back a couple of days: Earlier in the week Scott and I had left some garbage down in the basement. We had used the Albertson's grocery bag as a small garbage. Inside was wrappers from some cheetos, a candy bar, and some other great stuff. During the whole week Sam hadn't touched the sack. Proof of how great our obedience training had been. Wrong!

When Sam didn't greet us at the door Scott went down stairs to find Sam whimpering in the deepest, darkest corner of the basement. She was totally wrapped up in the Albertson's grocery bag and there were wrappers strewn all around the room. She knew she was in trouble and she couldn't hide the evidence. We laughed so hard we couldn't even get mad. Instead, as punishment, we made her go upstairs and walk around the yard for a while with the bag on. It was Hilarious!!

So, there's this urban legend going around about Mentos and Diet Coke. We've been told that if you strategically place mentos in a bottle of diet coke you get this awesome geyser that shoots from the top of the bottle. Friday night we went to the store, picked up a few liters of Diet Coke and some Mentos. Here's proof that it works! We had fun. On Sunday we were watching Myth Busters on the Discovery channel (one of our favorite shows) and they tested this same "urban legend" It was awesome. If you want to know the secret, you'll have to go to the Discovery Channel web site. And it ONLY works with Diet Coke and mint Mentos. Have fun!

Since we haven't been able to get out and do some serious camping this summer we thought we would do some here in our back yard. Right as we put up the tent and settled in for the night we got hit with a huge thunder and lighting storm. It was awesome!!!! And we made it through the night. Of course Scott had the fan and the lap top with him to keep his mind off the storm.

Saturday, we were putting our base boards in and we could hear some racket going on outside. We put the hammer and nails down and opened up the door to a huge hail storm. It rained and hailed on and off for almost two hours. Here's pictures of some of the hail that came down over the course of two hours.

Scott playing in the hail storm

"These are my sons, Walker, and Texas Ranger" -Talladega Nights

So last night we had a "Walker and Texas Ranger" moment. About 3-4 times during the summer and fall months Shott and I will take a drive with my parents up to the Copper Mine farm fields to watch the deer graze in the evenings. It's a nice time to quickly get away from the city and take in a little country. The farm fields are protected by Kennecott land and there are some pretty nice looking wildlife to behold.
So last night we all had our binoculars out watching the big Bucks grazing in the hay fields. About 5 min. Into watching the deer a man with his 2 boys and wife pull up in a Chevy SUV. He gets out and comes over and asks if we could see the "36" spread" (referring to one of the big bucks)

My Dad says, "no, just small ones out tonight."

" Do you mind if I look through your Scope?"

"Sure, no problem, help yourself."

As the man was looking through the scope, I noticed in my binoculars a flock of Turkeys heading toward some of the deer in the pasture.

"Hey dad, I think I see some turkeys out there."

"Turkeys, you see the turkey's out there", the man said.

"Yeah, just over to the left of the deer."

"Oh, Wow, can my boys take a look, they've been wanting to see them there turkeys for a while."

"Sure", I said, "they can look through my binoculars."

So the man turns toward the truck and yells out to his boys, "Hunter, Fisher, come over and see these turkeys."

HUNTER, FISHER! Are you kidding me. As soon as the names left the man's lips my mom turned into the cab of the truck and started to laugh. Shott was laughing so hard he had to slide back behind the truck. My dad and I gave each other looks and tried desperately not to react!

Just earlier that evening we had been talking about how hilarious that part in the new Will Ferrell movie was. You know, the one where he has named his two boys, Walker and Texas Ranger. The hilarity of the movie was so close to the surface that we had no choice but to react to such a similarity. After the man and his family left we spent the rest of the time coming up with the rest of their children's names. Like Fawn, Archer, Trigger, and Feather. I know, we're bad but it sure did give us a good laugh. Maybe you had to be there, but we sure did enjoy it!

Parade of Homes

So over the weekend Shott and I attended our first Parade of Homes here in the valley. Our first stop was up on the east side. We were shuttled up to see the 7.5 million dollar home. The exterior was beautiful. Something you'd picture right out of Europe. The inside was unbelievable and totally impractical. Huge chandeliers and an indoor swimming pool designed to look as if you were swimming in some remote lake up in the mountains. There were secret rooms and an elevator. Totally out of control, and totally un-inviting, but very entertaining and a perfect example of the eccentric! Our next stop ended up being our favorite home of the day. It was in Holladay, just a few blocks from where our old apartments were. It was nestled in some trees. This home was only valued at 3.5 million! Everything about it was amazing. Like most of these million dollar homes, it had it's pool, indoor gym, theater room, a craft room to make Martha Stewart yearn with desire, and an amazing kitchen and great room. But the feature I loved the most were the rooms designed for the kids. As you walked into the basement to your left there was this cool playhouse. As you walked through the little door it opened up into this amazing little (big room) house equipped with mini stairs with a kitchen and a living room. It had a closet full of dress up clothes and a small hardwood area for tap dancing and ballet. For a child this was heaven. Saturday we went through 5 homes in 7 hrs. all of them had some cool rooms or features just for kids. It gave Shott and I such great ideas that we could apply in our own home. By the end of the 5th home Shott was done. He actually was done after the second home. Even though he complained A LOT, he stuck with it! The tickets we purchased allows us to see 32 homes here in the valley and after just 5 we were totally worn out. I'll be taking my mom with me later this week. Shott's very happy about that!
Speaking of homes, Shott and I just moved Spencer and Rheina into their new home in West Valley. It's a great home with a lot of potential. Last night we were helping them hook up their washer and dryer and found that there were some pipes that were leaking in the basement. Welcome to owning your own home, right! I'll get some pictures posted soon. (Spencer is aware of these blogs but with the military and driving trucks all day he hasn't had time yet.)
Shott and I have also been taking trips down to Eagle Mountain to see how Brett and Mindy's house is progressing. We've really enjoyed our trips down there. Their house is coming along I think quicker then what was expected. It's beautiful at Eagle Mountain and the quite is very serine. Last time we were there a thunderstorm was rolling through.
Shott and I love our home and the progress we've made. We've also enjoyed watching others in the family get into their own home as well. Yeah, over the weekend we saw some amazing homes, homes we'll never be able to build in this life time. Some too eccentric to really be called a "home". One thing we walked away with from this experience is realizing that we have a home, our haven from the "world"!

Superman

Since we moved in to our new home, Shott's office was the first room to be occupied. With him living and breathing technology and wireless communication, it was unfathomable to let his "space" be the last thing unpacked. As soon as we set foot in our house comcast was over putting in new cable for our internet. Shott was wiring his room. His wireless router was connected and by evening he was set to surf, download, connect, and interface. All was well in the world......Until Monday July 24th!
I, Scawna, had Monday July 24th off from work. I had such plans for the day. Shott may have had his computers set up, and his printer plugged in but he was lacking some super power. Power that would take him anywhere, allow him to do anything, and most importantly, let him fulfill his dream of flying! My plan for the day was to fulfill that very dream. I woke up, got ready for the day, ran to the store and found the very thing I was looking for, the "dream". I found a 3' tall Superman with moving body parts. Shott's ticket to endless superpowerdom! (of course all imaginary and with endless hours of fun) On top of that I got him a Superman garbage can, some Superman office supplies, and a cool poster that will hang on his wall.
When Shott got home from work later that day he was overwhelmed with emotion when he saw his hero standing on the table beside his desk. From now on he can now go down to his office, play a little with his computer and spend some well deserved time in imaginary land with his pal Superman! Now all is well in the world!

Imagination comes to life here in our back yard!!