Happy 40th Rich!

Happy birthday to my husband! He deserves a very special day since he's the best friend, husband, and father I could ask to share my life with. We can't wait to celebrate with him on the cruise in 1 week! I love you!

Happy Thanksgiving

May you and your families have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! You will be counted in our many blessings!

No Nails

In case you were wondering after my previous blog... the number of nails Morgan had on her hands when she got out of school was zero. She said, "it took me one whole recess to get that one off my thumb!".

Rich bought snorkel gear online last night. It won't be long now!

"Pleasures await you by the seashore"

This was the fortune that Rich found in his fortune cookie last week. So, that being said, the cruise should be amazing. We have 12 days until we leave. And, since Thanksgiving is in between, the days should fly by! We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving day with our fantastic neighbors, David & Marcia, at their home. Rich says he is most looking forward to the stuffing and, oh yes, the Cowboys game on TV!

My Morgan story of the week is as follows: she was dying to spend the remainder of a Walmart gift card. Lucky for her, they had some press-on nails just her size. She ran (sprinted) in the house when we got home and had me put them on. Then, she proceeded to walk around all last night with her hands splayed out just admiring her beautiful nails. It brought to mind a time that I bought some Lee PressOn nails when I was about 13 or so. I put the things on and later went to the local sporting goods store to try on my basketball shoes for the upcoming season. I was trying to be all cool, because I had a crush on the salesman, and as I was lacing up the shoes, the stupid nails kept falling off. Anyway, I'm not sure how cool I seemed. I wonder how many nails Morgan will have on when she gets home from school today?

May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

3 weeks 'til we're cruising!

Celebrating Rich's 40th birthday in less than 2 weeks and...we will be on the high seas of the Western Caribbean 3 weeks from this time! We are all excited! The kids are imagining what the ship will look like and how much fun they will have. My mom bought them both new outfits for some of our formal dinners. I had to get Morgan some new shoes and, of course, she picked high heels (or as high of heels as you can get for a 7 year old)! When Cole tried his outfit on, Morgan exclaimed, "the girls will be following you all around the ship!". He does look pretty spiffy in his tie!

We will visit the beaches of Roatan and Cozumel and do some snorkeling. We decided to visit Stingray City in the Caymans, as well as walk on 7-mile beach where Rich & I honeymooned. We will do some cave tubing in Belize. I am sure that the cave tubing in Belize will be less eventful than the last time we floated the Swan River in Montana. Cole & Morgan remember that I nearly drown when my tube popped, I lost my hat, 2 of us lost our sunglasses... and, worst of all, the beer was floating down river!

The countdown is on to our trip!

The sweet smell of... therapy?

Cole asked me to come in his room the other night. He was reading in his bed. He said, "Mom, what's aromatherapy?". Before I had a chance to reply he said, "is it where you go to talk to somebody about different smells?". Needless to say, I got my smile for the evening, and then told him the real definition.

Happy Birthday wishes to my brother, Greg! I don't know what I'd do without him. When I was little, he would dress me up like a biker chick, a bird, and many other things. (he is 9 years older than me). Now that we're older, we are great friends and I can count on him to listen, to understand, and to make me laugh my head off. Love you!

36 all year long

I turned 36 on Sunday. I am not sure what the significance of this year is, but it got me thinking about where I am at this point in life. I think that when I got to my 30's I found a peace inside that hadn't been there before. I can't explain if that peace came from life experiences, having children, or growing in my marriage to Rich. You know, all those years wondering if you'll ever figure out who you are... the 30's have got me there. Of course, I can always learn more, work harder, be more giving and compassionate, and spend less time sweating the small stuff.

This decade has taught me to appreciate the family and friends in my life; to appreciate the 15 years of love I have shared with Rich through the good times and the hard times (he reminded me on Sunday that 15 years ago, I got a puppy and a rental trailer house in Hollywood trailer court- we've come a long way); to stop and dance with the kids in the kitchen even when there are chores to do; and to remember that this moment is the only one we are guaranteed.

I looked into the eyes of a patient that I was putting a PICC line in on Sunday. She was 36. She had two children, a boy and a girl. She had no hair and a big quilt covering her while she shivered. I know that the place she would most love to be is at home, playing in the leaves with her kids, snuggling with her husband, and sleeping in her own bed. The small things really are the big things.

Thank you to my family and friends for a wonderful day- for the phone calls, emails, friendship, and love. I will have a great year!

First "Big" Snow

Yesterday was a cold and snowy day. We got about 8 inches of snow here in Sandy. Snowbird, the ski area just above us in the canyon, will open Friday. I got my wish granted: I got to use the snowblower! Today, Morgan is home sick with strep throat, and Cole has a short day at school. They are off school again tomorrow, so we can cozy up and enjoy our winter wonderland.

Candy and more candy...

Halloween was a success, to say the least. The kids had the day off school, so we had all day to rest up for the big night. Cole was a Clone Trooper, Captain Rex, from Star Wars. Morgan was a pirate girl, and loved the fact that she got to wear eyeliner as part of her costume. The "cheese" in the pictures is Cole's friend, Tyler, who trick-or-treated with our kids. Rich went as one scary dude, and I was a Swiss Miss. (the dress I am wearing was one of my mom's, I think she wore it to Jerry's 8th grade graduation- in 1976). The kids must have at least 10 pounds of candy. The dentist will be so happy!!

Don't forget to VOTE tomorrow!!!!!