Cole, the wise old soul

After school, Cole was having a snack and we were discussing his day. He said there was a debate in his honors language arts class regarding whether or not kids should be allowed to show affection in the hallways at school. He said, "I spoke up and said I didn't think it was necessary for kids to show affection at school, and that at our ages, it isn't really necessary to be in relationships." I told him I was proud of him for speaking up, since his opinion certainly wasn't the popular opinion on this subject. He said, "yes, and furthermore, the kids I know that are in relationships at my age seem to be kids that don't feel very good about themselves, and need someone else in their lives to make them feel better."

It is safe to say that I was not this insightful at 13.

Taylor Swift Concert

For Morgan's 10th birthday in July, she got tickets for her and I to go see Taylor Swift. This was her first concert ever! We enjoyed dinner together at Applebees (one of her favorites) and headed to Energy Solutions Arena downtown.

She was excited to see all the semi trucks, probably 25, out front that had Taylor Swift's picture plastered on them. Inside, the stage was set and we saw a couple of opening acts, then Taylor came on at 8:30. I am pretty sure I have never heard that much screaming in my entire life. The girl to boy ratio in the place was about 100:2!

She sang all of her hits while Morgan sang along and danced in the aisle. Around 10:30, just before she was going to do her encore, Morgan looked at me with very tired eyes and asked, "Mom, can we just go now?".

She had a blast, but it is hard to party like a rock star on a school night!

Thanks for a great girls night out, Morg! I love you!

Too much on my plate?

The week of Oktoberfest was hectic, with work at the U, doing flu clinics, getting Cole to football, and being at the school for an entire day doing vision screenings. I volunteered many hours at the skating rink during the competition, and was basically like a chicken with my head cut off that entire week.

Sunday morning after the skating competition, I was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper and drinking coffee. I received a text from Brian, one of my coworkers, around 9:15. It simply said, "how are you doing today?". I quickly text back, "good, how are you?". As soon as I hit the send button, a light went off in my head and I realized that I was supposed to have been at work at 8 that morning!

I went from having fuzzy teeth and my fuzzy robe on at 9:15, to clocking in at the U at 10:01. I had a range of emotions going through my system during that time... I laughed, I cried, and I used a few profanities. In 16 years of being a nurse, I have never forgotten to go to work! Luckily, Brian was just happy that I hadn't been in an accident on my way to work (and will always have something to hold over my head and joke about!) and my boss was very understanding. Rich and the kids will have something to tease me about for years to come, as
I "never forget things". Yes, I am only human, but I sure felt like an idiot.

Oktoberfest Skating Competition

Morgan on the awards podium

Morgan and her BSFF (best skating friend forever), Kelli

One happy girl with her gold medal!

Morgan competed in Oktoberfest at Cottonwood Heights this weekend. This was a three day event with 230 skaters competing from Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. This was Morgan's first "big" competition. She was pretty nervous, but skated very well.
She took first place in her event! She was so excited for the whole night and the next day, too! We are proud!

RIP Duncan

Greg and David's chocolate lab, Duncan, passed away on September 17.

He lived a very charmed life and was one amazing dog.

We remember him as a puppy when Cole was a baby.

His gentle ways and kind eyes made you feel loved whenever you were around him.

He let the kids dress him up for 4th of July,

spent hours chasing the ball in and out of the lake,

"danced" whenever he was near Morgan,

and was a wonderful friend to all.

We will miss you, Duncan.

Morgan and Cole were very saddened when they heard the news, in fact, our whole family shed some tears. Morgan cried for about 45 minutes, then got her laptop out and wrote this,

"Tonight my 2 uncles' dog, Duncan, died. It crushed me.

He has known me my whole life. He was a chocolate lab.

He was the best dog in the world,

not even my dogs are better.

We love and miss you Duncan."

My girl appreciates the little things...

Morgan came home from school and announced, "I was voted to be the class secretary!".

I said, "Great! What jobs do you have to do as secretary?".

She said, "I don't know, but I get a roll-y chair!".

Kenny Loggins Concert- Danger Zone?

Rebecca, Sarah, Amber, and I

There was no one in that crowd that would actually buy these... I hope

She warned us that she was going to lick his bus

"Security" sat next to Amber and I... it was a good thing!

Amber trying to get us in backstage

Kenny Loggins fan? Well, my friend, Rebecca, is. So, tickets were bought months in advance. Marcia was the ring leader for the whole thing, but she got a last minute opportunity to go to Green Bay to watch the Packers vs. Saints game. Hmmmm... NFL or Kenny?

Rebecca, Sarah, and Amber came over for some snacks and drinks before the concert. Rich was kind enough to be our driver for the night. I had never been to the Sandy Amphitheater, and it's only about 8 blocks from my house! It is a beautiful venue, but we were some of the youngest people there. Kenny did not disappoint... his performance was great. Amber tried her best to get Rebecca backstage after the concert, but we were turned away. They did give us some nice guitar picks as parting gifts, though.

Jordanelle Reservoir

We headed out to Jordanelle Reservoir after I finished work, for a picnic and some paddle boarding. What a fun afternoon we had playing in the water and getting some sun!