3rd Annual Girls weekend

I think I am liking this little annual thing I do for myself. The ever awesome Girls Weekend!

The first year, I went to Hershey, PA with two of my besties- Lora and Tracie for a weekend, Last year I went to Amish Country for a weekend with another bestie, Michelle..... and this year I went for a weekend to DC with Michelle.

Holy Fun, Batman!

I have pretty darn good connections and we got a place in DC at a fairly reasonable rate of free (Stayed with my awesome SIL, Molly. Awesome hostess!), dropped off the kids at a posh resort (Chip's parents... they are still begging to go back. Actually to be honest, they are begging to move in.), and set all our cares to the wind (wheeee!).

Michelle and I had never been to DC outside of going to the DC temple- which is pretty sad. It's our nation's capitol for Pete's sake. Everyone needs to see it. Plus it's only a 3 hour drive from my in-laws house, so we figured it'd be a great destination.

 We got all dolled up in our best tourist garb (backpack and sneakers- check) and started on the National Mall.  Obligatory Washington Monument photo- Check.

 Molly recently went on a wild fantastic trip to Africa- where she fell in love with warthogs. She was super sad that they didn't reciprocate the love.

 I went Christmas Wish list shopping the Natural History Museum..... ya know... who wouldn't want the Hope Diamond for Christmas?

 Ya know in school where they show you the map of the solar system and you just see a dot labeled "Earth" and you're like... yep. There we are......  I don't think it was until I saw this little display of our solar system at the Air and Space museum that I was like. Wow... we really are puny little punks- rotating around on our little earth acting like we actually are the greatest things ever. But we're not.

Hanging out with some sculptures at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. There were some pretty weird sculptures there.

 The Sunstone from the Nauvoo Temple......I had no idea that it was in the American History museum.

 The American History Museum is also where I met Kermit the frog and tap danced by the Ruby Red slippers.

 We got to tour the Holocaust Museum. Talk about a somber experience. I have a confession: I'm morbid. It works for me. I actually find the Holocaust fascinating. Not fascinating like "wow cool!" but fascinating like "wow. That was one twisted dude.... how the crap did he brainwash so many people". I got to tour Dachau concentration camp when I was in Germany..... and ever since them I'm well... obsessed.  It never ceases to humble and stir emotions of overwhelming sadness for such hatred.

The room with all the shoes. Wow. That's all I can say. I just picture these men, women and children taking off their clothes and shoes to take a delousing shower and never coming back to get their belongings. Those were real people.

I cried as I viewed the artwork hung in the museum that was drawn/colored by children younger than mine- or even the same age as my children- none of made it out of the Holocaust alive....  and I think... wow. just wow. those could have been my children. Just switch up the religion and the time frame... so so sad.

 We saw the White House. There were more security guys than tourists. I think I found one place where they could trim the fat in the National Budget.... ;D

 I said 'Hello' to Mr. Lincoln. He was a nice guy. A little quiet though.....

Read truer than true words at the Korean War Memorial.  Freedom is most certainly not free. I loved seeing all the war memorials all around DC. It reminded me of all of those who have served to protect our freedoms. Those who didn't get to come home. The legacy that they left behind.

 We got to see the new Martin Luther King Jr. monument. It was pretty cool.I love how he looks so steadfast in his cause of equality for everyone. What a good man.

 I think my absolute favorite monument was the WWI memorial.  is it large? Nope. It's pretty small. Is it popular to visit? Nope. It was just us without a soul in sight. Is it for everyone who served in WWI? Nope. It is just for the soldiers who served from the DC area... so why was this my favorite monument?

I'll tell you..........

 It was this little guy.

We walked into the dome of the memorial and saw this little guy sitting in it. He was soooo cute and he looked hungry. I pulled out my smashed packet of crackers and gave him some. He was delighted!He ate it right out of my hands! He sat there and ate his with his best polite manners.

 Molly even snuggled on up to Mr. Squirrel to feed him more crackers. Every butt scoot closer to him she got- he took two steps away from her. Turn Squirrel.

Yes, I do realize I have more pictures of the squirrel than anything else... but can you blame me? I'm mega love with all smallish woodland creatures. .

Look how cute he is!?!

We weren't able to go up in the Washington monument..... it's closed after that big earthquake they had last year. Apparently it cracked the monument making it not safe. Blah blah blah............



Funny story. After getting back on the metro to go back to Molly's place I actually missed my train. Michelle and Molly got on it with no problems... the doors shut in my face when it was my turn to get on.

Good thing I knew where I was going AND I got to call my mama while I was.  (she was very upset I wasn't holding anyone's hand in a big city and that I got lost.) It was a win/win.  The girls waited for me at the next stop..... but just know, They left me for dead. On purpose. I'm sure of it.


It was such a good girl trip to go on. I loved the company, I loved the history, I loved every minute of the experience. It was refreshing  and just the break I needed from the everyday hustle and bustle of mommy life.

Thanks, Michele! It was a great, great weekend. My there be many girls weekends more to come!

Surface deep

Someone said something to me today that made me laugh hysterically..... like I actually slapped the woman on the back I was laughing so hard.

She said that some day she wishes she could have it all together one day like I do.

I know, right?

She apparently has never read my blog or looked under my bathroom sinks, in my closets, or looked at my piles of paper that in 5 years could get me turned into hoarders. She has apparently not seen my melt downs, my freak outs, and my piles of clothes (95% clean) that are scattered around.

It made me think how funny it is how different people perceive others in different ways. 

I know I have those women who in my mind are absolutely perfect. House immaculate, they are dressed in super nice clothes without stains, even their vans are vacuumed out on a daily basis. Their marriage and children are perfect, they have their well rounded healthy dinners placed on the table at 5pm sharp- right about the time when their husbands walk through the door and say "Honey, I'm home!". They have rock solid faith and testimonies and have never faltered.  And even if something horrible happens to them like a miscarriage or a death in the family- they get flown to Hawaii on a little vacation to help ease the pain.

I guess I have never seen these women desperate for a break and needing to leave the house for fear of strangling their children if one more "MOM!!!!" is spoken out of anger with a sibling. I have never seen these women worry about anything other than what throw pillows will best match the decor. I have never seen any of these women crying in their beds at night over a heart break.  I have never heard them pleading out to their Heavenly Father in their quiet places, about the struggles they are facing. I have never been there at midnight when they watch another episode of that TV show, with eyelids drooping, just so they could squeeze in a few more minutes of alone time.

I guess what I am saying, is that we usually only see people on the surface..... see them for what we need them to be- the person that we could someday be more like....

I just thought it was funny that someone picked me to be the one who 'had it all together'.

I should probably show her behind my coat closet door. It's scary messy in there.


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 ....... and just in case you think it's all words and I really am perfect (hahaha!) I was looking at pictures today and I came across this one. This is my life.  It was a busy morning, Alli just hauled down the laundry to be washed, the couch needed steam cleaned (steamer pole in the picture) due to germs, Miles climbing up on the piano, Broken lamp hanging out on top of the piano, papers piled to the wazoo, toys scattered everywhere, Maggie begging to take pictures (although she hasn't been able to in a few weeks due to my camera breaking), and Dexter and I striking a pose. And no, I'm not wearing make up. Yes. I was a little sun burned.

I know. You're jealous.

Things I've learned over summer break.

School is coming up in a week (gasp!- where the heck did summer go? Time flew faster than a ticked of witch flying off on her broom stick!). I hear some teachers make their students do "What I did over summer break" essays. I'm not exactly into essays, or proper grammar that will get me an A+ ,and if it weren't for spell check on the computer you probably wouldn't even know this was written in English. Fo' Shizzle. But I thought it'd be fun to give you a lowdown on what I've learned over summer break.

1) If you don't humble yourself the Lord will.  
Basically, keep the commandments, pay your tithing, become sufficiently humble, admit your mistakes, and try and get yourself squared away with the Lord.  If you don't.... He'll help you get on your knees to get you there. (aka: a whole lot of prayer time)

2) Alli is upset on not being an only child.
 She really thinks Chip and I should have had more self control and not brought other children into this world.  She even said it'd be okay to sell the other three kids. How kind of her. I'm assuming the money we'd earn from their sale (I hear twins and red headed/blue eyed children are H-O-T on the black market these days?) would be enough to pimp out her new (one child allowed) room.

3) Technology hates me.
 In two days my laptop died (hence no blog posts) and I had JUST uploaded all of my pictures and deleted my memory card from my camera. UGGGG!, my cell phone died, and my camera died. Why oh why do things requiring batteries hate me so much? Next my Wii will start shorting out. I hear Wii's talk to cameras and laptops.

4) I am thankful for trials.
It's during trials that we are able to grow closer to our Heavenly Father and lean on Him. Even though trials suck. They do... I promise.... suck big time. I am grateful for the refining fire- I feel like I am becoming a better person. More humble. (neiner neiner, I'm more humble than you are) More empathetic towards others. More understanding. More willing to serve our neighbors. Plus you acquire more knowledge to help you become more like our Father in Heaven. 

5) I am thankful for family.
This summer I am more than ever thankful for family. (and they are always at the top of my "thankful" list)...  I am at a loss for eloquent words, but I'll try and explain- I keep running into/ talking with random people this summer and they keep bringing up over and over their suffering with just DEALING with their family- putting up with (and lots of eye rolling) when they talk about their in-laws,etc. That just makes me sad! I am really thankful that I love my in-law family as much as I love my born- into family. Sure there are quirks to go around.... but at the end of the day I love them (all of my family) so dearly. 

6) If you say a goal out loud (or even just make it into a complete sentence in your head) your children will hear it and become determined to stop you from achieving it.
I have gotten ZERO quilting done. ONE scrapbook page done. and THIRTEEN blog posts done this whole summer......  a whole lotta not achieving much. But one thing I didn't mention out loud (or in my head) was watching Desperate Housewives... which I am now on season 2 thankyouverymuch.

7) Girls Night Outs and Mommy Get-Away weekends are a must for sanity.
I love having something to look forward to marked on my calendar. When that calendar says "GNO" on Tuesday or "Girls trip!" coming up in a few weeks I just think... yeah. I can manage not to strangle my children until then. Just a few more days until I can pee in peace. 
I was able (Thanks to Michelle, my SIL Molly, my mom and dad-in law, and SIL Ruthie.... and also Chip for letting us go) to go to Washington DC for a weekend- sans kids. I kid you not- I have never enjoyed peeing in peace so much in my life! Not once in two days did I hear "MOM! She touched me!!" or "More drink please?" or "She took my stuff!" or have anyone burst into the bathroom while I'm doing my business or taking a shower. Bliss. Pure bliss.  DC wasn't bad either. Did you know that there's a White House there?

8) It's hard to lose a pet.
It's a lesson I've learned before. I'm sure I'll learn it again in the future..... but it's still hard that even after 4 weeks since Finn's passing the boys are still looking for him- behind Chip's desk and under the bed..... they just keep meowing and looking. It's sad. I'm still waiting for him to stand on my chest and meow in my face when I get in bed, and Chip is still having a hard time missing his work buddy. Yeah.... losing a pet sucks. I still miss my dog Ceejay (pronounced C.J.) the cutest little Mini Sheltie that the world has ever known (even shaved like a lion)..... and she died over 12 years ago now. Sigh....   Pets really are part of your family.

9) I am thankful for Chip.
I seriously don't think I could have a better partner in life. He really does complete me... and all that mushy love stuff.  On our 10th anniversary he decided we needed a 2nd song to add to the list of "our songs". I am assuming for our 20th anniversary I'll we'll get another one to add to the list.....  but here's our list so far:
Wedding song:  Keeper of the Stars by Tracy Byrd  (Link here).
It was the first song we ever danced to at a church dance right after we started dating. It just seemed right for it to be our wedding song.

10th Anniversary song:  You are the Rose of my Heart by Johnny Cash (Link Here) It just seems fitting for where we are in our lives.

10) I am thankful for teachers.
There is so much that I cannot teach my children by myself. It really does take a village to raise kids! I am thankful for their teachers at church, at school, and family and friends who have taught my children along the way. Everyone has their own set of life's experiences that they can draw from. Different perspectives and backgrounds. Different skill sets.  I am thankful for those talents/lessons they have learned to help my children become better and more well rounded individuals.

11. I miss blogging. 
I really feel like a part of me is missing when I don't do it. I am so far behind on things I have wanted to write down. Lessons that I have learned or Ideas that I've loved, that are now forgotten due to time and not writing it down right away. To me blogging isn't just a simple thing; It's something that I truly love. I'm hoping that with two little girls away at school, and two little boys that I would like to take a nap while the two little girls are gone.... that I might get some blogging done. (Both for me and my mom's business). 

So there it is: Things I have learned over my summer break. 

What have you learned over yours?

Finn

With much sadness, our sweet kitty Finn passed away on July 24th..... just a few days after the 10th anniversary of us getting him. 

I know most people don't really want to read a post about my cat, sorry about that. I just need to record it anyway.

10 years go when Chip and I were looking around for a cat to join us we looked everywhere. We didn't fall in love with a single kitten, didn't fall in love with any cat that we had met at rescue shelters..... and finally we decided to go to an animal hospital to see what they had. We checked out their kittens but it didn't feel "right", and then Chip saw this beautiful Siamese cat with two different colored eyes sitting pathetically in a cage.  His poor head had some bald patches from a recent surgery. We asked what happened to him- He had been brought in hanging on within an inch of his life. He had been beaten and left for dead along side of the road. The animal hospital is a no-kill shelter- so they patched him up. He had a lesion on the side of his head the size of a soft ball. He had no teeth, he and no claws, and he was completely malnourished. He looked like he just needed love. He melted us right there. They didn't know how old he was- due to the fact he had no teeth they couldn't tell.... but they thought he was between 4-8 years old.

The first day we had him home with us we kept putting him in the litter box and scratching his foot in the litter- letting him know where it was. We went to bed- and around 3 in the morning Finn got right in Chip's face and was meowing non-stop, very loudly. Chip sat up and Finn kept acting like Chip should follow him... so he did. Finn had Chip go all the way to the litter box where he proudly showed Chip that he did his business. Good kitty.

Poor Finn (or as Chip liked to call him by his proper title 'Mr. Finn-lickins the First') got sick while we went to the awake-wake and never recovered. He has never liked when we have left him- so he just stopped eating for a week- went on a hunger strike. Poor kitty was just nothing but skin and bones. He also gave up on running away from the boys- who took it to their advantage. Do you remember the old classic Bugs Bunny cartoon where the abominable snowman captured Daffy/Bugs and called him George? (Click Here for a refresher) .... now picture TWO abominable snow-two-year-olds  who would do the same thing to the cat. And poor Finn- he would just take the 'lovins' and every once in a while just let out a whimper. It's not like we were intentionally putting Finn in harms way, the silly cat would escape whatever room he was in and just go lay in front of the boys like a sacrificial lamb. Poor stupid cat. Then he stopped taking care of himself by the end- his whole body, previously meticulously maintained- was just a lump of matted up fur. He was having a hard time keeping his balance and kept falling over. He was senile and wouldn't remember where anything was. He cried all the time. He was drooling all over.  It was really sad to see him disintegrate in front of our eyes.  Finally on the 24th Finn was so far gone that he cried out in pain with every breath he took and we knew that we needed to get him put down. Chip and I had previously just prayed that the poor guy would pass away in his sleep, but he just kept hanging on.

So after Chip got off of work, we took all the kids with us to the dog shelter (you wouldn't believe how expensive it is to put a cat down at a vet's office! Anywhere between $85-$300.... so I called the dog shelter and they said they would do it for $10, and take care of his body too.  I guess that's just FYI for anyone needing those services....) we let them all say good byes. We said a prayer all together one last time- thanking Heavenly Father for letting us have such a wonderful pet as a member of our family for so long- and to help us get through the next bit without him.  I stayed in the car with the kids and called my mom crying- and a very tearful Chip took Finn inside.  Chip said the woman who was in charge of the paperwork was so kind- and didn't make Chip fill out the forms, she did it for him so Chip could have extra snuggle time with Finn.

It was, and is still, a very tender time in our family. We got Finn when I was 3 months pregnant with Alli. We had him before we were parents. Chip misses his work buddy.... as Finn would just lay on his feet all day, or rub his legs, or beg for his turkey sandwiches while Chip was working.  Just yesterday Dexter took a flashlight around to Finn's hiding places to look for him, and would say "meow?" "Meow??" and would look at Chip to see where Finn was. It was really sad.


We know that Finn is in good hands now. He's at peace. We really are so thankful that he was in our family. He was good for us.

Good- bye Finn. We love you.

*he didn't really look that ticked off in real life, I promise. I just couldn't fix his glowing eyes.....