The 3 Musketeers

What's in a name???

2010-01-27T19:24:00.013-07:00

Copy of birth certificate - $18.00

Certified copy of divorce decree - $9.00

Trip to Provo - $3.00

Changing my name from Wright to Olsen ..... PRICELESS!!!

This will be the end of this blog. I will be creating a new blog that does not have "Wright" in the address. The past 14 1/2 years have been very interesting being "wRIGHT" all the time but it was time for a change. I kept my last name for my kids sake and when I found out that they didn't care what my last name was it was GAME ON!!!

I have also wanted to get my blog going again but didn't want to have all of you suffer through everything the past year. Once I get it caught up I will have it made into a book and start this new chapter in my life. The past decade has been tough and I have learned alot but I am excited for the next decade, so much will change in my life. Life is good!!!

I will post on this blog my new blog address when I get it created!!!

Baby Abigail is home...

2009-11-16T15:54:00.004-07:00

Abigail and her parents have made it home safe and sound from California. They fixed Abby's broken heart and she seems to be doing well.

I had this blanket made for her and was able to see her in Primary Children's Hospital before she flew out for her surgery and give it to Jeff & Lisa. I am so happy that she made it home to be able to enjoy it.

A HELPING HAND...

2009-10-27T21:52:00.004-06:00

This picture is priceless and with Abigail scheduled to have her surgery tomorrow I wanted to post it.

Good Luck Abigail.... you are in the best hands!!!

2009-10-26T19:38:00.002-06:00

Abigail is now stable and all tubes and medication are removed. I absolutely loved this picture of her holding her own binki in. She looks absolutely perfect!!! Her heart surgery will take a little bit of creativity according to the Dr's.

Their blog is amazing if you want to keep up on her... she is an angel!!!

http://babyabigailrose.blogspot.com/

Pray for Baby Abby

2009-10-22T15:46:00.006-06:00

Abigail Rose Reeves

My heart is very full and so are my eyes as I share with you this blog of Baby Abby. As many of you may or may not know the office I work at has been hit hard with the Swine Flu. But as of Monday the Swine Flu has been the least of our worries. One of my boss' (Jeff) and his wife Lisa had a beautiful baby girl on Monday afternoon and it went from a beautiful and easy birth to bad to worse... It made me realize how lucky I really am. There are worse things than divorce, there are worse things than being single and on and on.... I was able to see sweet Abby last night at Primary Children's and she is absolutley perfect, it was such a humbling & spiritual experience to be there. I felt so close to heaven and the veil, it was amazing!!! Please pray for Abby and her parents that everything will work out...

http://babyabigailrose.blogspot.com/

Derek's School Project...

2009-06-23T15:46:00.022-06:00

Derek needed to do a project on Maine. This project needed to be on something that he could pull down the halls of the school. Since it was during Christmas time and the state tree of Maine in the pine tree we were set for decorations that were already out.

This was one of the easier projects that we have done since he was able to do most of the research on it at school. It is amazing to me what the internet has been able to help us with when it comes to school projects. Derek had the websites to go onto and pick out the pictures that he wanted so all I had to do was print them. I guess the school projects are getting easier too because the boys are getting older and they can help and it still looks decent.

As I was walking the halls waiting for Derek to make his way around the school I found this little project hanging on the wall of his. He is such a BOY!!!

This is what it says: (The bolded words are what Derek used to fill in the blanks)

SHOOT, SHOOT as fast as you can! You can't TACKLE me I'm the GANGSTER man!

Recipe for one SPORTS.
Ingredients:
1 FOOTBALL, 2 BASKETBALLS, 1 BASEBALL
BASKETBALL eyes
FOOTBALL mouth
How to prepare:
THROW THEM IN A POT
How to cook:
VEGIES

I think he did ok until the "How to cook" part. He cracks me up and as long as he is playing a sport or holding some kind of ball in his hand is when he seems to be the happiest. :)

RE/MAX Results Christmas Party

2009-06-23T15:06:00.020-06:00

For our work Christmas Party at RE/MAX Results we were able to do our own office parties and it was a lot of fun. I love planning parties on someone elses dime. We were able to use a Club House at one of our agents condo rentals, it was awesome. I went to my grandparents home around 2:00 and stole their tree, mantel piece & a few other decorations to help the club house feel a little more like Christmas. It turned out awesome and we had a ton of fun. My mom made the food, we had teriyaki chicken, rice, salad, fruit & yummy deserts. We had 3 girls from Snow College come and dance for us, they did awesome!!! It was kind of fun to have something different than a traditional Christmas party.

We didn't have a big office so it wasn't a big party but it was fun.

BOYS BEING BOYS!!!

Clancey showing Brad how it's done

Dan learning how to SHAKE IT!!!

Kenny could not get it down, he looked like he was riding a bull

Jeff wondering what the HECK I have gotten him into

The 3 girls that came and danced for us, the did a great job!!!

Road Rage Update...

2009-06-23T14:53:00.002-06:00

This post will be a little out of order but I thought I better get this one out of the way. Mr. "Not so very nice guy" went to court on January 15, 2009. They dropped the charges at this point. He wanted to push forward and go to the end but the prosecuting attorney knew it would be a "he said" "she said" game and it would take time and money so she dropped it. She did tell me that she had a long heart to heart talk with him and told him that the way he was acting was very inappropriate and could have hurt someone. Of course I had to call the next day to find out what had happened. I wanted to know from beginning to end what happens in a road rage case. I guess when it was all said and done it was a lot of stress with not to much accomplished. Thanks for all your support, everyone who commented at the beginning of all of this really helped me get through it & I hope to never have to do a "ROAD RAGE" post again. :-)

STAND BACK!!!

2009-06-23T14:52:00.003-06:00

Work is very slow so I am going to take advantage of it and update my blog. Now, I know that many of you do not want to see my Christmas pictures in June but I need to do it for me. :) I want to put my blog into a book someday. So be patient, June pictures will hopefully be up by the end of the week.

STILL ALIVE......

2009-04-26T22:04:00.005-06:00

WOW, where does the time go? I keep putting off blogging because I think I have to catch up from where I left off all in 1 day. Well...... I know that won't happen so I am going to try and do at least 1 a week but hopefully more. I was pretty sick of looking at the HAPPY NEW YEAR page with the obnoxious Christmas picture too. ;-)

When blogging slowed down in December it was because my computer got a virus. I procrastinated for a couple of weeks and then finally decided I better get it fixed. So finally in January I got it back but not before the bad economy got the best of me again. I was headed for my 3rd layoff in a year and a half. I was scared and didn't know what I was going to do. I will blog about this story as I am catching up so to make a long story short I was layed off from RE/MAX Results on January 15th and I started for Box Home Loans on January 19th. For the first 2 months there were very few breaks. I felt like I was working all the time but I am happy to say I am working normal hours now and processing more files than when I was working 12 hours a day. I really like my job and I am so happy to have it!!!

The boys started baseball in January and we are in full swing with games on Monday nights and double headers on Saturdays. I am so grateful for my boys and I love watching them as they continue to learn and grow. My life revolves around them right now and I am ok with that because one day they will both be busy with their own lives and I will be wondering what to do next.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-12-24T20:47:00.002-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

This is what it looks like right now as we are trying to pose for a Christmas Eve picture, Wesley wanting to punch Derek. OH HOW I HOPE WE SURVIVE THE NIGHT!!!

PLEADING.......NOT GUILTY...........

2008-12-08T17:47:00.006-07:00

Well, "not so mr. nice guy" went to court today and plead NOT GUILTY!!! YEP, pretty sure he is crazy!!! He is going to spend so much money defending himself when he knows dang well he is guilty. Some peoples kids...... He now has a pre-trial on January 15th. If it doesn't get resolved by then, it will go to trial. WOW, what a mess!!! I will have to testify against him if it goes to trial but that could be a few months away & I am really ok with that. Angie and I talk about how ticked off he probably is and how tough he thinks he is too. I really hope that everything sticks and he learns his lesson about being a TOUGH GUY out on the road. I will update after the pre-trial hearing. Thanks for all your support, you guys have been great and made me feel much better.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???

2008-12-08T12:37:00.008-07:00

Rules are: Anything you have done has to be in bold. How much have you done?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Ephraim Middle School Buffalo's!!!)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain. (Timpanogos Cave :) does that count?)
9. Held a Praying Mantis (It was our 1st grade pet!)
10. Sang a solo (Does singing in your car count HAHA I would kill someone with my voice)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (aka: Lake Powell)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (Helped as a child but love to go home to my parents garden.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (I remember when I was young our car broke down in Indianola and we had to catch a ride home with some stranger, it was scary)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (I just took one last week to go shopping in Salt Lake but I had to so I didn't lose it. :) )
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (In my head!!!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (WOW, those were the days)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Does the Manti House Inn count? That's where my dad was born. He is an ancestor isn't he.)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (Last year on Angie's new machine, it was awful!!!)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (I guess Mt. Pleasant was good for something j/k)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (Unfortunately more than once.)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Tied a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (I probably could publish a few with my life stories :) )
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (truck? That would have been one of those stupid purchases caused by my ex...)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (Manti Messenger & The Salt Lake Tribune)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (My own, I got divorced!!!)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one :(
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

This was a surprisingly fun tag to do, so I tag anyone else that wants to take a trip down memory lane.

NOTICE TO APPEAR...

2008-12-03T09:22:00.027-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I received my "NOTICE TO APPEAR" in court for the roadrage incident back in October. It was scheduled for Monday, Dec 8th. I have been pretty stressed out about it. I called my dad to go with me since I am still scared to death of this guy.

Well... I just got a call this morning from the Prosecuting Attorney's Office and the attorney has declined to prosecute my case and I will never have to deal with it again. Apparently she reviewed the case and spoke with the Trooper that handled the case and they decided it was not worth it to charge me. But... the "NOT SO NICE GUY" still has to appear in court on Monday. I will be calling on Monday afternoon to find out how that went. I will keep you posted.

YIPEE!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-11-28T22:41:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T22:21:00.003-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving I did not have the boys. I wasn't in the mood for Thanksgiving and I would have been perfectly fine staying home & having cold cereal. I knew that my family would not like that idea so I headed to Manti on Thursday morning. We looked at the ads for Friday, ate, looked at more ads for Friday, Angie & I went to her house to watch last weeks episode of Grey's Anatomy, came back to my parents & searched the internet for the items on my kids Christmas list. There wasn't anything in the ads for me to get up EARLY and go so I just waited and woke up when my body decided it was time. I headed to Wal-Mart with my friend and decided I was there so I just as well start Christmas shopping. We have fun and I was able to get most of my shopping done today. YIPEE!!!

I am so thankful for my boys and I miss them more and more when I don't have them. The holidays just aren't the same when they aren't around, even if they do fight. I am so thankful for my family for always being there when I don't have anywhere else to go and I am thankful for my friends for knowing when I need them to just call and talk.

I hope that you all had a GREAT THANKSGIVING!!!

It's beginning to look alot like CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-11-18T23:18:00.009-07:00

I have had the hardest time getting in the mood for Christmas this year. I know that Thanksgiving is still next week but I have been the type of person that LOVES Christmas and I get very excited to decorate and buy things for my kids. I love to start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween too. When I got to work after Halloween I changed the radio station because I couldn't handle it yet. Well.... tonight I had to go to Sandy for work and on my way home my gas light came on, it was on for a good 15 miles but I was trying to make it to the Maverik just off of 800 North in Orem. I usually get the cheapest gas there. I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled in that gas with my card would be...

I was so excited because last week when I put gas in my car I paid $1.939 and I thought that was great!!! Every week it keeps coming down and I love it. I know it won't last long but it is so nice to not feel like we are getting ripped off. I did mention that my gas light had been on for about 15 miles so to fill up my car completely, all the way to the top was only..................

This is something that is definately getting me into the Christmas spirit, I hope it lasts past tonight. :)

LOSING SUCKS!!!

2008-11-15T17:17:00.002-07:00

I HATE LOSING!!! I have the hardest time when the team I am cheering for loses!!! I didn't even have any kids playing today on Manti's team and I wanted to cry. Manti was ahead the whole game, North Summit tied it at 28 and then North Summit kicked a field goal with 2.5 seconds left in the game. It is so hard to see these kids have to lose, they have worked so hard all year. The coaches put in so much time and effort to help these kids get this far. There really have been a great bunch of kids come out of Manti and my kids look up to them so much. It has been fun watching these boys grow up from year to year and it will be fun to see where some of them end up.

On a better note................. Snow College finished out their regular season today and beat Mesa. They have been ranked #2 behind Navarro College but just moments ago Navarro College was beat by Blinn College which means Snow College Badgers will be playing for the National Championship at Rio Tinto Stadium in December. GO BADGERS!!!

GO TEMPLARS TAKE STATE!!!

2008-11-13T19:18:00.022-07:00

Derek, Tyson & Wesley

On Saturday we traveled down to Cedar City to watch Manti play San Juan in the football semi-finals at SUU. Manti was not the favorite but came out with full force and beat San Juan 26-13. They are now moving onto the State Championship game on Saturday at Timpview High School in Provo. We are so excited for this game and hope that the Templars come out on top. They are favored by 5.5 points (how you score .5 of a point in football I am not quite sure) but that is just what the Deseret News has posted. :)

My boys have been so lucky to have such an awesome Uncle Fred that puts up with them on the sidelines during their games. My boys look up to these players so much. This team really has an amazing group of kids.

A couple of weeks ago they started doing the Haka before & after every game. There are a couple of polynesian kids on their team that have taken charge and taught the rest of the team. I absolutely love it and I think it pumps up the team and the crowd so much and gets them off on the right foot. I will try and get it on camara Saturday for those of you who don't know what the HAKA is. :)

For years now after every game, win or lose they stand in a line and sing the school song. It is so awesome to see a bunch of big football players stand in line and sing the school song.

The boys love to be on the field whenever they get a chance (i.e. before the game, half time & after) I have a hard time getting them off the field before the lights get shut out.

This is Derek before the semi-final game helping get the balls after the kicker kicks them.

This is Wesley just hanging out before the game, kicking the ball around. They are just itching for their time to finally pad up and get on the big field and I must admit I can't wait either. I love football!!!

This is my friend Molly's son, Tyson. We were sitting there talking and she couldn't find him. Then she looked up and saw Tyson coming from San Juan's side, bare foot, walking on the track with a blue balloon. Molly took off to get him and I told her to grab her camara but she didn't want to take the time so I went down the stairs to get the best shot I could.

This is Derek & Tyson just chilling on the railing watching a little football.

GOOD LUCK TEMPLARS, TAKE STATE!!!

ROAD RAGE UPDATE...

2008-11-09T18:53:00.012-07:00

Well... I don't have to much information but from what I heard yesterday it could take a while. I received my citation 2 weeks ago for reckless/agressing driving. When the UHP Trooper was here giving me the ticket he kept telling me that the only reason I was getting a ticket was because this other "not so nice guy" wanted to press charges against me. The next step is to wait 5 days but no more than 14 to call the courts to get your court date. I started calling on day 5 and have called every business day since. The 1st day they didn't have any record of my citation. Starting last Monday they said, "It is pending". Pending.................WHAT??? The UHP Trooper told me that he would drop them off personally to the Prosecuting Attorney and let them know of the situation and what he thought about it. I finally was able to talk to the Prosecuting Attorney's Office on Thursday after finally getting past the clerk's desk. They said that the process is for the attorney who will be handling the case to review both statements and possibly talk to other attorney's about it and decide if charges should indeed be filed. The lady at the attorney's office said that this could take anywhere from 2-3 days to 3 months. AUGH..... do I really have to think about this for that much longer??? I really hope not!!! I explained to her what happened and she told me to call her back this week. I am hoping that she will keep me informed and that this will be resolved on my side very quickly and without having to go to court. I will post more information when I get it. :)

Picture Tag - 4th Folder - 4th Picture

2008-11-09T18:34:00.009-07:00

My 4th folder is Ameen & Molly's wedding and the 4th picture is of Molly. Molly looked absolutely AMAZING on her wedding day. Molly & Ameen are such great people and I am so happy that they were able to find each other.

ONE WORD TAG

2008-11-09T18:24:00.003-07:00

Rules: Answer the questions with one word and one word only!

Were is your cell phone? Purse
Where is your significant other? LOST
Your hair color? Blonde
Your favorite thing? Sleeping
Your dream last night? Poaching
Your dream/goal? Family
The room you're in? Crouded
You're hobby? Blogging
You're fear? Alone
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy
Where were you last night? SUU
What you're not? Skinny
One of your wish list items? Money
Where you grew up? MANTI (GO TEMPLARS, TAKE STATE!!!) :)
The last thing you did? Bathroom
What are you wearing? T-shirt
Your TV? Grey's
Your pet? NONE!!! :)
Your Computer? Dell
Your mood? Tired
Missing someone? Erik (my brother not my ex) :)
Your car? Camry
Something your not wearing? Shoes
Favorite store? Wal-Mart
Your summer? Busy
Love someone? Boys
Your favorite color? Red
When is the last time you laughed? Wesley
When is the last time you cried? WORK :(

I tag....Angie, Michelle & Jen

..... TO BE CONTINUED..... CONTINUED.....

2008-11-06T19:23:00.036-07:00

Halloween was a lot of fun this year, very busy but fun!!! The day started with Derek waking up on the wrong side of the bed. He did not want to put his costume on until 1:50 p.m. at school. I told him that this would be the only time that all 3 of us were in our costumes together because they were going with their dad. We got to my work for our photo shoot and survived it, barely. I took that boys to school and Wesley took his costume into a different classroom to show some of his friends and ended up getting into a little scuffle with a kid, went to the principals office and got a ticket. I didn't find out about it until I went to see them at their parade and I just told Wesley not to let it ruin his day. He didn't start it so I can't be to upset because their dad has always taught them to fight back. I decided the day before Halloween to have a little party at work. I really don't know why I procrastinate so much but it makes it so I am always running around. We had a AWESOME party at work and then I left for the day at 1:00 to go watch Manti in their quarterfinals game in Manti. I hurried home from work, got ready for the day, went to the school to get a peak at my kids before their parade started and then headed to Manti to get to the game by 3. Manti WON, so they play in the Semi-Finals this Saturday in SUU against San Juan. After the football game I went to my parents, got back into my costume and headed up to Main Street where they shut down 3 blocks and have cars back in towards the curb to have trunk or treat. I think it's such a great and easy way to do trick or treating and get it done. I was the lucky one to hand out the candy for a while in front of the Sports Grill. Then Angie came out and said, "I am going to come and sit by you because I do not want people thinking that you are me!!!" I was laughing so hard and having so much fun. There was a headless horseman roaming around town too that was pretty freaky too until I found out who he was and then we posed for a picture.

Derek had to make a Haunted House for an assignment at school. I thought for sure he was going to win the kingsize candy bar that they were giving out but there is 1 kid that really out did us. I felt bad for Derek because he really did alot of the designing of it and decorations while I just used the glue gun. I told him I would buy him a kingsize candy bar because I thought his looked AWESOME!!!

Jen and her kids and Angie's kids looked so cute too. It is so fun to be able to see everyone on main street. I decided to walk against the traffic after a while to make sure Angie's kids were ok with the Hatch girls. It was a lot of fun to hear the comments about me but it was also fun to see friends that I don't get to see or talk to often.

Jen

June

Mac

Tyler,

Sisi &

Max

Troy & Mother Superior

CARVING PUMPKINS

2008-11-05T21:39:00.026-07:00

We managed to carve pumkins this year and it was pretty fun. I had a HORRIBLE day at work so I was NOT looking forward to doing it. Thank goodness my kids keep on me when I tell them that we are going to do something. We were a little short on time so that they could go to their step sisters birthday party so we didn't do anything fancy but we did have fun. I told the boys that I should have made a frowny face pumpking because my day was so bad and Wesley said, "But you didn't mom, you made a HAPPY faced pumpkin so that means you need to be HAPPY!!!" I feel so bad sometimes when I come home from work and take my frustrations out on them. Thank goodness they can still see the BRIGHTER side of things.

We had 1 pumkin left to carve so I did a quick "WRIGHT" in it. Wesley then informed me that he didn't know why I did that because I was not still married to his dad. Hmmmmm I tried to explain to him that even though we were divorced I still had the "WRIGHT" last name. I told him that I would rather have the same last name as them but he didn't like that answer either. I really thought when I got divorced that I wouldn't be single this long but now that I realize I will probably be single the rest of my life I may change it back to "OLSEN". Not to mention I don't want to be called "GRANDMA WRIGHT" when I am a grandma.

Red Ribbon Week

2008-11-05T21:13:00.026-07:00

Last week was Red Ribbon Week

MONDAY: Wear RED

TUESDAY: Wear your favorite sports uniform

WEDNESDAY: Wear you PJ's

THURSDAY: Boot Day

FRIDAY: Halloween Costumes

I didn't get pictures of them every day but I did manage to get Jersey Day and Boot Day. I love boot day and I think that the boys had fun too. When they told me that they had boot day I asked them if they were going to wear their snow boots. Then my light came on and I remembered I HAVE BOOTS and they will look awesome!!! As you can see from the pictures below, they did look pretty funny and they had a ton of compliments on their boot selection at school.

BYU vs. UNLV

2008-11-02T16:36:00.030-07:00

The boys and I were able to go to the BYU vs. UNLV game last weekend. A friend of our family coaches for UNLV and was able to hook us up with some sweet tickets. We were right in the middle of the UNLV fans but we were also on the 4th row. Nobody was sitting on the front row so Wesley, Derek & Spencer went down and sat down there. They had a blast screaming and yelling and giving anybody 5 who would come by, mainly the cheerleaders and the band members.

My mom, dad, Michelle, Spencer, Wesley, Derek & I all sat in the seats by UNLV.

Fred, Angie, Saula, Tyler & Max had seats on the other side by the BYU team.

Little Max even got to have a picture with Big Max Hall after the game and Tyler got a picture with Harvey Unga since he wears his jersey to the games.

After the game the boys went over by Fred to see if they could get any wrist bands. Those seem to be the popular things to ask for because they are easy to take off. Spencer and Derek were both able to get one, they were so excited!!!

The boys had a great time and told me that we need to get season tickets & hit all of their games. Saula is being recruited by BYU so we are hoping after his mission we might be able to get season tickets to go and watch him.

After the game grandpa & grandma treated us to dinner at Chuck-a-Rama. Thanks grandpa and grandma for dinner and also coming to the game and last but not least THANKS COACH UPES for getting us the tickets, we had a blast!!!

TRUE PLAYERS

2008-11-01T21:56:00.006-06:00

The True Players have started their season already. They play through November and then pick up again in February when Jr. Jazz is over with. This year they have 9 players so they usually only play about 2 quarters. They did lose their first game but having only had 2 practices they did good. They lost again today but hopefully things will start to turn around for them. Wesley is fun to watch on defense, he really is a go getter and loves to get in on the rebounds.

BADGER FOOTBALL!!!

2008-11-01T19:57:00.019-06:00

It has been so much fun to follow Saula and the Snow College Badgers this year. Saula is Fred & Angie's nephew that has been living with them for 2 years. He is such a great kid and an awesome football player. We were able to go to the homecoming game thanks to the snow cancelling Wes & Derek's baseball game. :) Snow College's head coach, Coach Coburn works with my mom and told my boys that they could come down and stand on the sidelines during Snow's games. The boys were so exicted to hear this and the homecoming game was 1st game that they were able to do it. Some of Saula's friends and former MHS teamates along with other high school football kids were there on a recruiting trip so the boys were happy to hang out with them.

This was also when we got our first snow of the season, it was fun for me because I always seem to come prepared with my umbrella's, blankets and sleeping bag. As you can tell, I am enjoying myself. lol It really was snowing then it stopped but the umbrella was blocking the wind.

This is just to show how hard it was snowing.

I love this picture of Saula signing autographs!!!

Wesley took it upon himself to put the pylons up when the wind was blowing them over. He is pretty funny to watch as he was dancing from pylon to pylon.

The Badgers won this game 58-12 and are still undefeated!!! We have so much fun watching the Badgers and hope that they will be the National Championship this year.

We love that Angie & Fred are our connection to Badger Football & Templar Football so that we can get a lot of football in during Fall.

GO BADGERS!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2008-10-31T10:24:00.008-06:00

TO BE CONTINUED.....................

I HAVE A DRINKING PROBLEM!!!

2008-10-26T10:03:00.005-06:00

I have a drinking problem, it is a 44 oz. 3/4 Diet Pepsi & 1/4 Pepsi a couple of times a day. I know I really need to quit but I look at it this way. There are only a few things that bring me GREAT JOY in this life and my drink is one of them. I know that I could probably lose a great deal of weight if I were to quit so I am currently in the hunt for a new GREAT JOY in my life to replace it with. But until then I will keep drinking. A couple of weeks ago one of my agents walked into work with a big drink. I have stopped getting my drinks first thing in the morning but this day I was craving one SOOOOO bad. As he walked in the door I asked him if he would do me a BIG FAVOR, he then replied with "What time do you need me to watch your kids" I started to laugh and pointed to the Texaco about a block away. I asked him if he would go and get me a drink. He started laughing and said, that isn't a BIG FAVOR. The funny part was that he decided to walk. He got in his car, put on his coat and off he went through Albertson's parking lot. I was able to get a couple of shots of him on his way back, THANKS ERIC YOU ROCK!!!

ROAD RAGE!!!

2008-10-22T16:52:00.015-06:00

(WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD)

ROAD RAGE is the behavior by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle, which thus causes collisions or incidents on roadways. It can be thought of as an extreme case of aggressive driving.

It has taken me a week to be able to blog about this because I have been so ticked off about the situation. I was driving to Manti last Wednesday night to watch Manti play Gunnison in football. I dropped the boys off at their dad's house to go hunting and I headed up Spanish Fork Canyon. As I got down by Thistle I tried to pass a truck and as I was passing he sped up. I had to slow down and get behind him. I followed him for about 3 more miles and then I passed him. As I passed him I sped up thinking if I could just get away from him I would be better off. He was about 3/4 of a mile behind me when he turned on his head lights and started to come up behind me pretty fast. As he got closer I tapped my brakes to see if he would slow down and that didn't help. He got right behind my car and swerved to pass me, missing my back bumper and then started to come back into my lane making me go onto the shoulder and once he was in front of me he slammed on his brakes. He started going 5 mph. After I realized he was going to keep going 5 mph I tried to pass him and he swerved over into the other lane. So I got back over and I really thought I was dead at this point. I did not want to stop or be stopped by him, out in the middle of no where and there is no cell phone service. He finally pulled off to the side and I passed him. Again, I thought if I can get far enough in head of him he will just leave me alone. Again, he decided to speed up behind me as close as he could, swerve left just missing my car again and then pushing me off the side. This time there was a cement wall on the side so I didn't have very much room to move over. As he got in front of me again he slammed on his brakes. I was pretty scared at this point and didn't know how I was going to make it until I could have cell phone service again. He started going 5 mph then about 20 mph. There was an SUV behind me and I was motioning to this lady to follow me and I needed help. She kept shaking her head like she didn't know what I was talking about. This guy finally pulled over and I passed him again. I looked in my rear view mirror and the SUV that was following me pulled over with him and they pulled into their house. I wanted to die!!! I drove to the next road that there were homes and I called 911. To make an already long story shorter I am pressing charges against him. Once the highway patrol got a hold of him he decided he wanted to press charges against me. AUGH!!! I am ticked off that he can do that and I am ticked off the there was not an officer willing to drive to Birdseye and give this guy a breathalizer test. I really think that this guy was drunk, there is no way that a sober human being would do this to someone.

I know that looking back there are things I should've, could've, wish I would have done but it is in the past. But I have learned that if I was to ever get into a road rage situation again, to get into some kind of wreck in order for the authorities to come to the accident scene and fully investigate it the way it should be. Now, 1 week later I am waiting for the highway patrolman to get back to work to come and issue me a citation from this JERK that was trying to run me off the road. I get to go to court and plead NOT GUILTY to reckless endangerment but now who will the judge believe. It is now a HE SAID, SHE SAID game.

I have never been to court before and I think that is what I am the most nervous about. Well..... I am actually pretty nervous that this guy is going to hunt me down and kill me too. He wasn't a very nice guy at all!!! I will keep anyone who read this long post posted about what happens. I should be seeing the UHP tonight. Oh HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY!!!

FLAG FOOTBALL IS OVER

2008-10-16T18:51:00.007-06:00

Last week we finished up flag football. We got ripped off in the end because of the change of "HATS" at the Spanish Fork Recreation Department and the new guy not knowing what the heck is going on. They put the final bracket together before we were done with all of our games. We should have had a play off game with the Steelers because we both had a record of 8-2. That would have put the winner in the championship game but instead we played for 3rd and 4th. We won that game 30-0 and played so well. They would have beat anyone that night. The boys had pizza after the game and stayed to watch the championship game.

A couple of weeks ago I met Derek's twin. Well....... I am not sure that they are twins but all the kids at school think that they look alike so when we saw him last week we had to get a picture of him and Derek.

Well twins or not they are both pretty dang cute!!!

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST... a kid on the boys team, Noel (brown boy in the top picture) taught the team the HAKA!!! The boys have loved learning it and love to show it to whomever will watch.

6 ODD QUIRKS ABOUT ME...

2008-10-13T12:38:00.007-06:00

Ok, I've been tagged. Here it goes....6 odd quirks about myself

1- I have a cow part in my head... I had surgery in 2003 and they cut out the bottom part of my skull and put a "PERICARDIUM PATCH" (i.e. stomach muscle of a cow) in place of what they cut out.

2- I am a little OCD... :) I like things to be put away and things to look clean.

3- I love to mow lawns... since I don't have one of my own I mow my grandparents every week. I also have to mow it a different direction every time I mow them. I love the look of a freshly mowed lawn when you can see the straight lines. (I know, no life here)

4- I was born on Friday the 13th... I blame my life's problems on that.

5- I remember dates of when things have happened in my life. We aren't talking about dates that you should remember like birthdays & anniversaries. We are talking about things that don't really need to be remembered. There is a 2 year period in my life that I don't want to remember and I seem to remember every little detail and date of those details. AUGH!!! Maybe I should write it all down, take it to the top of the mountain & burn it and maybe my brain will forget it. Surely I could use that space for something useful that I should be remembering. lol

6- I have MOVED 13 times in 13 years... From Manti (19 1/2 yrs.) to Ephraim (6 mo.), to Orem (1 yr.), to Provo (2 yr.), to Mt. Pleasant (5 mo.), to Mt. Pleasant (7 mo.), to Springville (6 mo.), to Manti (3 mo.), to Springville (1 yr.), to Springville (6 mo.), to Springville (2 1/2 yrs.), to Spanish Fork (3 yrs), to Spanish Fork (7 months and counting.)

Well for not thinking I had 1 single QUIRK I guess it's good I had to stop at 6 or I would definately start revealing "TO MUCH INFORMATION" about me... I tag Angie, Jen, Michelle, Karlie, Andria & Heather Lewis.

BROTHERLY LOVE!!!

2008-10-12T11:56:00.009-06:00

I wish I could post about BROTHERLY LOVE more but I guess I can be greatful to even be able to do it at all. The boys came by my work and Derek was on his scooter and Wesley had walked. They come in, find the food in the office and then they are off to home. As they left my office one day my broker asked me if they get a long. I told him that most of the time they do. They seem to be the best of friends at times and the worst of enemies at other times. As I looked out the window to see them leaving my office I caught them being the BEST OF FRIENDS. This was a moment that I had to get on camara to show them when they are being mean to each other. Since Wesley did not have a scooter they were riding on the one scooter together, I thought it was so cute but I was also worried that I would get a call from someone saying that they had wrecked or one of them had knocked the other one off because these moments don't usually last to long.

PUPPIES!!!

2008-10-12T11:38:00.004-06:00

Since I am not a fan of having pets at my house the boys are lucky enough to have 2 BIG dogs at their dad's. Zack & Allie are weimaraner's and Zack happens to have to sniff my butt everytime I am around. That would be one reason I don't care for big dogs. Well their dad was misinformed about the length of time Allie could get pregnant after having her last litter of puppies so here she is again having another litter. It is fun to watch the boys expressions during this process. The last time she had them I actually watched her have 1 from beginning to end because I had never seen an animal have a baby before and I thought it was very interesting how Allie knew exactly what to do. This time she had 9 little puppies and they are so cute. I like them when they are little but not as they get big. Here they are with Allie when she had 7 of the 9 out. She was so good with the boys but she did not like the sight of me. :)

Crazy Hair Day!!!

2008-10-12T10:41:00.004-06:00

A couple of weeks ago the boys had Red Ribbon week at school but unfortunately they were with their dad and I was only able to get them on Crazy Hair Day.

The greatest part about this is that they walked home from school with their "FRIEND GIRLS" and even wore their wigs. LOL I am not quite sure what these girls were thinking.

CANNING PEARS :)

2008-10-06T18:01:00.007-06:00

Well I have tried to dodge the canning projects for years now with my mom but since she broke her wrist I thought I would go down and help her can her pears. It actually wasn't as bad as I remembered it as a child and I might even do it again. I think there are things that we do as kids that seem so awful but I guess after you experience life a little they don't seem so bad. My dream is to have a house with a big storage room so that my mom can stalk it with all of her good canning products. :) I told my mom that if something happened to her or my grandma I would be toast because I haven't learned their tricks to good canning so I guess I better start taking part. My grandma is amazing too and even did all of my mom's peaches & beets for her this year. Thanks mom for helping me can your pears and I hope to be able to help you again, next year. :) Just remember I won't can BEETS!!!

YUMMY!!! Don't they look good???

EXERCISE???

2008-09-18T19:46:00.018-06:00

My dear sweet sister-in-law Michelle and I are having to answer to each other every morning at 6:45 am. I know that this is not too early but neither one of us are morning people. We keep saying it would be so awesome if we lived closer so we could walk together because it's easier when you have someone to answer to. Well naturally we thought that our cell phones could work just as good. She is not on Verizon so after the first morning I was a little concerned about using up all of my minutes by talking to her while walking. So she was talking to her mom and found out that she had verizon and would stop by and pick up her phone every morning. This has been fun to do. I am sure we look like idiots walking down the road in the morning on our cell phones but it makes it so much easier. Derek & Wesley joined me in my walk this morning and Spencer joined Michelle. When Michelle called me I told her that I had two side kicks and she started to laugh and said that Spencer had joined her too. So we hung up and walked with our boys. My boys were so funny, they kept saying, mom I thought you said that you were a slow walker as they were 10 feet behind me. Little do they know I just have longer legs. :) I kept looking back at them and this is what I found.

They were pretty fun to walk with and it made the time go by pretty fast too. Tomorrow Derek wants to ride bikes but I told him that my legs have to heal before I will allow my butt to hurt from sitting on a bike seat. Man it really stinks to get old and out of shape.

FOOTBALL!!!

2008-09-18T19:46:00.014-06:00

Derek, Badger & Spencer

Last weekend was filled with FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL & MORE FOOTBALL!!!. I love this time of year and I wish I had lost of money to have season tickets to BYU Football and to be able to take my kids to some NFL games. I guess for now we will stick to flag football, Manti Templar Football, Snow College Badger Football & BYU Football (via TV or the radio). Friday after work the boys had football practice so I picked them up and headed down to Manti to watch Manti play Millard. Then we came home because the boys had a flag football game against the undefeated Stealers on Saturday morning and then we left right after that game and headed back down to Ephraim to watch the Snow College Badgers play Phoenix. Needless to say it was a very successful weekend with all of those teams winning. Fred is coaching at Manti so that is a great excuse to be able to go back home and watch some good old small town football, there is nothing like it. Fred's nephew, Saula is playing for Snow and is starting his first year as a Badger. Saula is #71 and is so fun to watch. He has so much excitement for the game and had an awesome sack during this game.

Wesley and Derek played on Saturday and both ended up with a touchdown. We brought their friend Mac Stevens home from Manti with us and then picked up Spencer on Saturday morning so they had a little cheering croud too. They beat the Steelers who have been undefeated until then. We get to play them again this Saturday so it should be a good game, they will be out to get us.

Then there was cute little Max that slept the entire game. There were times that the stadium was pretty loud and he just kept on sleeping. He is getting so chubby, I just love it.

Then there is COOL MAX!!!

I love football and I am so excited to have another big football weekend.

My Name

2008-09-16T21:20:00.001-06:00

Jen just did this on her blog and I thought it was pretty cool so naturally I had to see what my name means. Some of the things I have to agree with but some I don't but it still was fun!!!

What Emily Means

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.

You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.

At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.

You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want.

You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way!

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.

You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.

Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.

You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.

You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

GOING ON A DATE WITH MY BOYS!!!

2008-09-07T21:29:00.091-06:00

I have had some pretty amazing friends through out my life and the following post was sponsored by one of them. I was told to take my kids out and do something we normally wouldn't be able to do and they wanted a report on Monday. They knew with the new job that things were a little tight so they insisted on "sponsoring" this date with my kids. So here goes.... I had a wedding reception for a friend's daughter and the boys did not want to go. Shaylynn started tending these boys almost nine years ago so she really wanted them to come. Since I was able to take them out on the town they agreed to go to the wedding and be nice boys.

Congratulations Shaylynn & Spencer!!!

So after the reception we headed to Trafalga. They were able to pick whatever they wanted to do in Utah County. This was so much fun since none of us had ever been there. We started off with a game a minature golf. I have only been golfing once so I was kind of excited to see how I would do at minature golfing. Well I started off on hole #5 with a "HOLE IN 1". I was pretty excited and so were the boys. I got 1 more hole in one on hole #16 and ended up winning at 4 under and Wes & Derek tied at 2 under par.

We then headed to the go karts. Derek rode with me because otherwise we would have waited for the next round and I think he was pretty nervous about driving one of these cars.

Needless to say we all know I am competative so we were going up against 4 guys. I couldn't be the only girl on the track and let those boys win. Naturally I KICKED their butts and beat them by like 2 laps. Wes came in right behind us for 2nd. I told the guys before we started to take it easy on the old lady so they were laughing at the end when I kicked butt. They were fun and were very entertaining to watch and they were even kind enough to have a picture with us so I could blog about kicking their butts!!!

Then the boys had the option of going to Brick Oven to eat and to the mall but decided that they wanted to golf again and drive the go karts. So we went for another 18 holes on a different course and Derek won that one at 4 over, I took 2nd at 5 over and Wes came in last at 7 over. This was a tougher course but we had a great time. I got 2 more "HOLE IN 1's" so I ended my night with "4".

We then headed back to the go karts for another round of racing. This time Derek decided to drive one and did absolutely awesome!!! He beat me and Wes. I guess it's the good lesson he receieved from me on our first round.

By the time we left it was about 10:45 p.m. and we hadn't eaten dinner yet or spent all of our money so we headed to IHOP since that was the only non-fast food place open.

WARNING: BLONDE MOMENT!!! I have great pride to be able to say I don't have very many blonde moments in life but I had one at IHOP. Something started to bother my allergies when we arrived at IHOP. After itching my eyes so I had no make up on and they were both watering I decided to head to the restroom. I went in, went to the bathroom, washed my hands and returned to tell the boys to go wash their hands because who knows what germs we had from Trafalga. They both headed to the restroom and they went into the same one that I did. I then noticed that it was the "MENS" restroom and I had gone in and out without even noticing and nobody noticing me. When the boys got back to the table I was laughing uncontrolably and had to tell them what their mom just did. I won't blame all of it on being blonde, I will blame some on it being WAY past my bedtime and some on my eyes watering from allergies. :)

We still weren't out of money at this point and since the mall closes at 9:00 we headed to Wal-Mart. They boys each had their limit and were able to get whatever they wanted with their money. They both got a new pair of shorts, Derek came out with clothes and Wesley came out with a nerf football and a basketball game.

We had sooooooooooo much fun!!! My boys were so dang cute and so sweet the whole night. They kept saying, "mom, this is so much fun, thanks for taking us to do all of this"

I love my boys so much and had an AWESOME time with them and look forward to many more dates with them. Thanks KP for allowing this to happen, my boys say THANKS!!!

FINALLY FOOTBALL IS HERE!!!

2008-09-07T20:46:00.017-06:00

Football is definately one of my most favorite times of the year. The boys didn't play football last year because of baseball but I couldn't stand them missing another year. Their first game was a little discouraging because the boys had to sit out alot because they missed a couple of practices. They had to miss football for baseball but since we have spent more money for baseball we made them go. It was hard to watch because they love football so much. Their 2nd game was yesterday and it made up for the week before. They ended up losing by 1 because their coach decided to go for the win instead of the tie. The boys did really well, Wesley is the quarterback and Derek plays wherever his coach puts him. Wesley had a touchdown and Derek returned a kickoff for a touchdown and then ran the ball in for the extra points. I am so excited to start having consistant games now on Wed & Sat, I love watching them play!!!

This is Derek running a kickoff back for a touchdown. He is so fun to watch when he gets running. Once he slides through a few kids and knows he is in the open he runs so fast. He and Wesley always follow up a good touchdown by either one with a nice chest bump. One of these days I hope to catch it on camara.

8 THINGS TAG

2008-09-02T21:44:00.024-06:00

8 things I am passionate about:
1. My Boys!!!
2. My Family!!!
3. My Friends!!!
4. My boys playing sports
5. Finding "TRUE" happiness in life no matter if it's being single or married.
6. Blogging
7. Blog stocking & reading about other peoples lives
8. Having a clean house, a clean office & a clean desk at work

8 words or phrases that I say often:
1. DAMN :(

2. What the ....... (I don't usually follow that with anything so don't try and figure out the letters for the ........) :)
3. Leave your brother alone!!!
4. You had better knock it off.
5. I am DONE!!!
6. Why can't we all just get along (I think I have boys in my house) :)
7. I love you and I miss you (I say I miss you way more than I should as a mother)
8. Thank you for calling ReMax Results, this is Emily. LOL (I say that way to often, I hate answering the phones!!!)

8 things I want to do before I die:
1. Find "TRUE" happiness in life
2. Go to Hawaii
3. Go on a cruise
4. See my kids succeed

5. Go to an NFL Football Game

6. TRUELY forgive those in my life that I have yet to FULLY forgive
7. Run a marathon or half marathon

8. Pay CASH for a NICE car

8 things I have learned from my past:
1. CRISIS + TIME = HUMOR
2. Be a good listener - sometimes people just need someone to LISTEN
3. I was not FAT in high school :( I was so hard on myself & would love to look like that again
4. Never say it won't happen to me, because chances are it will or it currently is happening and you just don't know it
5. My parents DID know what they were talking about
6. I can be thankful for challenges in my life and even thank Heavenly Father for them

7. "He won't give me more than I can handle"
8. You really can grow and be a better person because of tragedy's & trials in life

8 Places I would love to go or see:
1. On a cruise!!!
2. Lake Powell - It has been 3 LONG years since I was there last
3. Disneyland with my kids

4. On a Temple Tour
5. Disneyworld with my kids
6. To Hawaii
7. Parris
8. On a vacation - I don't care where because it has been WAY TO LONG since I have gone anywhere that I would consider a vacation.

8 things I currently need or want:

1. More money from the job I LOVE so that I can live comfortably
2. Self Confidence
3. To lose 70+ pounds :(
4. My kids to have the best life possible. (It isn't their fault that their dad & I got divorced but they often have to pay the most for it & it makes me very sad.)
5. To be able to catch up on my kids scrapbooks and to keep them current. (This may take a MIRACLE at this point)
6. A comfortable, beautiful house with good neighbors & good friends for my kids to play with.
7. A BIG YARD!!!

8. Good health for my grandparents and my parents

8 people I tag:
Michelle
Jen
Angie
Kim

Carli

Andrea

Karole

Teresa
and anyone else who wants to!!! Get going, it was kinda fun!

MAX

2008-08-27T21:48:00.005-06:00

I couldn't resist posting this picture that is on Angie's blog. This is my cute little nephew who is 2 months old today.

SOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!

1ST DAY OF SCHOOL

2008-08-20T19:48:00.013-06:00

WOW, where did that summer go??? Every year when school starts I think of the miracle that I have witnessed with having 2 young boys home alone for another summer. This is the 5th summer that they have been on their own and I must say they did pretty well. It was so nice the past 7 weeks to be close to home so that they can split up their days by stopping by the office. Wesley is in 6th grade and Derek is in 5th. They seemed to like their first day and both seem to like their teachers. They decided to ride their bikes the first day instead of riding the bus so as they were leaving I was taking pictures. I know that I don't have to many more years that they will let me take pictures on their first day of school.

It's amazing how fast my boys are growing up. :(

DRIVER CHILD

2008-08-20T19:04:00.018-06:00

My dad drives truck for Wal-Mart & is allowed to take any grandkids over the age of 6 with him. Wesley often asks a lot of questions about different things as we are traveling. I thought he would love to go with my dad. My dad leaves home on Monday morning and doesn't get home until Friday night. I left Wesley with my parents on Sunday, Aug. 3rd to set out on his adventure with my dad. They left for Grantsville Monday morning and headed to Helena, MT. The first couple of nights my dad isn't finished driving until after midnight because of the time he starts driving on Monday. Wesley didn't sleep at all when my dad was awake. He would watch movies in the sleeper, play solitaire on my dads computer, look at the atlas to find out where they were & just keep my dad company while he was driving. They ended up going back to Idaho when they got back from MT and then went to Nevada. My dad doesn't know where he will end up from week to week but I know that Wesley had fun. On Friday night when they got home Wesley told me that he had one of the funnest weeks of his life with my dad. I know that he will never forget it and will look forward to going again when he has a break in school or next summer. My dad was so proud when he got home, he got Wesley to eat turkey spam, become a pro at solitaire, LOVE to listen to Glen Beck & pee in a bottle. :) You can't just pull off at the next gas station or the next rest stop when you have to go, especially when there are 2 of you with such a big truck. They both slept in a twin bed too. My dad would sleep one way and Wesley would sleep the other. I remember going with my dad on the truck when I was a kid. My dad did say that we always use to go to sleep but Wesley never did. He would stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. until my dad could quit driving for the night.

I sent Wesley with my "OLD" camara that requires film so I could blog about his trip when he got home. Well....... now that "FILM" is so outdated Wal-Mart doesn't even do 1 hour on regular film anymore. I just got the film back today and I had to laugh that it cost me $7.00 to develop what you see below.

WELCOME TO IDAHO SIGN

Wesley in the sleeper :)

WELCOME TO UTAH

(through all of the bugs on the windshield)

Inside the truck

Welcome to Nevada
(check out the truck in the mirror) :)

The LONELY tree out on the Salt Flats

The Salt Flats :)

THANKS DAD for taking Wesley with you!!! I know that he will never forget that trip!!!

2008-08-17T21:27:00.009-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEREK!!!

Derek turned 10 on Aug. 13th. I cannot believe that my baby is 10. I think I took it harder on his birthday for having both of my kids in "double digit" ages than I did when Derek went to Kingergarten. :( Time goes by so fast and I know it is not going to be slowing down anytime soon. Derek got new football cleats and a new football for his birthday from his dad and I. From his grandparents and his great-grandparents he received money which always makes a kid happy.

Eric and I were going to give him his presents at lunch but right when he woke up he called me to come up. I had just arrived at work so I ran up real quick and he opened his presents. The little kids loved watching him open his presents but Wesley wasn't too excited about being woke up to watch his brother open his presents. :)

WOW...

2008-08-10T22:35:00.014-06:00

Guess what happens when you have a job that keeps you busy??? You don't have time to blog!!! HAHAHA It has been a crazy month for me and I am excited to say that things probably won't be slowing down anytime soon. Football starts tomorrow, baseball is still going & school starts next week. I love the FALL and FALL sports. I hope to keep up on my blogging so it doesn't take me 5 hours to catch up next time. LOL

Well, you will read down and see a post of my mom on her butt with grandkids on top of her. This was a funny moment for us but only 3 days later my mom found herself on her butt again but she wasn't so lucky this time. She went to the Sports Grill on Tuesday morning to help Fred get some cleaning done. She thought she would start out by spraying off the outside. She got one side done and had to drag the hose around the other side. As she was pulling the hose backwards, she was walking and a HUGE rock (that keeps people from hitting the garbage can) was in the way. She fell over it and put her RIGHT hand out to catch her. She sat on the rock and knew that she had done something wrong. So she decided to drive herself 14 miles to the hospital. She is lucky that she made it!!! She ended up having one of the nurses who was her neighbor bring her home after finding out that she had shattered her wrist. Angie & Fred brought her to Provo to see a specialist. She is lucky that the bones stayed in the right vicinity of where they need to be so she doesn't need a plate and screws. She was scheduled to tend Ryan's 2 youngest kids for 5 days while they went to Lake Powell. So... I went down on Friday and helped her out on Saturday and my dad has taken off work until Thursday to help her out too.

Naturally the girls wanted to make cookies. I kept telling them that grandma couldn't make them. Sisi said, "but I can help her". Well my mom had 1 arm, Angie was holding Max so she only had 1 arm and 2 little girls made some great cookies. I had ran Derek to his friends house so when I got back I took Max and let Angie finish.

Then Owen decided he was going to help Grandpa shuck some corn. He was so cute helping out my dad.

My mom has been a super trooper through all of this. I know that she spoiled me when I was growing up by always being there for me when I was sick or hurt. I feel bad that I am not close enough to help her out when I am not at work. I was trying to keep up on things at her house and as sure as I would turn my back or leave the kitchen she was right in there trying to put dishes away, sweep the floor and even trying to grab a cantelope to hint that she wanted it cut up. I was getting so mad at her because she wouldn't sit down and let me take care of things. She will be crazy until she is able to at least move her fingers (in 3 weeks) to help her out. Mom, hang in there!!!

I just have to say that after trying to cook dinner, do the laundry, change poopy diapers & keep the house cleaned I was glad to be able to leave and come home to my quiet home. I forgot what it's like to have little kids under my supervision. I know that Ryan & Brenda will have so much more fun without their little one's on the lake but I know that my mom and dad will probably be happy to see them on Wednesday. Good Luck Mom & Dad!!!

FAMILY PICTURES!!!

2008-08-10T21:40:00.014-06:00

We had family pictures taken last Sunday before Fred & Angie blessed Max. Trying to get that many kids and adults to look at the camara at the same time is quite a task. I thought that they turned out pretty well.

PAINTING

2008-08-10T21:26:00.005-06:00

My friends Sadie & Brandon just bought a GORGEOUS new home in Spanish Fork. One of the 1st projects that we had after closing on it was to paint her daughters room purple. It was a fun project and it turned out so dang cute!!!

The bead board goes 3/4 way up the wall all the way around. Marae even has a walk in closet that is a little girls dream!!!

They had me over for dinner a couple of weeks ago after church and was able to get a cute picture of their kids. Marae is 7, Kyson is 3 and Colten is 9.

Ameen & Molly Shaheen

2008-08-10T20:53:00.014-06:00

Congratulations Molly & Ameen!!! They were married on Aug.1st in the Salt Lake Temple. They had their reception the night before in the Tower at Rice Eccles Stadium. Molly looked beautiful!!!

Tyson looked amazing in his little tuxedo!!! He was having the time of his life running around with his cousins.

Sunnie has finally moved from Paige, AZ to Salt Lake so it was so fun to see her and catch up. I am so glad that she is closer and hope that I will be able to see her more often.

Sunnie and her beautiful daughter!!!

More Baseball...

2008-08-10T20:23:00.019-06:00

(Wesley is on 2nd & Derek is on 1st)

The boys played in the Pioneer Tournament in Spanish Fork the end of July and in the Cedar City Tournament in Cedar City the first weekend of August. For some reason when this team gets into tournament play they get so close to the championship but can never make it. We had an awesome season but tournaments have not been their thing.

The boys at Wendy's between games in Cedar City.

Wesley was able to play catcher at the end of the last game, it is fun to see him be able to play different positions. His favorite play and one that he is very good at is when he is playing in right field and the ball takes a bounce or two before getting to him and he bare hands it and throws them out at 1st. He knows that if he were to put it into his mit first the runners would be safe.

Eric took the boys down on Friday since I had my grandma's party. When I got their on Saturday the boys did pretty well. Derek had an awesome double!!!

Now it's time for football to start so hopefully I will have more exciting photos to post. :)

The Spring Lake Fire - Payson

2008-08-10T20:01:00.008-06:00

On our way home from Grandma's party we noticed some huge flames on Payson Mountain. After everyone left Artic Circle and went their seperate ways I thought I would ride over to Payson to check out the amazing site. I called my friend Karlie from Payson to see what started the fire. She was on her way home from Salt Lake and told me to stick around until she got there. When she got there we were able to get pretty close to the fire because her mom is an EMT and knows all of the cops. Then her mom decided she better go get one of the ambulances in case they needed it, but I think it was really for her to get even closer to the fire. As we were up by the cops I realized I wasn't to far from my friend Melissa's house. Karlie and I walked about 2 blocks and found Clint and Melissa sitting out in front of their house just waiting it out. They had been through another fire scare about 3 years ago, it wasn't fair that they had to be on stand by again. I hit tired mode about mid-night and was shocked I was still awake so then I started taking pictures.

Thankfully nobody lost their homes!!! When I looked at my watch and it was 1:00 a.m. I decided to go home. This was more excitement than I have had in a long time.

Grandma Wardle's 80th Birthday Party!!!

2008-08-10T18:17:00.029-06:00

Grandma Wardle turned 80 in May but because 2 of her grandchildren were having babies in June we decided to have the party in August when everyone would already be coming to Utah for 1 of the baby blessings. My mom has 1 younger brother who lives in Washington and 1 younger sister who lives in Pennsylvania. My Uncle Lynn had all but 1 of his kids that were able to come. My Aunt Karen came by herself. All of her kids live in Georgia. Grandma's 2 sisters, Orpha Dee & Maurine were able to be there and her brother's wife Nelda. We just sat in a circle and told stories of Grandma, Springville & Mapleton.

My grandma is the BEST!!! She is such a great example to me and I feel so lucky to have lived close to her the past 12 years. She is so good to my kids and is always concerned about how they are doing and where they are at.

This is my Grandma's parents, my Great Grandpa & Grandma Bird.

Nelda Bird (sister-in-law), Bob Allen (brother-in-law), Maurine Allen (sister), Orpha Dee Johnson (sister), Grandma & Grandpa Wardle.

Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Lynn & Aunt Karen

Most of us :)

After eating some good food Fred and Ryan needed to top it off with ice cream. We decided to meet at Artic Circle and Fred bought everyone ice cream. My mom and dad got there when we were getting ready to leave. When Tyler, Sisi, Erika & Owen saw my mom walking up they all ran to her to give her a hug. We thought that this was so cute and we needed a picture so we told them that they had to replay it. Well.... they were even more excited this time and knocked her to the ground. At first I was worried she was hurt but then when she started to laugh we thought it was pretty funny that it was all for a photo shot.

TAGGED

2008-07-27T11:13:00.002-06:00

I have been tagged by Annalyse.

The rules are I have to write six random things about myself and then tag six others. Here are the six...

I LOVE 3/4 Diet Pepsi with 1/4 Pepsi. I know that I would be able to lose weight a lot faster if I wouldn't drink it but sometimes things that make us happy aren't always the best for us.

I LOVE to sleep!!! I use to be able to sleep alot more before I started my job but now I just lay in bed and can only think of things in the office that need to be done.

I LOVE when my car is clean. I think I might have OCD issues with this too. It probably gets washed alot more than it should but I really like when it's clean.

I don't mind being spontaneous but I do like to have things planned out. If I know when things are coming up and I know that Eric will have the boys I will ask him what they will be doing then. He always laughs and says that is still 2 weeks (or however long) away. We don't plan that far ahead.

I HATE shopping for shoes. I wear a size 11 and I cannot ever find what I am looking for. I am trying to find shoes for family pictures and it is harder to find shoes than something to wear. AUGH, if only someone would come up with a foot tuck or a foot reduction. LOL

I LOVE to spray off the driveway. I will go to Manti and clean out my parents garage and my reward for doing so is spraying out the garage and spraying off the driveway. My parents know to not take the hose away from me. There is just something about it that is so relaxing to me.

Okay, so now I tag Andrea, Brindee, Karole, Katie, Teresa and Natalie.

MISS UTAH!!!

2008-07-15T22:14:00.006-06:00

From little old Manti, to Miss Utah!!! Kayla Barclay was crowned Miss Utah on Saturday night. Congratulations to Kayla on representing our small little community so well!!!

INSIDE MY HEAD!!!

2008-07-10T20:37:00.007-06:00

I have been tagged by Nicki with "Inside My Head".... so here goes.

3 Joys...
1 - My Boys - I know that I would not be where I am today without them in my life.
2 - My Family - They have helped me out so much with so many things in my life.
3 - My Friends - I have some amazing friends and I feel very lucky to have them in my life.

3 Fears...
1 - Losing one or both of my kids.
2 - Losing anyone who is close to me.
3 - Having enough money to raise my kids and let them have a good life.

3 Goals...
1 - To be a better mom to my kids. (Working closer to home has been a huge step!!!) :)
2 - To get out of debt and be able to pay cash for toys. :)
3 - To establish a savings account for me, and my boys and leaving the money in it. ;)

3 Obsessions/Collections...
1 - My Blog - LOL I love it and I think it's such a great way to keep up on the people in your life that you care about but can't always see or call.
2 - Keeping my house in order. If I am home alone everything has to be in it's place or I put it in it's place. My family thinks I am weird. I tend to agree!!!
3 - Keeping my office in order. Everything has a place so I am usually the one cleaning up after other people to make sure the office stays clean. I guess I am a little OCD!!! :)

3 Random Surprises...
1 - I love my job!!! I know it is still new but usually you hate a new job at first.
2 - For the 1st time in over 9 years I can honestly say that LIFE IS GOOD!!! I am hoping that this is finally my reward for the HELL that I have gone through. ;)
3 - I have lost 5 pounds since leaving Castle Rock. I think it has to do with loving my job and being happy in life. :)

TAG! your it.... Karole, Andrea, Teresa, Natalie & Annalyse

4TH OF JULY!!!

2008-07-06T17:33:00.051-06:00

There is nothing like the 4th of July in Manti. I have been to a few other cities celebrations but none of them compare to the one in Manti. We started off the holiday with a parade down Manti main street on Thursday night. The 4th seems to be packed with way to much entertainment to fit a parade in too. We use to have our normal family spot on main street until Angie and Fred bought the Bright Spot so now we always know we will have GREAT seats, good food, drinks and ice cream if we want it during the parade.

The 4th starts off with a breakfast at the park and the fun doesn't end until 11:00 that night after the awesome firework show. We headed to the park about 10:30 and watched the little kids fashion show. I thought that the boys would be so excited to participate in all of the races but the only thing that they could focus on was the dunking tank. Fred was scheduled to be on the tank at 12:30 so the boys could hardly wait for that. I was told that we probably funded half of the new fire station with the amount of balls my kids threw. They really weren't to worried about who was on it, they just wanted to dunk them. They both did pretty well and we all were very successful in dunking Fred at least once.

The boys both ran in the races and did very well. Derek let up at the end so he wouldn't take out anyone on the other side of the finish line but Wesley ran straight through. Wesley received a free pass to the swimming pool and a free ice cream cone. They also participated in the egg toss. I think that they entered as many as they would keep giving eggs for (i.e. father/son, grandparent/child, girl/girl) they didn't seem to mind but had fun doing it. Derek also participated in the arm wrestle. I missed it but he won the 1st round and lost the 2nd.

There was such a great turn out this year and I am sure it had to do with the long weekend. I ran into so many people that I haven't seen in a long time. I ran into an old friend Andria Boston McCaul and she said "I have been blog stocking you" LOL!!! It is amazing how much the blogging world has changed our lives for the better. We had a good laugh and it was so much fun to check out her blog when I got back to my parents house. I also saw my good friend from high school Molly and her little boy Tyson and fiance' Ameen. Molly and Ameen are getting married on Aug.1st. They are such a cute couple and I am so happy for her. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

After the festivities at the park the boys wanted to go to the high school and watch the homerun derby. They tried to be patient for all of the big guys to finish so that they could at least hit a few balls. Thanks to their Uncle Fred who is so good to them he pitched them each a few balls.

Thank goodness my parents live across the street from the park. It makes it nice and we were able to have a nice feast once again during the festivities. When Fred is around there is always plenty of food to eat. He always fixes enough food to feed our entire family even when only a couple of use are here. It was nice to be across the street from the park too for Angie. Just having Max a week ago she wasn't sure how much she would be able to get to the park. She was able to leave Max a couple of times with my mom so that she could come over and be with her kids and watch her husband go down.

After the festivities at the park and the homerun derby were over Dave & Cari Steven's rented the pool for a little while and invited the boys to go down with Mac and Fred and the kids to come down too. All of the guys/boys played a basketball game in the pool that was more like a football game in the water with a basketball. Fred got 2 nice shiners on his forehead and Dave Stevens ended up ripping his big toe nail off. I guess that is what happens when "older" men try to be young again. ;) The teams were split into furs & skins, furs being those men with fur coates on during the summer. :) I just sat on the side to help watch Sisi and Tyler.

After swimming it was time to get ready for fireworks. Fred bought a HUGE box of fireworks that kept the kids pretty busy until Manti's fireworks started. Fred divided up all of the fireworks between him and the kids and away they went. It was pretty fun!!! Sisi and I took a ride down by the fairgrounds to get a closer look at Manti's fireworks. It was pretty cool because we were able to tune to the local radio station and listen to patriotic music as the fireworks went off. I think that music with fireworks makes them even better. I do love the Stadium of Fire but I guess since we couldn't go to that the Manti City 4th of July was the next best thing.

We ended the night with Mac Stevens having a sleep over on the trampoline with Wesley & Derek. They had fun on the monkey bars before heading off to sleep. On Saturday the boys went over to some other friends and ended up going out to Gunnison Resevoir to go tubing. They had a great time!!! I took a ride out there on the 4 wheeler and was able to catch a few shots of them. We had a great weekend!!! I left the boys in Manti for a few more days. Wesley won a free swimming pass for winning his race and they have so much more fun in Manti. They really have a great time down there and I never really have to worry about them. I am so lucky to have my mom home during the summer so that the boys are able to spend some time down there. Thanks mom for letting them stay and keeping an eye out for them.

Evanston, Wyoming

2008-07-01T20:09:00.052-06:00

Derek was asked by the Spanish Fork Sugar Kings to go play with them in Evanston, Wyoming.

This was a 10 U tournament so Wesley was too old to play. I was excited for Derek to see how he did with kids his age since he has been playing up. He did really well. He played catcher, short stop, 1st base, short stop, 2nd base and pitcher. He did great at all of those positions. He had some great hits along with 2 homeruns. I was very proud of him!!!

Wesley wasn't quite so excited for him and I think it's just because he wanted to play. Although Wesley was able to go swimming between games on Friday and Derek wasn't. Wesley was able to run around and have some fun too. On Friday night he entered the homerun derby and had some great hits. After the games on Friday we had a firework show sponsored by one of the big firework companies in Wyoming.

The Sugar Kings did a great job in Evanston and took 1st place. They played a team from Evanston twice, Jackson Hole and they beat West Haven (I think from Utah) in the championship game. It was fun to see them do so well because I think the Sugar Kings have struggled a little this year and so the other kids on the team were so excited to finally win a tournament.

BABY MAX IS FINALLY HERE!!!

2008-06-27T09:49:00.010-06:00

Max Ika Taukei'aho

8 lbs. 4 oz. 20 in.

June 27, 2008

Congratulations Angie & Fred!!!

UNEMPLOYMENT... It's been a nice break!!!

2008-06-24T18:06:00.009-06:00

Surely unemployment shouldn't be fun but I guess knowing I have a job to go to makes things a little easier to enjoy a few days off. I woke up at..... oh yes... 8:45 and then did some catching up on my blog. We then headed over to my grandparents to mow their law. That is my new chore for Tuesday's. Grandma Wardle and my mom then took us to Sonic for lunch. Then we headed for the swimming pool. The water was perfect and the sun was hot, it was great. Then Wesley said that he wanted to go to my mom's by himself so I called Fred and he picked him up on his way home from Salt Lake to give him and his brother a break from each other. Their dad and I get a break from them every other week but those two are always together and always participating in the same sports. It is good to give them a break from each other so that when they get back together they are buddies again.

Good Bye Castle Rock, Hello ReMax Results

2008-06-24T11:02:00.022-06:00

As many of you know the mortgage industry has been pretty bad lately. Last August I was working for Aegis Wholesale and had 24 hour notice that they were shutting down. A few weeks ago I started to get similar signs of when Aegis imploded and I thought there is no way I could go through that again. I thought I would start by getting my resume out around Spanish Fork and see what would happen. Well, that was just a thought because I was sitting at work and I received a call from an old friend who had referred me to a Real Estate Company back in February but the timing wasn't right for me to take a pay cut. She told me that they were going to be calling me again for their Spanish Fork office. I was pretty excited and knew that this was the right time to take a pay cut and get a job closer to home and hopefully a little more stable. I was informed 2 weeks ago of 3 employees that were going to be layed off last week and I knew that I was going to be next because there wasn't very many of us left. I accepted the job on Thursday and as I told my supervisor she said, "I am so happy". I said, "You are happy that I am leaving?" she said, "No, I am so happy you found a job because I was being told that I had to lay you off tomorrow" I went through some different emotions but in the end I was ok leaving. I start my new job tomorrow as an Office Manager for ReMax Results and I am really excited about it. I know it's still in the real estate industry but I have some pretty good agents in my office that are still going strong. I am excited to be out of the mortgage industry and to be moving onto something new. I have done this type of work before and it is something that I really enjoy. I hate change and I hate starting a new job but in the end I think it will be for the best for me and my family.

DISTRICT TRACK MEET

2008-06-24T09:54:00.041-06:00

Derek & Wesley both made it to the District Track Meet.

Wesley was in the softball throw and the 4X100 relay. He took 5th in the softball throw which was pretty good because there were a lot of boys in this part of the meet.

GOOD JOB WESLEY!!!

Derek was in the 50M run and the 4X100 relay. He tied for 2nd in the 50M run and his relay team took 1st. Their relay team was awesome and they were way ahead of the 2nd place team.

GOOD JOB DEREK!!!

Derek was able to qualify for the State Track Meet this weekend at Mt. View High School but he will be playing baseball in Evanston, Wyoming. He was asked by a younger team to go with them to this tournament so I am really excited to see how he does playing with kids his own age. He has been playing up 2 years on the Blaze which has given him a lot of good experience.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE TIME!!!

2008-06-24T09:40:00.009-06:00

Whenever anyone wants cookies (or cookie dough :) ) we just send Sisi or Tyler to Grandma and they say, "Grandma, will you please make cookies?" If they ask her the answer is usually yes and she is all over it. Sisi is 3 and for a year now has been able to tell anyone what ingredients go into making them. She has improved greatly on her egg breaking skills and is so good to help out. I couldn't help on Father's Day to take a few pictures because Erika was in town so of course my mom made it possible for all of them to help.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!!!

2008-06-19T11:59:00.025-06:00

We recently celebrated my Grandpa Olsen's 82nd birthday. Wesley and Derek had 2 baseball games and Dee's wife Tami was in Salt Lake but everyone else was able to make it. It was a great tribute to my grandpa and what he has done for all of us.

My brother Ryan was in charge so naturally it was going to be funny. Brenda has so much talent in writing music and coming up with words. Ryan sang a solo for my grandpa to the tune of
"I Love to See The Temple"

I love to paint the Temple

I paint it every day

There's paintings on my walls and

I've given some away

I've walked the hill of the Temple

General Mormon I have played

A big knife I did carry

Turkey dinners I have made

I love to see the Temple

I work inside some days

If you forget your recommend

I'll turn you right away

(Chorus)

So you see - my dear progenitors

Listen up while we're together

Its and awesome place to spend your time

Where families are forever

For those of you who don't know my grandpa he is an incredible artist. He played General Mormon in the pageant for 30+ years. The pageant just isn't the same to me without my grandpa on the hill.

All of the grandkids were asked to get up and tell some of their most memorable story or stories about grandpa. There were so many stories and so many more that could have been shared. We could have been there all day.

I feel very lucky to have all of my grandparents still with me. I love them so much and am greatful for all that they have done for me in my life.

TAG I'M IT

2008-06-10T20:46:00.005-06:00

4 things I was doing 10 years ago
1. I was married & Wesley was 1
2. I was 7 months pregnant with Derek
3. I was working for Riverside Home Mortgage
4. I was living in Provo

4 things I was doing 5 years ago
1. I was working for Utah Valley Mortgage
2. I was recovering from brain surgery
3. I was living in Springville
4. I was divorced and had my kids full time because their dad was in Iraq. I loved having them all to myself!!!

4 things I did yesterday
1. I went to work
2. I started getting the flu that the rest of my family has had
3. I watched Wesley and Derek play in a baseball game that they did very well in.
4. I ran into an old friend who is going through a divorce and was very thankful that I am 6 years and 3 months into being divorced and getting on with my life. The whole serperation and divorce process is NOT FUN!!!

4 shows that I like
1. Grey's Anatomy - I refused for a long time to start watching it because I didn't want to have to worry about getting into a show that I was attached to. Once I started watching the DVD's to catch up to Season 3 I was hooked. I am excited for Season 5 to start this fall.
2. The Biggest Loser - It is amazing to me to see how much weight some of those people can lose. It gives me hope that I can lose weight and look like them someday, HA HA.
3. Deal or No Deal - I am not sure why this is a favorite but my kids like it to so if we are home and it is on we all sit on the couch, yell out which case they should pick and watch until they finally say DEAL.
4. The Bachlorette - I seem to like this show better than the Bachelor because I think the girl is really looking for love. I was pretty mad when the last bachelor left both girls standing. I guess I just have to live my love life through other peoples love lives. :)

My 4 Biggest Joys of the moment
1. My boys!!!! - I can't imagine my life without them.
2. My family & friends!!! - They are always the ones who listen to me through all of the good times and bad. I have a pretty amazing family and some pretty amazing friends.
3. That I have a job and that it pays me every other Friday.
4. Watching my boys play baseball and listen to them through all of their excitement when they do well.

4 things that you might not know about me
1. I wear size 11 shoe.
2. I have moved 12 times in almost 13 years (Ephraim, Orem, Provo, Mt. Pleasant (twice), Springville, Manti, Springville (3 times) & Spanish Fork (twice). I hope that before my kids graduate from High School we will be able to land somewhere for a while. :)
3. I am a little OCD. I am still trying to figure out where I got it from and so is my family.
4. I love eating at Cafe Rio & the salad is part of my diet so I don't have to give that up. There have been some people at work that ask me if I have any ownership in Cafe Rio because I eat there so much. I think that they spike their dressing with something, it is so good!!!

I tag Carli, Natalie, Teresa, Annalyse & Katie

Jacob's Baptism

2008-06-10T19:55:00.010-06:00

My nephew Jacob Olsen was baptized on Saturday by his dad, Ryan. The stake baptism's were the week before but since one set of grandparents were in Isreal they were able to do it a week later. It was so neat to have the entire meeting about him and his family. Jared and Ryan gave the talks and they were awesome!!! Ryan is such an amazing speaker and always seems to bring so much of the spirit into the room.

FAMILY IS EVERYTHING!!!

This is what Ryan started his talk out with and it's so true. Jacob was lucky enough to have 4 great-grandparents there and all 4 of his grandparents along with many other family members. It was all 4 of my grandparents that were there. I feel so lucky to still have all of my grandparents around and doing so well. When Ryan and Jacob were changing their clothes Ryan had asked all of the grandparents to stand up and share their testimonies. It was so neat to hear all of them talk about how much they love their families & the gospel.

Grandpa & Grandma Olsen

Grandpa & Grandma Wardle

BLAST FROM THE PAST!!!

2008-06-06T14:24:00.006-06:00

Well here is a blast from the past. I decided to create a blog for my graduating class from Manti High School. It has been a lot of fun and brought back a lot of memories. I have been looking through old high school pictures and my year book and have found some pretty funny photos. If any of you are interested in looking at our blog the address is www.mhsclassof94.blogspot.com. I am also in charge of our 15 year reunion next year so that was another reason for creating it. I thought it would be a good way to start finding people. It has been fun to e-mail with some of them and catch up with them through their blogs.

TRACK & FIELD

2008-06-03T11:53:00.044-06:00

After the Hershey Track Meet a couple of weeks ago all of the kids who got 1st, 2nd or 3rd place were asked to come back and compete again. This was to find the top 2 in each age group to move onto the District Track Meet.

Derek was asked to come back and compete in the 50M run. He took 1st place yesterday with a time of 8.02 which was .02 better than his time 2 weeks ago. He now gets to participate in the District Track Meet which will be in Spanish Fork on June 18th.

GOOD LUCK DEREK!!!

Wesley was asked to come back for

the softball throw. Unfortunetley

there were only 2 kids that came. Ryan from their baseball team and Wesley. This meant that they were both moving on. Wesley threw the ball 159' which was 2" farther than the last time.

GOOD LUCK WESLEY!!!

P.S. Yes, these are pictures from the track meet a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't able to go to the track meet yesterday so their dad took them. He isn't as into taking pictures as I was. He did get a couple of Derek so I will post those when I get them. :)

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

2008-05-26T22:13:00.039-06:00

The Memorial Day weekend started on Friday with a baseball tournament for the Blaze. The boys had 2 games on Friday and 2 games on Saturday. They split both days but had some great hits and some great catches. Spencer played in the 9U tournament and also played 2 games on Friday and 2 games on Saturday. The boys were able to catch some of his game on Saturday while Spencer was pitching and they were pretty impressed with how well their little cousin could pitch.

Due to the rainy weather that we had all weekend my mom decided to fire up the fire pit in the garage. The kids had fun roasting marshmellows, cooking hot dogs and even a couple of steaks.

On Saturday my dad decided that he would buy the Indiana Jones videos. I told the boys that we could watch all of them and then go to the theatre to watch the 4th one. I made it through 1, Derek made it through 2 of them and Wes has made it through all 3. Tyler watched 2 and 3 and wasn't scared at all and Sisi tried to watch them but wasn't as focused as Wesley and Tyler. The 2nd & 3rd videos were watched in the back bedroom on the bed. It was nice for the kids since the weather outside was cold and rainy.

Fred decided he wanted to go on a rhino ride and see how muddy he could get. Derek thought that would be fun so we bundled him up and he went on his way. They made it home safe and luckily the rhino received most of the mud. Thanks Fred for taking Derek with you, he had a great time!!!

Finally as it was time to head for home the weather cleared up and Wes and I were able to stop by the cemetary on our way out of town. It is so beautiful during Memorial Day. It is hard to believe that Erik has been gone for almost 9 years. As we were driving to Manti on Saturday after the ball games Wes and Derek were talking about how proud Erik must be of Spencer and how well he is doing in baseball. Wes and Derek were pretty young when Erik died and for a long time they just thought he was living in the temple and would always comment on it as we drove into town. Now that they are older & seem to understand a little more they like to ask questions about him. About a year ago I put his funeral tape in while we were driving to Manti so that the boys could hear all of the funny stories that were told. I miss him so much and look forward to the day when I can see him again.

It was a fun weekend and it was good to get away. I love only having to work 4 days this week and that the boys will be out of school on Thursday for the summer.

Wesley's Hershey Track Meet

2008-05-18T12:09:00.006-06:00

Wesley had his track meet on Thursday. He did really well and I was very proud of him. He took 2nd in his heat on the 100M and advanced to the 100M semi-finals and he took 2nd in that one too but they only advance the 1st place runners to the finals. He ran the 400M and took 4th in his heat. He took 3rd place overall in the softball throw. I was pretty impressed with how far he could throw a softball, naturally he gets that from me. :) They were moving along a lot faster than planned but because the busses were not going to be there they asked Wesley to run up and down the track to get the kids in the stands going on a wave. He had a blast!!! It was another fun day at the track and we were able to see so many kids that the boys have played with on previous teams along with their parents. I was so glad that Derek started to remind me over a month ago about it so that I was able to be there. I love being a mom and supporting my kids in all that they do. I wish that I could do more with them in their classes and after school but I know that they understand. I have 2 wonderful boys and they make me very proud!!!

Derek's Track Meet

2008-05-13T20:55:00.004-06:00

Today the 4th graders from all of the 8 Spanish Fork Elementary Schools competed in the Hershey Track Meet. I missed last year because I didn't know that parents could go so Derek started reminding me about a month ago so I was able to take the day off. It was so much fun!!! Derek did AWESOME, I was so proud of him. He is very tired tonight and I am sure he will sleep very well. Overall he took 2nd in the 50 Meter Race, 4th in the 100 Meter Race, 4th in the softball toss and 3rd in the 4 X 100 relay. It was fun to hear Rees Elementary cheering Derek on as he ran. When I went to tell Derek's teacher that I would be taking him home she made sure I didn't take him until he was done with the finals. She was so proud of Derek and said, "This is right up Derek's alley and he is doing great!!!" I was able to see a lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time as well.

New Office View

2008-05-11T14:12:00.007-06:00

I am still working at Castle Rock and have had many different departments given to me. For the past 6 months my office has been an old break room with NO WINDOWS. I didn't realize how bad that was for me until I moved into my new office last week. The picture above is the view from my new office looking north at Mt. Timpanogas. What a beautiful view I have now and I have been much happier. I guess it might keep me around for another week or two. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WESLEY!!!

2008-05-11T13:37:00.014-06:00

On April 8th Wesley turned 11. I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like yesterday that I was waiting for his arrival. He was 10 days late but everyday felt like 2. He was such a good baby and has been such a good kid. Wesley got a rip stick for his birthday. For those of you who don't know what a rip stick is, it is a cross between a skate board and a snow board. Because the boys are getting older and their wishes don't get any cheaper Eric and I have started to go in together on their gifts so we can get them what they want. Wesley wanted me to come and get him for lunch and take him to Kentucky Fried Chicken. When I got their I asked him if he wanted Derek to come with us or if he just wanted to two of us. He said that he wanted Derek to come with us. We had fun, they got the buffet ($5.99 a piece) and pretty much just ate biskets. I am glad the they only have 1 birthday a year. We had a fun time and they didn't want to go back to school and I didn't want to go back to work.

St. George Baseball Tournament

2008-05-11T13:28:00.005-06:00

The Blaze headed to St. George in March to play their first games of the year. I can't think of a better way to start off the season that being in sunny St. George. My mom was on spring break so she came with us. The Blaze did very well down there. They won 3 out of 4 games on Thursday and Friday. It was a great way to start off.

McEwan James Olsen

2008-05-08T22:22:00.003-06:00

McEwan James Olsen was born on March 21st. He is the 2nd child for Steve and Jen. Yes, they just celebrated June's 1st birthday so they are 1 year and 2 weeks apart. Jen has been very busy trying to figure out both of their schedules but whenever I talk to her she seems to be doing well. Congratulation!!!

The Boy's New Bedrooms

2008-05-08T21:53:00.016-06:00

When we moved from our house the boys were pretty upset because we had a full unfinished basement that they were able to play ball in. I told them that I would do something for them to try and make up for it. Well that little deal landed them with their own rooms and me with everything else in mine. I decided to give them new rooms in hopes it would help with the fighting that brothers do and also for having to sell the house. Derek picked out a comforter for the Philidelphia Eagles and Wesley picked out an All-Star one. They didn't know that I had ordered them, I kept putting them off saying maybe later. On a week that they were with their dad I did a lot of shopping and putting together and was able to get them new dressers, night stands, bedding and other items to create nice room for them. It was a ton of fun and they were very surprised. The part that they loved the most was the basketball hoop hampers on their doors. I guess if I would have known that they would be so excited about a hamper I would have been able to save a lot of money. It is pretty funny though because now they actually take their dirty laundry downstairs so that they can play basketball and not have to worry about their clothes blocking the way.

MOVING!!!

2008-05-08T21:23:00.017-06:00

As many of you know when Aegis tanked in August and I went back to work for Castle Rock & took a bit of a pay cut. I didn't have to many options but to put my house of up for sale. I put it on the market in October & finally got an offer in January. Their offer was contingent upon them selling their home in Payson. In February they received an offer and we moved on March 15th. What a blessing that was to be able to sell it that quick with the way the market was going. I was able to find a townhome closer to town and I have loved every minute of being here, especially since all of the boxes are officially put away. The only thing I have really missed about this house is my ward. I had an awesome ward and I was very sad to leave it. I have loved my new place for many reasons, the boys are able to catch the bus, I have a yard that is finished and someone else has to take care of it, it is close to town, I-15 & Highway 6. I am sure I could come up with many more reasons this move has been good but I think you get the picture.

June Isabel Olsen

2008-05-08T20:58:00.015-06:00

On March 7th, June turned 1. Steve and Jen had a little party for her so I went down to Ephraim to celebrate. She wasn't sure about eating the cake so Steve tried to feed it to her and that didn't work either. Steve and Jen gave her a 4-wheeler that she absolutely loved. They just finished their basement so she had a ton of room to drive around. Aunty Em gave her a lawn mower so she can help her dad outside this summer hopefully mowing a lawn.

Spencer Erik Olsen

2008-05-08T20:31:00.013-06:00

On March 1st Spencer was baptized by his Uncle Bart and was confirmed by my dad, Grandpa Olsen. This was such an awesome day for Spencer and he was so excited. He has grown up to be such a awesome kid. He is so sweet and very respectful. We know that his dad is so proud of him and his choice to be baptized.

Spencer is also playing baseball for the Orem Bats. I remember when he was born Michelle told me that she was worried about how she was going to be able to teach Spencer how to play sports. Well....... I must say she is raising an All-Star!!! I love to listen to Michelle when Spencer is playing, she really loves to watch him, coach him and support him. She is doing a great job and I know that Erik would be proud of both of them.

MOMMY TAG!!!

2008-05-08T16:36:00.005-06:00

Mommy Tag
Ive been tagged by my sister Angie, so here goes.
1. Typically, what time do you wake up? Between 7:00 & 7:30am (I try to stay there as long as I can)
2. On a good night, what time are your kids in bed? During the week we try for 9:00 but it ends up being more like 10:00. On the weekends I am in bed long before they are. They like to stay up and watch movies but I can’t do that anymore.
3. How long have you been a mommy? 11 years & 1 month today!!!
4. How old were you when you became a mom? 21
5. What is your favorite chore? Vacuuming, I love the straight lines in my carpet.
6. What is your favorite thing that your husband does with the kids? My husband is pretty worthless!!! He doesn’t do anything with the kids or with me. He doesn’t work or even help around the house. OH WAIT……. I don’t have one.
7. What are 5 things that make you smile when you’re being a mom?
· I love when my kids are playing ball (basketball, football or baseball) and they make a GREAT play on their own or together.
· I love when the boys are getting along and giving each other compliments.
· I love when I get my kids back from their dad.
· I love when Derek calls me on my phone and I don’t answer and he leaves a message. “Hi mom, this is Derek, I guess you can’t come to the phone right now but I was just calling to tell you that I love you.”
· I love when I am sick and my boys turn into little gentlemen. They will do anything for me and are always concerned about me.
8. If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be? It would be to Disneyland, Legoland, Walt Disney World, an NFL football game or on a cruise. (If money weren’t an issue we would be doing all of them every year)
9. What is your favorite thing to do with your kids? My favorite thing to do with my kids is lay in my bed and cuddle while watching TV or a movie.
10. Name one thing you said you'd never say as a mother. I AM NOT YOUR DAMN MAID!!!
11. What is one thing that you do, that your own mom did? Work & follow my boys around from field to field and court to court.
12. What is your favorite quality that your mother has? Cooking, Cooking, Cooking and did I mention Cooking!!!
13. What is your favorite kids book? That is a tough one because my kids have been reading on their own for so long. I would have to say the Dr. Suess books or the Disney books those were some of our favorites.
14. What is your favorite advice for new moms? Enjoy every minute that you can with your kids. They grow up so fast and you look back and wonder where did that time go!!!
Now I tag Annalyse, Anne, Carli & Teresa :)

Sisi & June

2008-03-03T16:05:00.014-07:00

On February 2nd Sisi finally turned 3. She is a very smart little girl and sometimes acts older and talks better than her brother who is 3 years older than her. Angie is pregnant and is having a boy in June. Sisi insists that it is a girl baby and if it comes out as a boy baby then Heavenly Father will just waive his magic stick and change it to a girl. Oh how I wish I was a kid again and really thought that things would be better with the waive of a wand.

I was also able to tend June (Steve & Jen's daughter) the night of Sisi's birthday. My boys were having the best time chasing her around the house. Steve and Jen have wood floors so when she was crawling on grandma's carpet she was cruising. June will be 1 on March 7th and she will also be getting a little boy baby at her house sometime this month. Jen is due the end of March but due to the fact that she might be having a big baby we hope that she comes a little early.

Pinewood Derby

2008-02-03T09:36:00.013-07:00

We had another pinewood derby on January 30th. Somehow Wesley had in his mind that he was to old to participate so he did not get a car made. We showed up to the church and Derek got his car weighed in and his number. Wesley brought one of his 1st place cars just to see if it would still win. They let all of the cars have a practice run to make sure the wheels would stay on and they could fine tune them if needed. Wesley decided it was time to see if his would work and put it on the track. One of the ladies in charge asked him why he didn't enter and he said that he was to old. The lady set him straight and took him over to get his car weighed in and a number. On Derek's last pinewood derby his car was having some problems so Grandpa Wright helped Derek and made sure his wheels were perfect for the race. Derek won his 1st & 2nd round, Wesley won his 1st & 2nd round and on their 3rd round they were up against each other. Wesley's won by a very small margin so they had them run them again because it was so close. Wesley's won again and that was the run that was recorded. We switched lanes with the cars and Derek's smoked Wesley's but because they counted the other one it went to Wesley. Well they took the 3 cars that one all three rounds to see who came in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Because Derek lost to Wesley he was out of that contest. Wesley said that he felt bad because it was Derek's turn to win. I was happy to see that side of Wesley for a minute. Derek did win a ribbon for the best paint job.

Basketball Season

2008-01-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

Basketball season is underway and we are now on week 3. The boys have had some good games and have improved a ton since last year. They are on seperate teams but we are lucky enough with the schedule that we don't have any games at the same time. I think it's good for them to be seperated every once in a while but now that they are forced to be seperated in basketball it doesn't really work. Wesley goes to Derek's practices, Derek goes to Wesley's practices and they both sit on each others bench during the games. In today's games they both scored 16 points. In the last 3 minutes of Wesley's game his coach told them that they could start shooting 3's. They were beating the team pretty bad so I think that the coach thought this would keep our team from scoring. Then one of the coaches in the last minute said he would give one of them $5 if they made a 3 so of course Wesley was going to try for it and he made it. After the game Derek couldn't let Wesley out do him so he asked Wesley's coach how much he would give him if he made a 3. The coach told him $1 and that was better than nothing so away Derek went and made it. It is a lot of fun to watch them cheer for each other and challenge each other to do better.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2008-01-19T13:55:00.001-07:00

After the Sports Grill closed on New Year's Eve we went out to the Shand/Steven's farm to go sleigh riding. The boys seemed to have more fun being pulled behind the 4 wheeler than trying out their new snow boards. We headed back to my mom and dad's when it started to get dark and were trying to think of things to do to keep us up until midnight. I can't believe how hard it is now days to stay up so late. Angie and Fred got a kareoke machine for Christmas so we decided to test it out. Wesley and Derek had fun with it but I don't think that any of us were meant to sing out loud!!! We had plenty to eat and ended up just watching TV until midnight. Fred, Wesley, Derek, Sisi & I were the only ones that made it into the new year but I think by 12:10 we were all asleep.

New Year's Day was pretty relaxing. Fred took the boys and went out with Dave and Cari Stevens to do some more sleigh riding and rabbit hunting. They had a great time and now they want guns. I told them that they would have to stick with their little 22's that are at their dad's house for a while, I am not ready for that stage yet.

Fred's Sports Grill

2008-01-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

We went back down to Manti to spend New Year's with my family. Fred had the Sports Grill opened for part of the day on New Year's Eve so Wesley was excited to get up and go to work with Fred. I don't think that Fred comes out on top when Wesley is helping him because he always seems to come home with money. I think that he probably owes Fred for letting him work because he eats and drinks on the job. Wesley seems to enjoy working with Fred and both of the boys love going to Fred's whenever we are down there. For those of you who haven't seen the Sports Grill I have posted an old picture of the Bright Spot and a new picture of the Sports Grill, It looks GREAT!!!

CHRISTMAS

2008-01-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

This year for Christmas Wesley and Derek were with their dad until 1:00. It is a little weird to go to bed on Christmas Eve at 9:00 and be able to sleep in. I was at my mom and dad's so we got up and went to Angie and Fred's to open presents. My Christmas all came early this year, in November I was very surprised to get a "Little Giant" ladder. It was just in time to get my Christmas lights up on my house. My other Christmas gift came the Sunday before Christmas as my mom left the owner's manual on her dresser for my new digital camara. I had an idea that is what I was getting but when I saw that nobody could keep a straight face so I got to open it in hopes I would have it figured out by Christmas morning. Thanks mom and dad, it's awesome. As I picked the boys up from their dad's they were excited to show me their new I-Pods that Santa had brought to them. It amazes me how much a little piece of equipment can do. They got new snow boards at my house and new bags to hold their basketballs and basketball shoes in. The boys wanted to go to Manti so away we went. They new that Grandpa had received an I-Pod for Christmas too so they were excited to show theirs off. Their dad had downloaded a few songs to get them going so when we went to Angie and Fred's they ended up with over 120 songs before we left. They were also able to get the new movie Under Dog downloaded too. They were pretty excited about that. They have watched that movie over and over again. I think it's great because our rides in the car have been very nice and peaceful!!!

4th Grade Field Trip

2008-01-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

I went with Derek and his class on a field trip to the Bean Museum at BYU and to the University Mall where they sang Christmas songs. I was put in charge of 5 BOYS and for the most part they were all pretty good about sticking together. The Bean Museum was pretty cool and there were a lot of cool things to see. I was fine with everything except the live snake that they brought out, that was pretty creapy. We then headed to the mall, had lunch and they sang a bunch of different Christmas songs that they had learned. This was my first field trip since I was in school. The boys always tell me about them or ask me to go the day before they are going. Derek gave me plenty of warning this time so I was able to arrange it with work, we had a great time!!!

The Christmas Lamb

2008-01-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wesley entered an art contest at school and had to draw something that reminded him of Christmas. This was going to be judged by the teachers at his school and the ones that were picked were then taken to the Springville Art Museum. At the Art Museum they were judged again and the ones that were picked were put up in the Museum for about 3 weeks. We received a phone call that Wesley's picture had been picked to be put up in the museum. When we went to the museum to pick up his certificate and $10.00. The lady that was at the front desk couldn't say enough about his picture. She thought for sure his parents had helped him with it. She was pretty amazed when I told her that neither his dad or I even knew about it. Grandpa Wardle use to work at the Museum so Grandma and Grandpa came to the museum and were so excited for him. The Springville Art Museum is where both Grandpa and Grandma Wardle attended elementary school. Good Job Wesley!!!

THANKSGIVING

2008-01-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

This year was the year for my parents to have ALL of us home for Thanksgiving. It was great weather so we took a few ATV rides over the weekend. We had a party while watching the BYU vs. Utah game. When it was over we all had to run outside to celebrate because all of our screaming had scared June and she was already in tears. Thanks mom and dad for having all of us home for 4 days and feeding us so well. There is nothing like mom's cooking.

Halloween

2008-01-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween Wesley was the JASON VORHEES and Derek was a TEMPLAR FOOTBALL PLAYER (a.k.a. Jordan Lambert). Derek loved watching Jordan all year in football and couldn't even wait for him to get out of the locker room on his last game to ask him if he could borrow his jersey for Halloween. Manti has come up with a great way to TRICK-OR-TREAT so we went down there on Halloween night. They block off 3 blocks on Main Street and everyone backs up their vehicles to the curb and away the kids go. It is a very quick and safe way for the kids to make a haul. My mom decided at the last minute to dress up for work and boy did she look awful!!! I gave her my wig, teeth and glasses from last years Halloween costume and told her to dress up. GOOD JOB MOM, you were a great sport and pretty ugly too.

FOOTBALL SEASON

2008-01-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

We love football!!! We were able to attend alot of Manti's football games this year, it was a lot of fun. Fred has been coaching for Manti the past 5 years so we use that as a good excuse to go to the games. It has nothing to do with me not having a life ;). Fred lets the boys come down on the side lines to help out with the "Water Boy" roll. As you can see from the pictures they were either sitting on the side lines or playing with the injured players. They loved going out on the field after the game or at half time to play some football themselves.

Linzi Lohan & The Paparazzi

2008-01-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

My closest run in ever with a celebrity was with Linzi Lohan and The Paparazzi. I was at Maverik in Orem and as I walked out the doors there was about 8 guys with camaras and they were all taking pictures. It scared me at first because I had no idea who they were or what they were doing. As I got in my car it came to me that the girl who I thought looked like Linzi Lohan in Maverik really was her. Well, none of the pictures that they took of me made it onto a web site but one of my car bumper did. If you look very closely to the bottom right of the picture you will see my grey bumper. Linzi is laughing because I am right next to her with my window down saying, "Wait, I am suppose to get a picture of you" but I couldn't get my phone to take it. I guess I should have just used my REAL camara that was on the floor in my car that I forgot was in there.

BLAZE BASEBALL

2008-01-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

The boys were able to play on an accelerated baseball team in the fall. They were being contacted by 2 different teams but the boys decided that they were going to try out for the Blaze. There were a few kids on that team that they knew so they felt more comfortable. There were only 4 openings on the team and Wesley and Derek were able to fill 2 of them. Wesley was playing up 1 year and Derek was playing up 2 years. It was a good experience for them and a whole new situation from city league. It taught them that they have to work hard in order to play where they want. We are looking forward to going to St. George in March for our first tournament of the year.

Spanish Fork Giants

2008-01-07T10:21:00.001-07:00

Wesley and Derek were able to be on the same little league team this year. It was so much fun watching them play together on the baseball field. They both played 3rd, pitcher and catcher. It was so much fun watching them pitch to each other. It brought back a lot of memories of my brother Erik catching for Steve in high school when they took state.

The Giants took 2nd place in state this year and Wesley was also on the Giants last year when they took 2nd place. At least they have a little taste of a state championship game even though they lost and it is little league. Hopefully some day they will be able to experience the excitement of a state championship before they are finished playing sports.

The Pine Wood Derby

2008-01-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

This was Wesley's 3rd year and Derek's 1st year in the Pine Wood Derby. Thanks to their Grandpa Wright they had some awesome cars. Wesley took 2nd place this time around but finished 1st place the 1st and 2nd times he entered. Derek didn't place his first time, his car seemed to have been a little low on weight. They did tape some pennies on there after a few rounds and that seemed to help out a little bit. They had a fun time doing it and look forward to the next one.

Valentine's Day

2008-01-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

I guess when there is a prize to be won I will try my best to compete. We had an "UGLY HAT" contest for our Valentine's Party and I did win. I won a $50.00 gift card to f.y.e., I was pretty excited because I rarely win anything.

SNOW DAYS!!!

2008-01-06T20:42:00.001-07:00

First activity of 2007. My kids were able to experience sleigh riding and snow boarding up Manti Canyon. Grandpa & Grandma Olsen took them with their cousins. They had a great time!!!

The 3 Musketeers

2008-01-06T19:50:00.000-07:00

The 3 Musketeers are currently living in Spanish Fork, UT. Wesley and Derek currently spend 1 week with me and 1 week with their dad. We live about 3 miles apart so it makes it nice to share the kids and also for them to go to the same school. I was working for Aegis Wholesale until August when the mortgage industry decided to implode!!! I was very blessed to find a job so quickly after Aegis shut down. I am currently working for Castle Rock Financial Services as a Coorespondent Director. I worked for Castle Rock before I went to Aegis so I am very thankful that they took me back. I am also very thankful for a great family and great friends who have been a great support to me over the years!!!

Wesley

2008-01-06T19:49:00.001-07:00

Wesley: Age 10 is in the 5th Grade. Wesley is my little angel (when he isn't with his younger brother). He loves football, basketball, baseball, reading, building legos, Guitar Hero & playing in the snow. He plays the roll as "The Man of the House" and thinks it means to sit around and make his younger brother do everything. I quickly remind him that he is still a kid & I am the mom. He is a huge blessing to me in my life and I love watching him grow and learn.