Disney Trip

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Merry Christmas

I was very sad in the weeks before Christmas when I was unable to find my camera. We missed so many great opportunities to document this wonderful holiday season. We have been so blessed this year and don't even know where to start in counting our blessings. We are grateful for our family both immediate and extended.  We had a great Christmas and are very grateful to all those who helped make it a Christmas to remember always!!!

We hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and have a great new year!

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Grandmas and Grandpa

We had the great opportunity today to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa Oborn. It was a very exciting day. Mom and I spent the morning at Lowe's picking out paint. Then we spent the afternoon painting the my kitchen and removing wallpaper from the living room. The kids got home from school and after homework and chores the joined in. Dad and Brady hid in the basement "working" til we sent them for pizza, then they joined in the fun.

I love the result. My kitchen in a smoky blue, and the living room no longer has forest green with peach, pineapple, boarders around it at chair rail height. Lots more work to be done over time, but for now this is a huge improvement and i feel like I can start making the house our home.

I should have taken a before picture and if I owned a digital camera, I would take and after, but alas, I do not. And I have NO idea how to get a picture form my phone to my computer. Maybe I should figure that out. I have some HILARIOUS video of Miles and Uncle Brady playing that would be fun to share as well.... hmmm.... something to add to my "need to do" list.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa... a Christmas present I will never forget!!

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Lack of Power

Today we spent the majority of the day with out electricity. Around 10 am while I was changing lightbulbs in the kitchen chandelier, the sound of silence and darkness filled the air. No humming fridge, dishwasher, laundry or radio. The quiet hum of our computers and my plotter silenced for a short period of time... or so we thought. After a call to the local power company we got back to our morning. We showered, kids did chores and we waited for power to return so we could iron clothes, blow dry and curl hair for church, shave faces and dry the last load of clothes. But to no avail. The power did not return. So we cleaned off the coffee table, put on confy jeans and sweatshirts, and settled in to spend the afternoon without power.

We sent the kids in search of a board game, they came back with our poker set and asked us to teach them to play poker... hmmm.... not sure how I felt about that I turned to Brady with a question in my eyes. "Ok, but without the chips, no gambling- this is just like Yahtzee." Which we play on xbox. So began the introduction of pairs, 3 of a kinds and full house. After a few hands we moved on to BlackJack, cuz that teaches math right?

4 hours into our back out I made another call to the power company. They said they were working on the "situation" and were hoping to have it back on in a hour or two. So I left to Kmart to find a shovel to dig out the 6 inches of snow on the driveway and left Brady to entertain the kids. When I returned the house was humming again. The furnace was on and the house was almost toasty again, the fridge was purring away and I could here the xbox in the basement.

Our life had returned to normal.

As we were sitting in the silence I reflected on a black out during my childhood. I remember mom and dad running around filing pitchers and bowls with water. Collecting all the candles and candle holders, and bringing in wood for the fireplace. I told the kids of spending a full day or night without power. Grandpa Oborn keeping the fire roaring for heat and carrying candles to the bathroom for light, then not being able to flush the toilet. They were fascinated. Here we were watching the power guys drive around the neighborhood trying to find the problem, knowing the power would be on shortly. Mom must have lived in the WAY olden days!!!

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It's late,

Very late!!! and I am awake watching UFC fights with my husband. Why are we still up?I don't know. Since we moved we NEVER watch TV. Over the years w/ have been spoiled by unlimited cable channels and DVR. Here we opted for simplicity. We only get the basic channels, VERY basic, 2-13 and no DVR. We have learned about Hulu, and watched both downloaded and RedBox movies. Tonight we are catching up on the last season of The Ultimate Fighter. I know you have all been dying to know who won this year, :).

But I have really enjoyed not having the television as part of our everyday life. We spend so much more time together. We talk more, the kids play more, we just sit in silence more. we've even started to read again. I think the kids have watched TV only 3 times in the last months since we moved here.

So as I sit here, falling asleep in front of downloaded fights that aired last week, I wonder why we've wasted so much of our life in front of this stupid screen. We have come a long way since moving into this house, and I think we have left the television behind, at least for a while.

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Time with Thomas

Megan is having her new baby tonight... I think. We are babysitting Thomas. He is currently laying in the pack and play, drinking a bottle and twirling his hair. It has been years since we've had one so small over night. He is VERY tired but fighting off sleep. He loves being with his cousins and boy do they love having him here. It's like a brand new toy. Everything becomes louder and larger as they run around the house entertaining... doing anything for a laugh or a smile.

And he does his share of entertaining. He dances, plays ring around the rosie and to everyones delight, calls them all by name, or some sound they insist is their name. Even Brady is enchanted by this ball of sunshine. Brady was coming up the stairs. Thomas went running toward him, and launched himself off the top step into Bradys arms. They have a great relationship. We call him "tom-tom" He is a little navigation device. He makes sure you know exactly what you are doing at all times. I saw a quote today that I want to make for Megs to put over his bed. It says, "The Prince knows who's in charge around here... and it's not the King or Queen."

So shall we take bets on how much sleep we get tonight? It's been a long time since I was woken in the middle of the night by a tired, hungry, wet baby. And Thomas is a Mommas boy, Im not sure how he's going to react to me coming to his early morning calls for attention.

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My new toy

Here I sit in bed next to my husband. We are both self proclaimed ubber-dorks. It is 8:45 and after dinner, scriptures, prayers, checking homework, showers and tucking everyone in for the night, we grabbed out laptops and crawled into bed.

I have been lost the last few months with out a laptop. (mine crashed!!!) then to my great delight- an add for a $30 netbook from Verizon I did spy!!! And it's just perfect. Unlike my hubby I don't have huge files of music or edit large photos. My vinyl design is reserved for my desktop and locking myself away for hours in the basement.

Rather this machine is my little friend, my companion.... I LOVE to organize myself. I am a list maker. I have had a planner for as long as I can remember, but have been dying to take it digital, as I AM an ubber-dork. But alas, my desktop is TOO big, and my blackberry too small- but this is JUST RIGHT.

I organize myself using Cozi.com. and I love it. I can send lists via txt to my hubby or children to remind them of chores, groceries to get and To Do lists. I have Brady, mine and the kids calendar all feeding to it so it reminds me what to do when. And now it is all at my finger tips, sitting in my purse waiting to be refered to and perused. IT FITS IN MY PURSE!!!!

So here I sit in my bed, next to my hubby, playing on my new toy, while he surfs DJ stuff on the internet. Quality time at it's finest!!!

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Our New Life

We have again sat down to evaluate our life. Brady called from Colorado last Friday to tell me he was coming home early. Why? His response,

"It's time for some changes."

After several days of indepth conversation about our family, our marraige, our past and our future, some MAJOR decisions were made.

Brady has traveled most of our married life. His job with Vantage started in year 2 of our marraige and required travel about 25% of the time. Then his change to self-employment after 9 years with Vantage changed this to 50-75%. This has continued off and on, and has been on again for the last 6 months or so. No more. Brady has decided he wants to be here with us, whatever that takes. So now we move forward. What does this mean for employment? We aren't quite sure. He is in negotiations with his brother in law to see if there is a way to do his job from here. We will know soon.

As for the other changes, time to become more active, find things we love to do and begin to fill our past with great memories, starting today. Our children are growing up so fast, Katrina is 11. I look at her and wonder were the time has gone. Where is the baby girl we buckled into the car seat on the school bus when she was 3. Wasn't that just last year?

So here's to our new, simplified, more full-filled life.

The beginning of new, great memories.

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We are home....

Thank you so much to all those that helped this weekend with the move. Despite all the practice, we still couldn't have done it ourselves.

We got everything moved and are settling in to our new home. Brady left town again on Tuesday, just hours after we brought the last load from the old house. He is gone a week this time, but will be home for Thanksgiving. The kids and I have made a "to do" list of all the things we need to get done to really settle in. Each night we are going to pick a few that need to be done the next day and work together to get the projects accomplished. Today was unload Daddy's truck and unpack the kitchen. Tomorrow we are going to organize the garage.

I like the new house. It's different from our other houses, but it is going to be a good home for us for a few years. There are definitely some projects... wall paper to remove, walls to paint... but we have time. Grandma Oborn will be here soon and we will be able to keep her plenty busy with decorating projects.

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Moving

"AGAIN????"

That is what the kids said when we told them. We are moving AGAIN!!! My poor babies. My heart breaks for them as they leave for school this morning for their last day- saying good bye to yet another group of freinds. This is their 3rd elementary school and they are in 1st, 4th and 5th grade- we are headed off to school number 4. Actually for Katrina this will be 5.

Bradys change in careers and the closing of his home theater business has caused us to rethink our finances. It's time to think more long term and stop living month to month. It's time to get our credit back under control and build a savings account.

Our solutions-

#1 Get closer to my work. Currently we live 30-40 minutes from the gym. So it is not convient and VERY rare for me to take on extra classes. Plus just my regular schedule takes a huge chunk of my paycheck in gas.

#2 Get closer to the airport. Brady travels A LOT and currently we are 1 1/2 hours form the airport, depending on traffic. It is NOT convenient for me to drive him to the airport so he drives himself and we pay long term parking. With him spending up to 20 days a month out of state that adds up-plus all the gas back and forth.

#3 Lower our monthly expenses- Our new home is smaller, not MUCH smaller, but smaller, and is MUCH less expensive in both utilities and monthly rent.

#4- Get closer to family- When I have to work and Brady is out of town my kids are often left to fend for them selves for several hours a night. Our new house is only 5 minutes form Becky's so we will have more family support. Lizzi is close here and has been a HUGE help, but she is often up at Beckys and rarely has a car herself.

#5- Reduce Maintenance Time and Expenses- Our current home sits on just over 1/2 acre of wooded, tiered, landscaped yard. It is beautiful but very hard and time consuming to maintain. So we hire it out. We just don't have the 8 hours a week needed to do basic maintenance on this yard. And the snow is coming- if you have ever seen our driveway you understand what I am getting at. And remember my hubby is RARELY home. So shoveling is my job. So no more yard guy and no more paying random strangers to come plow the driveway so I can go to work. The new house has a small- normal drive way and a fairly large, flat, square yard with nothing but grass. This year the kids will learn to mow the lawn.

So there you have it- we are moving AGAIN!!! But we did sign a 2 year contract this time so fingers crossed.... it will be a long while before I repeat this post!

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Where to begin?

The last month has turned our lives upside down. And there are so many things to report-

First the kids

Katrina turned 11! This was a very big, long anticipated birthday. She has been counting down since about... hmmm... "1 more year until I'm 11!" The count down got more obsessive as we got to 4 months, then to 6 weeks, then at 4 weeks it turned into days. So she had a friend party. This is not an every year occurrence for us, and I never thought 11 would be a "special" year, but due to unforeseen circumstances we chose to make an exception. (More on that latter)

Tyler is Tyler, struggling to be the "perfect" kid. He is a HUGE help, and takes on too much responsibility. A couple weeks ago while Brady was out of town, I was SICK. One of those sicks you are sure you have NEVER experienced before. I had a fever, was disoriented, dizzy, and even picked fights on the phone with my dear hubby, that apparently I was asleep through, because I don't remember them. Anyway, this lasted for 4 days, I laid on the couch and poor Tyler ran the house. He brought me drinks and medicine. Cooked for and fed the other children, supervised chores, and kept the laundry going. Every day he would come home from school and would find me sleeping on the couch, put his hand on my forehead, and ask, "Are you doing any better Mom?"

Carter- Well Carter is following in his sister and mothers footsteps. My poor baby broke his ankle last week- least we think thats whats wrong. After a week on crutches, and Brady trying to convince me it was nothing, I finally broke down and took Carter to the Dr. yesterday. He was sure it was broken due to the continued swelling, discoloration, and pain. But the x-ray was clear and the radiologist agreed. But they both said they still think there is a fracture they can't see, so Carter is in a walking boot for a week. At the end of the week, if he is still bruised, swollen and having pain we are supposed to go see an orthopedist.

So this week, along with other major tasks, I need to apply for CHIP so we can afford to possibly have to see the specialist.

The other major task- well that'll have to wait for another blog, as I have hours of work to do and only a short time to complete it.

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Dingus Days

We don't home school- unlike most of my sisters, or should I say- ALL of my sisters, my children are in public school. I love the IDEA of home schooling, especially the way my sisters do it, but it just doesn't fit our life.

We've talked about it, we've researched it, we've toyed with the idea, but for now it is not for us.

But we DINGUS!!!! We love to Dingus!!!! I read Amy's post from a couple days ago and I remembered all the great memories we made together. My family try's to Dingus whenever possible. With Brady's travel schedule these are VERY important times. When he is in town, we always take a day to just be together. School/assignments/work- it all takes a back seat to our family and the memories we will take with us.

My kids LOVE dingus days. They usually start with Brady and I turning off the alarm clocks. Kids sleep in and come running to our room, waking us with cries of missing the bus. Then we tell them "today is officially a dingus day." Everyone cheers and climbs onto our bed to find out what great adventure we have in store. It is usually something simple, lunch and a matinee, bowling, or just junk food and a movie in our home theater. But they have included trips to Lagoon, a day at BoonDocks and even once a trip to Denver. But whatever it is, when we tuck them in at night everyone wants to know if tomorrow can be another dingus day.

I am very thankful to my parents for teaching us that these simple memories are all that truly matter.

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I'm so glad when Daddy comes home...

glad as I can be!!!!

Do they still sing that song in primary? I don't know but it sure does explain how I am feeling right now. Only 13 more hours til Brady comes home. It has been 10 days and I am dying!!

We have learned something interesting the last 6 or so months of doing this. I am good at handeling the single mom thing. I'm actually quite apt at it.... for 7 days. On day 8 I start to get snippy, the kids get ornery and start talking back, and we realise just how much we miss Daddy.

Don't get me wrong, we miss him the first 7 days, but we REALLY miss him on day 8, and by day 10- Mommy needs Daddy home. I need a break... I need someone else who can-

Fix dinner

Tell the kids to do their chores

Tuck the kids in

Clean up the living room

Switch over the laundry,

or maybe even keep it running

Vacuum up gross bugs

Supervise the cleaning of the kitchen

or a bathroom or two

Someone else to help!!!

I guess thats not quite true, I need more than someone elses help. I need someone who cares as much about all these little things as I do, because it is our house and our children. I need someone else to sit with and argue about what to watch on TV. I just NEED his presence. Having him here it just different. Even if he's not feeling very helpful, his presence competes me. I am complete when we are together, whether he is in the basement working, or laying next to me in bed. Whether he is wrapped up in his computer or we are discussing our life, his presence makes me whole.

So tomorrow around noon-

I will clap my hands and shout for joy,

because my better half will be home and life will be complete again.

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Infestation

Do you recognize this pest? It's correct name is the Box Elder Bug, often referred to here in Utah as the "October Bug" because of the coloring and timing of the year. My home is currently infested!!! I hate these bugs... I hate all bugs!!

These little guys don't bite, dont carry disease but they are creepy and they fly. I have HUGE south facing windows that get sun all day and these bugs love the heat it creates. So they cover the window and find their way inside.

Can we say "YUCK!"

Chemicals don't work on them, they only stay for about 2 months, and they are EVERYWHERE!!! The windows are crawling inside and out with little bugs. They are on my lamps, on the floor, on my computer, EVERYWHERE!!!

And you cant squash them. They crunch and smell like stink bugs. According to the internet the best defense is your vacuum. So I sit at my computer with my vacuum and hose and vacuum them up when they get near me.

Despite what is says on the internet I am going to call my father-in-law the bug sprayer and ask him to spray the back of my house anyway, even it it helps a little it will be worth it. If I find my camera I will post a picture of the disgusting things covering my windows.

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Time passes!

It is crazy how long it has been since I have posted to this blog. I have been crazy busy and it has been hard to find time to go down to the office and dedicate any large amount of time to sit in front of my computer. So I made an executive decision. Brady is out of town, so I moved my computer up to the family room. This way it is more a part of every day life. The boys are excited to have a computer that is easier to access for their games, and I can keep an eye on what they are doing. No more pre-teen boys locked away in a corner office on the computer anymore.

So we are back into meet/competition season at the gym. So my hours are up, and I am busy most weekends. I spent today at a meet in Bountiful, next week a gym in West Valley and one in Ogden the week after that. I have a meet most weekends till the end of November.

We have been lucky to have Brady home for the last couple weeks. Sadly he had to leave again on Thursday, but will be back on Friday night. I go through phases. Sometimes it's no big deal to have him gone, other times, I can't handle it, and feel like I am going to go crazy. My poor husband doesnt know how to handle these mood swings.

Kids are busy at school, the usual things. Katrina's working on her first science project, Tyler LOVES everyday, and Carter got in his first fist fight... oh the joys of having boys!!!

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Oh, Lazy Dayz....

Today is Sunday. Brady got called to a home in Heber that is having Vantage issues so it's just the kids and I. Church doesnt start til 1 so we are having a very relaxing morning just hanging out together. It's wonderful that everyone is old enough to get themselves ready. It makes Sunday Mornings so much easier.

Yesterday we spent the day doing laundry, and refreshing everyones knowledge of how to sort, wash, dry and fold their own clothes. We seam to go in cycles. Every.ne does really well for a couple weeks, then the job seams to fall back on me.

I know a lot has to do with our crazy schedule, between Brady's travel, my coaching hours, and the kids school and social lifes there is not a lot of "routine" to our lives. This is one of the things I am currently working on. I got a Blackberry, (my fabulous sister in law gave me her old one) and I have spent the last week getting everyones schedules onto one calender. I am trying to start using Google Calender, hoping that will help a little.

Katrina is off her crutches, but still in her "shoe" for a few more weeks. But Doc says she's healing well. She has discovered the telephone. I always knew it would happen one day and that day is here. Her best friend has a cell phone so they are always on the phone. Sadie called Kartrina the other night to tell her there was a movie on disney that she wanted them to watch together, on the phone!! Seriously?

So today is a nice lazy day.... today we will enjoy our time... just be us...

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marvelous technology

so i got a blackberry. im trying out this app called cellspin that allows me to post from my new toy to blogger. im trying to get my life a little more organized. this thing has some really cool apps that help... but its a bit like facebook and i can get sucked in really easy!

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A month at a glance

I read Lizzie's blog today, and realised it's been quiet a while since I have updated my blog. I often feel I don't have anything new to share and I know I'm not nearly as creative and entertaining a writer as Amy, so I often opt out.

So I thought I'd take a minute to share our most recent changes.

The kids are back in school. Katrina is still on crutches and actually in a wheelchair while at school. Her foot is broken in 2 different places. her pinkie toe is broken clear through, as well as a small bone on the outside edge of her foot, that is connected to a tendon. So she is not supposed to put any weight on it for fear it will never heal correctly. We go back to the Dr. on Wednesday for another set of extras and instructions for the next couple weeks.

I spent last weekend in California attending Region 1 USGA Congress. That is a 3 day training for gymnastics instructors and judges. There are 8 hours of classes a day, taught by the countries top gymnastics experts. It was fascinating. I learned so much. By the end of the three days my brain was exploding, and I was exhausted. I had to take a nap on Monday to try to recover.

I got home late Sunday night, then Brady left again Monday morning. He will be back next Monday. He's working hard for Chad. The goal to get a month of work into 14 days is a lot. He says it motivates him to work a lot harder. He gets more done in one day then he did in 3 days working a standard corporate job.

It's been hard this trip, his trip is only 8 days, but I was gone for 4 days before that. So I'm starting to reach the end of my rope with the kids. It's been exasperated by the fact we are all so sick. We all have the goop that Megan and Ben are dealing with. I've been sick for 3 days, horrible stomach cramps. Carter missed 2 days, and Trina stayed home today. The hardest part is how tired I am. I can't get the energy to get going. 5 minutes of being up, I'm exhausted and fall back on the couch. No amount of sleep helps. I'm still exhausted.

Well, that's our month in a nut shell. We are all anxious for Daddy to come home, and I think we'll plan a dingus day when he gets back. Time for some serious family time!!

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This story really hit home for me. Today was the first day of school. As we walked threw the doors of the school my children were greated by many familiar friends and faces despite the short time they actually attended this school last year. We found Katrinas class, and as I rolled her in (via her wheelchair) 4 different girls called out her name to say hi, and 2 girls came over to ask if they could help her out.

My gratitude to these girls is not because of Katrinas broken foot, rather her disablities that at other schools have lead to problems with her fitting in and making good friend. Many girls at our new school have really gone out of their way to include Katrina and become good friends with her. I am greatful to the parents of these girls who have taught them the value of looking beyond apperances and not jumping to conclusions because of someones situation or disablitilies.

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and itsdedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?' The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'
Then he told the following story:

Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps. I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.' Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball. However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact...

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher. The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game. Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder ha d the ball the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home. All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay' Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!' As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'. Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward

May your day, be a Shay Day.

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Broken Bones

Broken bone #5

Katrina is 10 years old an so far has had 3 broken arms, a broken knee, 15 stitches, and now a broken foot. She was doing a handstand in the basement, when she lost her balance and fell over, and hit her foot on the window sill. Most kids would have a nasty bruise, maybe some swelling, but not Katrina, she has a "dancers fracture." She is on crutches with a boot thing and we will be headed to a orthopedist in the next few days to see what the plan is.

what a great way to start the new school year

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I am weak!!

Lisa (my maid) txted me today to see if I needed any help.

Hmmmm..... no, not really, We're doing fine. Kids are doing great at their chores.... but ohhhh.... to have REALLY clean toilets, and that just cleaned smell.... it's almost as good as the "new car smell" or maybe it's even better.

So my answer to her was, "Sure, when can you come by?"

They came by today, my house is SOOO nice and clean. Everything is dusted, clean and sparkling. The blinds are clean, the baseboards are wiped down, you could eat off the toilets.... I love my maids, and I am truly weak!!!

But alas, I can not afford to return to my bi-weekly gig, maybe I can talk Brady into only once a month. Thats not so bad is it?

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Food for thought- Obama Economics

A professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had once failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism plan would work and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich....... a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D!

No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that!!!

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Spontaneous!!!

Had a blast!!!

Saturday afternoon Brady called me from a lay-over in San Fran, to ask me to meet him in Denver that night for a weekend getaway. There was a DJ playing there we both really wanted to go see. Jumped online, found a $50 ticket, and made several phone calls to find a variety of friends and family willing to help with the kids. Dropped them off with friends and headed off to the airport to catch my flight!

Brady picked me up at the airport and we headed off for the club. Brenda and Chad are regulars at the club and have a VIP table up on the catwalk. The place was PACKED. Benny Bennassi was awesome!!!

We showed up at the club at 11, and the line was around the block. Even the VIP line was around the corner. We walked straight up to the front of the line and were given immediate access to the club. We had a lot of fun. Brady handed out several demo disks and talked up Burning Yang. It was really neat to get to meet some of the players in the music industry that are helping Brady get his music out.

Got to admit, it wasn't quite what I expected. We met a ton of people and everyone was really friendly. Beta is a smoke free club and though there was drinking, we weren't the only ones not drinking. It's so much more about the music, the socializing, networking and dancing.

In addition to all that, it was GREAT to just spend that time with Brady. We were on a date, like a real one from before the marraige, 3 kids and the mortgage. It was just about us, rekindling the old flame and just spending REAL time together. It was fabulous and just what we needed!

I'm looking forward to the next trip and evening at Beta.

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House Music 2

So I've had a couple people ask what is house music? and I know the definition of "dance" music doesn't say much, so I've added a couple top 40 songs that are "house." Click on the playlist to the right to hear some of the most popoular dance songs in the country that are also "House" songs. When you listen you hear the songs move from one beat or song to another, this is the transisiton, as well as all the background beats and sounds. This is what the DJ does. He takes the basic song and adds to it, creating the final project. It's all done digitally with the use of software, hardware and a lot of talent.

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House Music

One of our changes in life lately has been Brady's decision to pursue a long time dream of becoming a "house dj." House is basically "dance" music, (an easy definition for the lame man.) House DJ's use a variety of music from their own library and mix the music together to create their own original music. House has become very popular over the last few years. Brady attended his first House concert in Miami about 4 years ago, but it's been around for a lot longer than that. It's recently becoming more main stream with artists such as Brittany Spears, Black Eyed Peas, and Lady GaGa adding House Dj's to their acts.

Brady has been mixing as a hobby for about 4 years, and has Dj'd for friends at local parties and get-together's, but in the last few months has decided to really pursue it. I have had a hard time getting behind him on this due to what I thought was the obvious reason, the environment he has to be in to get this thing going. Like any musician you have to start at the bottom, playing local bars and nightclubs to make a name for yourself.

We have had many conversations where I have had to really take a look at myself and where my issues where coming from. I know how much he wants this, but I also know he is telling me the truth when he says that if I can't stand behind him, he won't do it.

I had a conversation with a friend the other day about this whole thing, and really tried to figure out my issues. I know Brady would never cheat on me, I know that he has a testimony of the gospel and the word of wisdom, and would never do anything to jeopardize our life together or our eternal family, so where is all this fear coming from and what am I really afraid of?

Here's what I have found out.

I am afraid of is the way people perceive this. I am afraid to discuss this with our LDS friends and family for fear of the judgements they may make.

Hmmm... Time to get over that fear, and just put it out there.

I am excited for him. I am so glad he has found something he truly LOVES to do, and has the potential to make money doing it. I am SO thankful to his sister and brother-in-law, and their support and help in introducing him into their circle, which will allow this to happen much faster than he could do it on his own.

So now- it is out there... My husband is Burning Yang, an up and coming House DJ, and I am so proud of him and excited for whatever the future holds for us.

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no more maids

Today we turned over a new leaf. We have been going threw a lot of changes in our lives, both professionally and personally, the last few months. And after many late night discussions about goals and where we are going, we started this new week with our first FEC. We started with a discussion of goals, taking turns suggesting things we each thought we could improve on as a family. We came up with 10 goals we will work on over the rest of the year. One of those goals was controlling our finances, another teaching our children.

We have been married for almost 13 years and have been threw many phases. As newly weds we were horrible housekeepers. Our house was ALWAYS disgusting. I hated doing dishes, laundry, and cleaning bathrooms. Looking back I think we were just VERY lazy and immature.

Then came children and our first house. I started getting the housekeeping thing under control and actually did OK at it. I will be the first to admit, I was not Amy, but the house stayed presentable... most of the time. 3 years ago Brady left his full time gig to work from home for himself, 2 years ago I started working for him full time and picked up a part time job as a gymnastics instructor. At that time, we had to create some priorities, and my extra income made it possible to hire a bi-monthly cleaning crew, freeing up our spare time to be spent as a family.

So- I have not scrubbed a toilet in 2 years and have loved every minute of it. Now my children are older, the economy has caused some down sizing of our business, and we are saving for the down payment on our home. Today one of the big decisions made was that we would no longer use the maids. Many other decisions and goals were set, but none with such impact, (on me.)

We will teach our children the value of work, and how to clean a toilet, along with adding a couple hundred extra a month to our saving plan. But I will sadly say goodbye to a bi-monthly habit that I have cherished for 2 years.

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Fathers Day

Brady was out of town all last week. We got back from Steamboat Sunday night and he left early Monday morning. He was supposed to return on Friday, but due to some shipping delays... hence equipment delays... he didn't get home til Saturday night. By the time he got home he'd had 3 hours of sleep in 72 hours, trying to wrap up the job in California.

I spent Saturday at the State Compulsory meet in Ogden, Utah. It was a lot of fun, but I fought a migraine the whole time. One of my friends gave me a couple Excedrin Migraine that kept it at bay, but I could feel it nagging in the recesses of my brain. By the time I got home (12 hours later) and Brady got home, we collapsed with the children in front of the TV, I could no longer hold back the migraine. It came rushing forward and took over the left side of my head and my vision. I popped a couple Loratab and climbed into bed but slept eluded me.

For those of you who have never experienced a true migraine, count yourself lucky. The pain was focused behind my left eye and despite the drug induced trance, the pain was too great to allow me to sleep. I finally fell comatose around 3 am.... lets just say Fathers Day did not go as planned.

Brady and I slept in, but I woke with the migraine "hangover," wincing at every sound and at the light but trying hard not to be a complete Ogre. I found our children quietly watching TV at 10 am. They informed me we had nothing for breakfast but they wanted to make Daddy breakfast in bed. Upon closer inspection of the fridge and cupboards, I found they were in fact bear.

So we made Brady a breakfast tray with an empty cereal bowl and juice glass with a note that read, "How 'bout IHOP?" We ate breakfast out. After a short while my head started to throb again, so we headed home to have a lazy day of me napping and the kids watching television.

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Steamboat Springs

My Very Generous Sister-in-Law and her Husband invited us to Steamboat Springs, Co. for the weekend to celebrate their daughters 9th birthday and my 21st!!! We had a GREAT time.

This is the view of the Cabins you see on the website, a quite, serene, wilderness surrounded campsite.

This is the view you see when you get there...

Ok, so the area was not what we expected, but we had a wonderful time and have no complaints.

The kids played with the puppy!

He got more attention on this trip then he's ever had in his life.

We hung out with cousins....

Slept in cozy cabins.... no tents here. We even had showers and flushing toilets.

Eat your heart out Alaskans!!!

Carter had an asthma attack,

but thanks to a near by Wal-mart and cabins w/ electricity there was no rush to an emergency room!!!

We fished....

But in classic Bush Family style.... we were "skunked."

It was COLD!!!

We learned to rope a calf....

And learned from a REAL LIVE COWBOY.

and we rode horses!!!

Everyone on their own horse, with saddles just the right size.

Tyler rode Spit-fire, Katrina on Lady Bug, and Carter on Domino.

It was a FABULOUS get-away!!! One we will never forget!

Thank you Brenda and Chad!!! We love you!

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Summer Games

Last weekend I travelled to Cedar City with 4 other coaches to attend Utah's Summer Games. We hds 7- level 4 gymnasts, 6- level 5's and 3- level 6's. The meet was a lot of fun, with our 4's starting on Friday afternoon, and finishing Saturday evening with our 6's. Summer Games is always the favorite meet of every season for the girls and their parents. The girls like it because the judges seem to be a little friendlier and EVERYONE takes home metals on all 4 events and all around. The parents love it because there are actual chairs to sit on, rather than cramming into the corner of little gyms, and sitting on stacked mats with their knees by their ears. 

The girls did really well, with Cali (above) making the cover of the local paper!!! We had a lot of fun, with everything crammed into a small amount of time. I was hoping to get to visit with Grandma Gwynne while I was there but with the meet schedule, then leaving early Sunday morning, time didn't permit it. I'll have to try again next time we are down there.

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We had sushi....

or more correctly, my family had sushi. We went out last night, the intention to find a good steak, but got side tracked and found an all you can eat sushi place that serves steak as well.

My kids LOVE sushi. 

I do not!!!

Brady's parents came with us, then we came home to watch a movie in the home theater. There was a good time had by all. 

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A new phase

Today was my baby's last day of kindergarten. All kinds of emotions are stirring around in me. Next year they will all be at school all day.  Where has the time gone... 6 years ago we brought him home from the hospital and spent 2 weeks watching him sleep in a tanning bed. We had a 4 year old and a 3 year old running around the house. Carter was a difficult baby, it started with the jaundice, then nursing issues, then colic, followed by a gluten intolerance. At three he spent a few days in the hospital with pneumonia and RSV, and then over a month on oxygen at home. This turned into years of asthma treatments. He had his first dislocated elbow at 2, and again at 3, followed the next year by a broken elbow that took 8 weeks, and 3 casts, to heal. 

He is my mamas boy. Him and I have a very close relationship. He still loves to sit on my lap and be held. At restaurants he wants to sit next to me and is sad if Dad commanders that seat. He loves to come into our room in the early morning hours and climb into bed next to me for our "cuddle time." 

As this momentous day passes, I am sad to know this time with my baby is passing and the day will come when the last thing he wants is to sit next to me at a restaurant or come home and sit on the floor showing me all the wonders from his day at school or out with his friends. At the same time I am excited to look forward to the little man he is becoming. And the man he will become. 

A new phase in life starts today.

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Laundry

Minus the baby- this is what my laundry looks like currently- well, almost!!! Last week I worked everyday, mostly afternoons, into the evening, so I left before the kids got home and got home after bedtime. Sadly, the chore that always gets neglected when I'm pressed for time is the laundry. My DH tried to keep it going, but his system isn't as tried and true as mine, so today gives LAUNDRY DAY a whole new meaning. My goal- 6-10 loads before bed, and as I've only done 4 and tonight we are going on a date, I am pushing my luck. So of course here I am blogging rather than sorting clothes in the laundry room. 

*Sigh....* 

Guess I should go switch loads again. DH leaves town again tomorrow, so I have to at least get his clothes clean, right? 

Hi-ho, Hi-ho, It's off to work I go....

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Shortsleeve pants-

Today was a wonderful day. I was woken by the soft footsteps and whispers of Tyler as he woke Daddy asking to help him "make mommy a big breakfast." They tiptoed out of the room and I fell back to sleep. I was woke not long latter by the smell of bacon and 3 kids and my hubby carrying a cookie sheet  laden with eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, OJ and flowers from the garden. What a wonderful morning! I spent the morning working on some long overdue valances for my mother in law then went to church. After church we came home and changed clothes before headed off to Grandma and Grandpa to deliver mothers day gifts. Carter couldn't find "anything" to wear so I sent Tyler to help him. We were trying to get out the door and yelled down to Carter to hurry up. He yelled back- "But I don't want to wear short-sleeve pants."  Children make me laugh!!! 

We went for a drive up the canyon, then a bike ride up to the reservoir. A very good mothers day!!!

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so im trying out the new txt 2 ur blog. could b realy cool but ull have 2 forgive the spelling. lets see how this works!

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No... I did not hit him!!!

Poor Ty, he is yet again the top of my blog- another injury. Today at recess he collided w/a boy while playing football. Ty went for a loose ball, while another boy was chasing a soccer ball. The knee came up as Ty's face went down, and this is the result. Actually, this picture is not very representative of the real deal. His eye is swollen partly shut, but for the picture he was trying hard to get it open and the swelling and discoluration extend up around the outside toward his hairline.

The school called to tell me to come get him and when I got there they informed me that he had been very brave! Of course he has. This is Ty, the boy who layed in his Dad's lap while he removed a fishing lure w/ a pair of needle nose. Not a sound made, just crocidile tears rolling down the side of his face and white nuckles clenched into a fist were the only sign of his agony.

So I brought him home and gave him an ice pack and some advil. Then tried to get him to take a nap. He laid in bed next to me and stared at the ceiling. Now he is watching Hotel for Dogs and claims to be doing "Much Better," after only 2 hours. We'll see how this goes... oh and lucky us Brady is out of the country, AGAIN!!! So mommy is on her own to deal w/ this.

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Joy

Found this giveaway on Cousin Pollys blog. This is such a neat picture. It's by an artist named David Bowman and he's giving away some signed prints for mothers day. Details at http://trying2staycalm.blogspot.com/2009/04/david-bowman-print-giveaway.html, Daves website is www.bowman-art.com . He's got some really neat work and is doing mother day specials from the same blog above. Anyway, thought some of you might be interested.

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Little Critters

This morning after sleeping in I woke to the joyful noises of my children playing together (*via the baby monitor.) I rolled over and realised my hubby- who always sleeps longer than me- is already up and gone. Hmmm? I layed their lazily for a moment before climbing out of bed and going in search of the rest of my family.

The boys were in the theater playing rock band and singing at the top of their lungs, Brady is in front of his computer mixing music on his new toy, and then I find my princess...She is sitting on the floor in her room, still in her cozy pj's, looking at her collection of LPS. (For those of you that don't have daughters... that is Littlest Pet Shop.)

I leaned against the door frame to watch her and she sensed my presence. As she looked up her brown hair fell back from her face which lit up with a smile. She stood up and came over to put her arms around me and gave me a HUGE hug. The rested her chin against my chest, gazed up at me and asked,

"Do you want to play Littlest Pet Shop?"

The first thought.. not really... but then the thought came to my mind. My baby girl is 10 years old and is asking me to spend time with her, how many more times will this happen before she is locking her door and telling me to go away?

So of course I sat down on the floor and said, "OK, what do we do?" Her sweet laugh filled the air- "There are no rules, we just play." She proceeded to show me all 30+ figurines and their names and what each one likes to do, who is her favorite and which accessory came with each. She then told me what her brother does when he plays and how the motorcycles and race cars get involved.

I have been struck several times this week by the speed at which their life's are passing me by. I was looking at photos of them as toddlers and began to cry, Tyler asked why I was crying, I told him they are growing up too fast. "I'm sorry" was his response.

Wasn't it just months ago that we were by their side in the NICU praying for them? Then moving them from an infant seat to a transition seat to a booster chair... now they buckle in all by themselves, with out a thought about mom and dad's help.

My baby's aren't baby's anymore... I am afraid to blink, for when I open my eyes again they will be teenagers, then missionaries and college students, then newly weds. I remember being younger and people telling me to enjoy my baby's because it would be over so quickly. But I couldn't wait for the next milestone, now I see what they meant, and wish I had spent more time just sitting with them, enjoying each stage.

Today I turn over a new leaf... I am going to start appreciating every moment. It passes too quickly.

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Does anyone read this???

OK I'm going to sound like my 6 year old here... NO ONE LEAVES ME COMMENTS!!! I am jealous of Amy and all the comments she gets- hey and a lot of those people are you... my sisters!!! (i hope you all hear the teasing undertones!!) this is why they say not to be sarcastic in emails and text- someone might take it wrong!!

Tyler turned 9 yesterday!!! I can't believe it has really been that long. I read Tammy's blog where she said "I am old!" and I can relate. If she's 40 that means I'm going to be 34!!!

What happened?
Where have the years gone?

So for his birthday Tyler got to pick the restaurant. No great surprise to anyone who knows him, we went to Golden Corral. Of course this was after I boycotted the 45 minute drive to All You Can Eat Chinese!! Megan, Liz, Ben and the baby's where there, as well as Grandma and Grandpa Bush. Tyler also got to bring along 2 friends. Despite his reservations about the move, he has settled well in to the new school and made some good friends- which are all w/in walking distance!!! (yeah me!)

So you ask- what did he get for his birthday- a couple misc toys, some money, a Nerf dart gun set, and my future UFC star got his BIG wish... A punching bag!!!

Brady got a new weight bench earlier this week and so Tyler is now all set to bulk up and become a professional MMA fighter!!! (*hear the sarcasm-again)

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Utah Census Form

Amy sent this to me and it has me rolling on the floor!!!


Utah/ Census Form

1. _____________________ (Given name)

2. _____________________ (SURNAME)

3. Descendant of:
A. Brigham Young _____
B. Heber C. Kimball _____
C. Laman and Lemuel _____
D. Cain _____

4. Tribe of Israel : _____________________

5. Number of occupants residing in home in each category: (Listed in Chronological order)
A. Nursery _____
B. Junior Primary _____
C. Senior Primary _____
D. Young Women's _____
E. Young Men's _____
F. Relief Society _____
G. Elder _____
H. Dearly Departed _____
I. High Priest _____

6. Occupation [Please select all that apply.]:
A. Amway dealer _____
B. Shaklee dealer _____
C. Nonie juice dealer _____
D. NuSkin dealer _____

7. Automobile:
A. Station Wagon _____
B. Van _____
C. Suburban _____
D. School Bus _____
E. Double Decker _____
F. BMW (Big Mormon Wagon) ________

8. Favorite place to eat the night before Fast Sunday:
A. Chuck-A-Rama _____
B. Hometown Buffet _____
C. Sumo Sam's All You Can Eat Feeding Trough _____

9. Favorite Hero:
A. Nephi _____
B. Abinadi _____
C. Samuel the Lamanite_____
D. Steve Young _____
E. Johnny Lingo _____

10. Which of the following do you bring to church [check all that Apply.]:
A. Scriptures _____
B. Franklin Planner/ Daytimer _____
C. Pen/Pencil _____
D. Lifesavers/ Cheerios _____
E. Tic Tacs _____
F. Game Boy _____
G. Big Gulp _____
H. Cooler _____
I. Sony Walkman _____
J. TV Watch _____
K. All of the above _____

11. Do you prepare your church lessons:
A. A month in advance _____
B. A week in advance _____
C. While in the bathtub _____
D. While on the toilet _____
E. During Sacrament Meeting _____
F. During the closing prayer of Sacrament Meeting
G. During the opening prayer of the class you're teaching _____
H. Just wing it [according to the promptings of the Spirit] _____

12. Do you think pews should be permanently equipped with Big Gulp Holders?: yes___ no ___

13. How many years has your family sat in the same place for Sacrament Meeting:
A. 10-20 years _____
B. 20-30 years _____
C. 30-40 years _____
D. Over 3 generations _____

14. How much time does it take for you to fall asleep during a high Council talk:
A. 1/100,000,000th of a second _____
B. 1/999,999,999th of a second _____
C. 1/999,999,998th of a second _____

15. Which day of the month do you go home/visiting teaching:
A. 31st ______
B. 31st ______
C. 31st ______
D. 31st ______

16. How many church basketball fights were you in last year:
A. 1-10 _____
B. 10-20 _____
C. 20-30 _____
D. You'll have to ask my lawyer _____

17. Which of the following has been your most effective Family Home
Evening:
A. Arguing about getting along
B. Having an opening and closing prayer with dinner
C. Gathering around the television to watch, "Everybody Loves Raymond?"

18. How many times a year do you make:
A. Green Jell-O salad _____
B. Funeral potatoes _____
C. Cabbage and Top Ramen salad _____
D. Turkey , cashews and grape-stuffed croissants_____

19. How many water-filled two-liter bottles do you own:
A. 1-2 thousand _____
B. 2-3 thousand _____
C. 3-4 thousand _____
D. Enough to fill the Great Salt Lake _____

20. Which of the following do you feel is the most secure facility in the nation:
A. Alcatraz
B. Fort Knox
C. Ward Libraries

21. How many structural engineers do you hire annually to insure you'll win the pinewood derby: _________

22. Keeping the Word of Wisdom in mind, how much of the following do you consume:
A. Chocolate:___pounds daily X 365 days annually= ____

B. Cola: ____gallons daily X 365 days annually = ____

23. If you had to choose between witnessing the Second Coming or
attending a BYU/UofU football game, which would you choose?
A. Second Coming _____
B. Football game _____


AMEN

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