I found a quote that totally describes my life...
You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. ~Franklin P. Jones
Monday, September 14, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Craziness
The past week or two just might top the "most hectic times ever" chart for me. When we got back from Hawaii a note was taped to our door saying that our rent was going up, and it was quite a significant amount. Chad and I have really enjoyed living there so we decided just to suck it up and pay the rent rather than find a new place. But the Lord works in mysterious ways. I was talking with some ward members who told me of an apartment in the ward for $500 a month, much less than what we were going to be paying. The following day at work, Cheryl (a co-worker/angel) told us she had a house with a garage and yard and a bazillion other great things we could stay in in Payson. We were not really looking to move, and suddenly two great places landed in our laps. Cheryl offered rediculously affordable rent, and we took it! The house had not been lived in for 4-5 years, so we had some cleaning to do. Cheryl worked so hard to get it ready for us (do you see why I added the /angel part?). We decided to move in on Thursday night, and by Monday night our friends were helping us pack up and move. I also think that might top the "quickest move ever" chart.
I connot help but think of the ways I am blessed, and the chains of blessings that fall my way. Being able to save so much money on rent opens up so many more doors for Chad and I. I cannot think of another way to say it, other than, we are truely blessed to have such great friends and family looking out for us.
So, in a matter of 5 days we have changed zip codes, started a new school year at East Meadows, UVU, and SUU! Crazy, but we could not be happier!
I connot help but think of the ways I am blessed, and the chains of blessings that fall my way. Being able to save so much money on rent opens up so many more doors for Chad and I. I cannot think of another way to say it, other than, we are truely blessed to have such great friends and family looking out for us.
So, in a matter of 5 days we have changed zip codes, started a new school year at East Meadows, UVU, and SUU! Crazy, but we could not be happier!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Here it is...
Here you have it... the long awaited video. I don't know how to create a link, so you will just have to copy it and paste it in the URL line.
http://www.cricut.com/education/video/
http://www.cricut.com/education/video/
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Howdy and Aloha!
Well, the summer is pretty much come to an end for us, and boy did it go out with a bang! We spent the last few days of July in Jackson Hole with some friends and went from there straight to Hawaii with Chad's family. We had a great time, played hard, and now... we are exhausted! I will try and organize this post the best I can, and not ramble on too much :) JACKSON HOLE Jody and Tyler were kind enough to take us to Jackson and spend a few days seeing the town, visiting the Tetons, and just relaxing. Here are a few pics of our adventures!
HAWAII
We flew out Monday morning and due to delayed flights, we did not get to Oahu and get to our house til late that night. We still made time to visit the beach. Our house was in Kailua on the island Oahu. To get to the beach you had to walk about 100 yds down this creepy/enchanted looking pathway. The beach was beautiful at night and I feel bad I did not get a picture.
Day 1: Because of the time change, we were all screwed up! We were awake and out to the beach by 7! We played in the sand, rode boogie boards in the waves, and got burnt! Later that afternoon we visited Pearl Harbor. I loved it. It was so sombering to see all those names. We visited the USS Arizona Memorial. I was kind of creeped out knowing that the bodies were never pulled out. I loved reading the stories of the men who experienced that day, and that war. It made me grateful for the sacrifices they made. We went from Pearl Harbor to the Punch Bowl. There were tons of graves here. There were walls and walls of names of people who faught in the Pacific Wars, but were lost and bodies never found. Again, pretty sombering. Day 2: Today we went snorkeling at Sharks Bay. We saw a HUGE sea turtle! It swam right out to us and let us touch it. Later that night we went to Waikiki, had dinner, and walked along the beach. It was beautiful at night with all the tall, glowing motels right on the beach.
Day 3: We went snorkeling again today at Haunauma Bay. It was beautiful. I cannot get over how beautiful everything is here. I saw tons of fish here. They were bright and colorful and came so close. I kept thinking of Finding Nemo and telling everyone I saw a Dori or a Nemo.
Day 4: This might have been my favorite day. We went to the Polynesian Culture Center. We visited each little nation and participated in games, presentations, and even took a hula lesson. It is Chad's request that I post this.
We had dinner at the luau and watched a show "Ha: Breath of Life". It was pretty much a dancing show and I loved every minute of it. Chad got a little bored, but still agrees is was a great day! Day 5: Today we went to a swap meet. It was all the way around the Aloha Stadium. It took hours to walk through it but we got some pretty cool stuff. Chad got a Happiness Tikki Man (a big one!) and I found a cute photo album and some jewelry. I love places like this and all the little booths. It was fun when the family all met back together and shared our found treasures! Later than afternoon we went to another beach on the island. It was a pretty beach, but kind of rocky. We spent most of our time playing in the sand and digging out crabs. We caught one that was HUGE! The body was about as big as my fist, and then adding on the legs and snappers it was ginormous! And of course, my camera battery died about 5 miutes before we found the crab. But believe me it was awsome! On a not so awesome note, I got stung by a Man-Of-War jellyfishy thingy. They were everywhere on almost every beach we went to. Most of us got stung at some point during the trip.
Day 6: Today is Sunday, so we attended a sacrament meeting in Kailua and then went on a hike to Maunawili Falls. The hike was gorgeous. I felt like I was walking through the deep jungle. However, it was so humid and hot in there I thought I was going to die! The trees in Hawaii were so weird. Everywhere we drove Chad and I were looking for a new strange tree. We saw lots of them on this hike.
Day 7: Most of the family went to the Bishop's Museum today, but Chad wasn't feeling well so we stayed behind at the house. It was so quiet and peaceful. We sat in the house with every window open and listened to it rain. Chad took a nap, and I went down to the beach. We spent a lot of time at "our" beach in Kailua. We were there almost every day for some period of time. It was very private and not at all crowded like a lot of the public beaches we visited on the island. We mostly loved it because it was on the windy side of the island and the waves wer huge, perfect for boogie boarding. As I was laying on the beach alone, a family sat down right next to me. The wife was pregnant, and white. The husband was black, and a pretty ripped dude. They had the cutest little boys, twins. The dad and the boys played in the water and I just watched them. They were so cute! I was a little weirded out cause there were these 2 guys just kind of hanging out about 20 feet from the family and following them around. Later when the Barton's came out to the beach, Tyrell recognized that this family was Seal and his wife Heidi Klum. I felt kind of dumb cause I had been watching them for like 30 minutes and did not recognize them. At one point some little dude tried taking their picture and the body guard got all up in his face and hustled him away. It was kind of funny to watch.
Day 8: Going home today. We checked out of the house at 10 and spent the day in Honolulu and Waikiki. We visited the Iolani Palace. It was cool and we learned a lot about Hawaii as an independent nation and the queen being overthrown. At one point the queen was imprisoned in the palace and spent 9 months locked in a room. While she was there she made this awsome quilt. Because I am kind of a quilt nerd, I loved it and baught a book about it. I love learning history lessons like that.
We boarded the plane around 8 that night, had a short layover in Denver, and finally flew into Salt Lake around 10:45. We are exhausted! I hate unpacking, so after a nap, I decided to blog! We had such a great time on both our trips. I have not been able to spend a lot of time with Chad's family and it was really fun to get to know them better. His brother, Jason, just got off his mission and I met him for the first time. We are so grateful we have the oppotunity and the means to live the comfortable lifestyle we do. Rod and Lisa, we cannot thank you enough for providing this experience for us! Horray for family and friends!
HAWAII
We flew out Monday morning and due to delayed flights, we did not get to Oahu and get to our house til late that night. We still made time to visit the beach. Our house was in Kailua on the island Oahu. To get to the beach you had to walk about 100 yds down this creepy/enchanted looking pathway. The beach was beautiful at night and I feel bad I did not get a picture.
Day 1: Because of the time change, we were all screwed up! We were awake and out to the beach by 7! We played in the sand, rode boogie boards in the waves, and got burnt! Later that afternoon we visited Pearl Harbor. I loved it. It was so sombering to see all those names. We visited the USS Arizona Memorial. I was kind of creeped out knowing that the bodies were never pulled out. I loved reading the stories of the men who experienced that day, and that war. It made me grateful for the sacrifices they made. We went from Pearl Harbor to the Punch Bowl. There were tons of graves here. There were walls and walls of names of people who faught in the Pacific Wars, but were lost and bodies never found. Again, pretty sombering. Day 2: Today we went snorkeling at Sharks Bay. We saw a HUGE sea turtle! It swam right out to us and let us touch it. Later that night we went to Waikiki, had dinner, and walked along the beach. It was beautiful at night with all the tall, glowing motels right on the beach.
Day 3: We went snorkeling again today at Haunauma Bay. It was beautiful. I cannot get over how beautiful everything is here. I saw tons of fish here. They were bright and colorful and came so close. I kept thinking of Finding Nemo and telling everyone I saw a Dori or a Nemo.
Day 4: This might have been my favorite day. We went to the Polynesian Culture Center. We visited each little nation and participated in games, presentations, and even took a hula lesson. It is Chad's request that I post this.
We had dinner at the luau and watched a show "Ha: Breath of Life". It was pretty much a dancing show and I loved every minute of it. Chad got a little bored, but still agrees is was a great day! Day 5: Today we went to a swap meet. It was all the way around the Aloha Stadium. It took hours to walk through it but we got some pretty cool stuff. Chad got a Happiness Tikki Man (a big one!) and I found a cute photo album and some jewelry. I love places like this and all the little booths. It was fun when the family all met back together and shared our found treasures! Later than afternoon we went to another beach on the island. It was a pretty beach, but kind of rocky. We spent most of our time playing in the sand and digging out crabs. We caught one that was HUGE! The body was about as big as my fist, and then adding on the legs and snappers it was ginormous! And of course, my camera battery died about 5 miutes before we found the crab. But believe me it was awsome! On a not so awesome note, I got stung by a Man-Of-War jellyfishy thingy. They were everywhere on almost every beach we went to. Most of us got stung at some point during the trip.
Day 6: Today is Sunday, so we attended a sacrament meeting in Kailua and then went on a hike to Maunawili Falls. The hike was gorgeous. I felt like I was walking through the deep jungle. However, it was so humid and hot in there I thought I was going to die! The trees in Hawaii were so weird. Everywhere we drove Chad and I were looking for a new strange tree. We saw lots of them on this hike.
Day 7: Most of the family went to the Bishop's Museum today, but Chad wasn't feeling well so we stayed behind at the house. It was so quiet and peaceful. We sat in the house with every window open and listened to it rain. Chad took a nap, and I went down to the beach. We spent a lot of time at "our" beach in Kailua. We were there almost every day for some period of time. It was very private and not at all crowded like a lot of the public beaches we visited on the island. We mostly loved it because it was on the windy side of the island and the waves wer huge, perfect for boogie boarding. As I was laying on the beach alone, a family sat down right next to me. The wife was pregnant, and white. The husband was black, and a pretty ripped dude. They had the cutest little boys, twins. The dad and the boys played in the water and I just watched them. They were so cute! I was a little weirded out cause there were these 2 guys just kind of hanging out about 20 feet from the family and following them around. Later when the Barton's came out to the beach, Tyrell recognized that this family was Seal and his wife Heidi Klum. I felt kind of dumb cause I had been watching them for like 30 minutes and did not recognize them. At one point some little dude tried taking their picture and the body guard got all up in his face and hustled him away. It was kind of funny to watch.
Day 8: Going home today. We checked out of the house at 10 and spent the day in Honolulu and Waikiki. We visited the Iolani Palace. It was cool and we learned a lot about Hawaii as an independent nation and the queen being overthrown. At one point the queen was imprisoned in the palace and spent 9 months locked in a room. While she was there she made this awsome quilt. Because I am kind of a quilt nerd, I loved it and baught a book about it. I love learning history lessons like that.
We boarded the plane around 8 that night, had a short layover in Denver, and finally flew into Salt Lake around 10:45. We are exhausted! I hate unpacking, so after a nap, I decided to blog! We had such a great time on both our trips. I have not been able to spend a lot of time with Chad's family and it was really fun to get to know them better. His brother, Jason, just got off his mission and I met him for the first time. We are so grateful we have the oppotunity and the means to live the comfortable lifestyle we do. Rod and Lisa, we cannot thank you enough for providing this experience for us! Horray for family and friends!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Swing Life Away....
This past weekend, The Becks, my mom's side of the family, had a reunion at the Heber Valley Camp. We had a great time. It was so fun to see some of my cousins that I had not seen in so long! We ate, sat around the campfire, played some games, and made crafts with the kids. We took a couple of hours to go on a challenge ropes course.
This is Chad retrieving the anecdote from an island surrounded by lava to save the whole family! Isn't he brave! Our favorite part of the challenge course was the giant swing!
I look a little ridiculus in this one cause I am trying to fly like Peter Pan. 
This is a video of my dad. I thought I was taking a picture, but my camera was set on video instead. Oops!
This is Chad retrieving the anecdote from an island surrounded by lava to save the whole family! Isn't he brave! Our favorite part of the challenge course was the giant swing!
I look a little ridiculus in this one cause I am trying to fly like Peter Pan. 
This is a video of my dad. I thought I was taking a picture, but my camera was set on video instead. Oops!The Zoo
So, Chad and I are both adults. We have no children. Yet one of the things we really wanted to do this summer was go to the zoo. It was kind of funny walking around and looking at all the people who were there with KIDS. We might have been the only lone adult couple in the park that day, but had fun anyway! Here are some pics so you can witness the experience!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Hometown Pride
I am sad to report that I did not bring my camera to any of our 4th of July events :(, but I hope you enjoy our story anyway.
Friday afternoon Chad and I headed down to Gunnison. His family (all the guys) followed us down. The guys (and Aunt Michelle!) have a motorcycle gang and love to spend time the the mountains riding their bikes. Grandpa Barton (who is truly an amazing man) spends the winter fixing and maintaining all the bikes. We convinced them to come to Gunnison and my dad showed them around the mountain. Confession #1, I was so excited for them to come. I feel so much pride and love for those mountains. I have spent so much time with my family and friends there. I feel like I know every turn in the road, and have a memory for almost every trail and camping spot. Earlier in the week I asked my dad where he had parked our trailer and all he had to say was "that little hole on the north side of the road" and I knew what he was talking about. The funny thing is, I don't think I am alone in this 12 mile canyon pride. My dad was just as excited to show Chad's family around.
I spent Friday the 3rd with my mom. It was so nice to spend some time with her. She is truly one of my best friends. We went to the Gunnison City festivities. Confession #2, I love that town! It might be a po-dunk little town in the middle of nowhere, and it smells like cows and the water tastes kind of funny, but I love it! We went to dinner at the high school. It was fun to see old high school friends and familiar faces. I get so excited about the 4th of July in Gunnison every year, and it will be a sad day when I cannot be there. This year in Gunnison was particularly special because the town in celebrating 150 years. We had kid from Gunnison come home with his fellow Dew Tour friends and do a motorbiking-jump show. I loved it! My mom on the other hand was so nervous I did not think she was going to be able to watch! We finished the evening with a Merill Osmond concert (yes, the Merill Osmond..haha), and of course the fireworks. One of my favorite parts about the fireworks is that every year they play "Coming to America" which in my opinion is the ultimate patriotic song! Every time I hope that when Neil sings "coming to America TODAY..." that a huge firework goes off just in sync with the song! The next morning we watched the parade and went to the park for a few minutes to see all the festivities there. Then we headed up the mountain to have lunch with Chad and his motorcycle gang.
Later that evening we had a BBQ at Chad's sister's house in Syracuse. It is so entertaining to have little kids around and watch their amazement with sparklers and fireworks. For the most part they just stare and say "pretty"!
It was a great weekend! I love celebrating with family and remembering just how lucky I am to be an American. But after the weekend was said and done, I could not stop thinking about my little town and how proud I am of it! Walking around the park, seeing people who are having a good time, kids with their parents, faces painted, bags with little goldfish from the fish pond, Uncle Kent pulling the train around the park, horseshoes, dunk tanks, taco salads, and old friends and distant family. I feel like I am lucky to have grown up in such a place and to have those memories. I know that my life travels will probably never end up in Gunnison, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to experience it!
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