Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wednesday's Wrandom Wrambling


I have eaten waaaaaayyyy too much this week.  Like TOO MUCH!

Sheesh!
Family dinner on Sunday including birthday cake
Monday night - Diva dinner including birthday brownie sundae
Tuesday night - Bonco dinner including home made ice cream
Today - lunch with some fun girls including ALL MY CAJUN FRIES

I prolly should go on a fast or something.  Cleanse the body.

Or not.

Kinda freaked out.  Jack reminds me so much of Kasey it's downright freaky.  They aren't even the same breed, but personality wise and the quirky little traits that both have/had.  Weird.  Just plain weird man.

I think that is why I love that damn little dog so much.

Can't stop watching the Casey Anthony trial.  I turn on the live stream and listen to it while I work.  If someone new takes the stand - I click over to see what they look like, and then go back to listening.  If the testimony is compelling - I watch.  Like today.  George Anthony crying.  Hard to watch.  I remember when Calee went missing.  She and Chloee are the same age.  Maybe that's why I am so drawn to it.  Like a train wreck.  Just can't turn away.

I got some issue going on with my gut.  Going on two weeks now.  And my blood pressure is still high.  Doc and me will spend some time together on Friday.  Stress much?

I haven't been to Moab since I was a kid.  Going in a couple of weeks and VERY excited!  Warm - sunny - and Montana's family.  Good times.

Met a couple of very cool ladies today.  They have a gazillion kids.  How in the crap do people do it?  Okay, they don't have a gazillion but 4 and 5 are A LOT.  I give them huge props and respect.  Consider this the virtual fist bump.

Chloee has started wanting to do her own hair.  She gets the sides wet and calls it good.  I need to snap a picture.  It's downright funny.

She starts swimming lessons next week.  Humming with excitement!

And believe it or not, I am kind of feeling hungry again. 

Off to hang my head in shame as I work a bag of Dorito's


Monday, June 27, 2011

Summer fun - Family fun

What a crazy weekend!

Friday night - Cars 2
See in the theater?  Absolutely
Pixar's best sequel?  Nope.
Overall, a fun film.  The effects are just stunning.  I forget as I am watching that it's actually animation.  The story line gets a bit confusing and the little ones can't really follow it, so Chloee got a little bored until I had her sit in my lap and I explained the basics as we went along.
Just today, though, I read something about people making a deal out of  political statement that the movie is making.  I didn't get that.   But then again, I am a bit biased.  Splenda's cousin is the founder of Pixar as we know him to be a good, good man, and don't put much stock into some conspiracy.  I do think there was some great messages about friendship and what it means to be a friend.  Overall, enjoyable movie.

Then Saturday hit.  I felt like I went from one thing to another to another to another!!
After a 90 minute running workout - we cleaned the church and dropped the dogs off at the groomers.  Then it was brunch with some of my besties


(Jim's in WJ is the BOMB for breakfast!)

After another errand (getting our packets for Saturday's Kiss me Dirty run), it was out to Eagle Mountain for a family reunion.












Luke holing Chloee, Me, my sister Michelle, and her fiance Richard


Add Jess climbing up next to Luke

Luke and Jess







And then, back home for a quick shower and helping Splenda get set up for the ward/neighborhood bbq.
By the time that was over and we were home for the night, I was exhausted!  Sheesh - marathon day!

Sunday was regular church activities and then family dinner with everyone (minus Corb and Karalee)
Jess's birthday is later this week so we celebrated a little early.  Chloee loves any excuse for cake and candles!

Jessica and Chloee after the candles were blown out - see the smoke wafting in the air?

Luke and Jessica - Happy Birthday Jess!

Tuffy and 'Tana = love


What a wonderful but tiring weekend!  So many fun things, and for once it finally felt like summer.  Nothing like breaking out the sunscreen to make you feel like the season is FINALLY here!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Dude - you've been warned

For the past couple of days I have driven by this sign as I come into my neighborhood the back way.

I don't know who put it up or how long it will stay up, but I think it's AWESOME!

(makes me want to just sit on the street and watch to see what comes flying)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

San Diego - Coming home and a wrap up

Each of us have our own coping skills for tough days
Chloee's


mine

The people in the car loaded up early and headed out.  Chloee slept a little longer while I dozed off and on and started stressing about life in general.

Corbin and Karalee picked us up, we went to lunch and then dropped us off at the airport.

Chloee is now very much used to the drill of security.  Take off your shoes, put your backpack in the tray and walk through the metal detector.  After standing in a long line of course.

When we left SLC  - the minute a TSA saw I was traveling with her, we were taken to the front of the line and whisked through without incident.

Not so in San Diego.  We waited in the only security line visible.  After several minutes and finally at the front, the TSA agent looked at my boarding pass and wanted to know if I had heard her announcement. Well, geez obvio not if I am in the wrong line here.  She sends me another section of the airport and ANOTHER security station.

This time, there isn't a line, but we still are hurrying in case anyone comes behind us, we would't hold them up.
There is no metal detector this time.  The only option is the full body scan.  I ask the TSA agent if I can go first.  No.  Little one first.  I tell Chloee to listen to the man and do as he says.  She tried really hard, but he doesn't speak English very well and gets increasingly frustrated because she is not putting her feet EXACTLY where he wants them and raising her arms to the EXACT angle required.  I ask him again if I can go first and show her.  No.  She looks at me a little stressed.  I glare as much as I dare to at the agent but holding back since I don't want him to decide there should be any groping of me OR her.
Finally, he is satisfied with her stance and gets her through.  I'm next.  Once I am safely through, I go ahead and mutter as loud as I dare, how stupid I think the whole process is and what kind of freak is looking at a naked 4 year old right now.....you get the picture.

Once we land in Oakland, I check our boarding pass for our gate and we head there.  We have a few minutes so I grab some snacks and boot up the computer.  As time goes on, I see it's getting closer to our flight time and there isn't anyone at our gate.  I look around for the TV's to see if our gate has changed.  Can't see any.  I double check the boarding passes.  We are at the gate listed.  I look at the gate screen and see two cities, but neither of them are SLC.

Little nervous.  I approach gate agent who informs me that the gate has changed.  Oops he says, better announce that.  He gets on the PA system to announce to NO ONE  that the gate has changed.
I look around for the direction of our ACTUAL gate, it's clear across the freaking airport.  I look at the time. We have two minutes.

"Chloee honey, we have to RUN!"

We take off sprinting down the halls of the airport.  I give her credit - girl can run!  She kept up fabulous and made it to the gate just before they shut the doors.  We were literally the last people on the plane.

Now SW is a seat yourself ride.  Normally, we would have boarded in the family boarding section and managed seats just fine.  This time however, it was a full flight.  Do you think we could find two seats together?  Nope.  Do you think anyone would offer?  Even the several SW crew people on board?  Not bloodly likely.  Finally a woman offered to move so we could have to the two seats together.  Thank you lady.  I think you may have been a SW employee since you were in the same color shirt.  Thank you.

After that, the rest of the trip was uneventful.  Tib picked us up at the airport, we got home, unpacked and settled back in.

Once I finally got a keyed up Chloee in bed and asleep, I had time to think over the weekend.

I am so happy for Corbin and Karalee.  It is clear that they love each other very much, and while their courtship may have been unconventional, I think it was perfect for them.  They have a darling apartment, he has a great job with the corps and they are finally together and happy.

Chloee loves Karalee and was able to bond quite a bit with her before the wedding.  Corbin and Chloee have a bond that is difficult to describe.  Even with all the time that they have had to spend apart, there is an unmistakable bond.  She will adjust just fine to her new life.  I think the rest of us back in UT will have the harder time.
  
Me?  (of course me, this is MY blog) - I am afraid that I might not have been the warmest most touchy feeling person in So Cal this past weekend.  It's certainly not a reflection of how I feel about the marriage or Karalee and I was grateful that we could go to lunch before and I could tell her this. 

There has just been A LOT of crap in the past 6 months and I am still processing it all.  Grieving for Jill.  Grieving for Chloee and her loss.  Adapting to the fact that Corbin will be away for at least 3 years.  Sure, Cali is close, but it's not like they can just jaunt over for Sunday dinner.  A new family.  New inlaws.  New life with Chloee since Christmas, and now a new life without her.  Some days it's just too much for me.  I can't wrap my head around what HAS happened, and what WILL happen.  Not that the future isn't going to be fantastic, it is, I just can't get my head there yet.  And if that doesn't make sense to anyone, it's okay, I don't expect it to and the beauty is, it doesn't have to.  It doesn't even make sense to me. 

The bottom line - I am thrilled for Corbin and Karalee.  They are darling together.  He makes her happy.  She makes him happy.  Chloee is happy being with them. 
That really is all that is important and matters.

Again, CONGRATULATIONS  Corbalee (Corbin/Karalee combined)!!

Mama is so very, very happy for you!


San Diego - Post wedding

HAH!  You thought I was gonna say something about a honeymoon.  Nope.  Some lines I don't cross - believe it or not.

Saturday morning dawned and there was no way I was going to the gym.  I was tired.  I was aching from sleeping on a bad bed in between Splenda and Chloee.

Corb and Kar needed us to sign the marriage certificate as witnesses so we left Splenda's car with the kids and we took Chloee and headed BACK to Camp Pendleton.

This is what we saw at the gate to enter
A darling retired couple who chose to spend their Saturday morning standing outside the gates of the Marine base thanking every Marine and their family who returned.  I want to grow up to be like them.

Corb and Splenda built their kitchen table while Karalee, Chloee and I ran errands.
In the evening everyone gathered at their place for a family BBQ
Chloee enjoyed being with her daddy!


Some of us watched a movie and others chatted and played with Chloee.  At the end of the night, Luke and Robby stayed at the apartment, the rest of us went back to our hotel room and spent the last night in beautiful So Cal.

San Diego - Post wedding dinner

Oh Buca di Beppo - how I love you!

Streets of down town (wherever we were) - how I don't!

Parking...interesting.  Did you know that in southern Cali that they would charge you to take a poop if they could?  OY VAY!  40 bucks just to get out of the hotel on the beach parking and now..... you know what?  It's all cool - this was FUN!  And an adventure!  And so far, my spanx was holding up!

We all met up at the restaurant and ordered several dishes to be shared family style.  Karalee's mom and sisters had a beautiful cake all ready and once everyone got there, it was great! 
Someone was very tired though..... remember the whole schedule being off? 

Liking Daddy's decorations

Kayla is a total sweetheart and had made bracelets for each of the girls and put personal charms on them all


Mine had a D, M, Faith, and a Running Shoe.  How cute is that?  It really meant a lot to me to see all the work she had put into them.  Each girls was unique to her.  And you can kind of see Chloee's in her hand.  White beads with a C charm.  Thank you Kayla!!

After the eating, it was time for cake!







I think both of them were exhausted and once the cake festivities were done, they were OUTTA there! 

We were right behind with a sleepy, tired Chloee and Mimi who couldn't wait to get to our bed!

PS - I can honestly say that I once again found spanx to be overrated.  It just shoves the fat other places.  And just so you know, I can drive with one hand and rip of my spanx with the other.  Just ask Montana (if she wasn't too traumatized)

The Wedding

*Picture overload.  I don't know how to do those collage thingies so you get each and every last one of them*

**comments off - your welcome**






My guys!



























Love this one!





Wish this was clearer - but I love the expression on her face!




Rob channeling his inner Steve (and you know what I mean Steve!)









l-r 
Rob, Tuff, Tana, Luke, Splenda, Me, Corb, Chloee, Kar, Leslie, Jon, Karynn, Kayla, Bryan, Annie



Goofy Karalee with her sisters Kayla and Karynn

What a beautiful bride

Love these two!!
Congratulations and welcome to our family Karalee!