America, the beautiful

This post isn't going to be nearly as patriotic as it sounds. But, it is about what we did on the 4th of July, so that's how it ties in. Mike and I celebrated our anniversary by leaving the kids with my parents all day on the 4th and spending the whole day jeeping through the mountains. We went up East of Park City on the back side of the Wasatch mountains and visited the Upper Provo River Falls and Mirror Lake. It was beautiful and peaceful and serene and romantic! Mike really enjoyed celebrating our anniversary in the jeep, because with the top off it is too loud to talk to each other. That is totally his kind of bonding! :) So here are a bunch of pictures of the beautiful mountains we got to enjoy without kids!

The last picture is of this beautiful, quiet little pond that we found while offroading in the jeep. It was beautiful, but there was something really eerie about the calm there, so far away from anyone or anything. Maybe it's just because I'm not an avid camper or hiker who is used to being so high in the pristine mountains, or maybe it was my sixth sense, but I felt like we were a little too close to nature for comfort, I felt something ominous close by--a bear, a mountain lion, or. . . . . .vampires! Okay, not vampires, but I told Mike we had to get outta there because I was feeling pretty vulnerable. Mike thought I was being silly, but he was hoping that it would convince me to let him get a rifle. Nice try!

I am really grateful for the beautiful mountains nearby. There is so much beauty all over in these mountains. I like the occasional hike, but I gotta admit, I enjoy the mountains just as much from the jeep. We're more "at one" with nature when the top's off!

"Us"

JUNE 30, 2009: Our 8-year wedding anniversary! Every year it reminds me that time goes by so quickly. It's amazing how fast life starts to go once you get married. Life doesn't even really begin, if you ask me, until marriage. It's all just kind of a warm-up or a preparation before that. When I was single, I spent so much energy worrying that I wouldn't ever find the right person, and now I sort of wish I would've enjoyed my few fleeting single years a lot more. And had I fully realized what kind of man I really deserved (Michael), I wouldn't have wasted my time and tears on losers. They were all such losers compared to Michael. Aaaaaaah, well hindsight is 20/20. It's kind of like the scriptures say, "you have to pass through a bunch of losers, in order to appreciate the good man"--or something like that. ;) I DID appreciate the good man, pretty much from the very beginning. It was so effortless with him. He disarmed my defenses right away, without me even realizing it. I fell in love with him in just a few days--and I had never been in love before, not even close. He was, and still is, the perfect complement to my personality and he has softened and refined me over the years. He is everything I needed, but not what I myself would have put on my own Man checklist. I'm sure so many of you could say the same things about your husbands. But, alas, it is not perfect and we are still in process and in progress. I've heard it said, the key to a great marriage is this: "Choose wisely, treat kindly." I've never questioned my original choice of an eternal companion. It was more than just a wise choice--undoubtedly it was divinely guided. So, now it's up to me to treat him kindly. I've been practicing for 8 years, have been better at it at some times than others, but I'm more than happy to spend the next 8 years and the 8 after that, and the 8 after that (you get the idea) trying to perfect it.

When I look at that sketch of us (it was by some street artist on our honeymoon in San Francisco), I think "we were just kids--and we thought we were big enough to get married." Even funnier, is that I thought I knew so much about marriage--being a Family Science major and all. Ha! So, in honor of our 8 years of Marriage Education, I am going to write 8 things about what I thought BEFORE I got married, and how it has all actually worked out.

8. Never go to bed angry. (Reality check: No one is reasonable when they are too tired, it's so much better to stop talking, sleep on it, and then deal with it if it's still a problem after a good night's sleep. )

7. Talk things out until you both feel resolved. (Reality check: There are some issues that keep coming up for years, and after you spend the first few years trying to overanalyze, talk, talk, talk, seeking for some perfect resolution, but doing nothing but creating more pain and frustration, you kind of start to know that it's often most helpful to keep your mouth shut.)

6. Division of labor should be 50/50. (Reality check: Anytime you are paying too close of attention to the balance of labor, making sure everything is fair, you'll probably end up feeling resentful. In theory, I get the good intentions of this principle, but the variables of marriage are so much more complicated than that.)

5. Men don't change. (Reality check: They actually do! Men grow and learn and mature. But, the KEY is not expecting them to change in the ways YOU want them to. My man has changed a lot in very favorable ways over time, but when I married him I was willing to take him for what he was.

4. Marriage gets easier the longer you are married. (Reality check: It's a roller coaster ride. There are times that are totally smooth when you really pride yourself on how great your marriage is, and then there are times, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere, that are hard as hell! Or maybe I just need a lot more years under my belt to verify this one.)

3. Children are the crowning joy of a marriage. (Reality check: This is both true and false. :)

2. Marriage is hard work. (Reality check: Okay, this is true, but you don't fully understand what kind of work until you are actually married. It's like the peace corps--"The hardest job you'll ever LOVE." I actually really enjoy the work of marriage, I'm fascinated by the process. It is truly an ingenious part of God's plan. )

1. We will have sex every day! (Reality check: ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Still laughing. Wouldn't it be great if we did, though?)

Here's to the best 8 years of my life! There are many times when I feel like June 30, 2001 was the day I won BIG in the lottery. So congratulations, to me, on hitting the jackpot and enjoying the rewards for 8 years. I hope he feels the same!

I had to do it

Say what you will, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE me some Michael Jackson. ALWAYS HAVE. I endured lots of ridicule through junior high and high school because of my loyalty to MJ. But, people, he was amazing! He revolutionized music and especially DANCE. I have worshipped the dance moves of Michael since I was 6 years old and my mother taught me and my sisters a dance to "Beat It." I had to pay tribute. He was amazing, an icon, the center of my love for music and dance for my whole life. I have been mourning him for a very long time already.

In Memorium:
My top five MJ music videos:

5. Remember the Time (super cheesy, but amazing dancing.)
4. Beat It
3. Thriller
2. Scream (With Janet)
1. Smooth Criminal--(If you think Thriller is his best dance video, then you are not a true fan. The dance sequence in this gives me goose bumps!)

My top five MJ songs:
5. Say, Say, Say (with Paul McCartney)
4. Billie Jean
3. Human Nature
2. The Way You Make Me Feel
1. Who's Loving You? (From the Jackson 5)

I could go on and on. But, this video speaks for itself. God bless you, Michael Jackson.

One Man's Trash. . .

These are Gavin's "treasures." Gavin is always collecting treasures. He always needs some kind of little box for his treasures. Cool rocks are really his most valued treasures, but he likes most things that are small enough to fit in his little box. Can you tell what some of his little "treasures" are?

When I saw this, it made me think of that old saying about what little boys are made of--something about snails and puppy dog tails. Well, my boys are made up of rocks, LOTS of sand, rolie polie bugs, screws, boogers, and more sand. Gotta love it!

Silly DNA

I've been wanting to do a post for awhile about how much I do and do not look like my siblings. I've compared Facebook profile pictures and have come to the conclusion that I look most like my brother. My two sisters look like each other. And being the only fair-skinned, redhead in the entire family I always felt like the odd sibling out. So, here are our pics--you be the judge.

ME (#3 of 4 kids)

Justin (#2 of 4)

Jess (#1 of 4)

Janey (#4 of 4)


Also on the topic of DNA, I thought it would be fun to do comparisons of my kids. My two boys have looked so much alike since the day they were born. When my second son was born I had a "Deja Baby" moment because he looked EXACTLY like my first. They still look so much alike. But often when I look at Ruby I see glimpses of the same babies I've had before. So here's an age-to-age comparison. Each of the kids at 8 mos. They definitely look related!

It is a good thing Gavin has a nub, or I wouldn't be able to tell whose baby pics are whose. And Ruby has turned out to be my chubbiest baby ever (you know, after the initial super tiny, starvation phase)! DNA is such a funny thing. With my kids, you can see me or Mike in them depending on which one of us is holding them. I have a little of each of my parents, too. And while I don't look as much like my sisters--we all have the exact same voice and laugh!

My love/hate relationship with Dave Ramsey

I have been mentioning Dave Ramsey a lot lately, both on Facebook and in real life, so I thought I needed a blog post to explain it all. We went to see Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover Live Event" in Salt Lake on May 16th. For people who don't know him, Dave Ramsey is a financial guru who writes bestselling books, has a talk radio call-in show, and is broadcast on the Fox Business network. His whole premise is called "Baby steps to financial freedom." He has 7 steps that, if followed dilligently, will ultimately lead to wealth and freedom.

Okay, so, we've been trying all year to be more conscious of our finances and Mike has decided to actually get involved for the first time in years. But, now after going to Dave Ramsey, we have a concrete plan and some very tangible financial goals. We also bought a 13 week course called "Financial Peace University" which is giving us all the tools and motivation we need to finally do this right. For those of you who are interested the baby steps are:
1-Get $1000 into an emergency fund
2-Pay off all debt (except your house)
3-Get 3-6 months of expenses into a "fully funded" emergency fund.
4-Invest 15% into retirement accounts
5-Save your children's college tuition
6-Pay off your house
7-Build wealth and give

You focus exclusively on each step until you get to #4, then 4, 5, & 6 can all be worked on at the same time. How quickly you move through the steps depends pretty much on one thing--DISCIPLINE.

So, we have a very strict budget (something we haven't done in years) and we are literally watching every dollar! I am cracking down! Me and Mike are both super motivated and excited about the whole process. (It's hard to get excited about budgeting, so when you do, you have to ride that momentum as much as you can.) My brain is thinking constantly about "Where can I save more?" and "How can I make more?" I have been selling stuff like crazy. But, I'm still not sure what I can do to bring in more money. My motivation right now is that I really want a bigger house--either cash to remodel this one, or a big down payment for a bigger one.

Right now it feels like a money "diet." I'm feeling the deprivation (especially because I really want some new clothes for summer.) But, we haven't been at it that long, so I'm really hoping that it can become a lifestyle change that starts to come a little more naturally after a few months.

I'm also open to any brilliant ideas or tips anyone has on how I could bring in some money or how I can save more? Please share.

On a lighter note. . .

Thank you everyone for your support on my last post. I probably should have just completely ignored the situation and not even acknowledged it. But, I'm over it now. So, here's some positivity instead--the cuteness of my children (particularly Ruby.)

Gavin had his preschool graduation this week. It was pretty cute, but I am not at all ready for school to be done. How many days until kindergarten starts? And for that matter, how many years until ALL of my children are in school?