CAN SOMEBODY CALL THE WHAAMBULANCE?

It all started when I woke up late. The night before, I set my alarm in a tired haze for the time I was supposed to meet my friend, Claire, to go running instead of allotting myself fifteen minutes to get ready and get there. So of course, I'm hustling my buns and after I brush my teeth, I pop my contact on my finger only to realize I still had some toothpaste there that got on my contact. That doesn't feel good. And I didn't have time to mess with such nonsense, so I thought to myself glasses it is. However, as I'm driving there, I'm thinking how much I hate how my glasses bob up and down on my nose while I'm running, so I thought that I'd do without the glasses completely. I mean, how bad could it be, right? It's not like I'm driving or need to see what my kids are doing. I can just calmly jog along side of Claire (who will tell me if I'm about to hit something) and enjoy the early morning ambiance made from the cool breeze and the amazing firework-like images only a combination hideous vision and head lights can provide. No problem.

As we get going, I find it's already proving to be harder than I thought to run without my glasses. Claire keeps getting cornered as I keep insisting we should turn at the end of each block because since I can't see what's at the end of the street, I just figure there isn't one. Thus, we should turn. At this point in our run we're cutting through a parking lot. I notice a little downward slope and grateful to be getting any help from gravity that I can, I slightly increase my speed. I believe, I was thinking something along the lines as ooooh, a little hill! Well, every hill has a bottom and at the bottom of this one was a gutter, to which I rolled my ankle, heard some funky tearing sound, rolled like a tumbleweed and laid there on my back holding my weak, noise-making ankle as I kept yelling/crying over and over, "Oh, it hurts, oh it's bad. Oh, it hurts, oh, it's bad." Claire patiently sat there with comforting comments as I told her to give me a minute to bawl. Which, I did. After that, I managed to stand up and to my utter relief a lot of the pain from the initial...roll, had subsided. Needless, to say that was the end of our run for the day. I know, I know, always trying to think of something to end the workout a little short.

I got home and reluctantly took off my shoe to watch my ankle slowly swell to the size of a golf ball. With Phil busy as a bee, I had no choice but to figure out mommyhood with a sprained ankle. It wasn't too bad. I found a way to gently walk on my foot without it hurting and managed quite nicely--until...

Ryder flooded the toilet.

I had actually just put him down for a nap and was fifteen minutes away from putting Penny down for hers. Finally, a nice solid break to elevate my foot. I go into the bathroom and notice an ample amount of TP in the toilet bowl. Knowing Phil is a stickler when it comes to wasting toilet paper, I knew it could have only been one other person. Not certain if it would clog the toilet or not, I thought I would give it a little flush. ~Sigh~ To make a long story short. It was clogged and (according to what my dad tells me) the flapper didn't close down, so not only did it overflow-but it kept running. And running.  Oh, but I fixed it. After exhausting every possible option, I finally got one of the many ways to stop an overflowing toilet to work.

And to top everything off. I had to get a root canal today. I mean, I'm not the type of person to have anxiety attacks or anything over going to the dentist, but I do hate it enough that I have a pit in my stomach for the two days leading up to the procedure.

So here I sit, with a fat face and a fat ankle and right after I have some cheese to go with my whine, I'd like to issue the following statements:

1. I apologize to Claire for having to watch me dramatically, writhe in pain atop the cold black asphalt at 6:30 in the morning.
2. I'd like to thank Claire, for making me promise to never run without my glasses or contacts again.
3. I'd like to thank the towels, for being great in number and nearby.
4. And, yes, I'd like to thank Ryder, for only filling the toilet with TP and nothing else.
5. I apologize to my Phil and my dad for the voice mails of me freaking out over my toilet flooding and me mumbling in, again, a dramatic manner, over and over. "I just don't know what to do." (That wouldn't have had to happen if one of you would have answered your phone--just sayin')
6. And well, Mr. Endodontist, even though I'm very grateful none of those hair-like files you used broke off in my tooth, I think you should be grateful to me too because with you, I was actually quite brave.

ME...IN A NUTSHELL

So I was called into YW as an advisor this last Sunday and for our activity tomorrow night we're having a get-to-know your new leaders activity to which our President asked us if we'd list 10 thing about ourselves. Here are mine.

1. I hate the dentist and I have to get a root canal on Thursday.
2. I wish that in college I would have majored in interior design or graphic design instead of public relations
3. Both of my children were born on the ****. (Too much personal info for the 'ol blog--ya know what I'm sayin')
4. I have an uber crush on my husband who occasionally uses his boyish charm get out of trouble.
5. I'm related to Marilyn Monroe thru my mom's paternal side. Distantly--but still--I'm related!
6. I would be lying if I haven't daydreamed a time or two about being a totally awesome (and of course, famous) rockstar.
7. I LOVE milk. Milk and rootbeer are my favorite beverages. But not at the same time or together. Gross.
8. I wish I would have taken piano lessons and learned how to sew while growing up.
9. I once had to go to the doctor because I was applying some store bought, acrylic (fake) nails and the glue squirted out of the side of the bottle and into my eye. I had to wear a patch over said eye for an entire day.
10. I love my home. I love the people in it and I love making it a place where they love to be.

JUST ME AND MY DAD

One of Phil and Ryder's favorite books to read together is "Just Me and My Dad" by Mercer Mayer from The Little Critter Series. In short it tells a story from a sons perspective about a camping trip with his dad.

So when the ward was having a father and son camp out, there was a father/son duo in this house very excited to go.

Fortunately, the book was a very good informant for Ryder on how a father/son camping trip should work.

Daddy drove the car because Ryder was too little.

Ryder helped setting up the tent.

They ate their picnic dinner from mommy (that's me).

They roasted marshmallows by the fire.

Ryder got to run around with a flashlight in the dark with a bunch of other little tykes.

They read stories.

And they got to sleep in a tent together all night long.

The next morning they even went on a little hike.

However, thanks to the book, Phil did have to do some smart talking when they didn't go on a canoe ride and that they got to watch people fish instead of went fishing themselves :)

With this walking around, I just might have to tag along next time!

LOVE IT

I don't pretend to know a lot about the particulars of interior design. I don't even profess to know a lot about (whatever the opposite of particulars is). However, I do know what I love. Time and time again, I'll see a certain style and think, I am totally going to make that my style.

It never works.

Why? Because I am ardently loyal to the mediums (colors, furniture, accessories) I love. Not you, not them, not the designer in the magazine--me. And by "ardently loyal" I mean what I love right now because in 5 years it could totally be out of style. Or as is my case right now, I'm "ardently loyal" to what I have to work with on a student budget with an old grandpa house as my canvas. It's a loose term, but you know what I'm saying.

I speak of being loyal to what I love because I am sometimes surprised by how first-sight, no questions asked, can't-quit-thinking-about-it smitten I can get with a piece. And that is why I love this game.

The first time this happened to me was with these babies. I got them from estate sale on Craigslist. I believe I got them both for $40. I didn't know until after purchasing them, what solid, well-made pieces of furniture they were. I know it's weird to love night stands with all of my heart, but I shall take them with me where ever I go.

I had similar heart-felt moment the other day. This time with a rug (featured above). I was perusing Caitlin Creer's blog and came across this entry aimed to help you spice up your college dorm/apartment. I thought, forget dorm! How about my future living room! I liked so many many of her ideas in this post (I'm seriously thinking of flirting with the navy/cream damask chair)--but, I loved the rug.

It is the quintessential solution and inspiration piece to the battle I have with loving color vs. not wanting my living room to look like Salma Heyak and Matthew Perry's house in the movie "Fools Rush In". Plus, I love the print. Isn't it beautiful. Dang you Anthropologie! Like any real college freshmen would ever have a $400 rug. I mean really. Maybe I could afford the 2 x 3...but you can bet no one would be wiping their feet on that welcome mat.

PHASE: INSPIRED

 I call this photo: Contemplating within a messy bedroom

I feel so inspired lately. I feel inspired to get organized. I feel inspired to be creative. I feel inspired to be a better mom. I feel inspired to make my house beautiful. I feel inspired to be a better missionary.  (I mean, look at that hyperlinking!)

I think a lot of it has to do with being home. Nothing brings me more joy than being in and making my home. There is something about it that brings me great peace, and therefore, hope and joy. All of which allow me to feel motivated and inspired to be my best self.

But I don't know if I would currently be infused with such inspiration had it not been for our crazy travels these past few months. I saw a lot of things. Things I wanted and things I didn't want. All things I could categorize from incredibly superficial to highly spiritual and everything in-between.

But now, I'm home*. I am in my fortress. And feel as though I can start putting those things into action.

Pros: I love feeling hopeful and inspired. It gives me the motivation to get things crossed off my list. Besides myself, I like to think my family and those I love benefit from these lofty aspirations I set for myself. Another motivational factor :)

Cons: I often feel very overwhelmed by the person I hope to be some day and a little frustrated with who I am now and the long journey I have before I'm able to reach my goals. Do you ever feel that way?

Here are some of the goals I hope to channel said inspriation into this week:
1. Go to lds.org and renew my Ensign subscription (conference is coming, people) add on the Friend for Ryder (at what age did you start getting the Friend for your children?) and a FHE manual (I'm hoping this make me better at having FHE. I hear it has magical powers), oh and of course, some unders for good measure. Who doesn't feel like conquering the world with fresh unders?
2. Practice my guitar. Something that goes so easy to the bottom of my priority list. But it's something that makes me very happy and a whatever talent I do have in it, I would really like to keep it.
3. Get my babies better. This week my best girl got the stomach flu and my best boy got a cold. And now they've decided to switch, or rather, they both have both now...nice. Please tell me by this time next week they'll both be as good as new.
4. Get on the computer less while my kids are awake. Wait. Does it matter how much I'm on while they're asleep? Baby steps, people, baby steps. This one was inspired by a talk given by Sis. Beck at our multi-huge stake conference today. She's not afraid to tell it like it is. Love her.
5. Go to bed. Now.

I know. You thought it was going to be more exciting than that. But hey, we've all got to start somewhere.

*I know "home" is wherever your loved ones are or whereever you hang your hat, yada-yada, but I'm talking about the home that I know we'll be in for more than 12 weeks, the home with my THINGS, my son's toys, my daughter's cute nursery, my bed! for heaven's sake! Call me superficial, but I have my space and I have a routine built for that space and that is that.

GETTING SETTLED

 1. Ryder and Phil on our Labor Day picnic up Provo Canyon. 2. Ryder and Penny like to bounce together.

We've been home (and have stayed here) for a little over a week now and for some reason it has taken a lot more work than I thought to get settled back in.  If your curious, here are all of the things we've been up to, that have taken me a lot longer than had hoped to get back into the swing of things...

• Getting unpacked. I really didn't think we had taken that much stuff to NY. But man, it took me days to find everything it's right place--and after I did put something away in a closet or drawer, it somehow magically made that said closet or drawer an chaotic mess. Really, it was magic.
  
• Files and paperwork. Still working on getting 3 months of mail and paperwork organized. I did buy myself a new file storage container. Such things make me happy therefore has given me the necessary motivation to do such a mundane, but rather necessary task. 
• Taking care of Penelope after she got sick with a number of ailments.
• Taking care of Ryder and myself after we both caught a throat virus (fever and sore throats). I have a theory. Have you ever had periods of your life that you're  are crazy busy where you're going, going, going, and then the second things calm down, you get sick. I call "After the crazy sickness". That's totally what happened to us.
• Getting my exercise regiment planned out. This takes a bit of effort if you know the only way you'll work out is if it's with someone else.
• Getting Penny's sleeping schedule figured out. She is doing so good! Yay, Penelope!
  
• Figuring out our budget for the upcoming school year. A personal favorite. 
• Organizing and switching out Ryder and Penny's summer and fall clothes.

 

The one good thing about getting sore throats together? Eating ice cream together!

Have I bored you to tears yet. Talk about not fun. But still needed done. Sigh. And maybe now I've got a few of those things under control, I can start doing the funner items on my list:

• Buying Penny and Ryder some new fall items :)
• Get a couple of Halloween decoration crafts going
• Decorate my new files container bin. Just kidding...maybe...
• Watch movies. (Now that Penelope goes to bed the same time Ryder does, I can do that)
• Read books. I just finished "The Help" (so good) and have a long list of books I can't wait to dig into.
• Work on my RS lesson. Super happy about getting that calling again after we were away for the summer.
• Have fun watching and helping with Ryder's little preschool group. It's just a little group that some MBA wives put together for our little 3 year or almost-3-year-olds, so nothing fancy, just fun.
• Oh yeah, update my blog.

Oh, that little girl...

(She is actually wearing Phil's old cowboy boots that he wore when he was little. Can we say vintage? I'm hoping to get her in 'em in a few shots of our family photos we're taking in a couple of weeks)

FUNNY

So--knowing there is only one year of school left for Phillip, it automatically turns our sights to "what next" or in other words translated to, "we need a job", "what will that job be?" or for me the particularly heavy question: "where will that job be?"

Well, folks...right now the forecast is looking far, far, away.

I've been working on processing this lately and it just so happens I popped over to the famous Seriously So Blessed** blog for the first time in awhile and read this. So funny to me. Good to know I'm not the only one in this situation ;)

**In case you haven't heard of this blog, go here.

Oh and to note, we made it safely back to Provo. In an effort to unpack and let Ryder play with every single toy he has missed over the summer, our house looks like a bomb exploded. This needs my attention first, but I plan to blog more soon.

GOOD-BYE, NEW YORK

Our time here in the city is coming to an end. I have a lot of thoughts and memories to take with me from our summer spent in NYC. Some good--some not so good. Although, a large part of me wants to humorously document all of those not-so-good experiences, it's always better to end on a positive note. So here is to the good times and all of the things I will miss about this city and our experience here...

Friends: I'm so grateful for good friends! Had it not been for many other amazing mothers and their kind attitudes, funny senses of humor, great planning skills and adventuresome spirits, there is a good possibility the three of us may have stayed holed up in are teensy apartment everyday. The many park days, outings downtown, babysitting swaps not only made living in NYC with small children doable, but fun. There is something about getting caught in a downpour with your children, with 10 blocks to go, getting hit with a wall of water on a curb (ya know-like on the movies, when a car drives through a big puddle), and getting trapped in an elevator, OK because your with a great group of women who are all in the same boat, that you can laugh it off with. And yes, this all happened in the same half-hour. So grateful for them and they're cute kids who provide, oh yes, countless hours of entertainment and fun for Ryder and Penny.

 Amber, AKA HeWoman. This must be noted. since I was carrying Penny, Amber volunteered to go get our strollers in the most precarious situation imaginable (tangled amongst other strollers in a huge crowd of people) while I kept an eye on the boys. The next time I see her she is walking out of the Shake Shack carrying not one, but TWO strollers, one of which was a double. HELLO! Amazing? I think so. Thank you Amber for posing for this shot at my request, when I can imagine the only thing you really wanted me to do was to take my own stroller :)

Parks: In an effort to make NYC kid-friendly, they do have A LOT of amazing parks. from a one with a 20-ft granite slide to one on top of the Museum of Natural History, we were always going to a new, cool park and there were still a lot we didn't get to. However, I have no idea what you would do with your kids here in the winter:)

 not bruised--just really, really dirty

 Penny eating sand...

 ...and more sand

 ...and a little more sand.

Shake Shack: Dear Shake Shack, thank you for your deliciously greasy shack burger on your soft buns and root beer on tap. Tasty indeed. Check out the new poster boys for the new Shake Shack ads. Weren't they so cooperative with me to all be drinking their shakes at the same time :)

NYC Iconic Locations: When I first got here, I couldn't quit thinking of how many of these places I'd seen in one movie or another. So it's really fun to always be walking by things, even if by chance or accident and seeing things that are constantly being referenced. For example, yesterday, I got a little lost and ended up in Bryant Park, and for the millionth time thought, "Oh so that's where this is." We also live about two blocks ways from this restaurant below. Look familiar? We see people taking pictures in front of it all the time and finally got one of our own last weekend.

Walking: There is something about being able to walk everywhere to run your errands that makes you feel cool. "Honey, I'm just going to run out and get us a freshly tossed salad at our European-styled-market, with two isles devoted solely to cheese. See you in a minute!"

NYC Styled Pizza: Yummy. I didn't really find one pizza place better than the next, but you can probably guess what I liked about this one! Now that's my kind of serving!

My Babes: My biggest beef with NYC is that it's not more kid friendly (I'm mean seriously, did children not exist when they built the subways?) But I can't imagine having this experience without these two cute babies. They make make me excited to get up in the morning and have been such troopers adjusting to this new environment.

Phil: The reason we're here! And the most important thing! I couldn't be more grateful for this man and the time he's put into his internship here and the experience he's had with such a great company. I'm so proud of him and the opportunity this has been for him and us.

And so I say, NY, farewell, adieu to you, and you and youa.

I'll be spending the next couple of days strategically packing our luggage to accomodate our newly acquired stuff and then it's off to Seattle to welcome home Phil's little sister from her mission (yay!) and then back to Happy Valley for one more year of school.

Until then~

UPSETTING

I just got done deleting a whole post about my feelings toward the overturning of Prop 8, with these thoughts...
-I don't want to offend anybody
-But my views shouldn't offend anybody
-But how I deliver them might
-Who might ever find any sort of value in what I write on this blog
-My children
-What would Jesus do
-His beliefs were never a secret, neither was his love for every one.
-I want my children to know that I don't keep what I believe a secret, be it through a forum as small as this blog, because I was scared of being ridiculed or unpopular.

So I say with all the love I can in a straightforward manner: I am sad that Proposition 8 was overturned. I believe marriage to be between a man and a woman and I feel heartbroken to be living in a world that doesn't consider morals as a basis for making decisions anymore.

THE REST OF JULY II: THE HILL CUMORAH PAGEANT

The fam in front of The Sacred Grove

In mid-July Phil's family came out for a visit and to see the city and road trip it up to Palmyra for a little Hill Cumorah Pageant. After spending a couple days in the city we rented two cars and drove the six (which may or may not have taken us ten) hours up to Palmyra or more specifically Canandaigua, NY.

Side Note: Upstate New York=BEAUTIFUL. If I had been one of those immigrants who came across the ocean and landed in the NYC, I would have said, forget this crowded island! I'm going a few more miles north to make a living among the lush greens and charm. I'm just so surprised with all the beautiful room to roam in this state, everyone insisted on staying put...well, not everyone, but you get my point.

After finally arriving at our hotel, (P.S. Penny thinks she is a city girl now and does not take well to a car seat any more :( :(  ) well, we went to bed. Because it was late. In the morning, however, we got up and went out to breakfast and made our way to Palmyra to visit the house Joseph Smith grew up in and to see the Sacred Grove. I LOVED IT! It was beautiful. I loved the spirit there. I loved the sister missionaries there. I even loved how they decorated and restored the interiors of the log home and Lucy Mack Smith's home. I'm really glad I got the opportunity to see these sites and it was just a huge reconfirmation of my testimony of Joseph Smith and all that I know to be true.

Phil and Ryder in front of the log house

Phil's parents in the boys' bedroom

Me standing near the fire place where the golden plates were hid

Phil and Ryder running to toward The Sacred Grove

 

Penny and I taking a break on a bench in The Sacred Grove. (I meant to be a little serious--but not that serious.)

Ryder using the map and navigating our way through the grove.

Two thumbs up!

The Palmyra Temple

We went back to the hotel for a little nap and pool time and then headed to the pageant! There is something about gathering with a large number of members of our church that puts joy in my heart. The pageant was really fun and the set was amazing. Although it was a quick trip with lots of driving, I'm really glad we did it.

Ryder with Samuel the Lamanite. Now--is he more excited about his celebrity encounter? Or that he gets a 7up all to himself? We shall never know.

THE REST OF JULY

So shortly after the Fourth of July weekend we had family in town and apparently that's all it takes for me to get rather behind. So here is to the rest of July!

We continued our Independence Day celebrations on Sunday where a bunch of us got together and set up little spot at Riverside Park overlooking the Hudson to view the Macy's Fireworks (apparently Macy runs all holiday festivities in this city). We were a little concerned about everything working out with the crowds and late night, but it worked out perfectly and we had tons of fun.

 The family in front of the Hudson at sunset

The boys: Mack, Jackson, Tyler, Ryder & Ty

Since Phil got Monday off of work, I finally decided it was time to do something that actually had to do with our Nation's Independence :) and so we took the Staten Island ferry across to view Lady Liberty, herself. We also enjoyed our second trip to Costco in a week AND Phil and Ryder took another visit to Ryder's favorite place in NYC, The Children's Museum of Manhattan.

 Our view from the ferry

 Muwahaha...

 Ryder at the museum

Later that week, we did make the Today Show outing. No worries, I'm sure we weren't on TV. I decided waking up at the crack of dawn to go wait for a couple of hours isn't really conducive to entertaining two children. BUT, I did see Meredith and my friends Amber and Claire who got there about a half hour earlier than me did get scanned by one of the cameras...so I can't say the same for them about their big national TV debut. We also went to Magnolia Bakery where I enjoyed a delectable red velvet cupcake and then took another visit to FAO Schwartz. Oh and a little tippy tip. If your at FAO Schwartz when they open, one of the employees dressed as a soldier comes out and dramatically announces they're open and then as you enter the employees are all lined up along the sides of the entry and clap...kinda like your in a parade. We loved it (well, I loved it). I felt so special. ~Sigh~

 Myself, Ryder and Claire and Nora hangin' with the Today Show crowd

 Mack, Ryder and Ty waiting for the store to open

Penny Rae at the Today Show with a fan promoting the movie "Despicable Me". Steve Carell was the guest for that day