Football Game 4 2009 Season

Summertime......

As usual, we've had a busy summer. There is always something happening with someone.....







Baseball is of course in full swing. Kevin is in the Mustang division this year and David is in the Bronco division. Both teams have played really hard, but we've had quite a few misses this year. The playoffs have started with one team moving on and the other teams season over. We of course are proud regardless of the end result. Go STORM and GO ROCKIES!

Then in the middle of June, we took a family camping trip. This was our first attempt at a full fledged adventure to somewhere we had never been. The kids were totally excited and we escaped with almost no rain. The last night we did get some, but it was at bedtime, so it didn't bother anyone too much. In the morning we packed up all our wet gear and drove home from a great vacation. Not quite Texas, but the drive was more manageable.

This is David at a place called MOOSEJAW! Their thick crust pizza is yummo!

Where are your antlers David?

Can you say SMORES Olivia?

At times our camp had more smoke than fire.

Kevin is standing knee deep in Devil's Lake.

Where have all the fish gone?

Amanda may look like she is havin and good time,

but after this 3 mile hike, she doesn't like it anymore.

Me man, start fire, cook food. Hot Dogs on a stick, can you hunt those?

It was a really fun time. We're still finsihing up our baseball season and soon it will be time to think about school supply shopping, but before we get to far ahead of ourselves we do have some more family fun planned.

Updates to follow.

Back in the Saddle.

So, I obvious took a long break from my blog. I assumed that no one was reading it so why bother.

But I missed it. And to be quite honest, I do check other people's blogs and love to see their updates. I'm sure that the same applies to those who read mine (or I hope). So, while this blog is a little lacking. I will make more effort to make better and bigger blogs in the near future.

Especially since my family will be further apart than ever before in just a few short weeks.

TTFN

PS: here's a picture of princess penny to add a bit of interest to this otherwise dull blog.

H8

The recent events of the last few days concern me to the core. The election, which was highly emotional was a momentous occasion for the world. While I am still adjusting to it and am disappointed that the canidate I preferred did not win, I have remained calm. Apparently so have 42% of the country who voted for the losing party.

Then you have a group of people in California who had something similair happen to them. They voted one way and the results were not what they hoped they would be. Instead of accepting defeat and remaining determined to stand up and let their voices be heard in a civilized manner; this group of people have resorted to violence and hatred as a means of protesting the defeat.

I do not live in CA, nor was I able to vote on the Proposition 8 measure. Had I been able to; my vote would have supported it. Not out of hatred or bigotry, but in defense of my own personal belief system. I believe that the homosexual lifestyle is wrong as is allowing marriage between two people of the same-sex. That does not mean I am a homophobe or a religious zealot. I simply have a different opinion of this social issue than those who support it. I do believe that every human should have free will to decide what they will be and how they will live their lives. However, I also believe they should allow those who do not agree to stand up for their point of view.

The fact that these people have marched into what I consider a very sacred are near the LA Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints absolutely sickens me. I did not go into their homes and yell and scream at them that they were immoral or disgusting for their choice and yet, in the video I saw, a group of very angry and hateful people shouting awful things at those who came to worship God at a very holy spot for their religion.

Hatred should not be tolerated by anyone towards anyone.

Still Spinning

I knew before I cast my vote yesterday that it didn't mean anything for the election results. For weeks now they were showing Obama as the projected winner. In fact, my decision to vote came only after some encouragement from family and friends to let my voice be heard. I'm not sure that it really was. It is truly the first time since I turned 18, I wish I had never voted.

It struck me this morning as I briefly watched the news, that no one was pointing out the popular vote at all. If you look at the actual number of people who voted for each canidate, the numbers are really not that far apart. 52% to 47%.

So, when all is said and done I guess it was the right thing to do. I showed my support for the canidate I believe stands up for the values that keep America strong and free. Unfortunately, it also shows how truly divided this country still is even with all the come together, we can make a difference jargon. Talk is cheap.

I was also struck by those who payed no attention to the winning canidates credentials. They have elected a man to the highest office of the nation despite the fact that he has never led anything. He is a rookie being asked to play in the biggest game when the home team is down. If this was a job interview and the two handed in their resumes, would an employer honestly give the job to the less qualified applicant.

To me this election was about payback for the Republicans, well actually just one, Bush. I believe that the Democratic canidate would have been elected no matter who they were. It is about hatred for man who has given 8 years of his life to service in this country, who as president deserves some respect. Yes, I will agree his decisions have not always been popular or even the best, but why should that become a personal attack on his character and intelligence.

I struggle to make sense of the decision that has now been made for me. The band wagon was very full last night.

Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?

Okay, so maybe that is pushing it just a bit when it comes to my algebra problems, but I honestly can say, I've never seen math like this before.

Since it has been so long since my last math class I have had to jump into the middle of the book basicly. Chapter 6 to be exact.

First, we simplified and found undefined. No problem.

Next, multiply and divide. Got it.

Then, add and subtract with like denominators. I so have it.

On to add and subtract with different denominators. Not too tough yet, but wait. What in the world is Sum of Cubes. This can't be a real math problem, can it!

Alright, moving on to Solving rational equations. NO WAY, this is not right, and definitely not rational.

Since I can't get the math to look right I'll type out what I'm doing and you can get exhausted just reading about it.

(P minus 5 over three minus p times 3 plus p) plus (p plus 6 time p plus 3 over p minus 3) - (p squared plus 10p plus 13 over p minus 3 times p plus 3)

I'm not sure who it was that invented this particular form of math, but they deserve to be punished severely. I wish I could say that is the worst I've seen, but there are worse.

A couple more months and then it's on to geometry, then actual College Level algebra. Yep, this isn't even considered college level. Now, I know why I don't ever remember doing this. The memory of it all must be blocked; it's painful.

A suggestion for anyone taking a class like this; get lots of pencils, a good sharpener, and lots of erasers.

Mud Bowl 2008

Okay, a little update for Family and Friends regarding our football Season.

Saturday we had our 5th game. Our current record is 0-5. We've had some tough loses, but this weeks game was still fun to play. See pics below.

I agreee buddy, what's with this weather. The amount of water was just incredible.

Notice the water on the field. During one play the kids who was tackled landed in such a puddle of water he could have used goggles and a snorkel.

This picture especially shows how bad the rain was coming down at times. Who knew IL had a monsoon season.

While we've played youth tackle football for 3 years now, but this is our first year having a cheerleader. I just love having a little girl involved in fun activities.

Notice my little girl standig barefoot, cheering in the rain, with mud up to her knees. Looking darn cute inspite of it all. Because of the weather, the halftime routine didn't quite go as planned, but hopefully next week will be dry and I'll get some good shots of their routine.

The poor girls got surprised by a down pour on their way back from a potty break. Unfortunately, after this shower, the girls were excused from cheering. Notice the stream behind them on the sidelines.

On a side note, during the game we had a few univited guests along the sidelines. In the middle of this picture you'll see the head of a SNAKE popping out of the makeshift "river" the rains have created. The kids had a blast trying to scare this one away, but he never moved despite their splashing. Later in the day, Kevin found another snake in a seperate flooded area. Then, he tried to show me. I was fine til he put it face to face with me, the thought just sent shivers down my spine. The irony, we've had snakes at our practice field as well. Luckily I haven't seen any myself.

So, 3 weeks left in the regular season. If we manage to win a few games we may make it too the playoffs, but all indications are that this season will be a short one. That's good and bad.

GO ORANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Teachers that love to teach....create kids that love to learn

Who was my favorite teacher and why??? (Yippee, tell me tuesday is back)

Okay, so I've had many teachers over the years. I can recall everyone through 6th grade and then things go fuzzy. I have atleast one good story from every year of elementary school. Not anything to exciting, but my memories none the less.

Jr high was a blur. I was moving from town to town those years so I never really connected to a certian place. I was ready an old diary the other day and happened upon a page that said my favorite teacher was a Ms. Kordik, but for the life of me, I don't even remember having a Ms. Kordik. She was memorable right????

Then there was high school. I started at a brand new school one month into my freshman year. I have no recollection of any of my teachers that year. Sophmore and Junior year were average years. Althoguh, I do remember having some "HOT" teachers. Every girl wanted to be in their respective classes. I believe one was biology and the other was business. I also remember a crazy gym teacher who actually taught my brothers and sisters in the town they grew up in. How she ended up in my neck of the woods defies all logic.

Then my senior year approached. I had my life plans all set and couldn't wait to move on. I entered Mr. Krasno's Senior Comp class with the anticipation of another boring English class on the horizon. It turned into more. I was inspired to write better and really think about what I wanted to say. He showed us movies (Father of the Bride and some Woody Allen movie who's name escapes me) and then asked us to think about what, why, how. He challenged me to be better at communicating through words. I wanted more than anything to get an A in his class. It didn't happen (the B wasn't horrible I suppose) but I refused to give up. I signed on for his next semester class which was Major British Writers. Again, I fell just shy of my goal, but the lessons I learned and the experience of his class had changed me into a different writer then I had been when Senior year started. In addition to being my English teacher, he also served as a leader for the Honor's society so I had the priveledge of working with him in that capacity. During that year, I also had a devistating life changing event occur. He showed true compassion when I came to him full of sadness and in need of understanding. After college I had the oppurtunity to take classes at the community college. To my delight, Mr Krasno taught the english classes I would need to work towards a degree. It was with excitement and determination I signed up for those classes. In the end, my hard work and his dedication to teaching paid off with not 1, but 3 A's.

I truly believe that if more students had a teacher like Mr Krasno that more would say their favorite subject was English. A millioin thanks wherever you are Mr K.

Football is Life

Okay, so I know I have things to blog about, but right now youth tackle football is what our life is. It will be that way from now until atleast Mid October. Possibly lasting until November. It is totally crazy. We enjoy spending the time together as a family though. So, if I manage to find a free moment I will try to blog about what we've been up to besides football.

Failure is not an Option (Tell Me Tues)- UPDATED

If you knew you wouldn’t fail…..what would you choose to do?

Okay so after much consideration of this topic since I posted the post below, I realized what I would do if I knew I would not fail.

Following a brand new passion I have discovered for golf, I think following that interest and putting everything I had into it would be great if I knew that I would do well. With no possibility of failing it would be so fun to learn the sport, maybe I would even do so well that I could join the LPGA tour. I think that would be great. Currently I am a horrible player and get very frustrated that I am not a natural. I want very much to be able to go out on the tee and smash the ball and of course have every swing go right toward the hole. Reality is far from that vision. Can you say way over par.

My first idea:
I would probably apply for medical school and work towards being an obstetrician and double major in psychology.

As much as I want to be a nurse in Labor and Delivery, I think it would also be fun to be involved in the pregnancies more by being a doctor. Just the thought of saying med school sets my head spinning though. I don't think that med school per se would be a problem, it is more accomplishing the feat with 4 kids and their busy schedules. Also, for me the failure bar is set pretty high due to my perfectionism. What for some is a reasonable grade for me is unacceptable.

So if I could go into any of those classes and know that failure is not a worry, it would make the process feel much more relaxed.

That doesn't seem very exciting, but I think that is what I would try if I knew I couldn't fail.
Some other ideas I thought of would be: starting a business, writing a book, learning how to sing, and going on a gameshow.

Gas and Tears- TMT

I am usually delighted to answer these. but I must admit something I do not usually admit. You see, I have this incredible need for people to see me as a strong stable in control person. So lately, when money has been getting tighter and tighter with the cost of everything going up I have been incredibly on edge. Just wondering if the paychecks will cover it. Lately, it is harder and harder to keep a strong appearance. The stress has been unimaginable.

So, when I saw your question and was already on edge, I started to cry. For myself, for my family, for the whole awful mess of debt and bills that never seem to go away. I so want to believe that my faith is strong enough to see me through, but maybe I'm not that strong of a person after all. I find myself trying so hard to pretend like everything is okay that I won't even let my best friends know how I'm really feeling. There is nothing worse than crying alone.

As for lowering gas prices, I just don't have the energy to think about it anymore right now. I wish that is how we could make it go away. pretending that it isn't a problem.

Sorry to unload. I guess into everyones life a little rain must fall. I feel like I'm in the middle of a monsoon.

My Bucket List

The movie The Bucket List is about two terminally ill cancer patients and their lists of things to do and/or see before they “kicked the bucket”. So this weeks Tell it to me Tuesday is to write and post your own bucket list. It can be as long or short as you’d like (try and give us AT LEAST 10) and it can be as extravagant or simple as you please.

I have not seen this movie, but after learning of the concept I sometimes joke about things I want to do by saying "I'm putting that on my bucket list".

1. Travel to Hawaii, Australia, Poland, Ireland, and Alaska.
2. Visit every LDS Temple.
3. Skydive
4. Get arrested
5. Learn to play the piano well
6. Buy my purple Harley and ride cross country
7. Serve a mission with my husband
8. Finish my Faithbook Legacy Album for my kids and grandkids to have.
9. Graduate with a college degree (finally)
10. See my children start families of their own.

I managed to get to 10. I'm sure there are more things I've forgetting at present. I'll update as necessary. I think it is good I finally put it on paper. Here's to having plenty of years to accomplish this list.

For all who are interested to know about number 4, it is a funny story from my 30th birthday.
I guess you had to be there.


Update 1

11. Go on a cruise to the Caribbean.
12. Learn to ballroom dance
13. Get completely out of debt

Introducing..................Princess Penny

So it is a funny story how we ended up with Miss Penny, but we couldn't be happier with our little kitty.

We started out about 2 years ago trying to find a dog for Steve. He really wanted a Newfie so I scoured the internet looking for one at a reasonable price. I happened upon a rescue organization that "claimed" to have a Newfie mix available. After he returned from work one day, it was off to meet the little lady. Unfortunately, it was pretty apparent at first glance that she was not a newfie mix at all, but we fell in love and took her home. For a little while it was okay, frustratiing, but okay. Then Miss Pepper started to show signs of aggression toward one of our girls and we returned her to the rescue (which by the way does not refund your money or offer you another puppy)

A little while later, I was surfing the net again and found a dog that I found just adorable and thought would fit into our lives a bit better than our first furry friend. So, off we drove to Chicago to meet the lady. A three year old beagle mix named Sheila. Turns out she was great. Very gentle with the kids and pretty housebroken as well. She was growing on me when her bad habit was discovered, digging and escaping from the fenced yard. Well, I fixed the hole and put patio blcoks down hoping to discourage her. Then one day, when I was preoccupied with housework, and confident she was sleeping under the porch; Sheila has escaped. Never to be found again. We miss her and wish very much that we had kept her on a leash when she was outside.

So, that brings us to the third time. Supposed to be a charm right? Well, not so much in this case. We visited my brother to remove our truck from his driveway where it was being stored and went home with one prue bred Jack Russell terrier. And what a terrier he was. He ruined my basement door and a chalk board easel of the kids' before I realized, he was a little more high strung than I could handle. Eventually a good friend of mine found him a home (her own, thanks again Cori).

Shortly before Jack left, I was offered the oppurtunity to have a different kind of companion join the family. I figured canines weren't working so why not try a feline. Turns out I may be a crazy cat lady in disguise. Things have been going great and if she survives my girls and there constant need to pick her up I think she will be just the kind of pet we were looking for.

How she got her name is pretty boring. We were having a long family discussion about what to call her. For awhile we just said cat and kitty. I suggeted a few names here and there, but nothing we all agreed on. Then as we got to know her better we figured it out. Shortly after arriving, she found a pen on the floor and it became her favorite toy. So, she became Penny. I thought that wasn't fitting enough so we added in the Princess part.

Her only flaw so far would be her constant need to attack you as you walk by or while you are sleeping We've had to sleep with a heavy blanket on even as the warm weather hit because she is prone to attack our legs during the night. Even still, she's our little Princess Penny and it wouldn't be the same without her.

1 2 3 Strikes You're Out

Well, with one game to go in the baseball season (tonight), I can honestly say I've totally enjoyed it. The boys have as well and we will definitely be back again next year. Unfortunately they will be on seperate teams then, but it should still be a good time. Here are a few highlight pics from the last game. The playoffs start next week and with any luck we will continue to do well. Our current record is 6 wins 7 loses. Unfortunately the date of the championship has a conflict so if we do go all the way, the boys will miss that game. Who knew.

My tummy is.....

My tummy is.........

...really starting to miss being pregnant. It gets harder the older my youngest one gets. I know that my family is complete, but I so love having a baby and everything that goes with it. I so need a baby fix.

....in need of a good ab workout. I would really like to lose about 15 lbs and 2 or 3 sizes in my jeans this summer. Unfortunately, this weight I currently carry is leftover from my second pregnancy and I highly doubt that it will give up its residency around my middle without a fight.

....craving something yummy right now. Perhaps a chicken salad sandwich from Panera or one of those oh so tempting medium vanilla ice cream cones dipped in chocolate. Wish they had a frequent buyer club for those.

....still in knots with anticipation for my acceptance letter to nursing school. Everyday when I hear the familiar sound of the mail truck nearing the house I stop what I'm doing to see if he will deliver said mail to the door, but have been sorely disappointed every day so far.

The comfort zone takes our greatest aspirations and turns them into excuses for not bothering to aspire.

This summer I aspire to…

organize. How I plan to do that with 4 of my own kids and a couple extras hanging around still escapes me, but I feel like I'll never be able to fully function in my roles as wife and mother if I continue to feel so flighty.

First and foremost, to tackle the piles of seemingly endless stuff that are everywhere. I am going room by room and getting rid of everything that is just taking up space. It really is about learning to let go of things that once may have appeared important, but now take energy to manage that needs to be directed toward more noble pursuits.

I also need to be more organized with how I spend my time. While I find many useful things contained on the internet and keep in touch with many friends through email and of course this website, I fear that it has become a bit of a time waster. My goal is to retake back the clock and manage how and what I spend my time doing.

My current roles all need to be organzied as well. Certianly being a mother and wife come first, and organizing my home needs to be priority number one. During primary we sang the song Home and tears welled up in my eyes; knowing that my home falls short of the ideal. I know by bringing order to the chaos life creates around us it will invite the Spirit to reside with our family. Leaving us all happier, more loving, and more at peace.

Other roles I possess currently are Daisy Scout leader, Creative Memories Consultant, primary teacher, child caregiver, and hopefully nursing student (keep your fingers crossed that the letter will arrive soon saying I've been accepted!) Certianly they all need my time and attention as well. If I want to do all of them well, orginazition has to be a top priority. I think those roles afford me the oppurtunity to do touch others lives so I want to make sure I am giving them the time and effort they deserve.

The last and most daunting task I will face this summer is organizing my scrapbooking habit. The problem I have faced is ideas for albums and supplies to make them have been many, while progress on my books has been little. I am quite determined to change this sad state of affairs, however, and feel very much that focusing on specific projects and setting time limits and goals may help keep me moving.

So, you may ask, what kind of progress have I made recently????? Well, I set up a chore chart for the kids for the summer months and they are adjusting well to it. I've finished the family room from top to bottom and I've removed anything that really did not belong in said room. I will be moving into the dining room/kitchen area next. And that is about as far as my organization journey has come so far this summer. It hasn't been a full week since school ended though, so I am extremely hopefull that more progress will be soon to follow.

Good luck to anyone else who feels like their stuff is taking over. I am determined to take back time and control it rather than be controlled by things around me. I aspire to feel organized and look forward to the joy it will bring.

Summer Days

Well, it didn't take us long to enjoy the freedom of no schedules and no commitments.

The boys got out early for their last day of school. We ate lunch and decided to head out to the park. Every kid had a bike and I walked close behind. We arrived at the park in the heat of the afternoon and stayed for about an hour. The kids had a blast and were ready to go and get some cold water and ice cream.

We arrived home after a little whining about how hot it was and why did we have to go so far to go to the park; next time lets drive mom. Yeah right, not at 4 bucks a gallon.

Anyways, we all had a great time. Hopefully we'll have lots more fun and less whining in the weeks ahead.

One more note from yesterday. I decided to wear shorts because of the high heat we had. Any who knows me well, knows that is very unusual. I wear jeans all year round; always have. Well, in my attempt to have a little color on my legs so I won't loook like a ghost in a swim suit this summer I skipped the sun block on my legs. Well, I have color......it's red. OUCH!

It is.... tell me tuesday time.

The topic... finish the phrase It is.......

It is.....
hard to be me sometimes.

I like my life and I would not trade it for the world. My family is wonderful and I enjoy so much being the mother of 4 children. I feel lucky to be the wife of an amazing man who works so hard to provide for his family without complaint.

Unfortunately, most of the time I feel trapped inside myself.

No, I do not have multiple personalities. What I have is too much fear.

Fear of failing. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of ridicule. Fear of the unknown. Fear of rejection.

I want so much to be someone. Do something truly amazing. Stand out just a little from the crowd.

Even now thinking of things I hope to do and accomplish, my heart starts pounding and my stomach flutters a bit. I can't tell you the number of times my fears have kept perfectly good plans from working. It makes me feel so stuck in one place. Fear usually leads to procrastination in my case. If it scares me to do it I justify letting it slide until it's too late and then there isnt even an option to try. Which of course makes me wish that I hadn't put it off. It leads to a lot of disappoint with myself and promising myself I'll do better next time.

I am determined to overcome this, probably a result of maturing and looking back on lost opportunities. My biggest goal is working through my fear and accomplishing something big and soon. Mostly due to my children. This is not something I want them to inherit. I want them to be confident in everything they do and I want them to try everything. So they can live to say someday that they have no regrets and be proud of how every moment was spent; unlike me.

See, it IS hard to be me.

Is it November Yet????

Soon we will have a new President. What aspect of YOUR life do you want to see change as a result of November’s election



I cannot wait for this year's election to be over and done with. The length of this process has been especially painful. If I have to endure one more article about any of the candidates I may just boycott the whole thing. Never before have I been so uninterested in the contest.



The whole mess has very little to do with filling the White House with a leader that has the best interests of the nation at heart and everything to do with a bunch of "children" getting their way cause they're still having a tantrum over the last results.



It will be fun to see if the current president continues to be blamed for absolutely everything that happens in America. Although the commander in chief has a large amount of control, I just do not see how smart human beings can honestly believe that he alone can affect so many things.



To say I am slightly concerned about the current list of replacements would be putting it mildly. I fear the policies of the new president will only push the country further away from the place it should be headed. So, for the aspect of my life that I want to change after November.

The ability to watch TV or read an article on the internet without hearing about Democrats this or Republicans that. It is a bunch of political mumbo jumbo that serves no real purpose. None of the problems facing the nation are truly addressed. Neither side really serves the American public after the election anyway. Come November, I will be able to relax and flip through the channels unimpeded by the nonsense. Truth be told, I have stopped watching the news for fear of hearing any more rhetoric, 90% of which I do not believe. Oh to once again enjoy a lazy day in front of the TV.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

Thank gooodness we're up and running again. I was really missing reading everyone's posts.

This week's topic:

What was your favorite family vacation as a kid and why.

I have to admit this is really easy for me, because as a kid, family vacations were few and far between. Really, in my mind, I remember one real vacation that we took to Texas. The only other trip I know of, but do not remember, is the trip my family took to Washingto DC. I was three and we were going to be sealed in the temple. I do wish I could recall something since it was such a wonderful occassion. Unfortunately, three year olds do not normally have recall of things that happen to them.

On to the trip I do remember. We were heading to Texas to visit my grandparents. It was Dec 1993, the year I turned 16. We shoved a Lincoln town car full of suitcases and junk; then in piled myself, my mom, my dad, and my two younger sisters. Not exactly any room left for the elbows, especially on a 1500 mile trip into the lowest depths of Texas. We headed out for the area known as the Valley near McAllen.

Along the way we made some stops, which my memory cannot quite recall. I know we stopped and visited relative outside Houston, where we had to take evasive measure on the freeway to avoid gettings lost. I think we stopped at the Alamo as well. Then sometime in the dead of night; on the verge of total exhaustion we found a rinky dink hotel to spend the night. Really the only place in town at all besides the local liquor store which you could literally drive a truck through. We entered our room in the pitch black of night and went straight to bed. Upon sunrise we got the veiw from our room. Running in the yard behind the "hotel" was an ostrich. Only in the heart of Texas.

We eventually arrived in Mcallen. A town mostly inhabited by a few locals and a lot of snow birds. In other words, a whole lot of retired people who reside elsewhere a good part of the year. Not exactly a prime area for a 16 year old to really have a rip roaring good time. I tried to make the most of it and find the good. We did take a trip to South Padre Island, but my good luck being what it is, the weather was miserable. Some of the coldest that part of Texas had seen in recent years. We also took a brief trip over the border to visit small town in Mexico.

This is where the good part finally comes in. My grandparents, sensing that I was not having an ideal time on my vacation, offered to let me use the phone to call one person I know and talk as long as a wanted. After briefly running through the list of potential friends to call, I settled on one I had not talked to in some time and wanted to catch up with. His name...... Steven. Yep, my future husband. It was the call that set the wheels of our relationship in motion and led to a Valentine's Day reunion 2 months later. From there, we became engaged in July and married one year later. The funny thing is, I don't remember what we talked about and I'm pretty sure it was nothing important. I only know that hearing his voice on the end of the line made my heart skip a beat. As soon as I got of the phone I told my mom that I thought he was the one and decided to write him a letter to inform him that we should be together.

So, in the end, a miserable family trip to Texas turned out pretty well. Hopefully soon my own kids will get the chance to experience that wonderful journey into the Valley.