Christmas time....

So, I, like everyone else, have really been feeling the tension this year. I wish for just a moment we could freeze time, like the perfect photograph of the perfect Christmas and the perfect family. I love how messy life can be, but sometimes I wish I could just slow things down a bit. Just for a minute or two. That's all I'd need. I haven't even been going to sleep because I just want the days to last just a little longer. I want to get to the end of the day and feel like I didn't just waste the most precious gift, the chance to experience the fullness of life. I try to live everyday to the fullest, but sometimes I feel like I'm spinning so fast that all I can do is sit down and watch as the world becomes more and more uncertain around us!! The only thing that we can really trust is the Lord and his plan. The fact that he has physically lived and experienced every tear, every pain, everything that is possible to feel while on this earth. Do we look at it as a challenge, or as a blessing that our lives are still being lived. That we are lucky enough to be here, following the plan that was presented to us not so long ago. How blessed we truly are to be here, helping these little spirits return to him some day. What a huge undertaking. I'm so glad that nobody is perfect. That we are all here to learn patience and unconditional love. The fact the the Lord has trusted me with his most cherished children just blows my mind!! How worthy am I, really? What is the true measure of a man? Is it perfect children and the perfect family, or is it the journey we take while guarded by the Veil? I just hope for strong minds and strong bodies to withstand all that the world can bring. For we are here to learn and grow a testimony that even the most cunning and uncertain world can not touch!! We need to stop asking why me and start asking why not me? Why can't I look past what's right in front of me and see a greater need while on this earth? We're not here merely for our own salvation, but somehow to play a greater role in the surrounding souls that are around us daily. What is it going to take to see the real reason for this earthly visit? Life is short...what are we waiting for...

Trick or treat...!!!!!

So, we got to go to Bear River for Halloween this year, and I'm telling you that this was probably the funnest year yet.
We woke up on Saturday, and my dad was reading an article in the local paper about the bison herd on Antelope Island. It said that over 300 "cowboys" were going to try to herd the bison into a holding pen for their yearly check-ups. We decided that this would be a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon, so we packed a lunch and headed out. It was a crazy drive but it was well worth it in the end! We saw more wildlife than we did in all of Yellowstone. We saw buffalo charging men and women on horseback and we saw coyotes and antelope and we even saw(ran over...oops!) a snake. I tell you what, if you have time to visit, you should. It was awesome!
After lunch we saw the "trucks" finish herding the herd into the holding pen, which was way cool and a little crazy! After that we decided to head back to Bear River for the annual trunk or treat. I thought that it started at 6, but it started at 5 and so we totally missed it!!! Go me!! So we decided to just start walking to see where it would take us. It brought up so many memories of when we were little. It was fun for Cresta and I to share the fun stories of when we were kids to our kids. We walked for blocks with one goal in mind...candy!!! Jason ate the candy that Mckay couldn't have, and I filled my pockets with chocolate...Somebody had to eat, I mean carry it for them.
We ended the night picking up some warm donuts from The Burt's house and then headed to Alan and Jen's house for dinner and a movie. It was a sugary blast of homemade goodness!!
I think that we may have had a little too much sugar though! I don't think it's good for anyone to eat that much junk, especially when you come off the "rush" and totally crash!! I barely made it back to my parents house before I crashed...hard! I remember sitting on the floor to get pajamas ready for my boys, and the next thing I knew, it was morning!!
We had such a fun and memorable Halloween! Mario and Luigi absolutely loved it!! Now, back to reality...

October...

Wow, has October just flown by?! I feel like the world is spinning way to fast for me to even think of keeping up!
My kids are doing good in school, with the occasional principal visit, and work is going well.
I love this time of year. I love the colors of the world. I love the smell of dry leaves and frost. I love that in little over a week, we get to walk for hours and knock on strangers doors so they can give our kids candy! I love that my boys are so proud of their costumes, that, if just for a night they get to somehow magically transform into their heroes of choice.
This world is wonderful and beautiful despite what's happening in Washington! I've never taken the time to just sit outside of town and marvel on the beauty that brings people here. Once you get out of the whirlwind of the "college town" and take a step back, you really begin to see just how lucky you are to live in such a place. You're able to have necessities surround you when needed, and are also able to drive or walk minutes away to "escape" the crowd.
I really do love it here. I just miss my family and the safety net that I was so lucky to experience as a child in B.R.. We had family surrounding us while growing up. I was so lucky to have been raised there. I just hope that I'm offering my boys the same security and safety that I once had. I hope they love it here as much as we do.
I love this time of year....

15 Years...

It seems like yesterday. I was working at Charlie's drive-in and this really nice, fun guy would come in everyday for the lunch rush. I didn't pay much attention because he didn't say much. He always had dirt and grease on his face and clothes because he knew how to work hard. He scared me a lot the first time I met him! I wanted my friend to run him over if that's what it took to get away! (It was dark up on the mountain and I was scared anyway!)
It was Christmas break and I wanted to show my friend Rachelle some of my friends, so we went over to the "pink house" to see who was available to play cards or go to the movies. Jason and Brandon were sitting at the kitchen table, getting all spiffied up for a "night on the town". He was clean!! He wasn't in the middle of a work day!! He looked good!!
They decided to go with us for the evening. Jason tried to dunk my 4 year old sister's head in the snow! ( She's on a mission now...woah, I'm getting old!!) He was so nice. Was it possible??
After getting blown off during Christmas break at my Mom's, I came back to school with a new attitude. Could that be the reason? My heart was finally free?
I had to go and pick up my "little buddy" for a class that I was taking, and I was scared to go to the "little Tijuana" trailer park to pick him up. I stopped by to see if Jason would go with me to get him. He said yes. That's when I fell in love!! He dropped all he was doing just to help me. He was so giving and selfless.
He took me on a date to the battle of the bulls in Salina, Utah with his little sister in tow. I was impressed. He was the peace maker. He is the oldest. He was the protector.
We watched the bulls. We danced the dance. He kissed me on the cheek and said that I looked really nice. The rest is history.
I fell head over heels for this really nice, fun guy that used to hang out at Charlie's Drive in!
I'm so lucky that I found him, and that he had the time to find me.
I love you Jason, my "scary" biker stud!! Thanks for taking such good care of me for the last 15 years! I hope the next 15 will be just as fun and full of adventure!!

princi-PAL...

So, yesterday my boss told me that I had to go and look at something, so I followed with naive intentions. When we got to the boys bathroom, we saw wads of wet toilet paper all over the walls and ceiling. I thought, in my naive way, "I wonder if Mckay knows who did this? This is his bathroom after all."
I went and took Mckay out of class and took him by the hand and started to walk towards the bathroom. As I opened the door I asked him if he happened to know who may have done this and he stated, rather proudly, " Yeah, that's the one that I did, right there, on the wall!! Isn't it cool!"
I tried not to laugh, but it took all I had! I asked him if he knew that this wasn't appropriate behavior. He didn't get it. I asked him if he did this at our house, what would probably happen? He stopped, gasped, and said, "that was bad, huh!" It was like I could see the light click on.
I gave him a giant squeegee and had him knock the wads off the ceiling and then the walls, and then found out that a first grader did the bulk of it, so I gathered him up as well and made them pick up the wads with their bear hands. They did not like that one bit!
After they got everything cleaned up, except for the heater vent, they proceeded towards the Principals office to get yet another "talking to".
I looked through the little glass window at a 7 year old and a 6 year old sitting across the desk, so patiently waiting to see their punishment. Oh how sad. Oh how funny!!
After school, when dad got home, mckay started to tell his story. I walked into the other room and heard, "Dad, you should've seen it! It was HUGE!!" "Awesome!!"
Wow, I definitely have one "just like me someday". I love the "apple tree syndrome". Now I know what my parents must have went through. I just hope that my little apple's will finally have "one just like them someday" too!! Ha-ha!!!

first day of school...2009

So, this year school started off a little bitter sweet. I got up earlier than normal just so I could get myself ready as well. I've always walked them to school the first day. It's a tradition. But this year was different.
I got them fed and ready. I put extra gel in their spiky hair. I made sure their nails were all clipped. I was so proud of the growth that they had made during the summer. It was bliss...but then they started off without me!! I had to grab their hands to get them to stop so I could at least get a picture of them before they left.
As soon as the camera flashed, Kaden was on his way, with Mckay running close behind, trying desperately to not only catch up with him, but pass him and win!! I myself couldn't even keep up, but who can keep up with a lanky 10 year old and a really fast 7 year old on the first day of school!!??
I started to quicken my pace, trying to at least drop Mckay off to his new classroom, his new teacher, and his new friends. There was a comment made that they were gone..."good luck catching them now!" I started to cry. Not tears of happiness by any means, but tears of sadness. They are getting older. They are getting more independent. They don't need me around as much anymore. This sucks!!!
Then, alas, Mckay stopped, turned around, and headed straight to me. My heart did a little jump for joy. At least HE still needed me!! I heard him call my name. With hopes of the chance to still be able to pass him on to his new class, I hurried toward him. "Mom" I heard him say. "What sweetheart" I called out, speeding up even more to catch up. "Um, don't forget to pack me my kind of spaghetti for lunch today!" and he was off again. My heart broke a little, but I had to laugh anyway. It's so funny that we can all be gullible enough to think the inevitable wouldn't happen for a couple more years.
So, when I finally reached his classroom to give his teacher "his kind" of snacks, he was sitting patiently at his desk, hands folded in front of him, asking his teacher, "what are we supposed to do now?" I cried again. Ready this time to let the little guy finally grow up. No more little one, no more "mom, I need you". They are finally grown up and responsible for their own actions.
Kaden even said that he was glad that he's in the class he's in now, because finally, in his fifth year of elementary school he said he has a ton of friends!! How glad I am of transferring him from the "cool kids" that were always mean to him class, to the "little dorky" future leaders class. Yeah for a new Principal that will actually listen to the parent request instead of the former Principal that overrode the parent request for his own request! We're so glad "little Timmy", the class bully of his era, was "demoted" this year! Things are finally looking up. My second grader and my fifth grader are finally starting to "let go". Now...If I could just do the same!!

STURGIS baby...

Well, I did it!! I rode the 1,721 miles to and from Sturgis, SD without towing once!! I even rode through the rain storm outside of Rock Springs, WY! I still can't believe I did it! I'm so glad to be home though!!
I guess I'm getting a little ahead of myself!! So, I'll start at the beginning!
Tuesday morning Jason and I left my mom's house in Bear River City and started the ride to Yellowstone National Park. It was fun until we got there and discovered that it would cost us a whopping $40.00 just to enter the park. The even bigger kicker is that the first 60 miles was road construction...yeah, road construction!! We had to pay to ride on dirt roads and gravel!! Fun, right!! The only animal that we even came close to see was a bear down by the water!! It was pandemonium! Chaos, as all the "people" stopped to snap a picture!! Stopping in the middle of the road just so they could get a photo of a bear!! It was crazy!!
The last half of our Yellowstone "experience" was mostly in the dark!! 40 miles was spent chasing Jason down after forgetting to notice the big turn off sign that read Cody, WY this way...not that way!! The rest of the night was spent in darkness until we made it to a little campground/cafe that didn't have any lodging left and they absolutely couldn't allow tents in the park. They were kind enough though to re-open their establishment so that we could at least thaw and get warm so that we could travel the next hour and a half to Cody.
When we got to Cody, at 12:30a.m. we were told on several occasions that everything was full and the next chance that we had to find lodging for the night was about 2 hours away! So as Jason and I used our Joseph/Mary mentality to find "room in the inn" we rode past a Wal-mart with r.v.'s and camping trailers all over their 24 hour parking lot!! I.D.E.A.!! I'm so not above pitching a tent on the lawn at wal-mart at 1:00a.m.! The sleep was peaceful until 4 a.m. when it started "raining" on our tent!! I looked out and the sprinklers just kicked on and we were getting "watered"! It lasted until 4:55a.m.!! And to make matters worse, the giant, loud street sweeper started up and down the motor homes and campers and lasted until 5:15 a.m.! Tell you what, I won't try that again!!
That morning we ate at a really good hometown restaurant!! The portions were huge and the prices were cheep!! We went to the Buffalo Bill museum before we ventured forward!! There were tons of guns!! We even saw one donated by Dick Cheney!! I guess he gave up guns after his little "incident"!! We laughed a little about that one too!!
After we left Cody we rode until 2:30 when we stopped for an ice cream and water. Then we pushed through until 10:30p.m. when we finally got to Sturgis!! I don't know who was more excited, me or Doug!! I think he was glad that we, uh I, made it safe and without incident!!
We finally got to "set up camp" for a couple of days, where they totally soaked those participating in the whole "sturgis experience" by charging each person $30.00 to stay there! We had a little tent and it cost us $60.00 a night! And more so, you had to pay for everything! Showers were .25 cents for 15 minutes!! I felt like I was at girls camp again!! I guess it was all worth it though because I did get to join in on the teasing of Justin, Doug's friend!! I tried to tease Randy, but he would just stand there and shrug his shoulders and laugh. Justin would fight back! The first thing that I said to him was that "he finally got his bike out of the trailer"! I think I must have shocked him because he didn't even have a response! The rest of the trip was just about the same! He would make it so easy to tease him! That's what Jason says about me...all...the...time!! Now I know what he means!!
The next day we ventured to downtown Sturgis. I couldn't believe all the bikes! They were lined as far as you could see on both sides! It was cool. The whole thing was vendors trying to sell their t-shirts. It really was over-rated!! We decided to go to the fights that night because Jason and the boys wanted to go and I couldn't be the "who brought the girl" girl, so I went along even though I was really zapped from the "no food" day before! The first fight I cringed, turned white, almost passed out and had to sit down for a while because I got so sick! How could they break someone else's nose and be o.k. with it!? Then around half way I started figuring out that I wanted the cocky guy or girl to go down by the "underdog", so I started looking, cheering, then sitting back down in case it got bad! By the end of the fights, I was screaming for the S.D. state high school champ to go home and for the Utah underdog to "get him"! I couldn't believe how into it I was getting. I could totally see, at that point in my journey, how fighting at someone else's expense could be entertaining. I could see for a brief moment at the excitement that the people in the 1950's would feel while watching the "fights" for their only form of entertainment. Then someone bled, and it was over!! I couldn't handle it anymore, so I made up an excuse to go across the street to get some "snacks" at the grocery store! It worked! By the time I got back, it was over, and we got to go and sleep!! Awesome!!
The next day as we were leaving, Jason and I looked at each other and said that we needed to make sure and say a prayer before we left. That is a tradition with my mom and dad that we start each trip and day off with a prayer. We just didn't know if we dared to in front of everybody else. But we did, and we are so grateful that we did!! We rode around Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse monument, Custer state park, devil's tower, and into Deadwood before we noticed the dark clouds all around us, water gushing on the side of the road, and hail varying from the size of a quarter to the size of a softball surrounding us on the side of the road! As we walked into our dinner reservations there was a severe storm warning blaring on the t.v. warning everyone to take cover and be prepared because two tornadoes were about to touch down in the area!! We got a call from Doug telling us to find refuge because they were getting pounded and everyone's tents were either smashed, or filled with water!! He said that he would dry our sleeping bags for us so we had something to sleep in that night, and that we were in charge of cleaning up the rest!! So of course, $15.00 worth of quarters later we were able to wash and dry all our clothes!! The other funny thing about that day, is that while we were waiting for our table I took one dollar and gave one to Jason and we played the quarter slot. I won $15.00 and .25 cents!! Just enough to cover the wash and a 15 minute shower!! Nice, right!! So, as I was saying, because of starting our day with prayer, we were able to ride all day, untouched to the storm that surrounded us!! How blessed we truly are for being protected!! Jason still comments on how we were able to miss all that and make it back unharmed! It was a true testament builder!!
So, on the way home, we ate when Justin would buy us a breakfast burrito, because he was "stuck" in the truck with Nate the whole way home (that's another story!!), and we would stop for gas when everyone else did.
We rode through the storm to get to Rock Springs where we could finally sleep in a real bed and not have to worry about our leaky tent!! It was awesome, and a little weird, but that's another story!!
We then rode the 189 miles for home the next day, which was a piece of cake, considering what we'd already been through that trip. It was beautiful, it was windy, it was rainy and it was a blast!!! I'm glad that I can say that I rode the whole way on my own bike and returned to tell about it!! It was awesome and I made some really good friends that I would rather have with me than against me!! Mom's next painting. View from our camp in Sturgis











Jason taking on a bear at the Buffalo Bill museum and the world's biggest chair...not kidding!

We're off...

We're off to sturgis for the week!! We'll let you know how everything was when we get back!!

Welcome July...

So, we have had a pretty busy July so far, as I'm sure you all have as well. We have been on an adventure to Panguitch to the balloon festival... and then we were able to tour Bryce canyon on our bikes with our kids. This is the motel we stayed in while we were there. The sign is original to the motel, dating back to the 50's. Isn't it quaint.

Anyway, when we got back home, Kaden officially turned ten!!

Don't you dare say we're getting old! It's driving me crazy that he is so grown up already! 6 more years and he'll be driving!! We're so proud of him! Jason even taught him how to mow the lawn. He does such a great job!









We have continued with our bathroom remodel and also added new windows to our upstairs. I'm so grateful for a big, strong, trusting husband that's willing to help me knock down a few walls so that we can make our home better and more functional. Without him, I wouldn't be able to help make our house a home.
Oh, and in other news, Grandpa and Grandma Larsen's boxer "introduced" himself one day to Aunt Brooke's red heeler and wala, just like magic 10 puppies were born. Of the ten we were able to choose one for Kaden's birthday...enter Gambit, our one blue-eyed, one brown eyed boxer/red heeler mix. The boys were so excited that they decided to sleep in their tent with him that night. I told Kaden if Gambit started to sniff around during the night, then he needed to put him outside for a minute. This is how I found them the next morning. Kaden was so worried that the dog would get cold and lonely, that he moved his sleeping bag out of the tent during the night and slept on the grass with him. It made me laugh a little. He is the best little puppy so far. Mckay is already his best friend. We're hoping it stays that way.
I'm so blessed to have such a great and loving family that surrounds me with unconditional love everyday! Without them, I'd be lost!! I'm so grateful that we have the time and the means to make some awesome memories while here on this earth. We will definitely have some great stories to tell when we return home!! Now...onto the next big adventure!!

bathroom remodel

I decided to finally fix up our upstairs bathroom after 15 years of it being out of order. Our kids are getting way too old to pee outside when the only bathroom is occupied. It's pretty cool, because when I ripped up the 2x4's you could see big log beams supporting the upper level. It's amazing what you can find in a house that's 109 years old.
Anyway, it's going to be quite a challenge to get it in working order. Jason thought that the water lines would run through the bathroom, and instead it runs down the walls, so we might just have to re-route the lines, which won't be difficult because the kitchen ceiling is still down in one spot from when the bathroom pipes broke initially and flooded the main floor.
Well, I guess it's back to work!! I'll post pic's when I get them.

Our June...so far

So, for it being the long, hot days of summer, we've had a very busy, fast moving June!!
We started it off by spending the weekend after Memorial day at the ranch, with our bikes and my awesome Brother and Dad. We took the kids around Bear Lake and into Idaho. It was rainy some of the time, and really nice the other. We took Molly home with us that Monday and got to spend some time with her. I love it when the "cousins" get to come and stay because it makes me feel more at home and less of wishing that I didn't miss them all growing up.
I took Molly back to Lindon on my bike on Friday. It was nice until I had to get home. I rode through hail, rain, wind, and snow for about 20 minutes....I know Doug, don't be a wimp!! I got it.
Anyway, that Tuesday I met Jenny in Kaysville so that she could take my boys to Bear River to stay at my mom's while I went to a "lunch ladies" convention in Sandy for the week. It was awesome!! We got to donate about 25 quilts to Primary Children's. That was a humbling experience, especially if you've spent any time there yourself. You begin to appreciate the warmth of a quilt after a thing like that. Anyway, back at the convention I won a bear afghan and a mickey mouse quilt in the quilt drawing, and got tons of vendor fair samples. We'll be set with juice, yogurt, and fruit snacks for a year!!
Then I went to Bear River to pick up my boys and Bailey so that she could come and spend a week with us as well. Trust me, we were very busy!! We went to Manti pool with Lane and Skylar on Tuesday. Very fun! Oh, by the way, did you know that you could get sun-burned in cloudy, sometimes rainy conditions??!! Anyway, for family night we decided to go to Mt. Pleasant and go to the drive-in for night at the museum 2. It was kind of cold, but it's always fun to sit in the back of your car and nosh on garbage!!
Wednesday we attempted to go to Palisade state park and "play" for the day, but the wind and rain didn't allow us to, so we went on Thursday instead.
The park has this "Geo-cache" g.p.s. trek which I didn't have a clue in the world what it was until we actually participated. You have no idea how tired you can get by chasing young people up and down the mountain in search for treasure!! They were die-hards!! Anyway, after we traded all that we could, we decided that it would be a great idea to go to the Manti Pageant. We gathered the family and the blankets and witnessed yet another year of hard work and dedication from the community. Well done!!
And now today, Friday, the most significant of all. Al and Jen got here at about 10:30 to get Bailey and get all gussied up for a wedding of a good family friend. Quinton decided to stay here and play with the boys, so I thought that it would be a great idea to take them to the batting cages and then to ice cream while the others were gone. It was a great idea until Kaden got in to bat!! After about 3 misses he decided that the next ball wasn't getting past him and "POW" the ball smashed his thumb between the bat!! We gathered up our stuff, rinsed and wrapped his bleeding thumb in paper towels and rushed, yet again, to the Doctors!! I think that he was more worried about getting stitches than he was of the actual wound. As we were driving over to Mt. Pleasant I overheard him saying a little prayer that he wouldn't have to get them. What a boy. Afterwards he said, don't worry mom, Heavenly Father won't make me get them, I'm o.k.
When we got there, the Doctor said that he could probably just glue it back together, but Kaden thought that it would hurt and just wanted a band-aid. We finally convinced him to let the Dr. do his job so that we could go home.
We decided to take Jess, Tara, Quinton, and Bailey, Kaden and Mckay back to the cages and spend the last 3 tokens on the older kids, so that their way over tired parents could have a rest before traveling to Cedar City. It went better this time. Kaden stood outside and watched so that no one else would get hurt and Quinton, Bailey, Mckay and Tara got to bat. After we finished, we finally went to Pollie's to get ice cream. Well worth the drama for a "Little Richard". I don't know if it's the brownie on the bottom, or the cherry on the top that makes it so good after a hard day, but I guess whatever works, right?!
Anyway, Quinton decided to stay with us until Sunday, so I guess we'll see what tomorrow has in store...stay tuned.

Holy Crap!!!!

Sorry if I offended anyone with this title, but those were the exact words that I used today when I looked up from Mckay's magnetic Book of Mormon and saw my Husband of nearly 15 years sitting up on the stand waiting patiently to bear his testimony. When I looked up at him, it took me a minute to even realize that it was him, and when I looked over to my right and realized that he was no longer sitting beside me, I rather loudly said, "holy crap!"
Loud enough, in fact, that the people two rows in front of me glanced back to see if all was well.
The only other time that he has ever been on the stand was when he and I had a talk to give in the college married ward, so you can probably imagine my surprise....and my tears!! I instantly grabbed a tissue because I had uncontrollable tears rolling down my face!!
He started by saying that he would be o.k. as long as he didn't look at me, and then he did, and got a little teary-eyed.
I am so proud of him and the decisions that he has made to better himself and his family! He not only talked the talk, but today he chose to walk the walk! I am so grateful for the love that he has for us and for the scouts that truly look up to him. Way to go stud!!! I love you!!

Too much of a good thing!!...

So, we have a neighbor that has ditch shares and doesn't use them, so he offered them to us. Jason put in this 6" pipe to water our lawn and garden and it is very efficient at getting it all done quickly. We had just the front west side of our house left to water, so Jason put all available hoses there to water thoroughly. We sort of forgot to let the water go last night before bed and we got an angry call this morning at 5! We were told that "she" was getting flooded out and that we were supposed to go "take care of our water"! I went out in my jam's and lifted the board and she was immediately screaming at me. She said that she was going to plant her patch of dirt today, and now she will have to wait until it dries out??!! That patch has been absolutely flooded for the past month, I don't know what an extra day will hurt!! I told her sorry and I hoped it would all work out, and the last thing that I heard as I slammed the door was that it was going to be "an awful lot of extra work for her"!!! What work? Water on mud dries, and doesn't it need to be wet non-stop until the seeds germinate anyway? I think that she looks for things to complain about! Her life wouldn't be complete if she didn't have something that made her unhappy!
Anyway, I will be spending the day inside, avoiding her until she calms down, and then I will go throughout the rest of her days pretending that nothing is wrong. Good thing she has a short attention span. She forgets quickly!

#8

I want to end this with a jumbo "happy", but there is two that I can't decide between. The first is Heavenly Father and Jesus and the sacrifices that they have made for everyone so that we can someday be enveloped in their arms and told "well done". I know if I continue to progress on this earth that I get to have the one most important thing on this earth back with me some day...my Family. There is nothing more important to me than that.
Now the second thing that makes me happy is Grandma's and Grandpa's. I am so grateful for both my mom's and dad's for their willingness to share their wisdom and love with a couple of wild boys that they continue to love no matter what. I am grateful for the random invites so that Jason and I can spend some "quality time" on our bike rides to Manti to get a soda. It makes me happy to see them on the 4-wheelers at the farm and the Ranch, learning how to be boys and take risks, which by the way, I would be o.k. with them being trapped inside a "safety bubble" for the rest of their lives, but I know it is not at all possible.
I love that they are turning into fine young men every day of their lives. I have everybody to thank for that. So for my last blog on the 8 day challenge I want to thank you all. Without you I would be lost.

#7

O.K. anyone that has been questioning where my priorities are on things that make me happy(Jason and Doug) this one's for you.

Riding my Harley makes me happy! It's an expensive sport, but if I had to pay for therapy for what this bike does to my brain and soul, then I would be in debt all of the time! I get on a little miffed, and by the time I get back I can think clearly and react to problems a whole lot better than when I left. I love how close you are to nature. The smells and sounds are so crisp and clean...except when you're passing a cow lot, then it gets a little bad. For the most part I love, love, love my bike.