StubHub - Utah Jazz vs Minnesota Timberwolves - Jan 21, 2014

I love StubHub!  It makes it affordable for a family of six to go see a Jazz game.  We hadn't been to a game in over a year.  I looked on www.stubhub.com for tickets to a Tuesday night game, since that is my night off.  I bought the tickets a couple of weeks before the game, the total cost for 6 tickets was under $25.  You can't beat that!  We were all excited to go.

After getting the tickets, I thought that we should figure out how we would get there.  We could drive, but if we could get a group pass on the Frontrunner (commuter train), that would be more fun for the children.  A group pass is $15 and it allows 4 adults to travel.  I just didn't know about the age of children that get to ride free.  It turns out that it is 5 and under, so we would have to buy an extra ticket.  It would cost nearly $21 dollars round trip. 

I decided that we would drive to Salt Lake and stay in the Free Fare Zone.  We got to park for free at the train station in Salt Lake, then ride the Trax (cable car) to EnergySolutions Arena.  This was much more reasonable!  My kids got to enjoy riding on the Trax, which is a lot of fun for a child, and we got to park for free, which was nice for us (the parents).   I apparently cut the top of my husband's head off in the photo below, in order to make sure I got the smallest one in our family... I will never be a photographer.

My Husband and kids on the Trax

We got to the game in plenty of time to find our seats and get to them.  We walked all the way around the arena just to find out if we had started by going right, we would have been immediately in our section.  It was a nice walk though :) 

We were in section 135, row 21, seats 12-17... I knew we were in the nosebleed section.  That is part of those cheap tickets which were mentioned previously.  What I didn't know?  We were one row from the very top of the arena.  That was fine though.  Since my toddler can walk now, I wasn't consumed w/ fear that I would drop her. 

The photo above shows us after we got to our seats  That little yellow rectangle far below us... that is the court.  There are people on that court, they are the things that look like little dots.... 

The man that was sitting a row in front of us at the game bought his wife, three children, and himself,  bowls of ice cream.  At half-time, my daughter went out to see how much the ice cream would cost.  It was $6/bowl.   That was too much for me to spend.

We had a fun night together!  We left the game before the end of the third quarter.  Our team, the Jazz, were down by 25 points.  I came to the conclusion that the game wasn't going to get much better.  Since the children had school the next day, and we were getting whooped by the Timberwolves, I thought we would just head home and let the kids go to bed. 

We stopped on the way home, and I bought a half gallon of ice cream for... wait for it... for $2.50.  I also bought some cones.  I spent less on the ice cream and cones than one bowl of ice cream cost at the game.  We were all happy!  After the ice cream, the kids went to bed.

My biggest fear about leaving the game... that it would be the greatest comeback in history.  Well, maybe not of all time, but it would have been a great comeback.  I checked the score when I got home.  We lost by 10 and my children got to bed at least an hour earlier than they would have if we had stayed. 

My Little Helpers

Last week, I HAD to clean the house.  It is nice to have a clean house.  Working full-time, I don't have a lot of time to do the things I need to do anymore.  I NEED a clean house.  I have offered my children money and other rewards if they would do their chores.  They are not a big fan of doing chores.  I wasn't a big fan of doing chores at that age either.

I decided to do the work myself.  I wanted to have a clean house at some point during the week.  That was the day.  I cleaned the family room to begin with.  When everything was picked up, it was time to vacuum.  I pulled the vacuum out and started vacuuming like crazy!  LIKE CRAZY being the keywords.  VACUUM FORWARD, VACUUM BACK... the thing just wouldn't suck anything up.  VACUUM more.  Still nothing... yes, it was on and it was running.  It just wouldn't SUCK!  Most often, you want things that don't suck.  Not the case with the vacuum, when you are trying to vacuum, you want the thing to suck.

I went and found my husband's toolbox.  People get a kick out of the toolbox.  It is absolutely not the average toolbox.  It works though, for the things my husband knows how to do.  It is a little igloo cooler, I think it would hold, maybe a six-pack of soda pop.  Well, in our case, it holds my husband's tools. 

I got out the Philip's head screwdriver.  I unscrewed the bottom of the vacuum.  I unscrewed it so I could get to the part of the hose where it sucks things up.  I needed to unclog the thing.  With a guinea pig, dog, four children, and myself who have hair, the thing can get clogged sometimes.  Then it just won't suck.  My toddler stood beside me, squatted beside me, and knelt beside me the whole time.  She was my supervisor.  When it came time to start getting the hair, and other things, out of the hose, she helped.  I had her hold the bag that I was putting the stuff in.

My 6 year-old came down around the time I had to start screwing everything back together.  He wanted to help.  Then my toddler also wanted to help.  I figured that I would let them do what they could.  I would just stand back and take some pictures of my little helpers hard at work! 

My 6 year-old was getting ready to take the reigns from me.  He is getting the vacuum all set to get some more screws put back in.  My toddler is standing by, being the supervisor.  She has a few tools, in case she needs to help out!

He is hard at work in the following photo.  He has the screw where it belongs and is screwing it in really tight so the bottom thing (for lack of knowing what it is called) will not fall off.  My toddler seems to be getting tired of watching him, I think she is ready to use some of her tools!

 My toddler couldn't stand just watching anymore.  She had to put her tools to use.  She had watched long enough and thought she could help out.  She knelt right down and went to work.  I think her face is her putting all her effort into turning a screw with needle nose pliers. 

In no time flat, the vacuum was up and working.  It was able to suck again.  I am thankful for my little helpers that came along, in the neck of time, to help me get the vacuum put together so I could continue my work. It was wonderful to leave for work that day and know the house was clean.  If the house would only stay clean, it would be great!

Christmas Eve Tradition

As I was growing up, it became a tradition, on Christmas Eve, to go to a movie, have pizza, look at Christmas lights and then open gifts.  It was also a tradition to eat doughnuts and drink orange juice.

This year on Christmas Eve, we went and watched Despicable Me 2 on the Ogden Cine Pointe 6, for $3/person.  We then met my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and their son for the pizza part of it.  We went to the Pizza Pie Cafe.  I love that place.  I discovered that they have gluten free pizza, pasta and sauce.  Most of the salad bar is gluten free too.  I got to order my own pizza for $2 extra and have all the pasta and salad too.  I got to bring the pizza home with me.  I think it was well worth the $2.

It was nice to share this time w/ my in-laws.  We did Christmas Eve pizza last year too.  The difference was, they were still married then.  I was proud at how civil they are too each other now.  I don't know that I could do that anymore.  They even rode to the pizza shop together. 

I came home and went to sleep after the pizza.  I had to work a 12 hour shift the night before, so I was gone until almost 2 am.  I wrapped gifts after I woke up from the nap.  We then went and looked at the Christmas lights. 

This picture was taken in front of a dragonfly.  Further back, there is a lit up candle and what appears to be a green deer, at least from the photo.  We wanted the dragonfly in the photo.  My husband was the photographer for the photos, so he is not in them.  I am going to have to get a look at my son's coat to see what the reflection is from!  My toddler seldom has matching socks.  This is one of those times they don't match :)  I think when you are that age, you take them off and throw them wherever seems fit at the moment!

These are my four wonderful children.  They are posing in front of the tyrannosaurus rex.  We have always been fans of dinosaurs.  We couldn't pass up this photo opportunity!  It looks like pegasus is driving a car in the background, but they are actually two separate objects, several feet apart.

This photo is of my three oldest children in front of an angel.  My toddler and I were still trying to catch up with them at this point.  The sidewalks were ice most of the way, so I was holding her hand while she walked.  I didn't want to carry her because I was afraid I would fall and hurt her if she was in my arms.  I figured it would be safer if we both had our feet on the ground.  She slipped several times, but I had her hand, so she didn't fall and get hurt.  

This park is amazing how they light it up.  It would have been about an hour wait to drive through, so we found a place to park and walked in.  That is why my toddler and I were a ways back, but we got in and out in about 20 minutes.  Next year, if it is cold, we will have to remember our mittens.

We didn't have doughnuts and juice this year.  I have Celiac disease and no longer eat gluten.  I have not been officially diagnosed, but when I had the biopsy done to confirm pemphigoid gestationis it came back stating that the biopsy also showed a strong likelihood of Celiac disease.  My stomach has hurt off and on since I was in high school.  Not just hurt, but really gave me a great deal of pain.  I went through several procedures my senior year to find out what is wrong, and there were never any definitive answers.  Since I have cut gluten out of my diet, I feel so much better.  My stomach seldom hurts.  In the past several months, I was in constant pain, so I know that cutting the gluten has really changed things for me. 

We came home and opened the gifts.  The favorite gifts were an MP3 player for my older daughter, a remote control helicopter for oldest son, Pokemon DS game for my younger son (even though it was my oldest son's gift) and my toddler got a little ride-on, move w/ your feet, bike from my parents.  I got a blanket w/ family pictures on it from my parents, that I absolutely love, and Keith got a bunch of socks.  We also got a photo from right after our wedding on canvas paper from my parents which is also a favorite. 

I am so blessed to have the family that I have.  I am thankful for traditions and knowing that no matter where we are across the country, my siblings, my parents and my little family are all doing the same thing...seeing a movie, having pizza and looking at lights :) 

This is Hazel

We got a puppy on Sept 14, 2013.  She is a beautiful little Shih-tzu/Mini Pinscher mix.  Her name is Hazel.  I never did a post introducing her, although she was introduced on Facebook.  She has become a wonderful part of our family.  We are thankful for our little dog.

My older daughter came up with her name.  Hazel is my running partner.  She can keep up with me and even goes faster when she wants to.  You wouldn't think she was a good runner with how small she is, but she sure can move.  She has a lot of energy.  I guess my husband got tired of my incessant whining for a puppy.  When my parents got one, I knew I needed one too.  The children love her, my husband loves her, and I love her.

In My First 40 Years

In my first 40 years, I have accomplished a lot and I have failed a lot, but I have learned lessons all along the way. 

I have been blessed with a family that loves me.  Growing up, when I needed a friend, I always had several that lived under my roof.  When things that would happen that would really hurt, they would be there.  My heart was broken more times than I care to count.  It would never make any sense at all.  It never made sense, no matter how much I would want it to.  Until one day, when I finally met my husband.  Then it made sense.  None of the other guys were meant to be my husband and the father to my children.  No matter how much I wanted them to be, it just wasn't supposed to be that way. 

I have been blessed to be with my husband for 12 years.  He loves me!  I have changed a lot in 12 years.  I have had long hair, short hair, medium length hair.  I have been thinner and fatter and in between.  My weight has always been one of my biggest struggles.  It just can't stay the same, but I guess I need to be thankful for that.  With my luck, it would pick one of my heavier weights and stick with that.

I have four wonderful children.  They all have different characteristics, which keeps life amazing!  In the end, they have the same values.  This is the important thing.  They all know and love God.  They all know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, lived and died for us and was risen on the third day.  Well, I am not sure if my toddler knows or not, but I do know my three older children do.  They know to treat others how they want to be treated. 

I know that it is a lot easier to gain weight than it is to lose weight.  I know that I need to find exercise I love or it just isn't going to happen.

Life is good and it is definitely worth all of the ups and downs.   There have been far many ups than downs.  I have been blessed to have many friends.  Many of my friends from childhood are still my friends today. 

This year has brought the knowledge that I suffer from celiac disease.  My life has changed tremendously in the last month.  Going from being a gluten eater to a non-gluten eater has not been easy, but I feel much better because of it.  I think I might have managed to lose 1 lb this year.  I lost more than 1 lb, but then I gained it all back so I lost a total of 1 lb.  At this rate, by the time I am 80, I will be my ideal weight.  Instead, I plan to reach my ideal weight, which is 40 lbs away, this year.  Why not lose 40 lbs at the age of 40?!  I know I can do it.  My biggest downfall was getting depressed after my sister moved out.  Food is a great comforter, I need to find a different one!

I am blessed to have the many good friends I have now.  Through many moves in the past 12 years, I have added many new friends while keeping previous friends (I am not sure they want to be called old friends!).  May Heavenly Father watch over all of you, my family and friends!

When Life Makes You Nuts...

I don't think there is a saying for that like, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

My last few weeks have been overwhelming to say the least.  I started a new job on Nov. 30.   I work at the remote encoding center for the USPS.  Lets just say, if you don't write like we learned to in 1st grade, but neater, your letter will likely come across one of our screens.  We have to make sure your mail is getting to where it is supposed to go.  My regular work week is 45-55 hours.  I miss my kids.  

My 5 year-old son turned 6 this week.  I can't believe that is has been six years since he came into our lives.  I remember that so clearly.  I remember Santa Claus coming to visit him in the hospital when he was just hours old.  I remember bringing him home from the hospital and giving him to my dad.  He was still in the carseat.  My parents' dog ran over and licked him from his chin to the top of his forehead.  They were best friends from that point on. 

I got my hair highlighted and lowlighted.  It isn't exactly what I wanted.  It doesn't match the picture I brought in, but I am okay with it.  I just have to make sure I straighten it or pull it back daily.  We had a family picture taken at church.  I think it turned out pretty well, when five out of the six of us are smiling, that is a good photo. 

I miss being home with my children.  I know the economy isn't improving.  I know it because I am working.  I used to be able to be a stay-at-home mom and we were okay.  We could pay our bills and save some money.  The money doesn't go quite as far anymore.  The food on the grocery store shelves are more expensive.  Prices of almost everything has gone up.  The price of gasoline is under $3 now, so that is nice!

The last time I went running was the day after Thanksgiving.  I didn't think that would be the last time, but now that it has gotten colder, I can't put my daughter in a jogger and push her.  I would worry she was getting too cold.  I miss running.  I don't really know when I can fit in exercise with my schedule as it is.  I canceled my weight watchers membership because it was pretty pointless to try to do that.  I have no time to track what I eat, and I don't have much time to eat what I shouldn't anyway. 

I have come to realize that I have celiac disease.  I remembered that when I had a biopsy for the pemphigoid gestationis that it came back saying that I had a high probability for celiac disease.  My stomach was always killing me.  I have cut gluten out of my diet and I feel much better.  I do miss glutenous foods (if that is a word).  Living on rice and corn based meals gets very boring, very fast.

Well with all that said, and knowing that I work tomorrow and Christmas, I  am very sure I won't blog again before that.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Do Words Ever Escape You?

When I look around my house, it is seldom ever clean to the point that I would like it to be.  I would love to have a clutter-free life.  I can't watch "Hoarders" because it literally gives me a panic attack.  There was a store in the town I grew up in called "Odds n Ends."  I entered that store once.  I could barely catch my breath.  It was a mess and nothing made sense.  Things did not have a place they were supposed to be in, it appeared.  I never went in the store again, I couldn't handle it.

But, with that being said, sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude.  I am so blessed to have my four children.  They light up my life.  They are generally the cause of the clutter or disorderliness of my house, but I will absolutely take them over a clean house any day of the week.

I was told a couple years before I was married that I would never have children with help from a fertility specialist.  That was probably one of the worst days of my life.  I remember leaving the doctor's office and just crying.  I wasn't even sure that I wanted to go home ever again.  I couldn't imagine never being a mommy.  I am so thankful that our Heavenly Father knows a lot more than the doctor.  I am thankful that he blessed me with them. 

I have been blessed with wonderful parents.  I am so thankful that they managed to find each other, get married, and have six children.  My parents have sacrificed so much for us.  They would do whatever they could to make sure we would have those things that we needed.  We didn't always get things we wanted, but we always had the things we needed.  They showed us how to love others and each other.  They taught us the things that we needed to know.  They raised us to be best friends.  I was raised with my best friends. 

I am thankful that they love our Heavenly Father.  I am thankful that they taught us about our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am sure it was not easy to get six children up and ready for church, since I know how it is to get four children up and ready to go to church.  You know, words escape me because to say I am thankful doesn't seem to express the way I actually feel.  I don't know that there are words that can do that. 

I love to hear the sounds of my children laughing together.  I love to see them playing with each other.  I love having time as a family to spend together.  During this time of Thanksgiving, I think it is important to ponder what matters most in life.  To me, that is my family, including my husband and children, my parents, siblings, their spouses and children, and the rest of my extended family.  It also includes my friends, both old and new.  I am especially thankful to Heavenly Father and Jesus, for allowing me to have all of these people in my life.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not know that I am loved.