Kurt & Marnie & Family

Life with Diabetes

2012-01-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

An entire shelf in our kitchen is now dedicated to supplies--lancets, alcohol pads, syringes, books, meters, you name it....

Life has changed a bit for us around here....but not too much. Eating a meal, or eating anything for that matter, involves a little bit more time and MATH! We have gotten really good at our 12 times tables recently (his insulin to carb ratio is 1 unit insulin for every 12 carbs).

I spent a lot more time at the pharmacy.

There is a lot more worry when I go down to wake Indy up in the morning. There is always that lingering fear that his blood sugar has gone really low in the night and he is not going to wake up. What an awful feeling.

But overall Indy has done great. He basically takes care of everything himself and is really good at it. I'm very proud of how he has handled this change in his lifestyle.

Ski Day

2012-01-19T15:19:00.001-08:00

Emerson, Paige and Reagan had a ski day last week. The snow wasn't the greatest but that never stops these girls from having fun!

Last one in braces!

2012-01-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

Emerson finally got her top braces on yesterday. She is going to be sore for a few days I'm sure! But it will all be worth it when all those crooked teeth are nice and straight.

Happy Birthday Kurt

2012-01-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my mountain man husband!

Brian Grandkids

2011-12-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

Sherry wanted a picture of her with all the grandkids to send as a New Year's card. It was quite a challenge to get all those kids (23 of them...)to smile or at least look the same way at the same time. It's quite a herd I'd say!

Indy's early Christmas gift and a really long story...

2011-12-26T18:11:00.000-08:00

So this month was a crazy one as usual. I thought we were going to get through it without anything too out of the ordinary but no!

A week or so before Christmas, Indy mentioned to me that he was SO thirsty all the time and peeing a ton. I would go down to his room in the morning to wake him up for school and notice 3 or 4 empty glasses in his room. So the day before the kids got out of school for the break I took him in to the clinic at Vivint. He was fasting so they could get a blood test. While we were waiting to be seen the nurse mentioned that they would need a urine test so she gave him a juice box. I thought that was a little weird since they had told him not to eat anything but didn't say anything. We met with the doctor and did all the routine exam stuff. Then she told us that they had messed up by giving him the juice box and he would have to come back in to get a blood test. Since Kurt and I were leaving the next day to go out of town we decided to bring him in again the following Monday morning.

Kurt and i spent the weekend in Las Vegas for our anniversary. We ate lots of good food, finished up our Christmas shopping and relaxed. Thank goodness we got away when we did because it seemed like all hell broke loose as soon as we got home!

Monday morning was a mad dash to get Indy back to the clinic, Montana off to the airport to stay with Sunne and the boys packed and ready to drive to the ranch. It was chaotic for a few hours but, once all the kids were gone, Kurt and I were able to do some last-minute wrapping and pull together some things to leave to the ranch the next day. We went to the England family Christmas party (with no kids, how sad...) and had a fun night hanging out with the family.

Tuesday morning I was going about my business when I got a phone call from the doctor at the Vivint clinic. She said that she was 99% sure that Indy did have Type 1 diabetes and we should try and get in touch with an endocrinologist as soon as possible. I immediately got off the phone and called Mike Young for a referral. He said that there aren't any pediatric endocrinologists in Utah County but said he would do some research and call me back. By this time I was a wreck. When Mike called me back he strongly recommended I get Indy home from the ranch and checked in to Primary Children's. I started to panic a little knowing Indy was kind of far from a hospital and worried that he might get really low or really high blood sugar and no one would know what was going on or what to do. We finally made some arrangements for someone to take him to the clinic in Bicknell, have his blood sugar tested and have those results sent to Mike before we drove down there to get him. When all was said and done, Jake drove him to Scipio where Kurt and I met them. From there we drove straight to Primary Children's. Mike had already called and made all the arrangements by the time we got there. We had to check in at the emergency room and by 11:00 that night he was in a room.

At this point, we knew that he did have Type 1 diabetes and our lives were certainly going to change. Normally with this diagnosis a patient has to stay in the hospital for 2 days to learn how to dose your insulin, count your carbs and everything else. But with Christmas only a few days away, Kurt really pushed for us to get out of there after one day. And boy was I glad he did. Sleeping with Kurt on a single roll-away bed in the room with Indy was no fun. None of us had any pajamas or toothbrush or anything!

So Wednesday night, after less than 24 hours and our brains a little overwhelmed with diabetes information, we were checked out and headed home from the hospital. We got home and Kurt gave us one hour to pack and be in the car to drive to the ranch. All I wanted to do was crawl in bed and go to sleep!! By 11:30 that night we were in Grover.

We had a wonderful Christmas with the Brian clan. The ranch even had a couple feet of snow so we got to have the white Christmas that we wouldn't have had at home! We ate well, started our Harry Potter movie marathon and enjoyed spending time with family. It will definitely be a Christmas to remember.

Although this is not the kind of thing I would ever wish on somebody, I feel so lucky that diabetes is a manageable disease and Indy can continue to live his life as he always has. He doesn't have to stop doing what he has always done. Now he just has a few added steps in his routine. I am really, really proud of him and the way he has handled this. And I am so grateful that he is an otherwise really healthy, active kid.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

21 Years

2011-12-20T07:19:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe it's been 21 years that we have been married. I really do feel like the luckiest girl around. Kurt is thoughtful, patient, kind, talented, creative, loving, righteous, honest, non-judgmental and too many other good qualities to mention. Looking forward to growing old(er) together. Love you babe.

Christmas Sewing Project

2011-12-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to get new Christmas stockings for quite a few years now. But I can never find any that I love enough to justify paying such a high price for. So I decided to make some this year. Why I thought I could handle a sewing project in the middle of December I am not sure. But I love how they turned out! I still have plans to put mustaches on the boys' and black ribbon the girls'.

Recent

2011-12-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

The girls after doing baptisms at the Provo Temple.

It's already the 10th of December and the days continue to fly by as we get closer to Christmas. We have been busy as usual. Trying to blog and post some every day events isn't high on the list of things to do! But here are a couple pictures from recent weeks that I loved.

Can you tell how comfortable these boys are with each other? This is the scene in the lobby each Sunday before they head off to priesthood. What good boys they are!

Day 30 of Gratitude-Self-Portait

2011-11-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

I am so not a fan of seeing myself in pictures. I always have some criticism of my face, my nose (getting longer and pointier....) etc. I need to learn to get over that.

Day 29 of Gratitude-Light

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

Day 28 of Gratitude-Nighttime

2011-11-28T07:00:00.001-08:00

I asked Kurt the other day if the sunsets are always this spectacular or if I am just not noticing them until now. Amazing what you can see if you just stop and take a minute to look....

Day 27 of Gratitude-Daily Routine

2011-11-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am the kind of person who likes a daily routine. But I like to be spontaneous as well. I think a good balance of both is what works best for me.

My daily routine these days is to wake up about 6:50 am, wake up Indy and Emerson, do what they need to be out the door by 7:30 and then enjoy the peace and quiet when everyone is gone! As soon as they are gone I can do my studying. Then I start laundry, pick up the house or do any other little things that need to be taken care of. By 9:30 or 10 I am off to the gym or out the door on a run.

If I can do that part of my daily routine, I don't usually mind how the rest of the day goes. And once the kids get home from school there is no real routine at all!

Day 26 of Gratitude-Transportation

2011-11-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful for my car! I love my Tahoe. I think it's the most favorite car I have ever owned. It's not too big but big enough to haul all the kids and all the junk I need for work.

Day 25 of Gratitude-Artwork

2011-11-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

When I lived in London for BYU Study Abroad, we visited a LOT of art museums. It was pretty amazing to see so many famous works of art in person. I couldn't really name a single favorite artist---that would be too hard! But I love art. Here are a few of my favorite works:

Cassandra Barney-Fleur

Vermeer-Girl with a pearl earring

Vincent Van Gogh-Starry Night

Day 24 of Gratitude-Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

Today I feel blessed to have a family--not only my immediate family but extended family to spend the holiday with. I am so grateful for the anticipation of spending uninterrupted time with them. I feel so lucky that we have an abundance of blessings; that we have more food that we could ever want or need; that we are healthy and able to physically do all the things we want to do; Mostly I am grateful to know my purpose here on this earth. How lucky I am to have a loving Heavenly Father who loves me in spite of my weaknesses and shortcomings.

Day 23 of Gratitude-In My Closet

2011-11-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

My closet is SMALL! With a closet this size I have to stay pretty organized. Thank goodness there are lots of drawers and shelves to help me stay neat. I just wish I had a little more room for shoes....

Day 22 of Gratitude-Clothing

2011-11-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

I have always loved a good cardigan sweater! That has been the case for many years. Maybe I'm just a grandma in a 42-year old body. My favorite outfit is a white button-down shirt of some sort and a cardigan sweater.

Day 21 of Gratitude-Where I Sleep

2011-11-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

Our bedroom is pretty boring----not much color, furniture we have had almost our whole married life and even lack of a real bed. It has always been the last room in the house that we really decorate or pay any attention to. But I am grateful to have a place to sleep in a warm house.

Day 20 of Gratitude-Seasonal??? (not sure what that means)

2011-11-20T14:46:00.000-08:00

Since I'm not exactly sure what it means when they say to be grateful for something seasonal, I am posting a picture of Lake Powell. Our family LOVES to go to Lake Powell. It is such a beautiful place. We are so lucky that we got to spend some time with the Holmes' there this summer! And we are so grateful for great friends!

Day 19 of Gratitude-Best Friend

2011-11-19T08:36:00.001-08:00

Day 18 of Gratitude-Something New

2011-11-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe I'm being shallow but I am so grateful for these new shoes! I love them! They remind me of the oxfords I used to wear in high school. They are so comfortable----and what's so wrong about being grateful for comfortable shoes???

Day 17 of Gratitude-Memories

2011-11-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

Since the actual day of Thanksgiving is a week away I thought I would look back at our first year of Thanksgiving at the ranch (2009). It was also our first time using the new ranch house. Crazy how fast time flies. These boys look so much older now.

That's quite a memory! I'm sure this will be a good blackmail picture when Noah is a teenager!

And, of course, this was our last Thanksgiving with Pat. He sure loved that ranch house. I'm so thankful for all the wonderful memories we have had and continue to make in Grover.

Day 16 of Gratitude-Pets

2011-11-16T07:41:00.001-08:00

Day 15 of Gratitude-Technology

2011-11-15T08:09:00.001-08:00

Technology is pretty amazing these days. I am grateful for my cell phone for sure!

Day 14 of Gratitude-Movement

2011-11-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

I am grateful that I have a healthy body and am able to do the things I want to do---especially running!

Day 13 of Gratitude-Written Words

2011-11-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

I am so grateful for written words in the form of the Ensign---especially the General Conference addresses. It's so nice to be able to go back and read over those talks and be reminded daily of what we should be doing. As I read I can hear the voices of those General Authorities in my head saying the words. And how nice is it to be able to access the Ensign and all other church materials on your phone!! There is no excuse to not read your scriptures every day.

Day 12 of Gratitude-Hands

2011-11-12T05:05:00.000-08:00

Day 11 of Gratitude-Something Old

2011-11-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

So I guess old is relative... I'm sure my kids would look at these and say they look old! Boy I remember these "lip lickers". I think peach was my favorite. These were popular about the time I was in junior high----right about Emerson's age now. How time flies. I am grateful that I can still remember that far back!

Day 10 of Gratitude-Nature

2011-11-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

Mt. Timpanogos

I think it's pretty easy to have gratitude for nature when you live in Utah! There is such diversity here.

Capitol Reef

Hawaiian rainbow

Is the color on these flowers not amazing!!

More Capitol Reef

Capistrano Beach

Day 9 of Gratitude-Inspiring People

2011-11-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

Maybe this is not the greatest picture of these two but it typifies their personalities---happy! Pat & Sherry are two of the happiest and most positive people I know. And even though Pat is not here with us anymore, we feel his spirit every day. And Kurt is more like him every day also! I'm grateful for their influence in our lives.

Brace Yourself!

2011-11-08T19:46:00.000-08:00

Today was the big day for Emerson. Those teeth are in serious need of straightening! In a few weeks she'll be getting the top braces on. Lucky girl.

Day 8 of Gratitude-Something Funny

2011-11-08T06:50:00.000-08:00

If I want a good laugh at the end of my day, I hop on Pinterest. I am always able to find something funny.

Day 7 of Gratitude-Favorite Color

2011-11-07T06:10:00.000-08:00

Wow-today is a hard one. Not to find gratitude for color but to determine my favorite one. I would say that I have different favorites at different times. I love browns, purples and oranges. But then I love white too which really isn't a color. I think I could wear a white shirt everyday as long as I was pairing it with some color. So I am grateful for many colors and the option to choose any one of them!

Day 6 of Gratitude-Books

2011-11-06T07:17:00.000-08:00

If you read this blog at all, then you know how much I love to read. So today I am especially grateful for good books. My favorite genre is historical fiction but I will read just about any other genre besides horror. And the longer the book, the better in my eyes---nothing better than a nice, long book. Maybe that's because I don't like the let down that happens when a good book ends. With a long book I can prolong the let down...

Day 5 of Gratitude-Morning Sky

2011-11-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

photo courtesy of Kurt (and Instagram)

I love mornings when it is still dark outside but the sun is starting to come up. It's so peaceful and quiet. If I'm awake at that time I love to just sit and watch it get lighter outside.

Day 4 of Gratitude-Leaves

2011-11-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love fall! It's probably one of the biggest reasons I love living in Utah so much. I would be missing out on so much pleasure if I couldn't enjoy this beautiful season of the year. I know I already posted this picture but it was worth reposting to fit into my subject for the day...

How is that for a stunning view of Sundance!
(thank you Instagram for helping me remember to capture such things....)

Day 3 of Gratitude-Happiness

2011-11-03T09:34:00.001-07:00

Happiness for me is my white blanket and a good book on this cold fall morning.

Day 2 of Gratitude-Smile

2011-11-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

This pic makes me smile because everyone (but me...) is trying so hard NOT to smile!

Day 1 of Gratitude-Favorite Food

2011-11-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, I will try to post one thing I am thankful for each day. Yes, I am thankful for cheeseburgers! No, they are not healthy but I sure love them.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

I was so dreading making the doughnuts this year. I couldn't quite figure out why until I remembered that I just made them in June for girls camp! They require so much time and effort that making them more than once a year really wears me out. Kurt suggested I just not make them. Well I know that we would have had many disappointed neighbors and trick-or-treaters if I wouldn't have made them. They turned out great and I was lucky to have Montana home most of the night to help me which made a HUGE difference. Thanks Tan! Last year we had a bunch of leftovers but not this year! By 9:30 pm there was not one doughnut left!! As it is I make 400+ of those tasty little things...

Nobody was interested in carving pumpkins but the girls.

This was as close to a costume as the three of us were going to get this year. Kurt ran in to Walmart last minute and got these cute Halloween shirts.

Fall Getaway

2011-10-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

Half of our family got to go to this beautiful place last week for a little getaway. Kurt had work deadlines and both Montana and Finn weren't able to miss school so Indy, Emerson and I drove to Dana Point for the week. I was really dreading that long drive after having driven it so many times this summer. But it ended up being not too bad at all.

Lindsey and Dave were there. It's always fun to drive around town in the Mini!

Mom, Dad and Elliot

This splint did not slow Ethan down one bit!

Elliot loved the hot tub.

We spent one afternoon at Emerald Bay beach. It was a perfect day----there was not a cloud in the sky.

Will, Ethan and Emerson had a great time digging and finding sand crabs.

We spent a day at Disneyland of course! It was such a bummer that it was so crowded. I know Arizona schools were on break but still!!! The weather was downright hot! I think it got into the 90's. But we had a great time anyway.

I had to get a picture of this for Indy.

I loved seeing all the Halloween decorations all over the park. So festive!

There is a great park just around the corner from the England house called Pines Park. It has a fun playground for the kids and the views of the beach are spectacular.

Not a great picture of the beach house but I had to get some documentation of it. It is such a great house.

Oh, life.....

2011-10-05T06:58:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how quickly time passes when you get busy. I don't like it when I don't have time to slow down and enjoy life. I am definitely trying to enjoy the beautiful fall weather we have been having here in Utah. There is nothing better than running on a trail covered in fall leaves. Love it!

Love this site.

2011-09-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

As I posted about a few months ago, I have become a little addicted to couponing. The above site is one of my favorite websites to refer to because it's local.

And while we're on the subject...

2011-09-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

of time-suckers, instagram is Kurt's addiction. He is taking pictures non-stop. Check him out if you're interested--his name is ohhale.

2011-09-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, I joined. Yes, I'm addicted.

No, I really don't need another time-sucking app. But it sure is fun!

Montana State

2011-09-18T08:01:00.001-07:00

Montana had her first UVU race yesterday in Montana of all places! She didn't do as well as she had hoped. Her leg (the one that's been in a boot) started hurting about a mile in. Those dang injuries...

Homecoming 2011

2011-09-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

Why is it that school dances don't seem to be as big a deal to prepare for when it's your son going to the dance? I still had to go get flowers and buy a new pair of pants for him...Is it because he is my second child and a boy??

I think the date went much more smoothly than his last dance. And it looks like they had a pretty good time. He did stay out a little too late! But we already had a discussion about it...

What a cute group of kids! And thanks once again to Alan Bailey for taking all the fun pictures!

Off to a great start!

2011-09-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

UVU started a week ago and Montana didn't even get to run in her first college meet. Those dang shin splints were so bad they put her in a boot. Hopefully, after two weeks, she will be good as new. In the meantime she is able to use the injury to her advantage at the grocery store!

Tis the season....

2011-08-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

......for school dances that is. School hadn't even started and Finn had asked a girl to Homecoming. And she even answered him last night---before school started.

I'm so glad that his room was straight....(how embarrassing).

He asked Ari Brockbank and her response was "I'd be ticked pink to go to Homecoming with you". His closet was filled with pink balloons and a few pink girly items like purses and dresses. Nothing like jumping right back in to school activities!

Back to School

2011-08-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

You can tell these kids are not used to getting up early quite yet...especially Indy. But I think they were excited to head back to school.

Looking forward to a great year! Finn-junior, Indy-freshman, Emerson- seventh grade

First Day

2011-08-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

Madeline, Devri, Makayla, Reagan, Emerson, Paige

Today is the first day of school for the 7th graders. These girls were pretty dang excited! Hope the day goes well......

PR-Updated!!

2011-08-20T10:24:00.001-07:00

**So my official time was 1:52:34!**

I forgot that the big clock at the finish was gun time and I did not cross the starting line at the gun.

Not exactly sure of my official time yet..... but somewhere pretty dang close to above.

I was a little nervous for the Hobble Creek Half this morning. My stomach hadn't been right all week and I certainly had not trained enough this summer. I was just hoping to finish. But I surprised myself!! I was feeling pretty good the first half so I kept a good pace and didn't stop. About 10 my IT band started bugging me but not enough to hinder my pace. I walked off and on until the finish because I was winded. But I was able to shave about 9 minutes off my fastest time! It's not that fast for all you super-fast runners but it was quite an accomplishment for me. Now I can finally say I have finished 13 in under 2 hours.

Yay for me!

AT LAST...

2011-08-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

We have hardly seen the Youngs all summer. We even had two different family vacations overlapping in the same place and were not able to connect. Finally, last night, we made time for a trip to Yogurtland! They were still missing 4 kids and we were missing 2 but we did it! Love them!

Reality Check

2011-08-17T08:49:00.000-07:00

I just dropped Montana off at UVU so she could catch a bus for Cross Country camp. I had a teary moment as I drove away. She is officially a freshman in college. She moves in to her apartment next week. I'm so excited for her and a little hesitant to let her go all at the same time.

Why I got sick on the way to Hawaii

2011-08-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

So I posted about how I was so sick on the plane ride to Hawaii a few weeks ago. I thought maybe it was food poisoning but wasn't sure. Well, unfortunately for me, I found out what made me sick when we were in Laguna Beach last week.

I went to Costco and noticed they had the 64 oz. bottles of Naked Juice which are so good. I had had a bottle of Green Machine with my lunch the morning we got on the plane. So I was so excited to have some after my morning run. Well I did and it tasted just as good as I remembered. But about an hour later my stomach started to hurt and I was feeling so nauseous (sounds familiar...). Sure enough I started throwing up again and continued throwing up for about 3 hours or so. It was a good thing the sun didn't really come out at the beach that day because I was stuck in bed sick as a dog.

Apparently something in the Naked Green Machine Juice does not agree well with my stomach. So here are the ingredients:

2 3/4 apples

1/2 banana

1/3 kiwi

1/3 mango

a hint of pineapple

spirulina

chlorella

broccoli

spinach

blue green algae

garlic

barley grass

wheat grass

ginger

parsley

I'm doubtful that it's any of the fruits or vegetables that would cause a problem. And I'm not sure what spirulina or chlorella even are??

Needless to say, I will not be drinking any more Naked Juice anytime soon.

Big Island-Day 6, 7, 8 and 9

2011-08-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

Here is what a lot of the Big Island looks like. There are beaches but you have to go searching for them----and there are some good ones!

I celebrated my birthday during our trip. Kurt was so thoughtful and had presents packed away in his suitcase to pull out on my big day. He is SO good at celebrating special occasions.

This is the only other picture of my birthday. We had dinner at Ruth's Chris and it was delicious as usual! Here I am about to partake of the birthday dessert with Clark and Michael.

Here I am with Clark and Michael (again....). I was just lying there minding my own business when they came along and Kurt just had to take a picture!!

There's my handsome husband with the white eyebrows.

Some more of our group at Makalawena Beach. I think there were only about 10 other people there. We sunbathed and snorkeled. It was a really fun day.

A-Bay

I guess Kurt didn't feel like he got me enough birthday presents so we had to make one last stop at Tiffany & Co. before we got on the plane to come home. Again, so thoughtful... :)

20 1/2 years later and I still love this guy..... (sigh)

More Kauai

2011-08-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

These pictures aren't really in any sort of order but here are a couple more from Kauai.

Kauai-Day 2, 3, 4 and 5

2011-08-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

At dinner in Poipu

This rooster, along with many others wandering the resort, woke us up each morning.

So the only record we have of this Hawaii trip is through photos taken on iphones and then put on Instagram. I guess it's better than nothing.

The view from our room.

Kalapaki Beach

Kurt got these banana macadamia nut pancakes several mornings in a row for breakfast. According to our waitress they have won an award for the best pancakes on Kauai (or something like that...). They were dang good!

One afternoon we drove up to Hanalei and Princeville. Along the way we stopped at the Kilauea Lighthouse. It's a shame we couldn't actually go down to the lighthouse but we got there right at 4pm----just as the gates were closing for the night.

Me and my son-in-law Clark (inside joke...)

Hawaii-Day 1

2011-08-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to be able to go to Hawaii last week. Kurt had to go for work and Vivint decided to let the wives of the guys on their team come along. Even though the guys did have to work we were still able to fit in plenty of play!

We flew in to Kauai---my favorite island. Our flight started out fine. We had eaten just before we got on the plane. I was really tired so I went to sleep not long after we took off. About an hour later I woke up with a really bad stomach ache. Within a few minutes it was getting worse and I was feeling nauseous-like I wanted to throw up. I hurried to the bathroom-just in time to throw up. I sat back down but had to run back again just a few minutes later. Well, this continued for the next 3 hours. I finally ended up sitting in the back of the plane right by the bathroom because it was easier than walking back and forth to my seat! It was miserable. There was even one time where both bathrooms were occupied so I had to turn in a corner and throw up in a sick bag.... Just as we were starting to descend I started to feel a little better. By the time we had de-planed and gotten our cars and luggage I was feeling pretty much back to normal. How weird is that??!! Thank goodness it was short-lived. I can't figure out if it was food poisoning or what. But I was fine the rest of the trip. I certainly hope that never happens again!

Wakeboarding

2011-07-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

I think all the kids got their fill of wakeboarding. Finn was getting some pretty good air.

Andrew

Reagan

Even Emerson got in on the action.

Indy

Montana

Kenzie----always pulling a face....

Tubing

2011-07-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

I think tubing is always the first thing the kids want to do when we get to the lake. Why they love it so much I'm not sure. Obviously kids can handle the jolting, the knees to the head and every other injury that happens while tubing....

Finn, Maddy, Karli

Emer, Patrick, Reagan

Paige, Kenzie, Montana

Andrew, Indy, Kanaan

More Lake Powell

2011-07-23T17:00:00.000-07:00

The kids sure were excited to be able to surf behind this baby!

Indy looking like a natural....

same with Finn....

even Montana tried it out.

Ending the day with some sand sculptures.

LAKE POWELL

2011-07-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Pat & Jen Holmes invited us to go to Lake Powell with their family this last week. We just love to hang out with them. They are so much fun. You can always count on plenty of good stories when the Holmes are around!

Emer Lou

Reagan

Pat

Andrew (Kenzie's boyfriend) and Kenzie

Karli

Finn

Karli, Maddy (Karli's friend) and Reagan

We camped in Warm Creek Bay.

Steve Kanaan

Their houseboat Young at Heart.

Kenzie's friend Paige

Jen with her best face!

The kids got in plenty of card playing during the week.

I got lots of time to read----my favorite thing!

It was a new thing to have such great cell service where we were camped this time. The kids thought it was great too!

Indy

Emer & Patrick

Kurt got in some surfing time.

Love the Lake Powell hat!

Thanks a ton Holmes family! We had so much fun! We love you guys!

Draper Temple Sealing

2011-07-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Ian, Jodie, Isaac and London were sealed in the Draper Temple.

It was so fun to be in the sealing room with Ian and Jodie and then have Isaac and London brought in. They were both so quiet and shy. Isaac immediately ran straight to Grandpa E. to sit on his lap.

Isaac is not normally shy or quiet!

What a perfect little family.

Aaron & Kaci

Happy day!

Coronado-Year 8

2011-07-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

The annual Coronado July 4th trip came and went in a flash (as usual). However, we had a great time (as usual!).

Plenty of time spent backflipping.....

hanging out......

making giant sandcastles.....

doing beach crafts.....

and more hanging out.

We love to get to spend non-stop time with the Heatons!

Love those littles.

Emer's mermaid

The guys didn't wait until the last day to get in some bocce ball.

The Utah crew.

Our group took up the entire Burger Lounge one night. The store is not that big but still....

Can't wait for next year!

Emerson's 12th Birthday

2011-07-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Reagan, Emerson and Beth Ann (it was her birthday too!)

Here is our one and only picture from camp! Luckily it's a good one and it was actually taken on her birthday!

Yesterday was Emerson's birthday. I would say she had a pretty good day. Waking up at Heber Valley Camp in a cabin full of so many close friends made it fun for her! I made sure she knew that she wouldn't be getting any presents from us up at camp. She was okay with that. She had plenty of awesome presents waiting for her at home today.

Finn's Nitro trip

2011-06-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

Nate, Scotty Lago, Finn

Travis Pastrana's bike (in Travis' house)

While Montana and I were enjoying day 2 of our Disneyland adventure, Finn was on a plane with Nate Hunter on their way to Maryland for a little Nitro Circus adventure. They were filming parts of the Nitro movie at Travis Pastrana's house and Dave wanted Finn to come along to keep Nate company. As you can imagine, it was probably the best week of Finn's life. What 16-year old wouldn't love riding motorcycles, bikes and skateboards all day every day with no moms around (well, there was at least one mom-Joy Astle-but I think she was too busy working to take care of our boys)!

According to Dave, the boys spend the most time with Scotty Lago. He was a member of the 2010 Olympic Snowboarding Team. And he won a bronze medal at the games. Kind of cool.

Senior Trip-Part 3

2011-06-26T21:25:00.001-07:00

The best part of our vacation, in my opinion, was spending 2 full days in Disneyland! I have never done that before and I was so excited. We rode the Tower of Terror 3 times. Jen would have nothing to do with that ride. She hates it.

Jen and I were really nice moms and waited in line about an hour to see Rapunzel and Flynn. Tangled is definitely Montana's favorite movie right now.

Waiting in line for Pirates and eating Dole pineapple whip---yum!

The line for the new Little Mermaid ride was pretty long---at least an hour I think. But we did it anyway! Not my favorite ride.

Kenzie bought matching lockets for them---cute! (and they're going to college in a few months????)

Toy Story Mania was worth the wait just to wear those glasses.

Love all the hats.

After two full days at Disneyland we were wiped out! The next day we packed up and headed home. Now I can't wait for Emerson to graduate so I can do another fun girl's graduation trip.

Senior Trip-Part 2

2011-06-26T21:21:00.001-07:00

On a whim, we went to an Angels game. The day was perfect!

The Angels lost pretty bad (9-0) but it was still a fun way to spend our afternoon.

Senior Trip-Part 1

2011-06-26T09:39:00.001-07:00

I took Montana on a little senior trip after graduation and we were lucky enough to have our good friends Jen and McKenzie Holmes come along. It was a quick trip but super fun and we got in plenty of girl time!

We stayed in Laguna Beach at Laguna Cliffs Inn. It was right on PCH and we have passed it a million times over the years. It was kind of fun to stay in a hotel in a place that feels like one of our second homes.

We all got in a little beach time one afternoon.

The girls found a few pieces of beach glass and some shells. Although I did remind them that collecting shells in a big no-no!

Heisler Park was pretty quiet that day.

While waiting to get our table at BJ's, we did a little shopping at Tuvalu. The girls decided that they wanted to have a mermaid theme in their apartment at UVU. We didn't have quite enough room to bring this one home though....

A perfect way to end the night----Pizookies!

New Hobby

2011-06-26T09:20:00.001-07:00

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it but my new hobby is couponing. We spend so much stinking money on food with 4 teenagers in the house that it drives me nuts! So saving even a little amount of money on our grocery bill is good news.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

To Pat:

We miss you every single day.

Our lives are not the same without you but we know you are watching over each member of our family.

To Kurt:

You are an amazing husband and father.

Thank you for being the righteous example you are.

I appreciate your hard work and sacrifice every day.

To Dad:

You are the youngest acting 70 year old I know.

I hope I can be the same way.

Thank you for loving your grandkids and being there to support them in all they do.

Graduation-June 4, 2011

2011-06-08T18:39:00.001-07:00

Well the day has finally come and gone. And it all happened so fast. There she is walking to get her high school diploma.

Looking up in the seats for us-----I hope!

Montana's favorite teacher-Mr. Downs. I think she was his favorite student too!

Erin, Sam, Montana, Whitney

Brandon

Quinn

Dalton-I think he still has a crush on her.

Taylor Charles-one of Montana's teammates next year at UVU.

Brooke

Maddi

Monique

Grandpa and Grandma England

The proud parents.

Congrats Montana!

Foothill Dance Festival

2011-06-05T09:39:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was the annual Dance Festival at Foothill. It was the last one for all these girls. In a few months they will be moving on to Canyon View. I can't believe it.

The Big 18

2011-06-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

happy birthday montana!

We hope you have the greatest of birthdays.

Love ya tons!

Birthday Presents

2011-05-31T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight a special someone dropped these presents for the birthday girl over at our house. She is going to be so excited when she wakes up.

I decided to put her gifts from the family out as well! I think she is going to have a great birthday!

6th Grade Graduation

2011-05-31T22:00:00.001-07:00

Today my last child graduated from elementary school. :(

She was so excited for today!

Getting her diploma from Miss Lisonbee.

Paige

Emer and Madeline

Besties!

Miss Lisonbee and Dr. Thomas

Kelsey, Madeline, Makayla, Paige and Emerson

Add in Devri, Nicole, Reagan and Ali

Add one more....Savannah!

After the graduation ceremony, all the 6th graders and their parents had lunch in the park. Then they had a dance back in the gym. It was a very full, fun day!

State Track Meet

2011-05-31T07:50:00.001-07:00

After all the drama of getting to State, the actual competition was much more low key! Thank goodness. It was a pretty big pack of girls for one race. There were no heats, just the final.

Montana ran really well and even got a PR though she didn't medal. I was so proud that she even had enough for a good kick at the end.

3 tired girls!

Christian and Josh were so nice to come support her!

Scene from the ranch

2011-05-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

The little visitor who was passing through......

The Big Winner

2011-05-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Last night we attended the 2011 Utah's Entertainment & Choice Awards in Salt Lake. Kurt was nominated in the Choice in Film category. He was nominated along with Richard Dutcher, Ryan Little and some others I didn't happen to know. Kurt was convinced that he would not win. Wasn't he wrong!!!! He won!

On the way out we saw Tyson Apostol (from Survivor). He runs a lot with our good friend Matt Galland. He was very nice and let us take some pictures.

(sorry for the blurry photo)

Late-night Surprise!

2011-05-21T09:19:00.001-07:00

Thursday night, after everyone was almost in bed, our doorbell rang. I was sitting at the computer and saw the person run away. I thought it was just a doorbell ditcher. But Indy looked out the window and found a little surprise for Montana.

We thought it was Summer or Candace but they got the same surprise!

Thank you whoever you are out there! What a thoughtful gift!

Varsity Letter

2011-05-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Orem High Soccer had their end-of-season banquet tonight. Finn got the award for having the sweetest hair so they gave him a mirror to gaze at it all day long... Perfect. But, more importantly, he earned his varsity letter in soccer---as a sophomore. Awesome. Way to go Finn!

Licensed!

2011-05-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

Finally, weeks after his 16th birthday, Finn got his license! We were just at the DMV earlier in the week to renew his permit which had to be done in order for him to finish his roading for driver's ed. So instead of his license costing $30, it essentially cost us $45 when you add in the permit renewal. But, at this point, I so do not care about the cost. I am so glad he finally has his license. I am tired of driving to Orem High a thousand times a day for this kid!

Region

2011-05-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

Wow------ the past two days have been quite an emotional roller coaster around here! The Region VII meet was held the past two days. Montana was scheduled to run 3 events-the 1600m, the 800 and the 3200m. She had not qualified by time in any other invitationals up to this meet. We knew that this was her last chance to be able to go to State competition.

The 1600m finals were held Wednesday. She started out strong from what I could tell. After the first lap her pace was a little slow to qualify. But, in general, if she can keep pace with Summer and Candace, then she will usually do well. And she was doing just that until her last lap. Coming around the corner her pace fell way off. She ended up finishing 9th which was so disappointing for her. I should say it was devastating! For some reason, all of our girls had a really hard time in this particular race. After a few (or maybe alot) tears, some food and a hot shower, she was feeling a little better and ready to tackle Day 2 of competition.

Yesterday, she ran the 800m. She didn't qualify in that event either. After that race she did not want to run the 3200m. She wanted to give up and go home actually. She had a good start again and stayed with Summer and Candace for a good while. Then those two broke away but Montana was still hovering in 4th and 5th place. She still had a good position until the final lap when she started wearing down. Candace (who had already qualified for State in this event) slowed way down and kept looking back. She got to Montana and was (apparently) yelling at her to pick it up and find her kick. Well, it worked! Montana sped up and ended up finishing 4th which qualified her to go to State! I couldn't believe it----her least favorite event and now she's running it at State competition. And how amazing that Candace would do that for Montana! And the Orem girls ended up winning Region. It was a very happy day!

Summer, Montana, Candace, Kate

Orem vs Mountain View-Game 2

2011-05-09T10:05:00.001-07:00

That hair is just a thing of beauty!

It was unfortunate that we didn't come out with a win the second time we played Mountain View this season. It was a great game though. The boys played hard.

One more game left in regular season play......

Happy Mothers Day!!!

2011-05-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad with all their beautiful grandkids!

My favorite part about my mom is that she loves her grandkids! And they love her! Emerson loves to stay over at her house and my mom will even let her sleep in her bed----that is love! She is still willing to watch our kids when we go out of town and still loves to do it.

Love you Mom!

Spring Fling

2011-05-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

Finn went to Spring Fling last night with Ellery. It's a little weird that they had a dance less than a week after the last one. Ellery asked him Thursday night about 10 p.m.! It looks like they had a pretty good time! I have always thought that these two should date even though she's a year older.

Feeling a little teary.....

2011-05-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, so what's new? Ask my husband or children---it doesn't take much for me to cry. Today I had to put together some pictures for a senior honor night that our ward is doing in YM/YW next week. It's truly hard to believe that my oldest child is graduation from high school in one month. As I look back over so many pictures of her through the years, I am so proud of the young woman that she has become. She is smart, friendly, kind, athletic, motivated and, most of all, righteous. I don't know what I did as a mother to deserve her as a daughter.

Prom & Such

2011-05-02T12:51:00.001-07:00

You would never have guessed that earlier that morning there was probably 3-4 inches of snow on the ground!

Saturday night was Orem's prom. Can I tell you the preparations that went in to having 2 children go to prom???!!! It seemed never-ending. And not only was it Finn's first school dance but also his first date! I was a little bit nervous for him. His day date went smoothly. But after that, his "friend" who was supposed to drive Finn and his date (he doesn't have his license quite yet) for the dance decided that he was going to bail on him. Everyone else in the group had a ride and all the cars were full. Finn refused to go if Kurt and I had to drive him. So last minute we decided to let him drive----scary! I wasn't questioning his driving skills. But I was surely hoping that he would not get pulled over! Luckily it all worked out and they got where they needed to safely and without police involvement!

Duke wanting to get in on the action.

Montana thinks she's a pro at pinning on flowers.

Sis & bro

Finn was looking pretty sharp in his skinny jeans.

Off he went.......

Finn & Sydney

Hopefully I will have more pictures to post later of these two!

The Highs and the Lows

2011-04-26T12:12:00.000-07:00

Me at the beginning of my run this morning. Notice the snow coming down!

This past winter has been a real low in terms of motivation and energy for me. I wrote a post about it back in December. Well, it continued to linger months later. I am glad I signed up for the Canyonlands Half to keep me running even when I didn't want to. When I went to my doctor in early February, she discovered that my thyroid was low and my vitamin D was low. That would explain a lot of things.

Now, a few months later and after some adjustments in medication and supplements, I finally feel like I am getting my energy AND my desire to run back. I have had 2 really great runs in the past few weeks that have helped me remember why I love to run. The first was in Arcadia. We had a few hours between races. So while Montana and Summer were resting up, Hawk, Cheryl and I headed into the hills. The temperature was perfect, the trail was beautiful and the company was the best! When we got to the top and looked over the other side, we were looking down on Mt. Sac where they hold another big cross country and track meet. Then I looked back to where we had come from (which was really far away!) and I was a little overwhelmed. But I was feeling good and it ended up not feeling as far away as it looked.

The second great run was last Saturday afternoon. Montana, Summer and Kandace needed a cool-down run after their meet. We decided to head to The Rock-which is a portion of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail. The girls headed up first. Cheryl drove Hawk and I to the trailhead and then met us all partway through the run. I had done this run once before with Montana and it was HARD! This time it was still hard but so much easier when you are distracted with conversation and people.

I have come to the conclusion that I need people to run with at this stage in my running life! I need the conversation, the company and the extra motivation of people with similar goals. I have a few more days to sign up for St. George and I even have a partner to run with if we get in! I think the lows are on their way out! Hooray for the highs!

Me at the END of my run this morning. SUN!

Em & friends

2011-04-20T07:43:00.001-07:00

Last week, while we were in St. George, Emerson's friend Devri had a birthday. Emerson, Reagan, Makayla and the birthday girl spent the entire day celebrating. Leslie (Dev's mom) took them on a hike to begin the day. Then Bryan (Dev's dad) took them to dinner and to the short and scary hike.

They took lots of fun pictures!

They ended the day by going to see Soul Surfer. What a fun day for these girls!

Spring Break

2011-04-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Nate, Isaac, Finn, Indy

We got home from Arcadia just in time to turn around and head back down to St. George for spring break. We added a few extra kids to the clan for the trip. It was a pretty uneventful week. The weather wasn't as warm as I would have liked but it was certainly better than the weather at home so I shouldn't complain.

We didn't take very many pictures during the week. But we did catch a few when we went to the Red Cliffs Recreation Area in Leeds. It is a short little walk to a waterfall through really cold water.

The girls had just been to the same place the day before. Makayla got in the water that time----crazy!

Arcadia Invitational 2011

2011-04-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

The girls enjoying the long drive!

This weekend Montana and I made a quick trip to California with the Harpers for the Arcadia Invitational. Hawk pulled some strings and got Montana in to the meet last minute. This meet was huge! There were high school runners from as far away as New York and Oklahoma.

We drove to Vegas Thursday, stayed the night and then headed in to Arcadia Friday afternoon. We had kind of a scare when Summer got a phone call from one of their track coaches mentioning that, when they went to sign Montana up, they never heard anything back. So we were prepared to do some last-minute wrangling to get her in. But everything worked out when we picked up their race packet and her name was on the list! The best part for the girls was having their names actually printed on their numbers!

Montana ran the 1600 m on Saturday morning. She was feeling good-no shin pain. There was one other girl from Utah in her group. Though she didn't place well, she had a PR-5:33:95 and she was very happy with how she raced. It was a good learning experience and good preparation for the kind of competition she will be facing next year at UVU.

Summer ran the 3200 m. She didn't place that well either but she also got a PR of 10:50. It was a fun day of track. These high school kids are amazing!

It was a quick, fun trip. I even got in a really fun run with the Harpers and we got to miss all the snowy weather here at home.

The Olden Days

2011-04-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

My Primary class

Back row: Lance Orlob, Robbie ?, Brad Emery, our teacher-Linda Rich, ?(I want to say his last name was Heaps), Chris Nielsen, Trent Holmberg

Front row: Matt Rich, Lisa Cox, Shelly Hunt, me!

Last weekend the Butler 28th /Wasatch 8th Ward had a reunion at our old building on Dover Hill Drive. I was sad that we couldn't make it but Mom sent me this picture. Is that classic or what?

Finn's Birthday Surprise

2011-04-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday after General Conference we stopped by Grandma & Grandpa England's house to give Finn his big birthday surprise.

He had no clue he was getting this! Grandpa dressed it up with a balloon and some signs.

I would say he was pretty excited!

This car was kind of a family affair. Grandpa helped Kurt get it all polished and detailed. Uncle Jay helped do some other work as well.

Unfortunately Finn didn't get to drive it home because he doesn't quite have his license yet. He still has a few more weeks of driver's ed. He's getting really impatient!

General Conference 2011

2011-04-05T13:51:00.001-07:00

Our good friends, Pat and Jen Holmes, gave us tickets to go the Sunday afternoon session of conference. Kurt and Finn were also able to go to the priesthood session the night before. How weird that I have lived my whole life in Utah (most of it in Salt Lake) and have never gone to conference before. It was a great experience! I am amazed at how huge the Conference Center is. My favorite talk was given by Elder Richard G. Scott about marriage. I'm so thankful for counsel from our church leaders.

Celtic Storm

2011-04-04T13:55:00.001-07:00

Emerson's soccer season is well under-way. Saturday's weather was perfect.

This is for you Courtney!

You weren't quick enough!

UVU Invitational

2011-04-04T07:33:00.000-07:00

Our weekend was busy! Saturday morning started early with a track meet for Montana at UVU. She ran the 1600 m and 3200 m.

She was able to stick with Candace and Summer for about a lap.

Then her shins started bothering her and her pace fell off.

But she still had a PR by .11 seconds! As her coach says, celebrate the small successes!