Monday, September 24, 2012

Frightmares 2012.


Okay, I have tried to hold off doing any Halloween posts prior to October, but I just can't seem to wait.  Last year at this time, my daughter Haley was one of the HACKENSLASH dancers at Lagoon, our local amusement park and she is doing it again this year.  They usually don't get started until October but the park decided to begin their "Frightmares" season a couple of weeks earlier this year.

 I have already been twice.  
I love it. 
I can't get enough.

If you aren't into the serious SPOOKY side of Halloween (aka: haunted houses, zombies, ghouls, which the park has a lot of), there is also a lighter side:


But mostly .... not so much.



I'm sure Lagoon hasn't seen the last of me this season either.
I could watch their shows over and over and over.
Love those HACKENSLASH Dancers.

Mostly Bones, aka:  Haley.




Friday, September 21, 2012

Logan's smile.



 Does anyone remember that I have a grandson?  (I kind of forgot that too .... just kidding.) Today, my little Logan is six months old already .... and this little guy has the most contagious smile EVER.


SO.DANG.CUTE.


(This is Logan in his bumbo - he is a real baby, even though he looks like a 
perfectly posed plastic doll for a commercial.)




(This is Logan smiling up at his mommy. He is completely and utterly 
obsessed with her in every way.)



(This is Logan with his big sister.  He loves her on most days, 
is scared to death of her on others.)



( .... 'cause sometimes Libby does stuff like this to him.)



(But overall ... this handsome baby boy is just happy to be here.  
And he is the absolute perfect size and perfect amount of hug-able squishiness.)

LOVE HIM! 

Monday, September 17, 2012

Missy's chickens.



I have a really cute little family living right next door to me.  When they first moved in, almost three years ago, they had a little boy named Jake and a little baby girl named Makayla. The couple was so excited to be in a house that was big enough to raise their children in and one that had a yard big enough for the kids to run.

Of course, with a house in suburbia, they had to get a dog. And a dog needs a playmate, right?  So soon enough they got another puppy - a cute chocolate lab to play with their black lab, Jackson. Then they got a little bunny named King Louie, and before too long, they had another baby girl and named her Kallie Maybel.

Some fruit trees were planted and lots of veggies along side their house as well. (In fact, just a few days ago, I heard a soft little knock at my door.  It was Jake and Makayla with a bag of cherry tomatoes for me from their garden - there are definitely benefits of living by a little suburban farm.)

A few months back, Derek asked if I had heard about his wife's latest undertaking.  I hadn't.  Baby chicks. He said she wanted to have fresh eggs from her own chickens. (I don't think I've seen a more ambitious 26 year old little mama.)

Well, few days ago, Missy called me over to their yard for the BIG news ... one of the chickens had laid an egg, and it was really exciting.  It was just one ... but exciting none-the-less.  Hopefully it's the start of something big.  I wouldn't mind some farm fresh eggs delivered right to my door after being laid!










Friday, September 14, 2012

High School Football.


'Tis the season ... let the games begin.

My last baby is finally a senior.  (She's that cute blond smack in the middle of the pack.)
Go Alta!


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Remembering 9-11.

This morning I walked outside a little after six to take my trash out to the curb. The scouts had already come by and put flags out in our park strips.  Then I remembered that it was 9-11.  And the spirit of the day was set for me.

After sitting at my desk for a little while and reading all the posts on Facebook about this day, I really wanted to go over to the Healing Field which is just a few miles down the street from my office.  (The year after those tragic events of September 11th occurred, Sandy was one of those cities across America that put up a flag for each person that lost their life on that day. Over 3,000, and it is always so moving to be in the midst of that.)

I pulled my car around the back of the City Government Building and parked right next to the Channel 4 News van .... interesting.

Turned out that our local morning talk show "Good Things Utah" was filming their show right out on the Healing Field in front of all the flags.

There was a group of kids in school uniforms being escorted out in front of the cameras. (They looked so sweet all dressed up.)  Apparently the school had held an essay contest and the winners got to share them on Good Things Utah!

I happened by at exactly the right time.  Made the day that much more special for me.



Love our troops.
Love this country.
Love you Petty Officer, IS2 Linares.
Thanks for serving.





Friday, September 7, 2012

Tie Dye.



When I first started this little blog, I had my list.  Tie dye was one of the things on my list. I like it, what can I say.  A couple of years ago, when I was wearing a tie dye shirt, my sister Spring said, "You know, Peeps - tie dye is sort of out now.  It went out a while ago."  Now, granted, Spring is usually way more up on the current trends than I am, and her kids dress really trendy and always look really cute, but I had to disagree with her.  I didn't think it was "out" ... and then one day, shortly after that, I was driving around Salt Lake and saw these t-shirts chillin' in the wind and had to snap a picture just to show Spring that tie dye was alive and well!

She still wasn't buyin' it.  She thought only the people who didn't know better would be the ones purchasing these shirts.  (I liked 'em.)  My kids all had a couple of these big, boxy t-shirts that they had made at an extended family party .... they were fun.

The tie dye shirt that I wore, wasn't homemade.  In fact, I think I got it at Nordstrom, it was fitted, and the colors were pink and blue and I thought it was dang cute.

Sidenote:  Several  years ago, I went through a difficult breakup, and I was having a really hard time shaking it.  I was watching one of those early morning TV shows and they had a guest on who was talking about three important things to do to help you get over a relationship.  One of them was to realize that you can't be friends if you still had feelings for them because that would just be WAY too hard on you, prolonging your ability to move on. Another was to join a gym - not only for the physical benefits, but for emotional benefits as well, and in addition, you might meet someone new ... and I can't remember the third one for the life of me, but this sidenote is about joining the gym and tie dye anyway!  :)

SO.  I joined a gym.  For the first time ever.  Now, you know how it is when you sit down at the desk to fill out the paper work? They talk about what your goals are and what your motivation is for being there.  Then they offer a few complimentary sessions with a personal trainer to see if that would be something you might be interested in, yada, yada, yada.  Fine.

So I had three complimentary sessions with a personal trainer. The kid was 24 years old, cute, blond, tan, buff, charismatic and asked me why I was there.  I said, "Honestly, because I have just been through the biggest heartbreak of my life, I can't shake it, and an expert suggested joining a gym."

He commiserated with me, said that he had had a girlfriend for three years who broke his heart so that he could totally relate.  (Okay.)

At the second session, we started talking and he told me he had a friend that he wanted to set me up with.  "I met him here at the gym.  We started playing basketball together and now we golf all the time together too!  He is so cool!  He is really successful in real estate, in fact he just had a really awesome house built.  He's got two kids in college, he's the greatest guy, I think you would really like him!"

Hearing all of that, in my mind, I pictured an older version of this kid.  A charismatic, handsome, totally into his body kind of "gym-ite" who more than likely was into the female version of himself ... which would be Malibu Barbie, which I am NOT.  I consider myself just an average, normal MOM.  I told him probably not. But the kid said he would have his friend call me and we could just have a conversation and see.

Victor called me, and we talked.  Then he called again and we talked, and I decided to meet him for dinner.

Third session, the kid asks me, "So what are you going to wear on your date with Victor?  He likes his women hot.  Wear something that will make you look young."  What?  (I thought this was not going to go well.  I didn't consider myself hot or young and this Victor was going to be expecting Barbie.  I felt a lot of pressure and seriously considered cancelling the date.)

Hot and young .... hmmm .... what did I have to wear that was hot and young?  Then the thought occurred to me - my jeans with the tears in them, and my TIE DYE SHIRT!  Perfect.

So the day of the date arrives.  I am totally nervous. We were going to meet at Johnny Carino's.  He told me that he would be really casual because he would be coming from a golf game - maybe he'd even be in shorts. That worked with my outfit, right?

I'm walking into the restaurant, soooooo nervous, but a little excited too just because I hadn't been out with anyone else and it was a step toward moving on .... I opened the door, and a guy stood up from a booth and said, "Polly?"

In that moment, I was tempted to just turn and walk right back out that door, but I was raised to be polite, so I stayed.

The guy was NOTHING at all what I had been expecting. I wanted to go slap that kid at the gym and say, "Really?  REALLY?!!!  This is who you thought I would be attracted to?!  This is who you thought I would like?  This is who I stressed out about looking good for?!!!!"  (I am so reliving this night right now ..... )

He looked a little like Steve Urkel, only Jewish, and I'm pretty sure I was taller than him.  He was in a crisp white dress shirt, with black high water pants and suspenders.  I'm like: Wait, What?!  He was balding and wore glasses.  (Now, I have nothing against Steve Urkel, or Jewish men, or balding men with glasses as a rule - I just wouldn't have thought that this was what "Victor" the bff of the little hottie who set us up was gonna be like!)  Ah, boy.

We started chatting and I wanted to hold the menu up over my face so I couldn't see him, just because it was SOOOO odd that this was the person who went with the voice (who sounded a bit like a player on the phone) - it just didn't match.

After we had placed our order he handed me a little bottle of hand sanitizer and said, "These menus are just so dirty."  The night didn't get much better.  We discovered that we both had the same birthday and by the end of the date he mentioned that he would love to take me away for a weekend to celebrate our birthdays ... I was thinking, "Oh sweetie.  You are never going to lay eyes on me again."

And then I sent a text message to the old boyfriend that said, "Thanks a lot for throwing me back out to the wolves."

I was NOT happy and never did see Victor again.  (Oh how I hate dating!)

So ... back to my affinity for tie dye.  I did have to laugh when another sister, Leslie and her family had a reunion and they all wore tie dyed shirts!  One of her kids posted this picture on Facebook. (And then Leslie left this comment:


"Must we always take our family picture on the last day of our 4 day camping experience?  
Geez!  I do love the GROOVY tie dye ensemble though."




Libby's other grandma just got her a new dress for her birthday last week from Nordstrom:




And I want this from the newest Sundance catalog:


So, even if tie dye did indeed "go out" for a little while, it's Ba-aaaaaaaack!!!   I'm lovin' it. 


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

(Very) Specific speed ...


Someone actually allowed this sign to be printed?
Makes me smile every time I drive by.