Monica

Just a little roof raising to my sister Monica on her 34th Birthday!!!

A few of my Monica favorites:
--always singing the wrong words to songs or just full on mumbling through them!
--always up for an adventure
--"crack kills"
--roadtrips to Vegas, California and Idaho
--her intense love of sea life and that she thinks she was meant to be a dolphin
--sleeping out for Jazz tickets and always staying after games for a chance to see the players
--she is the luckiest girl ever...always winning contests(not really a favorite cause it makes me mad)
--student ward basketball
--memorizing scenes from Days of our Lives, A Few Good Men and lots of other stuff
--pretending that I leave her and she starts walking home with an arm full of things

Yeah, she is a pretty awesome sister!
Hope you have great birthday and a great year Monica. I love you!!!

cousin B

Cousins Manda and Brandon and their boy/girlfriends came for a visit this last weekend and we wanted to do something fun, so we decided to relive some memories and float the canal. Manda and Adam had to leave so Jas, Brando, Whitney and I headed up Logan Canyon for the float. Jason went first to show us how it's done and Brandon said that he would go last in case there were any casualties. So much for that B!!! I totally rolled over in my tube, drank a mouth full of canal water, got my hair wet and there is Brandon standing on the bank laughing his face off! Yeah , he sucks. Luckily I bounced right back up and hopped on my tube no sweat. Whit struggled with the concept of using her stick to push away from the jagged cliffs and hanging trees but caught on eventually.
A few topics of conversation while we floated:
*being pirates
*Tom Sawyer
*seeing wildlife and Brandon punching it in the face
*entering "B's anus"(really that was grafittied on the wall before the tunnel and I call Brandon B all the time, so it was pretty funny!and the word anus kinda makes me laugh!)
*Brandon calling the slow float by the golf course "lover's lane" and Jason telling him that is where Owen was conceived

Jason

Whitney

Me

Brandon
It was fun spending some time with Brandon and Whit. I do not see Brandon very often and he really is one of my favorite people in the world. He was one of my very best friends growing up and the fact that we don't talk as much or see each other as often doesn't change a thing! I love you B!

24th of July

Okay, late post. So Jason had to work because Idaho does not recognize Utah's pioneer day as a holiday(lame!) The day started out fabulously. Owen slept til 11:30 and I slept until 10:30!!! I cannot remember the last time I slept that late. It was great. I got laundry done and then we decided to go to the bakery and take donuts up to my mom, dad and sisters. This is the worst part of the day...the bakery was closed, of course. I should have known, but I didn't even think about it! Lucky for me, Monica made delicious cinnamon rolls for our very late breakfast.
Owen and I suited up and went outside to fill up some pools and run through the sprinklers. Owen is not a big fan of the water, so I was mostly playing by myself, until Dad came out in his swimsuit. Thanks for jumping on the tramp and running through the sprinklers with me dad...you are the best!(you know you are too big to jump on the tramp with the sprinkler underneath when you actually hit the sprinkler, kinda sad)
Later we had a cookout, threw the football around and then went to Charlie's for a milkshake. It was a very different 24th than we are used to but still lots of fun!






We would complain about having to watch my cousins play in a volleyball tournament all day on the 24th because it was always so hot and so long! I didn't think I would miss not doing it this year, but I was wrong. Breaking traditions is sad. I missed you Keller Fam. So, so much!

Update for Jen

So it has been awhile since aunt Jen has come to visit me (the last time was just before my 1st birthday). My dad has not been very good at posting videos and pictures of me so I have decided to take matters into my own hands.
This one is of my first steps on my first birthday. My tee shirt says "Call the vet because these puppies are sick". Yeah, I get my muscles from my mom!

Here I am sporting one of my favorite teams.

Dad and Mom kept trying to get me to taste Dad's vinegar soaked cucumbers but I only fell for it three times.

posted by Owen

Quick Trip

6:30pm Jas, Owen and I drove to Orem to get freeze dry food for Jason's backpacking trip next week. All the food did not get ordered in time so Jason had to go down and pick it up. We got to the store, got all the food, loaded up and decided we could not be in Orem and not go see my sis and her fam in Spanish Fork, even though it was 9 o'clock. So we made a quick stop at Target and then headed to Spanish Fork. It was going to be a big surprise arrival and they were going to be so excited to see us and so the fact that it was going to be a really late night and we both had to be up at 6am didn't even matter. We got to Spanish Fork hit the drive through at Barry's and were on our way to the Cope's. We turned the corner and the house was dark. There was a small amount of hope because we could see the TV was on in one of the bedrooms. No cars were in the driveway. NO Copes were home!!! We were so sad. Our big surprise was not working out the way we hoped. Ang's phone went straight to voice mail. We ate our dinner on a blanket in their front yard and jumped on their trampoline a little bit and then headlights appeared around the corner. Rich, Alex and Max were home. I guess Ang and Lexa were at camp and were going to be home late. So, our surprise worked out and we had a fun(short) visit with the boys. Maxwell things he is the Hulk and rips his shirt off and growls and attacks. He is so crazy! Torrential downpours, thunder and lightning kept us awake most the way home. It was some fierce weather. Thank goodness Owen slept through it(i have no idea how). It was a lot of driving for one night!


Sitting on the front porch, so sad no one's coming to the door.

Eating dinner and killing time.

Yay!!! Alex is home!

Shannon really is awesome

So my sister in the UC has this friend named Shannon. Ang is always talking about how cute Shannon is and how Shannon made some cute project and how Shannon takes the cutest pictures of her kids. I felt it was time for me to meet this Shannon character and what better way to meet her than to have her take Owen's one year old photos. Of course Shannon agreed to it cause she is awesome, met us at Noni Gardens with her cute family, snapped 25 pictures and with no editing necessary, delivered these results:
Owen was not feeling it AT ALL during the photo shoot and did not crack the slightest bit of a smile. I think she still got some pretty cute ones though. These were taken a couple months ago and I have been wanting to post them. Shannon you are so cute and I am so glad I got to meet you after Angela's raving. Thanks again for the shoot and p.s I totally blog stalk you!(i don't think she reads this, so that is why I admitted to the blog stalking...don't tell)

Seriously, we are like walking straight to Heaven in this picture!

Kherington and Gev...What?!?

So Comfort, Kherington, Gev and Mark were the bottom 4 tonight and the two that got kicked off were not the two I wanted to go. I will miss you Kherington and Gev!

SYTYCD

Why? Why does Comfort have to be back? I don't know what it is, but I am not a fan. I did enjoy the hip hop routine tonight, but that was mostly because I love Twitch. I wasn't really digging Jessica either, but there is something about Comfort that bugs. I am not saying she is not talented, but really, is she that talented? Talented enough to be in the top 12, let alone the top ten? I don't think so.

Other than the Comfort comeback, I really enjoyed tonight's show. I really want Kherington and Twitch to be partners forever. Really like Chelsey. And how awesome was the Will and Katee, craziest named dance I've ever heard of, performance?!?! Loved it! Loved when David Archuleta sang Imagine on Idol, loved it even more when Katee and Will danced to it.

So tonight, I am hoping that Comfort and Joshua go home.

And these are my current favorite to win it all!

** don't get comfortable **

This is from now on my new motto to live by. There is no sense in getting comfortable with anything cause as soon as you do, boom baby, change happens! I am okay with change, I know it's got to happen in order for me to become a better, stronger person...but seriously, can't I just enjoy finally knowing, liking, appreciating and getting into the groove of something just for a little while longer? This seems to apply to everything in life. As soon as you "get it" or start to really appreciate something in life, you are thrown a curve ball. Some recent examples in my life:
My job...change is inevitable as a government employee and I am totally used to it in this part of my life, but seriously, huge changes need allowance for adjustment! We merged with another department a year ago. I am finally in the swing of the new programs and policies and now implementation of an entire new computer system are in the works and I am on the training team starting immediatly! This is why love for my job is lacking.
Church callings...teaching Sunday school, not an ideal calling for me. Took a lot of getting used to and a lot of anxiety. I taught gospel doctrine to the entire youth in our ward(our ward struggles a little with organization). I love the youth in the ward. Seriously outstanding kids with so much potential and incredible testimonies! This is why I struggled with the calling, because I was teaching a broad range of ages and wanted to be able to teach the lessons just right for each individual teenager. So, I finally started to feel like I was meeting the needs of the class and Jason and I were talking about how much I really enjoyed my calling and yep, the next week I am meeting with the bishopric and being released and called to a new position. So now here I am again feeling inadequate and anxious.
Being a mom...Owen has been a really great baby. Laid back, easy going, happy. He has gone through his phases and I have adjusted. I felt like things were going really well, being a mom was hard, but really fun too. Well, Owen has learned "no" and to cry when unsatisfied about anything. Enough said. p.s. I still love the little man, just got comfortable and so he was forced to change!
My body...I am not one to complain a lot about my figure, not because I think it is beautiful, but because I don't put in the required effort to make it what I would like it to be. If I am not working on my abs, I shouldn't expect a flat stomach, right? Anyway, I came to terms that unless I was going to TRY to have a cute body after Owen was born, that I wouldn't. That was okay with me, I was comfortable with that. Apparently too comfortable! It's not okay with me anymore. Guess I am going to have to start participating in the exercise programs rather than just watching them(really, I have been known to do that).
These are the changes I am currently adjusting to. Now this may sound whiny, but that is not what it is...it is simply stating the obvious. I am all for change. It's got to happen and I will deal with it. I am just going to try to remember to always find something negative about whatever it is I am enjoying so that it will stay the same for a little while. Just kidding, but seriously.

OREGON

Jason and I went to Oregon this last weekend on vacation. We were gone for 6 days. We did not take Owen(we missed him, but he was in good hands). We spent time on the coast and in Portland and I would love to go back. It was beautiful and fun and different!

We had a great time for sure. Here are some of the highlights:

** Campfires on the beach. I have seen it in movies and didn't think it could be a reality. Well my friends, I have done it and it was the best fire ever! I totally checked off a lifelong dream with that one.

** Tilamook Cheese Factory. More people here than any other tourist spot we went to...for real. I guess people are suckers for free cheese samples!

** Our hotel in Portland. Kind of felt like a high roller. It was really nice.

** Moss covered trees. There is no escaping the green.

** Jason singing Rhianna(take a bow), Kid Rock(sweet home alabama) and Leona Lewis(keep bleeding) in the car.

** everything about the beach and scenery on the coast

** the tiny town of Harper, OR and the one pump gas station/house/diner. We made up some good stories about the town, townspeople and how we could have been kidnapped and murdered because there was no cell phone service. I am really thinking about writing a short story about it cause we came up woth some good stuff.

** the kid that was trying to run away from his parents while still buckled in his stroller. It was hilarious. Probably too big for a stroller if you can stand up and scoot away while still strapped in .

So many good memories were made on this trip! I loved all of it! We decided to make it a tradition for every five years of marriage to take a trip together, just the two of us. Can't wait to see what year 10 has in store!

Celebrating Independence

The 4th of July is one of my most favorite times of the year. It really is right up there with Christmas for me. It is a great time of year and it is the celebration of the greatest gift we have been given as individuals and also as a country. I am so, so greatful to be an American and to be free to choose. I am even more greatful for the men and women who have fought and given their lives so that I can continue to choose.

I love s'mores and I love Brinlie and her homemade firecracker!

We celebrated a little different this year. July 2nd, we had a weenie roast in Wellsville at the Clark's and watched the Hyrum fireworks from their backyard. There was no music to listen to with the fireworks, so me and Melanie sang patriotic songs. It was beautiful! We all had a really good time. Dad shot off the illegals Melissa and Steve got him for his birthday. Mom was not happy about it, but they were pretty cool. July 4th, Jas and I were in Lincoln City, Oregon. It's a city right on the coast and they had a show over the ocean. We set up on the beach. It was windy, chilly and rained a little. There were hundreds of people and they had bonfires. People shot off a lot of fireworks(cool ones that are not allowed in Utah) and then the firework show began and it was great. It was so fun to be on the beach and to see the fireworks reflect off the ocean. It was an experience I won't forget(also, no music set, so I provided the patriotic mood).