Nauvoo Trip, the Conclusion

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I bet you all think I've fallen off the face of the earth.

Don't worry, I'm still here.

This is just a super busy time of year for me.

I'll blog about all we've been up to in the next few days, but before we get to that I bet you're all dying to hear about the rest of our trip.

Sorry for yet another slide show, but there are just too many pictures and I have a hard time cutting any out.

So after we loaded up from the Young Living Farm we drove another hour to Cove Fart, I mean Fort.

Cove Fort has a special memory for Mr Bird and I and Lisa's family. Suffice it to say we call it Cove Fart for short.

Ask me about it sometime, I just might tell that story another day.

We saw all the old pioneer artifacts and heard cool stories of President Hinkley's father and grandfather.

We played pioneer games and most importantly we all had a nice long potty break.

When we got back in the car it was time to book it to St George before the sun went down. We just made it.

We had enough time to unpack the cars into our condos and tuck the kids in for the night before the moon came out.

My Sister-in-Law, Joanne got us a great deal on the most awesome condos ever.

The bathroom in the master suite was so nice, not to mention all the walk in closets and washer and dryer and full kitchen.

The best part of all?

The Pool, Baby!

We swam every single day we were there. The weather was gorgeous and we could not keep the kids out of the water.

We also had fun climbing the Dixie rocks, shopping at the outlet malls, going on early morning walks (9am!!) and going to the temple in St George.

We ate good food and enjoyed good company.

I really love our family, they are the best. I married into the best family on the planet.

I am so glad we all get along and can do such fun things together.

That's not to say there was no drama, but we all get over it and go on loving each other.

We left for home Thursday afternoon and stopped in Cedar City to drop off my nephew, Josh and his pregnant wife Tiffany, who live there. While we were there we stopped at Discovery park and ate watermelon and flew kites and rested under the trees.

We finally made it home around 8pm, just in time for bed time.

We had such a fun week, start to finish.

Thanks for the good times, guys!

Nauvoo Trip part 2

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I know it seems really silly to keep calling it the Nauvoo trip even though we made it no where near Nauvoo, but it has become such a joke that we can't bear to call our family adventures anything else.

Sunday evening we all decided to pack our bags for a fun trip through our beautiful state of Utah. We decided our final destination would be St George.

Along the way there were several sights we wanted to see. We decided our first stop would be the Young Living Farm in Mona, UT. This dinky town is located between Spanish Fork and Lehi.

I did not even know this place existed until this week.

The farm grows lavender and extracts the lavender oil for many homeopathic uses, such as insomnia, headaches, insect bites, rashes, sunburns (which I actually used some for this week), and many, many more. They have other farms around the world, one in Paris, France and one in South America. Their land was gorgeous. I could not stop taking pictures.

Sorry about all the slide shows, but there are just too many pictures, and this is less than half of the ones I took.

We got to take a tour of the farm and the process the lavender goes through to extract the oils. It really was cool.

After the farm they let us wonder the grounds.

They have an old western theme with an old water wheel and hand crank merry-go-round.

They also had the coolest swing I have ever seen, I really think Mr Bird needs to make one for our house. We fit 5 people in it at once, without even trying too hard.

They had an old western town which had cool stores and offices to look at. They also do jousting a few times a year. It was fun to see the huge jousting arena.

In the summer when they get lots of visitors they even give free wagon rides.

We need to go back, we really could have spent all day there.

We took our picnic lunch and ate in the beautiful Bowery next to their pond.

Then we loaded up into the cars and headed further South still.

Tomorrow I will post about our next stop.

TTFN!

(Ta Ta For Now)

Nauvoo or Bust

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We never made it Nauvoo.

Lots of things happened to prevent our trip from happening.

We knew our Mormon Assault Vehicle would be in the shop for much needed repairs. We could not drive it East the way it was and it would not be done in time to take it. She we figured we'd take the car and let one of the heathens ride with Grandpa or Aunt Lisa or Uncle Steve, all of whom were planning on caravanning with us.

Then, Lisa's vehicle was having problems. They were panning on buying a new car in the near future and decided to go ahead and do it before the trip. That fell through at the last minute and they were also without a reliable ride. Still, we decided to push and shove in different vehicles. We were determined to make this trip happen.

Then, the straw that broke the camel's back. The day before we were to leave Steve's water line to his house broke.

We all determined we just were not meant to go on this trip. So we bagged it.

But not totally.

All the guys had taken a week off work and we did not want to waste all that glorious time off. We decided that instead of going to Nauvoo we would spend Saturday fixing Steve's water line, then we would go on a fun horse ride in the evening. After the horse ride we all came back to our house for pizza and games. We has so much fun just being together. Sunday we all went to church for Mother's day, then we met at our house to plan the rest of the week.

This slide show is of our "Nauvoo Trip" Day 1

I'll post day 2 a little later. We did end up going out of town, more details on that in the next edition of...

Nauvoo or BUST!

4 am

Where were you this morning at 4 am?

Let me guess, you were nice and snug in your toasty bed, snuggled close to your lover, dead asleep.

Me? I was getting ready to load the shuttle bus bound for Eden, UT which was the beginning of the Ogden Half Marathon.

Don't ask me why we had to get up so stinking early. The race did not start until 7am. The shuttle left near the finish line at precisely 4:45. That left nearly 2,000 runners waiting in the cold, dark morning for over an hour and a half.

Madness, I know.

I think they wanted to freeze us before we started so our joints would be nice and stiff for the race.

Let me preface my 1/2 marathon entry by saying that this was my very first 1/2 marathon, I am no where near a professional runner,

If you can even call what I do running.

I did not even start running until I had all 4 of my babies.

I run for the fun of it.

I run for the silence.

I run for the sweat.

I run for the smells of the blossoming trees.

I run for the sound of the birds.

I run so I don't get grumpy.

I run for the sunshine.

I run for the runners high.

I run for the crazy races.

I run very slowly, never the less,

I run.

Today however, was a little different.

Today I hobbled.

I started having knee pain about a month ago during my training.

I pushed through on my long runs and my short runs were a little easier, but the pain was always there. I was nervous about it coming back for the race, but I determined that if it did I'd just run through it and deal with it after the race.

My knee did not like that idea.

It started hurting within the first 1/4 mile. I knew I was in for a battle. I told myself, just don't stop until the end, no matter what. I knew that if I stopped I'd never get started again.

My knee did not like that idea either. Just after mile 2 the pain became unbearable.

It nearly took my breath away.

I decided to walk a little until the pain went away.

As soon as I started walking the pain stopped. So I ran. Again the pain returned immediately. I played this game for the next mile and a half. I really wanted to be running. I had energy, I felt good, I was ready to just go. But my knee would not let me. I decided to walk for a solid mile and try again. Again, unbearable pain. So around mile 6 I resigned myself to walking the rest of the course. It was really pitiful. I was being passed by old people (no offense to you old ones). Then I saw the first full marathon runner pass me. I think I may have been the last 1/2 marathon runner (hobbler) to finish.

My worst fear realized.

Oh well, someone had to be last!

But I finished!

And guess what? I'm not even sore,

as long as I don't move.

I can not bend my knee,

at all.

I have like a 2 degree range of motion.

What is wrong?

AAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

I really hope it's not hurt for good.

Other than my blasted knee the race was amazing.

That is a really good course.

It starts in Eden, UT which is total farm land and just open country.

I saw horses running in fields and beautiful green rolling hills.

Then the course went along the Pine view reservoir, which was gorgeous in the early morning light. Then we went over the Pine View dam. Next we made our way through the Ogden canyon which is full of rugged rocky cliffs. There were 2 different waterfalls, one of which I had never seen before, it was hiding behind bushes. The river passes along the course all through the canyon and then beyond. Once we were through the canyon we started along the Ogden River Parkway, which also follows the river. The parkway was lined with trees and is simply beautiful. After the parkway we were headed for the final stretch to the finish line in down town Ogden, just behind the Ogden temple.

It really was a beautiful course, and mostly all down hill.

It would have been a perfect run it my knee had cooperated.

But one good thing came form this adventure.

I used a porta potty.

That is huge for me.

I have not used one of those things for well over 10 years.

I have a debilitating fear of the ronchy things.

This fear is almost as bad as my fear of the little 8 legged creepy things that shall not be named.

Porta Johns and I don't get along.

I can't handle the wide openness of the waste catcher.

I can't handle the smell.

I can't handle the confined space.

I can't handle how it sounds when your "business" lands in the pile of other people's "business".

*GAG*

OK, I'm giving myself the Heeby Geebys.

I would much rather use the trees or a bush or something, but with a huge crowd of people watching and not a decent grove in sight and a long run ahead of me, I bit the bullet.

I closed my eyes and would not look in the hole.

I plugged my ears and sang,"la,la,la,la,la,la."

Then I was out of there like a flash.

Now, just because I used it once does not mean this will become a regular habit.

It was every bit as terrifying as I imagined it would be.

I think I need counseling.

So do you want to know my time for finishing the race?

You have to promise not to laugh.

I am only telling you to show you that if I can hobble this course, anyone can do it.

I also want all of you marathoners and 1/2 marathoners to feel really good about your own finish time.

Plus, it will be really easy for me to beat my personal best next year.

Unless of course my knee is broken for good.

OK, here it is.

3 hours and 12 minutes.

Go ahead, feel better about yourselves at my expense.

Busy Bees

I have not blogged all week.

I think I'm going through with drawls.

This dry spell I'm experiencing is not because we have been doing nothing around here and I have nothing to blog about.

In fact, quite the opposite is true.

We have been busier than a one armed paper hanger.

This is naturally a busy time of the year for us, with all the end of "school" activities.

This time of year makes me long for "school" to be out.

Doodle's dance class will end, Liberty Girls will end, choir will end, and her sewing class is already finished.

Whew! And to complicate things even more we have been getting ready to go on a family vacation to Nauvoo, Illinois tomorrow.

Is it considered a vacation if you are stuck in a car with 4 kids for 2 days straight?

So if I'm not around the blogosphere for the next 10 days you know why.

Be prepared for a full vacation debriefing when we get back.

Give me a few days to get the heaps and heaps of vacation laundry clean and folded first.

I really can't believe how much clothes 6 people require.

It really is stunning!

Weirdo-Billy

I had a companion on my mission who had a term for strange or out of the ordinary things.

When we saw a dead deer strapped to the top of a little white two door car in the middle of a multi million peopled city she sighed and said,

"Weirdo Billy."

When we were tracting in the coldest cold you can think of and our boogers would freeze to our nose hairs she would spontaneously belt out, "Weirdo Billy!"

I know some of you think I have gone around the corner to the luney bin with this new healthy eating kick I'm on.

No wheat, no dairy, no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

And now I'm thinking of giving up meat.

I know, I know, don't roll your eyes at me.

Don't make me open this screen and smack you.

Stop it, I have my reasons.

I went to talk to the nursery leader in church today to warn her of impending changes.

I told her that next month Baby Cakes would be joining them in her class. At first she was looking at me like, "Ya, I knew that, we are excited for him to join us."

Then I said, "But there's a catch, he's allergic to dairy and wheat and artificial food additives."

She immediately looked at me like I was from outer space.

I may as well have not worried about tucking in my tail.

I went on to explain that he pretty much could not have anything prepackaged.

She grimly said, "So no gold fish or colored marshmallows?"

Nope, those would be out.

Seeing the lost, helpless look in her eyes I decided this was going to be more of a challenge than I had thought. I offered to bring his snacks for nursery in a baggie for him so she would not have to worry about finding things to feed the class that met my child's dietary needs.

I saw the relief wash over her face and as I turned to leave I swear I could her her sigh,

"Weirdo Billy."

as I turned the corner to go to Sunday School.

But guess what I found out?

I'm not the only weird one.

Guess who else changed her whole diet for the sake of her child's health?

Jenny Mccarthy, that's who.

You know, famous hot actress married to Jim Carrey, Jenny Mccarthy.

Ya, that one.

She claims to have cured her son's autism by eliminating wheat and dairy and other dietary changes. And you know what, if it's OK for her, it's OK for me. I am not ashamed to tell the world I'm changing how we eat so we can be healthy and happy. I am not afraid to spend double the amount of time cooking as I once did. After all, I really enjoy cooking and spending time in the kitchen with my kids.

So maybe I'm not the weird one after all.

Maybe the weirdo Billys are the ones who know they have health problems and have yet to try radical things in order to improve their health.

Maybe the weirdo Billys are the ones that whine and complain about being over weight but are not willing to give up the problem foods.

Maybe I'm not weird at all.

Maybe I'll live to be 107!

Check out Dr. Oz on Oprah and his research on Blue Zones, which are areas in the world where people regularly live into their second century of life.

"But it's not only about longevity—they live with strength, vitality and happiness"

Do you think they do that by eating Ho-Ho's and Dorito's? Guess again!

It turns out what we put into our bodies has a direct correlation between how we feel and ultimately how long we live. Go figure.

So weird or not, I plan to live in health and happiness for a long, long time!

Bunnies and Chicks and Ponies, Oh MY!

Doodle belongs to a book group filled with other home school girls just her age called Liberty Girls.

This year we have been reading the Little House on the Prairie series.
We meet twice a month and discuss our latest book and have a fun activity that correlates with the book we have read.
We have so much fun and have become really good friends with our liberty girls friends.

Last week we all drove our families to the American West Heritage Center in beautiful Logan, Utah for a field trip.

Doesn't this remind you of The Sound of Music? I love those mountains!

We set the girls against boys in a game of tug of war.

6 girls to 3 boys.

The boys won.

It was a long battle though, those girls gave them a run for their money.

The tour guide that was showing us the pioneer games was amazing. She took lots of time with us and answered all of our questions and was so friendly.

They played a game with a stick and an iron wheel. You are supposed to roll the wheel down the stick. When it hits the ground rolling you're supposed to run behind it and keep it rolling by pushing it with the stick. It's a lot harder than it looks. After a while Doodle got the hang of it.

Baby Cakes had to try too. He has a little less coordination than the other kids, it was quite funny to watch him get frustrated. He had a hard time lifting the thing, it weighed almost as much as he does.

All the girls loved seeing the baby animals. This silly goat let all the kids pick her up. The volunteers that worked there were awesome. We were the last group of the day and we got the royal treatment. We stood and talked to the guy in charge of the goats for quite a while. That man knows his goats.

The sheep were fun to see. They had a black one and a white one. The girls were amazed at how much hotter the black one's wool was than the white one.
Another mom and I realized that between us and the other girls we had at one time or another had all the animals at our homes that they had there, except for sheep.

It was still fun for the girls to go and see the babies. The bunny was too cute and cottony.

In my humble opinion the ducks were too smelly.
*GAG*

This is a Shetland pony named Tinkerbell. Granted, we don't have a pony, but we do have a full sized horse. Close enough, right. Not to the girls. they thought it was so cool to see a mini horse. I did not think it was so cool. She bit Baby Cake's fingers and made him cry. I guess he has sweet fingers. But I already knew that!

One of the boys found a robin's egg that had fallen from a nest into the grass and had survived the fall. It was so pretty.

It made me want to come home and paint a room that color.

The highlight of the trip for me was the dugout and log cabin home they have there. They were fully stocked with pioneer artifacts from kerosene lamps to beds and quilts and cook wear. They even had tin cups just like the one Laura Ingalls got for Christmas one year. That was it, her whole Christmas was a tin cup. To her it was a big deal because it meant she did not have to share a cup with her sister Mary anymore. I think about that and I am so humbled. Think about our modern Christmases. In general we are so spoiled. We first read these books a few years ago and since then we have scaled way back on our Christmas offerings. Our kids get more than a tin cup, but we have tried really hard to give more personal and meaningful gifts rather than just more stuff.

Anyway, back on topic. I did not get any photos of the cabin or the dug out, which is just like the one the Ingalls family lived in during their time in Plum Creek (On the Banks of Plum Creek). I was way too busy being fascinated with all the cool stuff. I did not even realize my folly until I got home and down loaded the pictures. Oh well, I guess that means we'll just have to go back another time so I can get my pictures.

If you have young girls you must read these books to them. In my opinion they are required reading for girlhood. I love, love, love them. Doodle loves them. They just put things into perspective and make us really think about our lives and the things that are truly important. Doodle has learned from Laura Ingalls Wilder how to be kind and how to value life skills such as sewing and cooking and helping with jobs around the house. She has learned to love nature and being a kid. She has learned to love her family and to value education. She has learned to be obedient and honest. She has learned to love animals, especially horses. She has learned that sometimes we need to do things that are hard, even when we don't want to. She has learned all this and more from a woman who lived and died before she was even born.

Now that's the power of a good book.