Sunday, November 16, 2008


Marrying Brandon was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made. Actually, it wasn't really a decision, it was more like a natural step, the next thing to do. We met in an LDS "singles ward" at BYU. I thought it was pretty fun that he rode his bike to church. One time he stopped and asked if I wanted a ride..ha ha. I was a freshman, he was already graduated.

Our first date was great. We went to Arby's and then to a BYU BBall game but we didn't really watch it--we talked. I could tell this guy was a seasoned dater--he knew all the questions to ask but he did it coolly. I was impressed. He told me what he wanted to do with his life (go to Grad school, be a therapist, have a family, maybe teach some religion classes, and eventually travel to Jerusalem) It had never before occured to me exactly like that but I had the thought, "I want to do that too." I came home and actually said to my roommates, "I think I could marry this guy." I referred to my "list" (for the first time ever after a date) and yep, he had everything on it...RM, testimony, smart, musical, humble,...etc. I was willing to overlook the "good-cook" and "plays guitar" parts.

We had fun dating. My roommates told me "You're always laughing when you're with Brandon." On Sundays we would go to the park and read scriptures and have great discussions. One time we drove past his family's house in Payson--yes--we DROVE PAST only. I thought it was a little funny that we didn't STOP and go in. But, maybe he just wasn't ready for that yet.

When I eventually did meet the family it was a BBAll game with all the brothers--wow--lots of brothers--a whole team. I remember thinking "wow, I've never seen such a functional family--and they're all so funny." This was also the first time that I saw the competitive, fire-in-the-eyes look Brandon gets when he plays sports. He's mellowed out some but it still comes out when I threaten to beat him at ping pong.


I couldn't believe that I was dating such a great guy. I secretly wondered if this was too good to be true and would he would break up with me...Ironically that is how he proposed. Confused? He wanted me to not expect it, so he "pretended" like he was breaking up with me and then came in to the rescue with, "Will you marry me?" I thought that was a pretty bad way to go about it--(it was the guy he bought the ring from's idea) but, I was willing to forgive him because he finished strong...and I was completely in love.


We have been married 11 years now. I love him even more than when I married him. Here are the reasons why.


  • SENSE OF HUMOR: He is always making laugh and life is good when you're laughing. He can always smooth over an awkward moment or get away with saying something difficult because he does it with humor.

  • HE DOESN'T GET ANGRY: I can't believe it. Even when I go over budget or dent the car and he should be mad at me he isn't. He'll actually laugh and say, "you'll do better next month, ha ha."-- I would be mad at me.

  • HE IS STABLE: He just always seems to be in a good mood. If I am freaking out swearing because I can't find our tickets and we are about to miss our flight he is there to hold everything together and say, "it will be okay."

  • GENUINE: Brandon could be with a neighbor down the street or the Queen of England and he would treat them the same. He has no airs. He is just genuine and honest and friendly with everyone.

  • HE LIKES TO HAVE FUN: He's happy just to watch a game or read. He will go to a play or concert with me. We like to play tennis or watch a movie. He is really up for anything and I love that....how bout a roadtrip? No matter what it is, he is always fun to be with.

  • INTELLIGENT: Brandon is one of the most intelligent people I know--especially about the most important things: how to be happy, Religion/Gospel, how to get along with people/relationships. When he speaks it's like reading a book: He has an incredible command of the English language and is able to communicate and express ideas spot-on. Often he'll throw a word in there that I have to look up in the dictionary.

  • SPIRITUAL: He has a strong testimony and amazing knowledge of the gospel and he is always willing to serve in the church.

  • HELPFUL: dishes, diapers? He will pitch in and help with whatever needs to be done around the house. That is so sexy!

  • BEST FATHER: His girls LOVE him! He'll play barbies with them, give them rides to bed, tell them "caveman" stories at bedtime. Cannon even kicks his legs in excitement when Brandon walks in the door.
  • WELL-ROUNDED: BD is athletic. Did you know he got a hole in one at the golf course? He plays sports year round, rides his bike to work, and is very self-motivated to excercise--especially if it involves chasing a ball. He also plays a little piano, violin, and sings.

  • HAPPY, CONFIDENT, LOYAL, HONEST, KIND, PRACTICAL, THOUGHTFUL....ETC.

You get the idea. He's a good one...and I get to live with him forever!!!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY this week to MY LOVE!





Sunday, November 9, 2008

All Vacations Must End

How do I condense such a super fun week? Maybe, by saying I think I could live in St. George.
  1. The weather is great (in the winter)
  2. family lives there (hi t!)
  3. You can have palm trees in your yard!
  4. My favorite stores are all within 20 minutes of each other (shall I list a few....Target, Costco, Kohl's, Taipan, Old Navy and I just found out....Coldwater Creek! YUM)
  5. Close-er to the beach and airport
Reasons not to live there...

  1. Farther from the whole rest of the fam.
  2. I like to shop too much. Did I mention all my favorite stores are there?!
  3. Maybe I should visit in July
Here's a little sum up of what we did with my parents, my niece (Annie), and her very cute 2 yr old boy. He and Adrie hit it off like peanut butter and jam. I heard her say to her new little pal, "C'mon trophy boy!" And he followed right after. Where did she come up with that too true phrase??? Anyway, back to the re-cap of condo life in Dixie...

SWIM, SHOP, EAT, YOGA, HIKE, SWIM, SHOP, EAT, YOGA, HIKE.....Throw in a couple of naps and some pickleball and you have a recipe for a pretty sweet vacation.

Photos from left to right: Mom and Annie looking fabulous in chocolate suede from C.Creek.

K and B learned to swim in a basic doggy-style way. Cannon AKA "barnacle baby" was not so fond of the water. He just wanted to cling and lick our wet shoulders.

I drove around town to get some xeriscaping ideas: fake grass and rocks--I'm a fan! Any way to get a palm tree and fountain in the mix?

This is licorice not hives. Maybe it's not good for babies but one little piece of red licorice entertained cannon from cedar to st. george! I'm a fan.

Can we still call it hiking if it's on a paved flat road? the girls collected so many special rocks their bags broke.

BTW: PICKLEBALL is like tennis on a mini court: lots of volleys, less running. I'm a fan.

Oh yes. We watched the historical election of Obama on TV and saw Oprah raving about it for the next few days. (For a good political read, I recommend we're wingin it's blog.)

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Halloween, Hurling, and other Happenings

Here is Brynn the witch. After hurling a dozen times during the day she felt ready enough to trick-or-treat at a few houses.

I spent the day in bed listening to Brynn throw up and wanting to myself. As soon as I smelled Cannon's poopy diaper, I lost it too.





The Healthy ones, "Invisi-Girl" from the Incredibles and Piglet at least got to go to the neighborhood Halloween party during the day. Dad came home from work not feeling so great himself. He took Adrie to a few houses then came home and went to bed. Kate went along with the neighbors who trekked the entire town. She came home with a big loot which she has been kind enough to share.

Could you believe the weather this year--trick or treating in short sleeves? We were sure that would result in hoardes of children taking hoardes of candy. But, we only gave out about 50 pieces--a little more than last year. Hopefully they didn't get the flu bug with their snickers ( I let them pick it out of the bowl themselves.)
Other happenings of the week:


Brynn's new hobby: headstands. She loves her gymnastics class and is pretty good at it. She spends lots of time on her head. Sometimes I have to give her other stuff to do so that her BRAIN will have a chance to grow.





Customer Appreciation Day at the Tech's Cosmetology Dept. = Free Hairstyles and Pedicures for us.
I enjoyed the pedicure while the girls had their hair done. Ahhhh. The girls felt pretty but not happy enough to want to pose together.




Oh, the adventures we take when family comes to town. My sister Shannon and her son Parker came to visit. After an 8 hour drive, a hike in fresh mountain air was just what they needed. This is a view of our little valley from the water tower. (How many church steeples can you find?) Per tradition, we went to dinner at Sandy's for the best PB shakes and fries. ---This is the one occasion when my sister takes a vacation from her health nut-i-ness. (This week she taught me that baking powder is practically poison.)
Shannon and Parker are moving from AZ to SLC to live with my parents and help take care of them. This pretty much escalates her to the status of Saint-hood so we felt the least we could do is treat them to dinner.
Next week she will be leaving for a weekend trip to join my brother and volunteer with a medical team in Mexico. One of these years I will join them.
We will also be leaving to spend a fun week in St. George with my parents. See you there t?