A flashback.

Yesterday, events in our community transpired that forced my mind to flashback, to remember an event that happened when I was 15.
Yesterday, a 14 year old boy was hit and killed by a trax train.  As his family and his community mourns his unexpected death, I can empathize with them.
It was the end of my ninth grade year, the day we cleaned out our lockers, were readying ourselves for all of the end-of-the-year activities, heading home, excited for the annual sports banquet to be held that night. 
One younger girl in my neighborhood, and ward family, was among the group, carrying a black garbage bag much bigger than herself, home.  I was far ahead of her in my walk, but other friends of mine were right with her when she stopped, and set down the bag to tie her shoe.  They went ahead.
They cleared the set of double train tracks before the train came, she was left waiting on the other side for it to pass.  As the last car of the first train passed, she stepped out onto the tracks and began walking, only to be hit by a second train, coming from the opposite direction.
That fast she was gone.
That fast all of our lives were changed.
That fast we were closer, meant more to each other than ever before.
My dad was bishop of our ward at that time, and it was a hard funeral to direct.  A difficult time for us all.
She was like the “little sister” to us older girls.  She wanted to be with us wherever we were, participate in the same activities, she even took up acting like us.  She was the only girl who could beat me in a burping contest!
I regret often treating her like a little sister.  I admit, I wasn’t always patient with her, I didn’t show her enough love.  But I was blessed to know her.  I am blessed to remember her example.
One of the neatest things her family chose to display at her funeral was a picture she drew just weeks before in her art class.
They were assigned to draw a landscape.  You can imagine a typical landscape: mountains, tall pine trees, a few rocks, a river.
She drew hers as a view from above.
While we all live with regrets of that day, someone to stay back with her as she tied her shoe, someone to be there to tell her to wait until the crossing arms were up, someone to help her carry her gigantic bag, someone…
I live with the regret of not always being my kindest to her.  Not always being the patient team captain when it came to her choice of how long to stretch at track practice.  Not making the time I had with her really count.
While her passing was difficult, it also drew us together.  We treated each other differently.  We cared for each other in a way that made the leaders of other wards stop and marvel.
They knew that we were “that ward”.
It was sad that it took this happening for us to unify, but we were thankful to have each other, to treat each other with a little more kindness, with increased patience and understanding.
There was a blessing in her passing.
It is a hard memory to bring up, but I am thankful that it is there.  It is a blessing to have a reminder of how fragile life is, how to live without regret.  How to love others because we never know what will happen.

Flashbacking..

Peyton is very interested in herself lately.

Looking at pictures of herself, watching videos (and laughing), saying her name over and over again..

So we have been spending a lot of time looking at the bloggeroo. 

(I still have a bit to catch up on when it comes to scrapbooking her life…)

Today we got back to last year.

Then I looked one post beyond that one to this one.

Which only gets me thinking about this post….

Has all this time really passed so quickly?

Really?

Here we are, she’s almost two.

Some things don’t change though.

She doesn’t like her fingers anymore, but the way she finds comfort is the same.

She is still curious (and stinking cute..).

She and Tigger are still tight.

Did I mention how cute she is?

Flashback and Deja vu..

We'll start this out with a layout of Lynn..

Nearly four years old (I know, the LO says 4..  that's what Roy high did for my math.)
and she decided to give herself a "trim".
It must be the age, remeber, Ashley did it a few times to herself..
She gave herself this "trim" not too long after she got a real trim.  I was trying to talk her into getting it whacked in the first place, but she wasn't going for it.  Well, she kinda pushed herself into it later..
It wasn't a bad deal..  she got to donate her cut hair to "Locks of  Love".
Sweet deal for all involved.
- Someone in need got a new hairpiece.
- Lynn got her messed-up cut fixed.
- I didn't have to listen to the "make your ears bleed" type of crying while brushing the girl's hair..
That brings us to today..
She has been buging me for MONTHS to make an appointment for her to get it cut off again.
Her reasons:
- "I don't like brushing my hair."
- "I don't like you brushing my hair."
- "It takes too long to do my hair."
- "I want to help some one who needs hair."
How can I say no to that?
Well..  I did.
That is where the MONTHS come in..
I gave in today because she didn't.
I also want to save time, and money.
Time brushing and fighting with her over how to do her hair.
Money in shampoo and conditioner. :)

She is still pretty cute..  she looks older though, and I think we all know how I feel about that.

Flashbacking..

Did I just invent a new word?
Before I even begin, let me admit that I am a little sad going through this whole process.. packing and cleaning things out.. spending these last few days in my home.. the home where we started, where we brought our babies home.. where they learned to crawl, walk, and talk.. so many memories..
This move will be a good thing though, a little stressful, but good.
So here's the end of my boo-hooing, and the beginning of the fun!!
We started packing last night. We only have a week, so seriously.. we need to light a fire under it and get going.
It's just hard to decide what we can go a week without.. not like we use EVERYTHING in this house, but, you know.. what if I MIGHT want to bake a 16x16 inch layer cake AND decorate it? What if for SOME REASON, we will want to eat on the fine china?
See, decisions..
So last night, we started with the closet in the basement. That is the easiest place to begin because it's contents are CDs, DVDs, and the games I pray every day, that the girls won't make a mess of.
And here's your warning: with a man whose hobby IS MUSIC, we have more CDS than the average couple..
Inside the closet:


Outside of the closet:


It was my goal to purge the same time as packing, and not take garbage to the new house..
See all that garbage?


I try to not be a pack rat..
We did come across a treasure..


This one is a keeper!!
So it continues..
The girls play in the boxes, and we laugh, and remember..
When we moved in this house nearly 9 years ago, it was just the two of us. The basement was empty,well, besides the washer and dryer.. a few bins of decorations.
The only reason we even had to be in the basement was to do laundry, get out some decorations, or go spider hunting.
Now here we are.. doing most of our living down here, busting at the seams.
It will be good..
I just need to get over thinking about moving all this stuff!!

Flashback Friday..

I love digging around in the archives...
This is what I found for a year ago today:


It's funny how things surface at the right time.
Summer isn't busy with too many summery activities. We didn't get Lagoon passes this year, but still, it seems so busy! It feels like Merrill and I don't get nearly enough time together...
It was nice to "find" this today.

Flashback part II..

Ally asked a question after last Friday's Flashback..

"So where is he today, do you know."

Yes.. kind of.
He ended-up marrying another girl who worked at Arby's. I had the sneaking suspicion that something was going on there, maybe there was.
He married her the next April, roughly 7 months after we broke up. She was in her senior year of high school. They married civilly, they would marry in the temple a year later. I could hear him using the same argument with her that he did with me, his reasoning for the civil marriage then the temple marriage. They lived in my parents stake, and didn't go through the temple until much much later, I had heard. More promises broken, he was good at that.
I was told that once I worked at Arby's and saw how the food was actually prepared, I would never want to eat there again.
Whoever said that was so wrong.
I would go and eat there every once in a while, I would sometimes even go to the one in Roy (where I grew up and worked) when I was out that way. I had no idea when he was working or when he wasn't, I didn't stalk him, keep up on the vehicle he was currently driving, I didn't even know if he was still working there.. if I was hungry for Arby's, I would get it. I had no issues with seeing him. I was happy, and would have thought that my doing the right thing, would have led him down a path of happiness as well.
There was one time I had a hankering for mozzarella sticks. It was around Halloween 2000 because I was on the hunt for angel wings for my costume (Merrill was Micheal Meyers and I was an angel.. such a good pair!). I pulled up to order my sticks, only to hear his voice on the speaker. It came as kind of a surprise. He was still there. By the time I got to the window, he had sent someone else to deal with me.
Fast forward.
It was summer of 2003, Lynn wasn't yet one, we went to Roy Days carnival while the boys were enjoying a fishing trip in Canada. We did everything we wanted to at the carnival and decided on lunch at Arby's (it was Kaitlyn's choice). We got there and guess who was working and friendly?
Yup.
We chatted, and he told me how he and his wife were expecting their first, any second now.
"She has to work, so she's there right now. She'll work up until she delivers."
This was funny to me, and not funny "ha! ha!" but funny peculiar for two reasons.
1- When we were talking about all of these plans, he wanted to put off babies. I wanted them sooner. We agreed on 1-2 years to wait. They had obviously gone with his plan, and waited for longer than I would have been able to tolerate.
2- The work issue. Maybe she wanted to. But that was another kink in our plans.. we had first agreed that I would stay home, and then later he waffled, said I would have to work, indefinitely.
The poor thing! It was August, hot and humid. She was probably as big as a house, ready to burst, uncomfortable, and working?!
Just a glimpse into what my life could have been like.
(Shudder..)
I recently talked to a couple who worked with us, that we doubled with a lot. I heard that he now works for the railroad. Travels a lot, 3-4 days out of the week, and isn't home much. Still just the one little girl.
How empty life would be.
I know, without knowing these details, that what I did was right, but wow, it sure makes me feel so good about my choice!
I am so blessed!

Flashback Friday..

I have blogged about that one guy from the past.. the one that I was engaged to, until Merrill put an end to it :)
I have had friends from high school ask me, "WHO?!" I wasn't around school a lot my senior year, I had one class that was necessary for me to take, and that was all I went for. This guy was out of school, and too cool for my high school life, so I tried to be cool enough for his.
Well, his identity has remained anonymous for long enough...
I no longer need to protect him..
At the risk of embarrassing myself..

Here

He

Is:


Right...


Here:



At least my rendition of him..
Really.. how do I even explain this chapter of my life? In not too many words..
- I was lonely.
- Boyfriend (who was for a LONG time, who was also one of my best friends) broke up with me, gave no explanation..
- I was heartbroken.
- Joe had Jackie, and I wanted what they had..
- Self esteem was pretty much non-existent, when this dude showed interest, I bit.
Then, after I was with him for a while, the relationship took the natural progression. I knew I wasn't supposed to be with him, but stayed with him because:
A- my parents said I shouldn't be with him, I deserved better (but they didn't say exactly that..), so basically out of rebellion.. I bought a black bra and pierced my ears a second time as my next rebellious acts.
and
2- I thought that no one would really want to be with me... you know, marry me.
So, we made plans.
Even though I was really embarrassed by just about everything he did.. his ears, both of them pierced. His lack of physical fitness. He had a thing for toes and feet (bleh!!). Liked licking ears.. he was weird! The way he yawned.. silences were awkward. He didn't respect me. I couldn't be myself. He lied to me.. many times.
But I went on with the charade, praying for happiness all the while, fully knowing it wasn't right.
I had the dress.
The cake was drawn up and ready to be made.
Matron and maid of honor, bridesmaids, and flower girl dresses, all bought.
Plans for the reception all laid out. Help enlisted.
Bridal and engagement photos taken.
Announcements picked out (but not printed.. we kept changing our date.).
Temple booked.
I left for Lake Powell with a mission at hand; to figure out the answer which I already knew, but to return home with the courage to follow through with it.
Merrill gave that to me.
Our wedding date came with neither one of us showing up at the temple.
No cake was baked or decorated.
My dress hung in my parent's basement, and waited, next to my cake topper, and silk flower bouquet of daisies.
Hey, the wedding party got some free digs out of it!
So Merrill saved me..
Ashley has a more grand vision of how it all went down:
"Right when you were gonna say 'I Do',Dad runned in to the church and said, 'STOP!! I love her..' and that is how dad stopped your wedding, huh mom?"
Not quite, but the ending is still the same..
We lived happily ever after..




**So here, for YOUR enjoyment (yes, just for YOU..), is a picture, not a fake one..
It's my Senior Cotillion.
He promised to take me, but said he couldn't afford it.
This was my graduation gift from my parents.
They paid for the dance ticket, his Tux rental, flowers, and dinner.
My dress was borrowed from Jaclyn, to save on money, so we could have something besides Arby's with his employee discount for dinner that night.
Pathetic.
I kept thinking to myself, "You should ask Merrill Pitcher is he wants to go.."
He says he would have jumped at the chance..
I love him!!

Flashback Friday...

I am not trying to rub it in..
Really...
But our last day was today, and we are so happy!!!
Yay!! Summer is HERE!!!!!!
Here's Lynn on her first day. She was so excited, didn't want me to even walk her in!
I was scared.. for everything to come.. this is my baby!!Then there was the school year..
And
what
a
year
it
has
been...
That is why we are so head-over-heels in love with summer this year!
She has learned so much.
She has grown.
She has dealt with all the newness and the hard times well.. And she came through without any scars.. at least none that I can see. Now a therapist on the other hand.... ;)
I loved this pic too.. can you tell how excited we are?
I am so proud of her!!
Now I think I will practice some deep breathing techniques.. the thought of first grade just occurred to me! :0

A Flashback.. of sorts..

We have been gearing up for Easter around here the past week..
Had a special Easter Family Home Evening lesson on Monday.. got out the old plastic eggs for the object lesson part of the evening.
They have been played with all week long.
I began to remember, when I was young and flatter-chested, how I would utilize these objects..
My mom would buy "Leggs" pantyhose.. the kind that came in a large, plastic egg. I would beg for the empties, then go to the privacy of my room, rig my legwarmer to be a bra of sorts, then, stuff it with the egg halves.
I learned quickly, that it was best if I saved eggs, so I would have two same-sized halves, and not be lopsided..
So it was funny that I was remembering this about myself (and thinking I might have to utilize this tactic soon ;)..) when my dear sweet 4 year-old comes to me, asking if I like her shirt..
"Of course.." I think, as I recall what she is wearing that day.. I did make it :)
Nope.. not quite what she meant...
You see....
Like mother, like daughter...
But she figured out the same-sized half part...

Flashback Friday..

It was 7 years ago today that we found out Lynn was on her way...
We had decided before we got married that we would wait a couple of years before we would start our family (even though I tried to convince Merrill otherwise many times ;)..)
So we were told many times that we would have to practice patience and know that sometimes, it takes a while for it to actually happen, especially after you have been under the influence of birth control..
So I convinced Merrill that I should go off the pill a month earlier than planned, just to get it out of my system, so we cold get a "head start"..
We didn't need it.. nope.. not us.
Two days after going off the pill, there she was!
It was two days before our second wedding anniversary, and I had been feeling funky for a while... kind of nauseous, hungry (a lot), craving vegetables at a late hour.. sandwiches?? (I am so not a sandwich person..)
Everyone was telling me that it was too soon.. I was imagining, and hoping too much..
But I decided to take a test.. first thing in the morning, the hormonally concentrated urine... Merrill was still asleep.
It was so hard to wait.
But there they were, those two pink lines..
I was elated!!
I woke up Merrill...
He was in shock, for two days.. he hardly spoke to me.

Flashback..

**WARNING!!!***
-Below is an overload (for some) of pictures documenting the last week of my life.. proceed at your own discretion..
I warned you!
This is a flashback to the last week.. we are still trying to get back to "normal" around here..
Helping dad organize his new office.. and find a desk..
Peyton's new favorite activity, which I love: she hooks her little arm around my neck and snuggles in..
We slept.. pretty much crashed into the bed at the end of the day everyday!
Had a sleepover at the hotel..
I must note that everyone slept through the night, no wakey-uppies.. except me.. the alarm clock was on my nightstand, Ash decided to turn it on.. it was set at midnight.. I want a King sized bed, preferably the one we slept in, yes, the EXACT ONE.. think you can swing that one hon? :)
Spent the weekend hunting for the perfect bunk beds (or "bonk" beds, as we call them here).. found them at John Paras.. the girls love them!!
"Alvin the Alligator" is visiting..
Built a fort underneath the kitchen table.. I was feeling not so hot Monday.. it kept the girls busy..
They even slept in it that night..
Played "Snow White".. Lynn was the Evil Queen.. she gets to wear the cape, that was her motivation, she really doesn't have the desire to be evil.. but look at that face!
And we tried to see just how far we could pull up our pajama pants.. see how silly we could possibly look..
Ash wears them well :D
Peyton's new love of playing cars.. she even makes her own sound effects.
Proud moment :)
Made cookie dough..
..and ate some..
Anyone interested in a plate? :)
Washed those dishes (of course) with help..
Hoping that I can get back into a rhythm... I had 258 e-mails yesterday :O
Here's to hoping ;)

Circa 1983-ish..

From left to right: Bottom- Me on Mike's lap, Sandy & Kevin, Tommy.
Second row- Jackie, Wesley, Gary.
Joe & Ken.

As if I needed an excuse to make those I love blush..
Here's a family pic from 1983, summer, I do believe..
We have lived in Utah our whole lives. My dad grew up in Michigan and Tennessee. His summers were spent in Tennessee with his grandparents on their tobacco farm. He worked his summers, and loved it. He loved them.
He graduated from a Junior college in pre-Engineering, proceeded to the Air Force, where he was the top in his class there, and was told he could go anywhere he chose. He told me he chose California (there was a beach close enough to go enjoy his hobbies that way, but mountains close enough to go camp, hunt, or ski.. it was the winner!) but was stationed at Hill Air Force Base, yup.. right here in good ol' Utah.
Mom had grown up here.. her whole life. Raised LDS. She was working as a car-hop at Warren's.
She spilled a coke on his car.. his 1968 Dodge Cornet RT.
She owed him a date.
She was waiting for a missionary.. but not for long.
Dad told her, as they were driving down the "old highway" (1900 west in Roy as it turns onto 27th street, I think..) "You're gonna have to break it off with your missionary, cause we're gonna get married."
Grandma and Grandpa told mom that he was "taking her to hell in a hand basket." (He really disproved that assumption!)
He eventually joined the church.
His family wasn't too happy about that.
But things got back on track, and we would go back east, in our '83 Mercury Zephyr to visit (Kansas would go on forever!!).
This year (1983) was the first time we went back.
Uncle Kenny tickled me relentlessly.. I remember crying..
Grandma was so excited to have all of her grandchildren in one place, she had to commemorate it with picture at Olan Mills.
The photographer set us all up, I was more than happy to be sitting on Mike's lap ;) I think he took a pic, and when he moved away from the camera, mom busts out her little Kodak camera, the kind with the flash that is stacked 6x6 cubes outside of the camera, and she snaps this pic. My aunts about died!!
But here, we have it.
It's been almost 11 years since I have last seen any of them.. I want my girls to know them all so bad!!
Someday..

Merrill's Revenge: The tale of the pop-it rigged house...

Here's the sequel to my story from the past... or known also as "The Spider Stuck on the Seat".
Hope you enjoy :)
Imagine, one year later, summer of 2001, no longer residents in the smallish blue apartment. Instead, owners of a home, new to us, in South Ogden. It was (still is) a great home. Fuller now than it was then, the upstairs bedrooms are actually utilized as such; they are bedrooms now. Then, not so much. Just a couple of nice places to store our many hobby associated items and tools.. okay, my things.
We had just finished a day of pulling out a tree (the half dead tree referred to in a previous post..) and bushes from the front yard. We had also been moving some large rocks and arranging them better in the front flower beds. We were tired, totally pooped. Merrill came inside before I did to get the swamp cooler (a.k.a. evaporative cooler) going. I was outside cleaning some tools, putting them away.. Ken (my brother) stopped by. There was a rock too big for us to move, and he, partially being a Mayes, and the other factor, being a guy, thought he could move it. Not so much.. but that's not the point to this particular part of my story here.. he was witness to Merrill, screaming for me to come inside because there was a spider in our bathroom. I was (sometimes still am) the spider killer. My services were needed.
I came inside and straightaway, took care of that spider with some Charmin toilet paper, and promptly flushed the squished bugger down the loo. So you think he'd be grateful, right? He was.. and that is all the humiliation I can inflict upon him in this post, and I am taking full advantage of that. As I will be the one at who's expense you will soon be laughing.
So, I had killed the spider, disposed of it, rescued my arachnophobic prince, and thought, that was that..
But then...
I went to close the doors to those extra rooms, you know, the ones I spoke of above?.. you need to close the doors to the rooms you DON'T want to be cooled-off to enjoy the cool air of the swamper in the room of choice. This is the science I have learned from owning a swamp cooler.
I shut the first door, with no excitement, just the way shutting a door to a room filled with only "things" should be.
The second door was not so much that way. The door was nearly shut all the way, when, simultaneously, as the door's pin interlocked with it's home within the hole of the strike plate, there was a loud "pop!"... the left side of my face was pelted with what felt like sand... sand with velocity.
It freaked me out, to be quite honest.
When my heart began beating again, my mouth opened and yelled, "MERRILLLLL!!!"
The only reply I got from across the hall was his snicker.
I re-opened the door to investigate the method of his prank, and it was just as I had suspected, after the impulse thought of gunfire was ruled out; a pop-it, taped with scotch tape to the inside of the door jamb, nearest the hinge. Grayish-black film marked where the small explosion, that made me nearly pee my pants, took place.
That was cruel.. good, but cruel.
I didn't make the connection, yet. I would, though.. with some help.
He wasn't done.
I went to my side of the closet, changed into my PJs and slid the door shut. When the door stopped, in it's resting place against the wall, I was once again, greeted with the harassing "pop!" and subsequent shower of tiny rocks, again.
The grayish-black puff of color, and paper wrapper, scotch-taped to the wall, both remained as evidence of what had just transpired.
That time, the only reaction he got was a glare.
He produced more of a laugh this time at my reaction.
He did remind me, there was some justified revenge in his little prank. I provoked him, and this was his retaliation.
I racked my brain to ANYTHING I could have possibly have done to warrant such an assault.. and then recalled. Which made ME laugh. And I was expecting a well-placed picture of a clown (a.k.a. a serial killer in grease paint). This was not that.
But still, he was not done.
There would be one more, so strategically placed, so unassuming, I was certainly not expecting it. It would indeed, make his revenge perfect.
I entered our tiny master bathroom ( which still is tiny..) and I proceeded to remove my make-up, wash my face, and then brush my teeth.
The last of my nightly bedtime routine was to use the toilet..
I sat down upon the porcelain throne, just as I had many times before, not expecting anything out of the ordinary.. oh, but there was something..
One
Last
"POP!!!"
Tiny rocks once again pelted me, this time, below the belt, quite literally.
My bum to be outright specific.
Under assault.
Full on attack.
He succeeded.
I had to laugh.. yelling while on the toilet is unattractive I am sure.
And because it was funny...
There has not been a practical joke war of the likes since.
I'll admit, he won.
I couldn't help but laugh as I scrubbed the grayish-black pop-it mark off of the underside of the toilet seat later.

Remember?..

Remember this post?
Well.. I am comin' through for y'all.. all 5 of y'all.. you too Kaycee :)Can you guess where each one is going? It will be tricky... I know.
I PROMISE..
I will post "The Revenge of Merrill" soon.. and beware, you might be tagged next!

Story from the past...

Casey tagged me..
He's such a cute guy, so I'll do it, just for him! ;)
When Merrill and I were first married, we lived in a lovely, but small apartment. Summertime was the season in season at this particular time, and it was hot, and we were bored. Our new-found way of living was already, becoming monotonous... I needed to shake things up a bit.
I was at a party supply store (no, I was not going to throw a party to shake it up.. I really can't remember why I was there..) and I found a package of plastic spiders.. Merrill HATES spiders. I was the spider murderer in our house for a LONG time; he disliked them sooo much.
I was pondering what to do with these little pant-peeing-inducers, where to strategically place them and so forth, when I decided to consult my dad, the master of practical jokes.
He gave me the best spot, a better spot I would have never come up with in my own, inexperienced mind.
Under the toilet seat.
Right next to where his hand would have to be to lift the seat, to commence in doing his business..
So, I rushed home to plant the bugger, before he got home from work. I used a little dot of rubber cement, my scrapbooking adhesive at the time. It was there! Waiting...
He came home, and me, being the perfect wife, had a warm, balanced, nutritious dinner, waiting for him at the table.
I honestly thought he'd have to go use the facilities before dinner.. he didn't.
He probably was wondering what sort of girl he had married when I kept asking him, if he had to go to the bathroom.
"Don't you have to go yet? I mean.. you haven't gone at all since you've been home.."
Weirdo.. he must have been thinking..
Bedtime came. He brushed his teeth, but no toilet-using needs.
We said prayers.. then I asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom before we retired for the night.
Like I was his mom and he was a newly trained toddler who knew not the feeling of urgency.
Yup, wierd-o... me.
So, I let it go. Feeling much like a child on Christmas Eve, not being able to sleep due to much anticipation and excitement.
I finally did doze off...
I woke a little after seven.
No Merrill next to me in the bed.
A smile, a sly, satisfied, devilish smile surfaced on my tired face.
I went to find him.. and did.. sitting on the couch, remote in hand, watching Fox 13's morning newscast, with the angriest look on his face.. okay, maybe not so much anger.. more annoyance.
He proceeded to give me a full account of the event that transpired in the bathroom, much earlier that morning.
"I woke up around four, needing to go to the bathroom. I didn't turn on the light, I didn't want to disturb you.. I lifted the seat, and began.. then, as the sleep left my eyes, just enough, I saw something black on the toilet seat, right next to where my hand had been. I stopped.. and you know how bad that hurts Mindy!!! I backed-up, to get the broom from the closet. My plan was to hit it with the broom, and knock it into the toilet, then flush it. I kept hitting it, and it wasn't moving!! I hit it harder.. and nothing. Then it dawned on me.. IT WASN'T MOVING.. and I knew what you did. I was so full of adrenalin, and so mad, I couldn't go back to sleep.."
I was rolling!!!
Imagining him , trying to knock a fake spider off the toilet seat, from the opposite end of a broom.. in his PJs!!!
Oh.. I was so good!!!
Until he told me to watch out.. he was going to get me back...

Flashback Friday..

Flashback to February 2001.. we had been married for almost one year. We were living the apartment life.. in the blue "homicide apartments" (let's face it.. it happened there, a lot..) next to Bonneville, ready to move on and put all that rent money towards a house payment instead..
So, we looked.. and one night, while I was at work, Dixon and Val took Merrill by this place they thought we might be interested in.. Merrill loved it! Now, I don't know if he necessarily loved the house itself, or the idea of getting out of the apartment.. but he told me all about it, very excitedly that night when I came home from work. I was excited too, to see how excited he was..
He said, "Do you wanna go and see it?"
"Of course! When can they take us through again?" It was after 10 pm, mind you.
"Now.. I have the key." Dixon told Merrill to keep the key, take me through when I got home and put it back into the lock box when we were done.
We were sold..
We put an offer down as well as some earnest money. It was a foreclosed property that had sat empty for over two years, close to three. We offered to take it as is..
It was listed at $136,000, we offered $105,000.
They countered us at $109,000 and we countered back at $107,000.
To which they countered back at $107,500, which we took, and signed our lives away, happily.
We didn't want to pay another month's rent, so we began packing, and moving the less used things to the house, hey, Dixon told us to.. he said it was a done deal, who else was going to offer them what we did?
Then we moved in.. a little shy of three weeks to closing :) We lived with the drapes tightly drawn... and we re-keyed the locks.. left the old key in the lock box, but re-keyed the locks :) Have you ever seen a confused real-estate agent? I have...
We found many fun things in our home.. and outside as well. We have enjoyed many do it yourself projects.. and have loved every second of them!
We did have to get a new furnace, our existing one had holes in the chambers which = carbon monoxide poisoning. The first night we stayed there, with the old furnace, Dixon loaned us his carbon monoxide detector, which was fairly new then.. Merrill would wake up every hour to make sure we were still alive.. checking to see if I was still breathing.. what a sweet guy!
When the snow melted, we found many exciting things..
No front yard; dirt and dandelions instead..
A tree that only half was blossoming, the other half, was duck-taped to the trunk of the tree to make it appear to be whole.
A mailbox that was ready to fall off and leave it's post as a awesome place to impale yourself upon.. while trying to dig out the dandelions, of course..
And, last, but certainly not least, a deck, with soup can lids nailed and/or screwed to the surface where the knots in the wood had fallen out of the planks.. rusted soup can lids I should clarify.. (we found a DOG FOOD CAN LID screwed to the floor in the upstairs hallway when we re-did the floors up there.. I have photographic proof..)
We have done many things since.. only one room still has the original paint color on the walls.. I plan to remedy that soon :)
Merrill is calling it "our nice little starter house"..
I say, after all we have done, I wouldn't mind living here forever!! And that's what I planned on the moment we bought it!
But we still have our fond "apartment day" memories...

Flashback Friday..

I am a bit weepy.. excuse me...
Exactly one year ago today...
This month, one year ago..
And I was complaining, mildly... pulled muscles and all..
I miss it!
Getting ready...
The anticipation of filling this crib with a new, sweet little baby..
Bringing her home in this..
So, while I miss it all, am terribly jealous of all you ladies with child or with newborns in arms.. while I may be a little emotional..
I have this:
And she's incredible!
I am thankful for the memories, and for blogging them, so I can re-live them, anytime, day or middle of night...