I Made the Discovery about 4 Hours Too Late

That awkward moment when..... 

...you're changing your clothes AFTER the 2nd Grade Field Trip you chaperoned, 

and you discover there is a HOLE in the seat of the pants you wore.

And this Field Trip happened to be a walking field trip to the Farmington Pond ---

where we walked in a line of mini-groups, 2nd graders and adult chaperons combined, and there was ALWAYS a group(s) following behind me!!

{Here's my group}

 {a hole big enough for my 2nd grader to put most her fingers through!}

What d'ya think?!?
Will Brookelle EVER want me to come on another Field Trip with her class again?!?  ;)


*Grasping for the last string of positivism and hope....Nobody said anything - so that means no one noticed, right?!?  Right?  Hello?  Anybody there?  Maybe?

But, on the BRIGHT SIDE.....
I killed it on my FitBit results that day, earning the "high tops" badge = 20,000 steps in a day!

(I'm gonna claim the number of hours of sleep I got the night before had something to do with me

 donning hole-y pants for the field trip!) ;)

This Weekend:

* I was home in the afternoon on Friday (good thing!) and my doorbell rang.
My girls answered it and called to me, saying it was for me.  

My visiting teachers were there.  (I'd totally forgot they were coming!)

But, luckily, I was here so we got to visit.
It was also lucky I'd changed out of the muumuu I had been hanging out in earlier in the day!
 (THAT would've been a sure giveaway that I'd forgotten!)

(Except my family room was a mess with kids' games, back packs, papers, clothes, scriptures, etc. strewn on the floor & chairs.
One of the ladies literally had to pick up
stuff off the couch and move it first before she was able to sit down!  Aaugh!
So, maybe they figured out my forgetfulness anyway?)

* Before going out on our date in the evening, we had to play "taxi service" for

Kyle, taking him to his social events/party.

* We went out to dinner at Sonora Grill in Ogden.

Matt had received a birthday "free entree" coupon already,

so that helped us choose the place tonight.

(I'm on this no-white-flour challenge, so I had to order my meal with corn tortillas......tonight was just not as yummy as their flour tortillas entrees I've had there in the past.)

* After dinner, it was still early enough that we figured our children would

still be up, so we stopped at Ross to kill some time go shopping.

We had to get some pool & beach essentials for the fam in preparation for our upcoming vacation.

* On Saturday morning, I walked to the library to return and pick up some books.
AND to get my fitbit steps in.  As I was out & about, I saw a couple of friends
who were outside, so I stopped to visit.  My 40 min. walk/errand turned into TWICE that long! :)

* We spent some time out in the yard.  Matt set up a pump to pump out the water
that is in our trampoline hole (a natural spring?)  The water was coming
out a hose - and it was crystal clear - so I took the hose up to the
garden we planted last week and watered the whole thing with the "good" water.
{I think we've got our emergency water situation taken care of!}
I cut up a watermelon and it tasted SO GOOD coming in from the warm outdoors.

* I went through the pile of clothes that has somehow ended up on my laundry room counter.
For some reason, the kids were putting clothes they didn't want to wear anymore there.
WHY?
I separated and organized them all into Put Away/Give Away/Throw Away piles
and now we can see the counter top again!

* Matt & I went to the plasma donation center.
I started a new book to read while I layed there donating:

(I haven't decided if it's good or not, yet.)

* We were driving towards an eating establishment, and right before we got there,
we got a text from Matt's brother inviting us to go to Sushi Monster with them.
Well, of course!  So, we switched gears and headed to meet them.
Except, I needed to eat one more vegetable for the day with this challenge I'm on,
and I wasn't sure I could get a whole serving from just sushi, so we
stopped at a grocery store to buy some carrot chips.
While we were in there, my flip flop straps totally came out and the foot-bed cracked
and was dangling on a thread, just seconds from breaking into two pieces.
I knew I couldn't go to Sushi Monster without any shoes on,
so we swung by our house to get new flip flops for me.
(Sidenote: I had a feeling that this 2nd pair of flip flops might fail me, too,
so I put a "replacement" pair in purse just in case.....and guess what?
I DID need them when my 2nd pair also broke.  Two in one night?!?  Wow! I'm talented!)

* Sushi Monster was good, and the company was great.
My recommendation: the Las Vegas roll.
Delish.

* Afterwards, we went to six stores looking for a new light blue purse for me.
My current one (in my beloved color, red, but I thought I venture out to a new color) is kinda hammered.

 (Yes, this is the same purse that Kohl's replaced for me last year.  I didn't have the gall to ask them for a new one AGAIN - it's tearing because I put the whole kitchen sink in it!)
Kohl's is ONE of the stores I went to, but in the end, I found my purse at Target (on clearance even!)

* On Sunday morning, I slept in until 9:30 a.m.!!!
This has just become a luxury in recent years.
Our kids have [finally]  figured it out that IF they wake us up,
we put them to work/tell them to get dressed/make them eat REAL, healthy food,
so it's so much better, in their minds, to let us sleep! ;)
Smart kids!

* I went out visiting teaching with my companion on Sunday,
then I came home, and our home teachers came to my family.
(Was it the last day of the month, or something?!?)  ;)

* Churchy-Church
It was the missionary farewell of one of my former young women!
They're growing up! {sniff, sniff}  She did a great job!
She shared an awesome quote from a Elder Holland talk he delivered at the MTC back in 2000.
Read it HERE.

 * Because it was the 5th Sunday, we had a combined meeting with the
Priesthood men and Relief Society women the last hour of our church block.
The theme of the meeting was "Family Home Evening" and we had been
asked to speak about our experience, representing a "family with children at home."
(There was also a newlywed couple and an Empty Nester couple who spoke.)
The thing about this "assignment" was, last Sunday Matt had mentioned to me, in passing, that
the Elder's Quorum President had talked to him about something and that he'd have to tell me about it later......
Well, that "later" happened to be last night around 10:00 p.m.!
(Ya gotta love it, baby!)

* I had a meeting after church, so I gave Matt instructions on everything
he needed to do to get dinner ready.
He owed it to me after the lack of notice he gave me on my speaking assignment in church, don't ya think?!?  ;)
We had Ranch Chicken.  It was a new recipe (found HERE) and I approved.

* We went on a family walk on the Lagoon Trail up to Farmington Pond
with grandma/pa and Matt's brother, wife, & kids.

A lot of other people had the same idea...and somehow some people
had confused our quiet Farmington Pond for a swimming hole that day.
There were a ton a people jumping off the fishing docks, splashing around,
and wearing skimpy suits - I'd never seen THAT up there.
Needless to say, we didn't stay long at all.

* Wrote my weekly letter to our missionary

* I quit eating before 9:00 p.m. (another part of this blasted challenge I'm on),
while Matt baked up some cookies for himself from the cookie
dough I'd made (but I didn't eat any!) for the missionary farewell/lunch.
 Only one week left of the challenge!  Yay!  ;)

Keep Calm and Cruise On

After entering our stateroom for the very first time, and being hit with a wave of.......a smell that should only belong in the bathroom,

  (the shower curtain was discovered as the culprit - it hung right next to the toilet, which apparently had caught a lot of "pee spray" from the previous occupants of the room!),  

we had a wonderful week on the Fowers Family cruise!

Here's a sampling of our "yearbook" (weekbook?):

Port 1: Puerto Vallarta

 {Note: Contrary to what this may look like....we are NOT drinking at the bar!  Well, kind of.}  

My brother, David, and us both got the "non-alcoholic drink card" (unlimited virgin pina coladas, strawberry daquiris, "Miami Vice's," "Bahama Mamas" etc. that we HAD to get from a bar).  Without giving you an exact daily number, let's just say we tried REALLY HARD to get our money's worth each day!!  ;)

Port 2: Mazatlan

Port 3:  Cabo San Lucas

The Crown Princess 

AND....interestingly enough, it was WAY easier to get my 10,000 Fitbit steps each day on the cruise...without really even trying!

It turns out, if you don't have to work your desk job for 6 hrs. a day, you get a lot more steps - and there's no last minute running around the block at 11:50 p.m!  :)

It also helped that you walk up 5 flights of stairs to get breakfast in the morning.

Then walk the same 5 flights back to your room to change into your swim suit.

Then walk to the middle of the ship and up 7 flights to the top deck to be by the pool and catch some rays.  

Then walk 2 flights down and over to the the drink machines to fill up your water bottle (and to the bars to get a "sunrise cooler" smoothie).

Then walk to the middle of the ship to watch a movie on the big outdoor screen.

Then you walk around the Buffet, the Pizzeria, and the Grill to judge who has the best lunch options, and then walk the whole outer edge of the ship trying to find a window table to eat at.

Then you go back to your room because you forgot your a) book, b) water bottle, c) sunscreen, d) pen

Then you go around to all the hang out rooms/areas around the ship, on 3 different decks, to see if there is an open table to play cards at.

And then you walk up 3 flights to your room to get ready for dinner.

Then down 4 flights to the dining room.

Then you walk in and out of the dining room a few times to go to the restroom during your 2 hr. dinner, from the constant water you drink.

Then walk to the very front of the ship for the evening entertainment in the theatre.

Then back to the middle of the ship and up one floor for the game shows.

Then down a couple decks to the lounge where you dance the night away.

And then, finally, walk back up 4 decks and to the back of the ship to your stateroom to retire for the evening!

Oh...It was fun while it lasted (which is never long enough!) but now it's back to reality.  boo hoo.

And we've decided (I think, but I'm not convinced) we'll have to try to be "responsible" and take a sabbatical from cruising for the a while......until the next great "opportunity" arises!  ;)

Be Mine

We had a great Valentine's Day -- even though it was Friday the 13th that weekend, too!! 
And since it was on a weekend, we spread it out and celebrated dates on both days!  :)

The girls had their Valentine's parties at school on Friday.  I had purchased their valentine cards & treats for their classmates a while ago and they were on a shelf in our storage room.  Well......when I got them out for the girls to sign, one of the boxes had been opened - and 11 of the treats were missing!!!  It seems Brookelle helped herself to some treats whenever she felt like it over the last little while!  I told her I wasn't going to go out and buy more valentine treats since she's the one who caused the problem of not having enough for her whole class now.  She thought for a minute, then informed me she'd decided she would just be EXTRA NICE to some boys in her class as their "treat" from her, instead of giving them a candy to go along with her valentine card.  ;)  That girl is thinkin;! 
And, ya never know, maybe the boys would like that "treat" better anyway?!?

Matt & I went out to Sushi Monster on Friday night

Katelyn got creative with the Valentine's morning breakfast she made me!

Messages for Matt

Matt took me up to Taggart's Grill.  This has been on our "bucket list" but we've never made it happen, yet, because it's out of the way and there's always a wait - not exactly the type of place you can just drop by when you're passing through.  But, we planned to make the journey up there for V-day!  It was kinda weird going on that long drive up the canyon in FEBRUARY and having the sunroof open!  Instead of our surroundings being covered with snow, it was all brown & barren.  Taggart's is a popular place, I tell ya.  We thought we'd miss the crowds by going at 2:00p.m.  Nope!  Still an hour wait, so we went hiking in the hills behind the restaurant while we waited.  (I needed steps for my Fitbit!)  There's many more things on the menu that I want to try, so we'll definitely be back!

Matt surprised me with a new treadmill!

So I won't have trouble getting my steps in the snowy winter......WHAT WINTER this year?  ;)

He had put it in the front room, but I hadn't seen it.  Katelyn kept trying to get me over there.
She'd call me, telling me to "Come here."  Saying she had to show me something, and I told her to just bring it to me!

Then they finally got me to go up the stairs (that are by the front room) but I

didn't even look in that direction.

(They were trying - I was just oblivious!)

Eventually, Matt had to say, "Just go look in the front room!"  ;)

We finished it off with our traditional HEART pizza from Papa Murphy's and red drink with Valentine-y dishes and table (and Cherry Ju-Ju hearts!).  

Then we watched our traditional movie: "Sleepless in Seattle" (Empire State Building on V-Day!) together with the girls.

  (Kyle went to a didn't-go-to-the-school-Valentine-Dance-party instead of hangin' at home with us!)

#LOVEISINTHEAIR

This Weekend:

* Katelyn went to her Annual Valentine's Tea Party with her friends.

(Her friend's grandma, who lives about 50 miles away, has them over every year for this event.

They go in their "Sunday Best,", use REAL porcelain tea cups/dishes to eat/drink from, 

make big hats to wear, do a craft, pamper & primp, 

and come home with a "goodie bag" of sorts!)

Katelyn feels so lucky to always be invited since it is limited to just the # of friends who can fit into their car!

This year, her friend's grandma had made them all CUTE pillow cases!

Do you like how Katelyn was "Valentine-ing it Up" with her heart night gown & heart jammie pants that match so well?  ;)

* We went to the big "RIVALRY GAME" for Kyle's [rec] basketball team.

It was the "Bearcats" vs. the "Rejects" (kids all from the same High School, but on different teams).

It was very serious.  The Bearcats (Kyle's team) put in an extra practice during the week PLUS a "team bonding" hanging out session to get ready for the game.

The Sophomore class was divided; picking sides, either for the Bearcats or for the Rejects

The Bearcats called for a "blackout" game - all their fans were suppose to wear black.

(which was easy enough for me, I have lots of black in my wardrobe!)

 In addition to us parents, their following of "Bearkittens" (girls their age) and the "Bearcubs" (boys their age) turned out in droves to support the Bearcats in the big game.

We're talking posters, painted faces, standing for the whole game, Bearcat "growls," and lots of cheering!

In the end, I think the Bearcats expending all their energy get psyched up (or psyched out?) for the game, and 

didn't have enough left to actually play the game.

The "Rejects" crashed the boards like crazy, and were able to score from their third & fourth chance shots.

The Bearcats lost.

But, they went out together to celebrate - or commiserate - afterwards anyway!

* Matt & I went out to Ruby River Steakhouse afterwards. (we had a coupon!)

There was a wait, but it was OK.  I still needed to get some Fitbit steps in for the day,

so we went walking around the parking lot and neighboring businesses in the meantime.

We were at the restaurant for a while......I ate veeeerrry slowly.  You see, I may or may not 

have been eating cinnamon lips candy lately, and there's an ingredient in 

cinnamon candy/gum that makes my tongue swell, which in turn makes me talk funny and it's hard to move it/eat. ;)

* My sister-in-law invited me to her stake's Women's Conference, so I went.

The guest speaker was Wendy Watson Nelson, wife of Elder Russell M. Nelson.

There were a few things that were impressionable to me that I have already shared many times with others.

She is the author of a book, What Would a Holy Woman Do?

(I'm going to check out the "book on CD" from the library!)

She also had us all stand up and recite, out loud, a portion from Elder Holland's General Conference talk he gave in October 2012.  She had us insert our own name instead of the name, “Peter,” who Christ was responding to, in Elder Holland’s nonscriptural elaboration.)

“What I need, Peter (your name), are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter (your name), for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally...”

It really was impactful to me.  And it was inspiration for a Relief Society presentation that I am currently preparing for.  I have been asked to speak on the topic of "Hastening the Work of the Lord" in an upcoming meeting, and I just think I might use this little bit!!  ;)

* Matt & I had a "date" at the plasma donation center.  Matt & I ended up on the same row, but a few beds down from each other, and the phlebotomis saw me wave & talk to him a bit.  

He asked me if I knew him, and I replied, "Ya, and I kinda LIKE him, too!"  ;)  

Then we went out to lunch at Nielsen's Frozen Custard. (we had a coupon!)

* After a break (3 months) due to the holidays of not doing private dates with our children,

we finally started up again and it was Haylee's turn.

She chose her favorite Gluten Free pizza - David's Pizza.

But, there's no seating there (it's just pick up & delivery), so we got hers from there,

and then went down a few doors to Big Daddy's Pizza (where they do have seating AND we had a coupon!) and

ordered mine & Matt's pizza, so we'd be able to eat at their tables.

Then she wanted to go shopping at the D.I.  - don't be jealous!  ;)

 She LOVES finding $0.50 treasures!

AND we found some brand new, with-the-store-tags-still-on clothes for all of us!

We finished off by going to Menchies. (we had a coupon!)

* Churchy-Church on Sunday.

We had a Missionary Homecoming, which was great.  The returned missionary

was someone who was in Young Men's when I was serving in Young Women's.

He's gone and come home already?  Wasn't that just the other day? 

Time flies......when it's someone else's child!  :)  haha.

*  We had our New Beginnings in the evening for Haylee & all the Young Women.

They did such a good job!  It's so different (& nice!) to just be part of the audience and not

be in charge of it.  I thought it was way better and cuter than the ones we did....probably because I could really sit back and enjoy it - unlike the last three years when I was IN YW!  ;)

Look how adorable our "cruise ticket" (program for the evening) was:

 {front}

{back}

The mutual theme for this year is D & C 4:2, "Oh, ye that EMBARK in the service of God...."

so they pretended we were aboard a "ship" for the evening.

That video presentation can be viewed HERE.

There are GREAT YW leaders now, it's good for everyone to change it up!  

* Finished the weekend (like I always do these days) by writing my letter to Ryan on his mission,

while "Talkin' Sports" was on T.V. in the next room.

It Owns Me

Ever since I started wearing my new Fitbit (first full day was Dec. 26) I HAVE to get my 10,000 steps a day.
 
If it is 11:00 p.m. and I haven't yet achieved my steps, I will "sneak out" to go walking around the neighborhood to get them.  Apparently, the first time I did this, someone at home "needed" me (WHEN don't they need me?) and they couldn't find me, and no one knew where I was, and mayhem broke loose.  When I returned, Matt requested I please inform them in the future if I am going out.....ya know, in case something happens to me.  Like what?!?  Get abducted by aliens up the street?!?
If the day is almost over, and I don't have my steps AND we're experiencing inclement weather, I will pace back & forth on our covered porch.  Or run up & down the stairs.  Or do laps in our garage.
If I'm thirsty and need a drink of water, I STOP myself from asking someone else to get it for me......because if I get up and get it myself, that tacks on several extra steps.
If I need something while I'm making dinner from the cold storage room in the basement,  I don't call for Kyle anymore like I always used to......I want the steps myself!
It's no longer one of my kid's jobs to go and get the mail.....because if I get it, I know that's another 250 steps!

I'm telling you - I'm a SLAVE to this Fitbit.
I WILL NOT let myself NOT get my 10,000 steps a day.
EVERY day.
EVEN on the weekend.
If I let myself go just one day without getting my steps, then it'll just be easier to go another day, and then another, and another.....and I DON'T want that to happen!

 (BTW, it says 0 on the water because I would have to manually enter it in....and I don't.  I just like the Fitbit to crunch all the numbers for me.)  

I mostly wanted to start doing it for health & fitness, but ya know what's ALSO happened?  That was a pleasant surprise? 

I'm spending MORE TIME with my family and children!  The kind of TIME where I'm really WITH them.

Because I'll ask if anyone wants to go out and walk with me - and someone usually does.  Katelyn & I just walk & talk about her favorite subject - The Pioneer Woman (she's the one who "introduced" me to the Fitbit in the first place).....and then Katelyn asks when we can do that again!  ;)

Matt has decided he has to protect me against those "aliens," so he'll come out walking with me at night and we walk & talk.

One day, I needed a bunch of steps, so Brookelle, Katelyn, & I went up to our church.  I thought we'd just do laps around the church, but, NO, they had a grand idea to play "Tag."  So I obliged.  We were up there all night.....or at least an hour!  And I was "It" the majority of the time! (Because I kept getting caught!)  They LOVED it and didn't want to quit, even though I kept "suggesting" we did. (my bladder can only take so much "Tag!")  Again, Katelyn repeatedly asks when we can do that again! 

I ask her, "WHY?" 

And she tells me, "It was so fun." 

And I say, "Really?!?  'Cause I totally stunk at it."  

And she says, "No, you didn't.  You were really good.  You can run fast.....for a Mom your age!" 

And I say, "No......you always tagged me, and I couldn't catch you very much."

And she said, "THAT'S why it was so fun!"

Instead of driving my child to her friend's house to play, I walk her over there......and then I walk back when it's time to come home.  And Brookelle talks my ear off the whole way.

Same goes for getting Katelyn to Activity Days.

I'm also walking to the school after school to meet my girls and walk home with them (& their friends - gotta take advantage of that while it's still happening).  I heard Katelyn explaining to one of her friends, "Ya know how some moms pick their kids up from school and give them a ride home?  Well, our mom picks us up from school and then makes us walk home!"



I'm liking this "by-product" of my Fitbit (more time spent together with my fam) that I didn't realize would be one of the results.  My family is all on board with the idea.  They will frequently ask where I'm at for the day - and WANT me to accomplish my 10,000 every day.  Good thing, because my obsession dedication would exist with or without their support. ;)  I love it!

I ALSO overheard Katelyn tell one of her friends, "My mom has a Fitbit, and she HAS to get 10,000 steps a day.  She's going to do that EVERY day until my brother gets home from his mission, and then she's going to be SKINNY!"

Oh, WOW!  The pressure's ON!

Gone With the Wind

Here is a conversation that went on in our neighbor's house when they looked out their window towards our yard the other morning and saw this:

Wife:  "Why do the Brenchley's have a clump of stuff all arranged in that one spot of their yard?"
Husband:  "There used to be a shed there!"

Shortly afterwards, I got a text from our her.
Neighbor:  "What happened to your shed?"
Me:  "It was obliterated!"

The crazy thing was, we only found two [broken] pieces of it in our yard.  Did it disappear?  So where did it all go?

Well, another neighbor (who live two houses over in our cul-de-sac) will tell you it all went in their back yard (at least four bigger-ish pieces).

But, THAT wasn't all of it......

And as I've been doing my walks (for my Fitbit steps) around the neighborhood, I have found several other pieces in various sizes, small to large, all over the place!

Now we've had to move everything into our garage (boo hoo!) which also sustained terrible damage to it's door from the wind, as well.  (It's nonfunctional!)

Is it possible to have P.T.S.D. just from hearing the wind?  After what happened three years ago to our old home, too!

 The basketball standard [even with water in it's base to weigh it down] couldn't remain upright through it all, either!

#weliveinawindtunnel

Watcher in the Bedroom

I got a Fitbit for Christmas.  Yay!  It's just what I wanted!

It tracks my steps, calories burned, distance, and even my sleep.  I've heard so many good things about it, so hopefully I think so, too, after using it myself.

I didn't get it set up until late Christmas night, so the first thing it was going to track on me was my sleep.  I was a little bit anxious and very curious about what the "results" would be the next morning....

Here they are:

As I was looking at this, I was telling Matt, "So, the Fitbit says I went to bed at 1:12a.m., it took me 18 minutes to fall asleep, and I was awakened 12 times at 1:40, 1:42, 1:44, 1:46, 3:00, 3:05, 4:10, 6:40, 6:42....."

Then Matt burst out, "HOW does it know all that?!!?"

And he got the creepy feeling that we were being "watched" during the night.
Then I started to feel a bit wary, too.
But, not enough to dwell on it to the extent he was because......
......mostly I was disturbed by the fact that I woke up so much and only got 6 hours and 3 minutes of sleep!!  AND that's even with sleeping in because it was the holidays!

Uh Oh.......that does it!  NOW I'm on a mission to get those # of awakenings down!  I'm going to be tracking it religiously.
EXCEPT will knowing I'm being "watched," only create more anxiety and lack of ability to stay asleep all night long?

A vicious cycle.