hit the road, jacksons

We're going on a little trip. It will be so much fun. We are going to spend a couple days relaxing and having fun out on the Wasatch Front. We will see lots of family, our best friends, beautiful gardens, and a play!!! It should be a marvelous weekend. It will be our last one away from Vernal for quite a while since Cold Stone will be open in a couple weeks and we'll have our hands full. It will also be an anniversary celebration in a way, since our anniversary is next Monday. Holy moly. :)

Happy weekend to you & yours. See you in August!

The Eighth Month

I can't believe it's this time again. Good gracious.

Hannalyn is 8 months old. I can hardly believe it. Two-thirds of a year has flown by. I remember last summer like it was yesterday. This summer has been very similar in some ways and very very different in others. Having a baby has completely changed my perspective  on, well, everything. My days are filled with so much happiness and excitement. I love waking up in the morning to Hannalyn's babbles and smiles. I love spending the day with her and watching her discover the world around her. Playing with her is the best. She is quick to smile and laugh. She loves being right next to me and I love having her there.

Hannalyn loves playing the piano and looking at herself on the camera on Daniel's phone. She reaches for books and loves reading them. She likes turning the pages and pointing (slapping) to the faces. She loves Disney princesses more than anything. If you have a shirt that has a Disney princess on it - and my sisters and I have a few among us - she will find the face and talk to it. She talked to my sister's shirt with Ariel & Flounder on it for more than 20 minutes. I stopped watching the clock after 20 minutes, and she was still going strong. It is so funny to watch her eyes light up and hear her squeals. She doesn't care about superheros or even Mickey Mouse. Just the princesses. Love it.

 

(1st birthday card early from one of her great aunts. she loved the puppy. thanks Shoshauna!!!)

Hannalyn is growing strong. She is more than 16 pounds heavy and more than 26 inches tall. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but she's getting bigger. Her eyes are blue, her hair is brown sometimes and auburn-y other times, and her skin is fair. She talks more than a teenager, stands with assistance even though she likes to let go of my hands at the most surprising times, rolls ALL OVER the place, and is almost crawling. She'll get it any day now I'm sure. I know I've been saying that for a while, but she's pushing up now. She knows she wants to move. She's just got to figure out that crawling is a better way than rolling.

What else can I say? Hannalyn is beautiful. I love her with all of my heart. I cannot express how grateful I am that she is part of our family for eternity. She has such an amazing personality and fits with us so perfectly. I love that she made me a mom. She is the most incredible little person that I've ever had the opportunity to know.

Love you, baby girl. Happy 8 months.
xoxo forever. 

Interviews

I had the awesome opportunity to be involved with Cold Stone crew auditions. I was in charge of sitting outside and welcoming the interview-ees, getting them to fill out their availability forms, and giving them instructions. It was so. much. fun. I had a great time. Granted, I wasn't the one being put on the spot and answering questions and singing a song, but I enjoyed talking to all of the people that came to audition. They were all great in my opinion. :)

Also, this means that we are still going strong on Cold Stone! I'll put up pictures of our completed walls soon (they were finished on Saturday). Today they painted, for the next couple of days they are doing floors and cabinets. Woot! Things are going so so so so so well. Next week we have an orientation meeting and the week after is training week and then we OPEN. Woot!

Today was a good Monday.

Book Review: A Timeless Romance Anthology (Summer in New York Collection)

I don't know how many times I'll say it, but I LOVE these Timeless Romance Anthologies. I love reading romances - especially good, clean romances. And that is what these collections are full of. Romance and excitement and lots of fun.

For example, in Janette Rallison’s delightful novella, JOB HAZARDS, Lydia is "working a corner" as an undercover cop until an old high school flame comes by to save her from a bad life. It's a hilarious story with very witty characters that made me laugh and roll my eyes. Or take a look at A TASTE OF SUN by Heather B. Moore. Winona goes to New York to house-sit for her aunt who in turn has asked the upstairs neighbor to show Winona around and help her have fun.

Not only is each story fun, though. I noticed that in this collection, the books had more serious underlying themes. They were still fun, but they also really reached into my heart. Like the character Marisol in Luisa Perkins's DULCE DE LECHE who has had to work for everything she has received and how she deals with rude employers. Or Dani and Mark in the wonderful novella FIRSTS AND LASTS. They were such amazing characters - dreamers trying to make it big in New York City. They meet right when Dani has decided to give up and go home but wants to do a few things first that she's never done before - like visit the Metropolitan Museum.

Then I got super giddy and giggly reading TAKE A CHANCE, a captivating story by Sarah M. Eden. Miguel gets stuck in an airport due to delays and is surprised to find out that his ex-girlfriend is on the same flight. He decides that during their wait at the airport he is going to try to win her back, and goodness gracious he is one charming man!!! And then in Lisa Mangum’s whimsically titled story: &, (brilliant, right?) when hard-working Lucy got a big break and gets a party to celebrate, who knew she'd find courage and her real self when she goes to print the invitations and meets Jesse. Jesse, by the way, is a fantastic example of tall, dark and handsome.

Overall, I loved this collection. I love the discoveries that the characters made about themselves and the other people in their lives and how it changes them. It opened my eyes to love all around me - especially the love I share with Husband. Wonderful wonderful wonderful read. The end.

Find the Summer in New York Collection at AMAZON and GOODREADS

Pioneer Day

Pioneer Day in Utah is very much a celebrated holiday. Daniel was so confused one year when I told him that there was a parade on the 24th of July. I told him it was Pioneer Day and he guffawed a little. It was cute. In Vernal, Pioneer Day begins with the Boy Scouts putting on a community breakfast at the city park. This year there was a ginormous flag there and it was raining just a little bit so it was beautiful and I knew we needed a picture. Thanks to awesome Brother T for taking this one for us.

After the breakfast, we went over to Main Street for Hannalyn's first parade. We didn't go to the one on the 4th of July because I was tired, it was hot, and I don't really like parades in the first place. This was Hannalyn's first experience and she did great. She loved all the police cars, fire trucks, and floats going by and waved enthusiastically to all of them as they passed.

 One of the highlights of the parade - and honestly the only reason why I go - is to see the Uintah High School's Drill Team. My sister Marinn is on it this year and so far has loved it. I hope that it continues to be a wonderful experience for her. Sister Larissa was on the team 3 years ago and loved it so much that she convinced Marinn to do it this year. Marinn and her team got asked to perform at the Stadium of Fire this year, which she loved, so they are off to a rockin' start. :)

Now we are just hanging out. Normally we would do a BBQ with my family, but they all left to go to Tuacahn in St. George. We stayed behind to keep an eye on things happening on the store and because we wouldn't be able to go to the shows with Hannalyn, anyway. I'm only bummed to miss out on swimming. ;) Just kidding. I'm sure the shows will be fantastic. It will also be fantastic to have some time with just the three of us. Should be a great weekend.

Hope your weekend is a blast, too!

here's the news...

This little girl is wearing a Cold Stone shirt. Wanna know why? Cuz I'm give you the info on the store. YAY!

I know it's been a while, and I thought I'd be sharing all this last Wednesday after the meeting, but that's how life goes I guess. I'm still sharing what I know and the delay was mostly me just being lazy. It happens.

So... Last week there was a meeting with the store owner (my dad), store manager (my Daniel), contractor, and corporate area representative. We (well, dad & Daniel) presented a calendar that we came up with that had a timeline on it of when we hoped to hire, complete the construction on the store, train, and open. The meeting went exceptionally well from what I was told and - most important to me - the timeline was APPROVED.

This is what that means: We are currently in the process of making phone calls to potential employees. Next week, auditions (interviews) will be held. The following week, there will be a first crew meeting with the corporate area rep. And the week after - August 11th, the crew begins training!!! Four weeks, you guys. FOUR WEEKS. After months and months of not having a set time, all of a sudden we are four weeks away from training. After training week, the store will be open. We are doing what is called a "soft open" where we just open the doors after training and we will be open for business. A couple of weeks later - September 1st, we will have a Grand Opening Event that will be awesome. Labor Day. Wanna come for the weekend? It will be a party.

That's the update. We are a little stressed out in the best way possible trying to make sure that everything gets done now. We're getting down to the wire in some ways and it happened really quickly - well, in a manner of speaking. That is a wonderful thing and we are thrilled. Also a little terrified. At least I am. Suddenly it's here and happening and life and crazy and WOW.

God is in charge. He knows what He is doing. That's all there is to it. :)

a tale of two [couches]

 Once upon a time, there was a striped couch. He was old and saggy and a little lumpy, but very very comfy. He was worn out and tired and not the best looking couch any more, but he was a good friend - kind to the other couches and to the friends who came to sit on him and sleep on him.

One day,  the Lord and Lady of the land were informed about new arrivals to their little kingdom. They were quite thrilled with the prospect. One arrival was green and fluffy, the other brown and leathery. Both are new-ish and in great condition. To seal the deal, the beautiful baby loved the new arrivals, too.

So, sadly, the striped couch began looking for a new home. A better home. He is so wonderful and comfy that we are sad to see him go, but we understand. And he understands that really, three couches in our little place is one too many.

The moral of the story is... anyone want a couch? I'll sell it to you for $10. :)

six pictures

Some of you may have already seen this on Facebook. Lucky you guys. :) I don't usually re-post things I get tagged in on Facebook. I think those things are silly. The same kind of silly like forwarding emails used to be (or still is...). Anyway. I also don't usually do it because I don't have a smart phone or a smartphone with apps to make photo collages cutesy, so mine looks dumb. So it goes. But. This time I thought it was important. I think every girl should feel beautiful and so I picked 6 of my favorite photos. As I was going through my photos trying to decide which to use, I was pleased to find that I felt beautiful in many of my photos. That made me feel really good. :)

Queen Forever

This picture is my sisters & me last year right after my sister was crowned Miss Uintah County Outstanding Teen. It's a pretty big deal. She went to the state competition later in October and did amazing. Last night, she handed down her crown. I got to be there and see most of it. The important parts, anyway. We did end up leaving early because I had a headache and Hannalyn was finished with having to sit still, but I got to watch Marinn do her dance and watched some of the competition, so it was a nice evening.

I think it is so interesting to hear both pageant approval and disapproval. Having no interest in pageants myself, but having had two sisters do them, I feel like I have been on both sides of the fence for many reasons. Overall, I think this experience has been a fantastic one for Marinn to have. She was promoting self-esteem and having confidence "In [Your] Skin" which is something I know she has struggled with and worked on and something I hope that everyone can understand the importance of. Marinn has learned so much from her experiences and having the eyes of the entire county on her has really helped her to hold her head high and be a good example.

I hope that Marinn - and all other girls too - remember that it doesn't take a pageant to make you a queen. We all are Daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us more than anything and as such, we are queens. We have immeasurable potential to be and do whatever we want with the guidance and love of a Heavenly King who wants nothing more than to give us all He has. I hope Marinn continues to hold her head high and stand strong through the whirlwind that is high school and life. I hope that she remembers that she is loved and that, even without a crown, she is beautiful and can be a wonderful example to other girls around her. I believe in the importance of women to our Heavenly Father and that - to Him - we are precious beyond imagining with power to do good in the world. Even if we don't wear an earthly crown.

what we've been up to

We have been having a crazy week. Lots of awesome things going on. Hannalyn has re-discovered her voice and talks all the time. I love it. She also likes to blow raspberries and scoot around in circles on her bum. She is almost crawling. She tries so so hard but just can't get on her knees and hands at the same time. It's adorable and I am patient. :) I have taught a bunch of piano lessons, done my visiting teaching for the first time in much much too long, cleaned the house, done bunches of laundry, and helped get my sister ready for her pageant this weekend where she hands down her crown. Daniel has had meetings with the Cold Stone contractor, corporate area representative, the city, the bank, and even took a day trip to Salt Lake City with my dad to pick us up two new couches! Wow! It's been a very full week and we are tired but happy. I'll tell you all about Cold Stone very soon. Here's a preview: IT'S ALL VERY GOOD NEWS AND HAPPY AND EXCITING AND PROMISING!!! ;)

I think it's time for a nap...

can you keep a secret?

We have a tentative opening date for Cold Stone!!! We had a meeting with our contractor yesterday and he okay-ed the calendar and we have a meeting with corporate tomorrow, and if he also okays the calendar, then we will announce the date to the world. And celebrations will be in full force and MIGHTY.

It's been a long long long year waiting for this to happen, but we know that God is in charge and that we have waited for a reason. We feel good about life and where we are and what we have done. We also feel excited for what is to come. Like ice cream. Lots of ice cream. ;)

Also, when Hannalyn is out - she is OUT. Haha. Too too cute.

notes

I found this lovely little piece of paper in my scriptures today. On one side it had a list of hymns that I wanted to learn that I had never heard before. On the other side - notes between my roommates & me written during Sunday School about dinner plans, family meetings, and ... creepers? Yup. Apparently something exciting was going on. Ha.

I don't usually miss Snow College. Don't get me wrong, it was two of my favorite years of my whole entire life and there are times that I wouldn't mind reliving it. It was wonderful. At the same time, that period of my life is over and so I don't miss it. Too much, anyway. But this fun note written by three of us in the apartment our second year really took me back. I thought about my amazing roommates, my fantastic friends, and the wonderful experiences that I got to enjoy. It was a great trip down memory lane.

Snow College was amazing. My favorite and the best. And those roommate girlies are awesome, too. :)

Standing for Something

This is a marvelous book by President Gordon B. Hinckley. He was the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 2008 when he passed away. He is the prophet that I "grew up" listening to. I loved him dearly, and I loved hearing his voice again as I read this book.

In Standing for Something, President Hinckley talks about important virtues that our homes and society desperately needs and how we can protect those virtues. I loved loved this book. It reiterated a lot of what members of the Church are taught while also making it applicable and accessible to those who are not familiar with the Church. It was magnificent. I highly recommend that you read it. It is not a difficult read, but if you don't have lots of time, each section is short and easily readable in just a few minutes. That's what I did.

Love, honestly, civility, morality, and learning are the first five virtues that President Hinckley talks about this book. He then goes on to discuss forgiveness & mercy, thrift & industry, gratitude, optimism, and faith. President Hinckley then gives ways that the guardians of virute - marriage & the family - can help anyone and everyone through difficult times. I learned something new in every section and hope to apply some of those things that I learned in my own home to help us be stronger. President Hinckley mentioned in particular that healing & strength is something that all of us could use a little of in our lives, and using prayer to get there will make all the difference in the world. So, I am going to pray more, love more, and strengthen my family so that we can be our very  happiest now and forever.

Happy weekend.

Doing what we do

Sometimes one of the hardest parts of being a mom for me is the criticism (real or imagined) and pressure of doing everything right for my sweet sweet girl. When I get discouraged, I am so so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost that has been given to me. I know that I have made choices very different to those around me - natural childbirth at home, baby led weaning, keeping baby up past 7:00 pm on purpose, etc. etc. etc. When were at Primary Children's with Hannalyn in December and on our visit in January, I received very subtle remarks about how this or that different decision would have made a huge difference. And for a very very very long time, I beat myself up about those decisions. I doubted what we had done and I made myself miserable second-guessing everything.

Since then, I have come to realize that our decisions are - surprise - OUR decisions. Maybe they aren't the same decisions that anyone else would make. Maybe this or maybe that. It doesn't matter. The point is, we made the decisions we felt good about making and moved on. And I still feel good about the decisions that we made. I know that having Hannalyn at home was the correct choice and that every choice we have made about her care since then has been the correct choice. I know this because we have prayed about every decision we have made and felt the confirmation of the Holy Ghost. That assurance has made the biggest difference in my life and influenced the way I will continue to care for my baby.

So even though we are outside the "norm", we are going to keep doing what we do and do it with a smile on our face because we have the approval of God and that is all that matters. We are happy and I hope that you are happy, too. :)