To the tune of "Grandma got ran over by a Reindeer"

My camera got ran over by a tractor . . . .
Driving out to pick some strawberries.
So you must all beware of tractors,
or you might just lose your memories.

Yeah- you guess it, the camera is ruined.

Sappy Happy B-day to Dave post

June 10, 2008
The day started with amazing german pancakes and sugary fattening syrup (good recipe, thanks Briawna!) I thought it was funny how high out of the pan it came!
Lunch included our FREE birthday meal at Tucanos. SO DELICIOUS (sign up online at Tucanos and they send a certificate for an absolutely free meal- if someone paying dines with you)

Jackson loved trying a bunch of new things, mozerella balls, mandrin oranges, lemons, cheese bread, some meat, etc. (He looks like he loves it right?)
After work I told Dave we needed to go on a walk to burn some calories from lunch to be ready for dinner. We took the foot bridge accross the river to the gold course. Dave started talking about how he missed golf and I said . . . we'll lets go! He was all worried about not having his clubs and a ball, etc . . . but little did he know I had taken them there earlier.

Jackson laughed at Dave swinging the club. Dave ended up getting an 8 on the course! After not playing since last summer. He really is amazing!

After a long walk and 9 holes of golf, we still weren't hungry so my dinner surprise would have to wait until the next day. We ended with birthday cake (the cheese kind) and a movie. (notice the lack of furniture . . .)

Jackson wanted it BAD!The next day, we headed up the trail again, this time to do a mini BBQ. we had hamburgers, potato salad (from tater tuesday), fries and a candy bar. The only thing I forgot was a match. In this case, I am glad we are around some non-members because they happen to carry lighters more often than members :) Everything was delicious. The only bad part was the giant water snake I nearly stepped on-yikes!

Is it mean to make him cook on his own Birthday?

The beautiful and overflowing river in the background. These picnic tables are built on a platform over the river. It was cool to have the river flowing right underneath us!

Anyway, the point of all this fun and activity was for Dave to be happy, and for me to show him how much I love him. He is a great father. He works really hard to provide for us and make us happy. Yesterday, when I was feeling down, he came home on his lunch break just to hug me and try and make me happy.

He is always thoughtful and considerate of others. He worries about how to make others happy and comfortable. He is a man who loves God first and wants to do what is right.

I love his influence and love in my life. I am thankful he was born . . . do you know how many years ago?

Here is Jackson walking. I think he seriously walked an entire hole like this- he did NOT want to be held. Our better video of real walking is on the other computer . . .

ROFL- Here's some happiness for ya!

Jackson is the sunshine in my day (until Dave gets home:) Right before he is REALLY tired, he has a complete MANIC phase. We caught this one perfectly. It is a little long, but I couldn't bring myself to cut it. The REALLY funny part is at the end, so skip there if you wanna have a laugh. (P.S. to my OLD, technologically-challenged parents *love ya*- ROFL means Rolling On the Floor Laughing)

Crushed by a library card

So I know that blogs are usually places to write about the happy and exciting parts of life and I admit that I have been known to sound alot like the "Seriously so Blessed" blog (don't worry a sappy Happy Birthday to Dave yesterday blog is on its way . . .) but today, I am blogging about not so happy things . . . trivial, but still not so "blessed."


When Dave decided to move to Idaho, I was a bit disappointed about what I would miss this summer with friends and family. But I wanted to look on the bright side. I was happy to follow Dave to a new adventure. Living apart from Dave through May was tough, but we had the weekends and I enjoyed living with my parents and sisters.

So here are some ways I looked at the bright side despite not having any friends or family around:


1. They have a GOLDS gym (where we have babysitting) so I can get in great shape and workout often

2. We live right next to the greenbelt trail next to the river so I will take Jackson with me to discover the city, go to parks, zoo, library, museums and workout.

3. I will finally get caught up on my scrapbook!
4. We'll go swimming!
5. I will go to library story time and check out lots of books to read on parenting, teaching, novels and books for Jackson.

6. I will cook new recipes and hone my housekeeping skills.


Here's how everything has gone down:

1. Golds gym will not honor our free daycare . . . it cost $4 an hour


2. Bike trailer/jogging stroller: STOLEN (see previous post)

3. Our computer with all our pictures and scrapbook supplies (I am going digital) won't turn on (Thank goodness for a laptop with internet)
4. It hasn't been over 80 degrees since I've been here


5. The library took my card away because I am not a permanent resident. It cost $50 to be able to check out 2 books a visit.

6. I'm just waiting for our stove to blow up.


P.S. We didn't bring the cord to upload pics because our desktop has a card slot . . . but as mentioned previously, NO COMPUTER! So now I can't even blog cutely! thus the delay in the Happy Birthday post to Dave.


It is pathetic when I am crying as I walk out of the library without a card, but I feel like almost every single thing that I looked forward to this summer has been crushed. Even after the trailer was stolen I tried my best to find other fun things to do and one by one they are being crushed. (I even walked 35 minutes to the closest park . . .one way) I know these are very trivial things, but when you are a person who likes to be going and doing and be social . . . it is taking my livelihood away.

At least I still have Dave and Jackson to hang out with. But Dave is gone 8-9 hours a day and Jackson sleeps for 4 and goes to bed at 8 pm.


Any suggestions on what I can do to be fulfilled in an inexpensive way?

As long as I am complaining . . .lets get it all out . . . We are still sleeping on an air mattress and have no couches, so if Iwanna sit it is on the floor. Jackson decided to wake up at 6 am everyday AND be onery about it. He won't eat anything we offer him on a spoon, only adult food from a fork or his own MESSY hands. Ok . . . I think that is about it! I'm done! I'll be happy from now on.

You know your not in Utah anymore . . .

When your bike trailer/jogging stroller is stolen 3 days after you buy it (even though it is locked up). I was so excited `1
to bike and jog the beautiful trail in our backyard. I had used it about 4 times and loved it. I am so sad that people are dishonest. I hate feeling violated. My happy summer quickly turned unhappy . . . .

Totally Tubular Tater Tuesday

Inspired by our friends living in the land of cheese, we wanted to celebrate our time in Idaho by doing what the Idahoans do . . . EAT POTATOES! So each Tuesday, we are going to try out another recipe that invovles a new way to eat potatoes. Our first week was a bit of a failure, but you can't get better if you don't have a low standard for starting out right?

I tried to make "creamy in the middle" fries in honor of Dave's internship with the best fry making company in the world. Everything was going great, until I used too much oil and left them in the oven too long. Honestly, about 75% of the batch tasted good and about 25% we actually "creamy in the middle" (I just wished we had ketchup . . another thing you never miss when you are at home) This is just a pic of the left overs.

(Pay no attention to the "I-just-went-running-to-work-off-all-the-grease-i-just-ate-sweaty" look)

Any suggestions for your favorite potato dish?

Spud-tastic

I finished up a fun final week at school (field day, dance festival, soak your teacher- can it get anymore fun?) and took off 1/2 hour later to go to Boise to be with Dave ASAP. Jackson did ok on the trip- he can't sleep as long in the car and he can't hold his own bottle . . . we stopped a couple of times. First, he LOVED the rocks in the parking lot of the Flying J in Snowville UT.

Then we chased bugs and dogs around a rest stop an hour away from Boise (The IDAHO flag was flying!) I started to see alot more of these around . . . and knew I wasn't in Utah any more. This might be strange, but neither Dave nor I have lived outside of Utah (excluding our mission and his dad's mission) so it even though it will be a brief stint, I am interested to see what I think the differences are.

Jackson received a warm welcome from about every gas station in Boise . . . .

Obviously the best part was being with Dave. We had a lunch date with him on Monday (Yes, you see pictured here both crinkle cut fries and shoestring fries . . . and they really are the best fries ever! I don't know how Dave even has a job to try and make these better!) We have alot of fun things planned this summer. Basically we are going to hit every museum, park, sight in Boise (which is more than we've ever done in Utah). Things I've done so far?

• We were able to go to Ward temple night (thanks to a kind woman in our ward). I was surprised at how small the temple was, but it was pretty. I like the rooms where you can sit next to your spouse :)

• Jog up and down the greenbelt (paths next to the overflowing Boise River- right in our backyard!)
• Bike up and down the greenbelt (with our new bike trailer)
• Go to the library to get my daily intake of internet addiction
• Find chairs, a table and small dresser at a garage sell
• Go grocery shopping 4 times (it is amazing how much you use that you don't realize you have to BUY to use i.e screwdriver, spices, cleaner, scizzors, tape, tablecloth, etc, etc)
• Swim in our apartment pool
• Listen to baby reading time at the library
• Play games with Dave
• Get lost driving around
• Find many things driving around
• Meet ward friends and family

So far, my fears of being bored or getting sick of Jackson have been nothing but fears. I LOVE spending time just trying to make Jackson and Dave happy, entertained and fed. It will be a beautiful summer!
I know you are on the edge of your seat to see all there is in Boise, so I will be sure to keep you updated with pictures (now that we finally have internet . . .I never knew life could be so hard without it!)