Perfect Weekend

On our way home from my mom's house on Saturday night at 10:30 p.m., I commented to Brent that it had been a really great day. We started out the morning (early) with a temple sealing session with Mom, my brothers Cash and Jared, and my sisters-in-law Marisa and Maren. We also had Maren's sister and brother-in-law, and our great family friends, Jayne and Darrin Heaps. The session was wonderful, as it's always good to be in the temple with family.

After the temple we came home to prepare for evening festivities. Brent and my brothers picked the boat up after a tune-up at the shop, so they were ready to hit the lake. Good thing they have a 70 degree condition placed by Marisa, or we would have had Easter festivities without the men. Instead, all those big boys, including Dalin, had to hide 84 Easter eggs in Mom's back yard, and then we turned the kids loose. They scoured the yard, although they didn't have to look too hard because after finding a couple of stray eggs a couple of summers ago while mowing Mom's lawn, the men decided that most of the eggs would be in plain sight. No more plastic egg shrapnel all over the yard. . . . We had a ham and funeral potato Easter dinner and spent the rest of the evening just enjoying each other's company and watching March Madness (sorry about the Aggies, Cash). My cousin Linda and I hung some things down mom's hall for her, and the kids played outside most of the day. Even the four- and five-year-olds got along swimmingly, so the day was darn near perfect. Thanks to my mom for always hosting the big, crazy party. We found out that my cousin Kathy and family (hubby Kevin and girls Hannah and Breanna) will be moving to Utah in May where Kevin will be managing a construction project. We love and miss them, and it won't be the same without them here. I hate it when life happens like that. . . .

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On Sunday, the whole family gathered again at our church building to see Dalin ordained an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We met in a large room where men that Dalin loves and admires placed their hands on his head while his mom cried. During the beautiful blessing that Brent gave Dalin, I couldn't help but run a mind-film of my son's life. I concluded that while Dalin has his faults, my son has always been an obedient, easy child, very sensitive to things of the spirit and full of faith. I am wonderfully blessed to have such a son and such a husband worthy to bestow the gift of the priesthood on his son. No wonder I was crying! The only thing that would have made the day more perfect is if Dalin's grandfathers had been here. I know that one of them was watching and smiling from another realm, and the other was praying for Dalin and wishing he were here. We missed you, Dads. I also know that my brother Jay would have given his right arm to be here, and I missed him terribly. Dalin wished Jay could be here, too, and he is lucky to know that his uncle loves him.

Dalin Brent Gunnell was ordained an Elder by his father, J. Brent Gunnell, on March 23, 2008. Participating in the ordinance and standing in the circle were the following: Bishop James Aydelotte, Brother Hogg (ward high councilor), my brothers Cash and Jared Hill, my cousin Kevin Lamb, and our home teachers John Patterson and Dennis Beckman.

As I reflect on this time in my life, other than feeling old, I can only feel gratitude to the Lord for placing me on the earth in the hands of parents who honored and honor their covenants and by so doing have made me part of their celestial family. Also, every time I look at my husband, I am overwhelmed by love for an amazing man who leads our family in righteousness and loves me despite my faults. Brent comes from a family who loves the Lord and the gospel and taught him to do the same. What an awesome heritage my children have! Thank you Mom, Dad, and Mom and Dad Gunnell.

Sun Valley in March

Every year we take the kids and get a condo in Sun Valley so Brent can attend a law conference there. Actually, Brent's boss gets the condo, which makes the trip even more appealing. We had a great time, as usual, and the kids wanted me to get some of the pictures up for all to see. So here we are, first weekend in March, Sun Valley, Idaho, one of our favorite places on earth.

There were some really great snow sculptures still around the lodge and shopping area, so we took a few pictures of those, too:

Yes, Brent was on the trip, but he was in meetings all day Friday which was the only day we remembered to get the camera out to take some pictures. Maybe one day I'll get the hang of this blogging/photo journaling thing and remember to keep my camera handy all of the time. Brent went to dinner with us, my mom, and Preston and Noah at our favorite pizza and wings place, then he went to breakfast with us at our favorite place for fantastic crepes and omelettes--the Konditerei in the Sun Valley Lodge shopping area. We stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for our annual white chocolate and cinnamon/sugar-covered caramel apples and beat it back home in time for stake conference where Dalin was sustained as an Elder. What a perfect weekend! (I think you can double-click on any of the pictures you want to see closer up. The expressions on the kids' faces are priceless!)

Happy St. Patty's Day

For the last three weeks (you think I'm kidding--I'm not), Jensen has been talking about what she will wear on St. Patrick's Day. Well, this attractive ensemble is what she decided on:

Her reasoning, which is very sound really, went something like this, "Mom, I have to wear green so I don't get pinched, and I want to wear red so I'll get kisses. So this what I'm going wear." Believe me, I didn't pick this out. I would have tried to find something with red and green that looked somewhat decent together, if that's possible--maybe talked her into pink and green. I guess it's all my fault. This is what I get for explaining to my incredibly precocious child the silly traditions of what has become such a hedonistic celebration (hard to believe it started out as a religious holiday to honor a saint--interesting reading, by the way). Good thing I didn't tell her about drinking green beer. . . .

Tagged?

My friend Lynette has tagged me. I'd say the last time I was tagged was when I was in college playing with a bunch of friends on the lawn at the state capitol, but that would be a lie. The last time I was tagged was probably about a month ago when I was at home playing with a bunch of pre-schoolers. Of course, this tag is way more fun for big people.

10 Years Ago:
1998--we had been living in our first home for almost a year enjoying our three little kids. Dalin had just been baptized (keep in mind he was just sustained as an elder on Sunday!), Cassie was in kindergarten, and Shaina was four! I was teaching about 12 piano students and was the primary president. Brent had been at Goicoechea for three years and was working with the youth. Nothing too exciting, I guess.

Things on my to-do list Today:
1. Go to the high school to play the piano for the Concert and Advanced Women's Choirs
2. Meet up with Laurie and Jensen for lunch at Costco to pick up laundry soap (gotta love Costco for lunch. . .)
3. Go back to the school to play for the Select Treble Choir
4. Pick up Jensen at Laurie's and meet my mom in Meridian at Jared and Maren's old house to do some painting
5. Go home finally to watch American Idol

What would I do if I suddenly became a Billionaire:
1. Pay off my house(s), my brothers' houses, Brent's parent's house, heck. . .why not as many houses as possible?
2. I agree with Lynette, TRAVEL. Having not been out of the U.S., I would love to go somewhere, anywhere, especially on a mission with Brent
3. Donate to leukemia, alzheimers, and autism research
4. Send Brent back to school to get his teaching certificate so he could do what he loves--work with kids
5. Ok, I would buy a Mercedes convertible and a new T-bird
6. I would love to have the disposable income to just help people out when they are in need

3 Bad Habits:
1. Emotional eating--I go straight to the fridge if I'm bored or upset
2. Dropping my clothes wherever I take them off (although since we have moved into the new house, I have been better about picking them up every couple days)
3. Drinking Diet Dr. Pepper, fully leaded

3 Places I've Lived:
1. Salem, Oregon
2. Provo, Utah
3. Weiser, Idaho

5 Jobs I've Had:
1. Reading/Writing tutor at BYU (best paying job on campus!)
2. Freshman Honors English teacher at BYU
3. Receptionist/go-fer in high school for a construction company (in Garden City--very scary! but there was a Red Steer a couple doors down that I went to all of the time for the most excellent root beer shakes)
4. Piano teacher
5. Contract editor for the Oregon Dept. of Transportation

5 Things people don't know about me:
1. I had red hair for a year (hey, I think that was in 1998!)
2. I don't crack my knuckles, but my jaw and ankles pop enough to make up for it
3. I won a writing contest while a junior at BYU which paid for my senior year
4. I had scarlet fever as a child (quarantined and everything) which left me with a mildly prolapsed mitral valve in my heart
5. I would rather do anything in my house but cook or mop (I like ironing--I iron all of Brent and Dalin's shirts)

Alright Marisa, Maren, and Lauralee. . . YOU'RE IT!

Addictions Not a Few

My sister-in-law Marisa did a fun post on her blog today about her addictions, quirks, vices, etc. She wanted readers to fess up to their's, but I have too many to list in the comment section, so I figured I would do my own post of some of the addictions/vices that help keep me sane. Here goes nothing:

*DIET DR. PEPPER
*Reading late into the night (er...morning)
*Creme brulee
*Word puzzles
*American Idol & Dancing With the Stars
*Ok. . .Biggest Loser, too
*Chewing gum
*My woobie (blanket I've had since I was three. Not the same one--that would be gross! I keep replacing it with one just like the first)
*Cost Plus World Market
*Any movie with Will Smith
*Sleeping late
*Woot.com
*Not eating my whole entree when we go out so I have room for dessert (bonus--leftovers for lunch!)
*Lotion--lots of it
*Magazines
*Old Navy clearance

There we go. Good to get that off my chest. I love rice krispie treats as well, Ris, especially with chocolate chips. In fact, the first time I made rk treats without chocolate, Jensen asked what they were and refused to eat them. She's not spoiled.

Alright everyone, fess up.

Locker Mishap

I got a call this morning at about 10:00, and the caller ID said "Vallivue Middle School." I hate any calls that end in "School" because it usually means either one of my kids is hurt or sick or someone there needs something done that no one else can or will do. This particular call informed me that Shaina was sitting in the office because her fingers had been slammed in a locker and she was really hurting. Could I come get her? So I threw on some sweats, put pajama-clad Jensen in the car, and headed to the school. I found Shaina in the office, mascara all over her eyes, a bag of ice on her fingers, and a very concerned vice-principal hovering near. Mr. Bullard told me that someone had slammed Shaina's locker while she was standing there (with her hand still in the locker apparently), and her middle two fingers of her left hand didn't make it out in time. Shaina didn't want to go home; she claimed she was fine and needed to go back to her locker, get her English paper that was due to today, and go to class. Mr. Bullard, on the other hand (no pun intended), thought maybe I should get her hand x-rayed. After examination of the injured digits, I told him I thought it would be ok for me to give her some Advil, get her a finger splint, and send her to class. Even if the middle finger was broken, the most the ER would do is put a $200 splint on it until it healed, and I can get a splint at WalMart for $10. Mr. B. reluctantly agreed as long as I gave Shaina the drugs, which I did, then gave her a hug and went home. Whew. I hate being called to the school, but I'm grateful I can be around to go when needed. I hate the thought of having to send someone else to get or comfort my kids.

It looks like Shaina will probably lose the nail of her middle finger, and I'm guessing by tomorrow both fingers will be a lovely shade of something, but she will indeed live. In fact, she not only stayed at school but she stayed late at a pep assembly and missed the bus. The boy that slammed her locker is a boy that used to be "in love" with her, and since she has shunned his affection, he runs by her locker almost every day and kindly shuts it for her. It was just an accident, but I guess he got hauled into Mr. B's office and given ISS for the day. Poor kid. Look what happens when a girl refuses your love.

I tell Shaina that she needs to not be so darn gorgeous; then there wouldn't be so many boys after her doing dumb things to get her attention, and we would all, including Mr. Bullard, breathe easier. By the way, she got a new haircut that makes her look at least two years older. Here she is, my darling and fun almost 14-year-old daughter:

Technological Advancement

I admit that I have a love/hate relationship with this:

Mostly I love it because it keeps me connected to family and friends, directs me to some really great deals online, and fixes my spelling mistakes. However, sometimes I hate it because I get frustrated if I don't hear from family and friends, I spend too much money on great deals, and my spelling has gone way down hill. Ah, quite a quandry I find myself in. But, the love wins out, and I find myself back at the keyboard to record today's technological breakthrough:

I posted a couple of weeks ago in my Currently section that I was enjoying the sound on my computer while the speakers lasted. To explain, since we got this computer in November of 2006, the sound has been very erratic. It will be off for weeks at a time, only to surprise me one morning with a blast of clicks and whirrs. I hold my breath every morning after that hoping to find the melodies playing when I turn it on. Sound comes and goes, and I have tried everything I know to do (which isn't much, admittedly). I even discovered that if I don't shut the computer down every night, just let it sleep with the lid up, I can preserve the sound for a couple weeks at a time. Let me tell you, Jensen is not a very happy camper when she can't hear her "Popular" or Carrie Underwood youtube videos for days at a time.

So today I was investigating one of those alluring deals--a set of external speakers for the computer or MP3 player--in hopes that it was indeed the internal speakers and not the sound card in the computer that's bad. As I was looking for the earphone jack on my computer where I could plug in said external speakers, I discovered a small thumb wheel near the front latch. I played with it a little, and lo and behold, (and I can't believe I'm admitting this) there was sound!! In fact, when I cranked the wheel all the way, it about blew me out of the room. It's a miracle! A volume control! We probably move it every time we open or shut the gosh darn machine. No wonder the sound was ok for longer when I left the lid up at night! I started laughing hysterically, and Jensen demanded that I read her whatever was so funny. I called Brent who also laughed and laughed, and we have been chuckling all day.

My only consolation is that my tech-savvy teenagers hadn't figured out the sound problem either. I win. I have now arrived in the 21st century. Maybe I should have just read the owner's manual a year ago.

Maxine and Memory

I have been grieving over my memory loss for the past couple of months especially. I can remember people's names and faces from my childhood, all of the kids' names and stories from the marching band, and almost all of the people in my new ward (and there's a bunch!), but there are some things I just can't manage to retain in my atrophied brain. For instance, Brent can call me on my way to WalMart to tell me to pick up, say, deodorant, and by the time I have hung up the phone, I have forgotten, necessitating a return trip to WalMart. Shaina left me a huge message written in window marker on my bathroom mirror to get her a haircut appointment. It was there for three days, and everytime I saw it, I promptly forgot about it. And how many times have I walked into a room or opened the fridge and just stood there looking dumb because I can't recall why I'm there? (Ok, I know you've done this, too.) Whatever it is causing the memory problem, it is frustrating, and it's even more frustrating that my husband seems to have caught the same virus. I'm surprised we remember our children's names. Wait. . .these crazies living here are our kids, right?

Anyway, I have decided that my Hallmark card friend Maxine has solved the memory mystery, and she has given me my new mantra:
Agree? Me, too. Makes me feel better about myself anyway. . .

Valentines Day

Valentines Day at our house has always been a good time (I wish I had remembered to take pictures!). I stay up absurdly late the night before (later now because I wait for my kids to go to bed, and as they have gotten older, they stay up way too late!) so I can decorate and set the table for breakfast. I use pink, white, and red plates (love Fiestaware!), flowers, confetti, and whatever I found on sale that week. I make Valentines for everyone and put them on their plates along with a little gift. After staggering to bed somewhere around 1:30 a.m., I get up with Brent at 6:30 to make breakfast for the kids. Pink waffles with whipped cream and strawberries are the crowd favorite, and Brent does bacon and eggs. The fact that all four of my children are sitting at the table at 7:00 a.m. to eat is miraculous, really, since we usually have to force-feed the older kids every morning, and we are unsuccessful most mornings even at that. I can't convince them of the whole "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" thing. Remember what it was like being a teenager? I digress. Anyway, a good time and breakfast was had by all, and for one day at least, my kids had brain food. I'm not sure why I have always made a big deal out of Valentines Day except that my mom always did something like this, and I loved it. I think my kids do, too. Shaina said last month that she couldn't wait for the first Valentines Day in our new house. Pretty fun.

That evening, I got to spend time with my husband, which was the perfect end to a perfect day. We tried to go out to dinner, but of course everything was packed, so we went to Taco Del Mar for fish tacos. It was quiet there, and I love fish tacos, so it was great! After that we went to see the musical Brigadoon at the Nampa Civic Center. A couple of my friends were in the cast, and it was well done. Brigadoon is a bit s --l--o--w moving, but the music is nice, and it is a perfect way to relax and spend time together. I thank my lucky stars especially fervently on days like this for the wonderful man I am blessed to share my life with. I really couldn't ask for more.

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