15

Dear Pat,

It was 15 years ago (yesterday) that you and I arrived at the temple, ready to start our life together.
Our wedding day.
While we were optimistic, we didn't know what joys and triumphs we would create in our new life together.
Neither of us knew of the trials, the disappointments and struggles that we would encounter as we forged our own path.

Looking backward, it seems almost dreamlike...everything blurs...amid the chaos that 7 children have brought into our lives.
I remember each struggle, each loss, each surgery I endured to make it possible to bring the children that we have into the world.
I (of course) remember each birth, and I am sure you do too.
How grateful I am that you were there next to me with a loving hand to hold, and strong arms to hold me up through the hours and days that we were told we would never have children (or that we would just have one, or just two).
I am grateful for the photos, the snapshots of our hearts, and the digital downloads that have captured moments, both poignant and mudane.
These are the moments that define our lives...our life.

We are not rich in the things of the world, but when it comes to having loving arms to hug and hold us, we have more than most.
We have learned, together, so many things...and we are still learning, daily, hourly...and sharing with each other.

I am ever grateful for the choice I made to spend my life with you...and for the choice you and I both make on a daily basis to make our relationship grow and become stronger, rather than wilt and fade away.
It's not the big things that make that difference, it's the little things, like overlooking a late dinner, forgetting about the socks on the floor, and all of the other oddities and inconsistencies we both have, that, if we allowed them to, would drive wedges into our hearts and our relationship.
It's the finding time for walks late at night, the phone calls in the middle of the day just to talk, and the iPods and the stamping that make our love live and grow.

Thank you for loving God first and living your life in a way that allows others to come to know Him.
Thank you for providing for our family, and enjoying the journey with me.
Thank you for being my best friend.

Love,

Kristine

Trash, Anyone?

Yes.  That's a skunk in our trash can.
Life is ALWAYS an adventure when you live in the forest!

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

We actually took our entire family to this musical at the local college tonight.

Tickets were just 5 dollars for people 12 and older...making it just 3 tickets we had to buy to get all 9 of us in to see the show.

This is by far one of our favorite musicals, and at this price...and in 2nd row seats, it was wonderful.

My bet is that all of the kids will be singing it tomorrow.



Here's to college productions and cheap ticket prices!

200 Have and Have nots

This came from a blog I read. It's been a long time since I did anything like this...it's actually quite interesting to see what I have done (or not done). I read a suggestion that this would be a great list for kids to ask their grandparents about. It would certainly start lively discussions and stories in my home. Let me know if you fill this out too...or you can e-mail me the results if you don't have a blog.

200 Have and Have nots!
1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

(Updated on 8-29-2017)

May, I Pass.

It is shocking to me that it is June already.

I started May with a very clear head...thinking that THIS May...things would stay sane and that I would end the month with my head still attached.

I even snuck in a few lunches out with my favorite men...Pat included.

I actually did make it through the last day of school and the parent-teacher conferences without incident. Emily's 5th grade sock hop. Bekah's kindergarten celebration...making a face at Stephen as he took her picture.

It wasn't until I was destressing at my bi-monthly scrapbooking party (that I am not in charge of) that I started feeling a bit odd.

I was quite nauseous and dizzy, and actually started worrying about being able to drive home safely.

After I botched a project (fixable, but still...teaching papercrafting is what I do to make extra money!), I knew I was sick...and I grabbed my stuff and headed home.

I went straight to bed...and ended up there or flat on the couch for 5 (yes, FIVE) days.

It was miserable to say the least.

Needless to say, I was VERY grateful to finally receive a priesthood blessing on Monday evening and wake up well on Tuesday morning.
I truly consider it a miracle...and felt truly blessed to have been healed.

Tuesday morning I had a tooth extracted.

(Did you know root canals can fail? They can.)

The rest of the week sped by...and today we're already into June.

Here are a few pictures recapping some events this month!Isaac wanting to be outside with all of the other kids.Pat and the kids on the Memorial Day hike. (I was still sick at home...so the little boys stayed home and napped while everyone else hiked the ridge behind our house.)

These "jumping" pictures showed up when we downloaded the most current pictures. I'm guessing the kids entertained themselves by jumping from the furniture (GROWL) while I was sick. It's really funny to me that they took pictures of themselves...
Anyway...enjoy!
I'll be back soon.