Our Sunday Drives

Every Sunday our family takes a beautiful 40 minute drive...to church. The road is straight and mostly flat and we drive through some very diverse countryside. We have it broken down into 10 minute blocks. From my house to the stop sign at the edge of town is the first 10.
Sometimes it takes a hair more. That depends on how ready John is. Most of the time he is waiting on the sidewalk for us to pick him up. Funny guy...another blog another time. After we leave town it is 10 minutes until the first town. I use that term loosely because there are like 50 people that live there.
Most days we enjoy the ride. John rides up front with Jim and the kids and I squeeze in the back. It's a good thing we get along. On mornings we are particularly tired it can get pretty crazy in the back. It's like a transportation mullet. Business in the front, party in the back. It's great. After another 10 minutes there is a slight bend in the road and then this comes into view.
It is a big house in the middle of a farm with no trees. It looks really big standing there all alone. So that became the running gag. Mom, "Hey, Kevin, that is a really BIG house!" and Kevin rolls his eyes. When he has to work on Sunday I send him a text message about the big house so he doesn't miss me too much. The "really big house" is 30 minutes into our drive from home and we know there are only 10 minutes until we are at church. Then we drive through a pretty little town in North Dakota and up and around a cemetery, and then.... Our building isn't very big, but it is perfect for what we need. They used to hold church in a room at the YMCA so this is a definite upgrade. There are about 30 people (on a full day) that show up. We are thankful for them. They live inspiring, faith filled lives. I took a picture of the building from the very back of the parking lot. I just wanted to show you all our nice Sunday drive. Of course when it's icy and snowy it's not nice at all. But that's another blog for another day.

Baby Cheeks

Ok, so you all know that my sister, Kim, had a baby on the 20th. Well, did you know she is the cutest thing I have seen in a VERY long time? Well, she is. She was 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 1/4 inches long. She has very kissable cheeks and is waiting very patiently for me to get there and cover her with kisses. I have pictures...wanna see? Miss Cylie Jorgie is perfect.

I also have a picture of her and her big brother, who is 4 1/2 years old...even though he'll tell you he is 6.

I have a picture of my other niece Brook who is DYING for a baby sister. She is also 4 1/2 and tells everyone she is a big sister. Brook was born with a pink birthmark on her leg. Her Mom was smart enough to tell her that it was an angel kiss. She is very proud of her angel kiss. Well, Miss Cylie has a pink birthmark on her forehead. An angel kiss from our favorite angel.


So this is my new niece. I can hardly wait for the 4th when I'll be able to hold this littlest angel. I hope the next 10 days fly by. Hang on CJ. Don't grow too fast. Aunt Larry is on her way!!

She's On Her Way!!

I can't believe it has been 6 months since my Mom became an angel. Kim can...she's been pregnant. Time has passed a little differently for her. Today is the day...the big day. Cylie will be delivered by c-section at noon in ID. Funny thing...we know Mom sent her to us today. Today is my Grandpa's birthday. He died when my Mom was 33 and I was 11. He was the most awesome man. My Mom idolized him. He taught us a lot while he was here. Kim was scheduled for her surgery tomorrow but somehow they had double booked the O.R. she was to be in. So Cylie will not only have my Mom's initials but she will also have the same birthday as her Great-Grandpa. She is being sent by angels who love us and that makes her even more special. Happy birthday, little one. I can't wait to meet you.

OK, I'm Grossed Out!

So did you know I HATE frogs? Not just a little mind you. They are right up there with my loathing for mice. They are slimy, unpredictable and like to hang out in weird places. My brother was a creature catcher when we were growing up. Well, one of us grew up. The other still catches things to take home and raise...eeewwww. Not kidding. One time my Mom found a bucket of salamanders in his closet. Oh man...eeeewwww! Another notable time he had a bucket of frogs hiding in his room. Well, needless to say, frogs are tricksy. They worked on a plan and fled captivity. Yeah, right into the next door bathroom. Guess who had dibs on the first shower that day (one bathroom 4 kids, another blog, another day). Yep, me...eeeewwwww! So instead of being upfront about their escape they decided to wait until after my shower to make a break for the door. So here I am singing (very softly because it's early) into my hair brush and what do I feel slip between my foot and the floor. Yep...eeeewwww! So of course what's a girl to do in a house of sleeping people? Very quietly take a step back to survey the damage...and...wait for it...EEEEWWWWW!!!! You guessed it, the buggers had me surrounded. Lucky for me my sweet Mom was just getting up and heard my quiet plea for death and came to see what was vexing me. She helped me get cleaned up and went to get Travis to round up his charges. As if that weren't bad enough. I was corralled into helping Mom and Travis drive the frogs to their former ditch of residence. Of course now that the buggers had tasted the good life inside the big house, they wanted to stay. So yet another break out ensued. Trav had the bucket in the front seat and somehow 3 frogs made their way to the back seat where I was, still trembling. As if the mere sight of them wasn't enough to send me into full blown convulsions one decided to slip between my flip flop (formerly known as a thong) and my foot. EEEEWWWWWW! Lucky for both of us I was sitting, so the proper amount of pressure was not applied to his thin skinned frame. Why do I dredge up these past horrors so early in the morning? Well, the rains came back to MN this week. Guess what also returned? Yep...eeeewwww. Kevin had about 10 (that we could see) living frogs and around 4 dead frogs in his window well. EEEEEWWWWW! I just wonder how long it will take them to figure out how to infiltrate my inner sanctum. I feel a little comfort in the fact that Kev is in the basement and I am on the top floor...but there is still that feeling of eyes in the dark corner watching, waiting for me to take a step...EEEEEWWWW!!



They are really hard to see as they are the color of the dirt. Dirty buggers. Think they have it all figured out. The pic at the bottom has a big dead one in the middle. There are some BIG bugs in the top two. They are red and black. I've never seen them before. Any guesses how many frogs are in the pictures? Well, now that we've shinned the flashlight into another dark corner of my mind, I'm going to go mop my floor and hope not to see any more frogs. EEEEWWWWW!!!

Have I Told You Lately....

...that I love hanging out with my family? No matter what we end up doing as long as we are together it seems to work out. Lately it seems, we spend a lot of time on the boat. It has become our hot tub. Explanation? In ID our hot tub was our family time. We would sit there and have the best chats. So now we have the boat.

...that I have the coolest sisters ever? It's true, I do. We've been through thick and thin (mostly thick hehehe) and we've come out on the other side as friends.

...that my friends are truly the best? Yep, they are. We went to see Mama Mia the other night. I don't think I've laughed that hard since before 06/06/06. It wasn't even so much the cheesy movie as it was the company. Oh goodness, I did have a blast. I am lucky to have friends scattered all over the place. I miss my ID friends and when I'm in ID I miss my MN friends. I'm so blessed.

...that I think my kids are beautiful? Oh, I know every Mom thinks that...but mine truly are. They are good people, they are beautiful inside and out, and they are my friends. And of course they get their wild, wacky, fun side from that really weird "B" gene.

...I hate dog hair tumble weeds. I do. They are evil and they sneak up on me all the time. My kids are supposed to sweep the floor daily. Well this is 3 days and counting. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm the only one that can see this. Or maybe I'm the only one that knows how to fix it? Lucky for me this one won't have time to form into the traditional tumbleweed shape. Kev got the hint and put that puppy in the trash. My hero!

...I really, really, really hate my kitchen floor. As soon as Jim and I can agree what to do about it...why can't he just go back to the non commenting hubby he used to be. He likes to watch DIY network and now he thinks he knows??!!?? The vinyl is dated, white , impossible to keep clean, and ripped. UGLY doesn't even begin to describe this floor. We've considered tile, wood and more vinyl...oh and that cool laminate stuff. Any thoughts? It gets really cold here, what would you guys do? I need back-up.

...I love my Darla. This is what happens then I take out the camera. I doesn't matter what I'm trying to get a pic of...she poses. What a doll.

...my hubby is determined. This weekend we decided to paint the deck. We finally removed the old broken down hot tub and put down new deck boards. Well, of course it rained. Not even rain is gonna stop my hubby. So (with my bestest most favoritest mop) he scrubbed the deck in the rain. Now if it will only dry out long enough to paint. HHHMMMM!

Primary Epiphany

So, I am the Primary President in our tiny Branch. I also do the secretary job and occasionally I'm the chorister too. Last Sunday after I presented the Sharing Time I got to conduct the music for the remainder of the time. We have been working on the songs we will be singing for the Sacrament program in October. Most of the time there are 10 or 11 kids in Sharing Time and about 4 or 5 of them know (and sing) the songs. Yesterday a very pleasant thing happened. The 2 youngest members (not in the nursery) decided they were going to surprise me and sing. Not just a little singing, mind you, great sounds came out of these two cutie patooties. Kamiryn and Emma were fantastic. I wish I had a picture of their sweet faces watching me lead the song. It was amazing. I don't love standing up front, waving my arm around...it's just not my thing. Mostly it's me singing (very off key) and trying to coax (with my eyes) the majority of the kids to please, please, please sing. But there I was looking at these two angels as if they were straight from heaven. The Spirit that came over me as I watched these girls was sweet indeed. So, I guess, once again, He knew what I needed to keep me going. I am so grateful for these 2 precious girls and the lift I got from them. Thanks Emma and Kamiryn. I love you guys.

Happy Birthday Baby Sis

It is Kim's birthday. I'm not saying how old she is, but it's 7 years younger than I am. I was so excited when Mom told us she was expecting. I (of course) wanted it to be a girl. Michelle (or Mitch as she was known to her friends) wanted it to be a boy. Travis wanted it to be a frog. I think I must have made some kind of deal with Kim while we were in heaven. I would go down and wear Mom and Dad out so she would have an easier time making a lot of the same mistakes I made. We think a lot a like, Kim and I. I just want everyone to know how happy I am that she was born. I am so thankful that she is my sister. I love you, Kimi.