Binky Bliss

The picture is dark, but if you look close you can see why. I took this while Jack was asleep and I didn't want to wake him. Needless to say, he likes to have his Binky's while he sleeps. I think the one balanced on his head is pretty funny. I've come in to find him with a Binky covering each eye and one in each hand and of course one in his mouth. Life with Jack is never dull, even when it's naptime!

Fun in the Sun in AZ!

Jack and I took a little vacay to visit our family in Arizona last weekend. We had such a FANTASTIC time! We went with my parents and brother Jeremy to visit our other brother Josh and his family. The time was short but packed full of fun! We started off the festivities by running a 5K (my first one ever...it was fun, thanks Cheryl!) We made lots of great food, ate way too much of that food. We played in the park, played outside, and played, played, played. Thank you once again Josh and Cheryl for being wonderful hosts and exceptional chefs! We are still going through with drawls. Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

ON A SIDE NOTE: Just in case anyone is traveling on an airline with a "Lap Child" that doesn't quite look under two- here's a story for you. The night before we left to fly down to PHX, I checked our airlines website to make sure I didn't need any specific information for the "baby" that I was traveling with. No identification needed the website said. So, we get to the airport at O'Dark Thirty and I look at the line to check-in- LONG! We get in line, but it isn't moving very fast. Rob stayed with me to help me carry all the copious amounts of luggage I had. The sky cap guy came out and said the line wasn't very long outside, so Rob and my Dad went to check luggage. Shortly after I get a call from Rob saying that they need to see Jack so they can make sure he is under two. For being as early as Jack was when he was born, he is really tall...he looks like a two year old at least. Anyhow...the sky cap guy needed a copy of his birth certificate to verify his age. WHAT! Okay, I understand that, but come on our flight is leaving in just a couple minutes, we haven't made it through security yet and YOUR WEBSITE said I didn't need any identification for him. I would have gladly provided it, had I been properly informed! CRISIS- Option #1 send Rob home to get the birth certificate (if he speeds he can make it back in time and we can run to make the plane). Option #2 send my Dad through security and see if the gate agents can help. Meanwhile I am standing in the HUGE line to the check-out counter. Someone has to see that this child is only 20 months and he is sitting on my lap! After a couple minutes of chaos, I get a call from my Dad telling me that he has purchased Jack a refundable ticket. Okay, call Rob, tell him not to rush back to the airport...get out of the ticket counter line and head over to the security line. PROBLEM, I don't have the boarding ticket for Jack. I get a call from my Dad telling me they are printing the ticket and he is going to run it back to me in the security line. Hello people! This is not fun! I get though the security line a little fast and I have to wait there until the boarding pass comes...meanwhile it is 10 min to our plane leaving (this means most people have boarded the plane already). I see my Dad's red hair bobbing down the escalator- saved, or not! They wouldn't let him back through security. I had to sit there and waive my arm to an airport policeman that had to ESCORT Jack's boarding pass thorough security. Rush through security, run to the plane, get the last three seats on the plane! MADE IT! PHEW! Lesson learned, I will always, no matter what the website says, carry identification for my "Lap Child"!

Baby Jill
G-Pa an Jill

G-Ma and Jill

The Boyz!

Coloring!

Race Time!

Guest blogger thoughts on the Sugar Bowl

There is an old saying that happiness is a journey, not a destination. In this case both are true. The destination New Orleans and the journey a step that began with a surprising win in Michigan and ended with a shock to the college football world at the Sugar Bowl. A little more than 2 months ago immediately following the bowl selection show, I was on a conference call with several friends trying to get flights to NOLA. As we hammered out the details of our trip and finalized the headcount the prices for plane tickets tripled right before our eyes. We all hit the refresh button on our computers but to no avail, the price for a flight from SLC to NOLA now started at $1,200.
The following weeks were filled by visiting utefans.net for the latest smack. My good friend Mike ordered high def and Costco sized goodies for the game but in the back of my mind I couldn’t get past the idea that we wouldn’t be supporting our Utes as they played one of the most historic programs in football history.
On the Wednesday prior Friday’s game I woke with a sense of conviction. I felt compelled to try one last time to figure out how to get to New Orleans. I called Mike and told him that this game, in which we were picked to lose big, a game where the cream of the SEC crop would teach us how football is really played, would be historic and we could be a part of it. I told my good friend that going to this game would be a story that we would tell to our grandchildren. I think that was the key selling point because 2 hrs later we were on the road, headed to Las Vegas on New Years Eve to catch a flight the next morning to Baton Rouge. We had no hotel reservations, no car rental or even tickets to the game, just the confidence that our loyalty and determination would be rewarded. As we journeyed south another good friend offered his condo in Vegas which saved us from spending the night in the Wal-Mart parking lot. It was a sign of good things to come. Our journey was replete with signs of good fortune. That night instead of partying with thousands of inebriated heathens on the strip of Las Vegas we worked to secure a hotel room in Baton Rouge and contact potential Ute fans with extra tickets. I think the adrenaline kicked in because neither of us slept very well.
A few short hours later we headed to the airport. As we pulled up I got a text that I had been upgraded to first class. Sweet! That extra 18 inches and moist towelette make all the difference in the world. Mike on the other hand was seated in coach next to a high school beauty contestant and her idiot boyfriend, there’s 5 hrs of his life he will never recover. They can only be described as a first day eliminated contestant of American Idol and Kevin Federline. The best part of the flight was the last two guys to board the plan. They were both dressed like they stepped out of a Miami Vice series and held up our take off as they were trying phone a friend they had abandoned unconscious who was supposed to be on the flight.
We arrived in Baton Rouge late that night and turned in for what would be another short night. You really know you’re staying in a quality place when the hotel concierge suggests Sonic as the best place for good local cuisine. The next morning was game day and we were off to New Orleans. The drive there was almost entirely over bridges through the Louisiana swampland. You could feel the southern football pride. We had arraigned to meet some Utah fans with extra tickets that morning, which actually went extremely smoothly. They had tickets closer to some friends but didn’t want to sell theirs to Bama fans so they gave them to us for face value.
With tickets in hand we had about 8 hrs to kill before kickoff. So where do two guys who don’t drink, smoke or cavort with transvestite strippers go to enjoy the sights of New Orleans? I believe the answer is Bourbon Street. This infamous section of the French Quarter was already full of Utah and Alabama fans alike milling about shops and restaurants. We ate lunch at a place called the Red Fish Grille, where the special is the Red fish. Awesome! As we walked around and talked to Alabama fans the enormity of the game became more apparent. There was a Utah student walking down the street holding a sign high above his head that read, “Low Tide, Go Utes!” He would walk into every bar and proudly displayed his sign which received resounding boos from Tide fans. As he passed us on his quest to piss off every Alabama fan in sight we heard one of them say, “som body’s gonna nawk is head oaf”, in the most southern accent possible. Classic! Several Bama fans stopped us to ask us questions about our conference and Utah in general. One group even told us this was a classic David vs Goliath match to which we responded, “and we all know how that turned out.” You know I’ve learned a few things about the Crimson Tide fans, they are extremely gracious…in the most condescending way possible, they dress to the nines for football games and some of them think it necessary to use their pant belt loops to hang water bottles, cameras, assorted foods and every key they own. Batman himself would be proud.
Before heading to the Stadium we went to the hotel where the team was staying and watched them board the bus. There was no doubt that Kyle had the team ready and focused. You could feel the intensity from both the players and coaching staff. As we made our way to our seats you could tell both sets of fans were excited for the game to start but anxious to see how their respective teams would match up. Kickoff was finally here. The next 12 minutes can only be described as the most euphoric experience in Utah sports history. Our University of Utah Utes, the underdogs, labeled pretenders, the little guys, the irrelevant, this years Hawaii had jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Utah was dominating the anointed next college dynasty and their arrogant fans and smug coach were visibly unsettled. Instantaneously we had become relevant, the announcers stated it perfectly in saying, “wow…wow…wow!” Our Utes never let off the gas charging to a 14 point victory that wasn’t as close as the final score. In one evening had become Hickory High, Rocky Balboa and the U.S. Hockey team all at once. ESPN would later call us America's darling. The reaction of the Alabama fans was of complete shock and utter disbelief. How could this have happened? How could this team, that was 4 minutes from the championship game, have been so completely conquered? As we left the stadium throngs of Utah fans marched on the city of New Orleans, we walked through the streets cheering and celebrating as the traffic and motion of the city stood still in awe. The journey home was difficult as we drove back to Baton Rouge that night and boarded a plane 2 hours later to Las Vegas. It was made easier every time someone in the airport congratulated us on the victory. It took an unusual turn when I introduced Mike to a synthetic stimulant known as Red Bull so we wouldn’t fall asleep on the drive home. Something I can never speak of again. I think one day after the parades and celebration, after all the articles are written, after the debates both for and against us are made, that this win will find its true place in all of sports history.

Happy Birthday Rob!!

So it's a little late, but Happy Birthday, Rob! We sure are grateful to have you in our lives! Thanks for the fun party weekend. We had great food, fantastic company and lot and lots of fun. Here are a couple pics of our "band practice". Happy Birthday, babe!

99 Things...what have you done?

Cut and paste, then highlight what you've done. Thanks Andrea, that was fun!

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset 31. Hit a home run 32. Been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing40. Seen Michelangelo's David 41. Sung karaoke42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone 78. Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone's life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee

What a Beautiful Day for a Parade!!

I can't remember EVER having a Parade for the University of Utah football team. Even when we were undefeated in '04 there wasn't this much celebration going on. Rob took half the day off Friday and we ventured to downtown SLC to watch and cheer on our beloved Utah Football team. We of course had our friends the Mayfields as our cheering companions! There was a sea of red and SO much cheering! What a fun afternoon!

Sea of RED
Marchin' in the Parade

I don't think I need to introduce these guys!

GO BAND!

My Utah MEN!!

Winter Blues

I figured it out! I think I have a little case of the winter blues. Rob came home a little later from work than usual last night and he commented on my weird mood. He didn't comment on the fact that there was no dinner and he had to fend for himself. At least the house was clean and Jack was asleep in bed :). So in catching-up on a couple of my friends blogs one in particular hit a chord. Christmas and New Years are gone, the decorations are put away and all the excitement from new toys has worn off...so we are left with the bleak mid-winter blues! Don't get me wrong, I am still happy and not on the verge of doing anything crazy, but I think this explains my weird mood. Here's my attempt to cure the winter blues-

- working out
- deep cleaning and organizing my house (I know that might sound crazy to some of you, but I feel like if I have control over my house than I have control over my life)
- play-dates with friends (any ladies up for a late-night movie?)
- I'm going to go get some fresh flowers to brighten up my kitchen!
- I NEED a trip to some sun. Josh and Cheryl, I might be coming down to the Sun State sooner than later.

On a side note, where did my sweet little son go? I think we've hit the terrible two's!! I'm most definitely learning patience here. One funny little story last night, as I said Rob wasn't home and Jack and I were just chillin'. Jack looked up and me and asked for "Wii". I was a little stunned, I didn't think he knew that word, then he proceeded to ask for "golf". I then said to him, "Do you want to play the Wii?" He jumped up and down, clapping his hands and saying "Yeah!". What have we done, he's not even two and he's asking to play the Wii....what are we in for?