Ten Years Ago Today

Each day for the past week Zack has been anxiously waiting for his birthday to come. Each day he is disappointed he still has a few more days to wait. Well, ten years ago today at this time I was in a hospital room at Madison Memorial Hospital finding out first hand that those television shows which depict you having a baby shortly after going to the hospital LIED!!!

I had gone to the doctor at 10 a.m. and he broke my water. Well I figured by about 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. this elusive little one would be here. Not only was this baby not here, it was taking its own sweet time. Zack didn't actually arrive until shortly after midnight on the 22nd of July. Man was labor long. Finally around 11:30 p.m. I could not do it anymore. I was so tired and had no energy left and this baby was NOT moving.

Shortly after midnight, our sweet little baby boy came into the world. He really took us by surprise. He was due on July 24th (Pioneer Day). He was also suppose to be a little girl. We had picked the name Kelsie Michele for him. Obviously he didn't look like a Kelsie Michele when he was born. My parents had time enough to drive home, pack, drive to Idaho and wait for about three or four hours before he finally arrived. Also, because of the length and difficulty of the labor he arrived via Cesarean section. Five days later I would end up taking this bundle of blue joy home for the first time. Mom was amazing and stayed with us for a week and then took Zack and I home with her for a month. What would we have done without you? I am so glad we never have to find out.

One tradition my parents started when we were little was that on our birthday they would tell us the story of the day we were born. My kids love this tradition and so they ask every year to tell "their story." Well, Zack, there was so much that was a surprise about you that the entire story is full of twists and turns.

When you were born we didn't have any boy names we really liked. When Dad came to the hospital the next morning he said that he wanted your middle name to be McCoy so everyone would know you are the real McCoy. I loved it. Coming up with a first name was a bit trickier. We go to the Z's before we could agree. Dad liked Zachariah. I said no way but I could do Zachary. When we put Zachary together with McCoy I knew we had a winner.

Weighing in at 8'5" and 14 1/2" long at 12:03 a.m. arrived our first child. What an exciting, overwhelming, terrifying, exhilarating experience!

Now here we are 10 years later and it feels like yesterday that I was able to hold you for the first time. Where did that time go? I swear the only thing I can remember was blinking. It is true that you are growing all to quickly and I know that once I blink again you will be going on a mission and I will cry and miss you terribly. But until that blink occurs, I am so happy to have you in my life. You are my first and I love you with all of my heart. Happy almost birthday sweet bunny.

A Natural Home

As most of you know, we built a passive solar home or in other words, a natural home. We do not have electric bills and love being off of the grid. One drawback is that we cannot have an air conditioner as it will run down too much of our batteries. So, to compensate, we leave our side doors open to let the breeze flow through the house at night. Living in the country affords us the luxury of doing such things...or so I thought.

Last night at about 2:30 a.m. I heard talking and figured Zack was talking in his sleep again. I got up to go check on him. While walking down the hall I flipped on the hall lights. I found Zack standing at the back of the living room wrapped in his blanket. After asking him why he was up he told me that there was something wrong with Jackie. I couldn't see anything wrong but she was obviously agitated by something. I said to her, "what is it Jackie? Get it." She promptly jumped into the planter bed and started running back and forth and you could tell she was excited about something. She ran about half way down the planter bed and started jumping up and down. For the love, it was 2:30 a.m. and I was tired. Listen dog, if there is something outside, go get it. I rolled my eyes in disgust and noted during mid-eye roll.....

Yep, a raccoon had crawled up one of the wooden beams in our house and was "treed" there by our trusty Jack Russell Terrier. She scared the raccoon out and chasted it into the night but not before I was completely and utterly shocked and freaked out by the thought of how to get rid of this unwelcome guest. I am now a firm believer in having our dog around to get rid of these nastly little pests. Zack, on the other hand, is disappointed he didn't trap it so he has set additional food in his trap in hopes of trapping it. Good luck kiddo.

I Laughed Until I Cried

A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Taser for their anniversary submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety....?? WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two AAA batteries, right? There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh and blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries. All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4" in circumference; pretty cute really and (loaded with two itsy, bitsy AAA batteries) thinking to myself, 'no possible way!' What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best...

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as if to say, 'don't do it idiot,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . . HOLY MOTHER OF ALL . . . WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . WHAT THE CRAP!!! I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs.

The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room. Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor.. A three second burst would be considered conservative!! IT HURT LIKE HELL!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and chest were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling. Apparently I pooped on myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I believe came from my hair.

P. S. My wife loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me with it!

I love stories like this. Just proves we are human and have to try everything out even though instructions clearly describe the results!!

Long Break

I have been away from blogging for a couple of weeks. Changes will do that to your life. I have been given new responsibilities at work so that has taken some adjusting to. Thank goodness for Emily's help. She has really stepped up and assisted me in getting my stuff done and feeling not so lonely in my new office.

This past weekend for Father's Day, I put in a small little arboretum type area in front of the house. It has a couple of small rose bushes, two small trees, some shrubs and flowers and it has red beauty bark. This is part of Sharman's "Father's Day" gift. Really it was for me and he was a good sport to put up with me doing this and calling it part of his gift. Saturday evening I took Sharman, Kendon, Zack and Syd to Applebee's for dinner. It was nice to take the family and Kendon out. Kendon's family is in Boise so we had him come since he had been out working with Sharman all day and I knew he would really not want to go home to an empty house and cook for himself.

I have been called to teach the 11 year old girls in Primary. Yes, I know, I know.....I vowed I would never be in Primary, but I really love teaching these girls. They are so smart and really a lot of fun to be around. The only problem is that some of them are getting to be too cool to sing in sharing time. I really am enjoying learning the new Primary songs and love to be with the girls this age. I even get to sit and color on the floor with them when we color in sharing time. The girls were shocked that a teacher would actually sit on the floor and color with them. I had a blast.

On a sadder note, this past week our ward lost Aseneth Snook. Her body finally succumbed to the leukemia it has been desperately trying to fight off. It has been a really hard thing especially for Zack. Senny was just a year younger than him and he took the news pretty hard. His little chin just shook and the big alligator tears trickled down his cheeks as I told him the news. He is such a tenderhearted guy. Wish they all were so tenderhearted.

This Friday Zack will be going to Regional Wresting in Pocatello. He has worked hard and we hope he finds success in the wresting camp he attended prior to this upcoming tournament.

Last week Zack attended a Webelos Day Camp. He had so much fun and made a mini video on our old camera. I really got a good view into his personality when I am not there. He is such a character. He enjoyed the camp immensely and earned a badge for attending.

Syd has been so busy with activities at daycare. Between movies, bowling, swimming, picnics in the park, horseback riding, the zoo, and museums she has been one very busy and tired little girl. Last night she came home from daycare and fell asleep and woke up just in time to put on jams and head to bed. She had no problem falling right back to sleep.

Sharman has been extremely busy with work. Since returning from Owyhee Campground the first weekend in June he has been hopping. Business has been good but very busy. Some nights he makes it home in time to eat, shower and head to bed. He has been from one end of the valley to another with work so not only is he busy with work but he is also spending a lot of time traveling to and from job sites.

Well as you can see, our family has been very busy. Maybe this is why it has been so hard for me to find a minute to sit down and keep you all updated. Regardless, we love you all and think of you often. Now that you know what we have been up to....what are you doing this summer?

Oh yeah, one other thing....I head to Orlando, Florida the 5th of July for about five days of training. Look out Disney World, here I come!!

Office Tour - Part 2

And so we continue with the next segment of our office tour. Hold on folks we aren't done yet...

This is Kristen. She is amazing. She is such a tenderhearted and kind person. She makes sure you know that she cares about you by the little things she does. When she is off track we miss her terribly and count down until she returns. It is wonderful having her back this term.

This is Barbara. She is a former Financial Aid Advisor. Now she is the Student Leadership Advisor. She loves to scrapbook and has a fun sense of humor. She has five children, two step children, and a son in law (and a son in law to be in seven days). She has married an incredible man who loves her dearly. Her children consider her not only their mom but their friend.

This is Dee. She didn't want me to take her picture because she thinks she is having a bad hair day. She is such a delight to work with. Very upbeat fun filled lady. She keeps you on your toes. She was previously a Receptionist and is now the Director's personal Assistant. She gets done for us what we need. She and her husband are headed on vacation to Cancun. Lucky girl.

This is Katrina. She is a returned missionary. I tease her about it all the time. She teases me right back. She says the black skirt I have could totally be a sister missionary skirt. I hit her. We laugh. She is dating Taylor. Unfortunately, he is in Logan going to school so it makes for a long distance relationship, but they make it work. One interesting note on Katrina....she has NEVER been on a snipe hunt. I am so not taking her. My last and only experience was such a traumatic one there is no way I am going again. She has a witty sense of humor and this contagious smile that makes you feel like a friend whenever you are around her.

This is Paige. She is the sister in law of one of our former employees.....Jake Fry. We always talk about our nephew, the Mini Coop. We just found out that Rachel (our sister (ok, her sister) is expecting again. Hurray. Paige is from Washington State (Bremerton Area to be exact). She is quiet when you first meet her but don't get her laughing. She can carry on with the best of us.

This is Jared. He is from Texas. When I first met him I really didn't like him. He didn't look at me. Come to find out he is kind of shy at first. Well here we are six months later and he is one of my friends. In fact, he come over on Monday and I cut his hair. His friend Alan came with him and taught me how to blend. Very cool. Being from Texas he is very proper and answers things with "yes, Mam" and "yes, Sir." Wish my son grows up to be as kind and respectful.

This is Spencer. He is one of our full time employees. Being super thin I call him an Ethiopian. He takes it in good humor. He recently broke his nose playing basketball during lunch hour and had to have surgery on his nose too. He even went to the same doctor who did my surgery. He says he is trying to climb the corporate ladder but honestly he is a pretty decent guy.

I will continue (hopefully the final chapter) the office tour next time. This office is has some pretty good people.

Office Tour - Part 1

You get to hear about the people I work with everyday so I thought I would do some introducing.

This is Jessica. I call her Jess. She just got engaged. She is getting married on August 8 in the Boise, Idaho Temple. She got her freaking huge honking ring this past weekend. She is such a doll and she is amazingly fun to be around.

This is BJ. He is a newlywed. He is really a funny guy. Don't let the glasses fool you. He is so not a nerd. He has an amazing personality and always comes up with really funny things to say. He is so happy all the time. His smile and positive attitude are contagious and you can't help but enjoy being around him.

This is Emily. She is my very best friend. She is classy and fashionable and as you can tell by this photo, extremely photogenic. She and I believe that the world should be a perfectly choreographed musical set to our lives and that people should spontaneously break out in to song and dance on cue.

This is Spencer. He has a very dry sense of humor. He says things with a totally straight face and then shakes his head to agree. Funny, funny guy. He is into country music. In fact, he is currently serving on the country music board here on campus. He NEVER dresses like a cowboy so it is kind of a stretch to think of him country dancing.

This is Jacob. Jacob and his wife Cassie are expecting their first child around the end of the year. He is a bit nervous, but really he will do a great job. He is our office comic. He can think of really fun games to play. The other day he challenged other employees to use a word he had given them somewhere in their conversation with either a caller or student who came in. Some of the words he had were: cupid, puzzle and flamingo. What a riot.

This is Tamar. She is a fashion guru like Emily. She has an amazingly beautiful smile and she, like BJ, has such a positive attitude and constant smile, that you are naturally drawn to her. She is so much fun. I keep telling her we so could not have been friends in high school because she is so pretty and fun. She just smiles and says that isn't true. Man I love this girl.

This is Kelly. She is from England. She and her fiance Jason have been dating for four and a half years. She got engaged this past weekend too. She is getting married in August in the Rexburg Idaho Temple. Her family will come from England for the wedding. Her accent is so fun to listen to. She has such an interesting way of speaking that sometimes I like to just sit back and listen to her talk because I enjoy her accent so much.

We have other students and employees but they are not here right now so I will continue the Tour later after I get them too.

A Warrior? YES!!

I am SO excited. Maybe I am a bit childish, but I can hardly wait. Amy, Courtney, Taylor and I are going to see......

Although I am well into my 30s now, I can still remember listening to the "Saturday's Warrior" tape as a kid and listening to it until we absolutely wore it out. Now we are passing this love for the musical on to another generation. I was so happy to find that Deseret Book had released it on DVD and crossed my fingers in hopes they would also release "My Turn On Earth." My lucky day has come. My nieces have made me proud by memorizing all of the words to the musical as well as the musical itself.

So, the Naces and I are off to see the Flinders remade in Logan the 7th of June. Watch out world....next we will be hitting the pavement in search of the live musical "My Turn On Earth."

And yes...I know there are many people in line to mock me. I am unafraid. Go for it. I will be enjoying the musical and wonderful company and dinner with some of my favorite people.