The Martin Family

Results

2010-06-07T21:16:00.002-06:00

I got my pathology results today. The surgery was a success and they got everything! What a blessing! I can guarantee I will be doing some pretty thorough skin checks from here on out, just to be safe. Thanks for the prayers and words of encouragement. Now I'm looking forward to walking normal again and wearing shoes that are NOT crocs:). It'll be a while!

(Note to my buddy, Jace...thanks for your concern! I promise I'm fine. I can't wait to see you play ball. Keep me updated on how you're doing!!)

Post surgery

2010-06-06T13:38:00.003-06:00

I had surgery on Thursday, June 3rd. We should have final pathology results tomorrow. I owe big thanks to Dr. Sewell and his amazing nurse, Lisa...you guys are awesome! I'm going to be hurting for quite a while...thank goodness for amazing drugs:) My mom watched the surgery and said she quit counting at 50 stitches, so I'm not sure how many are in there. I know quite a few are between my toes, which you can't really see in this picture.

The running stitch at the base of my toes is where Dr. Sewell cut a piece of skin out, flipped it around, and grafted it between my toes to fill the hole he cut out. Pretty amazing stuff!

**As a sidenote, I promise my toes are not usually THIS fat...they are pumped full of Lidocaine.

May was just "one of those months"

2010-06-01T20:04:00.004-06:00

Two weeks ago I decided to paint my toenails, which is something I usually pay someone else to do for me. I think I've only painted them one other time and I realized it takes talent to paint your own toenails and have it actually look good when you're done. So...out of desperation, I decided to do it so I could wear my sandals. Any of you who live here in Idaho know we've only had a few days where it's been warm enough to even attempt sandals.

As I was painting along, I noticed this brown freckle-looking spot between my 3rd and 4th toes on my left foot. My first thought was, "man, that is gross to have dirt stuck between your toes". So, I rubbed and scratched to try and get it off, to no avail. Then, I decided to try and scrape it off with my tweezers...which didn't work either. Being a nurse in a Dermatology office, I knew that dark spots between the toes can sometimes be bad, especially if they are new. As far as I knew, the spot wasn't there when I had my toenails done to go to Florida in January.

Last Monday morning when I got to work, I had our Dermatology P.A. look at it with the dermlite to see what he thought. He recommended a biopsy because it had some irregular features. So, that afternoon he did a punch biopsy between my toes and sutured the site together. Let me tell you that stitches between your toes is not the funnest thing I've ever had. Plus, it was quite painful for a week or so.

On Thursday, I got my pathology report back. What I thought for sure was going to be a mole, actually was Melanoma. I was SHOCKED! I'm so blessed to work in a Dermatology office and know that when I saw the spot, it needed to be checked out! It is usually Melanoma's that aren't noticed that kill people VERY quickly! (I know that had I not decided to paint my toenails that day, it probably would have been too late by the time I found it).

So, this Thursday I get to have surgery on my foot. Dr. Sewell, one of the amazing doctors I work with, is going to cut quite a bit of skin and tissue off of my foot and between my toes. He will then send it off to be read by the Dermatopathologist at EIRMC who will let us know if the Melanoma is in-situ or if it has spread.

I am not looking forward to surgery at all! I know it is going to be very painful and will take quite a while to heal! But, I know I am in the hands of the one of the best surgeons around. I don't know why I've had to face my own mortality on two separate incidents this month, but it's definitely helping remember what is truly most important in life!

I'm posting a picture of my "spot" before it was biopsied so you can all see that sometimes very "innocent" looking spots can be not-so innocent! Melanoma's can appear ANYWHERE on your body...you don't have to have sun exposure to get it, because heaven knows the sun has not hit the skin between my toes.

My advice...take a few minutes and look yourself over, thoroughly for any new or changing spots and get them checked out! It's better to be safe than sorry!!

Tender Mercies

2010-05-10T22:40:00.004-06:00

Last Saturday, May 1st, Rob, Connor, Tyler and I set out for a day of watching Connor play some baseball in Roy, UT. Tyler had just got his driver's permit and we thought this would be a great time for him to get some "highway driving experience". Little did we know the "experience" we would all have that morning. We were just a few miles south of Idaho Falls following a truck pulling a boat when the truck made a sudden turn to the right. Tyler thought the truck must be having some trouble, so he moved into the passing lane on Interstate 15. In the process of moving over, a huge brown object appeared in our path. Tyler swerved to miss what appeared to be a big log and overcorrected. We slid into a milemarker pole and went airborn. The car landed on the rear driver's side before rolling through a fence and into a big field.

I remember vividly knowing we were going to crash. The next thing I knew, I looked up to see people running toward our car. It all seems like a big blur now. Glass was everywhere and the world seemed to be moving in slow motion. I think the sound of Connor screaming is what finally brought me out of it. I looked over to see my precious 8 year old's head stuck between the side airbag and the plastic liner where the airbag deployed. By then, people had reached the car and were asking if we were alright. Rob rushed out of the car to check on Tyler who was very distraught by this time. A man helped me move Connor's head and he was screaming that his right arm hurt. I focused my attention on Connor and tried to soothe and comfort him. At this time I realized that the sweetest woman was talking to and comforting Tyler. This was when the magnitude of what had happened started to sink in.

We had rolled off of I-15 doing 75 mph. and we were all alive! We were surrounded by "angels" who had witnessed the accident and were doing everything they could to ensure we were OK. An off-duty EMT was there within a minute or two. An Army medic was right behind him. They were assessing our injuries, but most of all, I think they were all astounded at the fact we were all alive and talking with them. The police and ambulance were there quite quickly and they helped us all walk to the ambulance. Rob and Tyler had a few scratches and cuts from the glass, but were OK. Connor's right arm was only slightly bruised. I was sitting behind Tyler in the area of the car that we landed on after becoming airborn. I had two huge bumps on the back of my head where I also had a few scrapes, scratches and bald spots from the impact ripping my hair out. I got a pretty severe case of whiplash and a nice sized gash on my left arm. But, all in all, we are very blessed and doing well.

I want to share with you a few of the "tender mercies" that my loving Heavenly Father showed my family and I that day:

1 - As we were sliding and I knew we were going to crash, I had an overwhelming peace come over me. I've heard people talk about their "lives passing before their eyes". Luckily, I didn't experience that. But, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Heavenly Father reached out His loving hand on our little Hyundai as we flipped and rolled. He protected us! He also put a calming spirit on me that I KNEW everything was going to be OK, and it was.

2 - The Idaho State Trooper that responded to our accident was an acquaintance from high school. He was wonderful with my terrified 15 year old son. He helped calm him and reassured him that there was nothing he could have done to prevent what had happened. Tyler really needed comfort at that time. This officer went above and beyond his duty to ensure that we were all OK, even following up with us the next day, just to check in. I know that it was meant for him to be on duty, in that area of I-15 on that particular morning.

3 - Just before we pulled out of the driveway that morning, Tyler insisted we have a word of prayer before traveling. I know he was inspired to lead his family by example. He asked for the Lord's hand to help us travel safely. I will forever be thankful for his strength and faith when I honestly, was in such a hurry to get on the road that I didn't think of it.

4 - I learned very quickly how fast life can change. Things could have turned out so different that morning. Our family could have experienced some tremendous injuries and death in a short instant! Thoughts still plague my mind of how would I ever handle it if something happened to my sweetheart or my children. Would they know that I loved them beyond measure? Would they know I have a strong testimony of the gospel? Had I done everything I could possibly do to prepare them in this life? Needless to say, even though I would never wish this upon anyone, my life changed that day! My family changed that day! We were taught a lesson on how important this life and our eternal family are. We are more focused on what really matters. We are more kind, loving, and understanding of each other. We constantly say "I love you". We have turned our lives to be more centered on the Savior and our preparation to live with Him again. Tender mercies? Miracles? You bet!

5. There are many more, but I have to share one in particular:
We were surrounded by many anonymous angels that morning in the middle of a field on the side of a busy highway. Most of them I will never know or get to thank for their help. But, we were blessed to meet some very special "angels". One of the first cars to stop was a family from Rexburg, who happened to be on their way to watch their 8 year old play baseball in Utah also. The mom was the first person to Tyler that morning. She knew I was hurt and overwhelmed so she stepped into my shoes and mothered my son in a very terrifying time. She talked to him. She comforted him. She held him. And, she loved him. She helped to calm him and made sure he was wrapped in a warm blanket as we waited for help. The dad was there to help Connor. He talked to him about baseball as he comforted him. He helped comfort me. He was the first to notice I was bleeding everywhere and he made sure my arm got bandaged up. These "angels" waited while we were all assessed in the ambulance. I watched them out of the back window of the ambulance and happened to remember their license plate number. They eventually left, and we then realized that Tyler was still wrapped in their blanket.

That night I had my brother (a Rexburg Police Officer) look up their license plate number so I could get their blanket back to them. Aaron went to their home and reassured them we were all OK. The next day we took the blanket and a plate of cookies to their home to thank them for their love and help. This wonderful family welcomed us in their home and we talked about the accident. The parents, Matt and Amy, introduced us to their boys, Jace and Hayden. It was about then that I noticed that Jace was sporting some pretty new growth on his head and his mom informed us that he had been diagnosed with Leukemia and was just starting his maintenance chemotherapy.

I found myself overwhelmed with the fact that what I experienced in just a few short seconds, the fear of losing a member of my family, was a constant fear for Amy. This family had spent the past months fighting cancer in their adorable 8 year old son. My trials and tribulations suddenly became minuscule. I was overwhelmed with gratitude! This dear, sweet family had so lovingly and unselfishly comforted ours. I know this family was placed at our accident to comfort us. We soon discovered that Jace had insisted that Tyler use his blanket that had comforted him through chemo treatments. He didn't even think twice about it. What a special boy! So, we made some pretty great friends that day!

This past weekend we watched Jace score his first run of the season since his diagnosis. I watched his mom cheer with tears flowing down her cheeks and I realized...life is so precious. We have to make every minute count, and most important, we need to recognize the "tender mercies" we are blessed with every day!

(On a side note: my neighbor emailed me last night to tell me she had just read her friends' blog and it talked about us and the accident. It happened to be Amy's blog. I read her post with tear filled eyes. If you get a minute, you really should read it: http://ironmanjace.blogspot.com)

Here are a few pictures of the car:

Is it REALLY that cold?

2009-11-25T08:33:00.002-07:00

I'm updating the blog. Yes, hell has officially frozen over and it's really cold!! I had the delusion that after graduation I would have so much more time to blog...WRONG! But, this week I only had to work two days and now I'm off until next Monday...yay for Holiday weekends:) I planned on sleeping in this morning until my sister Katie called from Florida at 6:45 a.m..."Oh, I thought you'd be getting ready for work..." and an hour and a half later we hung up and I decided I might as well get started on my day. Love ya Kate!! I will get even with her as soon as she has her baby and is up all night:).

Life at the Martin house is flying by! We're always running and trying to catch up. Who would have thought raising four boys would be so chaotic? Here's a short update:

Rob: Job is going great and he's working hard...just completed a huge project at the hospital. Young Men's keeps him busy along with working in the basement and in the yard.

Trish: Loving my new job and work with amazing, fun people who keep me laughing all day long! Two weeks post back surgery and slowly recovering...nice to not be in constant pain...hard to obey Dr's orders of "light" duty:)

Tyler: Finished Cross Country, started daily workouts w/the wrestling team, so excited for snowboarding and getting his braces off.

Tristan: Glad the trimester is over, had some "horrible" teachers (got to love that!), excited for snowboarding to start, loving his Art class at school.

Kaden: Got new glasses, now a Webelo, still loves playing the Wii and his GameBoy, so excited to see Aunt Cathy, Aunt Bonnie, Grandma and Grandpa Martin, Uncle Steve, Aunt Katie, Boston, Charlie, and new baby Lyla when we go to Florida in January.

Connor: Made the area club baseball team, started indoor (year-round) baseball practices and is excited to travel with the team starting in March, excited to try snowboarding this winter.

We are all excited for Thanksgiving dinner at Grandmas and putting up the Christmas decorations this weekend.

I'd like to say I'll do better with the blogging...not making any promises!!

Grandma & Grandpa's 60th Wedding Anniversary

2009-08-16T21:55:00.004-06:00

The last weekend in July we spent the day in Ashton celebrating my Grandparent's 60th Wedding Anniversary. It was great to see cousins that I haven't visited with in years! My Grandparents have built a new home on the Ashton Reservoir and it is so nice and relaxing there. The view is amazing of the Teton Range. I'm so blessed to still have my Grandparents here and that my children are getting to know their Great-Grandparents. I look up to them and their example of 60 years of marriage! Way to go Norman and Carol:)

Tristan and Aly playing on the same swingset I played on as a little girl with my Grandpa. It's really, really OLD:)

Grandma Park talking with Annie

My Uncle Charles is always great at entertaining the kids. This year he brought up a rocket that they shot off numerous times. My boys love Uncle Charles so much...he is always taking them on adventures and carving walking sticks while hiking with them.

Getting the rocket ready to launch!

Florida Vacation

2009-08-16T21:25:00.006-06:00

Rob and I celebrated our 17th Wedding Anniversary with a trip to Florida. Rob had a conference for work, and I basically slept and relaxed for 10 days. It was great! We spent lots of time in the sun and playing in the pool and ocean. Plus, it was nice to get away just the two of us. Thanks Mom for watching the boys for us!!

We flew into Orlando and went to the Orlando Temple on our first day. The temple and grounds are absolutely beautiful there.

We had lunch at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. The food was great, but the atmosphere was so much fun. We watched the indoor volcano erupt and loved watching the trained parrot.

We spent two days at Universal Studios Orlando. Of course, the entire time we were thinking, "Man, the boys would love this..." but, we had a great time. Here we are with Shrek. Notice the ponchos...it rained EVERY day! Not just normal rain, but flooding rain. So, we spent a lot of time in our ponchos with soaking shoes.

The Jaws ride was pretty entertaining. Here is Rob up close and personal with the "big guy" himself.

This was probably the funnest ride of the entire park. It's a huge roller coaster that ends with an amazingly long drop right into the water. I loved it! Too bad the line was about an hour long to ride it or we would have done it a few more times. We also spent an evening at Downtown Disney where we ate dinner at Gloria Estefan's Latin restaurant "Bongos" (sooo yummy!) and also toured the travelling Princess Diana display. It was awesome to see so many of her treasures and beautiful gowns. I learned so much about her and her life. This was probably one of the highlights of the trip for me. If you ever get a chance to see it, DO!

This is my amazing sis-in-law Cathy! After spending five days in Orlando we drove down to Ft. Lauderdale to visit family. We spent a day in the Florida Keys snorkeling with Cathy. What a blast! I have some really awesome pictures of the snorkeling that I will post later! I am so lucky to have awesome sisters-in-law! Cathy always makes me laugh and she is one of the most kind, giving people I know. Thanks for the great times Cath!

On our way out to the reef to snorkel, we passed numerous multi-million dollar homes on the beach. Some day when I grow up I want to live in one:)

After snorkeling we had lunch at an amazing seaside restaurant. The food was delish and the view was awesome!

Here are my sisters-in-law Bonnie and Cathy. We stayed at their house while in Coral Springs. They have a beautiful home and a pool! The beautiful woman in the center is Rob's mom Micky. It was great to visit with family.

Here is my bro-in-law Stephen, my father-in-law Len and Rob.

We spent our last day in Ft. Lauderdale at the beach with my sister Katie and her two boys Boston and Charlie. Boston and Rob had a blast swimming in the ocean.

Katie, Boston and Charlie at the beach.

We are planning on taking the boys to Florida in January or February to visit! I can hardly wait to be back at the beach enjoying the sun!

Rob with his wonderful parents!

4th of July

2009-08-16T21:04:00.007-06:00

Our 4th of July festivities started out with the traditional parade in Menan. There's nothing like small, hometown parades with John Deere tractors, chocolate milk, and lots of horses. After the parade we headed to Idaho Falls for the "biggest firework display this side of the Mississippi". We set up "camp" at Freeman Park and grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner. The fireworks were amazing (as always). The 4th of July in Idaho is probably one of my most favorite days of the year.

Anxiously awaiting the parade

Josh, Jill, and Katie waiting for the fireworks to start at Freeman Park in Idaho Falls.

Tyler playing the saxophone in the Menan parade. He is the fourth one in. We were on the wrong side of the road to get a really great picture.

Tyler playing frisbee with Connor while waiting for the fireworks to start.

Playing frisbee

Tristan and Kaden beating the crap out of each other with their "light sabers".

Baby Kole (Steve & Erin's)

Steve and Josh sharing their vast knowledge of "nothing" with Tyler.

Addie discovered the yummy deliciousness of Oreos:)

It's always a Riot

2009-08-16T20:46:00.006-06:00

Another Smith Family Reunion activity was spending an evening at The Riot Zone.

Connor and Rob had a blast at the mini-golf range. Rob will never admit it, but I think Connor pretty much whooped on him:)

Look at those skills!

Racing go-carts has become an annual ritual at the reunion. The poor Riot Zone employees just cringe when they see the whole bunch of us coming. If any of you know my brothers, all rules are obsolete when it comes to seeing who will win. Here is Jill getting in on the fun.

Stephen learned to drive in Canada, so he just likes to think he's pretty cool while losing the majority of the time.

Tyler has participated the last few summers in the race. I just pray he survives once they get out on the track.

Here's Jared coming up on Josh. I think Jared cheats because he tends to win a lot of the time. Of course, he does drive in Utah, which gives him extra experience points.

I think Mark is blaming his loss on the heavy duty Mountain Dew he drank prior to the race, obviously impairing his racing ability.

This picture pretty much shows the intensity of the race from start to finish.

Abbie and Bryan sliding on the inflatable toys. Bryan absolutely loved this slide. He would giggle all the way up and laugh hysterically as he came down. He is so cute!

Tristan and Kaden on the inflatables!

Smith Reunion

2009-08-16T20:31:00.006-06:00

The annual Smith Family Reunion was held the last weekend of June here in Idaho. It was so fun to have all of my siblings and their families here. The entire weekend was a blast and my mom put so much work into making it a success. Thanks mom!

Each family had matching shirts. My mom set up an "Amazing Race" game. We went for a hike at Cress Creek and had to find random nature items and photograph them. We would score extra points if one of our "team" was in the picture. Here are Rob and the boys pointing out a wildflower. Every shot of Connor that day has him rubbing his stomach. He was lucky enough to get the stomach flu which rapidly passed from cousin to cousin, making the weekend "really" enjoyable. But, despite the vomitting and stomach aches, we still had a blast.

Here we are sitting on a bridge at the beginning of the hike. I am so blessed to have such an awesome husband and wonderful boys.

Here are all the Smith cousins. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get them all to smile and look at the camera so, this is as good as it gets.

My kids (red) Tyler, Tristan, Kaden, Connor

Jared's kids (light blue) Abbie and Bryan

Aaron's kids (green) Aly, Annie, Wade, Wyatt

Mark's kid (pink shorts) Tennyson

Steve's kids (white w/blue sleeves) Kurtis, Kylee, Kole

Katie's kids (yellow) Boston and Charlie

Jill's kid (in Tristan's arms) Addison

My kids are so lucky to have such awesome cousins. They all get along and can play for hours on end together. I love watching them!

Take me out to the ballgame

2009-08-16T20:23:00.006-06:00

The majority of our summer has also been spent watching the boys play sports. Connor and Tyler have played baseball and Tristan has played AYSO soccer. I'm such a wonderful mother that I only remembered the camera for one of the gazillion games we cheered on all summer! So, here are a few of our little stud baseball man, Connor.

Connor is a natural baseball player. He absolutely loves to play and really is good. He's already being recruited to play on a travel team next summer and he's only 8 years old. I'm sure there will be plenty more baseball games to cheer through for him:)

While most kids his age were happy to just hit the ball, Connor was hitting homeruns clear out in the field. He always slides into home too, whether he needs to or not. What a character!

He is just so darn cute!

Sweet Summertime!

2009-08-16T20:10:00.003-06:00

It may appear as though I have fallen off the edge of the Earth, but I'm so busy being a full-time nurse, mom, and wife, that I don't have a lot of free time to blog. I will try to catch up though. This summer has been very busy and fun for our family. We started the season off by spending Memorial Day at Heise freezing our butts off. They had just filled the outdoor pool and the water was a whoppin' 50 degrees. We had a great time though.

Tristan
Tyler

Connor

Kaden

Good for a Laugh:)

2009-08-15T20:33:00.000-06:00

A friend shared this email with me and I thought it was hilarious (slightly offensive, but still hilarious)!

Points to Ponder:

1 - More often than not, when somenone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

2 - Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong!

3 - I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

4 - Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

5 - I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

6 - The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

7 - Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out! Today's kids are soft...

8 - There is a great need for a sarcasm font!

9 - Sometimes I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had not idea what the heck was going on when I first watched it.

10 - I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people...I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

11 - The other night I hit a new low at an open bar. I had already hopped on highway blackout when, inevitably I had to find a bathroom. Eventually I decided it was probably on the other side of the bar so I tried to walk over there, but ran into a guy coming the other way... We played that, both go left, both go right game to no avail. So I finally put out my hand to guide myself past and that's when I realized, yup, that's a mirror I just tried to walk through, and the guy on the other side is me!

12 - How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

13 - I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take two trips to bring my groceries in.

14 - I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

15 - The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

16 - Was learning cursive really necessary?

17 - LOL has gone from meaning "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing to say".

18 - I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19 - Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

20 - Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

21 - How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod your head and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

22 - I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front!

23 - Everytime I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss' last name to an attorney and said, "Yes that's G as in ...(10 second lapse)...ummmmm...Goonies."

24 - What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

25 - While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart!

26 - MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood!

27 - Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

28 - I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

29 - Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

30 - I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

31 - Bad decisions make good stories.

32 - Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

33 - If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspting would probably just be completely invisible.

34 - Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem...

35 - You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you make up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

36 - Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

37 - There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far!

38 - I'm always a slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

39 - "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this...EVER!

40 - I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much peer pressure. "I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?"

41 - While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I'm not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

42 - I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dangit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away!

43 - I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste!

44 - When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

45 - I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

46 - Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles.

47 - As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

48 - Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

49 - It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

50 - I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

51 - I think that if, years down the road when I'm trying to have a kid, I find out that I'm sterile, most of my disappoinment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

52 - Even if I knew your Social Security number, I wouldn't know what to do with it.

53 - Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket and pinning the tail on the donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

54 - It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

55 - I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

56 - I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet that on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than with Kay.

57 - The other night I ordered take-out, and when I looked in the bag, I saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fatty right before dinner.

I Gone Done Graduated!

2009-05-24T21:28:00.005-06:00

Yes, I did it! I graduated from Nursing School three weeks ago. Sorry it's taken so long to finally post some pictures. I'm just waiting for my temporary license to get here (hopefully in the next few days) and then I can begin training on the Med/Surg floor and in the Emergency Room at Bingham Memorial. I will hopefully take Boards in the next two weeks.

I've found that the last few weeks have been bitter-sweet. I'm bored, and I really miss my friends from school. I never would have guessed it would be like this. But, I'm working as much as I can, studying for Boards, and reading books that are NOT textbooks...yae! I'm also taking a 3 credit Critical Reading and Writing class this semester. Yes, I'm continuing on with my education! I really have a strong desire to get my Bachelors and then my Masters. We'll see how my sanity holds up. But, the ultimate dream is to finish my Masters and practice as a Nurse Practitioner.

This is Rachel, Pam, Tammy, and Crystal. They were my sounding board, my shoulders to cry on, and my constant entertainment throughout school! Amazing women!!!
Pam, Tammy and I.

The reason I did it...my boys! I'll admit it was pretty exciting to share that evening with them. They were all so proud and kept telling everyone that their mom graduated from college. I'm hoping they will gain a knowledge that college is really important.

Josh, Jill, Addie, Me, Mom, Tristan, Tyler, Kaden, Dad, Rob, and Connor

This is me right after the "pinning" ceremony.

A special thanks to all of you who have supported me throughout this endeavor! This is only the beginning, but I couldn't have done it without you.

Brain Overload

2009-04-15T19:15:00.004-06:00

Easter proved to be a nice, relaxing day spent with family at my mom and dad's house. The kids, of course, were on a sugar high that started about 7:00 a.m. All the way through Sacrament Meeting they were complaining of upset stomachs and like any other good mom out there, I told them to buck up and they deserved to be sick for eating candy for breakfast:).

Later that night Connor found my Maternity text book and started looking at pictures, something I think he will regret as long as he lives! But, he wanted me to tell him about all the pictures. They started out pretty mellow with simple drawings of fetal development...and then came the pictures of live deliveries. I've always been one who feels it's best to just be up front with kids, so I didn't hold anything back from Connor. It was like a really bad trainwreck. I know he wanted to put the book down and leave the room, but his curiosity got the best of him. So, after 750 pages of pictures (I am NOT kidding!) and lots of "that's sick", "are you serious, Mom?", and "that's just wrong in sooo many ways" from Connor, I leave the room and come back in just a minute to find this.....

I don't know if it was from a serious sugar level drop or if he was just plain overwhelmed by the whole, "so this is how I got out of my Mom" concept.

Thank Goodness for Equal Opportunity Employment

2009-03-22T16:12:00.003-06:00

For Connor's birthday, he informs me he wants an ice cream cake. So, a few days prior to the big event, I go to the local ice cream store to place my order. To protect the identity of the store, let me just say, it's initials are DQ. On Saturday, an hour before the party, Rob goes into DQ to pick up the cake. The girl at the counter tells him they "messed up a little" on the cake and gives him a coupon for a free mini ice cream sundae. Rob brings the cake home and tells me what happened. I was a little fearful of what the cake looked like, so I opened the box. Now, I hadn't asked for anything extravagent, just a baseball overlay and the simple words, "Happy Birthday Connor". So, I open the box to find a cake with about 1/2 to 2/3 of a baseball overlay. I don't know what happened to the other 1/2 to 1/3, but it obviously didn't make it on the cake. And then, I notice the wording is barely legible and situated on the cake completely crooked. So, you could either look at the cake and see the sloppy overlay, or you could turn it about 180 degrees and read the Happy Birthday Connor. Needless to say, I was mad!

As you well know, ice cream cakes are not cheap, and this cake was so horrible, it was almost funny. Tyler said there was no way anyone who was sober could have done this. Plus, the piddly free mini sundae was pretty much a slap in the face. Any of you that know me, know that I am not much of a complainer. I'll usually just make do and not say anything. But, this was an exception and the "not so nice" Trish came out swingin'! I called the DQ manager and explained that I wasn't happy with the cake and I had a house full of people coming over in 45 minutes for a party. She quite rudely said, "Well, what do you want me to do about it." to which I replied..."Um...decorate a new one and I'll be there in 40 minutes to pick it up". She agreed and hung up.

I really wish I would have taken a picture of that first cake...So, I show up at the local DQ to pick up my cake. I was then informed that they didn't have anymore baseball decorations, so they just wrote Happy Birthday Connor on it. I was fine with that. Then, the manager pulls the cake out of the freezer and it has Connor's name spelled as ConnEr. I proceed to tell her it's spelled wrong and her response is, "Are you sure?" I'll be honest. As I stared at her in disbelief, I was thinking to myself..."of course I'm sure, you moron...I gave birth to him and I'm pretty sure that when I wrote his name on his birth certificate it was spelled ConnOr. But, I calmly replied that, "yes...I'm sure". She acted quite put out to have to wipe the E off and replace it with an O. She then puts the cake in front of me and says, "well, is that OK?" Here is a picture of the cake...

I then inform her that Birthday is misspelled. And then, this is what I hear..."well, do you want me to change that too? (Not said very politely, mind you) To which I say, "you know what, just give me the cake!" I honestly couldn't tell you which of the two cakes was worse!

At this point, I am beyond frustrated with the whole thing!! But, because of my obvious disappointment, she begrudgingly gives me a gift certificate for a free ice cream cake. I have vowed to NEVER order an ice cream cake from this particular store again!

We ended up having a pretty good laugh over the whole thing as we sang "Happy Bithday" to Connor:) So, here's to you, Equal Employment Opportunity...for keeping so many of the "not so bright" employed!

Happy 7th Birthday, Connor!

2009-03-22T15:55:00.006-06:00

Connor celebrated his 7th birthday on Saturday, the 21st. It's a great day to have a birthday, so his cousin Kylee decided to be born on the same day. He loves sharing his special day with Ky. This year we had a big family birthday party with pizza for lunch and then presents and cake and ice cream. (There will be a future blog about the ice cream cake...ugh) Anyway, Kylee got lots of girly stuff, and was so excited about her princess dress up kit from Grandma and Grandpa. Connor wanted all baseball stuff for his birthday. Here are a few pictures of him opening his gifts.

Grandma Smith found this shirt for him a few weeks ago. Aly and Annie helped her pick it out because it reminded them of Connor:)

New baseball cleats were a must!

He was so stoked to have a bag to carry all of his baseball equipment in. He is really talented at baseball. The 8 year old travel team tried to recruit him this year. They were really disappointed to find out he's only 7. But, next year, he'll definitely be playing with them!

This picture is "classic Connor". He is always making us laugh! We are so blessed to have him in our family. We love you, bud!

My Redneck Hubby

2009-03-22T15:43:00.003-06:00

My dad has converted pretty much every one of his sons and sons-in-law to the "sport" of NASCAR. They are addicted. In fact, last year during General Conference, the local TV station broadcast the afternoon session of Conference right during the race. So, my dad and the boys all congregated to the car and listened to the race on the radio. It was hilarious! Of course, they'll all deny it to this day:) For the last two years, the boys make it tradition to go to the race in Las Vegas. This year only Jared, Rob, and my dad were able to go. But, the weekend before, Jared got called into the High Council in his Stake and had to miss the race to be sustained in Stake Conference. He will forever get grief from the "boys" for having such a "lame" excuse for missing the race:). So, my dad and Rob converged on the "City of Sin" for a weekend of NASCAR. They had a great time...except for when dad had to smack Rob to keep him from snoring all night:) Here are a few pictures of the race. The weather was beautiful and they both came home with a sunburn.

One Less Thing on my "Bucket List"

2009-03-22T15:11:00.004-06:00

Rascal Flatts is my absolute favorite band ever. I've wanted to see them in concert for years. A few months ago I heard they were coming to Salt Lake so my mom, my sisters, my sisters-in-law and my brother all got tickets. When we arrived at the Energy Solutions Center, our tickets were in the nosebleed section...seriously, you could have touched the ceiling from our chairs. But, when Aaron and Kara got there, their usher convinced Aaron to go tell the "boss" of the ushers that she was beatiful and see if he could get better seats. So, Aaron tried it out and yes, got us better seats! I say better because we were in the front row...YES the front row...standing at the stage. I've never been so happy to have my brother hit on another woman (not that he does it often, Kara:). So, needless to say, it was AWESOME!! In fact, we were so close that most of my pictures didn't turn out...Bummer! But, I got some great video, and amazing pictures. The opening act was Jessica Simpson and she was horrible. I apologize to any of her fans in advance, but she really was awful! She forgot words to her own songs, and didn't interact with the audience at all. You couldn't pay me enough to see her perform again. But, then Rascal Flatts came out and the party started!! I actually had to back up to get this one. Besides being hot...they can play some pretty amazing music:)

Yep...within touching distance! Most of all of us shook hands with them!

This is how they made their entrance...singing and coming from the ceiling of the Energy Solutions Center.

Here we are...a bunch of Rascal Flatt groupies:) This is before the concert at Jared and Mary's house in Smithfield, UT. I am so blessed to have awesome sisters (and brother) and a "way cool" mom to have fun with. Thanks Erin, Mom, Jill, Mary, Katie, Aaron and Kara for one of the most memorable nights of my life. Especially, a big thanks to Aaron for going out on a limb for all of us and getting the wonderful seats! I'll never forget it!!

A slow, painful death

2009-02-21T20:58:00.002-07:00

Today I noticed my dear friend Lyle had posted a "dead blog" alert here for me. Tonight I got on and all of my posts are missing...coincidence?? Maybe my blog was dying such a slow, gruesome, smelly death that even the people at blogspot felt bad for it and put it out of its' misery. Either way, hopefully by posting a new post, the old ones will want to come back. I apologize to all who witnessed the sad event.

Now, just a quick update! School is kicking my butt...thus the lack of blog postings. I'm beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Rob is staying really busy with work and being YM President in our ward. He, Tristan, and Connor went on a campout last night and slept in snow caves...so, Rob's a little grumpy today:) He loves working with the boys though. Tyler and Tristan are getting as much snowboard time in as possible before it starts to get warm and the snow melts. Kaden is spending as much time as I'll allow playing the Wii and the PS2. Connor has already started indoor training for baseball. He is really a great player and has already been recruited to play on the 8 year old travel team next year. My sister Katie is here from Florida for the week and all of the "girls" are heading to Salt Lake on Thursday to see Rascal Flatts in concert and the "boys" leave Friday for NASCAR in Vegas.

I know this is short, but...I have two huge tests to study for on Monday. I will make a better effort of keeping the blog alive.

Thanks Kara!!!

2009-01-10T20:59:00.003-07:00

So my brother Aaron married a really cheap girl...Kara. I don't feel bad calling her cheap..trust me she'll take it as a compliment:) She is an amazing "couponer" and if there is a deal to be found, Kara will find it! I'm so proud of how much money she is able to save on groceries and in the mean-time is building up an awesome food storage! Here's my last "cheap" experience, compliments of Kara. Albertson's was having a great deal on Proctor & Gamble products. So, with her help I was able to get all of this (see picture above). The original price was $253.74 and I only paid $107.03...that's a savings of $146.71. Not bad!!! So, I won't be buying laundry soap or dish soap (and numerous other items) for quite some time! Thanks Kara! I'm glad you're such a tightwad and you're willing to share your wisdom:)

Good Friends and Lunch at Rupe's

2009-01-10T20:50:00.003-07:00

This is my amazing friend Nancy! We were room mates at Utah State in Logan. We have been through so much together. We lived in Ogden at the same time and so we spent a lot of time together when our kids were little. After we moved to Idaho she and I lost contact with each other. Nancy's family lives in Blackfoot so right before Christmas they came up and we met at Rupe's (a diner in Blackfoot) for lunch! What a blast! It was so great to see her and her hubby Doc. They have the most adorable family and it felt like we hadn't lost contact at all! I'm so thankful for friends who are there through thick and thin and always love and support you no matter what! Nance, thanks! I promise it won't be so long next time:)

Here's our rowdy children...Nick, William, Olivia, Emma, Tyler, Tristan, Kaden, and Connor!

Dinner with the "whole fam damily"

2009-01-10T20:27:00.006-07:00

On December 27th my parents celebrated their wedding anniversary by taking all of us to dinner...aren't they so nice? So, we all went to my Dad's favorite restaurant "Plum Loco" in Idaho Falls. For any of you IF natives, it's the old MiCasa Restaurant. I can still remember my Dad taking me on a date there when I was about 10 years old. He introduced me to their 3-way Chimichanga and I've been hooked since. I'm sure they have lots of other great food on their menu, but I love the 3-way so much that I haven't ever tried anything else. They have amazing chips and salsa too....and deep fried veggies!

My brother Jared decided to make out with the big ugly fish on our way out the door. I wish you could see the fish better. It was totally sucking all the slime off the tank wall so it looked like he and Jared we're swapping some major spit.

Here's my sister-in-law Mary (Jared's wife), my brother Jared, and my sister Katie. Jared and Mary were here from Smithfield, UT and Katie lives in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We were discussing the fact that since we were all sharing the flu that week, that this food would probably be pretty gross when it came back out:)

Here's my sister Jill with her husband Josh and their baby Addison (Addie). They are the cutest parents and it's fun to watch them with Addie. They live in Powell, WY.

Here's Stephen and Katie from Ft. Lauderdale. Stephen is in Dental School and we can hardly wait for him to get done so he can work on our teeth for free (hint...hint...Steve!!)

This picture didn't turn out so hot, but this is my brother Aaron and his wife Kara. Aaron was so sick with the flu, but I'd be lying if I said that's why he looks so grouchy. He just always looks like that:) Aaron and Kara live in the thriving metropolis of Menan, ID. Maybe that explains the grumpiness too:) Just kidding!!!

This is my goofy brother Mark, his wife Melanie and their daughter Tennyson. I'm a little prejudiced, but Tennyson is the absolute cutest thing ever! She has a smile that will light up the entire room. They live in Minneapolis, MN so we don't get to see them very often! Miss you guys!!

Here's the guests of honor...my mom will kill me when I say that I took their picture over and over and each time her eyes were closed. She always does that in pictures:) So, she may look a little surprised, but she's really just trying to keep her eyes open! Love ya Mom!!

Steven and Erin weren't able to come and we missed them a ton! Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun night out and for staying married through all the ups and downs of raising 7 crazy kids!

Belated Birthdays

2009-01-10T19:59:00.005-07:00

As most of you know, we are "blessed" to have two birthdays the week of Christmas. Tristan's is on the 21st and Tyler's is on the 24th. That's what happens when you have a Christmas Eve baby and vow you will NEVER have a December baby again...that's right #2 comes along exactly two years later and is due on New Year's Eve. Tristan was a cooperative baby though and decided to come a little early so his mom could enjoy Christmas that year. Thank you Tristan!!

Tyler kind of gets screwed every year because Christmas Eve is so crazy and so I feel like we're always rushing him to open gifts so we can get everything else done. This year he opened his gifts at Grandma and Grandpa's with all the cousins, aunts, and uncles. Right after we all opened our traditional Christmas Eve PJ's. Tyler got new jeans and shirts from American Eagle and AE Cologne (thank goodness Aunt Katie works at AE and can get a discount!!) Tyler got ordained a Teacher on December 28th. We are so proud of him. He also received his Deacon Duty to God certificate.

Tristan is really into Bakugan so for his birthday he got lots of Bakugan balls, trading cards, and a launcher. He was ordained a Deacon on December 28th and it was so neat to watch him pass the Sacrament for the first time.

The kids get big birthday parties when they turn 8, 12, and 16. This year Tristan invited nine 12 year old boys over for a party and sleep over. They had a blast! It reminded me of why they only get parties like that every four years:) He got lots of fun presents from his friends. Here he is blowing out candles on his Batman cake.

Tristan's friend Zach got him a Nerf dart gun. It ended up being the hit of the party. I keep finding Nerf darts everywhere! I made a note to myself to remember when it's Zach's birthday to reciprocate something just as "fun" (imagine this is laced in sarcasm!!)

Better Late Than Never??

2009-01-10T19:22:00.005-07:00

Many of you have already viewed our "Christmas Recap" on smithplanet.com. Yes, we were all plagued with the flu throughout the entire week of Christmas. Connor was the lucky one to be throwing up on Christmas Day. We were blessed to have Stephen, Katie, Boston, and Charlie with us on Christmas Morning. Boston and Charlie were so fun to watch open their presents. It brought back lots of memories of when my boys were younger. Tristan (pictured above) was thrilled with the Star Wars toy that Connor bought for him.

Here's my brood with the family game we got, "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader/Disney".

Connor got a Power Ranger helmet that he can download "missions" from the Internet and view them through his helmet. He has had a ton of fun with this...I try not to be annoyed with the various noises that come out of it.

Kaden wanted all Ben 10 items this year...Santa was able to find everything he wanted except for a Ben 10 Alien Creation Chamber. Who would have thought that would be the impossible gift to get for Christmas. Santa did find some on E-Bay for more than double the price he'd pay in the store. Santa figured Kaden could deal with it.

It's Christmas tradition to come to mom and dad's room on Christmas Morning and then line up youngest to oldest to walk into the Living Room to see if Santa made it. Here is Boston, Connor, Kaden, Tristan, and Tyler anxious to see if there is anything for them.

Tyler was pretty spoiled with snowboarding gear and a season pass to Kelly Canyon Ski Resort so Santa didn't bring him a whole lot on Christmas Morning. He was pretty stoked about this movie though.

All in all we had a wonderful holiday. We spent lots of time with family. The entire Smith clan was here so we spent much of the time at Grandma and Grandpa's playing games, visiting, and eating.

Christmas Recap

2008-12-29T09:56:00.001-07:00

For a quick review of our Christmas go to http://www.smithplanet.com . It was a BLAST!

This is for you, Pam!

2008-12-16T20:57:00.002-07:00

I am: Trisha
I think: I will regret not going to bed earlier when I have to get up at 4:00 a.m.
I know: that I am blessed beyond what I will ever deserve
I want: to sit and watch a good chick flick while in my PJ's on the couch, with no interruptions
I have: four awesome boys who always make me proud to be their mom
I dislike: cleaning the bathrooms (especially around the toilet in the boys' bathroom)
I miss: my family that lives out of town; my buddies from nursing school
I fear: anything bad happening to my hubby or kids; making a nursing mistake...
I feel: excited for Christmas to be here and to have all of my family together
I hear: the furnace running....man, it's cold outside!!
I smell: my Bath & Body Works Wallflower...."winter" my fave new scent
I crave: sushi, my moms homemade rolls, Rob's chicken carbonara
I cry: rarely...it takes quite a bit to get a tear out of this old hag!!
I search: for my hospital badge tonight...can't find it anywhere...maybe I'll call in sick:)
I wonder: what the afterlife will be like...
I regret: not getting more school done when I had the chance
I wish: I was all done with my schooling and making good money
I love: my life!!
I care: about pretty much everyone
I always: have to have my house clean...freaky, huh!!
I worry: when I need to
I am not: perfect
I remember: weird stuff...phone numbers and birthdates from years ago
I believe: I am a daughter of God
I sing: horribly...just ask Rob
I don't: shovel walks or mow the lawn now that I have four boys:)
I argue: when I need to...not too often though!
I write: lots of notes at school...
I win: ward Christmas Party baking contests...THAT'S IT!!
I choose to participate in: as much as I can...I love to be involved
I lose: my mind often...and my badge...man, where did I leave that thing???!!!
I listen: well....I'm told
I don't understand: patients who come to the ER with the silliest issues
I can usually be found: school, studying, on the computer, cleaning, doing laundry....
I need: a good night sleep, breakfast in bed, long hot bath, good book, nap......
I forget: A LOT...I'm hoping it's not age! (Where is that dang badge!!???)
I am happy: when I am with family and friends, or in bed asleep

I tag: Erin, Jill, Katie, Kara, Mary...tell Jared to let you post for once, Melanie

Family Pictures

2008-12-12T19:29:00.007-07:00

We had our family pictures taken a few weeks ago. We had a blast and the photographer was awesome. Here are just a few of the pictures. A big thanks goes out to Tyra of Moments by Tyra Photography in Rigby. She did a great job and I highly recommend her to any of you that live in the area. You can view her work at http://www.momentsbytyra.blogspot.com.

Nieces and Nephews

2008-12-09T21:51:00.004-07:00

I am thankful today for Abbie, Bryan, Alyson, Annie, Wyatt, Wade, Tennyson, Kurtis, Kylee, Baby "Max", Boston, Charlie, and Addison!

I can honestly say, without any prejudice, that I have the cutest, funniest, and smartest nieces and nephews in the entire world! Kind of surprising considering they are all genetically linked to my brothers and sisters;). When my kids were younger and all I ever heard from my brothers and sisters was, "shut that kid up", "he stinks, change that kid", "when I have kids they will NEVER act like that", etc... I couldn't wait for the day when they reproduced and could experience parenthood for themselves. Now, I can sit back and laugh as their kids drive them absolutely nuts! The main reason I love them so much is that they always make me laugh. Wade (Aaron and Kara's youngest) will repeat absolutely everything you tell him to...much to his mother's dismay. But, it's pretty hilarious to listen to some of the off-color things he says when provoked. I, of course, never provoke. Bryan (Jared and Mary's youngest) will make each of you laugh if you log on to smithplanet.com and watch the video of him doing the Hamster Dance. I've watched it over and over this week just to get a laugh. Boston (Katie and Stephen's oldest) sat on Santa's lap last week at the ward Christmas Party and told Santa that all he wanted for Christmas is snow. No toys. No games. Just snow. The tricky part is that they live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. So, we are all praying that the snow stays on the ground so Boston can play in it after he gets here on the 18th. Addison (Jill and Josh's baby) just made my night after Jill sent me a video message on my phone of her "talking" and laughing...she's only two months old. I can never get tired of baby giggles.

I could go on and on about these very special people in my life and tell you story after story about them, but... All I can say is that there's never a dull moment when they are around. Each one has his/her own little personality that I love and I'll never tire of their hugs and kisses.

Family Time

2008-12-08T22:47:00.004-07:00

Last night for Family Home Evening we took the boys to Pizza Hut to cash in on their Book-It coupons. After dinner we drove around Idaho Falls and looked at Christmas lights. We do this every December and have so much fun together. Here are a few pictures:

Ya, so???

2008-12-08T13:16:00.005-07:00

OK, so I didn't get around to posting yesterday....I have my priorities straight - I got home from work just in time to park my butt right in front of the TV and watch Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. This is something I haven't been able to do in months! So, I have my quota of trashy TV in for the week and I feel much better now:). So, I guess I'm thankful for the small moments of down time that I don't get very often!

My Bed

2008-12-06T22:07:00.002-07:00

After my 12 hour ER shift turned into a 15 hour shift, I'm thankful for my comfy bed which I will spend the next 6 1/2 hours in before I get up and do it all over again!

Christmas Parties

2008-12-05T21:53:00.003-07:00

Today I'm thankful for Christmas parties. Yesterday the kids and I went to Bingham Memorial's Kid's Christmas Party. We watched the movie Bolt and ate yummy treats. Afterward, Santa brought the kids some pretty awesome presents.

Tonight we've been at our Christmas Party at church. The food was great and the play, performed by other church members, really put me in the mood for Christmas. The play helped remind me about the real reason for celebration at this time of year. It's not the hustle and bustle, it's the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

So, as I get ready for bed (I have to be up at 4:30 a.m. to work a 12 hour shift in the ER...ugh!!) I am truly thankful for people who dedicate their time, talents, and spirit to events like these that help the rest of us enjoy our holidays!

The Birthplace of Television

2008-12-04T13:27:00.007-07:00

I've decided to give a purpose to my goal of posting something every day. Some of my friends have been blogging about things they are thankful for. So, I present my own "thankful journal". This first post is entitled "The Birthplace of Television", which most of you know is my hometown of Rigby, Idaho, and I'm dang thankful for this small, podunk, town I call home. Many of the "natives" are probably thinking, "what the...", but having lived away from here for about 10 years, I couldn't be happier to raise my boys in this great community.

For those who don't know, Rigby really is the birthplace of television. We have a museum and everything...I've never been, but I hear it's pretty cool. (Note to self...visit museum!!) We have our own grocery store, Broulims, that has been here for years. I tried to find a picture, but couldn't. I love shopping at Broulims because it is absolutely impossible to go there and not run into at least one person you know! My sister in laws hate going there with us when they visit because a simple grocery trip can take an hour by the time we visit with everyone! At Christmas time the owner's wife plays the organ inside the front door and little old ladies and the owner's grandkids sing. It's pretty entertaining, but I feel bad for the poor checkers who have to hear that all day long for days on end. But, when you walk in the front doors and hear the music, it feels like "home". They also sell this amazing stuff called Tom and Jerry Batter at Christmas. It's a thick batter that you stir into hot water, hot milk, or hot chocolate and it gives it an eggnog flavor! YUMMY! It's my favorite and there's probably only 1500 or so calories in each spoonful!

Another thing I love about Rigby is this new sandwich place called Gator Jacks. They have the best sandwiches ever! I'm not kidding! If you live in the area and haven't had one yet...GO! Right now...you can finish reading later! They actually serve alligator sandwiches. I won't ever try one, but if you're brave, try it and let me know what you think!

My other favorite food to eat in Rigby is the famous Bambino! For those who don't know, Bambinos are a deep fried, filled pocket. (See picture below) Bambinos were started at LaPizzeria (my after school job all the way through school). The owner's son has now opened up Pickett's Bambino and all they sell are Bambinos. You can stuff your Bambino with pizza toppings, breakfast makings, or desserts. They are delish! My only warning...don't try to eat one while driving. I've ruined many a shirt by attempting both at the same time. The pizza sauce doesn't wash out too well! Anyone who grew up in Rigby will tell you that when they come home to visit, they have to eat a Bambino. While we lived in New Mexico I craved these so bad.

This is a pretty shoddy snapshot of Main Street. It's actually changed quite a bit over the years. When I was young there was a store called Reed's Drug. They had an old-fashioned soda fountain there with the old tall, swivelling barstools. Many a time I would pull myself up and order a cherry ironport. Man, those were tasty! But, when I was in Jr. High, the drug store burned down and is now replaced with a variety store. Considering how small Rigby is, we do have our fair share of bars strewn along Main Street. I think they stay in business because Rexburg doesn't have any bars and so all the drinkers from Rexburg drive to Rigby to buy their booze. For years we only had one stop light and it was a HUGE deal when we got two!

Well, this is a small post on my hometown. If you haven't visited, you really should! You'd never forget it:)! But, I can guarantee you would be greeted with a smile everywhere you go and if you ever needed anything, the people here are great!

My "dead, rotting" blog

2008-12-03T17:00:00.003-07:00

A big thank you goes out to my friend Lyle for making such a nice comment about my blog. His exact words were "stinking, dead, rotting" blog. Boy, it's a good thing I don't get offended easily:). So it's been a while...what's your problem???

Lyle, this is for you...my goal is to post something every day...yes, you heard me, EVERY DAY from now until school starts again, January 12th. This is a huge undertaking, but then, if I don't blog until May when I graduate it will be OK, right? I'll try to find interesting things to blog about and if not, you can all read as I ramble (and thank Lyle:))

I took my last three finals today and I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders. What a great feeling!! But, I've only been home for two hours and already I find myself making a mental list of everything I need to get done between now and when school starts again. UGH, why can't I just enjoy a nice, relaxing evening?! Rob is constantly reminding me that there is probably a pill to help people like me:). I do want to find a great book or two to read over the break. Any suggestions out there? (Yes, I have read Twilight) I need some books I can get lost in and escape my "life" for a while. So, if you have any suggestions for me, let me know.

Tomorrow is the employee kids party for Bingham Hospital. They rent out the theater and the kids can pick between seeing Bolt or Madagascar 2. The tickets and refreshments are paid for and then Santa comes with gifts for all the kids. It is a blast and the boys are so excited! I'm so thankful that Rob and I both work for a company that really takes care of their employees. They have other parties throughout the year. The "adult" Christmas party is in a few weeks and Rob doesn't have to cook so we can go and enjoy (dinner and dancing). I'll let you know how the dancing goes:).

Also, we had family pictures taken right before Thanksgiving by a girl in our ward and as soon as they're back I will post them. Remember...suggest some books!

Are ya kiddin' me!!??

2008-10-09T12:29:00.002-06:00

This afternoon I was casually perusing my local newspaper online. The following article was under the "national news" section:

Blonde sues over brown dye; suit brushed off
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) -- A Connecticut judge has given the brush-off to a blonde woman's lawsuit claiming L'Oreal Inc. ruined her social life when she accidentally dyed her hair brunette with one of its products.
Charlotte Feeney of Stratford says she can never return to her natural blonde hue, a shock that left her so traumatized, she needed anti-depressants.
A Superior Court judge dismissed Feeney's 2005 lawsuit Monday, saying she never proved her allegation that L'Oreal put brown hair dye in a box labeled as blonde. The company also had disputed the claim.

I couldn't help my laugh hysterically to myself. I love all my blonde friends, but seriously...this takes the cake! Maybe there is a real need for Prozac after all.

Still Alive and Kickin'

2008-10-08T20:49:00.002-06:00

I'm still trying to figure out where the time goes. If any of you know, please update me! I swear the days just fly into weeks and then months. We've been staying plenty busy and some days I feel as though I'm treading as fast as I can and barely keeping my head above water.

This past week we had family here from Minneapolis, MN (Mark, Melanie & Tennyson), Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Stephen, Katie, Boston & Charlie), Powell, WY (Josh, Jill and baby Addison), and Smithfield, UT (Jared, Mary, Abbie & Bryan). It was so much fun to meet Addison and Tennyson and to hang out with the whole "fam dam". It's also pretty funny to see that my brothers still act like they did when they were teenagers. I think if they ever "grow up" they won't be near as much fun to be around! The more "mature" women enjoyed hanging out, shopping, and going to lunch. I always dreamed of having sisters to hang out with (because there's such an age difference between Katie, Jill, and I) and I now have the greatest sisters-in-law ever! Each has their own personality and we have a blast together. We'll all be together again at Christmas and I can hardly wait!

Our ward got split this past Sunday and so Rob and I got new callings this past week. Stay tuned and after everything is announced this Sunday I can update everyone. All I can say is that Rob was pretty shocked about his...it'll be good for him though:).

Tyler is staying busy with Cross Country. He is an awesome runner. He has placed in the top 10 or 20 at all of the races (which is pretty good considering he's racing between 80 and 120 guys). He is also starting wrestling and I'm really curious to see how he likes it...he's never wrestled before. The other boys are doing great in school and are enjoying the last days of decent weather before the snow flies.

School is going great! I'm really busy with class and clinicals right now. I'm loving working at the different clinical sites and treating all types of patients and maladies. I'm also reconfirming the fact that I don't EVER want to work in a nursing home! It is just not for me! The old people are fun, but I just don't enjoy it so much! I'm starting to wonder if my little brain can handle any more information...I'm learning so many new and exciting things.

Rob and I had got to go to the Leann Rimes concert this week! It was so much fun! We had awesome seats and she sings like "nobodies business". I was so impressed. It was great to spend a fun evening with my awesome hubby and relax...even if it was just for a few hours.

Don't give up on me and the whole "blogging" thing! I promise I will update more often and hopefully post some pictures again soon!

(Personal note to my long lost friend Stacie...I was so shocked when I read your post! It is so great to hear from you! I want to email you back, but I don't have your email! So, send it to me at trisha@smithplanet.com so I can chat with you!)

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-06T13:34:00.004-06:00

We spent our Labor Day weekend with our friends, the Spains'. It was so much fun and we got to relax and enjoy ourselves. On Saturday Rob and Tyler hiked Table Rock and loved it, even though Rob is still walking like an old crippled man. Here are a few pictures:

We spent the evening Saturday swimming at Green Canyon Hot Springs. On Sunday we took a drive to Huckleberry Hot Springs. It was a short hike to the Springs and we got to cross the Snake River by foot. It was fun, but there was a huge storm moving in so it started to get cold, fast! The boys sat in the Hot Spring for a few minutes and then we hiked back to the car. Sam and Tyler thought it would be fun to lay in the river (ice cold) and then jump in the Hot Spring (about 100 degrees). They kept us pretty entertained.

When we got back to camp it was storming bad! The wind was ripping through and it was raining like crazy, and we were all soaking wet from crossing the river. We really debated just coming home, but we stuck it out and all went to bed without eating dinner. Once our family was all in the tent, Tyler offered family prayer. He prayed for the wind to stop and for the weather to let up so we could sleep. Almost instantly the wind and rain stopped. It was so cool! Such a great lesson for all of us that our prayers are answered. We could hear the wind ripping through the canyon, but it didn't come near our campsite.

We also had a conversation with the boys about the pioneers. Here we were in a tent with warm sleeping bags and we'd had two great meals that day...and we were complaining! The pioneers did this in snow, having walked miles and miles, slept on the snow with only blankets, and survived on 4 ounces of flour a day! What a humbling thought! So, all in all it ended up being a really neat experience.

Monday we went swimming at Green Canyon again before packing up and heading home. A big thanks goes out to the Spains for a super fun weekend!

School "Donations"

2008-08-13T16:13:00.002-06:00

Tis the season of school registration! Between supplies, clothes, shoes, lunch tickets, and school "donations" (I'll get to that in a minute) August is more expensive than Christmas! What the crap???!!!! Thank goodness Aunt Katie works at American Eagle and has been able to use her "employee discount" on jeans:). It's expensive enough buying for boys, three of which could care less what brand they wear...one who does (ugh!!). I can't even imagine having to put girls in school! They are so much more picky! We'd definitely be in the poor house. So, to those of you who have the honor of buying clothes for girls...good luck to ya!

Now, on to the whole school "donation" thing. I guess it's illegal for schools to ask for school fees to be paid because in America our children get "free" public education. YA RIGHT!!! So as I've registered the boys at three separate schools in our district this past week, I've discovered that no, they don't ask for fees, they ask for "donations". But, it's almost impossible to escape registration without paying fees. How, you ask...well, at every table you are asked..."did you make your school donation"? Um...yes! But what about those who don't, or can't. How do they feel as they have to tell a million and one people that "no, I didn't". I think it all boils down to peer pressure. You are totally pressured into paying your donation. Today at the junior high we had to go around a circle to different tables to complete the registration process. At the last table, before your child is issued a locker (at a cost of $11.00!!) you have to show your receipt for your school donation. So, if I didn't pay, would my child get a locker or would he have to carry around all of his books all day? I found the whole thing a little disturbing. I was really tempted to not pay and then see what response I got at each table when they asked. I'm sure it would not be pretty! So, for my children's "free" education and donations this past week, I have spent well over $200.00. That doesn't account for clothes, supplies, shoes, etc... So, we're now celebrating Christmas in August because we will be too poor to pay for Christmas in December. Merry "stinkin" Christmas to me!!

Now, I really don't have a big issue with donating money to help the schools out. I know that supplies for the teachers are pretty pricey. They need items such as copy paper, dry erase markers, etc... which is all fine and dandy. But, guess what items are on all my kids school supply lists! You guessed it...reams of copy paper, dry erase markers, etc...so I'm already providing the supplies. Connor needed four...yes FOUR boxes of crayons. Are you kidding me?!! So, I want the opinion of others. What do you think the money pays for? It certainly doesn't go toward the schools (thus our $8 million bond that just passed), it doesn't go to the teacher's salary (I substituted for a while and trust me...teachers do not make NEAR what they should to put up with the crap they put up with!). Give me your input. Maybe if I know where the money is going, I won't complain quite as much...maybe.

So, who are you and what have you done with my wife?

2008-08-13T15:56:00.002-06:00

I've finally been able to enjoy summer for the past few days. Most of our craziness has ended and we've been relaxing. I need to enjoy it because I work all weekend and then start back to school on Monday. The boys have had friends over every day and we've been watching the Olympics as a family. They have been AWESOME so far!

I've also come to the conclusion that it's a good thing I'm not home all the time and "bored" because I find myself cooking and baking like crazy. Last night Rob came home and asked what was cooking. I calmly replied roast, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and apple crisp. He gave me the funniest look and said, "Um..it's not Sunday is it?" No...it's Tuesday and I had nothing better to do. So, I've spent the better half of my day today cooking and I'm now baking chocolate chip cookies. If I'm not careful...I'll gain back the weight I've worked so hard to lose. My kids think they're in heaven, but they've asked every day who we're taking dinner to. Obviously the only time I cook is when I'm taking food to a family in need.

Maybe I'll get really crazy tomorrow and make bread. Then my husband will really wonder who I am and where his real wife is...you know the one that is famous for making dinners of hot dogs, Hamburger Helper, sandwiches, and waffles.

Sushi Sista's

2008-07-30T22:29:00.004-06:00

For years Rob has been trying to get me to try sushi. I've always told him NO WAY! Well one day I went out for a friend's birthday and was pressured into trying it. Guess what...I loved it! So, thanks Torrie and Trish K. for introducing me to my new favorite food! I'm convinced that someday we will sway Yvonne to the dark side:) There is a restaurant in Idaho Falls called Blue Hashi and it's so yummy. So, whenever my favorite "sushi sista's" Billie and Heather have time to get together, we have to go to Blue Hashi. It's so fun to sit, relax, and eat ourselves sick on sushi, potstickers, tempura vegetables, Tiki Island Shrimp...OK, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

We'd probably go more often but Mike and Russell (the spouses) are not into sushi...they want a "man's" meal for dinner. So, usually we have to do steak when we all go out. I was so happy today when Billie said that Russell has tried her sushi a few times and actually likes it! Yae..another sushi convert! Watch out Michael...you're next!

So, a big thanks goes out to Heather and Billie for sharing sushi, making me laugh throughout the entire meal, and for aiding in the emptying of the Ande's Mints basket at the Blue Hashi counter. I just found two more lonely mints in the bottom of my purse so I finished them off for my bedtime snack:).

I'd like to get some feedback on your sushi experiences. Have you tried it yet...or are you too chicken? What's your favorite roll? I'm open to going to Blue Hashi if anyone ever wants to go! By the way, my favorite is the Bri Roll (crab, tempura shrimp, cream cheese, cucumber, avacado...tempura fried with firecracker sauce) YUMMY!

Our New House

2008-07-29T21:30:00.004-06:00

Many of you have asked me to post pictures of our new house. Here are a few! It's so nice to own a house again so I can decorate the way I like. We are really enjoying our new neighborhood and ward. Once we finish the basement, we will have 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, living room, family room, dining room, kitchen, and two big storage rooms. Right now our summer project is to get grass and trees planted and when winter hits, we'll be hanging sheetrock and finishing the basement.

This is my favorite part of the house. My kitchen is HUGE! I've never had so many cupboards and drawers. Everything is unpacked and I still have empty spaces. It's great!
It's so nice to have a big laundry room. There is a bathroom attached for the kids to use, which I love, especially if they're outside playing and I don't want them to run through the whole house!
The bedrooms are really big. I couldn't get the whole rooms into a picture, so here's Kaden and Connor's room.
This one is Tyler and Tristan's room. They have room for both beds, a huge desk, bookshelves, and there's still lots of room.
This is our master bedroom. When we bought the house all four walls were RED! It was scary!!! So, we painted before we moved in and this is my "chocolate raspberry" wall that I've wanted forever. Right now we're a little cramped with my computer desk in there, but once we have an office, it will be moved. Do you like our bed? We bought it from our friends Mike and Heather for $10. Yes...$10. It is brand new and Mike built it! He is way talented with woodworking. We've had the same bed for 12 years and it was definitely time for a new one. Thanks Mike for sharing your talent!

This is the main entry into our house.
Here is the living room.
The dining room.
And...a final one of the kitchen

Summer Fun

2008-07-29T20:24:00.008-06:00

The summer has just flown by! The kids have school registration next week and school starts again on August 21st. Every year I have these grand plans of exciting, fun things we'll be doing and it seems like we hardly get anything done and it's time for summer to be over. Here's a quick pictorial guide of some fun things we have done.

Tristan loves to rollerblade. Since we live on a very quiet culdesac, the kids can ride and play right on our street. It's really nice.
My sister Katie and her boys Boston and Charlie have spent the majority of the summer with us. They are living in Florida while Stephen is going to Dental School. It has been so much fun to have them here. This is a picture of Rob and Charlie. Charlie loves to play with Robs sunglasses.

This is Rob at the M&M factory in Las Vegas. We had a blast spending the week there while Rob attended his ACF Chef's Conference. We spent two evenings on the "strip" and got sick of it pretty quick. Since we don't drink ourselves into a stupor, call 1-800 numbers for great "adult entertainment delivered to our hotel room in only 15 minutes", or have outrageous amounts of money to spend on clothes, shoes, accessories, etc... the "strip" just wasn't that much fun. So, we went to Hoover Dam, lounged at the pool, slept in, read books, watched movies, shopped the outlet malls, ate some really good food, and relaxed! It was an awesome way to spend our 16th Anniversary!! Thank you so much, Katie and Grandma Smith for watching the boys and keeping them entertained for us. We love you!
When we went to Hoover Dam we were surprised to see they are building a new bridge to cross the river. The bridge will take a few more years to finish, but it was so amazing to see how high up it is over the gorge. There are crews working on it 24 hrs. a day and they hang in little carts out over the river. The drop is hundreds of feet. You could never pay me enough to do it! I may even pee my pants just driving over it when it's complete.
Tristan has been playing AYSO soccer. The other morning Rob woke him up for practice and came back to find him crashed on his bed!
And...here's some exciting news! Kaden can finally ride a bike! I thought it would never happen. He is just a very cautious kid and so it took him a while. It helped that Connor could ride long before Kaden and he kind of rubbed his face in it. Hey, whatever it takes, right??
Here is a picture of the Smith cousins at the zoo for our family reunion. We had a blast. We tried really hard to get a picture of everyone looking at the camera and smiling...ya right!!

We also spent some time at Riot Zone, a small amusement park in Rigby. The kids loved the mini race cars. Here's a picture of Tristan racing his brothers.
The bumper boats are another highlight. We had so much fun crashing into each other and trying to see who was the most wet at the end. I think Katie and Boston won! I was riding with my neice Kylie and she laughed and laughed through the whole ride.
The older "boys" of the family love to race each other in the go-karts. It's all fun and games until they get on the track and then it's an all-out fight to see who is fastest. Rob had a good lead until Aaron decided to run him off the track. It was hilarious to watch.
Tyler was finally old enough this year to get into the whole racing with the uncles. He didn't win, but he sure did give it a good try.
Connor loved playing baseball! He's so good at it!

Our friends, the Spains have an awesome swimming pool and the kids have really enjoyed cooling off and playing with their friends.

We love our small town parades. This picture was taken at the 4th of July parade in Menan. Many would think this is a sorry excuse for a parade, but we have a blast every year. There are plenty of horses, "hometown" floats, the high school band, "vintage" cars, and lots and lots of tractors.
We had a blast at the Smith Family Reunion in July. We spent a few days playing and having fun with the cousins. This is us at the zoo. The kids tie-dyed their own shirts and all of the cousins matched.

Your Mission

2008-07-21T19:40:00.002-06:00

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, and you should!Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! This can be about me or Rob or about both of us!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my blog's comments.

I'm "final-ly" done

2008-07-09T21:48:00.002-06:00

Today I took my last final for Summer semester. I hardly know what to do with myself. No textbook reading, memorization, studying...to do. I feel like a free woman! It will only last for a month though, so I'm going to enjoy. This is the first "break" from school I've had that I haven't been moving or had something major going on. This weekend is the Smith family reunion so we'll be spending time at the zoo, the pool, and roasting hotdogs at Grandma's house.

On Sunday Rob and I are heading to Las Vegas for a whole week. Yes, just us...no kids! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am. Rob has a chef conference and I plan on doing ABSOLUTELY nothing the entire week. I want to sleep in until I'm done sleeping, take a nice long bath, read a few "non" textbooks, sit at the pool, and sip slushies all day long!!! Oh, and I want to watch TV too. I haven't sat and watched a TV show in so long, I've forgotten what it's like.

When we get home I plan on spending good quality "mom-time" with my boys. They have been awesome helpers while I'm going to school. They get up and clean the house, do yardwork, cook, and do laundry for me. I love them so much. I can't wait to cook them breakfast (you know, the warm kind, not the kind you pour in a bowl and top with milk), go to the lake, play at the park, go camping, go to Lagoon, etc.... Maybe I won't feel like the worst mom in the world after we spend the next month having fun. Then, come August 19th, it starts all over again. I've decided this whole "going back to school" thing is not for wimps! But, I'll be done in May and I can't wait!

I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow of our summer fun (so far). Here's a little update:

Tyler spent a week at BSA Cedar Badge National Youth Leadership. He learned so much and had a great time. He finished baseball season and is packing to go to Martin's Cove this next week. It will be great for him to experience a small part of what the pioneers went through as they came out West. We'll see how he does with no shower, bed, cell phone, TV, internet, etc... for a week:).

Tristan just had his first AYSO soccer game last night. He is a great player. I can't figure out why in Idaho they play during the hottest weeks of the year, but July and August are probably the only times they can kind of guarantee they won't be snowed on. Tristan is also loving playing the Wii, riding his bike, and playing his guitar.

Kaden is having a blast playing with our new neighbor Dawson. It's been great for him to have a friend so close. They can spend the entire day out in the field playing. His goal is to be able to ride his bike before school starts. He's totally freaked out about doing it because when he first tried he crashed big time and so he's a little weary of trying it again. He just spent the day at Cub Scout Day Camp yesterday and had a blast.

Connor just finished up baseball season. It's so strange because in New Mexico last year he played on an advanced skill team and then this year in Idaho he was playing with kids who didn't even know where the bases were located. It was a little frustrating for him. But, he is a dang good little ball player. He absolutely loves sports and being outside. He just figured out how to ride a bike and within an hour of learning he showed me how he can skid, stand on the handlebars, etc...I had to convince him to "chill" before he got himself killed.

Like I said...I'll post pictures later. Hope you all are having a great summer.

(P.S. to Lyle...posting to my blog does NOT make up for not calling!!! And, just because you're becoming a hot shot lawyer doesn't mean you can forget about us "lowly" ones:) CALL!

Happy Birthday to my AWESOME Hubby

2008-06-27T15:51:00.002-06:00

Today is my sweet husbands 44th Birthday. He'll probably freak out when he sees that I just told everyone how old he is! I am so blessed to have him in my life. We were talking the other day and I realized that I've known him for half of my life. Weird!! I almost can't remember life before him. He is an amazing man who puts his family first and foremost all of the time. It makes the boys and I feel special that he would rather spend time with us than do anything else. He is extremely talented and I'm so thankful that he has passed many of those talents on to our boys since I don't really have a whole lot to donate:)!

We've been through a lot and our relationship has only gotten stronger. He makes me laugh and feel good about myself. I couldn't ask for anything more. So, the best of birthday wishes go out to my smart, good-looking, stud of a husband today! I love you, Rob!

Bear World

2008-06-25T20:35:00.004-06:00

We recently spent a Saturday at Yellowstone Bear World, which is about 10 minutes from our house on the way to Yellowstone National Park. It's like a wildlife preserve you can drive your car through to see animals such as bears, buffalo, wolves, deer, elk, moose, etc... We had the best time. Here are some pictures from there. If any of you come to Idaho to visit (hint..hint..) this is a "must do". We've been to Yellowstone Park numerous times and never got this close to the animals. There is also a gift shop and some fun rides for the kids.

2008-06-25T20:28:00.000-06:00

2008-06-25T20:16:00.003-06:00

In April, over Spring Break, I went to Ft. Lauderdale with my mom and sister, Jill. My other sister, Katie, lives there with her husband Stephen and her boys, Boston and Charlie. We had a wonderful, relaxing time. It was kind of fun to get away with just the "girls". While we were there we went to the play "Wicked". It was AMAZING!!! So, here is a picture right before we went into the show. But, I am wondering...has anyone else seen "Wicked"? What did you think? What other plays, shows, etc...have you been to and tell me about them.

2008-06-19T22:31:00.000-06:00

I mentioned I would get some pictures on here, but quite frankly it's taken me an hour to get this one on so at this rate...maybe you'll see us again before the kids move out of the house. This is our most current family picture. It was taken right after Christmas. Don't I have the most handsome boys you've ever seen?

2008-06-19T17:05:00.000-06:00

I've finally caved to the pressure and am starting a blog. I know I'm a little late to the punch, but...I'm just a little busy. I can't promise I will stay as up to date as many of you, but I'll give it my best. Stay posted and I'll try to update you on what is new at the Martin house. Once I figure out how to post pictures, I'll do that too:)