Tagged

There are so many tags going around so you really have to pick and choose which ones to do. Otherwise your blog will just be tags only! As I mentioned before, I write this blog as though it were my journal. I try to write about who I am, events or thoughts that will be memorable to me and my family, and what is happening in our lives at the current time. I want my family and myself to be able to look back on them for recollection and insight. This is a good one for the archives!

The rules of the tag are to list 6 quirks about yourself. 

Really...only 6? No problem!

1) I hate sharing a straw, a spoon, a fork, a bottle or a glass with anyone. It just grosses me out. I've been that way ever since I was little and use to say, "I don't want your guts on my glass!" instead of,  "I don't want your germs on my glass"!

2) When eating out, after my food is brought to the table or picked up at the counter, I am never happy with the way it either looks or how it is put together. I immediately start to rearrange and rebuild it to my liking so that every bite is perfect!

3) I hate having to stop in my car under an overpass. I have this fear of an earthquake occurring and being smashed. Not that far fetched since I live on an active fault line in Utah!

4) I am very stingy with my portion of a dessert. It used to be that when Wes and I would go out to eat, I would order dessert and he wouldn't because he thought that he could just share mine. He has since learned to order his own after nearly being stabbed in the hand with a fork or the daggers shooting from my eyes. 

5) I don't like drinking water especially out of a glass. Since I know it is something critical in a human's diet, I will buy a bottle of water and just refill it over and over and force myself to get the proper intake. 

6) I have to fall asleep in the same position every night: On the left side of the bed, laying on my left side with my hands tucked up under my pillow. This makes for an interesting sleeping arrangement since Wes always sleeps on his right side so then our backs are 2 each other.

Now I tag 6 quirky people I know:

Mom, Colett, Kee, Jill S., Ashley P, and Jessica L.

Who Knew?

Yes, Wes is still in Alaska! He is able to call from his dad's cell phone to check in on a daily basis and says he is having a great time. He has been fishing every day and has caught some salmon to bring home! He caught a halibut as well, but with it only weighing in at 20 lbs it was much too small so he threw it back into the ocean. Really? 20 lbs is small?? He was able to take this picture on his phone and send it to me. It is of a telephone(?) pole in the front yard of their home. His father, Dan, had carved our names into it and even did some artwork for added effect! It may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but to those of you who know him...it is a big deal! Some may see this man as rough as the grizzlies that roam that Alaskan land, a bit reserved and hardened by the 30+ years on the police force. However, I am seeing that he may just be a bit of a teddy bear instead! Sorry Dan, the cat is out of the bag and your true colors are starting to shine through! You're a big softy deep down and we all know it! He's probably up there writing poetry in the woods right this moment! Thank you for the sweet sentiment, Father-in-Law. It is much appreciated and really quite adorable!

Maybe Not The Best Idea?

Gustavus, Alaska is the home to Wes' parent's vacation home. There is absolutely nothing to do in this tiny uncivilized town but enjoy the peace and quiet, hike and fish. On Thursday morning (5freaking30 a.m!), Wes was set to leave for his long awaited Alaskan retreat so I drove him to the airport where we said goodbye for the next 10 days. Yes, I'll admit that I got a little teary eyed as I drove away. Partly because we have never before been apart for that long and partly because if anything were to happen here on the home front, he is so far away and not easily accessible - and that worries me a bit! He expressed a lot of concern about being away from his little family and I could tell that he was nervous, as well. He did say that he was able to check his email from the small library in town so I came up with a brilliant little plan to make the distance more bearable. Did I mention that Alaska is next to Russia? Since our cell phones don't have coverage up there, I decided to put our computer's camera to good use and take 2 pictures each day of Emerson and myself and then email them to him. One to say good morning, one to say good night! Easy enough, right?

The following photos are of an attempted feat of a good gesture.

We are now just going to wait for Wes to call and check in instead.

Have a nice vacation, honey!

Change is Good!

I think we are all aware of the effect that having a baby does for one's hair. I didn't get postpartum depression but instead I got postpartum balding! Then, a few weeks after I had Emerson, I was admitted into the hospital for a week with an intestinal infection that nearly put me six feet under. It reeked havoc on my body so as a result, I got a double dose of major hair loss! How wonderful for me! Now that almost a year has passed and my hair's new growth has some length to it, I decided to have my mother-in-law chop it off and start over. Scary? Not as much as it was a relief! I needed the change. I love change! It brings excitement into my stay-at-home-mom-suburban-life. Besides, hair is not really my forte'. It's too much maintenance to get hair to look good. I'm a wash and go kind of girl so if it requires too much work, it just ends up in a pony tail or under a hat. I have a good feeling about this one so I am welcoming my new short "do" with enthusiasm and optimism! 

P.S. It is still long enough to be pulled back into a pony tail!

Before

After

(never mind the fly-aways caused by static electricity)

Happy Birthday Emerson!

I was warned that this would happen. 

They all said it would be here before I knew it.

As a first timer I just smiled and thought they were crazy.

Yes indeed, Emerson had his first birthday! Where did the time go? You mean, all the crazies were right? When we were waking up every few hours in the middle of the night, I remember thinking that Emerson getting older just couldn't come fast enough. There is no way I was in the hospital just a year ago today trying to figure this little guy out!? It all seems like it was just yesterday.

We held the celebration at my parents house and had just the immediate family members over. It was the perfect day for a party and we are pleased to say that it was a great success! We had a "build your own hoagie" bar with chips, fruit, salad and drinks. It was low maintenance, no stress and easy cleanup! Who could ask for anything better? Emerson loved being center of attention and as always had such a great time playing with the cousins and getting spoiled rotten! He is having a blast playing with all the new toys that he got for his birthday. A million thanks to all our family who helped celebrate this special day with us...you made it wonderful!

Digging in!

Emerson showing off! No surprise there!

Matt W. displaying his fine work of art!

Perfect weather for a backyard party! 

E. getting to play with the girl cousins. Don't get any ideas, gals - this kid doesn't want his toes painted or to wear your dress up's! 

Two peas in a pod! I love that Amelia is in the background about ready to be launched by Savanna and Isabelle Y.!

Isabelle W. hanging out all by herself in the grass. She is the most content and sweetest little thing!

Time to open presents and see the loot!

Tissue paper is much more exciting than what's inside!

All the cousins took turns opening a present for Emerson. He still just wanted the paper.

Nick lending a helping hand.

3 of the 5 Grandmothers posing with the birthday boy! L to R: Great Grandma Rose (Wes' grandmother), Grandma Roxanne (Wes' mother) and Grandma Joan (my mother). Aren't they beautiful?

Colett and Wes' sister Haley with baby Isabelle. No, Colett didn't get what looks like a prison tattoo. She and husband Matt Y. just finished a triathlon only a few hours before the party! Congrats to the both of them!

Grandpa Wayne showing Emerson his favorite thing in the whole world: Lights! 

Second favorite: Fans.

Time for cake and ice cream! Emerson discovering his third favorite thing: Fire. 

He takes after his dad in so many ways! 

Don't worry, he was the only one that got naked to eat his cake. It just wasn't that kind of party.

"I think I'm going to puke!" 

Time for a bath and bed!

Week in Review

Aside from the previously mentioned adventures we had this week, there are a few more I feel are much too important to neglect. After all, this is basically my journal and a way of keeping record of all our happenings, since I failed to do so in writing many times! Several years from now, it will be so great to look back on these events and recollect these memories!

Here we go:

First and foremost: Emerson is walking - Everywhere! This is such a bittersweet moment in our lives! We know that life will be a bit more hectic now that he has learned his new way of mobility, but we are so glad that he feels more independent and less frustrated with being a little tiny person! We love to clap and cheer for his new accomplishments and see him smile from ear to ear with such pride in himself. Way to go little buddy!

Second: The Fall season is rapidly approaching us. I could not believe it when I woke up to snow capped mountains and 60 degree temperatures on Monday. The leaves have started to fall from our gigantic trees and there is a sense of autumn nostalgia in the air that is impossible to ignore. I am not quite ready to let go of the freedom from shoes and feeling the prickly green grass beneath my feet. I love autumn with every breath I take of it's crisp air and all the festivities involved, but I hold on to my love of summer for as long I can!

Third: Wes and I had the chance to attend the very last free Twilight Concert Series downtown at the Gallivan Center last Thursday. It just so happened that the artist was one of my very favorite artists (#1 spot is eternally reserved in my heart for Rosie Thomas!). Her name is Neko Case and if music were a tangible object, I would embrace and kiss the hell out of her's! I have been wanting to see her play live for so long so this was a great opportunity for us. Her voice is just as beautiful live as it is in recording. I had goosebumps the entire evening and it was an event that will not be forgotten! 

Turn up your speakers, people!

Our Time to Play

What better way to spend our special day than to head up to the mountains? For our anniversary, we got a room at Snowbird Ski Resort. It was so nice to get out of the city and enjoy a little of the outdoors for a change! Our mini "staycation" was the perfect combination of play and romance tied into one! There is so much to do up there, but at the same time, it was also nice to not do anything but just take in the scenery and fresh air! The nice man at check in upgraded our room (free of charge!) to a pseudo-suite with it's own balcony so that we could do just that. During the day, we rode the zip line, the alpine slides, the tram and the ski lift. The view from the top of the mountain at 11,000 ft. is incredible! In the evening, we had a delicious dinner at one of the many restaurants then rested our tired bones in the hot tub. We had the whole pool and patio area to ourselves so we could just sit and watch the stars in peace and quiet! We had such a great time and are so grateful to my mom and dad for taking such great care of Emerson while we were away!

Here is a view of our hotel. I love the combination of rustic wood, concrete and steel in their buildings! So modern and so very cool!

The view from our room and balcony!

Alpine Slide!

I am trying to catch up to Wes on this thing but he's just too fast!

Wes laid down the rules before take off: "No brakes!" 

The valley was so hazy from all the wildfires and smog. 

I thought we would be able to escape it, but no.

Our hotel looks so tiny from the Peruvian chair lift

The tram takes you to the top of Mineral Basin. The snowboarding bug bit us as we looked over the edge!

The Peruvian Tunnel is complete! A 600 ft. tunnel was made so that skiers and snowboarders had access to more of the mountain. To make it even cooler, they installed a moving walkway inside!

The infamous zip line tower! It looks much more intimidating than it really is! This ride was an absolute blast! See Below!: