Old Spice

I have been super duper extremely busy visiting with family from California, so the blog...will have to wait! Until then, I thought I would share with you two of my favorite commercials!

Yes, I am one of those that watches the super bowl for it's fantastic commercials...

ENJOY!

After last week I have a whole new appreciation for anyone that works behind the camera. 

I was chosen to make a promotional video for United Way.  I didn't know what I was getting myself into *at all*.  My friend just told me I should go in for the interview...so I did.  They asked me a bunch of questions about who I was, what I believed in, and how I felt about the community.  I ended up telling her "My Story" and she recorded it to compare to all the other people that interviewed.  

I didn't think in a million years I would be the one they picked...but I was.  

To say it was one of the hardest things I have ever done would be an understatement!  It wasn't hard in the way of life...hard life challenges, but it was VERY hard sitting in a room (our office) with cameras set up all around me and huge lights blaring in my face.  There was also many people watching as I made a total and complete fool of myself.  THAT is how it felt anyway. Afterward, the camera crew came to my house to shoot some pictures of me with my kids.  They loved watching the professionals at work and learn how T.V. was made and so did I!  At one point Bug ran into the rolling footage and yelled,

"I want to be a STARRRRRRR!"
I about died and of course everyone was laughing.
SHE IS THREE!

I don't consider myself a shy person, but I definitely was taken back when I couldn't form a complete sentence that made sense over and over again. 

The struggle was that they wanted me to answer the questions I had answered before in the same kind of way, but they wanted me to jump right into that focused area of my story.  In the interview, I had and hour to develop my thought process and felt emotion where it made sense but when I was supposed to say what I thought, with emotion, and in a way that made sense...it was HARD.  Either I let myself feel it...and started to cry, or I stayed strong and it would come across scripted. 

I was SO frustrated and kept started over and over again.  

Finally after a VERY long 30 minutes or so, the producer had me stand up and walk around.  Jon offered to hug me, but I knew I would burst out in tears from my frustration, so I asked him to leave...sad I know but I had a hair and makeup person there that was trying to keep me put together and I knew it would be all over.  Pulling myself together after that would be difficult at best.

My mouth was dry, my words stuttered, and my eyes....oh...my..eyes....

They always blink a lot when I am nervous.  I told the camera crew to tell me when they were, so they did...and that made it worse.  I held a water bottle to drink so I didn't look like I was in the desert parched, and without knowing it I twisted it and made it pop over and over.  This was magnified 10 fold with the microphone going up my shirt...Ahhh there are no words to express how hard it was.  Part of me wants to ask for a copy of the raw footage to watch it, and the other part to watch it and then light it on fire in the back of my house!

After about an hour and a half...we were hoping that we had about 2 minutes of video coverage...I would hope so!!! Luckily I just received an email saying that they have 17 great minutes of me talking and can't decide what to use.  Whewww! What a relief..but I am so scared to see my big noggin on the screen.  I am sure I will share it with you when it is done if I can get up the nerve after I see it....

Until then, enjoy Mr. Old Spice!

He makes me laugh every time!

Hippity Hopity Barfity

This will be a quick post

I need to vent and breathe for just a moment...so I pre-apologize for the trip you are about to take with me.  If you are faint of heart...keep blog hopping...and if you have nothing at all good to do then you may stay but remember: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Remember our "cute" bunnies?  Our adorable, fuzzy, could never do any wrong, waskly wabbits?! 

uh huh...those.  

I don't know how long they will be around.  

Don't worry I haven't killed them by lack of hydration like our first set of rabbits 14 years ago, or Floppy that died a few months ago.  They weren't drown in a sink like Monkey tried with the Hamster.  I am ready to personally harm them...don't call animal cruelty on me though (yet).  I am trying to keep my cool.

Do you recall how much I LOVE bunny poo?  I do for many reasons but my whole theory on bunny poo was thrown out the window today when Sprite announced to my cousin Kim tha

"There are maggots in the bunnies cage!!"  

Poor Kim.  She came to relax, she came to visit her cousin and watch her kids bask in the sun  and frolic in the lake...but instead she had to help me perform a sort of surgery of the most grotesque kind.  

At first I laughed at her *the same way she laughed at Sprite* when she broke the news. 

I don't know if I didn't believe her or was in total denial.  I had already paid bills today *which I despise*, and found Bug laying under her whole dresser after she pulled it over on her from climbing up the drawers.  I ran upstairs having flashbacks from the first time a T.V. fell on Noo Noo and sent her to the E.R. for 8 hours.  

I haven't told THAT story yet.  

I gasped "OH NO" and pushed the dresser off of her tiny body.  The dresser had even been bolted into the wall, but it just popped right out!! I laid down on the bed with her after I had checked over her entire body and didn't find a scratch!! She was sad because her lava lamp had broken, as I inspected for broken bones and skin.  

Thank goodness angels were watching bug today...

Anyway, it had already been a DAY, so when I realized I would have to attack the maggot situation I paused and tried to think of any way to get out of it.  Finally I remembered. 

THANK GOODNESS, 

my niece Addison is staying with us right now and I had the bright idea to offer her $20 dollars to clean out the cage.  That's what kids are for..right?!  Kim told me she needed to check on child labor laws and gave me a grimace as she said, "$20 a cage?!"  

 

"NO!" 

as I ran upstairs.  I may be cheaper than her, but I knew she would take the bait.  I would have jumped at $20 at her age...maybe, that is until I smelled the stench the filtered out from the cage.  I stood about 20 feet away as she assessed the situation.  Anyone that knows me KNOWS I HATE MAGGOTS!  Worse the Llamas even...maybe, a close tie.  

After listening to her prognosis I realized that the sprinklers had sprayed into the cage and soaked all the previously nicely formed round hard poops they usually have.  It was mush...and the flies were loving it!! BARFORAMA I know. 

Kim came out *to my embarrassment* to offer her assistance and gave us some great ideas to dump it into trash bags and shovel it out...I won't even mention my plan.  She gave us sacks to put our hands into..another brilliant plan and we all grunted, groaned, gurgled, and heaved as we poured the contents into the bag.  The first thing Kim said was, don't look as I yelled "UGGGGHHGAHGHGHA"  I couldn't help it.  You know when someone says, "don't look" and you do it without a thought at all?  Ya.

After a long torturous maggot infested rancid play time, I decided once again..that I hate maggots AND if this happens again, my kids may be very sad to find our bunnies free...free of Pink Moss and our animal shenanigans!

Napoleon Dynamite

It's a rare thing to have Rooz run up to my room and ASK me to "Come take her picture."

All I can say is it must be young love!

I have been begging her to be in pictures her entire life...and all it took was a boy.  I should have known.  I have more pictures of Rooz the past 6 months than I do of the past 6 years.  I am not complaining..I love it!  

When I came downstairs I teased Scott that his pose reminded me of Napoleon Dynamites and so he pulled out the full act.  He impersonated every character perfectly and so I asked him to pose like the photo shoot.  You may be thinking we are dorks..and we are, but we were dying laughing!  It took a few shots before he could hold a straight face.  I am sure I wasn't helping cracking up as I was taking it!

First Try...

ALMOST...

PERFECT!

What a cute couple

Waterlogged

Before I get started, remember to check out my pimde site for a new letter and don't forget to email me if you want to participate.  I had a new button made to put on your blog if you want to show that you were featured on the site.  Just click on the pimde badge on the right side and it will take you to the code.  

In other news, Pink Moss has been LOVIN' the warmer weather in July compared to June!  July was spent at our cabin where it was much colder, especially in the water as we tried to play.  Last Saturday we went boating and brought..well EVERYONE like usual.  It's a good thing our boat holds plenty of people because we use our space.  We had 19 people on our boat!  It is amazing that it can still stay afloat and pull people on toys.  

True to my self, my camera battery died about 15 minutes into the trip so I didn't have many pictures to choose from.  I had to post the ones I had to give a glimpse of the fun time we had!  I am so proud of all my girls for getting out there and tearing it up!  A few years ago they were nervous, but now we have to beg them to get back into the boat!  

We took the Leavitt's and their good friends the Berooty's (sp?).  We also brought Whitney's friend Angel and Sydney's boyfriend Scott.  He has become the house celebrity with all of the girls.  He spent the afternoon throwing them off the boat.  

I thought Jon had already given Scott the third degree, but this day proved to be the real test in his worthiness to date his daughter.  Jon tortured Scott any chance he had.  It was funny at first, and then it turned into another "Meet the Fockers".  

Once he was on the back of the boat and Jon pushed him off, another he was standing helping with Syd's rope and Jon hit the gas!  Scott pulled a quick Matrix move and literally laid back in half to avoid the rope close lining him.  It skid up his chest and gave him a rope burn though!  

Jon didn't realize the rope would get him, but he just giggled when all 18 girls gave him the look of death!  I couldn't help but flash forward in my mind all the boyfriend beatings that would occur over the next 15 years.  I couldn't figure it out...was Jon mad? Was he playing hard because he is a boy? 

 I was rather shocked as Scott took it all with ease and big laughs, 

*but I could see the revenge brewing in his eyes*.  

Next thing I knew...he did it! 

 IT MEANING: HE PUSHED JON OFF THE BACK OF THE BOAT!

 Now if you know Jon, you have an idea of how big of deal this is.  He drives the boat, he rarely gets in unless he has to pee.  He loathes cold water, or water that has a shock factor to it at all. 

Sydney and I glanced at each other with a frantic stare and both lurched for the front of the boat!  We are the only ones that fully understand what was on the horizon.  Jon's glasses came floating off and  he climbed into the boat fully waterlogged.  

All was quiet as Jon gave Scott an approving "YOUR dead" stare.  I asked Jon later what THAT was all about and he simply said,

 "I wanted to see if he was a wimp or not, and he passed the test."  

Heaven help me!

Axe Body spray=DEATH!

I loved this post by my sister Camille and had to share it with you!  I can so clearly remember how it felt to be a hound dog when pregnant!  I remember smelling grape when I was pregnant once and spent about 20 minutes walking around my house trying to find it.  I finally found an EMPTY can of grape soda under the kitchen table!! There is nothing like a pregnant woman's nose!

Axe BODY SPRAY=DEATH

Pregnancy comes with a lot of, shall we say, trials?  Having a super sensitive ability to smell wasn't on my list of top five annoyances with pregnancy until now.  Some time ago I bought Paul Axe body wash, it smelled manly, and it was just a hint of scent left on the body.  I figured this was generous to offer something in the shower for him to wash with that didn't smell too girly.  Well, one time this body wash came with a free body spray and that is when things really went down hill.

Before I was pregnant I could tolerate the smell (freshly applied.) But now, it is like an army of junior high cologne drenched, hormonal maniacs attacking my ol'factory system.  A little dramatic? Yes, but seriously people, this stuff could kill you.

This conversation has come up between Paul and I before...

 Camille, "Paul could you please spray that some where else or wait until you are out of the house?"

Paul, "Come on Camille, it is not that bad..."

Camille,  "YES it is!  I can barely breathe in this room or house...it spreads pretty far."

To find this picture I actually came across an article of school districts actually banning Axe products because kids were using so much that it was making people sick!  Have you ever seen Axe body commercials?  It pretty much sends the message that if you wear this stuff women will be lining up at the door for your attention and affection.  Boy, it couldn't be further from the truth. In Axe's defense they are looking into promoting a "proper application" method as to not overwhelm the opposite gender with the need to vomit.

Well, this morning Paul was going golfing and was ready and out the door by 5:30 a.m., which I was fine with him going, and on accassion waking me up.  But, when AXE is involved there is no "drifting back off to sleep."  Before I knew it there was an army of all too excited 13 year olds at the junior high stomp that were holding me a little too close while we were dancing!  Ahhhhh!  Remember moments like that? 

 Morning tends to be the one time in the day that I can actually feel normal...for all 45 minutes of it.  But, sleep, and those first few moments of the day are a saving grace during my "I feel like I am going to throw up so don't come close feeling" that I have pretty much all day.  I was livid.  Paul must have been nervous because I made it pretty clear that I was NOT happy about being woken up so early and instantly feeling ill.  I am hoping Paul seriously reconsiders ever using it again...what ever happened to that nice smelling cologne I got him anyway?  It is seriously threatening happiness in our home.

Please excuse the rant.

Let It Be

I just returned from the funeral at Island Park Idaho, Mack's Inn.  It was a whirlwind experience with all the emotions and craziness.  We flew there and back adding extra heartbeats...on my end anyway.  The wold experience had me thinking of my path, your path, every one's path on the earth.  It always takes funerals to make me really stop and think about how fragile every day is.  

We spent time with the Ellisons, long time family friends.  I love them all and care about them so much.  They have had their ups and downs, like any family...but sometimes it just seems like some families get the downs more than they deserve.  Adding this funeral to their list of downs, I have to wonder how some people can make it through so much, while others check out of life.  I looked in their faces and saw love, defeat, hope, anger, sadness and so many other emotions that come with death.  When all is said and done, I know they will get through it with the help of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Mack's Inn was an amazing place to take the family and I hope to take mine back sometime the end of this summer.  They have a ton of little cabins right along side the Snake River.  The river is pretty slow and shallow so there are lots of kids that play in it and people that enjoy fly fishing and floating down it.  Jamie and Le Grand Ellison run the place (The mom and dad of Brittany, the wife of Leanord that passed away.)  It is a huge job but they do a remarkable job!  There is a play house, ice cream shack, cafe, float trips and more.  If you are ever in the area, it is an affordable fabulous family trip!

Without getting into too much personal, unbloggable, detail...the weekend was hard.  Hard for everyone, but an important tribute to Leanord and reason to get together with close friends.

(Jon even posed for me in front of his dream plane before we left, he must love it!)

(The airport where we pick up the plane)

(Nick fuelin' her up!)

(The view above Provo when we took off.)

(This is Mount Timpanogus, what I will be hiking in August)

"Look Shmo, no hands!"

I was loving the huge rainbows clear across the sky!  I felt like a care bear...a nauseous care bear anyway.

The peanuts helped just a tad, but the Dramamine did a bit better.

I couldn't believe my eyes after about an hour seeing the Tetons in Wyoming!

And the land in Island Park Idaho, home of Mack's Inn

Our cute little cabin!

Jon's broad shoulders couldn't even fit in the doorway!

This is Rock, one of my bestest friends!  He wouldn't pose, so I took it anyway ;)

We searched high and low for a car for Brittany on Monday because she lost hers in the crash

I think we found it!

On the way home I was SO exhausted, I wasn't even nervous to fly.  I just relaxed, listened to my music and reflected on the weekend.  I wrote the following "thing" I am not even quite sure what to call it, but it was my raw feelings...unedited...and I chose to post it as is.  I wrote as I flew about the magnificent mountains and watched the sun set.

Flying above the earth at about 11,000 feet, I can't help be contemplate my path.  

The earth looks so small.   I am lost in the lyrics of my music and feel of the beet.

  It is so peaceful up in the clouds...it seems not a single thing could get to me. 

 I am invincible and at the same time so vulnerable.  

The song "Let It Be" by none other than "The Beatles", starts on my ipod and I hear

When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, 

speaking words of wisdom, let it be. 

And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me, 

speaking words of wisdom, let it be. 

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be. 

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. 

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, 

there will be an answer, let it be. 

For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see, 

there will be an answer. let it be. 

Let it be, let it be, ..... 

And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me, 

shine until tomorrow, let it be. 

I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me, 

speaking words of wisdom, let it be. 

Let it be, let it be, ..... 

I guess this is exactly how I feel as I think of my path.  There will be an answer, let it be.  

We are here for a reason.  We are here for a purpose.  Although we try with all our might, to know our future and calling

 it ebbs and flows just like the ocean changing all the time. 

 I find I am at the most peace when I give everyday the best I can, pray for the best, and have faith that it all happens for a reason. 

 Let it be.

There are people that come and go in our lives.  

Some are a for a short time and some for longer. 

 They are all blessings, teaching us something we need to learn.  

People get on and off our path. 

We can't regret why people come and go, they just do.  They are meant to be part of our life at that time.  Life doesn't make sense...we can't make it.  It just doesn't. 

 Let it be. 

 I think of the path of those that are cut short and I cry, but then I think...they just got off my path and they are still progressing in a different way.  We have only a moment to touch others lives..let it be for the better. 

 Let it be. 

 How long will I be here and what is my path?  Only heaven knows.  All I can do is try. 

 Why is it that so many hurt?  

How can God's hands be in so many lives...and know the direction it all needs to go.  

How can he orchestrate our us all to be instruments in his hands?  

How can he be nowhere and everywhere at the same time?  

How can so many draw from HIS strength? 

 I have so many questions and only one answer.  

Because he is Jesus Christ.  He just can. 

 We aren't meant to have all the answers, we aren't meant to understand.  We are meant to build our faith...even as we loose ones we love, even as we stumble through each day feeling weaker than before.  We are meant to believe and even smile.  The people that are here in our lives NOW are here for a reason.  

We need to take care of them and cherish every moment we have because that's all it may be, a moment.  I wish I could freeze time...the special seconds that I want to hold forever.  

But we cant. 

 imagine it. 

 imagine grasping those times and being able to put them in your pocket.  We can only live every minute to the fullest.  You never know when someone will get off your path and be on another.  Live as one...when we can .