Fabulous Fourth

Thanks everyone for a great 4th of July weekend! What a blast! It was so nice to be together as a family. I'm so glad we all like each other and will voluntarily travel to be together for holidays and special occasions like this. I really am glad to be part of this particular family.

A special shoutout to Mom for getting up early to get us such good seats for the parade!

I was so amazed at how well the kids played together. I swear all I have from the whole weekend are pictures of the kids hugging each other!

Well, that or dispensing their own brand of "love". Honestly, I don't know how Chase managed to breathe underneath all that cousinly affection!

Thanks, Aunt Lois, for arranging paintball for us! I liked it the first time, but now I think I'm hooked. I'd love to do it again next time we're in St. George. Unless next time is in the dead of summer, in which case I might take a pass until it cools off a little bit. I managed to send myself this photo when I was messing around on Duane's phone (I think he's holding the rest hostage), and I would like you all to know that the perfectly circular welt on my knee is STILL THERE! That kid NAILED me in the first round! But don't worry, when I tell the story of how I kakked two out of three brothers in the second-to-last round, I'm practically a living legend!

The rest are just miscellaneous pictures from the rest of the weekend. I hope you enjoy them!

Giving Thanks

I just wanted to thank everyone for a really fun Thanksgiving! I had such a great time at the parks, and especially talking to all of you and playing with my nieces and nephews. I had been craving them for the past month, and I just loved seeing them. In case you don't want to wait for Dad's cd to come in the mail, here are just a few of my favorite pix:

Happy Halloween

So this evening we are finally winding down from a great Halloween day and night. We got to take Sydney and Ashton to Darin's work, where they got to trick or treat throughout the office and we got to show off our adorable little kids! Sydney was a pink poodle (named Fifi), but was commonly mistaken for a sheep. I don't know what people are thinking sometimes! :) Ashton was a little bat, wings and all. He was a cute little bat. Sydney got enough candy there, I considered staying home from the Trunk or Treat. Darin had worked a 13 hour day yesterday, so we all went to lunch, and then he got to come home with us. Yay! We did attend the ward Trunk or Treat, with the kids in the forementioned costumes, and Darin as "Ash" from Army of Darkness, and I went as a vampire (to Ashton's bat). It was quite small compared to last year, but someone reminded me that our "sister" ward decided to have their Trunk or Treat last weekend. I really don't get it. Friday is the best possible day for Halloween, and they go and celebrate it a whole week early? Oh well. We had lots of fun at ours, and didn't run out of candy for once! While home, Sydney has loved answering the door for all the kids coming by, and she even comments on some of the costumes. This is for sure her best Halloween yet. We'll be sure to get some pictures of the kids posted ASAP. Soon our friends will be over to watch a scary movie and pig out on candy. Being a parent is fun sometimes! Hope you all had a great holiday.

The New Craft Obsession

How glad I am to be in a family ward with old ladies again! I'm not sure words can describe how I suffered in a ward full of non-crafty sisters, but I have finally found MY PEOPLE!!!! They are starting a quilting special interest group, and I thought I would be supportive and check it out. Of course, $80 in fabric later I'm realizing that it was inevitable that I get sucked in. I don't have a sewing machine yet, but I'm checking out several on Ebay and Craigslist and hope to have one in my possession by the end of the month. It's absolutely killing me to have brand new craft supplies (fabric) and not be able to actually work on my project, but I figure this is a character and patience-building experience.

The fabric I chose is all deep earthy jewel-toned batik and the pattern looks a little modern arty, so my finished product is NOT going to look homespun and country. If it turns out even close to what I'm imagining in my head, you guys are going to be falling all over yourselves placing orders. (Finally, a craft you guys would actually WANT to receive for Christmas!) I make no promises, but if I do get hooked like I think I will, I can envision myself with quilts coming out my ears. I'll be the next Aunt Katie!

Assume the Position

I was organizing my photo files and pulling pictures off of memory cards today, and I found some that made me laugh. I think these were after Uncle Richard's funeral. The group shot is Dad on the left and Lindsey laying on Uncle Randy. It looks like Syd Bundy isn't the only one in the family who knows how to relax!

Syd Bundy

I caught this pic of Syd while she was watching TV. It really made me laugh. My kid knows how to really relax. It is funny too, that I saw the fountain from the opening credits of Married with Children while I was in Chicago.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Buckingham_Fountain_Panoramic_View.jpg

Chicago

I was in Chicago for training last week. We stayed about 25 miles from the city and the training was also out of town as well. I flew out Monday, had training Tuesday through Thursday and was scheduled to come home on Friday. The original plan was to have training on Friday as well, but we put in a killer 12 hour day on Thursday and finished up training so we would have Friday to do something downtown.

We drove into Chicago and paid $16 to park and walked down the Navy Pier and walked back. We didn't even buy a hotdog. We did drive by the fountain that is in the opening credits of Married with Children. As soon as I saw it that music was stuck in my head.

Next we went to the Sears Tower. We paid $19 to park there and $16 to go up the elevator to the top. It was worth it though. That is an impressively tall building. When you are outside you look at it and think, "yeah, that is tall and is taller than the other buildings" but you really appreciate it when you go up and are looking down at the other buildings around. I was looking down at one building and there were some people on the roof. The people looked tiny, then I looked down to the ground and those people were teeny tiny! It really was quite a sight. I also saw the new Trump Tower that was being built. The winner from the first season of The Apprentice chose that project as his prize, so it was neat to see.

My next two training trips coming up are in Powell, Tennessee. I've never been there, and it could be cool, but I think I would rather go back to Chicago to see more since we didn't have much time at all to do fun things.

Handy Maddy

David and Jamie's dining room set arrived while I was visiting in May. David was his typical irritated self as we all tried to help him assemble it--apparently he is the only one in the family born with any sense of spatial relations, basic mechanics, or fine motor skills--but the finished product is really beautiful. Kudos to Jamie for picking out such an attractive set! Maddy enjoyed helping her dad, especially when it came time to put the felt pads on the bottom of the legs.

lia sophia conference

So, here I am in my hotel room in Milwaukee (sp?), Wisconsin. I have been very busy at the lia sophia conference, attending trainings/workshops, checking out vendor booths, getting inspiration and "butterfly stories" from other lia sophia advisors, and watching my region kick some serious butt! It is difficult being away from home, and I miss my family like crazy. Yesterday, a woman on my team asked me what I came to conference for. I was a little confused, as I assume we all came for the same reason, to learn and grow. I asked her to be more specific, and she said, "Well, you must have some specific goal or idea to come here, leaving such a tiny baby at home." She is right. I explained that I hope to use lia sophia to change my family's life. I want it to provide for my family, and to help other women the way it has, and continues to help me. I want to reach goals like I see my upline managers achieve. I don't care what my title is in the company, as long as I can make our dreams come true. At our awards ceremony on Wednesday night, I realized just what a special group of women I am lucky to have to help me. Several women from our teams were recognized for personal and group accomplishments. They were so gracious accepting their many awards. I know good things are happening to them for a reason, and I hope to be an inspiration just like them.

I am so thankful for everyone that continues to support me, especially Darin. He is a great man, and I am proud to call him my husband. Thank you for all you do, and for giving me two beautiful kids!

I am writing this now, to be a reminder of this time, of the drive I feel, and of the amazing opportunity I have at my feet. This will serve as motivation, and make me accountable for the success of my business! Cross your fingers for me and look up, cause I'm reaching for the sky!!!