Good: My boys not wrestling, running, fighting or crying ........ yet.

Our church doesn't start until 1pm on Sundays, so after the boys get ready they have to, (oops, I mean get to) read their scriptures, or a book or magazine about God, Jesus , or our church until it's time to go.  Ryan and I are supposed to read our lessons for church at the same time.  Sometimes, neither one of us is ready yet, okay all the time for me. The boys don't think it's very fair that they have (I mean get) to read and we don't.  So, I let them lay on my bed and tell me all about what they are reading while I get ready.  Most of the time I end up laying down by them and listen to them retell their stories, when I should be getting ready, that's why we usually end up being late for church.  Though really, who could resist?

An Ugly: DIET

Okay, so let me explain this little rant.  I am trying a 7 day mental health diet, where I can't say anything negative, mean, or something else, (I already forgot the third thing) for seven days. It's only day 1 and I'm already dying. What a positive way to start my "diet." I can remove the mean, that's not too hard, but  I think negative sarcasm is a trademark of my personality and I don't know if I can change. (I don't want to sound mean, I am usually the object of  this bad habit).  I'm scared that I  may become a boring, lifeless person with nothing to talk about, and no funny comments.  You know the kind of people you say "hi" to and then get away from because, wow boring!  How bad is that?  I started this "diet" at 10:30 pm last night.  I've already had to start over b/c I am so not a morning person.  I forgot to get this out last night before my "diet" started, it's like forgetting to stuff your face with that last piece of cheesecake and plateful of nachos before your diet starts.  After I master not saying anything negative, mean, oh that 3rd one is depressing, then I will work on not writing negative things. Baby steps, baby steps.

On to the rant: Walgreens is out, out, out, of the flu vaccine, which means no more flu shots. A selfish "yeah" from me because I do not enjoy shooting people up. People are of course freaking out and you know how we always want what we can't have, so our phones have been ringing nonstop for the last week  with complaints about why we don't have the vaccine.  I do feel bad for people who want it, and can't seem to find it.  I just wish Walgreens would be as pro-active letting people know we don't have it, as they are in advertising when we do have it.  I also wish some people would be nice about the situation too.  I had someone yesterday accuse me of lying and hoarding the vaccine in my fridge, another one told me that I was racist because I wouldn't give it to them, and another told me I just want to let the elderly die etc. etc. etc. Good times at Wally World. Now, I feel better and can move on. It is so beautiful outside today the sun is shining on this amazing crisp fall morning, time to go enjoy this great day.  See, I'm getting better already. Who knew blogging could be therapeutic? .........and my "diet starts now at 7:52 am.  Anyone else want to cleanse themselves with me?

Goods Bads and Uglies

Good: What do the boys and I do when Fall lets us know that he is here?  Stay inside and watch the leaves fall?

Nope, we go to Barnes and Nobles to look for cool books and get yummy treats.

After we find the perfect book, which can take hours, we go home snuggle in blankets, read our books, and watch the leaves oops, I mean the snow fall outside. What a fun way to spend a Fall day.

Another Good

It is probably nothing for most, but for the first time in 15 years of marriage, I have a painted, decorated, relaxing, pretty bedroom/bathroom.  Yeah for me!  Oh, I know the treadmill doesn't really fit the theme, but if I put it in the basement, I will never get on it.  Thanks Rochelle, for your inspiration and shopping help when you were out here.  I think it looks great.  Oh, and maybe I should have clean up my bathroom before pictures, I'm too lazy to clean it and take new pics. You get the idea right?

A Good

Just a funny quote from Braydon.  I'm making dinner and I am finally making something that Braydon actually likes.  When he saw what I was making he was so excited and said,"Sweet air coming through my nostrils and into my heart." What a little spaz, but this kid hates to eat so I'm just so excited that he likes this. I'm not sure if he really likes it or not. We will see in about 30 minutes when dinner is ready. He says that he is going to eat it like a pig.

The Goods, the Bads, and the Uglies

Bad but Good:  It's great to turn 60, just ask my mother-in-law, Darla.  A surprise birthday party with family and friends, awesome glasses, a fashionable necklace, a cool new monitor, surprise visit by her sister and mom all the way from Nebraska, great food, some prunes, depends, cane, a beautiful cake, and grandkids being hyper and crazy, all this just for her.  She must be pretty special huh.  She is! We love you Grandma D! I also have to mention a great play that Kole created and had his cousins Ankara and Ellie act out. Here's the summary: Ankara,"It's great to be 60." Ellie,"What?" Ankara, "It's great to be 60!" Ellie, "What?" Ankara, "I said it's great to be 60!" "What?" says Ellie holding up her arms. Ankara, "I'm leaving."  It is much cuter to see than to read check out my sister-in-law's blog called Button and Bug.

Ugly: This scene: Ryan's brother, Shane, either wrestling with Kole or checking Kole's shorts, we aren't sure.

The Goods, the Bads, and the Uglies

Good?  What do you do if it's cold and rainy outside? Well, my boys like to go outside, set up a tent and sit in it. They couldn't do it by themselves so dad helped them.  They got the tent all set up and dragged at least 10 blankets into the tent and settled in. They had plans to sleep there all night. What kind of a mom lets her kids sleep in a tent on a cold rainy night? Come on, I knew they wouldn't last more than an hour. To prove my point, 15 minutes into "Tent Time," the sprinkler came on right underneath their tent and the water sprayed all over inside the tent.  This ended the "Tent Adventure"......but according to Kole, if the sprinklers wouldn't have come on, he would have stayed in there all night.  Too bad they had to settle for a warm fire, hot chocolate, and a warm bed.

Good: My mom and dad came out to see us.  Our schedules finally aligned. Yeah! We had a lot of fun shopping, eating, watching football, going through model homes, and enjoying Braydon's soccer game.

Bad: as in Bad to Bone. That's the way Bray plays soccer.  His team made a come back and tied the All-Star team.  Bray had 3 goals. He may be little, but he is tough.

Amazing: Ok I know this isn't a category, but my dad, the rock of our family, has been in remission for almost a year now.  What an amazing story of faith and willingness to submit to God's will. He was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of cancer known as Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) in August of 2007.   I'm sure most of you know, but just in case, cancer has 4 stages 1, 2, 3, 4.  The lower the stage number, the more likely that the cancer can be erradicated from your body, and that you will survive.   My dad's cancer was diagnosed as being in late stage 3/early stage 4.  Which means the cancer had spread to many parts of his body, including some of his organs, this would make it much harder to treat. The prognosis wasn't great.  As we were all falling apart trying to deal with this, it was my dad who stayed strong and tried to make us feel better. My mom was amazing and her faith never wavered either. My dad didn't believe that it was his time to go and he had faith that he would be healed.  I would ask him, what if was his time to go.  He would tell me that if it was his time to go that he wasn't afraid of dying. He had lived such a good and amazing life that he was at peace if it was his time (my words not his). How many people can say that? I know that I can't.  Thankfully the chemo worked and my dad has beaten the cancer, without having to go through a bone marrow transplant.  He was and still is in a  European study that uses an investigational drug to prevent the return of NHL. This leads me to why I wanted to tell this story.  We were eating dinner with them last week, and we started talking about the investigational drug he is taking, and when he would know if he was taking the real thing or the placebo.  He said he didn't know and may never know because he was the only one in the state of Utah to be on this drug.  I asked him why.  He told us that to qualify for this study you had to be diagnosed with NHL, be in late stage 3/4, and be cancer free after finishing chemo.  He was and is the only person in Utah diagnosed NHL stage 3-4, that qualified for the study because he was cancer free.  How amazing is it, that my dad was healed and that his last cat scan showed no signs of cancer?  While he was going through chemo, I guess I didn't realize or want to admit how rare a full recovery would be.  I know I don't always show it, but I do realize any time that my kids and I have with my dad now is borrowed time and thank Heavenly Father for that time.