delicious between buns

what to do when someone else is doing your packing and moving.

1. wake up earlyish, because it feels a bit like christmas morning.

2. strap on your trusty apron. you can't be seen without it. it gives an air of authority.


3. welcome the packers and give plenty of instructions like you were born to do. it helps if you act like your stuff is WAY more important than it really is. heirlooms bought way back in '03.


4. be available for any packer questions. (read a magazine.)


5. entertain your chillens. (southern for children.)


6. scrub a tub or two. because you are starting to feel a touch unproductive.


7. cheer when they are finished packing the house by noon.


8. load up the whole fam damily for an afternoon of adventure.


9. eat at chik-fil-a. watch the poor teenage employees clean the child play area with a big scrub brush and plastic gloves.


10. guess which body fluid was excreted in the play area and by which child in the chik-fil-a dining room.


11. ride the carousel at the mall. squeal with delight.


12. go see despicable me at the local theater. enjoy it thoroughly, but notice that some of gru's parenting tendencies are things you also do on a regular basis.


13. resolve to no longer parent like an animated super villain.


14. go home. eat cheap pizza. anticipate the fun in store tomorrow when the moving van arrives.


*delicious between buns. a sign at the barbeque restaurant/shack that was just down the road from our house in alabama. i saw it everyday. it's more than advertising, it's a mantra for living.*

red, black and 34

a while back, i asked my sister what she liked the most about being married.
she replied, "it's so nice to be around someone so loving and kind and nice all the time!"
and i replied, "i agree!"
and then i thought about it, "too bad our husbands got the short end of that stick!"


thomas turned 34 on friday. it was his herschel walker birthday. i tried to pack as much georgia football and red and black into one day.

thomas was pretty specific about his cake. and then pooblix had that GALL to mess up the order and frost the cake with whipped icing, instead of buttercream. whipped frosting is of the devil. whenever thomas and i are in public and there is a cake offering, one of us will do reconnaissance on the cake toppings and send back secret hand signals about cake worthiness. and for his very special cake to have whipped frosting??? it was a travesty, a sham, and a mockery. a travashamockery! (we still ate plenty. but with frowns and much murmuring.)

herschel walker has 2% body fat and is a 5th degree black belt. i'm sure my body fat % also has a 2 in it somewhere. and i own way more than 5 black belts. at one time i also owned almost 60 pairs of shoes. take that herschel.

almost like an album cover for our family band.


for some reason, i am the only one in the family who gets excited about gifts full of clothes. the kids even helped me wrap the clothes and they were disappointed when the packages were opened.

34: hotter than a $2 pistol.

the fun in funeral

great times were had by all. being in kansas city with my whole family for my dad's funeral was wonderful. i enjoyed the trip immensely. how wonderful to be with my family to celebrate my dad's life! the viewing alone lasted for nearly 5 hours. and i wore heels! i cried plenty, but not about being on my feet that long. but it was more tears of comfort and less tears of sorrow. relief and comfort and humor. my dad would have wanted humor. the outpouring of love from so many people was incredible. i know my entire family was truly touched. and it made me want to record more and more of my little family's life. these memories are too important.

things i want to remember:

1. crushing uncle bonecrusher.

2. best cousins.

3. listening in on conversations between my grandmother and my mother and her siblings about growing up together.

4. baseballing:

5. wonderful friends and family and friends who are practically family, some of whom drove more than 20 hours to be with us.

6. hamming it up with the hams.

7. conversing with sarah. how do i have no pictures of this. and steve, where are you in all my pictures? were you even there?

8. secretly hiding the "secret object" in heather's luggage. she found it once, but i don't think she found it the second time. hopefully it made it back to vegas.

9. spooning in the hotel.

10. funsters who entertained our kids when i sure as heck didn't feel like it.

11. the special musical numbers at the funeral. nothing touches my heart more than musical numbers. especially songs sung by the full-time missionaries of the missouri independence mission.


12. the flex. how i loved the flex we rented. one day we will be together again, flex. just you and me. and the XM radio. you truly were wonderful. i'm a believer now.

all is well, all is well

my dad passed away yesterday evening after a 5 year battle with cancer. i don't really have words at this time to express my feelings adequately. though i am sad, i feel peace. it is the peace that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. i know that families are forever. my dad had an incredible impact on those around him. my dad was very funny. i got my love of trivial facts from him. he was very frugal and avoided debt. he was the most honest person i've ever known. you always knew where he stood and that was on the right side. there was no gray area for him. he loves the Lord and loves missionary work. i know he will be very busy on the Lord's errand now that he is on the other side.
my parents were married in the salt lake temple and because of that i can be with them forever. if you would like to know more about how families can be together forever, click here.

upchuck e cheese

scarlett has few fears in this world. but there is one thing in particular that puts her in a state.

charles e fromage:

better known as chuck e cheese.


yesterday for lunch we dined with friends at his establishment. i knew scarlett was wary of mr. cheese after his appearance at reagan's birthday party, but i had hope her fears had subsided. the wheels started to fall off the wagon after scarlett spied the chuck e cheese robot that graces the dining area. poor thing could hardly eat. the piece de resistance was when chuck started strolling about, greeting happy patrons. i couldn't get scarlett out of there quick enough. panic set in accompanied by screaming, crying and uncontrollable shaking. we tried to make a quick getaway, but i think the sadistic mr. cheese had it in for us. everywhere i turned, there he was. i'm sure it was a sight to behold because my friend amanda grabbed my camera and started snapping away. i was laughing so hard i was crying and i could hardly see. i'm sure i stepped on more than a few kids in my haste.

*please note my friend tab laughing hysterically at my ordeal.*

she was shaking so badly that i could hardly hold her and she was starting to pull down my pants with her knees.

finally he had us cornered and we just stared each other down until he figured out that we didn't want to hug him. that's what you get when you have a rat as your mascot.

scarlett immediately wet her pants upon getting in the car.