Icing on Top

How about a cheerier topic? My life is not all dark and bleak as some might think. We do have some happier moments around here as well (it is what keeps me thinking positive). And what better topic is there to talk about than cake? Well, okay, photography, of course. But that is why I have a whole separate blog for that!

Once upon a time, I was really big into cake decorating. LOVED it. Except the clean up. HATED that part. All those little icing tips. Yuck. Anyway, I stopped doing ti for a couple of reasons. First, we moved into a teeny tiny apartment. You need LOTS of space when you do cakes, especially large orders like wedding cakes. We had cakes everywhere. It was too much for us. Secondly, I found that the more cakes I did, the more my hands started to hurt. Like really hurt. They would cramp up so bad, I couldn't even uncurl them from around the icing bags. Found out I was starting to develop a little arthritis.

I still do some smaller cakes for special occasions, like birthdays, anniversaries, the occasional holiday. Or when I teach a class on cake decorating.

My mom teaches Home Ec (it's not actually called that anymore, but the new big long fancy name is too hard to remember) at Bryant Middle School in SLC. Since the beginning of the year, we planned on having me go in to teach the 8th graders how to decorate cakes. The plan was for me to demonstrate how to decorate the cake one day, then have the kids do their own little cupcakes the next.

The morning I was supposed to go in for the demonstration we had a NASTY snow storm. The roads were terrible, and it took me nearly two hours to drive to the school. I completely missed the first period class:-( But, I was in time for the Second period. The demonstration went great! The kids loved the little "gingerbread" people (I hate actual gingerbread, so I used chocolate sugar cookies). The cake was covered in gumdrops, sprinkles, cookies, and candycanes. Yumm!

The next day, the first period did get to decorate their cupcakes, then proceeded to have a food fight in the hallways after class. I was so ticked off! My mom and I stayed up past midnight two night in a row trying to finish all the cupcakes and icing. My mom had their cooking privileges revoked for the remainder of the year. But I still went in the next day to make up for the morning I missed. They were a rowdy class. People who teach middle school are either very brave, or very insane. Maybe a little of both.

At any rate, the cakes turned out great, and the teachers enjoyed it (I gave the first cake tot he faculty, but kept the second for myself). Funny thing about cake: I love to decorate it, but I don't like to eat it much. The cake was only a 6 in cake, but we didn't finish it all. We are just not cake eaters. Sad, I know. But here is my cute little Christmas cake in all it glory!

Cheated

Last year, Craig and I decided to adopt. We have always wanted more children, but it just did not seem to be happening on our own. The doctors were perplexed. There did not seem to be anything wrong with either of us, but for some reason, we were just unable to conceive.

Well, the economy has taken a heavy toll on our little family. We were both unemployed for the entire summer and then some. Although we both have jobs now, and are doing a little better, we have sunk deeper in debt, and it will be a LONG time before we unbury ourselves. As such, adoption has become a distant dream. Our credit is so bad that there is no chance of any agency accepting us int their program, and it will take years to rebuild our credit, especially on our current income.

We briefly toyed with the idea of doing infertility treatments, but these can be very expensive, and are not a guarantee. So, the only hope we have right now of having more children is if I were to get pregnant on my own, which is unlikely.

We had just been coming to the realization that more children are simply not in our future, when lo and behold, my period was late. My cycles are as regular as clockwork, and extremely predictable. Anything outside the norm puts us on sudden alert. I didn't tell anyone for several days, waiting to see what would happen. As the days passed, I began to have a little hope. And then a little more. I could just envision showing Craig a positive pregnancy test on Christmas morning.

I hadn't taken a test at this point because I HATE taking those tests. There is NOTHING worse than seeing a big fat negative staring back at you. But, I knew I had to do it sooner or later, so I went out and got a couple last night, planning to use on this morning.

Well, late last night I suddenly started cramping fiercely. I knew immediately what it meant, and sure enough, within a couple of hours I started bleeding.

My feelings were a turmoil. Anger, hurt, betrayal. Betrayed by my body, and yes, I felt betrayed by God. After so many years, why was I given something to hope for, only to have it ripped away? I felt cheated. Ever since I was a little girl I have always wanted to be a mother, and I have always wanted a lot of children. As I stare reality in the face, it looks more and more like that wish will never come true.

I spent several hours crying alone into my pillow. I hadn't told Craig anything, so it seemed silly to wake him up. But as the tears slid down my face, I decided I had two choices. I could either wallow in self-pity, hating God for what I DON'T have, or I could move on, and be grateful for what I DO have.

I have chosen the latter. Yes, I am disappointed, and I still feel hurt. But I am going to pick up the fragmented pieces of my heart and get on with my life. I have an incredible husband who loves me, and I have a little boy who brings so much joy into my life. I have the best job I could eve have - I get to photograph newborns every day! Although I cannot have any more of my own, it is such a blessing to be around others, each one a tiny miracle.

My life has always been full of trials. At times, they seem overwhelming, and the burden is great. But when I give that burden over to the Lord, I am able to see the light in my life, and the many things He has blessed me with.

Thanksgiving and a BIG BIRTHDAY

What an. . .interesting holiday we had. First, at the beginning of the week we found out that my sis, Jenny, had to go in for emergency surgery. She had appendicitis, and some other complications. Surgery went fine, but then the nurse OD'd her on pain meds and she lapsed into a coma. Not good. The pulled her out of it, and she was actually home in time for Thanksgiving. Crazy! She is doing pretty well now.

For Thanksgiving, we had all the rest of my family at my house, even my bro Bill, who we hardly ever see. I had to work in the morning, but I left instructions on what to cook, so that by the time i got home we could just do some finishing touches and be ready to eat. I worked doggedly all morning, and rushed home, only to find that hardly anything had been done! Only the turkey was finished. The excuse? They got caught up playing video games. I am REALLY starting to hate video games.

So, then I rushed around the kitchen, finishing everything up. Despite the chaos, I think the food turned out pretty good. My favorite were the deviled eggs. Yum!!! And no, I am not going to post a picture of them. Y'all should know what turkey and deviled eggs look like!

It was great having everyone over for Thanksgiving. This was my first year hosting it, and I think it went pretty well. I just wish we had a little more space to put everyone!

As many of you know, I just celebrated THAT birthday. The one that has the 3 and the 0 in it. Yipes! Somedays I really am starting to feel old, but I think that has more to do with me working so much lately. Although, I am VERY grateful for the job I have. We didn't do anything for my birthday, but I did get the day off from work (yay!), and Craig made dinner and brownies for dessert.

Here is irony for you: I love decorating cakes, but I don't like to eat them. Go figure.

Last night Craig and I went out to his work's Christmas Party at the Timberline Steakhouse in Ogden. Seemed to be a very popular place, but I did not think their food was anything grandiose. I guess I just have a soft spot for Outback and Black Angus:-) Great food, low price.

Now we are gearing up for Christmas. Cameron asks nearly every day if it is time to open presents, lol. He is getting some cool space toys this Christmas. He LOVES to hear all about outer space and astronauts. And yes, he is a big Star Wars fan, lol. I love seeing him get so excited to learn about something. This is such a great age for him!

Don't Leave Me!

Craig often goes out to play Magic: The Gathering (a popular trading card game, for those not in the know) on Friday nights. It's his "guy time". It's fine by me, since that means he won't beg me to play the game with him, lol.

Cameron is not a fan of "guy time" when it does not involve him. Every Friday night he gets annoyed and upset that his daddy goes out to play without him. He REALLY loves his daddy.

Tonight, Craig announced he was leaving to go, and gave Cameron a hug. Cameron clung tightly to him, and pleaded, "Don't leave me!" I have no idea where this kid picks up this stuff, lol. It would have been heartbreaking if it wasn't such an unexpected thing to hear from our five year old. Instead we just busted out laughing. What mean parents we are. :-P

Happy Birthday, Cameron!!!

I can't believe my baby boy is FIVE!!! How did that happen? Suddenly I have the "big kid" with mile long legs and boats for feet, lol. Not to worry, though. He has assured me that, "I will always be your Baby Boy, Mommy." Oh yes, I love this boy!

The day before his birthday he was not feeling so great. He had woken up with dry heaves and the runs, which was just no fun. We kept him home from school and made sure he got plenty of rest. The next day he was feeling much better. He had no school that day, so we just decided to have a fun day:-) He wanted to go swimming, so I got out his little pool, and he happily splashed around in it for about an hour, while I was busy working on his very special Mickey Mouse birthday cake.

Let me explain the Mickey Mouse theme. Since Cameron was a newborn, I thought it would be great if for his fifth birthday we could take him to Disneyland. Unfortunately, that simply did not work out for us this year. But somehow the idea of Mickey Mouse stuck with him, and he begged for a Mickey Mouse party. We were happy to oblige him:-)

After Craig got home, we took Cameron out to pick out some birthday gifts. Craig and I got him Wii Sports Resort, which we all love:-) We also got him the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Cameron has been a HUGE fan of the original series for some time now, but he has never watched any of the prequels.

That night we started to watch Episode I, but we had hardly got in to it, when Cameron started to look very sleepy. He was asking to go to be even before 8am, so we knew something was up. We put him to bed, and hoped we were wrong.

The next morning he was up early playing his games. I had to leave to teach a photography class, but while I was gone, Craig called to let me know that Cameron was officially sick, sick, sick! All he wanted to do was sleep, and we could not get him to eat anything. Sadly, we had to cancel his birthday party that day.

We kept him home over the weekend, but the illness was very persistent. He had a nasty cough for a few days, and it was very hard to keep his fever down and his appetite up. His doctor suspects he might have had the swine flu. The good news is that it was fairly mild, as far as the flu goes, and we won't have to worry about him getting it again (if it was the swine flu). Happily, he is feeling much better, and back to all his normal activities:-)

Since we could not have his party before, we moved it to this past Saturday. We were a little sad that only two of his friends came, but we still had a lot of fun. I had made a new cake, which was even better than the first, and the kids had fun playing games and getting loaded up on sugar, lol.

I hope that someday soon we will be able to take Cameron to Disneyland. But for now, I think he to a good healthy dose of Mickey Mouse:-)

Cameron's First Day of School!

Ah, my little boy is growing up! It's a bittersweet moment for me. I miss the little baby, but I have really enjoyed watching him grow and learn.

Today was Cameron's first day of "school". This is only preschool, as he missed the Kindergarten cutoff here by all of two weeks. Sad! We cannot afford a private preschool anymore, but he was accepted into Head Start. He gets to go to the "big kid school", as he calls it, which is so exciting:-)

Cameron is so excited to learn. For someone his age, everything is still fresh and new. He is already learning how to read, and can read little words like, "cat", "mat", and "exit". He also likes numbers.

Here are a few pics of his first day!

I hate scammers!

We had an interesting experience here this week. Craig has been putting application all over, trying to find any decent job. He put in an application to one company that does property management. The position was for collections, which Craig has done in the past, so he thought he would be a good fit.

Before we knew it, he had been offered a position of employment! But instead of being excited, we became very wary. Craig had never had an interview, and had not even spoken to anyone over the phone. The company turned out to be based in London, which made us even more cautious.

Craig decided to try contacting them to talk with someone live, and get some more info. Instead, they emailed him to let him know that the first "rent" check from a client was on it's way to our home. Of course, this sent up red flags all over. They had not even had Craig fill out any tax info yet, or even ask for a SS number.

We talked to my bro, who is also in property management, and he agreed it sounded very suspicious. It was certainly not how his company handled things. We ended calling the Attorney General for advice. They also agreed that this sounded like a money laundering scam.

The check did come, and Craig took it straight to the bank so they could run a background check on it. Turns out the account was valid, but frozen due to multiple accounts of fraudulent activity! The check was worth quite a bit, and if we had actually put it through the bank, it could have been devastating for us.

Normally, scams are pretty easy detect, but these guys were being very tricky. They gave all their info piece by piece. In the beginning, they never mentioned anything about Western Union, Paypal, or where we were to deposit the money. those would have been immediate tipoffs. The English was very good, and gave detailed instructions. We Googled the company name, and it turned out to be a legitimate company in London. They probably have no idea their company is being used as a front for illegal operations.

Fortunately for us, we were listening to the Spirit, and we were able to avoid being taken in. But it makes me angry that there are people out there who are so willing to prey on the weak and the desperate. They offered a comfortable sum of money for "employment", and because they were so sneaky, I know many people could be easily fooled.

FYI, the scam company was operating under the name of Kalmars Property Management. Hopefully no one else will be duped by these people.

"Lil" the duck - a long overdo update

I am sure some of you are wondering how "Lil" (aka Lily) the duck is doing. Truth is, I couldn't tell you. Because Lil is no longer here.

After 6 weeks, we were finally able to release our duck back to the pond. He was mostly fully feathered, and getting too big to keep in a crate any longer. He also reeked. I was cleaning his crate twice a day, and it was still in a constant state of filth. Folks, DO NOT keep ducks indoors if you can help it. PHEW!

One surprise we had was the slow realization that "Lily" wasn't a "Lily" at all. In fact, our little duck turned out to be a male. That was my first instinct, and we had even given him a boy name, when I decided to double check by sexing him. But sexing can be tricky, and I guess I didn't get it quite right. We realized he was male when his feet and bill starting turning yellow. It is odd that on all the websites I went to about sexing ducks, they never mentioned the change of bill and feet colors in males. Females will retain a very dark bill and brown feet, whereas in a male they will turn yellow. I am not sure if this is true for all ducks, but it is certainly true for Mallards and their domestic counterparts. I have never seen a case where this is not true.

Lil was THRILLED to go to the pond. The last time I released a duck, Mira, I had to coax her out of her crate, and even then she did not want to leave my side. it was painful letting her go, because neither of us wanted it. But with Lil, practically the moment I opened the crate door he was out and made a beeline for the water! He splished and splashed and dove, and you could just see how very happy he was. I was a little worried that seeing other ducks might freak him out (since he had not seen any for 6 weeks), but he seemed to be right at home among them.

The only very sad part was watching Orion. He strained on his leash to get in the water, too (totally unlike him!), and whined pitifully for his little friend. He really loved that little duck.

Since releasing Lil, we have not been able to find him again, as he looks just like all the other dozens and dozens of ducks at the pond. We were going to put a little tag on his leg, but then I forgot, and by the time I remembered it was too late. Oh well. I am sure he is doing just fine out there, and I am happy that I was able to care for him.

Here are a few images:

This is one of my faves from when we first found him. So tiny and fluffy and cute!


And here he is the day we released him. Not so tiny and fluffy, but still very cute.

Here is Lil in the pond. Notice the female in the top right corner with her dark bill, as compared to his yellow bill and feet.

I hate being broke

Whoever said money can't buy happiness was obviously never flat broke and jobless. Maybe money can't buy happiness itself, but it sure can make life easier.

It has been over 3 months since Craig and I have worked. We have both put in applications and resumes EVERYWHERE. We have thought outside the box and applied for jobs we never would have thought of before. And yet, the phones are eerily silent. When we do get interviews, we never hear back.

Meanwhile, the bills are piling up, and the collectors call on a daily basis. I agonize over even the smallest purchases, wondering if what I want is really worth it, or if maybe I could get by without it. It is almost physically painful to know we have so much debt over our heads, and no way to pay it off. For some reason the collectors do not understand that sine we are JOBLESS, we can't pay them. And even more weird is how they have special payment programs for people who are working, but for people who are out of work, no such luck. Does that make any sense to you?

We are doing the best we can to get by, day by day. I have had a few more sessions this month, which has been nice, but also some cancellations, which is sad. People just aren't willing to pay money for quality photos, I guess.

The very saddest thing about our financial situation is not being able to take Cameron to Disneyland next month for his birthday. Since he was a baby, I always thought it would be really fun to take him to Disneyland on his 5th birthday. Then they came out with the free birthday pass, which was even better! But, there is just no way we can afford a trip like that right now, even with his free pass. Thinking about it makes me want to cry.

I really and truly hate how so many of the fun things we plan, or things we want, or even need, are centered around whether we have money in our bank account. Day to day living becomes almost unbearable when you know you will have a hard time just putting food on the table, and keeping that roof over your head.

Cakes and Dinosaurs

This past week we had the opportunity to head out to my parent's house in Price, UT. They are planning on selling their house, and I agreed to take some nice photos of the house. It is almost a shame they have to leave the home. It is by far the largest home they have ever been in, and I know they really liked the area. However, since they are moving closer to us, I don't feel too bad about it:-)

Since this past weekend was also the birthdays of my sister Amanda (who turned 15) and my dad (who's age I will not disclose), I also decided to bake them a cake. The specifications were that it must be a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. I decided to add some strawberries for a little color and flavor. This was a pretty simple cake, but it was really yummy.

My sister took one look at the cake, declared she hated homemade icing, and refused to even try the cake. Sad. Who would not love to eat this cake? So delicious and moist.

On Friday we decided to visit the Dinosaur museum. Cameron loved looking at all the big skeletons and watching the live alligator. My favorite was the phosphorescent rocks seen under a black light. So cool! And for those of you wondering, yes, Craig STILL remembers most of the dinosaur names, even the really long, hard to pronounce ones.

The Things He Says

We are constantly amazed by the words that come out of Cameron's mouth. Some are sweet, others hilarious, and others, well, we just don't know what to think, lol.

We recently had the opportunity to visit the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. the lines were VERY long, and it was late. We finally made it in to the Celestial Room, which was quite beautiful. As we were leaving, Cameron turned and said, "I want to be in that room." We had been through MANY rooms, but it was that room he loved most. Even so young, he feels the Spirit.

Tonight, at dinner, Cameron said the prayer:

"Thank thee for all my books that I can read, Thank thee for my games that I can play, bless the food, In the name . . .What's my line?"

Cameron repeats game quotes frequently. Right now, he is big into Strong Bad. His favorite quote - "Oh, crapsicles!" Other phrases include, "I hope it's not. . .dangeresque." On the phone: "Hello, Commissioner? What? No, I'm not in that business anymore. Stupid telemarketers." This last phrase he says while wearing his Dangeresque sunglasses and talking into a cell phone - he's very authentic:-) I'm not going to repeat the whole thing here, but he knows the "200 Sbemails" song by heart. And the Trogdor song. And all the other songs on that site.

Independence Day Celebrations

We had so much fun this Independence Day! The morning started out with the Layton Independence Day parade. We were exited because the parade was passing about 50 yards from our house! That was good, because traffic and parking looked pretty bad. I could see some people eye-ing our driveway, lol.

At first, we were disappointed with the parade. I had been watching for days as people were coming to save the best spots. So we were a little surprised and annoyed when the parade seemed to end only 15 minutes after it had started. Nothing really exciting had even come by yet, except for some cool old cars. We went back to the house, but after a few minutes I heard a band playing. I looked outside and it looked like the parade had resumed. Craig and Cameron decided they didn't want to go back, so I decided to take Orion. I'm glad we went because we got to see some really cool stuff. Orion's favorite were the Humane Society walking some dogs:-) He wasn't too sure about the horses though.

In the evening we got to watch the big fireworks show - from our backyard:-) They do the show from Layton High School, which is practically next door to us. The only thing obstructing our view was the house right behind ours, but we were so close to the action that it really didn't matter.

Craig and I both agreed that it is going to take a lot for us to every leave the house on the 4th. We are thinking of having a BBQ next year and inviting friends and family over.

You are probably all wondering how our puppy handled the fireworks, with them being so close. Shortly before nightfall I took Orion out for a nice long walk, just to get out any extra energy. When we got back, we lit our own little fireworks, and Orion snoozed peaceably in my lap. There was a band in the park that was lighting cannons, which were quite loud, but they hardly fazed the dog. When the big fireworks started he started getting excited and barked at them, so we put him in the house. We did not know that Cameron had left the font door wide open (we were in the back), and Orion had plenty of opportunity to run off. Instead, he just ran right around to where we were. He's such a good dog! We found the cat hiding under our bed, lol.

I took LOTS of pictures, and the only way I could think of to share them with you is in a slideshow. So, enjoy!

Orion & Lily

I just had to post a little video of our dog and duck together:-) Although they seem to get along well, I still have to keep an eye on them. Orion likes to try and pick her up in his mouth, like a mommy dog would pick up her puppies. Lily does not like that so much. But it IS cute to watch her follow him wherever he goes. With Orion as her protector, I am sure she will do just fine:-)

And now Feathers!

As if our home wasn't already a menagerie, lol

I was out walking Orion a couple nights ago, and we found a little orphaned duckling running around in the street. Of course I could not just leave her there! I brought her home, and have been taking care of her since. We name her Lily (and yes, she is a girl!).

This is not my first experience raising a duckling. Some of you may remember my beloved little duck, Mira (MY-RA), who was my little miracle, sent from my Heavenly Father to save my life. Long story.

Anyway, the big difference with raising this duckling is that now I have a cat, a dog, and a little boy. Cameron just wants to hold the duckling all the time, but the cat and dog would rather just have her as a snack.

I spent the better part of yesterday with Orion and Lily together in the same room. My goal is to completely suppress Orion's natural instinct to attack the duckling. It has actually been going quite well. They were to the point yesterday where they were napping together side-by-side. At one point Lily even hopped up Orion's nose! But I have to keep at it every day, so that Orion always knows that he is NOT allowed to go into predator mode.

The cat is a little harder to work with, but we have been making progress with him, too.

Okay, I know you are all just dying to see some pics of her!

Fathers, Fur, and Friends

As it has been a little while since I last posted, I will have to play a little catch-up.

First, let's talk about Fathers, and how Craig is a good one:-) Cameron REALLY loves his dad. Craig can often be seen playing video games with his boy, or playing Magic: TG (their own special version), or just hanging out together. They have a very special bond, and it is great to see the two of them together.

In honor of such a wonderful dad, I baked a wonderful cake! It has been a while since I last did a cake. This one was only a 6in, but by the end of decorating my hands were almost numb with pain, and I could barely move my fingers. In case you all were wondering, that is why you do not see very many cakes from me anymore! But I was happy to do this one, and even happier to see that I had not lost the old skills:-)



Here is a Cameron funny. As we were getting ready to cut into the cake, Cameron said, "We already had Mother's Day, and now it is Father's Day." There was a little pause, and then he asked, "When is Little Boy's Day?" So, we decided we would have to put together an "unofficial" Little Boy's Day. Stay tuned for that!

Things have been going very well with our puppy, Orion. I am happy to report that he very rarely pees in the house anymore. However, he still has the habit of pooping on the carpet. Yuck! Just yesterday Orion pooped in the living room. Craig was the one who found it (I was downstairs) and I had assumed he had cleaned it up. Nope. He waited for me to get it. Next thing we know, Cameron had JUMPED in the poop, and SMEARED it across the carpet. it was really ground in there! Fortunately, I have a special enzyme cleaner that took care of it - no stain, no smell.

Of course, Cameron went to time out. I told him he needed to think about what he had done. Through his tears, he proclaimed, "I think I need a nap. I need some quiet time." I could not agree more!

Orion is still a great motivator for exercising. We still go on two walks a day, and I am now in my third week of jogging. I can now jog about 1/3 mi. Still not much, but baby steps, right? I am also keeping up with my pilates. And all this exercise has made a noticeable difference. I think I have probably lost at least an inch off my waist, and my whole body feels leaner and firmer. I am feeling really good! I am not sure if it is due to the exercise, but I have also had FAR fewer migraines this month. It may still be too soon to tell, but I am hoping that this good be what my body has really needed all along.

Another good thing has come from my new exercise regime, and that is that Craig has now taken up running and other exercise again! I think he has seen how much it has benefited me, and it motivated him to do likewise.

The exercising has been great for Orion, too. He is well on his way to becoming a very healthy and balanced dog! But I was feeling a little guilty for spending so much time with my dog, and not as much time with my son. So now Craig and I have committed to taking Cameron to the park every day so that he can run and release his own energy.

Hmm, can one little dog really help a whole family get in shape? Stay tuned!

This past Saturday we met with Craig's cousin Jessie and her family, as well as Clin and his family down in Salt Lake. It was a gorgeous day as we toured Temple Square. I have been there quite a bit lately for photoshoots, but it was nice to just wander around leisurely, and it was nice to see family.

My favorite part was when we saw the Joseph Smith movie. SO AMAZING! If you have not had the chance to see it, GO SEE IT! It was just incredibly powerful, and only served to reinforce in my mind that I know Joseph Smith to be a true prophet of God. He did more for us than can be imagined, and sacrificed even more to make those things happen. He was truly inspired, and loved by so many. I realized later that we actually saw the movie on the anniversary date of Joseph's martyrdom - June 27, 1844. Coincidence?

And finally (I know this is getting long, just bare with me), Saturday night was our Ward party. We went to the Layton Surf n Swim, which is a bog wave pool located in the park next to us. We had not been there before, but we had a lot of fun! The food was great, and Cameron LOVED the wave pool! It was pretty shallow for the most part, and he could walk out pretty far, but mostly he enjoyed sitting in the inner tube and riding the waves:-) We decided we will need to go back again when we get the chance.

Well, that is all for now. There are a few other things, but I will cover those in another post later.

Adventures at Wheeler Farm

Cameron and I were invited to go to Wheeler Farm in SLC with some friends. Cameron was soo excited! He has not seen his friend Ethan since we moved more than 6 months ago, so this was a very special treat. And I was happy to see Ethan's mom, Veronica again:-)Veronica

Ethan and Cameron

For those that have not been to Wheeler Farm, it is a great place. There are lots of animals - horses, cows, chicken, rabbits, geese - as well as other fun things. It is also very scenic, and a popular spot for photographers.

Veronica had brought along another friend, Brandy, and her children. It was so much fun for the kids to run around, and such a beautiful day. I think their favorite was playing in the tree house and on the old tractor. Cameron enjoyed riding the little pony:-)
Yes, he STILL has that old sword! A hero is only as good as his sword, after all:-)

We did have one scary moment. We decided to have a little lunch, and Brandy headed to her car to get some food, while Veronica and I watched the kids and found a place to sit. After a few minutes, Veronica suddenly realized that one of the children was missing! I told her I thought I saw him following his mom to the parking lot, but when Brandy returned, little Andrew was not with her.

A frantic search for the little boy ensued. It was very busy, with many families and children around, making the search a little more challenging, but what really had everyone worried is that the river that runs though the farm was running very high and fast due to all the rain we have had. Andrew had been playing near the water earlier, and everyone's first thought was that he had fallen in.

Within moments, other moms had stopped what they were doing to join in the search. Farm helpers went into action, and everyone rallied to find the lost boy. Fortunately, he was found soon after, wandering the parking lot. As I had thought, he had followed his mom out to the parking lot, but she never noticed he was there.

Afterward, many moms came to share their relief that he had been found. Many had tears in their eyes. Even though they did not know the child, they still felt the sense of dread of losing a child, and the ultimate relief of finding him again. Moms can be very protective of their own children, but can also be very protective of other children as well. It is God's gift to us to feel so much empathy towards others, one I am very grateful for.

The funny thing is that Andrew really had no idea what all the fuss was about! All he knew is that his mom and every other woman on the farm was crying and making a fuss over him, which I think scared him more than anything else. It was good I was there, as well, to help keep the other kids calm and their minds preoccupied with other random things. They had started to pick up on the sense of panic, and were very worried, so I helped to calm them down.

Aside from that harrowing experience, i think we all enjoyed ourselves. The kids had fun running around and playing, and us women enjoyed chatting. It was something we all needed. By the time I got home, the day had definitely caught up to me, and I completely crashed. I slept for several hours! An exhausting day, indeed!

Snake in the Grass

I am outside a lot, and particularly in my garden. I love digging in the dirt and helping things grow. Of course, there is a lot more than just plants and soil in my garden. For one thing, there are bugs. Lots of them. I am a little miffed about this, as they are eating up my plants. This is particularly annoying in the vegetable garden. I have yet to be able to pick any edible strawberries. As soon as they start to ripen the bugs get in them. Very annoying. I was hoping to grow things organically, but we have such a nasty bug problem that I don't think I have any other choice than to spray.

Another thing I have a lot of in my garden are spiders. Spiders everywhere! Normally, I am okay with these 8-legged critters. I leave them be, and hope they make a dent in the bug population (it doesn't seem to be working yet). But seriously, I there are times when I feel like I have come across every spider known to mankind! I have seen tiny spiders so small that I can just barely see them. Others are fairly large. Some have fancy markings, and others have no markings at all.

Again, I normally just leave them alone. But we have a major outbreak of Huntsman spiders (daddy long legs). While not dangerous to humans, there are just so many of them, that I end up squashing a few. There is one spider that I don't like. It is a fairly large spider, about the size of a penny, and has a very fat abdomen. The unusual thing is that it is all white - no markings that I can see at all. I have also not noticed any hairs. In essence, it is a naked spider, lol Kind of pretty to look at, but that is where the fun stops. The other day while I was out weeding, I cam across a good size specimen. Not wanting to kill it, I decided to pick it up on the end of my shovel (the big kind, not a little trowel) and set it out of the way. Well, I thought I had moved it, but it just seemed to have totally disappeared. I could not find it anywhere. I went about weeding again, and a few minutes later, I found it ON MY LEG!! I have no idea how it even got there. I brushed it off, and it disappeared again. Could not find it anywhere.

Just yesterday I found another one in a different area. it was pretty close to the house, so I decided it HAD to go (sorry folks, no spiders in the house. Except for Sheila, but she never comes out of her cage). I aimed carefully with my trowel and smashed it into the rock it was sitting on. But when I removed the trowel, it was gone! Completely disappeared. Again. I find it incredibely creepy for a spider to keep disappearing. Like it is invisible. Gives me the willies.

There is one critter that I always look for, and that I absolutely love. And that is the garter snake! I had no idea we even had any until I scared one out of my mulch pile. I love snakes. All snakes. I think they are beautiful and just cool little animals.

As I was letting the dog out a little bit ago, I happened to look down by my porch stoop and spotted a little garter snake sunning itself in an old seed tray. I quickly caught it (and it peed on me, lol), but I was excited to show Craig and Cameron. It was just a little guy, but so cute! Orion was not at all interested in it, thank goodness. But of course, I had to get some pictures! I promise this little guy was completely harmless to humans, and was not very big, so I felt safe in handling it.

I'm a Jogger

Yeah, did I just write that title? So here's the thing. I am OUT OF SHAPE. I may look nice and trim on the outside, but on the inside I am a pile of mush. And even on the outside the mush is starting to spill over a bit.

Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, says that dogs need LOTS of exercise to help them stay healthy and balanced. A dog with too much pent up energy can quickly develop psychological issues. I didn't want that to happen. Nearly every day for the last month I have been taking my new puppy, Orion, on two walks a day.

We started out simple, just walking around the block. Then I started taking him around two blocks. Then I started taking him on the trail near our house, and then around our block. Then we took the long trail and walked even further, so that the walks would generally last about 30-40 minutes. Twice a day. I could tell this was good for both of us.

Not only were we BOTH getting some good exercise, but I was also helping to establish my role as "pack leader" for Orion. Orion has a few anxiety issues that we are trying to resolve, and taking him on long walks really helps put him in a calm-submissive state of mind.

But I felt like this was still not enough. It was time to step it up once again. So, we started going on shot jogs along the trail. Maybe 100 yards. I am not sure how Orion really felt, but even going that short little distance was like torture for me. Now I know some of you runners out there are probably rolling you eyes. I told you, I am out of shape. But I am working on it.

Now I am working on a new morning routine:

First thing, I let the dog out (because he is still a puppy and will poop or pee on my carpet if I wait to long to let him out). Then I do 20 min of pilates. This helps warm me up and stretch me out. Immediately after I take Orion out for our walk/jog. When we get back, we take a few moments to cool down, and then we can eat our breakfast.

The evenings are simpler. We do not run on our evening walk. It is more a chance to release a little more energy from the day and just relax a little. It is a very calming time for both of us, and we both go to bed tired and wake up refreshed.

For a long time I have been struggling to get into a fitness routine, but I would always start strong and peeter out fairly quickly. This time I took it slowly, and I still am. Baby steps. But I think my real motivation is having a companion to do this with. It would be next to impossible for Craig and I to run together. Aside from the issue of what to do with Cameron, Craig's legs are WAAAY longer than mine. Just walking together I practically have to jog just to keep up with his stride. But Orion is perfect. He is a little dog with short legs and probably only a little more stamina than I have right now. We easily keep pace together, and somehow running with him has given me new purpose. It makes what I normally consider I tedious task into something far more enjoyable for both of us.

Moral of the story? Get a dog, get in shape!

PS. In case you have not seen them, check out Orion's latest photoshoot on my photography blog!

We've adopted!!

Okay, I know everyone is hoping for a human baby, but that's not going to happen anytime soon. So we got a new puppy! Truthfully, Craig is not overly thrilled with having a dog. But then, he didn't really want our cat at first, either, but now he is pretty attached:-)

Orion (the puppy) is a pure bred miniature dachshund. My sister breeds them, and had a couple left from her December litter. He just turned five months old, and is as sweet as can be:-) he follows me everywhere, which is cute sometimes, but kind of annoying at others. Like bed time. Craig does not want him in the room as night, but he is not fully potty trained yet so we can't just let him wander around the house unsupervised. So, he goes in a crate. Which he hates. He will literally bark ALL. NIGHT. LONG. Fortunately, he is kept downstairs, so his barks are fairly muffled.

Here are a couple pics of him.

This first is when he was five weeks old. I took pics of all the pups at this age. Anyone who adopted one got a free print of their puppy in the "newborn" stage. I don't know about anyone else, but I love having his baby photo:-)

And these were from just the other day. Our lawn was a bit overgrown, and he was practically lost in all the tall grass and dandelions, lol. To get around he had to leap like a little deer, and when he held still all you could see was his tail and the tip of his nose sticking up. I mowed the lawn this morning, and he seems much more comfortable now.