Fight on! USC

Corbin and I had a great time this last weekend. We headed out to California for the big rivallry game between USC and UCLA. We flew in Friday night and with our hour delay we got in late. By the time we stopped for In-N-Out (of course) and with traffic, we didn't get to my friend, Stacy Terrell's, until around 10:00 and that meant we were up late visiting. The next morning was a very early arival at USC to beat traffic and parking issues. We had fun visiting with Denton's cousins, walking around and seeing the campus and the crazy tailgaiters, as well as a visit or two to the bookstore. The best part was it was sunny. The rain had come early and it was clear blue skies all day. I sat in a chair and soaked up the sun.

The game was great. It is always good when your team wins. I don't know what the win means except I believe we are now going to the rose bowl. Corbin and Doug (Denton's dads cousin) were discussing the ins and outs of the BCS, I really don't care about all of that, I like to go to games for the food.

We spent Saturday night in Camarillo and went to church with our friends there. It is interesting how it always feels like going home. We came home to 6 in or so of snow, ice and plain cold. I enjoy the snow but could do without the cold. I'm not sure how to have one without the other.

Now it is time to study for finals and finish up the semester. Jetblue is going ok. I am waiting to be able to use the benefits. Hopefully we will be able to take a trip in January with the rest of the kids back to California. Their friends were bummed they weren't with us.

That's it for now. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

I started my actual training at Jetblue this week. It has been a little frustrating because there are a few in our class that are older and so it seems to go slow at times. So far it has been pretty easy, basic data entry stuff. I am sure it will get more involved as we go on. The hardest thing has been getting up at 5:45 getting ready and then getting the kids up and ready before I leave at 6:45. We are definately going to have to take a trip after the holidays to show the kids it will be worth it.

1st day at JetBlue

Ok, so I got the job with Jetblue and today was my first day. It started at 5:30 am when I woke up and showered. Can I tell you that it has been a very long time that I got up that early on purpose. I was a little anxious about leaving the kids to themselves so I had Arleene come over and make sure everyone was dressed and brushed before going to school. We started orientation at 7 am. The beginning was great. They are a fun group of people but after lunch my brain was mush and of course that was when they covered the important stuff. Things like benefits and harassment. It was nice to be in a room full of adults and talking about something other than what is on disney.

By the way for those of you who don't know the adults are going to be celebrating Dad's 70th birthday on Saturday the 27th at 1pm. We will be going to lunch at Los Hermanos. I will be taking care of Dad's meal but the rest of you are on your own. Let me know if you can come so I can make the reservations ASAP. I asked what kind of gifts he would like and you know dad the answer was not much. He did say he liked movie passes or dinner gift cards. I was also thinking that Deseret book is probably a safe bet.

New Job

Well it looks like I will be working as a reservation specialist for Jetblue. I recieved a phone call that sounded as if I was hired. It was a little strange because they said they were still waiting for all of the background info to come in but when did I want to start training. So I believe that means I will be starting on Oct. 18. I am a little anxious about the first 6 weeks of training. I will be going to the training headquarters off I-215 5 days a week for 8 hours a day. I am hoping my house will survive. I will also be studying so my days will be full. I am very excited and can't wait to use some of the benefits. I figure it will take me a little while to figure it all out but then we will be traveling fools.





School is going well. I am in the process of writing my second paper. I am not sure how I am doing in my classes because being online makes it kind of hard to see how you are doing. My teachers don't seem to be in any kind of hurry to get the grades out. I believe I am doing ok in Math it has been pretty easy so far. I'm not sure about next semester. I have to see what kind of schedule I get at work. The schedules last three months and then they change. I am hoping it all works out.


Life is good. Corbins football season is about over, he only has one more game. Just in time to help with the kids. He also finished his eagle project so now once he has his interviews he can get his license. I will be happy when that happens, it has been a long time coming. The rest of the kids are doing fine. Trevor is on a campout and Kortney is having a sleep over. It seems like my house tends to be empty on Friday nights these days.

Corbin doing his eagle project. He organized and put together bookshelves for the take home reading program at the kids elementary school.

I did it!

I figured it out and here are my first pictures. Now I will have to put some with the kids on here.




This is the point of the mountain, up above Alpine. . . . .



and this is my mountain, Timpanogos, from my deck. Got to love the view. Maybe I will stick around just for that.

Change is a good thing.

Well it seems as if everyones lives have gotten busy in the last few days. There have been no updates to the usual writers so since I don't want to study I will update. I really need to figure out how to post pictures so I can add some.

Ok, I had an epiphany today. I was going out to get a drink and it hit me, I love change. I thrive on it. That would explain why I move about every two years, why I have five kids, and why I love living in Utah. I was getting a drink at Chevron and looked out over the mountains and there it was.....SNOW!!!!!! It gave me a giddy feeling, the excitement of change. Change in the weather, seasons, ect. I love the change. I get to pull out my sweaters, the flys will all die, no more mosquitoes to wreak havoc on our evenings. Pretty soon it will be getting dark at 5:00 and therefore dinner will be on time, and so will bedtime. Just think we can start eating the comfort foods that I love. Chili, stew, fried chicken, roasts, and it doesn't have to be a special occasion. Of course, it also means I will have to invite someone over to join us because my kids hate most of that stuff, but I love it. Maybe I should move to Montana. After all it snows there most of the year, or is at least cold, and besides I have been here a couple of years and my carpets are dirty and I need to paint. Yep, sounds like it's time to move. Oh, wait, I have kids and they will kill me if I move them again. Anyone want to come over and paint? I will make chili or something equally comforting.

What a day!!!!!

I don't have a title for this one. I am sitting here watching the t.v. for the first time today. Do you ever have those days where it seems you are in the car, at a meeting, whatever the case may be? Well today was one of those days. It started off great. Korinn, unhappy at her sister for not letting her ride her scooter to school, was screaming and crying all the way to school. While she was doing that I was planting some kind of grass plant in my yard. Why do we put planters in our yards anyway? It is nothing but planting, pruning, and weeding. Next, presidency meeting. I have a hard time with these. I love to visit but it sometimes seems like we spend more time visiting than we do discussing the needs in our ward. It gets a little frustrating. After the meeting I was off to the High school to deliver Corbins football gear that I had washed and dried earlier this morning. Walmart was my next stop, afterall the cat needs to eat. Along with the cat food I bought about 20 or so tv dinners. My kids need to eat as well. That put me home just in time for the kids to get home. Than it was homework, phone call from my friend Stacy, she can talk, and cubscouts for Trent. After scouts it was counseling for Trent, and back home. I spent the next hour cleaning up and getting kids into bed and now it is my time. I am currently watching CSI NY. In a few minutes I will be off to pick up Corbin from work and then I am going to bed. Tomorrow I believe I have V. T. appointment and Corbin has a football game. I hope that is all. Oh yes, I just remembered I have to go pick up stuff for "friends of scouting". So it all begins again tomorrow. I have to find time to study.

September is here!!!

I have decided that I love September. The weather is cooling down, nights with the windows open, the leaves are changing, and yes, school is in session. I am so enjoying that fact. I also love September for the football. I am quickly becoming an avid football fan. I have always enjoyed watching and even playing a little football. Which helped being married to an avid Cowboys fan. But lately I have really looked forward to going to Corbins games, watching BYU and USC on tv and even the occasional Cowboy game. I will be sorely dissappointed when Corbin graduates and there is no more football to watch. At least in person.

It is official I am a student at UVSC. It doesn't become UVU until next year. I am sort of enjoying it but I think I will actually take classes at the school next semester. I find I am missing the actual speaking to fellow classmates. In English we spend alot of time discussing, via the internet, different ideas but it really is not the same. Math, so far, is a breeze. Once I got back into thinking with equasions. So far so good. I am thinking more seriously about a nursing career. It really does make sense. Next semester I will be taking a biology class so we will see if I have the aptitude for it. If not I don't know where I will go. Probably buisness.

The reunion was fun. Most of you that would read this were there. Sean, I hear, is healing and the 4-wheelers survived and no extra cost to me.

Trevor and I went to see Foreigner, Styx and Def Leopard. I had originally planned on taking Corbin but he had a game. Trevor love Styx and was falling asleep during Def Leopard, along with friend Marianne and her daughter Tania. I had a headache and a paper due so we left. As we were leaving, of course, my favorite songs came on and then I was dissappointed that I missed them. All though, I think I prefer to listen to the CD's than see them live. I think the best was Styx, probably because we knew most of their songs and they were easier on the ears.

Greg and Natasha, we loved having you as company, you are welcome any time! Gavin is adorable, quite the little explorer.

Well my carpets and furniture is currently being cleaned and I have another paper to write so I will end, by the way Wendy, the leaves are starting to change isn't it time for a visit?

It's August

Ok, so it appears that I seem to blog about once a month. Why is that? Probably because I would much rather use the phone. I speak to most of you on a weekly basis so what is left to blog?

It has begun, I am officially a college student again. I am taking English 1010 (I think that is right) and beginning math. Today, while I was doing some of the math Corbin was cracking up at how easy it was. I will agree that it was basic, and I mean basic, math. It is actually prealgebra, but it is amazing how little I remember. He makes fun because he did this class 4 years ago, and I laugh and say that I did it 25 years ago.

They are both internet classes and I don't think I will do math on the internet again, it just seems a little tedious. You figure out the problems on scratch paper and then point and click the answer. It seems like extra work. The good thing is that I can go at my own speed as long as I am done by the end of the semester.

English is going to be a lot of writing. It might be fun, we will have to see. The instructor seems nice and the group of students is very diverse. Alot of stay at home moms, all ages, and a few professionals trying to finish up their degrees, and even a few young ones. New students trying out the online school thing. I hate to write but we will see how it goes.

The kids went back to school last week and seem to be doing ok. The biggest adjustment seems to be for Kortney. Last year her teacher didn't believe in homework, this year her teacher seems to love it. She has about an hour each night. YUCK!!!! It has been interesting having the kids gone all day. I didn't get a whole lot accomplished last week, at least at home. I applied for a job and had a few interviews, got the school thing going, and did my visiting teaching. This week will hopefully be better. The house really needs some attention.

We are looking forward to the reunion. When we leave is still unsure. Hopefully Friday. Hey April, will your RV have a hookup for 4 wheelers?

Corbin won his first official game. He is starting on the JV team and did great his first game. He plays tackle or guard on the offensive line. I love watching his games and for now it is still free, which is a plus.

That's it for now.

catching up, go Harry Potter!!!

It has been a while I know but most of the time I can't think of anything to write, plus I talk to most of you on a daily or weekly basis.

Here goes. Yes, we say Harry Potter and got the book. Yes, Corbin has read it once and is on his second time through. He has hated the fact that he is working now because he couldn't read it in one day. Yes, I know how it ends and I have finally agreed to read the first one to Trent. If he likes it I may go onto the rest. Corbin is working at Smith's as a bagger. He likes it ok and I think it is great because he is no longer a fixture on the couch. I was just telling him the other day that I don't think he has hung out with his friends all summer and he agreed.

Trent's arm is healing and hopefully will be fine. It wasn't too encouraging at the last appointment though. The bone is healing fine but not the growth plate. We will just have to wait and see. He has a half cast now and is supposed to be using his arm but most of the time he walks around as if it was still in the cast. He may need to go to physical therapy to get him to start using it again. Today we go to the orthodontist to put in some kind of implant in his mouth to keep the tongue back where it belongs. This should be fun.

Well here it is our third item. I guess missing the bus didn't count. Trevor, while at scout camp, dived into the pool and somehow separated the tendon from the tip of his middle finger on his left hand. Now this is normally not a big deal if you want to walk around with a mallet finger, but in the day and age of computers and technology, he really need to have the tip working properly. We have it in a splint and when all the doctors get back from vacation, we will be taking him in to see if it is healing on it's own or if he will be needing surgery. What a fun summer this has been so far.

Summertime fun

I am still trying to figure out how to post pictures on here. So far our summer fun consists of time spent at Seven Peaks. The kids really enjoy going there and I am becoming a red hed with a tan, sort of. Now that our excitement is hopefully over the summer homework can begin. I am trying to implement a half hour reading time for all my kids. Probably before chores, we will see how well it goes. Kortney and her friends love playing school so I am putting her in charge of Trent. She will be reading with him and helping him with the sight words. I hope it works and doesn't bring to much contention into our home.

Bad things come in Threes.....

Ok so we had the missed bus, (yes I am counting that), the flooded bedroom, and on fathers day Trent broke his arm. Most of you have heard this story so if you have skip this post.

I had gone to Dad's to give him his gift and Trent and Korinn decided to go to Grandma Manders house. They then went to the park with grandma and their cousins. On the way home Trent and his cousin Nick decided to trade bikes. Good idea, except that Nicks bike is a mountain bike with hand brakes. Trent doesn't know how to use hand brakes. Going down a small hill he realized he didn't know how to stop, put his feet down, and went off the curb. They were doing construction on the road and there was a 3 or 4 inch drop, he hit that and down he went. He landed on his elbow, but had no other abrasions. He did manage to do a good job breaking his arm. He broke the tip of the radious off and severed the growth plate on his right arm. At first they were talking about surgery, but they managed to set the bone and now he has a red cast and we will have to wait 6 months to see if the growth plate re-attaches. So now it is official, we have had our three bad things for summer so I suspect the rest of summer will be pretty mellow.

Vacation part 2

So the vacation was great until monday morning. At 6 am my cell phone started ringing. I ignored the first two times but got up and answered the third call. It was Corbin calling to tell me that he was at the school waiting for the bus to go to camp and no one was around. Come to find out he was given the wrong time and missed the bus. He also told me that he had forgotten his wallet and went downstairs to get it and there was water coming in his window. He had slept upstairs and that was the first he had been downstairs. Come to find out the hose had been left on and was filling up his window well and coming in through the window. At first we thought it wasn't too bad but then Heidi went over after work and found out his whole room was flooded and the water was going out into the hall. She pulled up the carpet and tore out the pad, with the help of Kenzie and my neighbor. They sucked up all the water and left the carpet to dry with fans. Thank goodness Corbin forgot his wallet. I was more worried about getting Corbin to camp than I was the carpet. Now if I could just get someone to come out and lay more pad and tuck the carpet.

Vacation's over!

School was out on the 31st and we left for California on the 1st. We helped a friend move back home so we drove it in one day. I was a little hesitant, I haven't made that drive in one day in quite some time. My kids did great and we made it there by early evening. We visited with friends in El Monte and then headed for Camarillo. We stayed with our friends the Melines. They are great and they have kids all my kids ages so everyone has a friend. We hung out Saturday, I was too pooped to go out, and I got a smoothy from my favorite place.

Sunday was church, where we visited with everyone and then we left for the time share at the beach. Doheney is by Dana Point and the beach is quite rocky. Unfortunately we found out about a better beach on Thursday. It was a little nostalgic for me. Denton and I spent part of our honeymoon at that beach. Anyway we had a great time, unfortunately I was a bad mom and forgot the sunscreen the first day. It was cloudy and cold so I thought it would be a quick trip to the beach. I quickly sprayed down the little ones but forgot myself and Trevor. Luckily he kept his shirt on. Wendy and I probably looked the same. Except mine was the front of me. It took a while to heal and start to peel. I was pretty upset. Mainly because I should know better. Of course, the sun came out and we stayed for a couple of hours.

Well it is late so more to come later......

School is officially out today. Trevor went for a few hours just to sign yearbooks and hang out with his friends, Corbin has a few signatures in his yearbook and thinks the whole idea is dumb so he stayed home today. Kortney wore a white t-shirt and took a sharpie with the intention of having her friends sign her t-shirt. Trent and Korinn just went to say goodbye to their teachers and because mom said. So I am curious as to where the signing of the yearbooks began. I also find it interesting that in 20+ years the comments haven't changed. It is still "have a great summer, see ya next year." On the other hand what are they going to say.

I wanted to add pictures but I can't find the usb cable for my camera. I guess I will have to make a trip to Best Buy. So stay tuned for pictures.

Memorial Day!!

So it is Memorial Day weekend and of course Walmart was packed and the gas stations were busy. How I wish I had some kind of recreational vehicle to go and play. Well the playing I will be doing is yard work, house work, and a little fun by way of Seven Peaks. Reminder to those who can come. There is a barbeque at my house on Monday at 5:00pm before that we will be at Seven Peaks.

School's out!!!!!

So I will say I am very excited for school to be out. I just love to sleep in and it will be nice to be able to sleep til 10 am if I want to. I have a question though. My kids have all turned in their books, homework is over, finals last half the day for Corbin. I am wondering what purpose this last week of school has? It seems like a waste of time for both teacher and student. My kids spend their days doing little art projects, reading with the teacher and cleaning everything in sight. Corbin spent yesterday cleaning out his locker and getting an ok from the janitor. He still has a week to go. Does that mean he can trash his locker in the next week and not be fined? I just don't get it. I could understand the necessity for half days if they actually needed to study for a final but it sounds to me like he is watching more movies and playing games than taking finals.

Oh well, maybe next year we will plan our vacation for the last week of school.

Birthdays a plenty!

May is a wonderful yet busy month for us. It seems that there is something to celebrate each week. May 5 was my anniversary and it past with only a small amount of regret and sadness. Thank you Alisa and Becky you are wonderful friends. Best friend Trudy has her birthday a few days later, and she is one year closer to the big 40. Happy birthday to Kortney, Kaycee and Mom all on the 14th, Wendy, Kortney says thank you for the dollar and the card, same to you Natasha. Then we are on to Greg, Happy birthday today.

I celebrated mother's day today with Emily. We went to Home Depot to get some things and when they were unavailable decided to get Pedicures and nails. I love being pampered and nails make me feel like a girl.

I am not sure if there are any more birthdays this month but if there are Happy Birthday!!!!

One more thing, school is out in 2 1/2 weeks. Should we start celebrating now? Time to sleep in!!!!

Mother's Day

Well another day come and gone. Unlike Wendy, I like the one day a year when I should be able to sit and read, watch a movie, whatever and hope that someone else will take over my duties. Unfortunately that did not happen this year. Although the boys, meaning Corbin and Trevor, did try, I was still in much demand by my younger two. I did steal away for an hour or so with Tammy and went over and planted flowers at moms grave. Sorry everyone the flower bed is full. Or maybe I should say your welcome. We drove around the old neighborhood. It was weird to drive and not really recognize much of anything anymore. I probably should have stopped and visited Bev, she was my second mom, but oh well. When I got back, Corbin was nice and actually barbequed some pretty good steaks. I just love a good steak. Then it was a good ending to an ok day with the season finale of Survivor.

I've been tagged

Three characters I would like to be....

Jordan Cavenaugh (Jordans Landing):she's smart, brave, and sticks to her convictions.
Eve Dallas (Death series by J.D. Robb): She's courageous, and strong.
Blonde girl on friends(can't remember her name at the moment) she is fun, quirky, not worried about what others think.

Three characters I would like to meet....

The Steele family from Work and Glory series.
Roarke (Death series by J.D. Robb)
Any character played by Meg Ryan or Sandra Bullock (I love both actresses)

Three character that scare me....

Can't think of any. Although the Umpas from Willy Wonka scared the dickens out of me when I was 4.


I will tag April, Heidi, and Holly B. (Yes Scott, your daughter).

Price of a pretty smile

Well it happened. I officially had a heart attack. As many of you know my little Trent has an interesting smile. So like any good mother I took him to the orthodontist to see what could be done. The heart attack came when the good Dr. told me we would be fixing that interesting smile in two phases. Phase one: which includes braces on the front teeth only and an interesting head gear, at the low price of $2400. and then on to phase two. That is the actual braces in say about 5 years or so which will approx. be $4500. and by the way half of phase one can be the down payment of phase two, so actually by doing phase one I am saving money. Because without phase one he would probably have braces for a very long time. On a more positive note Trevor, who was blessed with the Brenchley mouth and Kortney as well, will only need phase two and therefore will only cost approximately $4500. each. All I can say is start saving now. Who would have thought that a pretty smile could cost as much as a used car.....

friends and family

Last week we had a friend move in with us for a few weeks. She is finishing up a job and didn't want to renew her lease. We have loved having Emily here. The only confusion seems to be whether we treat her like a guest or like family. At first she was a guest but after a few days she was a friend. What's the difference? At first I hated to go in and get something out of my bedroom when she was here. She is staying in my room. A few days after she was here I would go in when she was sleeping and getting ready for work. Now she is family. The kids go in to talk to her, I go in anytime. I wonder if she would rather be considered a guest again.

We love having Emily here. Kortney loves to sit and talk with her. She, after all, is an adult that is not mom. They talk about fashion, boys, and music. You know all the important things. The older boys love having her here. She took them to opening day of Spiderman 3, they went to the 12:20 am showing, no thanks. I enjoy the company, but more than that, she cooks!!!!!

Wendy was right, you can't choose your family but you definately can choose your friends, and if your lucky they become your family too.

Sun, Sand, and Surf

We just returned from a quick trip to sunny CA. Unfortunately it was only sunny on one day. We went to the beach. I love the beach. It is so soothing listening to the waves crashing and the kids squealing. It was sunny but cold. Too cold to get in the water and of course I left the camera home and did not take any pictures.

The boys flew out early, a deal made over good grades. They both had a great time with their friends. Both attended Dodger games, Trevor went to Disneyland with the band. They actually got to record some disney music and played it to the movies. Corbin went to Magic Mountain. Neither wanted to come home. It is always hard. One thing I noticed is that some things never change. I was amazed at how natural it all felt. I felt as if I was going home. I guess that is what good friends do.

I also learned a few things about the night Denton died. What I remember and what happen are so different. My very good friend Becky and I spent the night talking about it. It was all brought back because Matt, a friend of Trevors, mom died on the Tuesday before we got there. She had been fighting Breast cancer for the last 5 years or so. It amazes me to listen to Becky. She is so strong, and a wonderful friend to Matthew and his family. She pretty much helped Matts dad get the funeral together, even though he has plenty of family. They all left him to handle it and there was Becky to help. She was a lifesaver for me and I know she will be for this family as well.

Back to the trip. There were no highlights for the rest of us. It was a quick trip and we spent is running from one house to the next, visiting.

The drive home was tollerable with Corbin giving me a break. He did great, and he even got experience with wind, rain and a little snow. Got to love the Utah weather in the spring.


By the way, I believe I had 5 In -N-Out burgers in the three days we were in California!!!!

Spring is here!!!!!

I just wanted to say it is a beautiful day today. I love the spring. My tulips and daffodils, by the way did I tell you that daffodils are my favorite flower, are popping up and some are even blossoming. I need to plant one of those trees that have the pink blossoms as well, they are beautiful. Life is wonderful in the spring.

Good news for Trevor. He got his grades up and now gets to fly with Corbin to California for a week to hang with his friends. He is very excited.

Not much else has happened. I am now going to take my book and sit in my lounge chair on my deck and soak in the sun.

Vacations over

It is true my vacation is over. It always amazes me how time flys when you are on vacation. You work so hard getting ready to go. Making sure each child is going to be taken care of by someone. Taking care of pets, food, schedules, ect. Then it is off to vacation. This vacation was even more stressful as my purse was stolen, right out of my garage I might add, the Tuesday before I left. I luckily had my passport handy so the airport wasn't an issue. I am still wondering if I should have called the Police and reported it. Anyway, once I took care of the necessities, canceling credit cards, ect. The rest was a breeze. April left on Wed. By the way we went to Arizona to visit Wendy. Heidi and I flew out Friday morning. The flight was uneventful, except it was Heidi's first flight. She did ok for the most part, only a few hysterics as we were taking off.

Once in Arizona it was all about us. We pampered ourselves totally by haveing a terrific Pedicure, heated stones and all. Later we all received a massage, curtesy of Wendy's massage place. That was the best. Talk about starting a vacation out right. The next day we took it easy, just layed around for the morning, oh ya Wendy colored my grays, then it was off to a ball game. Unfortunately the Angels got beat really bad. Not a good game. But the sun felt good and the food was ok. On Sunday we took out the boat. I will say that was the highlight of the weekend. I really need to get one of those. We found an area to float and just layed in the sun, reading and visiting. It was great. The best kind of vacation is one you can spend laying in the sun and reading to your hearts content.

Thank you Wendy and Jay for putting up with us. I only wish I could return the favor. Maybe someday.

week in review

what a week it has been. If you have read Aprils blog you know we bought a car. Although it is not my dream car, that would be a silver, convertible bmw, I can't remember the make. I pulled in behind one at a McDonalds. But I regress, anyway, we ended up getting an older Toyota Corolla. I spent more than it was worth but still within my budget, and after spending three months looking I am greatful just to have found one. Corbin is driving now and can you say car sick. It has been a few years since I have been a permanent passenger. With all of the jerking, speed up and brake, I tend to spend afternoons with a headache and nausea. The car we bought has a manual transmisison and Corbin is not liking the clutch and gas buisiness. I keep telling him it will come, and he is improving.

After the car, it was off to Sprint to get new phones. I was tired of dropping calls and not getting service, I dropped my phone a few weeks ago and broke the antennae. The new phone is great and has all kinds of bells and whistles, now I just need to figure out how to use them.

Kortney's baskeball season is over. Her team finished about even. She played her heart out and I think she had fun. We need to work on the difference between offense and defense, but other than that she did great. Corbin was the referee which means he is done as well. Which is a good thing because he is starting track. Between that and conditioning for football he will be one busy kid.

Trevor turned 13 this week. Unfortunately his grades prevented him from being able to celebrate with his friends. Sometimes it sucks being the parent. We did celebrate by going out to dinner at Tepanyaki's and having family over for cake and ice cream. I now have two teenagers. I am amazed to watch my boys grow up. I don't know if it is because their dad died and they had to grow up or they are just amazing boys, but what a great help they are to me. Corbin is a wonderful young man, and I see him changing daily. He is really trying to limit his teasing and verbal trashing of his siblings and when it comes to discipline he is really trying to lower the volume of his voice. I know it seems unusual that he would be required to discipline, but being the oldest he spends alot of time babysitting for me. It really is fun to watch them grow up. By the way, a little bragging is necessary, Corbin is currently ranked 48 in his class of 750. Way to go Corbin.

Enough for now, I will try to update more often so they aren't so long.

car shopping

What a weekend it was. My friend Marianne and I both need a car. She wants a van and I want a small get around town car. We spent the weekend trying to find her a van. It was a learning experience for both of us. Neither one of us has bought a car ourselves. There were dads and husbands to help. We didn't do as much research as we probably should have, it would have been a little less painful.

We started out with salesman Jonathon. A young Korean with a wife but no kids. As we test drove one van I think we scared him. Marianne told him we had nine kids between us and I made the comment that this van wasn't quite big enough. It was hilareous. I enjoyed being the tough one, keeping her on track. It can be overwhelming and we found it was easier having someone there to help relieve some of the pressure.

Unfortunately, we were unable to work a deal so we will be out again next weekend. Hopefully with better luck.

By the way, if a car only has 4hp does that mean it is a gutless wonder? Can it make it up a hill?

S.A.D.

It's Valentines Day and I have decided that there is no other "holiday" that slams it in your face that you are single quite like Valentine's Day. So my friend, who is single, has given this day a new name. It is S.A.D. "single Appreciation Day!!" I thought that was hilarious. I haven't really felt too bad today. I think because I have been crazy busy today. Between parties at school, church meetings, and the crazy after school time I haven't really thought much about what today signifies.

Denton always did this day pretty good. When we were to poor to go out, he would help with dinner. There was always flowers, or some kind of gift. It was usually a good day for me. There were times that I would make it a special day for him. You know the usual give and take. I tried to make it special for the kids, we went to dinner, Tepanyaki's, the older kids liked it and the younger ones at least behaved, goodie bags on their pillows, and a hug or an I Love You. Pretty good day you might say.

Hope the rest of you had a good day, and in case no one said it "I LOVE YOU" Have a happy day!!!!

Why is it that when it rains it pours? Over the last week it seems that everything is going wrong. First, I replaced three toilets. I was tired of plunging. Unfortunately I am still plunging two. Help!!! I really need to get more fiber into my kids and teach the appropriate amount of toilet paper. Ok gross, I know. Next came the Central vac unit. It has no sucction. Now do I bring in a repair man or do I spend $ trying to unplug it myself. Ahhh the delemas. Today I had an appointment to the Dentist. I dread going to the dentist and since there is no insurance at the moment, I have not been in a few years. I was really worried after reading families blogs and their horror stories. I was quite pleased that it was only a small cavity. Of course it was next to an old filling and so the old filling was removed and a new one put in. After the dentist came the vet. office. Shots and exam for the new puppy, who is very cute I might add. Anyway long story short, the money put away for the new car has now been spent on other things. Why does that always happen?

I know I just wrote the commercial blog earlier today, but after my sister Wendy sent me the website for the commercials, we sat and watched them. I really didn't see much of the game I have decided. Some of the commercials were pretty funny and I will have to say the Doritos was quite hilarious.

commercials

The Super Bowl has come and gone and I have to say it was quite dissappointing this year. The commercials, which are usually funny, just weren't this year. I personally felt there were too many with people who needed a little more clothing and was it just me or were they more violent as well. I did see one that made us laugh, I believe it had to do with a rat, hampster and guinny pig? I am not sure. See they just were not memorable. Somebody needs to let the ad agencies know. Not me, I will just be dissappointed.

super bowl

We are a football loving family. Well a few of us are anyway. Tomorrow is d-day and unfortunately none of our teams are playing. I had actually forgotten all about it until Corbin called to remind me to get a bunch of junk food for the game. We are on our own this year. No company. It will just be Corbin and I watching the game. We shouldn't need to many goodies.

I went to check out a car I was interested in buying. It's a toyota corolla. The dealership wanted 7,000 for it. It was in pretty good condition and low miles, but they were unwilling to haggle. It also makes an interesting sound. I don't know if it is a normal sound for a small car (I have been driving large vehicles for about 10 years now) but it made me a little nervous. How I wish I had a man that knew something about cars. I am a little scared buying a used car. Maybe I should just get something new, can't really afford it, but would take care of some of the stress.

Have a great day!!

A day in my life.....

I am becoming a blogger. I have enjoyed reading my siblings blogs, it's a great way to keep in touch.

Today was a typical day in my life. Corbin, he's 15 and a sophmore, woke me up to say goodbye. I really appreciate this otherwise I wake up later in a panic thinking everyone is late for school. Corbin and Trevor leave at 7 am but the rest of us stay in bed until 8 am. Once the next two are off to school the house work begins. I spend the next few hours cleaning up messes left from the day before. Today was spent folding 10 loads of laundry, doing homework with Korinn, and walking the dogs. The good thing is I was able to get caught up on some of the shows I record. Peace and quiet lasts for 2 hours and then home from school they come. Then it is chaos for the next few hours. Homework, piano, basketball, working out, and lots of time spent driving to and fro. My favorite time is bedtime. 8 pm is the glorious hour. Off to bed the little ones go and I look forward to the few hours of peace before my bedtime.

That is pretty much a typical day in my life. Unfortunately not to exciting, but maybe someday that will change.