To be Continued . . .

What have I been up to lately? Obviously not blogging.

I'm going to try and make a goal to post more often. Here's a quick list.

Making good foods. I have some new recipes, and they have been wonderful!

Quilting.  I go through phases of quilting and not quilting, but I've finished a wedding quilt for a friend and a baby quilt for another. Woot! I'll post pictures of my quilts someday.

Working. Yep. Back to that. I love it, but it's freaking exhausting.

Traveling here and there. Still haven't written about California.

Taking some cute pictures of babies and nieces and nephews.

New hair. It's short, and I love it. Well, not too short, but in the last four months, I've cut off 8-9 inches.

I was going to paint my piano. I tried the bench first. Hated it.  Rethinking that plan. 

Saw the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Go see it now. Or rent it.  Some of my favorite quotes from the movie (some from the book, too, which I'm reading):

“Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living.” 

“You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.” 

“I like to see people reunited, I like to see people run to each other, I like the kissing and the crying, I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can't tell fast enough, the ears that aren't big enough, the eyes that can't take in all of the change, I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone.” 

Anyway, anyway. Here are some pictures of kids I've been hanging out with (and practicing my photography skills with)  and quilts I've finished. Some of these are from awhile ago, but I'm not sure I posted them. I've been machine quilting the tops of all my quilts, and I love it. It's a lot of work, and I'll probably get carpal tunnel, but it's rewarding. 

The end for now.

Free

Free at last.

This last nine weeks has been the hardest time ever. Work has been draining the life out of me.

I'm so glad I have a break. Three weeks of no work. And that is why I keep this job. 

Wicked

I've been wanting to see the broadway musical Wicked forever.  FOR-Ev-ER! I finally just decided I was going to make it happen. So, when I knew that I would probably be going to visit the Fifield family in December, I called my sister Kristin to see if she wanted to go along. Of course she did! I think Kristin is pretty much my musical buddy. In 2010, we went to see The Lion King.  Anyway.

Kristin and I went to dinner at Olive Garden before the show and enjoyed their delicious soup, salad, and breadsticks. We also picked up some new socks across the street while we were waiting because who doesn't love new socks?! 

We drove to downtown Hollywood to the Pantages Theater.  I just have to say that Hollywood looks much more exciting at night! We were there a few months ago during the day, and it was just dirty and a little scary looking.  At night? Bright flashing lights, people dressed up, excitement in the air.  Wow. This is probably more true to what some people see in the movies or think of Hollywood.

We had pretty good seats, and we also had caramel popcorn, so I don't know how it could be much better.  The show was absolutely wonderful! My eyes were dying from lack of blinking because I couldn't take my eyes off of the show.  At intermission, I told my sis that I'd be happy if I had to leave now (not that I wanted to!). I'd listened to the music before, but seeing the whole show brought the rest of the story. I just loved it. I laughed and cried, and I hope to be able to see it again sometime in the future.  It was Wicked!

Missing

To be super short . . . .

One of my best friends growing up died this last weekend. For the longest time growing up, he was the peanut butter to my jelly. Just trust me on this one. I think that only a few people really understood our connection. That phone call from my sister took my breath away.

I am heart-broken. Even though I've only seen him a few times over the last few years, I miss his face. I think that we were soul mates, not the married kind, but definitely the connected kind.  In my heart, I think that when I get to the other side, he'll be one of the people that's there waiting.

Danny just had a love for life and his smile could light up a room. He was always fearless and adventurous. Whenever we did anything the slightest bit scary, daring, or crazy, he was behind it. He was the life of the party, and yet was a kind, caring, thoughtful, and gentle soul. Many years of my journals are filled with the silly things we did almost every day. Games, movies, puzzles, Lake Powell, dances, and just hiking up the canyon or around town. But mostly, we talked. About everything. He was a great listener and always had something to say. Always. For awhile there, we were pretty connected.

Walking into his viewing was the hardest thing I think I've had to do. Ever.  I felt so alone in my grief. I thought I'd be okay, but as soon as I got out of the car, loss hit me like a train. I was sobbing. (Grown woman sobbing. I'm positive it wasn't pretty.) I had to walk around the block before I could even go up the steps.  Seeing, hugging, and talking with his family was comforting but I couldn't get myself together at all.   The family prayer, funeral, and burial was more of the same. I just can't help but wear my emotions on my sleeve. It's just part of who I am.  I was grateful most of my family could be there too. I know they were sad also. Most of my feelings are in my private blog (You didn't know I had one, did you?! Surprise!), and that's where they will stay. Even though I have an eternal perspective, today, I am human. And I'm grieving a life lost. Suffice it to say, burying one of my dearest friends was and still is hard to endure.

The day after the funeral, I was sitting at the table with my nephew, Dante, making play dough cookies.  Nobody else was around, and I was just kind of lost in my thoughts as he was playing.  He said to me, "Michelle. Grandma told me that your friend died and it makes you really sad. I'm sorry."  I told him that it was true, and I was sad, but that it was okay.  Looking back, it would have been a wonderful time to talk with him more, but I just wasn't in the frame of mind. What a cute little guy--so sensitive to the feelings of others around him--who is so willing to tell it how it is.  I'd been trying to hide my sadness from them, and to have a three year old say that just touches my heart.  Love that kid.

I spent many hours the next day with Danny's family. Talking, laughing, reliving old memories, and catching up on life. It was good for my soul.  It was as if things had never changed; their family is my family. I think when you can not see someone for awhile, but it's like nothing has changed, that's something special.  They talked about how special our relationship always was and how much we meant to each other. In their grief, they opened their arms to me, saw my own grief, and gave me comfort. I'll definitely be stopping by more often.  I love them a lot.

Danny, I'll be missing you.

Daniel Dale Jenkins   Aug. 23-1982---Feb. 4, 2012

"We're meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?"---from Benjamin Button

Jenni's Visit

At the first of December, Jenni and the kids came up for a visit over the weekend.  We went swimming to the Clearfield Aquatic Center, made dinner and some fun treats, did some stuff at school, and had a good time. Here are some pictures!

Corbin was so proud of himself for being able to reach that shelf. He knocked over the picture
frame and then tried to put it back.  He was really cute about it. 

Making cookies.

Best cookies ever. And making them was pretty fun and messy, too.

Tired after swimming!

After 3 or 4 bites he said, "Oh, I remember I don't like this."

Arizona, Part 2

I forgot that I had these pictures until I was going through my iphoto.  When we were visiting Meg and her family, the kids wanted to ride bikes. Yep, all the kids.  And there were bike races. It was hilarious. Nobody crashed--good thing!

Lucy. Isn't she the cutest?!

Ruby and Lucy ride bikes.

Meg and Lucy, Ruby and Brax

Ready, Set, Go!

This bike was just Sean's size. Or something.

Sean and McEwan

December

So, I was on vacation for pretty much the whole month of December.  Exhausting! It's really great to be able to go and visit family and not have to worry about work and real life.

My brother Sean came with me to Arizona. On the drive down, we stopped for a walking break at the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona and took a look out onto Lake Powell (so many good memories!).  There was a little message on the dam for everyone. :)

Arizona proved to be nothing as I expected.  It was monsoon weather for the week, and instead of playing golf on the little course, we were thinking of launching the boat. But, at least it wasn't unbearably hot.  I got to spend lots of time with Mom, so it was great.  We went to a movie, met for lunch, worked on our quilts, and went to this really great antique store.  If you ever wanted an antique of any kind, I'm positive that it was probably in that building!

I was also able to spend time with my step-sister, Megan, and her family.  Her kiddos are just so funny and cute. Always a good time.  We get along pretty well, and it's nice to spend time.

As my time for going to California got closer, I sent a message to Axton. Because the kid can read, I sent him this text (via Kristin):
Dear Axton, 
I am so excited to come to your house! I can't wait to see you! Can we go to the park? Love, Michelle
Kristin said he shouted, "Yes!" and then ran off.  Haha!

As I was getting ready to leave Arizona for California, Axton was getting anxious for me to be there. Kristin said he kept running to the door and opening it to look for me.  I texted Nan and said I'd be there after naps and around dinner time.  His response was, "No. Before dinner. After dinner would not be a good idea."  That kid cracks me up!

Needless to say, he was so excited when I got to his house! California will be its own post because it rocked.

Hiking

A few weeks ago, I went and hiked Ensign Peak one afternoon/evening.  I am off track and not working, so I pretty much do whatever I want. It rocks. 

I hiked all the way to the top, and then went to the vista also on the way down. Both views are beautiful of the Salt Lake Valley. From the top, you are able to see all of the Salt Lake area and into Davis county and look out onto the Great Salt Lake. It was kind of hazy until the sun went down, so the pictures aren't the best.  I love living in such a beautiful place! 

My favorite view of the Salt Lake area.

Sometimes

There are times when I get super into crafting and baking and all that good stuff. Halloween was one of those times. For the most part, I hate Halloween. It's for kids; I don't have any. Other then that I've found that Halloween is a time where a lot of people have an excuse to wear as little clothes as possible. It's like a free for all where you can walk around in your underwear (or less) and not get arrested.

Anyway.

I made these delicious sugar cookies for my parent volunteers in my classroom, my neighbors, and friends. My friend Jeannie gave me her family recipe, and holy moly, it's fantastic! The recipe makes about 80 cookies, and they are frosted with cream cheese frosting.  You can't have just one.

Upon making the cookies, I found a few cute ways online to bag them up and deliver them.  Here's what the finished product looked like:

Some cookies went in bags for my neighbors. I printed these.

Zoe's Birthday

While I was off for Fall Break/UEA/Deer Hunt (whatever you want to call it around here), I went to Jenni's and helped with a party for Zoe's 6th birthday.  Her first friend party!  We did a princess party where the girls made crowns, played silly games, had cake and ice cream, and other fun stuff. I think they had a lot of fun.

Here's a slideshow.

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P.S. I can't believe this baby girl is six!

Out and About with Grandpa

While I was off track (yikes! I'm behind in posting--like a month ago), I spent the day with my grandpa. We went to lunch at a mexican restaurant in Sandy, and then we took a drive up to Deer Creek. It was beautiful up there. The weather was perfect, it wasn't crowded, and Grandpa really enjoyed just sitting by the lake. We stopped in Heber on the way home and had some good old fashioned malts at one of the little places there. It was delicious! It was nice to spend time with Grandpa, and I know these times are few and far between. He was so funny. He talked the whole way home about wanting to get the camper going and the boat out on the lake. He talked about the camper being such a good, reliable vehicle that never broke down. Funny thing is, every time we were with them in the camper, I swear we spent time on the side of the road because it would always overheat! It made me laugh.  It was a nice day.  I think that Grandpa and I are very alike in ways. We're both living alone, doing most stuff alone, and we love to have the company of others among other things.  It was nice to chat and spend time with him for a bit. I need to do it more often.  Oh, and I got to see my favorite cat, Gato. He is so spoiled by Grandpa, but I think that's a good thing. Grandpa needs that kitty.

Wish We All Could Be Californians

This post has a lot of pictures, and a lot of editing difficulties. Just go with it. 


I love when I'm off track. This three week break couldn't come fast enough for me.  This has been a challenging start to the school year. Anyway, on my off track, I headed to Southern California to spend time with the Fifield family.  My friend, Bernardo (who is visiting from Brazil), also came along for the ride.


We drove down Tuesday night after I got off work and stayed at Jenni's house.  I slept in the bed next to Zoe, and bright and early, I had a little body crawl into bed with me. Zoe never wants to snuggle! She snuggled with me and talked, and talked, and talked about kindergarten, her friends, and her birthday. She was so cute! Even though she woke me up super early, it was a moment I'll cherish. I'll take all of those I can get!

Wednesday, we drove from Monroe all the way to our destination, stopping only for gas and lunch.  We arrived just in time for dinner. It was funny because Axton was crying when we got there. He *said* it was because he wanted to wait for us for dinner, but he may or may not have not wanted to eat in the first place. I'll take him wanting to wait for us, more specifically his favorite aunt, me. That cute kid!


While in California, Kristin and Matthew did a fantastic job of hosting us.  We did a lot of fun things. Thursday we went to The Farm with the kids and saw all sorts of farm animals. The coolest things was the pigmy goats climbing above my head. They were in the trees and going from tree to tree by walking on two by four boards. 

Axton ran right OVER this puddle. 

One morning we went shopping to some of the outlets, and on our way home we stopped at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. We enjoyed the gardens and walked around the outside. Here I am standing with a piece of the Berlin Wall. 

Who doesn't love cute baby faces?

Thursday night, Matthew took Bernardo and I to the driving range where we practiced our golf swings and looked pretty ridiculous, I'm sure.  Going to the driving range is something I've always wanted to do, silly as it sounds. Mostly, I think I liked just taking a whack at those balls.  I did find, however, that it's not about hitting the ball with all your strength. Also, I had to lose my softball swing to swing the club correctly. I had a really fun time and even hit the ball pretty hard. Thanks, Matthew!

Friday during the day, we packed up and went to the beach with one of Kristin's friends and her baby.  We had sandwiches in the car and then just enjoyed the beach. After rocking Jayli to sleep, I just relaxed on my blanket, read my book, and then walked in the waves.  I built some sand castles with Axton, and then buried him in the sand. What a silly kid! It was a fun and relaxing day.

Friday night we went camping.  Well, the kind of camping where you go, roast hotdogs, make s'mores, and then come home and sleep in your own warm bed. Kristin and I made potato salad and got everything ready to take. We drove about fifteen minutes to a place that offered day use sites and had a fun dinner and picnic. The best part was playing on the playground with Axton and roasting my hotdog.  I'll admit--I didn't know how to tell when it was done, so I just burned it. Better safe than sorry. Besides, I like it a little crunchy. Haha! That was my first hot dog in a loooooong time. Long time.   Then we came home and played bowling and golf on the wii.  Matthew and I are pretty competitive when it comes to that, but I was pretty good. Not going to lie.

Saturday we packed up and headed into Los Angeles.  We went to the Griffiths Observatory, saw the Hollywood sign and took some pictures in front of it, and saw all the exhibits. We then had lunch at Tommy Burger (not that great) and headed to Hollywood Blvd. to see the stars on the sidewalks, the hand and footprints in cement, and all that jazz.  I now know why they do all the premiers at night and with a red carpet and lots of lights. That place looks incredibly dirty during the day. I really didn't feel like putting my hands down anywhere. An experience, yes. Would I do it again? Probably not.

We then headed to the Santa Monica Pier.  It was beautiful! The weather was perfect, and it wasn't too crowded. We walked up and down the pier, sat and watched the waves for a bit, and enjoyed the ocean view.  Kristin and Matthew had an artist on the pier do chalk drawings of Axton and Jayli. Axton did such a good job holding still! I held Jayli while she had her picture done, and Kristin, Matthew, and Axton rode the Ferris Wheel.  We ended the day at home with pizza and watching sports. A long but fun day!





















Sunday was church as usual.  Bernardo got to speak with some people who were from Brazil, so he enjoyed that.  I was in charge of Jayli while the Fifields taught their classes and such.  She pretty much slept the whole time. She was such a sweetheart! I think my favorite thing is just to hold her and rock her to sleep. Love that girl.  After church and dinner, the Fifields and I went to a local park and took some cute pictures of their family.  Axton decided he did not want to participate. It was kind of frustrating and hilarious at the same time. Oh, and I guess I should have known it would go well when seconds before I took the first picture, Jayli barfed all over Kristin.

Monday night, Kristin and I were able to go and see the movie The Help at a local theater. Movies are kind of pricey in California, but I guess you have to just go with it! We got popcorn and everything. Let's face it--we don't get out together often! The movie was excellent--I've now seen it twice.  I enjoyed it more than I have any movie in awhile. It was nice of the boys to babysit while we had a girl's night out.

Tuesday Bernardo, Axton, and I drove down to the Los Angeles Temple and toured the visitors center and grounds.  Axton was so stinkin' cute. He loved the kids activities in the visitors center. He only wanted to do that and take pictures.  But, that kid did not want his picture taken! He gave the big old frowny face, as you can see in some of these pictures.  The cutest thing was when we were walking around the large reflecting pool at the front of the temple. We were talking about how old you had to be to go in the temple. He asked, "Michelle? How old do you have to be to put bath toys in there?"  Haha! I told him it wasn't for bath toys. I think he was kind of disappointed.  We had lunch at KFC, and then headed back home.

Axton at the Visitor's Center. He looks so grown up!

When we got back, Axton had a special request. He just wanted to go and ride the escalator at Macy's.  Last time I was here, he wanted to do the same thing, except he called them the Scary Stairs. This time he said (in his small little voice), "They're not scary, Michelle. It's an escalator."  Well, I'll tell you what--when a three year old decides he wants to run up and down the escalator--it's a little scary for the adult!  We had to ride them three times. I had said he could ride them two times, but then he asked, "Well, how about three times?" Three times it was.

Later that night, Kristin and I went back to Macy's where I bought some of my favorite jeans (Hydraulics), and then we shopped a bit around town after dinner.   It was me, Kristin, and Jayli. The boys had gone to the church for activity night. I love just shopping with my sister, even if we don't buy anything.  Spending time together is the best.


Wednesday morning, we left bright and early at 6 to head back to Utah. After driving all day, we finally made it back home at about 8.  Long day and long drive, but definitely worth it!


See you next time, Fifield family! Love your guts!