10 Years

Happy Anniversary to me and the love of my life!

On one hand, I can't believe it has been 10 years, on the other it seems like I've never been without him.

I met Dave in September 1993. He had been home from his mission about 48 hours and was thrust into the real world immediately. His sister, who was my friend from our first year in school, brought him over to my dorm. I thought he was so cute, but so dorky. He frequently messed up English and Spanish and didn't remember how to talk to girls. However, beneath it all, I knew that was the sign of a good missionary and I was instantly attracted. I was serving as Relief Society President at the time and the two of us made quite the pair....well, if you discount the fact that I loved everything outdoors...camping and especially mountain biking. I was on the college dance team (which I couldn't tell Dave for awhile because he never liked cheerleaders). Dave was the athlete-type...basketball, golf, tennis, etc. and not so outdoorsy.

Dave asked me out on a date soon after our meeting. We went country dancing. He wasn't a very good dancer, but that made him even cuter. (He's much better now...remember he hadn't touched a girl in two years.) After we went dancing, we went to Domino's pizza. He ordered a pizza and we walked to a park. I still had this self-conscious thing about eating in front of a guy on a date (yes, I was the girl who would order a salad on a date and pick at it like I was this finicky little eater and then come home and devour a double cheeseburger and fries). The problem is, that was so unattractive to Dave AND more importantly he had spent MONEY on the pizza that I wouldn't eat. In spite of that, we had great conversation and found that through our differences, we connected.

We dated that entire year at Dixie and at the end I had been accepted to BYU and then I found out he was going to the U. I quickly applied to the U and followed him there. Dave is a meticulous planner (with life and financial decisions...ya know, the big things...don't ask him what he wants to do next weekend), so he proposed one weekend in May 1995, yes almost two years after I met him. It was another year and three months that we were married...August 2, 1996. We graduated from the U in June 1996 and married two months later.

The last ten years have had it's ups and downs, but mostly ups. We've made life-changes, added two kids, moved across the country, bought two different houses, changed jobs, etc, but we've done it all together. There is no one in the world that I'd rather be with and there is no one that is a better match for me. Our differences complement each other, but the really important things in life we feel the same about. I look forward to our future.

I'm grateful every day for a husband who works so hard that I don't have to, one that supports me, one that puts up with me and one that loves me. I'm grateful for a husband that considers a fun weekend to be one that is spent with me and the kids (even it's just grocery shopping and doing yard work). I'm grateful for a husband who doesn't expect dinner on the table or a clean house, but appreciates both. I'm grateful for a husband who loved me at 260lbs. and who never made me feel anything less than beautiful....and still does. I'm grateful for a husband who supports my decisions on things and really just wants me to be happy. I love him.

Sunday Scribblings: Thief

It was a very smoldering, sticky and sunny day when I realized I had lost my third pair of sunglasses that week. I knew my sensitive eyes would not make it through the day, especially our daily escape to the pool, without sunglasses. I loaded up two whiny and rambuctious little girls and on a whim decided to see if the four-year-old neighbor boy wanted to join us on a trip to Wal-Mart to replace my sunglasses.

After shopping with three children and picking up the many miscellaneous deals I seem to find at Wal-Mart, I decided to save myself a minute and go to the self-check-out line. After sliding the debit card, I started to walk out of the store. As I walked out the door, three kids close by, alarms started to sound and employees started to run toward me. "Ma'am, we need to check your bags."

At this point I began to blush profusely and because I was blushing, I blushed even more. I looked guilty, and I didn't even know what was going on. My kids and Jesse were looking at me with questioning eyes...and then with accusing eyes. I started babbling; I continued blushing. The sweet lady asked if she could look through my bags. I stammered affirmation and continued babbling that I had no idea what could have set off the alarm.

It was then that the white-haired employee lifted a bag and there sat the sunglasses...the entire reason I took the trip, caught between the buggy and the purchased items. I had missed the sunglasses and set the bags down right on top of them. They had set off the alarm. I continued to blush as she told me that it was alright and to just go pay for them.

Head bowed, face blazing, three kids in tow, I walked back to the cashier and paid for the sunglasses. I had been an unintentional and very embarrassed thief.

My Amelia-Pie

Amelia wanted to camp for her birthday, so the four of us camped at Vogel State Park after her big party on Friday and stayed for two nights.
The paddle boats were so much fun! We also miniature golfed, hiked around, went to a rock shop and the beach. We made s'mores and just had great family time!
Amelia's birthday party was a blast!Amelia came up to the clubhouse with me before the party and decorated just how she wanted it!
Happy Birthday Amelia!

My Baby is 5. I don't know how I feel about that. My sister said the other day, that five is hard because they are just growing up so fast. I really thought since she's not going to kindergarten that it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but it is. She is such a sweet little girl and so much fun! What a special weekend this has been.

Sunday Scribblings: Hotel Stories

I love to vacation not necessarily "travel" (although I do like that, but money and time are always short). We love to take little weekend trips and stay in cheap motels and then splurge on fun things to do. When I thought about the prompt "hotel stories," I immediately thought of my adventure in Mesquite, but then I thought of Hawaii, my honeymoon, DisneyWorld with the kids, and a few others. What is funny is that I did not think of the hotel we had to stay in for ONE MONTH when we moved to Atlanta and had to wait for our house...with a three-month-old, two year old and a car that hadn't been shipped yet! So here are the motels/hotels that stand out in my life.

Hawaii: The second time I flew to Hawaii, it was alone with my Grandma. I felt so grown up. We stayed in a beautiful hotel and ate in restaurants that overlooked the island. I ordered horse radish with my filet because I wanted to do the same as my Grandma. I remember ordering pancakes each morning with coconut syrup from room service and buying a beautiful crystal pineapple necklace in the gift shop. My Grandma Stout also taught me the invaluable lesson of NEVER, EVER sleeping with the hotel bedspread. They rarely get cleaned, and to this day I panic when my kids even sit or lean against a hotel bed!

Las Vegas: MY HONEYMOON; Oh, how fun this was! We stayed at Treasure Island (not so exotic, but we had just graduated from college and money was tight). We spent most of our time in the hotel room...if you know what I mean. Well, we were watching the Summer Olympics (1996) and Dave went to the huge window overlooking the pool of our 15th floor room and parted the curtains and looked out. The problem is, he wasn't wearing anything and ladies clear down at the pool kept pointing at him and laughing. He kept turning to me and insisting there was no way they could see him. They just kept pointing and laughing until he admitted that he had put on a show for the entire pool below.

Mesquite: Have you ever felt like a third wheel or maybe like you are the outsider at someone else's family reunion? Well, my ex-sister-in-law (kind of a mouthful) had invited my sister-in-law/best bud and me down to Vegas. She was going with her husband (Dave and Chelie's brother) and we knew it would be fun to see them. So, the two of us drove down and it ended up not-so-good...except for the fact that Chelie couldn't lose that night at the casino. We could not stay another night in a sister-in-law's mother's boyfriend's house, so the two of us drove to Mesquite and stayed in the cheapest motel we could find. It was HORRIBLE...so horrible it was funny. It was filthy, dirty, had mismatched vinyl furniture and beds that sunk in the middle when you tried to sleep. We decided we didn't care because we were going to hang out in the casino anyway...well, we ended up losing EVERYTHING, so we had to go back and stay in the horrible place.

Sunday Scribblings: Two Peas in a Pod

Amelia and Mikayla...two peas in a pod.
The bond between sisters can be amazing, even at such young ages. Amelia tells me, "I have lots of friends, but Mikayla is my BEST friend and she's my sister FOREVER, even when we're moms." She has it all figured out.

My girls have such different personalities. One is sweet, sensitive, friendly, and thoughtful. The other is social, determined, strong-willed and funny. To stand back and watch them play is quite the lesson in sociology and psychology...taught by a three and four year old!

They just have their own way of playing, and friends are welcome, but then the play changes. It's almost like they keep their favorite activities for just the two of them; or maybe they just don't want the magic of their game to change. For example, they both would rather play outside and get dirty than play with anything inside, but when I can keep them inside, they dump out all of the toy containers in the playroom (yes, that means puzzles, doll accessories, cars and more, and no, it's not fun to clean up), and they fill them to the brim with STUFF. The stuff never makes a lot of sense: fake money, doll clothes, jacks, a few little Polly dolls, bracelets, a Spanish Bible from Dave's mission, make up, notebooks, etc. Basically, they ruin any sense of organization in the playroom! Then they either carry everything to their bed or downstairs on the entryway rug, which have now become airplanes. They change their names to Megan and Jessica and fly to really exotic places, like Utah.

They love each other fiercely and protect each other to the end. Yes, they fight, but not very much. Sometimes Amelia is the only person who can help Mikayla work things out. She knows just what to say to her and how to say it. Mikayla in turn, showers Amelia with hugs, often wrestling her to the ground. They are indeed two peas in a pod, and I love them!