September 2017

Earlier this summer, Raleigh got what he thought was the most brilliant idea... to rent an RV and go to Yosemite and Jackson Hole for our family trip.  He for some unknown reason, likes camping and being outside in the wilderness.  And so he thinks everyone else should too.  

He researched online for weeks.... which RV was the best and which area of the country he most wanted to drive it to.  I think at first, I was okay with the RV, but those destinations didn't sound fun enough to warrant a 9 hour drive in a rented Recreational Vehicle. I imagined being trapped in there with 3 children and 2 female teenagers with virtually NOTHING to do except look at a faithful geyser and maybe catch a glimpse of a moose.  

I had a mini breakdown (during an unpleasant time of the month) and I unfortunately over expressed my feelings about vacationing in Wyoming like the Griswolds.   I think I complained just enough to crush almost all of his hopes and dreams and he felt compelled to cancel the

 "Lund Epic Camping Extravaganza". 

 And he cancelled it by sending me a calendar UN-INVITE in the middle of church.

I believe he was devastated.  And may have hated me a little bit. 

Meanwhile, at nearly the same time (during church) that I was receiving my un-invite,  I was also receiving the news that my team teacher in primary had finally LOST IT and was asking to be released.  And the primary president had a slight lapse in judgement and called me out into the hall asked me if I wanted to take on the class FULL TIME....   meaning I would have to teach every week instead of the every other week schedule that I was currently suffering through... and not very well, I might add.

Nevertheless, I came very close to shouting H*LL NO!! right in the church.  And then I burst into tears.  

So she said "okay, but will you be here next week (Labor Day Weekend)? To cover the other teacher's week?"  And there was desperation in her eyes.  And I had no choice but to blurt out....  "No, sorry we are going camping next weekend".  

What?  Camping?  That is what I came up with on the fly?   NOT THE BAHAMAS or FIJI or something like that?

So, when I got in the car, I told Raleigh that we had to plan a hasty camping trip for the following weekend to get me out of teaching.   Yep, that is how bad it is.  I would rather sleep in the out of doors, on the ground for 3 nights with bugs and dirt, than teach primary 2 weeks in a row.  

His eyes lit up.  And there was a hint of love for me again.  

And so he started gathering food and items ...  planning and preparing.  For what?  I had no idea.  I haven't been camping in 35 years or more.  But the most important part was I was back in HIS good graces again and he wasn't going to be telling his friends about his boring, unadventurous, emotional wife anymore.  Not that he did that because I think I can confidently say that he has NEVER uttered an unkind word about me,  but he for sure could have.

Over the next week, I would get home from work and he would be changed out of his work clothes.. waiting by the back door to go to whatever store was on the schedule for the day.  And he had a list in hand.  He. Was. So. Excited.

Finally....  The big day arrived.  I was excited and nervous.  I got off work a couple hours early, stopped by mom's house so that she could french braid my hair since I wouldn't be showering for a couple of days (sigh), I bought a few more items at Walmart and pulled up to

THIS....

The Love of my Life

surprised me with a warm, clean, bug free camper to take with us on our camping extravaganza.

He had secretly been coordinating with a family in our neighborhood.

And he got a really good deal.

How in the world could we NOT have the time of our lives?

First Stop:

Cedar City Jack in the Box for Nuggets and fries.

Peyton took pictures of us while Raleigh was across the street at Walmart

buying all the things we remembered that we had forgotten to pack.

Then we drove up the canyon to Duck Creek.

I do not know how my sexy lover knows how to do everything...

But, he literally does.

He knew how to get water for showers.

He knew how to back this bad boy into our site.

He knew how to jack it up all leveled out nicely.

He knew how to set up the cooking area.

And taught Ryker how to build a fire.

 The LEAST we could do was hunt for wood

 Oh Deer

 The teen agers set up their beds

On the BOTTOM bunks

 And we started cooking s'mores

And then we played Uno and Yahtzee all night.

 Raleigh and I slept really well...

 Morgan and Allie were freezing

And Peyton fell off the TOP bunk

and scared the bezeezus out of all of us

The next morning Raleigh was up and at 'em bright and early

cooking bacon, eggs and pancakes

 While the rest of us sat around and drank our hot chocolate
and tried to get warm by the fire.

 The grown ups played several games of Phase 10

while we waited for it to get warm enough to go to the lake

When we got home we were very surprised to see that 

Papa and Nana were at our camp.

They decided to drive up for the day.

We visited for a little while until they had to leave in time to 

get home to watch the BYU game

Then, we got busy making the best camping dinner ever

Dutch Oven Stew

and the most delicious Cinnamon Roll dessert I have ever eaten.

We had to gather more wood

 Best little wood gatherer.

 KK loved being in nature.
She told me at least a hundred times how
much she loved all of the beautiful sounds

and the little critters and S'MORES.
I think she sincerely believes that she can
talk to animals.  And honestly who am I to question
that? But she would quietly go into the little wooded
area by herself and sit on a log and I'd find her talking (to herself, outloud)
But really she was talking to the animals like Snow White.
She probably came in handy by whispering to them
 to stay out of our immediate camping area.

Poor Morgan hadn't slept very well the night before

what with being freezing...  oh, and with her poor little sister

nearly falling to her death from the TOP bunk.

Where she never should have been in the first place.

The next day, we woke up and went hiking at Cedar Breaks and

Bryce Canyon.  I could not believe the scenery.  It was breathtaking.

And it is SO close to our house and we have never been there.

What are we thinking?

 Caught Ryker in the middle of a sneeze

It didn't even look real

Can you spot Raleigh?

When we got home, Morgan and Allie packed up their car and left for home

because the next day was P-day for Parker and Morgan needed 

wi-fi.  We were completely unplugged for three whole days.  It was so nice.

But, she couldn't miss talking to her missionary, so off they went.

And we, gave the kids really nice warm baths.

They looked so clean and felt so much better.

This night was the best for sleeping.

Our Monday morning alarms woke us up from a dead sleep.

This was such a fun thing to do.

I really, REALLY loved it.

I know that FOR SURE if we'd been in tents, we would have only

made it one night.  It was so cold at night.

But because of the camper, we were able to stay all three nights 

and I am so glad that we were able to stay.

We made some GREAT memories.

.........................................................

Picture Day gives me anxiety...

Every year.

I have been told that I am not good at hair.

By my loving daughters.

My big kids say the reason that NONE of their school pictures

have ever turned out is because I am lousy at hair.

Hmmmmmmm.....

~Perhaps we could consider~

That maybe it's because every single one of them has weird hair

with weird cowlicks and unruly curls and waves

 and NONE of them could ever sit still for 30 seconds to have their hair done.

And surely even the most gifted of beauticians wouldn't have

been successful.  It would seem, I was essentially set up to fail.

And I did the best I could with the hair I was dealt.

Nevertheless, my self esteem has suffered unnecessarily all these years.

.......  But I have digressed ......

This year the stars aligned for me and a follicle miracle happened.

There can be NO BLAMING MOM if these pictures go awry. 

I took a picture at breakfast to send to dad.

KK said "Let me see it."

Then she said  "oh, I can do better than that."

So we took another.

#She'sALittleIntoHerself

 But. SO. Cute.

 Confidence all over the place

 Little Miss TomBoy couldn't bear the thought of 

wearing a girly shirt EVEN for a school picture.

I was lucky I was able to sneak a braid in.

 Walt requested "church hair"

...............................................................

I am the assistant manager of a great company here in St. George.

I am so blessed to be a part of the growth that we are experiencing.

I have a great boss.

I have great co-workers.

We were inducted into the Chamber of Commerce.

It's so fun to be proud of who you work for.

I keep having the sick feeling that this is all too good to be true

and will end soon.  I am going to enjoy the ride while it lasts.

...................................................................

 Peyton was baptized on September 9, 2017

We had a great day.  The morning was dark and rainy and cool.

We were at the church by 8:30 so we could

change in to her super cute jumpsuit.

She was a little nervous.

 She shared her day with Kamarie Sullivan a cute girl in our ward

So for me, I just have to interject, that when I was a young girl

thinking of my future husband, with my future family, I always

added to my list of qualifications...

A husband who not only honored his Priesthood

but one who was confident in holding it.  

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it could be this great.

My fabulous husband is so poised.  My heart could burst watching

and listening to him give blessings to our family.

I am a very blessed wife.

I sure do love all of these people.

I hope that she will always remember her baptism day.

It was such a good, stress free day and couldn't have been better.

 Same Day
Game Day

Totally switching gears to the 

Holy War 2017

Where we are a House Divided

 Love the black church socks

We got a lot of attention today as we did our chores around town.  People would tell us which side they were on.  Strangers threw up signs.  And I just hoped that BYU could at the very least, score a point.  Even if someone had to fall down in the endzone for 2.  I really didn't care.  I was just hoping for a non-embarrassing game this week..  Pah-leeze.

Peyton has the cutest teacher, Mrs Sandberg.  We had the greatest parent teacher conference where we learned all about her life which was eerily similar to our family's story.  She talked about how blessed she was to be apart of her uniquely blended family and how she wouldn't have traded it for any other family in the world.  She also went on and on about Peyton.  "She is so smart and so well behaved and so helpful to me.  I know that if I ask her to do something, it will not only get done.... it will get done correctly.  I really love her."

Well, Peyton's extremely loose tooth wiggled itself out during school.  And Peyton got a little upset about it and started shaking.  Mrs. Sandberg was so cute to take care of her and put her arm around her.  And then she put her tooth in this envelope and sent it home.

I'm so happy to have received this photo of my BIG kids.  I think they all look so good in it and I am going to put it in a frame next to my other favorite picture of them from 2007.

I gave this 2007 photo to Raleigh when we started dating and he carried it in his wallet for years.  

Our missionary celebrated his 20th birthday and

HUMP Day at nearly the same time.

Morgan sent him all kinds of birthday treasures in a package 

and she also coordinated with Elders Lowe and Legas to buy him

a cake from a South African Bakery.

  She transferred $20 into Elder Lowe's account.  And when

she emailed him and asked him if he got the money he said...

"Yeah, Thanks, I am officially the richest man in South Africa."

Since the cake probably cost him $1.50 in American currency.

I think it's so cute that they wrote him a note in their very best handwriting.

And that they called him "Parker."

All of the Elders know Morgan.  Some call her Morg. 

Some call her Mokee.  But, they all write to her like she's one of the group. 

 Elders Legas, Thompson and Lowe

ceremonially burning a shirt...marking the end of the first

YEAR of their missions.

 Look, Nana....  An iron.

 Parker driving on the wrong side of the car

on the wrong side of the street.

PS it's winter in SA right now.

 Quincey turned 21 on the first cool fall day of the year.  

She had to work.  

As soon as she was off, she and Morgan went to the DMV, so she could

get her new license.

They were there for HOURS.

And on their way out to the car, she unknowingly dropped

her license in the parking lot and didn't realize until someone

from the DMV called to tell her.

And she burst into tears and said

"this is the world's worst birthday."

So, we took her to Yogurtland to cheer her up.

It probably didn't work.

But, she pretended that it did

 Pretty Sisters

 The first day of Fall was a beautiful day.

Sandra took Ryker to the cliffs to climb

Our company had a booth at Swiss Days
And Nana brought the girls to hang out.

Peyton beat at least 10 teenage boys at the hoop shoot game.
They'd walk up and say...  Can we play?
And we'd say...  Do you think you can beat this 8 year old girl?
And they'd day...  YEAH. DUH.
And then they'd play...  And she'd win every time.

I am not lying.  And they were really trying too.

It was so embarrassing for them

 Morgan is working so hard

Our Saturday morning dates NEVER disappoint me.

I sent Raleigh this text on a Tuesday

 And at 9:00 am on Saturday, we were at Home Depot

buying supplies.

 And he showed me how to cut wood 

and drive nails

(I love how Raleigh hung my BYU diploma up in our garage

next to my 2007 Marathon Poster and my August 2008 Employee of the Month

plaque from Best Buy.  What an accomplished wall of fame, I have)

 And by 2:00, my new table was complete.

He is the Love of my Life.

And for sure my greatest treasure.

What would I be, if I had never known him?

I don't like to think about it.

He is SO good to me.

Cute home decor is something that I wish I could have.

Maybe someday when we don't have so many mouths to feed

we will have really cute, nice stuff.  

Until then, I will periodically ask my brilliant husband 

to make my dreams come true at a fraction of the cost.


Our family had another round of the stomach flu.
Ryker had a pretty good case.
He missed two days of school.
And on the last day he came to work with me and laid on the
couch all day and watched videos on the iPad.
He is a trooper.

And then school pictures arrived.

And they turned out alright.

Not as good as the snapshots I took....  for FREE.

Allie's is pretty fabulous

And that boy is darling.

Kami and Brent are building a new house.

And so she was hot to sell all of her old furniture

so she could buy all new stuff.

She kept asking if we would have a garage sale with her

but we really didn't have anything to contribute.

As luck would have it, our annual white trash neighborhood garage sale

fell on a perfect weekend and she was thrilled.

She brought all of her super darling stuff over on Friday Night

and we white trashed it.

She made close to $300 

and I made $25.

Not bad, considering the stuff I sold originally cost me

$500.

Well, now I have Swig money for 12 1/2 days

 And what would a white trash neighborhood be

without some chickens in your front yard?

AND FINALLY......

My Lover gave me Depeche Mode Tickets on my birthday

4 MONTHS AGO. 

I have been impatiently waiting this whole time.

I have been reminiscing and reflecting on concerts

past and how much the music of this band shaped

my young girl life.  There isn't a song that doesn't bring

back a vivid and joyful memory.  I have been to several concerts. 

None have disappointed me.

Oh My Gosh, they were so cute.

Especially that one in the front.

I loved him.  I loved them.  

I love their music.

The big day arrived...

And naturally, Peyton would have the stomach flu.

Rendering me unable to go to the concert.

And I fell into a depression.

Like a sobbing, life is so un-fair, why can't I catch a break

depression.

And I said to Raleigh...  should I try and sell our tickets?

And he said

"Have you LOST YOUR MIND?  NO!!  We are not selling your tickets.

You will be there.  Start getting ready.  Start packing."

But, I couldn't leave a sick child.  How could I do that?

He said....  "Let's see how things are at 5:00.  If we are supposed

to go, things will just work out".

TURNS OUT

Peyton's stomach flu was an easy breezy one puke

and done case.

And so in an excited, nervous, but more excited frenzy, I called

Quincey who dropped everything and came over and teased the H out

of my hair.  She made it all 80's big with Aqua Net.

And then, I put on eyeliner for DAYS,

put on loads of make-up and packed a quick bag

and we left in a fury to get down to Las Vegas on time.

 I wore my "Violator" boots

I am here to tell you...  that just as in 1987, 

they made my heart swell.  Dave's voice sounded exactly the

same.  The music was every bit as good.  They danced around

and shook their booties just like they did 30 years ago.  

There was NO swearing.  Nothing inappropriate.  

Just great music by a bunch of old dudes in their mid 50s

who act like they are still 20.  

I had THE BEST time. 

WE had the best time.

I am SO blessed that I got the chance to go.

That Raleigh and I were able to get away for a night and

re-connect and fall more in love.

And now I have some NEW memories 

when I hear their songs.

MAN.....  I. LOVE. HIM.

Thank you, my darling.  I had the time of my life.

(PS...ever seen a better jugular than that one right there?  

I think NOT)

And if all of this wasn't enough...

I rounded up the month with a BIG WIN!!!

I am so pleased and proud to announce that during this month,

I received the greatest of all news...

I was called to be a Relief Society Instructor.

Which means...  YES, that's correct....

I was released from Primary.

And I made it QUITE clear to the bishop where my

place was and where it WAS NOT.  And I think he finally got the message.

GEEZ.

I knew this month would be EPIC and I was so right.

I LOVED September 2017.

It was one of my favorite months so far.

I love my husband with all of my heart and my whole soul.

I am so blessed to have the children that I have.

I love my job, my home, my town and my life.