Sundance

Jason and I have always had a tradition of going up to Sundance each year to walk around and visit the little shops. For the last couple years we have not been able to get there, so we decided it was time to take the family for a ride up the canyon.

We stopped at a park at the base of Provo Canyon to eat

We are so healthy!

We ran into some of our friends while we were at there and they insisted we make S'mores with them. It was great fun for the kids.

Sundance

We always go to the little store and buy homemade suckers for everyone.

We love this hall of pictures

Me and the kids

In the past we have always taken a family picture in front of this bridge and tried to use it as a Christmas letter photo - it was too dark this time, but we still had to get our shot.

Basketball Update

I finally have an update on the basketball situation at my gym and I just want you to know that there may be a few of you who are disappointed by this update, especially since I was so fired up in my little venting post.

After MUCH thought, discussion with Jason, discussion with a brother-in-law, and consulting my deeper feelings on the matter, I have decided to 'let it go.' Now, letting it go does NOT mean that I am giving up or backing down, it just means, I have decided to walk away from the situation and more importantly, my pride. When I realized that my pride was what was leading my anger and driving me to prove a point to these men that woman are just as good as men, I realized that that is just not who I am. I love being a woman and yes, we ARE different from men. Thank goodness.

I stated in my venting post that I have played in many pickup games over the years and it has not been a big deal, but it is because the games I played in were always groups of random people showing up at the gym to play basketball. After observing the group of guys at my gym for the last week, I realized that they are not just a group of random guys showing up at the gym to play bball; they are all REALLY good friends! They come to the gym to be with each other and basketball is just their way of socializing. As I stated before, they have all been really nice to me (regardless of my feeling that they have been trying to get rid of me) and I think they just want to be together as buds without outsiders - namely "30-something-mothers-of-five" - it's NOT personal. My interference is almost like a random man showing up at a Ladies' Night Out and asking if he can join us - weird!

When I watched all of them today and saw how much fun they have with each other on the court and off the court, I felt very strongly that I just needed to let it go. It's amazing what came over me after I made that decision! My entire drive to play with them completely left. I didn't feel anymore frustration or anger and I was able to run on the treadmill, watch them play, and not feel left out (that is amazing for those of you who don't fully understand my ridiculous will to play basketball)! I am at peace. (I feel silly saying that, since this is such a trivial thing, but there it is.)

I'm not sure why I had this mini-experience and why I am even sharing it with anyone, but I would like to think that it has made me be a stronger person and helped me recognize my own pride.

(P.S. Jason and my brother-in-law shared that it is awkward for them to play basketball with women because it is such a full contact sport. Another very important reason why I have decided to not take it personally that these men preferred I not play with them.)

Kelsea's 9th Birthday

Yesterday was Kelsea's 9th Birthday and it was a wonderful day!

Kelsea really wanted to help make the cupcakes, and . . .

she did all of the decorating.

We had a Halloween birthday party with 18 of her friends and it was a lot of fun! We played musical chairs, Halloween Cakewalk, and Halloween Pictionary.

When Kelsea opened her presents she had to guess who the giver was by the sound of their "weird" voice and if she missed . . .

She got bumped on the head.

(She's got a goose ache from all the times she missed.)

When it was time for bed, Kelsea said, "This was the best birthday ever."
Ahhhh, success!

I love you, Kelsea!!!

I Need to Vent!!

So, I never thought I would use this blog to vent, but I really need to right now, so please bear with me.

First of all, I just want to say that I am happy to be a woman, I would never change being a woman and I do not believe in Women's liberation. Having said that, here's my vent:

I like to go to the gym everyday and am usually there from 1-2:30 p.m. There is always a group of guys playing basketball at the same time and I cannot pass up an opportunity to play. (I've played in pick up games with guys for years and it has never been a big deal.) About a week and a half ago, I decided to go in and play. They were all very nice and got me in to the very next game they were playing. As we started our game, I realized that a woman amongst this group of men never touches the ball! I was wide open a number of times with a lazy defender in front of me and received the ball only twice in the entire game. It was so frustrating to not be able to prove to them that I can play - they wouldn't give me the chance. I had to leave after that game to get my kids from the nursery, but I'll have to say my pride was a little hurt. The fact that they wouldn't even let me prove to them that I can play really bugged me.

I've seen them playing since then and have really wanted to get in there, but my pride hasn't let me . . . until today.

I got there before any of them so that I could warm up and take time to shoot the ball. I would say I was shooting close to 80% and was feeling pretty good about myself. When the group of guys all started filing in, I shared the court because obviously I wanted to play. I continued to shoot well and when they said it was time to shoot for teams, I thought "great, now I can earn my own way in - fair and square!" Four guys had already made the shot, three guys missed, and it was my turn - nothing but net! Yeah, I was in. One of the five on the first team. Well . . .that's what I thought anyway.

Next thing I know, a few more guys show up to play (which means, tough, you have to wait until the next game), but for some reason, they decide to shoot for teams again - WHAT?! What in the world for? We already earned our spot! We were there first, we made our shots first and we should be the first team to play. They conveniently put me in the 11th spot out of 13 spots to shoot for teams so it made no difference whether I made it or not, there were already 10 guys ahead of me and yes, they got to play. Well, when I noticed that none of the other guys thought this was unfair, I realized - they wanted me out. They were all so nice and said hey, we'll catch you on the next game, but man, I was ticked!!!!! I tried to not let it get to me, but when I realized that I only had 15 minutes before I had to pick up the children in the nursery and therefore, would not have time to play in the next game, I felt my anger rising! I was mad! I didn't storm out or anything, in fact, I didn't let the anger show, but my insides were fuming!

(I realize that they haven't seen me play and probably feel like I'll be a disadvantage to the team I'm on, but I watched them play and I'm sorry, aside from being smaller than them, I could probably out-shoot more than half of them! Oooooo - I'm bugged! Ugh! Argh! etc. etc.)

I should probably let it go and not try to play with them, but NO WAY! Not this girl! I am going to show them that women can play!! And I am going to have fun doing it! I am going to put the children in the nursery later than I normally do so that I will have plenty of time to play next time and if I have to wait until the second or third game - so be it! I will wait! I am going to prove myself and I am going to have fun doing it - and if it takes me a month or two to get established, great - I am up to the task!

That's all. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. I feel better now (not really, but I will).

High School Memories

Senior - 1995

Junior - 1994

Sophomore - 1993

Here are some of the dances I went to:

Girl's Preference
(My date and I are in the matching green, plaid shirts on the right side)

Homecoming
(I'm on the front row, right side)

MORP
(Yep, I'm the freaky hippy with the peace sign, on the front row, right side)

Halloween Dance
(I'm on the back row, left side, with pig tails)

This was a Madrigal performance in Disney World
(I'm ridiculously front and center - what am I doing? I look like a geek!)

This was a poster of the P.R.I.D.E. Team

This was my PRIDE performing group on tour in Southern Utah

This was one of our elementary school performances
(I'm the one with the microphone)

This was a letter I received from one of the students after a performance

This was at the Basketball State Tournament

This was my mom and me after the Principal's Reception

Did you date someone from high school? I dated a lot of guys from High School. I liked being friends with everyone - I definitely had some favorites though (3, in particular).

What kind of car did you drive? Ford Bronco - boy was it great for flipping donuts in a snowy parking lot! (I was much more daring back then! I would never do that now.)

What was the most embarrassing moment of HS? There are a lot of them, unfortunately, they all had something to do with tripping, falling, running into things, etc. I guess you could say I was a little clumsy.

Were you a party animal? If you call hanging out with a bunch of Madrigals and winning every eating contest a party animal, then, yes.

Were you considered a flirt? Hmmm. I guess you should ask the guys - was I?

Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Absolutely, and I loved it! (Choir, all three years - Concert, Jazz, Madrigals, and All-State)

Were you a nerd? I was probably a geek - are they the same? I don't consider myself a stereotypical nerd, but I was BIG on getting good grades and I never sluffed.

Were you on any varsity teams? yep. I was Captain of the Varsity Basketball Team

Did you get suspended/expelled? Not a chance.

Can you still sing the fight song? No . . . but I can sing the Cougar fight song and ALWAYS will be able to!

Who were your favorite teachers? Mr. Ochoa (AP History) - he team taught with Mr. Ward and everybody loved Mr. Ward - I did too, but for some reason Och was my favorite. I also loved Mr. Monroe (AP Calculus BC) - I was known for falling asleep in his class because it was the first two periods of the day. One day he threw a giant blackboard eraser at me and hit me in the head - we had a good laugh over that and I stayed awake from then on. Bro. Finch, Bro. Haws, and Bro. Stewart were my favorite Seminary Teachers ever!!! Those of you who know them will totally get why.

Where did you sit during lunch? Everywhere. I was friends with a lot of different groups of people and I just went wherever I felt like it. Sometimes I went to Subway.

School mascot? Hawk

Did you go to homecoming, and with who? Yes. Junior Year, I went with Spencer Affleck and Senior Year, I went with Mike Rowell

What was your biggest pet peeve at school? Swearing in the halls, and P.D.A.

What do you remember most about graduation? Being outside on the Football field with about 950 graduates, metal stands full of family members and friends, our principal speaking forever, and an enormous storm cloud getting closer and closer to where we were. As the names of the graduates were finally called out row by row, we heard the loudest BANG! Lightning struck a pole in the stadium and shot an electrical current down to a female photographer who dropped to the ground. The next thing we knew, the power was out, the wind was fierce, diplomas were flying everywhere, hundreds of people were scrambling to get out of the stadium and get into the school, many of us grabbed handfuls of diplomas and ran inside, the power was out in the school, people were looking for family members, and there was complete and utter chaos . . . so, how was your graduation? (I never did get to do my diploma walk and I am still a little bitter - but hey, 1995 will always be remembered as the year lightning struck.)

Where did you go on your senior trip? I went on a Western Caribbean Cruise with my mom - it was AWESOME! (It was the first time I was ever asked to meet an older man on the promenade deck at midnight . . . I think he was a little disappointed when I told him I would have to ask my mom; we had a good laugh about that one.)

Were you in any clubs? National Honor Society (I was never able to get elected to Class Office or Student Body Office, but I was President of the National Junior Society in 9th Grade, Vice President of the National Honor Society in 11th grade, and President of the National Honor Society in 12th grade - go figure). I was a member of the P.R.I.D.E. team (Peers Responsible in Drug Education - a performing group that went all over the District teaching children to be Drug Free). I was also a member of the Key Club, Altatudes, and Math Club.

Have you gained some weight since then? Well, if you are reading this and you never saw me in high school, then no, I look completely great - lol! Now, if you are reading this and you knew me in high school, then yes, I've had five kids and for sure I'm not the skinny minny I used to be. I stay fit though and that's what's really important, right?!

Who was your prom date? My Sophomore year, Prom was on April 2nd and my 16th Birthday was on April 7th, the guy I really liked was going to take me, but he respected my decision to wait until after I was 16 to date. Junior Year I went with Rob Anderson, and Senior Year I went with Casey Allman.

Good grades? Yes. I really wanted to graduate with a 4.0, but I had a little bit of senioritis and graduated with a 3.95 instead.

Did you ever ditch? Nope. In fact, I had an inside joke with some of the administration members and on the last day of school, they finally coerced me to leave early - they laughed about it.

Were you close to your parents? VERY close!!! My mom and I were best buds. (My dad died when I was 12). My mom and I talked all the time and she knew everything that was going on in my life. She was my biggest supporter and my best friend.

Did you ever kiss anyone during high school? Well, technically, yes. I was known for being V.L. (if you don't know what that is then you were probably a kisser), but my Senior year, my sweethearts dance date, gave me a goodnight kiss on the doorstep. The next day at lunch I heard him and his friends (also other boys I liked and dated) saying he owed all of them milkshakes - I later found out why . . . he got the first kiss. Jason is the only other person I have kissed.

Did you letter in anything, and did you wear a letterman jacket? I lettered in Music, Academics, and Basketball - I did receive a letterman jacket for Christmas and wore it sometimes, but it is mostly a piece of memorabilia hanging in my closet.

What was the worst date you ever went on? My second date. I was barely 16 and a Senior in my seminary class asked me out. We went on a double date with his friend and his friend's girlfriend. We played games and went toilet papering. The entire time he kept asking if I was cold and wanted to wear his letter jacket - I refused, but he still put it on me. He kept trying to put his arm around me and was treating me like I was his girlfriend. I wasn't interested at all! When he brought me home, he leaned in for a kiss and yes, I feel bad, but I turned my head, thanked him for the date, and walked in my house as fast as I could. The next day at school, he wrote "Dan loves Mindi" on the Seminary blackboard. I was so embarrassed.

What was the best date you ever went on during high school? That's hard to say because there were some very nice guys that took me on very nice dates, but I will have to say the most clever was when a guy from EFY took me out and we had a candleight dinner in the median of University Parkway in Provo (across from the Olive Garden - where there is a hilly grassy area.) He blindfolded me until I was in my seat and I was so curious what was going on. I could hear lots of cars and people honking, but I didn't know why. He had an entire dinner table, chairs, and wonderful meal all set up. After we ate, he had music provided and asked me to dance. We were with one other couple, so it was not SO awkward, but yes, we slow danced on the top of that hill and there were many cars that waved, honked, and said, "way to go" to my date and his friend. I had a ton of fun!

Did you have a boyfriend? Nope. I would say there were two guys I liked best my Junior year and three guys I liked best my Senior year. I was only infatuated with the Seminary Council president my Sophomore year and yes, he was my first date.

What were your hobbies? Four-wheeling, skiing, singing, playing the piano, clogging, writing music, and playing basketball.

Did you ever drive a car before taking Driver's Ed? Nope, and I felt like such a dork when I was the only one that did not know how to start the car when my instructor asked me to.

Did you ever ditch Seminary? No Way! I loved seminary, in fact, my senior year, I often went to Seminary two periods a day.

What did you eat for lunch? I ate hot lunch every day and I loved it!

Were you considered popular? Does it really matter? It was more important for me to be friends with everyone than to worry about whether it or I was popular or not.

Do you have any regrets? Yep. I was really good friends with my basketball coach when I was a Senior and I sometimes spent more time with her than my friends. If I could go back and change that, I would!!

What is a fun memory from High School? During our Choir Tour to California, there was a lock down in the hotel we were at because of something that happened a few floors below us. We were told that we could not leave the rooms that we were in until furthter notice. I was in a room with boys and girls, un-chaperoned, and we had to spend the entire night togehter. We all forced ourselves to stay awake and by morning we were delirious! We had a lot of laughs and a great time together, but we were so tired! (To those of you who were there - the boston baked beans were the best!)

Did you have a job during high school? I was a lifeguard during the summer months

Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I already did. (I was on the committee, so I guess it's a good thing I went.)

If you could go back and do it again, would you? Not in the place of where my life is now, but, yes, I would do it again - I loved High School!

I hope I did not bore you too much with this post, but I sure had a lot of fun doing it. It brought back some great memories!

Our First Ward Together

I thought this was too funny to not put on here. In our very first ward together, the bishopric wanted pictures of all of the families in the ward. After church, one Sunday, this is what they captured of us - isn't it sweet? We look so young!

Playroom Sleepover

On Friday Night, the kids all went up to the playroom and completely cleaned it up, just the four of them. They did such a good job and were so happy doing it that we decided to let them have a sleepover together. They were very excited and thoroughly enjoyed the night.

Hmmmmmm!

Tonight for Family Night, we did a thankful-for-circle. We went around the table and had each person say what he/she is thankful for about each other person. It was so neat to hear what everyone had to say and especially to see the children's faces light up when they were being talked about! I thought . . . "wow, what a great idea, we'll definitely have to do this more often!"

Well, it finally came to me and the children started saying what they were thankful for. When I realized that the general consensus was that the children are most thankful for me because I let them earn back their groundings, I wasn't sure what to think. Is that really all I have to show as a mother? Hmmmmmm! I guess my goal now is to see if I improve at all between now and the next thankful-for-circle. (I want my thankful-fors to be as good as Jason's!)