BRUTAL!

Coming back to real life was BRUTAL! But I am a survivor and am here to write about my trip, which was freaking awesome by the way.

The trip started on Saturday afternoon. It was not my traditional start to a trip but it worked out great. Many months ago Nancy bought tickets to go see Bill Cosby in Wendover. It just happened to fall on this weekend and so I didn't leave Provo until 1pm because first we needed to go see Bill. His show was really funny. He is in his 70's and he has still got it. After the show Moki and I headed to California. Luckily Dan posted our whereabouts on Facebook and my cousin Muriel reminded me that she lived in Reno and I am always welcome to stay. Originally the plan was to drive until I go tired and then get a hotel but this was way better. I got to Reno at 1:00am Utah time and crashed at her place. So so nice. I am so glad I was able to do that. Moki and I went on an hour long walk on this beautiful trail by her house the next morning and then we started driving when the Sunday morning conference session started. It was great!

Sunday was a family hang out day. It is so weird that family hang out in Oroville is now just my parents and Aaron. We played games, visited, and then Mikila joined us for more games. I went to bed early. One of my main goals for this trip was to actually get rest. I have been tired and stressed and I really felt like I needed rest. There was so much I was tempted to do but instead I kept this trip low key, for me at least.

Monday I went to the doctor with my Dad. I watched him verbally abuse those poor nurses:) and I told them the truth when he stretched it. Quite an enjoyable experience. Afterwards we went to work on the barn. I didn't realize what I was getting in to with this one. Whenever I go home I bring one or two nicer outfits and then mainly clothes I don't care about. I was wearing the one pair of jeans I brought when we headed to the barn. I asked innocently enough as we passed the trailer with all my clothes if I needed to change. His response was that I should not. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER! We were tearing down the roof. I did eventually go put on a different shirt. Crazy man! After two days of working on the barn it now looks like this. Aaron had previously done a lot with my Dad but we made really good progress for two days of work.

After working my face looked like this. YUCK!

 I always forget that I don't mind manual labor. It felt good to work hard. I was reminded of how weak I am but it was good to work my muscles and I was sore for a couple of days after.

Tuesday I got to sneak in lunch with these two. Always super fun. And then Angelee and I hit up Costco. I think she only invites me when she needs 50lb bags loaded into her cart. (I won't disclose what she buys in that massive bulk.)

Tuesday night when Aaron was off work he and I headed to Willits to my Uncle Lou and Aunt Jan's. Aaron and I reminisced that we head not been on a road trip together with just us since before his mission. It was great to let someone else drive and to have some one on one time to talk about life. His more than mine:)

Wednesday we headed to Fort Bragg. The weather is amazing in October and it didn't disappoint this year. It was so nice. Ben also took two days off of work which was super nice. Wednesday we were all tired so we really only got out to go see the tide pools.

 The water was seriously so blue!

 This kid is a crack up.

And Olivia is a picture stinker these days.

We wrapped up the night by me winning Settlers twice in a row!!!

Thursday we got out a little more. I love love love running on the trail in Fort Bragg that runs parallel to the ocean. It is 5 miles round trip and a great run with an amazing backdrop. Kid and pet friendly so naturally we hit it up. I came bearing warm-up suits as gifts. These two looked absolutely adorable in them, especially when they were running.

 After the trail Bubba needed a nap so Katie and he went home while Ben, Aaron, Olivia, and I hit up the beach. My favorite is Sand Dollar beach, which is not really the name but we have always called it that. It was a great beach day!

 We brought lots to do but ran out of time way too fast. Olivia had to get back for ballet.

 Really the weather was so perfect.

 Moki loved being around Braxton and Olivia. Everytime we were in the car she snuggled right up to Olivia.

 One reason I love this beach is that Moki can be off leash and really just be a dog. She loves to run. I made Aaron chase her he is way faster than me and has a lot more energy!

It was such a fun time.

While Olivia was at Ballet we hit up the amazing ice cream shop. I love their black forest so it is pretty much required that I visit every time I go.

 A few more random pictures because I took over 300 and they need to be documented somewhere!

Olivia's birthday is at the end of the month so I brought her presents on my trip and wanted to celebrate early. Nothing major and very unofficial. Jana recently made the cutest cupcakes for Rose's birthday. So I copied her. Mine were not nearly as cute but it was fun to do. Olivia helped the entire time and loved the outcome.

It looks cute enough here but the frosting I bought was too thin and melted immediately. So not as cute an hour later when some repair work had to be done. However there was still one happy girl which was the point!

And one happy little boy!

I love these kids so much!

 Braxton loved Moki so much he would not leave her alone. I actually had to put her in her cage so she could nap uninterrupted. So funny.

 I think I am going to get Braxton a dog cage for Christmas. He loved that thing.

 Uncle Aaron is always a hit with the kids.

Friday morning we woke up at 5am to go play basketball at Ben's school. That was crazy. It is also crazy that Ben is also a PE teacher and coach. He loves it. I see him being much more fun. I wish I could be as laid back as him. That was early and kind of made us lazy the rest of the day. Aaron and I finally did take the kids to the park before we headed back to Oroville. Those kids love the park so it is always super fun to go with them.

On the way home I read the entire time. That is so rude of me. I finished this book:

 I really enjoyed it. It feels weird saying that. I can't imagine what she went through but I guess what I enjoyed is that she overcame it. It was amazing to read about how she coped and how she has healed. What an amazing woman.

So sorry Aaron I had to read. Once we got home we payed some games. We played lots of Settlers, some ticket to ride, and quirkle. It was a great gaming week for me!

My dad loves this dog and he totally spoils her.

Moki and I were able to run most days and just enjoy life. Saturday we hit up Tong Fong Low's and played more games. A great way to end my trip.

Sunday I drove all day. Moki road in the front like a boss.

I re-listened to most of conference which was really nice and was just grateful to be back in my bed. The dog got a bath, I got a bath, and my clothes all got washed. It was back to the grind at 5:30am for basketball this morning. That was BRUTAL, but my vacation was totally worth it!

Looking Forward

Sometimes I get so excited for something that the week I am in just seems to slow down. I can't tell if this week is long because I am headed to California next week or if this week is long because I have been gone 12-15 hours every single day. Either way I am super pumped tomorrow is Friday.

Since school has started every weekend has been jammed packed. This last weekend was no exception. Friday was Sam's birthday so He, Amanda, and Andrew came to Provo. Normally I would have been more prepared. Had my house cleaned, had a present, made a treat. No not this year. Sorry Sam I still love you. He got none of the above because my life is too busy, someone make it stop. I did get to watch Andrew while they went to the BYU football game. Nothing in life is better then a sweet little baby falling asleep in your arms. I sure love this little boy.

Friday night I also had a double header for soccer. We played at 9:55 and 11:25. Yes I am too old to play soccer so the double header was a KILLER. Especially because we played a man down the entire game, oh except for those five minutes when one of our players got a bloody nose and we played two players down. That was a lot of running. Luckily we had one sub for the 2nd game, but my legs were dead. I was not moving so great on Saturday. I went to run Moki and ended up doing a short walk, too painful.

 Saturday my siblings went to lunch and played, what did I do all day? Basketball fundraiser. BOO! But I really just had to show up our awesome parents did so much work. They are pretty much amazing. It was a concert in the football stadium. We have a really sweet set-up, it is beautiful!

 Unfortunatley the football team wins about as much as my high school football team did. It can be rough in high school sometimes.

The major downer was that I missed the Relief Society broadcast. I love the broadcast and I was bummed, luckily there is this thing called the internet and so I watched it on Sunday. president Monson is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Love him!

 I bought bacon for the 1st time. I needed it for some potato soup. The soup turned out quite yummy.

 Do you ever feel like food would taste better if you had not spent all the time making it? That is how I felt about the potato soup.

For mutual we made super cute maxi skirts. Well the leaders supervised and helped a little the girls really did it and they turned out really cute. 3 hours to a new skirt, not bad. 

 Monday I got my hair done. My hair takes forever. Like 2-3 hours forever. I tried a new look, swoopy bangs. So far they are great.

 I was educated by one of my players this week on why you should never have straight bangs in the summer. They just get all sweaty and gross. That is disgusting and not cute. Alright mental note taken. I seriously love working with high school athletes they make me laugh....every.single.day.

This summer we coached a lot of basketball. Maybe if you live close to me you have heard me talk about it. This week I got to pick out a pair of basketball shoes for all of the time I put in. These are the most expensive shoes I have ever owned and I kind of am in love with the color. They are the new Lebron's. I am pretty much guaranteed to play like him now I will let you know how that works out for me.

 Last night I had a soccer game at 9:10. HELLO people I need to go to bed before 11 on school nights. That is not ok. My hamstring was been doing so well but it has felt a little off all day. Maybe it is just the change in weather. All of a sudden we decided to skip fall and jump straight into winter. It was 42 degrees when I left the high school soccer game at 6pm. That is ridiculous.

I have been playing with this new photo app on my phone called after focus. My brother Anthony can do all these neat little tricks. I have not done too much but I like how easy it is to turn some things black and white.

 Look at the screen on my front window.

There was an incident. I came home from work and there was a note on my door and I thought that is weird. Well the note was from a random neighbor telling me she was walking by and saw my dog half way out the window. She let me know she closed the window and that she hoped that was alright. Mondays are a little tricky right now. I have basketball at 5:30am and so Moki does not get exercise in the morning. If she is left home to her own devices sometimes she gets bored. I am trying to figure out a better plan. The best plan would be NO MORNING PRACTICE but that isn't in the cards right now.

Well this little post turned out quite long. Oh and I am on day three with no treats. It has been a binge lately so I am trying to remind myself that I do posses some self control. Can't wait to have a week off!

Exhuastion

I am so exhausted by the end of the week. One problem is that we have early morning basketball on Mondays at 5:30am. Who wants to start work that early on a Monday? Not this girl. Then the week just seems to take off from there. I am busy, but when I see all that I an accomplish I realize I am also very productive. Somehow this week I fit in a couple visits to see Miss Millie and family. She is so beautiful.

Jana is so nice to let me snuggle her. I also actually had time to sew a quilt too. No small task.

 I just feel so tired. It is getting better now that the weather has cooled off but really I need to give myself a real weekend. I definitely didn't do that this weekend. I tried to sleep in Saturday, that lasted until 7:30am. I then started cleaning and touching up paint. I worked until it was time to go can jam. it was a busy day but so fun.

I have so many good people in my life. My Utah family are some of those people. Loralie was so nice to donate peaches, time, and expertise so I could learn to can. Raspberry peach jam was the outcome and it was delicious.

 Nancy and Loralie showed up as twinners...so cute.

I can see why I have bought jam in the past. Canning is hard work. I am really glad I was able to learn and I had lots of fun doing it. There are always good laughs when I am with family.

 I only made one HUGE mess. I didn't hold the top of the blender on tight enough and it blew up all over the kitchen. That was towards the end of the night so I blame it on being tired. Canning FAIL for sure. The jam is delicious in my very biased opinion.

For good measure Moki and I hiked the Y three times this week to show our spirit. She has become pro at using water fountains. I am not sure that is a good thing but it works.

 We also sported our BYU clothing.

 It didn't help. To be honest I was so tired I went to bed before the game ended. That is sad but when I saw the outcome this morning I felt great about my choice. I will say our 9am sacrament meeting was sparse today. I think there were lots of people up really late last night.

This evening my Mom's brother Mike and his wife Linda had us over for dinner. It was so fun. It was so great to visit with family and catch up. I have been tired all day but I am really glad I went. Moki got to meet a bunny for the first time. She was extremely curious and equally fascinated.

She hopped right over the fence to enjoy the little guy.

We ended the night by playing Headsups around a camp fire. It is a group game you play with your phone, like headbands. So fun. We laughed a lot!!!!! My cousin Ashley introduced it to us. This week I am just so grateful for all the good people in my life. I am so blessed.

Fast Forward Pace

 I feel like life is in fast forward at the beginning of the school year. I just feel exhausted and so behind on everything. The first week of school I have to get used to talking all day and being on my feet all day. The 2nd week of school I have to add doing random boughts of fitness because it is fitness testing everyday and I try to do a lot of it with my students. The third week we go outside and I have to get used to being in the sun, on my feet, and talking all day. Exhausting. We just finished the 4th week of school and I am finally feeling normal again. I didn't take a nap three days this week. That is really good for me.

Here is a selfie a couple of Sundays ago. I was excited about my hair. My hair that is falling out like crazy.

Here is another selfie......at the doctor. Well waiting for the doctor. I was in my gown in the room waiting for sometime and I thought really, next time I would just rather put the gown with no back on in front of the doctor when she finally gets in here.

 We talked about my crazy thinning hair and some tests are being run because it is driving me CRAZY!!!!!! I have also had a few other health concerns so hopefully I can figure out what is going on.

I painted one of my spare bedrooms. Here are the before pictures.

 My entire house was this tan color when I moved in. Even the ceilings. I think I have vented about this before but who paints the ceilings tan????

 That is a blurry picture.

 So I knew I wanted to make this bedroom the TV room. My house is so small that I don't love having the TV downstairs because it monopolizes everything down there if it is on. So I needed a TV room. I knew I wanted it to either be American themed or bike themed. Both cute, but I went with biked theme. I LOVE IT!!!! It is not done but it is well on the way.

The color is sterling. Which is a light grey with a blue tint. More blue than I was anticipating but I am really happy with the color.

 I got a new couch and a new TV. Did I mention it was not a cheap remodel?

 The first couch I picked out would not fit in the room. I was really sad. And embarrassed that the delivery men had to haul it up all those stairs and then back down. Just a little awkward. But this couch works. It is not nearly as comfortable but it is a futon and I really like it. I ordered some bike material online yesterday so there will be some very cute pillows soon.

 I still have some bike pictures to put on the shelf. There is also a couple of places where the painters tape pulled some paint off so I need to do some touch ups, but it is looking so good.

 It is a little ridiculous but I get really happy when I go in the room. It is so clean and bright. It brings peace to my soul:)

I tried a new cookie recipe. It was delicious. It was peanut butter chocolate chip.

My hang up with peanut butter cookies is that they are always hard and there is no chocolate. These ones were soft and had chocolate so it was a win win.

Anthony moved to Provo. It has been fun to have him around.

 Erica came to visit. I got to see her for like 10 minutes. Working stinks sometimes! I love this picture. Jana looks so cute.

 Andrew loves to explore my house. He is learning to master the doggie door.

 He also likes to check out Moki's crate. He was not so sure about it when I closed the door.

 I bought two new Luv sacks on KSL. One for the downstairs and one for the TV room (Katie is now ready to take hers to her house, bummer). I got a great deal and they are like new. The covers were both the exact colors I needed to match the decor in my rooms. In order to fit them in the car we had to break down Moki's cage. She was pretty cramped. It was really funny and she is just pretty cute.

 Jana had her baby. Little Miss Millie. She is so adorable. Looks just like a Ben and Jana baby. I love getting to snuggle on my friends new borns.

 Moki thinks my bed is hers. It is a problem. She kills me.

 Last week I came home from work really late, like close to 6, and she had emptied the entire dish drainer and put the dishes all throughout the house. Nothing was broken but there were different things in each room. I had my own little scavenger hunt when I got home.

Here she is looking out the back window at the neighbors dog. Probably wishing they could play.

It has been the craziest summer with thunderstorms. I feel like it has rained every single day. That is a little exaggeration but it has rained a lot of days and then it stops and it is sunny again. There have been some amazing clouds in the sky. I have loved that. This panorama is from the Y parking lot. To the left it was sunny, in the middle there was a thunderstorm, and then to the right it was sunny. (I stopped before I got the couple totally making out in the gray car. I was like HELLO it is daylight and there are tons of people around.)

A good representation of the weather the past month.

Today was the first time I have taught in young womens. I was really nervous. I was super sweaty after. I knew I would be so I planned my outfit accordingly. I am always surprised at how much I sweat in those situations. It is gross. I love being in young womens. Wednesdays are super CRAZY for me right now. I am not home from 6:45am until mutual ends usually after 9pm. I just go go go. I am always stressed when I think about it beforehand but this last Wednesday after I had dropped the girls off at home I was just happy. We have great girls. They are fun to be around and it is a great opportunity for me to use use the talents I have been blessed with and to also work on things I need to improve on. It definitely keeps me on my toes. It has also been a great way to get to know some sisters in the ward better. Something I needed and I really think the Lord knew I needed it to. I am already seeing the blessings.