That's right, this is happening.

A list of various things:

1. I am officially a crappy blogger.

2. My house is very quiet today. Sometimes when that happens I love it. Sometimes it just makes me tired, cranky and or sad.

3. I am re-addicted to Lost, if that is even a word. We started again from the beginning and I'm pretty sure its the best show that has ever been on television, except for maybe The Big Bang Theory.

4. I am so proud of my husband! I don't have the words to describe how cool he is. :)

5. I love having Wayne and Linda here. We laugh, a lot, and life without them when they go home is going to be difficult.

6. I worry about... well pretty much everything.

7. It's rodeo week in Lehi, which since I grew up here, theoretically I am supposed to love. Don't know when it happened, but mostly I find it noisy, and annoying, & the traffic thru town is ridonkulous.

8. I LOVE SUMMER.

9. I also love the rain.

10. I am surrounded by pregnant women. My head spins with all the crafty things I get to make in the next year......

11. I'm not sure how they do it, but I am really starting to believe that Netflix laces their DVDs with crack or some other addictive substance.

12. Looking forward to an amazing July!

13. Giant cardboard boxes entertain the kids in my life far better than anything I have actually paid money for.

14. A few days ago, Wayne sat down heavily in my office chair and it tipped over backwards dumping him on the floor. H I L A R I O U S.

15. I started test painting my family room walls again. For those keeping track, its been less than 2 years since I last painted it. I wonder if they make some kind of medication for what ever it is that i have....

16. I'm blond again. I don't know why, I guess I just needed a change. But the weirdest part, is that all of a sudden when people say something derogatory about blonds I get all like "hey!" and then I'm like, wait a second, I've only been blond for like a day, why do I care??

17. It's been almost 2 years since we lost Sheri, and I still cry about it at least once a week. Last week I had to go to a family bridal shower without her and I nearly had a meltdown. I really need to be stronger. She would be.

18. I finally admitted out loud that I cannot plant flowers at my house anymore. I kill them. So this year, I filled a pot on my front porch with silk flowers. I'm pretty sure that either means I'm a genius, or an 80 year old woman.

19. I am way too attached to my pets. Plus I'm getting all "baby hungry" and want a new kitten pretty badly. I have no idea why, I'd probably regret it, but come on, kittens are so dang cute.

20. A couple weeks ago I got a package in the mail. I called James to see what he had ordered, and told me he had no idea, and that I should open it. He had surprised me by buying me a kindle. I have always wanted one, and I was so excited. Let me just tell you that I am pretty much in LOVE with this thing. Plus he surprised me further by filling the screen saver file with pictures that I would love. Every time I turn it off some amazing picture pops up and I realize how well he really does know me.

21. I love getting a good deal. I'm pretty sure that I have told at least 12 people about how I got almost 3 yards of Minkie fabric for less than $20. And now I have told a few more people....

22. I hope it's not wrong to use children as slave labor. Every week when my niece picks up her kids they tell her about the laundry they did, or how I taught them how much fun it is to use a swiffer duster. A few weeks ago I texted her a picture of her girls cleaning the toilet. She said she thought it was hilarious, but I think secretly she was jealous that she didn't think of it first.

23. I live for laughter. And with these 2 boys in my house, it is pretty much constant.

24. It took me two days to write this blog.

25. The L.D.S. Church is true. I KNOW THIS. There is nowhere else on this planet where you will find the peace, joy, happiness, and protection that you find there. The older I get, the more the world falls apart, the more I see the people I love struggle with life's problems, the more I know this. There IS a living Prophet. He DOES receive revelation. Jesus Christ IS my savior. I have a quote on my wall that says "Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light." I love this. It gives me hope, and makes me happy.

That's all I got folks. See ya in 6 months when I come up with some new stuff ;)

nice to see you january, but even nicer to see you go.

So its almost the last day of January. January is the most hated month of the year. I know this, because probably 13 times just in the last week someone has said they hated it, so apparently its not just me.


I usually spend January feel sad for no reason, annoyed at the weather, and with some kind of illness (e.g. bronchitis, flu). However this year there was no time for any of that, and it made this month SO much better.


We spent last week in Arizona for Wayne's wedding, here are just a few highlights of what was a pretty eventful week.


1. Got a flat tire just outside Beaver, Utah. It was cold. And when I say it was cold, I mean it was COLD. But my husband, climbed out of the car, acted like he knew exactly what he was doing to keep me calm, and like a trooper changed the tire in his shorts and tshirt. Did I mention we were dressed for AZ weather?? This event led to..


2. Stopping in Cedar City again for tires.... Wait, did she say again? Why yes, yes she did. Because you see a little less than 3 years ago we were driving to Disneyland and got a nail in one of our tires. So we had to stop in Cedar City and buy new tires. Its kind of becoming a really expensive and annoying tradition.


3. We arrived about 2 hours later than we planned, but it made for good timing as we got to meet Wayne and Linda for dinner after James went to try on his handsome digs for the wedding.


4. Arrived at Roy and Ruth's late, and started to get ready for bed. They have a new dog at their house, her name is Tara, and she is a ginormous German Shepard who lives mostly outside. When we got up in the morning everyone had gone to work, and I was scared to leave the bedroom in case she was in the house and attacked me because she thought I was some kind of intruder. Thankfully she was outside, so I didn't get my face ripped off trying to get to the bathroom.


5. The wedding was amazing, it is always a good time when you hang out with the Mower clan, and this was no different. Wayne and Linda looked amazing, and I'm pretty sure neither one of them stopped smiling all day. We did get lost about 6 times on the way to the reception, but we managed to find it, and I managed to eat about 3 pieces of cheesecake with the most amazing berry topping known to man. We took awkward pictures with Kathy and Jason, and i gave Alexis the camera for half the reception because people seemed genuinely happy to see her and she was small enough to sneak into crowds.


p.s. she is a great photographer.


6. The day after the wedding James and I did what has become one of our favorite AZ traditions, we went to the swap meet. We don't have swap meets in Utah, I think that is what makes them so appealing, well that and Grandma Mower always took us to one when we came to visit her. We took David, Emmy and the kids, who believe it or not, had NEVER been. I had a ball, as I always do. Even though most of the stuff is white trash, for some reason its still pretty dang fun, however, I'm pretty sure David would disagree.


7. James and I haven't had professional pics taken... well since our wedding I believe. So we spent one day out around the town with Emmy the amazing photographer, who took about 700 pictures of us. She actually made us look pretty good, check us out:

8. We had to leave and come home, even though we didn't want to. It was warm there, and entertaining. We laughed till we cried pretty much everyday, and we had so much fun. It went by WAY too fast. Plus Alexis was sad to see us go and she cried :( it pretty much broke my heart to see her sad little face waving goodbye...

9. We got home to two VERY happy to see us dogs, and 12 messages on the answering machine. *sigh* real life.

So now back to real life, where its still cold, and busy. But in one day's time it will be February, and its the shortest month of the year and then we are on to spring!

Goodbye January, I'm pretty sure next year we will be going on vacation to AZ again. It made you much more tolerable.

Time flies....

Sometimes i wonder if time slips by quickly because im getting older, or because it is literally moving faster.
I would swear that it was summer yesterday. The fourth of july, James's birthday, warm weather, green grass and trees, then BOOM its all over.
Getting ready for Halloween, building fun things, decorating with all my favorite decorations, raking leaves and getting out the long sleeved shirts, then BOOM over.
Thanksgiving was a blur.... i know it happened, i WAS there im sure of it. But it got here so fast and was over before i knew it.
And now Christmas, i think i spend more time "getting ready" for christmas then i actually spend enjoying it. I am so excited for this year, sometimes Christmas is hard for me because of the lack of little people in our home. But for the last 3 years Wayne has been here and it makes all the difference. This year we have 5 stockings hanging up. FIVE! I have shopped so much, and bought WAY too much stuff and i couldnt be more excited. To have people here to open surprise presents, to hear laughter and excitement for Christmas morning, frankly it cant come soon enough. I still have about a half a million things to do, and a ton of baking on my list, but it will all be worth while.
My cousin Cassie has been blogging about her favorite things for Christmas. She talks about something new everyday, and reading it has become my new way to start the morning. I have so many amazing Christmas memories, and it makes me think about all of my favorites. So thanks Cass, for helping me remember that Christmas is about WAY more then "getting ready".
I have alot of things to be thankful for as usual, but right now, i am most thankful for the Mower's and all the joy they bring into my life. They are some of my favorite people on the planet, and its so nice to feel like i belong. To have in-laws that love me for who i am, and actually KNOW who i am.
Thanks for making me feel like one of your own to Ruth & Roy.
I love you Kathy, i wish you knew how amazing you really are.
Thanks for making me laugh till i cry to Jen & Todd.
You make me feel like a mom Wayne, & that is more than any person can ever be thankful enough for.
And to the rest of the Mower's who never fail to make me feel wanted and appreciated.
I love you all.

I did warn you i probably wouldnt be a good blogger.

So i think i can say pretty confidently that i am not a good blogger. I always feel like i need to have something witty or important to say. and mostly.... my life is pretty boring. so here are a few things, as boring as they may be, that are going on around here.

First of all, i watch too much hgtv. it makes me want to change things around here constantly. I'm always looking for my next project, or deciding what color i want to paint something. next up? the guest bedroom is getting a makeover, and my family room is going to get a repaint.

I love fall. wait, let me say that again. I LOVE FALL!!! just the smell of it makes me happy. (and, yes, it does have a smell) watching the leaves change is something i need. i feel for my loved ones in Phoenix. i was there once in October, and it made me sad. i feel so much appreciation for Heavenly Father when i watch the seasons change. It is so beautiful here right now.

Along with fall comes my favorite holiday.... Halloween. i am absolutely obsessed with the paranormal. ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies, and all that comes with them. (see my husbands recent blog entry...) i know there are things that cant be explained, i have experienced it. if i wasn't so afraid of the dark, i would totally be a paranormal investigator. James and i have spent the last 6 weeks or so making tombstones for a Halloween graveyard. it has been so much fun, and if i do say so myself, we are pretty good at it. my hope is that someone wealthy will see it and offer us a ton of money just to make fake tombstones. not too much to ask right??

The kids in my life are hilarious. i love talking to them. i don't ever remember being as smart as they are.
Today Gracie was telling me about carving pumpkins with her dad. she said that he was eating the guts from the pumpkin and trying to get her to try them. i said, "eww that is gross" and she said "i KNOW i told him, "dad that is NOT healthy"". she is 3 and a half going on 20.
There is a man nearby with a large farm. he plants various veggies for my family, so we all spend time there picking various things. last week it was potatoes. the smell at the farm is well.... terrible. actually terrible is an understatement. its really really really terrible... so we are picking up potatoes and Saydee says to me, "this is just like finding Easter eggs at Easter". i respond, "i don't know about that, it certainly doesn't SMELL like Easter". and without missing a beat she says, "you don't know Wendi, it could have smelled just like this when Jesus was resurrected". touche Saydee, touche.

My Wayner is getting married. there are people in my life who i have a physical need to take care of. Wayne was about 12 when i met him, and that need kicked in quickly. He is like the son i haven't been given. and i am so excited that he has found someone who makes him so happy. Linda is an amazing woman, and i know that they are going to be so great together. i am grateful that they have been so willing to let me take part in helping them plan. i love them so much, and i am so thankful they are such a part of my life.

My husband is the greatest gift i have ever been given. there is no one in my life that brings me more happiness, or shows me more love. he is the one who knows ALL my secrets, and yet he still wants to hang out with me.... i know right? we are completely connected, and i really do feel like he is my "other half". i know his face more than i know my own. just hearing his voice makes me happy, and he is constantly making me laugh. i grow more thankful for him everyday.

I am preparing for my life to have some things change over the next year. some big changes, others small. i haven't ever been very good with change, and ill admit that I'm scared. but I'm also optimistic, and excited.

I am grateful for a husband that loves me. for family that is supportive and there for me. for friends who don't care that I'm a little bit crazy. but mostly for my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. i don't know what people who don't have prayer and faith do when things get difficult. who do they talk to when their heart hurts or they feel afraid? how do they find peace in a world where there just isn't any? the peace, comfort, love, and joy i receive from my faith is something that i wish everyone i love had.

There are many things in my life i wish i was better at, and blogging is just another on that list. I guess i'll just have to start writing about stuff, even if it is boring. sorry in advance for anyone that reads it....

When did this happen?

I have a friend who among mutual friends is known as the "recipe Nazi" she is an amazing cook, and makes all these fantastic treats and absolutely refuses to share her recipes with anyone. I used to laugh and think that was totally crazy... used to.

My ward is putting together a cookbook and the relief society pres asked me if i would submit some of my recipes. For a second, just a second, i wanted to say "NO!" but of course i didn't, and the other day i set about entering my recipes into the online book.

I found myself actually being picky about the recipes i was going to share, how ridiculous is that? I would enter one recipe, and skip about 4 before i entered another one. So answer me this, when in my life did i become a recipe Nazi????


I went to the doctor the other day and left with like a MILLION prescriptions.... granted some of them were for my husband, but tell me this, when did i become the old lady with the full pill box????


When i was in my twenties, i drove like a bat out of hell. Last night, i had to go and pick up James from work. It was about 9:00 and dark outside, and i nearly had a panic attack getting there.

I cant see in the dark anymore for some reason, and spent the whole drive complaining to myself about the traffic and the stupid road construction. At what point in my life did driving become an absolutely painful experience????


A few months ago we went to a birthday party at a friends house. As we were leaving they were saying how they don't get to see us often enough. As we walked to the car, one of them shouted after us. "come and visit us again soon, even though i know you are busy with all your OTHER friends!"

i laughed, then i said to James, "I wonder if they really do think we have abandoned them for other people...." because the sad truth is the only "other friends" James and i have are... well James and i. we used to have lots of friends that we hung out with. parties we would throw or go to. but for probably the last 2 years or so, the only person i find myself wanting to hang out with is James. and leaving the house? pft, why would we. when did i become agoraphobic????


I turned 35 on my last birthday. that was tough. I'm not sure why, it didn't bother me when i turned 30, but for some reason 35 was a lot harder. I am changing, and not for the better in a lot of ways. But at the same time, i have a sense of peace and comfort that i never had in my twenties. I'm grateful for all the good things in my life, and the good things about me. hopefully they out weigh all this craziness.

the secret transcript....

A secret transcript of a Udot meeting: (Udot is the people who do road construction in Utah, for those that don't know.):


Bob: (not his real name, but for my story it is.) So everybody, I have had a brilliant idea of a great joke we could play. My plan is this: we are going to have ALL the freeway on and off ramps under construction in northern Utah county at the same time.

Other Guy: Um, Bob, did you say ALL of them?

Bob: Yes, other guy, i did.

Other Guy: are you sure that's a good idea?

Other Other guy: yeah, Bob I'm not even sure we have enough orange barrels for that.

Bob: But don't we have some of those cement walls of death things?

Other other guy: well, yeah we do have some of those, even though I'm not sure that is their technical name.

Bob: well then, PUT EM UP!

Other guy: I see another problem Bob, I'm not sure we have enough employees to be working on all these projects at the same time.

Bob: who said anything about working on them!? Just move crap around, put up the barrels and the walls of death and let the fun begin!

Other other guy: Bob this sounds like it might be really inconvenient for people that live and drive in that area.

Bob: don't be such a stick in the mud Other Other Guy, its going to be HILARIOUS!

TWO MONTHS LATER:

Other Guy: Okay Bob, we've got everything under construction as you wanted, its chaos, annoying, causes terrible traffic at any time of day, and looks like crap.

Bob: Perfect.


I wasn't at this meeting, its just how it HAD to have gone, trust me.

Fourth of July fun!

i have been thinking all day about how to blog about the fourth of july weekend. Frankly i dont know where to start, or what to include. Will it get boring if i go over every hilarious moment? Or will it be sad when i talk about how quiet things are around here.

There are some days that just take over parts of your memory, just to be sure they dont get lost. I had more then one of those days that weekend. On friday, Dave, Emmy, the kids, Kathy, James and i went to Lagoon. Im pretty sure i cant remember the last time i have laughed that much, or that hard. It was the most fun day i have had in..... well a really long time.

Before we went i stated that i probably wasnt going to ride much if anything, and then we got there. I made kathy ride all kinds of things with me, mostly because we are hilarious when we are apart, and when we are together its HILARIOUS with all caps.

We were laughing for absolutely no reason, other then to laugh. I kept saying, "why is this so funny??" and Kathy kept saying, "why did you make me come on this ride? this was a TERRIBLE idea" and that just made it funnier.

By the end of the day, we had conquered the tidal wave twice, gone blind from spinning on the tilt a whirl, broken her knee on the jet star, followed a terrified alexis on the terror ride, destroyed ourselves on the colossus, and scared ourselves a bit on dracula's castle. (which was sans dracula by the way....that was kinda weird)

And in between all the hilariousness we all enjoyed watching the kids riding everything they were tall enough to ride, and loving every minute of it.

the girls went shopping on saturday, it was so fun. And then that night we had a bbq with my family, and a bunch of fireworks. Alexis and Timothy both fell asleep during the fireworks and when Kathy tried to pick Alexis up at the end she muttered something like "nooo im not done yet" it was so funny.

It was so great to spend time with everyone, we had so much fun! We hope everyone will come and visit again soon, so that things will be busy and noisy again, it makes me happy.