Sunday, September 28, 2008

Is Everything Forever??

Do you ever sit and wonder about forever? This church speaks a lot about things that are eternal. Families are forever, marraige is forever, etc. The fact that all these things are "forever" got me to thinking...is my attitude eternal? Will the attitude I form here on earth be taken with me when I go? Wow...I've never had such a good reason for an attitude adjustment. Lately I have noticed a lot of talks, classes, broadcasts, handouts and such all speaking the same message to me. Get over your whining, get off your bum, and make a difference in someone's life. Is thre any sacrifice really too great to make for this gospel? If I just consider all that He sacrificed for me, consider all that He has done and will do, how could anything be too much? Sometimes I feel like I just don't have anything left to give. I'm a mom, I hold down my calling, I support my spouse, I live the gospel to the best of my ability, isn't that enough? I mean, after a day of school, kids, dishes, housework, taxi-driver, and occasional home-work helper, I am spent. I have no desire to call the people I should VT and see how they are. I wonder if I am the only one who feels...spent. It got me to thinking...what if I take these ideas with me when I go? If I'm not doing enough here, will I do enough there?? Will I aid in bringing up the kingdom of God, or will I just be a speed bump? These are the things I think about late t night while Jayson is doing homework...sorry for the odd blog.

Monday, September 22, 2008

We went north....to Chicago

Blisters hurt...and I've got lots and lots of blisters. Why you ask, well, let me explain. Jayson had an architecture symposium this weekend...in Chicago. He did not want to make a 5 hour drive alone, so he recruited me to go with him. While I might normally say no to such a thrilling (notice me yawning) invitation to listen to 5 hours of seminars, this weekend I gave in. Mostly casue it's been ages since Jayson and I had any alone time, so I thought it would be good for us. Plus, we had an invitation to stay with a friend's parents, so it ended up being a very affordable weekend. So Friday we set out on our journey to Chicago. Illinois Istitute of Technology to be exact.

This cross is the first really neat thing we came across in our trip. The picture on the left is a bit of better angle, but I had to put the middle one up just to give you an idea of the size of this cross. If you look at the very bottom of the cross (picture in the middle) and just on the left side is a little yellow speck. That speck is Jayson...crazy huh. The third picture is looking up to the top from the ground. The sky was just cloudy enough to make a cool picture that day. Anyway, this cross is huge and beautiful and you just have to see it to really get it.

Ok, so Kristie Schuler offered her parent's house for us to stay in over the weekend, and this is the way I repay her right?!? I know...yeah for pictures. We slept in the room with lots and lots of family pictures on the wall, so I had to take a few to bring home with us. Far left is Kristie at a much younger age...note the way cute hair. Middle is Kristie either after just delivering or about to deliver a child. The small addition is Gryphon holding Aurora. The picture on the right is the Schuler Family before they had Mikey. How adorable are Kristie and Eric..I know right??!! Anywho, the Judds were awesome hosts, and while we did not get to see Harlan (Kristie's dad) even one time...he works a lot; it was great to stay there. Kristie's mom Judy is amazing. She made us homemade hot cocoa, and packed us a lunch for on the way home Sunday...yummy.

First picture is the school where Jayson had to go for lectures, IIT. This building pictured is where we went to grab lunch cause the cafeteria there was $8 a person. That's right...EIGHT dollars per person to eat cafeteria food...I think not. We headed across the way to this place where there was a 7-11, we got a hot dog and soda for each of us for less than $5...nice huh. The picture in the middle is a tram track that literally goes on the roof of IIT. I'm still not sure how well this was thought out. I mean it truly is loud and a bit annoying...and people are supposed to be studying here? Granted, this building has no classes, it's more like the Student Center, but c'mon...a tram track?? Oh well. Then there is the third picture. I'm no architecture buff, but I still thought this was pretty awesome. This is the door that leads into the bldg. where we ate lunch. From a distance, you see a picture of the architect that designed a majority of the blgds on the campus Meis Van Der Ohh (spelling probablly wrong). When you get closer to the door, you notice that the picture is actually a mosaic of architectural signs and designs that make up this huge picture of Meis. It is very very cool, and Jayson loved it, so here it is for you as well.
Ok, I know this is an odd picture, but I read some of the background about this ball, and it is at least a little cool. Turns out that this guy is traveling the world with this ball and sticking it into narrow places where it is just a bit out of place...and making it "art". So far this ball has been as far as Paris according to his booklet. Anyway, I thought it was at least blog-worthy for that.After his lectures, lunch, and a stroll through almost 50 school reps we were ready to head downtown. There are tons of neat places we visited, but I only put a few up, send an email if you'd like more of them!
These pictures are of a "masterpice" as Jayson says in Millennium Park. It is this really amazing band shell type thing. One reason it is so cool, is because of how they designed it. Each steel piece is placed for maximum sound quality. They are positioned so as to shoot sound out to the crowd so even people sitting on the grass can hear the concert.

I think the above item may have been the cooloest thing for me in Chicago. They call it the "jellybean mirror." Check out the pictures and it is clear to see where they got the idea huh. Anywho, the first picture is at a bit of a distance, so you can get an idea of how big it is. The second one is of Jayson and I walking under the jellybean (it's around 8ft tall in the center) and taking a pic together. The third one, I LOVE!!! It's almost like you can't tell where the jellybean ends and the natural sky starts...it rocks. And finally...I'll end this amazingly long post with pictures of the people who let us stay at thier house over the weekend.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

A Sigh of Relief

Most of you reading this will know my kids, but for those of you who don't, I'll clarify. I have 3 children, all girls, and all a handful. Chelsea will turn 9 in January, Rebecca just turned 7 this July, and Alexis will be 5 in October. This weekend we had lots to do as Rebecca was a contestant for the Apple Festival Princess. As they say in the papers...read all about it.


This Friday after school Jayson and I took the girls to the Kiddie Parade so Rebecca could ride on the float. (for Apple Festival Princess) While we were there the kids sat in the 85 degree heat just to catch candy and wave at Becca, they all listened like angels, and on top of all that, had to walk about 7 blocks to and from the car. I was impressed with how they listened and knew how hot it was going to be on Saturday so we took them to Sonic for a slushie treat to cool them down.

Saturday, Jayson drove Rebecca in a golf cart through the Grand Parade. It literally was 90 degrees with a scorching sun all through the 3 hour parade. The girls were overheated, uncomfortable, thirsty, tired, and really just wanted to go home before we even saw Rebecca's cart. Finally after nearly 2 hours, we saw her in the distance. She was gorgeous in a pink sparkly dress that Shirley had found for her. Jayson even wore a shirt and tie that went great with her dress. As they went by we all snapped some pictures, Shirley got some video, and just like that it was over. After the parade, Stacy's parents Roger and Nancy took us out to lunch at Houlihans (not sure I spelled that right). The girls had a blast, mostly cause they love Roger and Nancy, but also cause they were starving afer the parade.








Saturday night was the crowning of the prince and princess. Rebecca was aware that she would probablly not win, but was content in just having fun getting to dress up, ride in the parade, and feel like a princess all day. Again, if you know my kids, you will know how big of a deal this is to me...Rebecca got up on stage, and spoke into a microphone in front of a full auditorium. I was shocked, amazed, and so very proud of her. I got a few pictures inside, but most of them turned out dark. However, I got quite a fw cute ones from outside right afterwards. She had a lot of fun, got a goody bag just for being part of it, and her favorite thing...a stuffed Captain Applesauce doll. Go figure.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Blast From The Past

Hello again!! I've decided that even though we have not done anything "picture-worthy" in the last few days, I still have to put some pictures on this blog. So without further ado...a blast from the past.


This is a picture from Chelsea's baptism in January. There were so many people there to support her, it truly was an amazing experience for us and her. In fact, this picture only shows about half the people that were there!! Jayson and I are blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!!



This one is from Brianna's 5th birthday party this July. It was so much fun for the girls!! Tanya had a luau theme party with leis, tiki cups, stirring sticks, even a "beach" cake. It was a lot of fun and the girls all had a blast! Here's a picture of the cake too!!!




How cool is that cake huh!?!?!


These two are of our cute little puppy named Phineas. As you can see, he slept all the time. He loved car rides and going on walks with us. Sadly, we lost him last week. He had a fight with a car tire and lost...the girls were heart-broken. We decided as a family that we would not have another pet for a while.


Whoa...I just realized that this blog is becoming obnoxiously long, and also that I have been sitting in the computer chair far too long. (Metal chair, 45 minute blog, you do the math!) Anyway, have a great day everyone...see ya soon!!!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Apple Festival

Yay!! It's APPLE FESTIVAL time in our little town of 10,000. It's an awesome week of carnival rides, parades, acivities, pagents, and much more. We decided (well Jayson's homework schedule decided) that we would hit the fair rides tonight when there would be less of a crowd. The girs each got to ride 8 rides this year and then we all went on the ferris wheel together. Shockingly, the only one that "Never wants to ride that tall thing again" was Rebecca. She decided it was far to scary when the ride stopped to let people on and off. Everyone had a good time tonight, but Mom forgot the camera. So...looks like the blog will be picture free for a couple more days. I'm off to help Jayson with some homework, have a great night all!!