Unloading with the Family.

This weekend we went to Laramie, to help Kyle, Jordan & Brittany move in.

It’s Kyle’s first year of college; his first time away  from home, really. It should be really fun for him. Also, I think it’ll be really nice for Jordan & Brittany to be able to be “Husband & Wife without parents around'”. [the in-laws are great, but having alone time when one is newly married is very important.]

We left around 6:30pm on Friday & headed to Laramie. Not. A. Fun. Drive. It’s so boring &….ugly. Let’s be honest. It’s not a pretty drive. [We did catch a pretty sunset though….]] But Reese & I got to spend time together, so that’s always really good. 3 hours of talking, laughing, & just being alone. I sure love him!


Anyway, it was quite the busy weekend – but I’m so glad we were able to help. Moving sucks & it sucks even worse when you have to do it alone.

We got there too late on Friday night to actually do any unpacking, so we just relaxed for a while with Brittany & Jordan – then went to bed.

Saturday we got up & went to Perkins for breakfast. Mmm. Oh my goodness, I love breakfast food. I seriously wish I could eat it everyday, all day long. But….then I’d be gigantic, because I love me some syrup.
Then it was time to work! Jordan & Reese got to work unloading the U-Haul while Brittany & I cleaned and organized. Boy, oh boy did cleaning ever need to be done! Brittany had already cleaned for hours on Friday before we got there & there was still a lot to do.
A few hours later Ray & Cresta [my parents-in-law] came over to help out. They had been over at Kyle’s getting him all settled in.
Ray had some Mr. Fix-It things he started on right away; the closet, the dryer, the towel racks, the lining around the toilet. Lots of things to be fixed! Jordan & Reese helped as much as they could =) [But mostly played games on their Droids.]

Brittany, Cresta & I got to work on the kitchen; unloading, cleaning, organizing. You know – all the “girly” things to do.
I promise I helped a lot, I wasn’t just walking around taking pictures all day! I just had to take a few to document the big move. It felt like we worked all day! But in reality, we sat around & hung out a lot! But…that’s what happens when family comes to help right? Lots of hanging out & chatting!

We went to dinner & had a bad experience. Brittany & I both got sick. And that is all I am going to say on that subject. [Believe me, that’s all you want to hear.]
We got up this morning & Jordan made us Pancakes for breakfast. Oh. My. Gosh. They were to die for.
I really need to get the recipe from Brittany. Maybe she can post it on here so you all can have it, because they were seriously the best pancakes I’ve ever had. [I would know-I am a big breakfast fan, as I mentioned above!]

Now Reese & I are home. Ray & Cresta are on their way home. Jordan, Brittany & Kyle are all settled into their new homes & life is good.

I love Sundays. I love weekends. I love families. Even though it was a busy, stressful weekend I am so glad we went because we got to grow closer to our family.

I hope your weekend was great & I’d love to hear all about it!

Family & Friends.

First of all, let me just say that I am so close to being done with my cleaning list! I would be doing it now instead of blogging but Reese says I shouldn't vacuum until after 10 so I don't make our neighbors mad [dang apartments]! I want to vacuum before I make up the guest bed, so everything is all perfect in there. So, I am waiting.

Also, I could be getting myself ready right now instead of blogging, but I still have to work out this morning. Which I can't do until I get my above mentioned cleaning done, because I don't want to work out, shower, then get hot & sweaty again while cleaning. It's a hard life I live - having to spend my morning on the computer =)

James Squared [aka Dad & Brother, James] are on their way! I'm not exactly sure where they are, but they will be here within the next 5 hours! Wahoo. Should be very, very fun. I hope. We all have fun together, but Riverton is pretty boring. There is not much to do!

We are going to dinner tonight. Camie & her family are going to join us. That will be very fun. Then - we are wanting to go to a movie, but.....Riverton sucks as far as movies go. We have 5 movies to choose from, & we've all seen all of them...well except The Smurfs & Final Destination Five. Seriously. How have they made another?! We may go to a movie regardless of the lack of new ones, just so James Squared can experience the awesomeness of our theater.

We're all going to go to Church together in the morning & then they depart. It's a quick trip, but I am glad they are coming. We are so out of the way up in Riverton & not many people come to visit! I am so glad when they do.

Have a fabulous weekend =)

Friday Confessional

I confess...
-I have a lot to say today, but I don't know how to say some of it.
-I wouldn't have even done a Friday Confessional post if my sister, Brittany, hadn't kicked my butt into gear today.

I confess...
-I feel like I am falling behind sometimes.
-I feel like I should have kids & own a house.
-I love the stage Reese & I are at, but I hate feeling like I'm behind.

I confess...
-I wish I could take Camie's kids home with me sometimes.
-I love them like family.
-They are the cutest kids I have ever seen.

I confess...
-I HATE when people take advantage of kind people.
-I've never been a really kind person, so I've never had that problem personally.
-I have a friend that is super kind & she gets taken advantage of sometimes.
-I want to punch those people in the face.

I confess...
-I punched Reese in the arm last week kind of jokingly, but I hurt myself.
-I'm a girl - through & through, I don't know how to punch.
-I can kick & pull hair like nobody's business though!

I confess...
-I hate when people spend more money than they have.
-I hate when it effects my loved ones.
-I think people should do what they want when they are only responsible for themselves, but when one is responsible for others they should sack up & take care of things.

I confess...
-Reese & I went to the fair last night with Camie & her kids - I got two bags of mini donuts.
-I don't care that they are deep fried & gross - I love them.
-I will never go on a ride at a fair/carnival. As my mother would say, "H. E. double hockey sticks, no!"

I confess...
-I really wasn't in the mood for a confession today, but I am so glad I did.
-I didn't post some of the big things on my mind, but just thinking about them helped me to feel better.

I confess...
-I am going to see RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES tonight & I couldn't be happier.
-I love boy movies & I ain't scurred to admit it.


Now you know what to do! Head on over to Mamarazzi's page & LINK UP! You know you want to =)

The Lake.

Yesterday we went to the lake/reservoir near where we live. It was so much fun! We went with Camie, Thom, & their kids. They are the best. We seriously have so much fun with them.

We packed food for lunch & dinner, swimsuits, & s'more stuff - then we were off. We had sammiches for lunch & then jumped into the water! So much fun. How was it July 30th & we hadn't gone to play in the water yet?! What were we thinking??? We weren't. That's what.

We need to do that again - & soon. There is almost nothing better than spending the day in the sun with loved ones. There are 2 things that help to make it the best thing ever - 1] Reese being a nice gentleman & covering the disgusting toilet seat for me, so I don't have to look down the whole. &2] The dirty people that show up right at sunset to BATHE in the lake. Nothing goes better with s'mores than a little bit of judgement.

I hope you all had a great weekend, but I know it wasn't as good as mine - because mine was the best ever!

Athletic Ability.

I'm not a klutz by any means; I'm very capable, I just don't like playing sports. Sure, I'll throw a football around with Reese in the front yard, but I never ever played any team sports! I love to watch, I just don't like to play.

That's why I was so surprised last week when Reese & I were driving to Utah & he commented about my foot. I told him not to worry, it was just dry - I always get dry feet in the summer from wearing sandals all the time.

"That doesn't look like regular old dry feet," he said. "That looks like athlete's foot." [As he laughs his a** off.]

What the what?! How in the world would it be possible for me to have athletes foot? I don't play sports. I don't even really wear tennis shoes. I don't shower where a bunch of yucky people shower. I haven't been to a pool recently. We can't think of any possible way for me to have gotten "tinea pedis."  Yet, I flipping have it!

Anyway, I am disgusted with myself. It is so gross! Apparently its a very "mild" case, but it's my first time ever & it sicks me out. Reese gets a kick out of it. He says, "I thought after high school I'd never have to worry about getting athlete's foot again, but now I might get it from my prissy, dainty wife!!!" Ha. Ha. Real hilarious.

So, twice a day I do the whole "Tinactin" treatment & hate my life.

Do any of you have any gross awesome experiences similar to this one that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about it! Misery loves company, right?!

Cowley's Day - aka Pioneer Day Weekend.

I guess the easiest way will be chronically, so here we go...
Friday we got to Cowley, unloaded our car & rushed to meet Brittany in Powell. We jumped into Jordan & Brittany's car & we all drove to Cody. We had plans to go a steak/burger joint called the Proud Cut, but I was not really in the mood for a burger. I was happy to go there, but when we drove past Shiki Japanese Restaurant & Jordan & Brittany mentioned how good it was my mouth started watering. I looooove me some sushi! After a little deliberation [aka Brittany & I making an executive decision] we decided to get sushi instead! Yes! It. Was. Beyond. Delicious. I would have been happy to stay there all night & eat slowly. But I was also very excited to hurry up & go because we were going to see Captain America!!!

Yeah. I am a huge nerd. Deal with it. I LOVE all of the Marvel movies - not just a little, but a lot. I get more excited to see them than Reese does. [That's saying something because he gets very giddy & excited to see them!] It was amazing. AMAZING, I tell you. Go & see it. I was already so excited for the Avengers movie, but now I cannot wait. May 4, 2012 baby!

Saturday was the big "Cowley's Day" celebration. Reese & I slept in, took our time getting ready, had some *amazing* breakfast burritos made by the one & only Cresta [my mother-in-law]. Then for the "big" parade.  It wasn't really that big, but all the kids sure had fun collecting all the candy the cars/floats would throw out. All of the Petersons were in town, so we spent a little while chatting & hanging out in front of Grandma's house & then we headed over to the park. Reese, Jordan, Brittany, & I took two of Reese's cousin's kids over with us - Max & Kaysie. They are too cute for words! Max participated in some of the races at the park & he did great! He is so sweet.

Lunch time! The Babe Ruth & Legion baseball programs held a fundraiser for lunch at the park for the days festivities. So we waited in line & Reese got a bbq beef sandwich, bag of chips, piece of watermelon, 2 cookies, & a soda for $6. He felt pretty good about that! We sat at the picnic tables for an hour or so & visited with family. It had been a great day already & there were still plenty of hours left!

At about 1:30 we went back to the house so we could wash & wax our car. I was thinking to myself, awesome, we'll wash the car quickly & then I'll have time to relax, blog, & nap before the family dinner @6. Well, my thoughts were wrong-o. We did not get finished until 4:30! I do not even know how that is possible. Our car was not very dirty at all, but Reese wanted to get it spotless so he could touch-up the  paint from where we've gotten a few rock chips, & then do the old wax-on/wax-off routine. The car looks pretty good, I must say, but I was really wanting some relaxing time! 3 hours out in the sun without sunscreen was NOT good for little ol' Reese. He is b.u.r.n.t! Apparently he's not to upset about it since Ginger is all waxy & shiny.

Cut to the Peterson family dinner & games Peterson Family Circus @ one of the Aunt & Uncle's houses.

There are about a billion of us so they had a nice little tent set up in the backyard to give us all some nice shade. Brittany & I sure thought it looked like a circus tent, thus the reason it's been called the Peterson Family Circus. We got there at 6 & were supposed to have dinner....well, there was a lot of chatting & hanging out, which is fine & great, but I was starving. I don't like bbq beef sandwiches so I hadn't eaten any lunch at the park earlier. Dinner was finally ready at about 6:45, and I was not too happy about it. Turkey sandwiches. But not lunch meat, thinly sliced, turkey sandwiches - no. It was carved from a turkey, turkey sandwiches. Call me picky. Whatever. I don't like turkey. So...I had potato salad & chips. Mmm, filling. Although the chips were pretty huge...

There were some "scotcharoos" [a delicious butter scotch/chocolate/peanut butter dessert] that everyone wanted to eat, there was some drama involved. I really shouldn't share that story today. Reese broke a chair. There's no way to really know if it was because he's so strong & hulk-like or if it was because he was ticked that he had to wait for a scotcharoo.

We then played a really fun game made by one of Reese's aunts. It was a Peterson Family Trivia game [yeah, welcome to the Circus...]

She spent a lot of time putting it together & coming up with fun trivia questions all about the Peterson's. It really was quite entertaining =) I got to spend a little time holding Cari's baby. He is so stinking cute & happy. He just loves to make noise & play.

 Around 10pm we went back home, sat on the couches, unwound, hung out, & then went to bed. It was a fun day.

Sunday Reese & I slept in. It was divine! I woke up at about 9:15 & I was ravenous, so we went upstairs and I made some scramby eggs with cheese & bacon. Yummy. Oh, and of course I had a Cherry Coke with it. [They don't have any Dr. Pepper in the house.] We totally skipped church, and it kind of felt nice. Don't judge. Reese has a big bid due tomorrow for work & he had a lot to get done still, so he worked on that all morning. I played on the computer all morning. I was very productive while he worked & got a lot of stuff done...At 3 a lot of people from my Mother-in-law's side of the family came over for some lunch & to celebrate her & Reese's birthdays. She made her famous chimichanga's. Everyone loves them & requests them anytime there is a special occasion or dinner in their honor. It was delicious & we had a lot of fun with the family.

I hope you all had a great weekend. I'd love to hear all about it!

Weekend Update with..

I am the worst blogger in the world, seriously. I have not written a post in days. Let alone a good post! Sorry. This one may disappoint as well; I am just going to do a quick little update from my great weekend. I would write longer, but you see, it's Reese's birthday!!! I have lots of planning to do & surprises to get started! So on with the update...

We saw HARRY POTTER Thursday night @12:30, so I guess technically it was Friday morning. It was so much fun! 22 members of our family went! It was so fun to have so many of us there! The movie was great - as far as movies go. As a book reader I was a little disappointed, but I won't say anymore than that just in case you haven't seen it yet!

Then Friday I went into the endodontist to get my root canal finished. Let's just say I have spent enough time blogging about that ordeal, so I will say that it went well & leave it at that.

The rest of the weekend we ate out, hung out, & just enjoyed spending time with my siblings. Reese & I got to spend some good quality time with my dad's wife, Kathy & my brother Chris. It was really fun! We enjoyed it a lot! We ate at the BYU Creamery & the food was pretty good, but the drink selection was terrible! At BYU they don't give you the option to drink caffeine, they take it all away! All I wanted was a freaking Dr. Pepper!!

We played some games at my aunt's house & had a blast. Reese schooled everyone in a card game we love called "3 to 13". He's just awesome like that!

Now it's time for me to get everything ready for the big birthday celebration!!! I'm sure I will post on that later. Have a great day =)

I Love A Holiday Weekend.

I know that it's Wednesday, but this is my first chance to sit down at the computer. If blogging were a job, I'd be so fired. Thank goodness it isn't & that I can blog at my leisure!

We had a fantastic weekend. Tons of fun with the family. Tons of great food. An all around amazing time. On Saturday we went shopping & ended up getting a kitten. He is the cutest thing I have ever seen. We love him so much. We are having a hard time getting our adult cat to like him & welcome him into the family. The Vet said it could take up to a month. That'll be fun't. If anyone has ever experienced this & has some advice for me I'd love to hear it!

On Sunday we all went up into the mountains for a picnic & hike. It was so beautiful up there! We wanted to hike all the way up to the top of a waterfall, but there was some flooding & we couldn't make it all the way up. We still spent a few hours out there & had a blast.

Then it was Monday - the 4th!!! I love it! We had so much fun. We took it easy, slept in, ate some delicious French toast, played games outside, watched Big, & then went over to Reese's uncle's house to have a BBQ. So much food. It's a little bit sick & wrong how much food we ate all weekend! We played Ping Pong & Cowboy Golf [I wish I had a picture of me schooling EVERYONE at Ping Pong. I rocked it.]

Cowboy Golf

Now for the best part of the day - darkness! We can finally do some FIREWORKS!!! Oh, don't worry - I had been doing firecrackers all weekend & I never blew any fingers off - mine or anyone else's. Reese's parents spent a lot of money on artillery shells [the big pretty ones], but my favorites are Blooming Flowers & Fountains. Lame, I know. But the flowers are fun to hold until they're about to go off & then throw them up in the air as high as I can & watch them spin while they fall. It's one of the simple joys in life, I guess.

Oh, for those Harry Potter fans out there, my sister-in-law & I totally nerded out with Roman Candles & had a wand war. Yeah, we're that awesome.

Avada Kedavra

My festive eye shadow.

All in all it was a great weekend, with lots of food, family, & fun. I love spending time with family! This coming weekend we're headed to Utah & see my side of the family [and for a dentist appointment-more on that later]! I can't wait to see my  family.

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th as well. Enjoy the rest of your week =)

Friday Confessional

It's that wonderful time again. Time to link up with Mamarazzi & confess what's been on your mind this week!

I confess...
-I love the blog world.
-It's amazing & I am addicted.
-I just wish I was a better contributor.

I confess...
-I love all the new friends I've made already.
-I hope I'm liked & can make more.
-I love/hate that I feel insecure about it.

I confess....
-I am so excited for this weekend!
-It's going to be so great to spend time with the in-laws.
-I can't wait until 2 pm so we can leave.

I confess....
-I'm going to miss my family a lot.
-I wish my best friend wasn't going to stupid Utah to see her family.
-I'm glad I get to spend so much time with Reese this weekend [& Monday - no work!!]

I confess....
-I'm probably going to gain 5 pounds this weekend.
-I think good food is better than being skinny.
-Sometimes I have "fat days" & then I regret thinking good food is better than being skinny.

I confess....
-We spent way too much money on fireworks.
-It's going to be the best 4th ever!
-I act like a little boy & love blowing stuff up.

I confess....
-I love that it's ok to blow stuff up & seem like a crazy pyro one day a year.
-I wish I could do it more.
-I don't really like the big, "pretty" fireworks - they're too loud for me.

I confess....
-I haven't always liked holidays.
-I used to be a total scrooge.
-Reese changed that for me.

I confess....
-I CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY ALL WEEKEND LONG!!!

Trash Time.

It's officially hot outside. 

With windows open & fans going the coolest we can get our house to is 72 degrees. 

[But usually it's more like 77.]

That's just too warm for comfort. 

So it's time for us to look a little trashy with our window A/C unit.

 It keeps us cool, so whatevs. 

Judge us.

We've come to terms with it.

Our front window pre-trash.

Our front window in full-trash mode.

Our window from the outside.
At least we are patriotic, right?!

Now it's a nice 69 degrees in here & continuing to cool down. 

I love it. 

Who cares if we look a little ghetto for 2 & 1/2 months of the year? 

At least we are cool [literally & figuratively].

Family, Games, & Releases.

We had another jam packed weekend & we loved it! [Although I would like to sit around on my tushie just once!] Friday morning we headed off to Green River to watch Kyle [Reese's youngest brother] play in a baseball tournament.

We had a blast. Seriously. It was so much fun. 2 games on Friday & 1 on Saturday. Well, technically there were 2 games on Saturday, but we had to get back for church on Sunday morning [more on that later...]

They rocked it in game #1. Kyle is a great player. He consistently hits doubles & he is a fast runner! Oh man! They lost game #2...& it was pretty bad. We were all kind of just waiting for it to be over. Thy won game #3 & #4. It was really fun to spend time with Reese's family [and some of mine, since they are visiting us] & watch some baseball!

The sun was out & it was pretty warm, so we decided to sunscreen it up. It didn't help. My forehead is fried & peeling pretty badly. It looks way disgusting. Reese got burned on half of his face/arm/leg. It's quite attractive. On day two we tried to sit with the sun on the other side of us so he could even out - it didn't work.

Now for Sunday....I have been serving in the Young Women's as the secretary & it has been the best calling I have ever had. I love it so much. All of the girls mean so much to me. We have gotten very close in the last 10 months.

2 weeks ago I got a call from Bishop for Reese & I to come in and talk to him. He let us know that the YW president was getting released, which meant the whole presidency was getting released. He said it wouldn't happen for 2 weeks, so we just needed to keep it to ourselves until then. I smiled, acted strong, & told him how much I had loved working with the girl's.

Then we got in the car to head home. -Oh I should mention that on that day a cyst on my ovary had burst so I was in a lot of pain, already having a really bad day.

I cried as soon as we got into the car. I cried while I walked into my house. I laid down on my bed & cried. In case you haven't gotten the point - I cried a lot. I trust Heavenly Father & I know that He has a plan & that everything happens for a reason, but I was still sad.

2 weeks went by & I thought I had gotten used to the idea of being released...then they said it over the pulpit in Sacrament Meeting. They said it out loud & made it official that I was released. I cried some more. I had to go to the bathroom & cry a little. Gosh dang it! Why can't I just be happy about it? Why can't I just be happy that the girls now have new leaders? Well, I am happy for them. I am so excited that a new group of women get to experience all the great things I experienced. I am just a little, selfishly, sad for myself.

It will pass soon. I know it will. They will give me a new calling & I will [hopefully] love it as much as I loved Young Women's.