Medina Family

2011-12-04T16:44:00.001-07:00

2010-12-22T21:10:00.012-07:00

2010 in Review...

Well, since I didn't get Christmas cards out this year I figured I would make some use of my blog and do it electronically. I haven't made my blog a priority lately but we have had some fun things happen the past couple months which I will incorporate into our year of review.

This year Adam lost an incredible 100 lbs! He did it the old fashioned way with lots and lots of exercise and watching his calorie intake. He biked, walked, ran, oftentimes working out up to 4 hours each day 6-7 days per week. He also picked up an old hobby of creative writing and started 2 blogs....Vanishing America & Scribbles. He also continued to take photos throughout the year and write stories about them. Although the economy has presented its challenges with his work, he is still employed which we are very grateful for.

I, Shelly, also shed some much needed weight by simply trying to keep up with Adam all spring and summer. In the spring I picked up a new hobby and learned how to tat which has proven to be a fun stress relieving hobby that keeps my hands busy. I, my Mom and sister Kindra finished our block of the month quilt class in June. We worked for months afterwards hand sewing on the intricate appliqués. The quilts all turned out beautiful and it was a fun project to accomplish together. In July I crossed over the half way mark to retirement and began my 15th year with American Fork City. Only 15 more years to go...I hope they go as fast as the first 15 did!

AJ turned 16 in February and it was a year full of firsts for him. He got his drivers license, got his first job, had his first date, first girlfriend and first car accident (only a minor accident luckily). In October we sold his jeep which was a bitter sweet event. He is a Junior this year at American Fork High School. Every other day he goes to Lone Peak High School for one class where he gets to spend lunch with his Grandma before class which he loves. He is currently working at Dicky's BBQ pit and is saving up his money so he can play football his Senior year.

Mike turned 13 in February and started his 8th grade year. In January he was involved in an unfortunate event at school and suffered a broken shoulder. He spent the next 10 weeks healing and going to physical therapy. He was given a clean bill of health just in time for the track team to start which he excelled at. In the fall he played the position of defensive tackle for the 8th grade football team and dominated the defensive line. He was a valuable asset to his team and they made it to the second round of the playoffs. He is very self motivated and likes to keep in shape for football. He goes to weights three times a week at the High School and has set big goals for his 9th grade year.

Family highlights for 2010....

Adam & I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. Adam & I went on another cruise in the spring and as always, had a wonderful time. In May we added Colonel Leonard Boots to our family. He keeps us entertained and is such a fun addition to our family. In June we all ran the running with angels 5k at Thanksgiving point, which was Adam & I's first 5k. In July we enjoyed a relaxing vacation in Bear Lake. We took our bikes and enjoyed riding them into town. Adam (the over achiever that he is) rode his bike to the Idaho boarder one morning while everyone was still snoozing away. The fall always keeps us busy with football, football and more football. In November we flew to Illinois for the Utah vs Notre Dame game. We were able to drive into Chicago for a day and ever since, AJ hasn't stopped talking about the deep dish pizza from Giodano's.

We then drove to South Bend, Indiana and enjoyed going to the College Football Hall of Fame and the Notre Dame campus. After the game we traveled the entire width of Indiana to Sandusky,Ohio where we met up with my sister Alison and her family for a day of fun at the Great Wolfe Lodge. It was a year full of firsts and fun. We feel blessed to all be in good health, employed and under the watchful care of our Savior.

2010-10-02T19:03:00.023-07:00

125 lbs Lighter!

I have been quite a slacker when it comes to updating my blog. The summer months flew by and now we are knocking on the door of winter. Adam & I spent the majority of our summer exercising but all the hard work paid off because we are now 125 lbs lighter. Adam lost an amazing 100 lbs and I lost 25 lbs. Adam was much more dedicated than I was waking up at 3:30am to get in 2 hours of exercise before work then completing another 2 hours of exercise after work. On the weekends he would do between 4-6 hours of exercise per day. On the weekdays, I would join him for a morning walk and bike ride around 4:30am then go again for another walk and bike ride after work. We learned early on that exercise alone does not produce good results. Eating sensibly and counting calories is essential when trying to lose weight which we both did faithfully.

Here are our before and after photos which compare our "fluffier" selves with our current "less fluffier" selves. The before photo was taken on our cruise in March of this year. We both hit our goal weight last month and have successfully maintained our current weight for 1 month now.

2010-10-01T09:25:00.003-07:00

Leonard the Great!

As I was looking back through my summer photos, I realized that I have gotten out of the habit of taking my camera everywhere I go. Now that the kids are older, they really arent that exciting and usually complain when the camera comes out so I just dont take it with me as much anymore. I did notice that the majority of the photos I did take are of Leonard, my new favorite son. He cuddles on my lap, doesnt talk back, isnt camera shy and is by far the cutest, funniest and sweetest member of the family. So here is another photo collage of the adventures in life of Leonard. (click on it to see it bigger)

2010-07-13T14:54:00.008-07:00

Neighborhood Water Fight!

On Monday evening we were invited to a neighborhood dinner get-together and a neighborhood water fight afterward. At the bottom of the invitation it said "beware of old men with buckets". Our neighborhood is a good mixture of retired couples and young families. We fit perfectly in the middle with our two teenage boys. Not really knowing what to expect, one neighbor warned us in advance to not open our door if someone rings the doorbell. This was serious stuff! According to one neighbor, it used to be a neighborhood tradition until it got out of hand one year when people were chasing each other in and out of houses soaking everything in their path. Well, I guess the tradition is back because one neighbor works for a local excavation company and surprised everyone when he showed up with a water truck. They had fun driving up and down the streets soaking everything and everyone in its path! Everyone had a blast and we all went to bed soaking wet and cold. We live in a great neighborhood!

2010-07-12T06:38:00.007-07:00

Steel Days 5K

Adam 35:19 (4 minutes faster than last time)

Shelly 39:43 (3 minutes faster than last time)

Mike 35:11 - he took one for the team and helped Adam keep a good fast pace

Dad & Lee were both good sports and did their first 5k with us. They both came in at 50 minutes.

I think we are done doing 5k's this summer, they were fun but I think we have had enough for now.

2010-06-18T16:31:00.017-07:00

Our First 5K!

It isn't sufficient just to want--you've got to ask yourself what you are going to do to get the things you want. --Franklin D. Roosevelt

It's true! Today, Adam & I did our first 5k with the boys but before I get to the details of the race, I would like to give a little background story first. Earlier this year Adam & I entered a weight loss journey together. It has been difficult and has required a lot of sacrifice but all the hard work has paid off. Adam weighed in yesterday and has lost 60 lbs! The weight has not come off me quite as quickly and although its not much to brag about compared to Adam's success I have proudly lost 15 lbs since March (29 lbs total since early 2009). We both feel great and the healthy habits we have learned are here to stay. Adam hit his goal of losing 60 lbs so as a reward he is taking 1 week off then will hit the pavement hard again. His goal is to lose an additional 20 more pounds by September. My goals are just to eat right and exercise consistently and hope that it will be enough to prompt a side effect of weight loss. I lose it too slowly to set big goals so I need to keep in simple and focus on the benefits of eating right and exercise.

The Race....

On Saturday, June 19th Adam, I, AJ, Mike did the Walking With Angels 5k at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens. It was a beautiful summer morning and the perfect place to participate in our first 5K as a family. Every morning for the past month Adam & I walk 3 miles per day (sometimes twice a day) so it wasn't difficult, in fact it was easier than expected and both Adam & I were able to jog most of the 3 miles at our own pace. AJ was operating on 5 hours of sleep so he fell behind and walked most of it but Mike left us in the dust right out of the gate! 5K's are great because anyone can participate. There are the young, the old, the large, the small, the fit the not so fit. There were many groups running for a cause or in memory of someone close to them. I ran behind one lady who was running in memory of her dad David. Another group in memory 10 year old Tiffany who recently died from an undiagnosed disease. Some groups wore bandanas on their head and many of them wore custom made t-shirts. One girl had a t-shirt that said "Most people only dream of angels, I held one in my arms". She was running in memory of her baby sister. Today I wasn't running for a cause which I am thankful for but its good to know that there are great events in our community that provide an outlet for people to honor their loved ones in a positive way. Click HERE to read Adams thoughts on the 5K.

Here are our offical times...

Mike placed 6th out of 15 participants in Male ages 12-14 with an official time of 30:20 (fastest 5k so far!)

AJ placed 19th of 20 participants in Female ages 55-59 with an official time of 58:35 (No I did not type this wrong. He raced under my mother-in-laws name because she unfortunately broke her toe two days earlier and couldn't attend. There was only 1 other lady who was slower in that age group....ha,ha)

I, Shelly, placed 47th of 73 participants in Female ages 35-39 with an official time 42:45

Adam placed 17th of 24 participants in Male ages 35-39 with an official time of 39:31!

2010-06-18T16:28:00.007-07:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by smedina221

I proudly introduce Boots (but I call him Leonard)

On Memorial Day Weekend we added a new member to our family. He is the perfect combination of crazy and cuddly. He is soooo cute...and totally worth the itchy eyes and sneezing. He has adjusted well to Rambo and Stan and is the perfect addition to our family. Click on the collage to see it bigger. As you can see, we had fun sewing together.

2010-06-18T15:43:00.001-07:00

Anonymous Poem from Mother Teresa's Orphanage

People are often unreasonable,

Illogical and self-centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

People may accuse you

Of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be Kind anyway.

If you are successful,

You will win some false friends

And some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,

People may cheat you;

Be Honest and Frank anyway.

What you spend years building,

Someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

They may be jealous;

Be Happy anyway.

The good you do today,

People will often forget tomorrow;

Do Good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

And it may never be enough;

Give the world the Best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,

It is between you and God;

It is never between you and them anyway.

2010-04-30T07:18:00.003-07:00

Happy 17th Wedding Anniversary!

“I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” ~Rita Rudner

17 years = Birth to my Engagement
17 years = My wedding day to my mid thirties
17 years = 1 year before my oldest son is 17 years old
17 years from now I will have worked for AF City for 32 years
17 years from now I will have daughter-in-laws and be a grandmother

So much has happened in the past 17 years and although we tease each other about how it feels like its been a lifetime, it has literally flown by for me. There are moments that I would never want to go back and relive but at the same time, there are moments that I wish I could freeze in time and relive over and over again. I can’t imagine what to expect during the next 17 years but I look forward to the new adventures ahead! One thing that I have learned is that life is short and we are not promised good health or life without trials so it’s important to live every day to the fullest and enjoy our health and prosperity while we have it.

Happy 17th Anniversary Adam, and here is to 17 more! I love you!

Note to me from Adam...

17 YEARS AGO TODAY 2 KIDS OBLIVIOUS TO WHAT THE WORLD WOULD BRING STOOD UP AND SAID I DO. 17 YEARS AGO WE SET OUT ON OUR PATH IN LIFE NOT KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT, WHAT TRIALS MAY COME, OR WHAT JOY WOULD BE IN OUR LIVES. 17 YEARS AGO WE HAD NO CLUE THAT WE WOULD HAVE 2 BOYS THAT WOULD GROW UP TO BE FINE YOUNG MEN. 17 YEARS AGO WE HAD NO IDEA WHERE WE WOULD LIVE OR WORK, BUT WE BLINDLY MOVED FORWARD. 17 YEARS AGO I TRUSTED GOD TO BRING ME A WIFE THAT I LOVE MORE NOW THAN I EVER HAVE. TODAY I SAY TO MY WIFE, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. WHILE IT SEEMS LIKE FOREVER IT IS STILL ONLY A FEW STEPS DOWN THE PATH WE HAVE YET TO LIVE. I LOVE YOU DEAR.

2010-04-01T16:00:00.001-07:00

Chapter 3...

This past couple months I have found my thoughts wandering, reflecting back to my kids younger years. This year AJ truned 16 and Mike turned 13... I keep asking myself, where did the time go? If my life were a book I feel like I would be turning the page to the beginning of Chapter 3.

Chapter 1 - My childhood & high school years
Chapter 2 - Stuggling with learning who I am and attempting to be perfect, raising children, tying to find a good balance between being a mom, wife and working a full time job
Chapter 3 - Marriage is good and is on auto-pilot, I have learned to get my strength from the Lord and not from myself, I have learned that attempting to be perfect was a huge stumbling block in my walk with the lord, and the big one....raising teenagers

In April I will turn 35. Adam & I have been married for 17 years and by now we have a pretty good routine down. We know each others strengths and weaknesses and have learned to appreciate and overlook both when necessary. We know how to set goals and problem solve with fewer arguments. Life is comfortable and a little easier in most aspects. As a parent, new challenges present themselves with teenagers. On one hand we all have gained a new level of independence. The "rope" gets a little bit longer and boundaries get a little bit wider. As a mother, my worries have changed. Instead of worrying that they wont have anyone to play with at recess, I now worry that they wont choose the right type of friends. Instead of worrying about them falling off their bike, I worry about them driving and making poor choices (life altering choices). I find myself relying on prayer more now than I ever have before. We live in a very dangerous world and our kids can easily fall victim to it. Drugs, alcohol and other addictions are devastating our youth. Knowing that your child is driving on roads filled with people distracted by cell phones, texting and other gadgets is a terrifying thought. The world is not as simple as it was 20 years ago and we have to be much more aware and on guard. As kids get older, consequenses can be devestating and life altering. Responsibility becomes greater and mistakes are not as easy to correct compared to the mistakes made when they were younger. I look forward to the years to come. Our family will dirastically change over the next 10 years. Just like their first years of life, we can look forward to lots of "firsts". First car, first date, first dance, first job, first paycheck and first heartbreak. Just this month, AJ has already had many firsts.... some good, some not so good. First job, first paycheck, first parking ticket, first fender bender, first checking account, first budget, first time saying "wow, gas is expensive!". During the past two months Mike has also had many firsts. First broken bone, first physical therapy session. Mike is speading his wings and tried our for the Jr. High track team. At first he just wanted to participate just to get in shape for football season but his times qualified him to run the 400 meter (1 lap around the track). He also ran the 400 relay and the 100 relay. He is doing well and enjoying it. He is very self motivated and is already expressing concern about getting out of shape during spring break.

All in all life is good... It is very hectic and sometimes stressful but we are very blessed and thankful for all we have.

2010-02-23T19:42:00.008-07:00

Postage Stamp Quilt Update...

Ok... If you recall last fall I mentioned that I had not hit the "what in the world was I thinking" stage in making my postage stamp quilt.... well, guess what... I knew I would hit this stage eventually but really what in the world was I thinking?! The enormity of this project finally hit me today. I think I am a little over a third done and am wondering if I will ever get it done. I am considering setting a goal just to keep me focused like entering it into the Steele Days Craft Show or the Utah State Fair?? I am very happy with how it is turning out BUT now that the newness of it has worn off, it is a very boring and tedious project.

This is one four patch...
I have organized all of my color schemes into stacks like the one below... It takes me 1 hour to sew a stack like this into 18 four patches...

I have 28 stacks left to sew which equals approximately 504 four patches and 28 hours worth of spare time (ha,ha)....

But thats not all... After I have sewn all 28 stacks into the four patches, I then pair them all up and sew them into 16 patch squares....

Then, all of the 16 patch squares are arranged and sewn together to make the quilt. I have no idea how long it takes to do the other steps but it is going to be awhile before I get this thing done!

2010-02-23T19:39:00.005-07:00

Happy 16th Birthday AJ!

2010-02-14T16:38:00.005-07:00

Well with AJ's 16th Birthday 5 days away, the inevitable is here. Off-road jeeping!.. UGH! On Saturday we took the jeeps out past Elberta in search of some ghost towns. Adam and Mike road in Adams jeep and AJ & I followed behind (AJ was the driver of course) The ride there was ok, except his jeep has really loose steering and the roads west of the lake arent in the best condition in some areas. I had a constant worry that we were going to hit a pot-hole going 60 miles an hour and go flying off the road and left for dead in the sage brush. Then, on the way back we took a muddy off road detour up in some hills. Now dont get me wrong, AJ is a great driver, but as most of you know I have some anxiety issues with off-roading, not to mention, off-roading with an inexperienced off-road driver. If it is muddy, slippery, has drop offs that are more than 2 feet down or basically anywhere that is not paved and dry, I have serious physcological issues. I was certain that we were going to get stuck in the mud, roll the vehicle, slid down a slippery muddy hill, you name it, I feared it! So...I am at a difficult cross roads in my life. Do I go on these little adventures with my family and have anxiety the entire time or do I stay home and have anxiety the entire time they are gone?!?! Oh, boy, what to do??

2010-02-14T16:34:00.002-07:00

Happy 13th Brithday Mike!

2010-02-14T16:14:00.006-07:00

Even though Punxsutawney Phil says that there are Six more weeks of winter, my front flower bed disagrees. In fact, spring seems to be about 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule compared to last year. Last weekend I saw the first signs of spring emerging in my front flower bed! I know its redundant, but you will probably read a post about the first signs of spring from me as long as I am alive. I love everything about the spring...watching the snow slowly melt away, the ground thaw and signs of life emerge, the smell of fresh soil in the air, birds chirping, warmer weather, more rain and less snow, kids playing outside... I love everything about it! See for yourself...below are some pictures of proof that spring is near!

2010-02-07T10:28:00.003-07:00

1 Corinthians 13:4

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love." - Sophocles

2010-01-03T14:19:00.004-07:00

Top 10 things that happened in the Medina household in 2009

1. The kids went on their first cruise to Mexico with us in February

2. AJ got his learners permit and has been practicing his driving all year

3. We purchased a second Jeep for AJ to fix up and invest his money in

4. Mike said goodbye to elementary school and started his first year of Jr. High

5. AJ survived his last year of Jr. High and started his first year of High School. He played football for the 10th grade high school team.

6. Mike's football team accomplished an undefeated season and were named the Champions for the Utah County region

7. Shelly started a quilting class with her mom & sister Kindra and is enjoying learning how to do something new

8. Adam has taken an interest in photography and purchased a new camera

9. We remodeled our downstairs bathroom and laundry room. We love our new tub and kitchenette!

10. And last but not least we are still employed, healthy and grateful for everything we have been blessed with this past year.

2009-12-25T20:02:00.004-07:00

Trip to San Diego for the U of U Bowl Game

2009-12-25T19:56:00.008-07:00

A trip to the Gateway

Going to the Gateway has become a yearly Christmas tradition. We love the fire pits and window shopping. Oh and I cant forget to mention the Rocky Mountain Caramel Apples (which were all eaten before I could snap a picture)!

2009-12-13T17:38:00.004-07:00

2009 Family Photos

Wow, I have great looking kids!

The Nielsen Family

Sisters

2009-12-08T08:44:00.004-07:00

Check out my new blog which has a collection of my favorite photos... CLICK HERE

2009-11-03T13:28:00.003-07:00

Mike's 7th grade team accomplished a perfect season, won their first playoff game and won the final Championship game on Tuesday against Lehi 34-14. Here are a few pictures and video clips of the after game celebration... Of course I forgot my camera so I had to rely on my phone to take a few videos and pictures so sorry for the poor quality....

2009-11-03T12:38:00.009-07:00

Glad October is over!

October was a whirlwind of a month and I am glad to say goodbye to it.

Our month started out with pressurized irrigation troubles. Basically it involved a lot of digging, then a lot of mud, then a lot more digging in the mud and last but not least a lot of praying. At one point we thought that our main water line was possibly broke (which is where the praying came in) but luckily it was just the stop and waste valve that had gone bad. Regardless, it was a lot of work and a huge mess. I know this is a month to late but I want to shout out a huge thanks to Lee for all his help with that project, it was back breaking work and he helped us out a ton! Thanks Lee!

Remodeling Project

Over fall break we decided that while we went to Vegas, Adam's buddy could take advandtage of us not being home to begin remodeling our downstairs bathroom and finish our laundry room. When we got back it was about half way done so we endured another week with our house in disorder while they finished up. Neither Adam or I do well with dis-order so living with things not in their proper place required a lot of patience. When they finally finished, we couldn't get our house back in order quick enough. We purchased and hung the cabinets and then began the process of sorting through all our junk and putting things where they should go. So three weeks later I am pleased to announce that our remodeling project is about 95% complete. We just need to decided on a floor for the laundry room and paint the ceiling & floor boards in the bathroom. The window in the bathroom is being installed as I speak. We can now breathe a sigh of relief that our house is now back to normal and everything turned out better than expected. Here are some before and after pictures...

BEFORE...AFTER....

BEFORE...

AFTER...

2009-11-02T13:29:00.001-07:00

Halloween at Rice Eccles Stadium

2009-10-29T13:51:00.002-07:00

Rainbows are always beautiful which makes it hard to brag about one rainbow in particular but I am going to try on this one. The photo of this rainbow was taken in my front yard just before sunset on a rainy fall day. It was so bright and each color was so pronounced and intense, I wish my camera could have captured how truly bright it was. I don’t think I have ever seen a rainbow with such intense colors before. Maybe the fall colors around it made it seem brighter than usual but regardless, it was absolutely beautiful! I am glad I had my camera handy!

2009-10-19T15:11:00.010-07:00

Vegas Vacation

On Thursday we packed up the car and headed South to Vegas.

Our first stop was at a gas station in Fillmore. Has anyone heard of Abba-Zaba? Adam says that this was a favorite treat for his family growing up so he bought me one (he ate most of it). It was ok, kind of like Bit-O-Honey but in my opinion not as good. I was just wondering if anyone else has ever heard of it?

My next story needs a little background information first. Now if you know Adam, every second from the time that we get up the morning of vacation until we reach the hotel is on a strict time schedule. Bathroom breaks are kept to a minimum and eating is usually done in the car, so this next story is quite unusual to say the least. We decided to stop at a McDonalds in Cedar City for lunch. Due to the love of his new car, he choose to let us eat inside the restaurant this time. As we entered the restaurant, there was a BREAKING NEWS story on the T.V. about a boy who floated away in a home made balloon. It was so unusual that we wasted 45 minutes inside McDonalds watching this story unfold! It was so funny to watch peoples reaction when they read the screen for the first time. We left right after it landed and no boy was found inside. We had to wait until we checked into our hotel (3 hours later) to find out what the new developments were. By then he had been found in the attic of their home and the speculations were already flying around about a hoax. To be honest, it would have made a better story if he was found alive & well inside the balloon but it sure made for an interesting story at first.

Here are some random pictures of Freemont Street and the U of U game.

One more funny story. I hesitate embarrassing Michael on this one but it's too funny not to share plus, it's my right as his mother to embarrass my kids whenever I want. On the morning of the Utah Game we decided that it would be worth it to pay more money for a big breakfast since we wouldn't be eating again until the game that evening. Well, Michael kind of threw a fit because he claims that there is never anything good for breakfast at the buffet. Well, we went anyway and Adam told me to not recommend anything to him and to just leave him alone to pick whatever he wanted. Do you want to know what his choice of food was??

I know your dying to know...

Corn on the Cob and Doughnuts! WEIRD!

2009-09-30T15:18:00.005-07:00

New Rims & Tires

At the beginning of the summer AJ tried everywhere to get a job with no luck. He was very fortunate to have understanding Grandparents who offered him a job mowing their yards each week. He has taken this responsibility very seriously and has only missed his mow days when the weather didn't cooperate. He has been very good at setting goals and saving every bit of his earnings for his Jeep. Next on his list is a new stereo.

2009-09-30T14:46:00.006-07:00

AJ

AJ's team has won all but 1 game so far this season. To be honest it has been a little frustrating for AJ. Until last week he really hasn't gotten much playing time. Just his luck during last weeks game he got a minor concussion on the last play of the game. As we were walking him to the locker room afterwards he said with a big grin on his face "I got playing time today". Even better, he did really well. Hopefully the coaches notice and he will continue to get playing time for the rest of the season.

Mike

Mike's team is un-defeated so far. His games are really enjoyable to watch. It's amazing what a difference a good coaching staff makes. Mike has learned a ton and has the desire to continue to improve. Last nights game he sacked the quarter back which he was really excited about.

As a mom, I have to admit that I am not looking forward to another month of cold, wet games. I have turned into a big wimp.

2009-09-29T14:59:00.003-07:00

I haven't hit the "What was I thinking" stage yet...

My postage stamp quilt is turning out great and I am really enjoying this project! I try to work on it when I can which is only in the evenings a couple times a week at most.

One month has passed and I am almost a third done.
To be realistic, at some point I am going to hit the "I'm bored with this project" or "What was I thinking" stage and it will sit for awhile. I am concerned that I am going to run out of a few of the fabrics. I think I will go purchase some more fabric just in case I need it. I would hate to get it most of the way done and not have the same fabric throughout the entire quilt.

2009-09-13T16:04:00.004-07:00

Postage Stamp Quilt Update...

I am making great progress on my postage stamp quilt. So far I have sewn around (300) 4 patch blocks. This weekend I pinned them all onto a blanket and arranged them into 16 patch sections. My only goal as far a pattern goes is to not repeat the same fabric in a 16 patch area. Once I get these 16 patch blocks sewn together I will start all over again by sewing more 4 patches together. It's hard to tell right now but I think I will need to do this process a total of 3 times to get the size quilt I want.

2009-09-12T07:28:00.011-07:00

Don't mess with the Man Cave!

What's a man cave?

man cave n. A dedicated area of a house, such as a basement, workshop, or garage, where a man can be alone or socialize with his friends.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Adam was forced to watch his prized Utes on a T.V. anything smaller than smaller than a 60" screen? Well, ask Keith's T.V. Repair what happens when someone messes with Adam's "Man's Cave" during football season. Needless to say, we now have our big screen T.V. back just in time for the Ute game this Saturday. Wow, that was a close one!

2009-09-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

6 New Posts! Wow I really slacked off this summer!

2009-09-08T16:07:00.008-07:00

Postage Stamp Quilt "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."
-- Vincent Van Gogh

This is a long post but its mostly just for myself...

I was inspired to make a postage stamp quilt at a time when I have no time for such frivolous nonsense. Football season is a time demanding season at our house. Both boys are in school; they both have practices at different times of the day and games on different days of the week plus other commitments that require us to be in three different places all at once. As strange as it may sound, that is exactly why I wanted a long term project. I liked the idea of a project with no pressure to complete or deadline to meet. But I am also the type of person that likes to see a project through to the end and it would give me something to look forward to and to work on. As a mom, there are times when you feel like you are nothing more than a cook, a maid and a ride from one place to another. It’s easy feel taken for granted and burnt out wishing you had time for yourself. I was determined to find a project that allowed me to use up some creative energy and something to look forward to at the end of each day or on the weekends. After I started constructing my quilt, I came across this quote which I love!

"Stop fighting your creative spirit that is struggling to break free inside you. You will not be the person you were meant to be until you free this creative spirit and find ways to put it to use. Freeing your creative spirit will not send you into financial ruin or cause havoc with your life, if you acknowledge the creative side of you and find ways to gradually blend it into your thought process. What will happen is that you will find happiness you didn't know existed and you will become the person you were meant to be."

-- Edward W. Smith, The One Minute Motivator

As I was searching for a quilt to invest my time in I came across one called a postage stamp quilt which consists of thousands of 1” pieces sewed together. It gets its name because the pieces are about the size of a postage stamp. They can be sewn randomly or rearranged into a pattern. I found a color scheme that I really liked and mapped it out the best I could on how to accomplish a similar design (above are the colors I chose to use). I purchased 19 print fabrics and 8 cream/plain fabrics. I then washed, dried and ironed all the fabric. Then came the fun part… no I’m not being sarcastic, I actually enjoy the cutting part although my right thumb is still numb a week and a half later after cutting somewhere around 6,000-7,000 squares in three days (I must have damaged the nerves in my right thumb).

I then organized all the colors and matched them up into color schemes. I store them in sandwich baggies with numbers on them to try to keep everything straight. As I get time, I pull out the baggies and sew the color schemes together, pop the seams then press them.

Here is some quilt math. I want a throw that will measure approx 70"x80". That will take 5,600 individual 1" squares or 1,400 completed 4 patch blocks.

It is going to take a LONG time but its fun to have something to be working on and something to look forward to completing (someday).

Here is an example of a competed 4 patch. As you can see, they are very tiny squares.

More updates to come...

To be continued...

2009-09-08T08:32:00.009-07:00

Labor Day Weekend!

We had a great Labor Day Weekend. Our niece, Kammie flew in on Friday so we spent the weekend with her. On Saturday we went to the zoo with Adam's parents and enjoyed perfect weather! All the animals were all out and very playful. On Sunday, we took a jeep ride up through American Fork Canyon to Midway with Kindra, Lee, Dad & Lindsay. We then enjoyed lunch in Heber. On Monday we did absolutely nothing! I love days that we can take a two hour nap and not feel guilty about it. Unfortunalty, now its all over we all have to go back to work - UGH!

2009-08-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.
Bill Shankly

Football from a Mom's Perspective...

Hours of practice, cool nights, hot days, sweaty gear, bruises, ice packs, ibruprofrin, pep talks before a game, making dinner three times a night, talking in the car on the way to practice, enduring all kinds of weather to watch a game, eating on the run, running to Big 5 at the last minute for an essential piece of gear, the excitment of watching your kids play under the big lights, talking with family at half time, sending the kids off to school the day after a big win, words of encouragment after a loss, the prayer that automatically enters your mind when a player is injured, the selfish prayer that it's not your son, being so cold that you cant move your fingers, watching the scoreboard during a cold game wishing time would move faster, watching the scoreboard during a rivalry hoping for a win, I am the mom of a football player and I love every bit of it.

2009-08-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

Michael made the 7th Grade A-Team!After a grueling 3 day tryout, we anxiously awaited the results of this years A-team. The coaches kept matching up Michael up against the biggest kid on the team and he proved to be very strong and aggressive. We knew just from watching that the coaches could not deny how much potential Mike has. Well we were right! He was moved up from the B Team to the A Team. This is a big accomplishment! Him and only two other boys were able to move up this year and he did it 100% on his own. Good job Mike!

2009-08-15T13:15:00.003-07:00

5K Run

This was Michael's first time running a 5K and did very well. This was AJ's second year running and could have done better but was apparently to busy exercising his jaw.

Michael's final time was 37:19
AJ's final time was 42:40 (last year he ran it in 37:00)

Maybe we can somehow motivate them to train in the off season so they can try to beat this time next year.

2009-07-30T16:48:00.001-07:00

Summer Vacation - Beautiful Bear Lake, Utah

2009-07-15T18:45:00.005-07:00

Since I have nothing profound to say or interesting stories to tell, I thought I would post some good summer quotes for everyone to enjoy...

Being a child at home alone in the summer is a high-risk occupation. If you call your mother at work thirteen times an hour, she can hurt you. ~Erma Bombeck

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. ~John Lubbock

"Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet
conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains..."
- Diane Ackerman

"Blessed be the Lord for the beauty of summer and spring, for the air, the water, the verdure, and the song of birds."
- Carl von Linnaeus

"A break in the heat away from the front no thunder, no lightning, just rain, warm rain falling near dusk falling on eager ground steaming blacktop hungry plants thirsty turning toward the clouds cooling, soothing rain splashing in sudden puddles catching in open screens that certain smell of summer rain."
- Raymond A. Foss, Summer Rain

"After winter comes the summer. After night comes the dawn. And after every storm, there comes
clear, open skies."
- Samuel Rutherford

"What a beautiful, sunny morning. It makes you happy to be alive, doesn't it? We can't let the sun
outshine us! We have to beam, too!"
- Takayuki Ikkaku

"People take pictures of the Summer, just in case someone thought they had missed it, and to prove that it really existed."
- Ray Davies

"Summer afternoon - Summer afternoon... the two most beautiful words in the English language."
- Henry James

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far!

2009-06-21T12:50:00.012-07:00

When is Summer going to get here!

The past few weekends we have refused to let the cold, wet weather ruin our weekends so we have packed everything up and headed to our favorite summer hideout - the canyon. We build a fire and hide under the canopy. We play cards and listen to music and just enjoy being away from home and all responsibilities in general.

2009-06-01T18:43:00.019-07:00

Leaving 6th & 9th grade behind and looking forward to the first year of Jr. High & High School

Both kids will be attending a new school next year which means a lot of new experiences for both kids. Honestly I am glad to leave the elementary years behind. Mike is excited to start his first year of Jr. High and AJ entering is first year of High School.

AJ

One of the highlights of AJ's last month of Jr High was his final project for his Teen Living Class. He had to be a daddy for a weekend and care for a simulated baby. He named him Buster Zane Medina. The baby was on a pre-programmed timer that would require him to feed, burp and change its diaper at all hours of the day. It was very entertaining to watch him care for this baby. Buster went to the movies with us and an indoor football arena game. I don't know if the baby was sensitive to all the noise but during the football game AJ had to leave every 10 minutes or so to tend to the babies needs. When we left at half time, we found AJ out on the front lawn with the baby. He got so fed up with having to leave when the baby cried that he decided to just go outside. Just like a real parent he didnt get nights off either, he would wake up the next morning so tired. Here is a picture of a note he left us to read before we left for work. He was unable to leave the baby unattended so he wanted to make sure we were available to watch the baby before we left for work so he could take a shower before school.

Mike

Mike celebrated his last month of Elementary School and along with it, his last recess, enjoying being the tallest kid in school, last dance festival and last field day. He also had the honor as a 6th grader to participate in the traditional end of year softball game aginst the teachers and staff. As a parent I will have no more spelling lists, reading charts or get to attend school plays & Christmas programs.

2009-04-17T16:10:00.008-07:00

Michael...

Michael has had an eventful month. On St. Patrick's Day morning Michael called me at work asking me if he could dye his contacts green. I obviously said NO but I allowed him to experiment with dying his tongue green.

Over the past couple months I have seen his frustrations with being the little brother. As AJ gets older and gets to do more things I have tried to help Michael direct that energy into some positive things.

I am thankful to live in a day & age where we have cell phones because its a little easier to be a nervous mom. Its reassuring to know that I can call and find out where they are if I ever need to track them down. One day after school Michael gave me quite a scare. Earlier that morning he asked if he could walk home after school. When he walks he is always home before 3:00 but that particular day, AJ beat him home which never happens. AJ & I waited for a couple minutes then we decided to go out to look for him. We went to several of his friends houses and none of them had seen him. We drove up and down every street between our house and the school with no luck. After about 25 minutes looking I really started to panic. Should I call the police? Should I call and tell Adam? We went to the school and they called for him over the speaker with no luck... AJ & I prayed together. School had now been out 1 hour and 15 minutes. I didn't know where else to go or look for him? I was so mad, upset & scared and terrible thoughts started going through my mind that no mother should have to consider... School had now been out 1 hour and 25 minutes. Somehow my car wandered to a neighborhood just west of ours and I remembered him talking to Jessie on face book. I didn't really know they were friends but I knew where she lived and I knew she sometimes walked home. I pulled up to the house and asked the mom if she had seen Michael. She said that she had picked Jessie up from school and she hadnt seen him. She called for Jessie in the house and then checked the backyard to ask her if she had seen him. Well anyway, there he was with about 10 other friends playing in the backyard. I had never been to that house before and as far as I know, he had never even played at her house before so for me to find him there was truly an answered prayer.

Micheal also had a lead role in their school play Treasure Island as Captain Smollett. When I found out that he had a lead role I was quite surprised and nervous but as we practiced his lines together I realized he was quite talented and had memorized his lines almost perfectly. When it came time for the play he was very comfortable on stage, his microphone worked perfectly and he didn't miss any lines! Who knows, maybe I have a little actor on my hands?

Michael continues to enjoy drawing and art. Below is an egg that he painted and the shell happened to crack during the process. When he pealed it, there was a perfect spider web pattern on it. He thought it was pretty cool and used my camera to take a ton of pictures so he could draw it later.

2009-04-16T16:11:00.002-07:00

AJ

AJ has also had an eventful month. After we got back from our cruise AJ had 6-F's and had to work very hard to get caught up. I felt bad that we put him in that situation and am reluctant to take the kids out of school for family vacations in the future because it was stressful to come back. As a result of the bad grades and being overwhelmed AJ decided not to join the track team. He has expressed an interest in Shot Put but decided that he should concentrate on his school work. Well a couple days before the first track meet the coach approached AJ and told him that he didn't have to come to practices or pay any fees but asked if he would come throw for the team at their first track meet. So he went, no jersey, no idea what he was doing and threw for the team. From what I remember he threw around 28 feet, pretty good for his first time with no practice. I don't know if he will continue doing it but it was fun to watch.

AJ also had an opportunity to go to a 5 star restaurant with his school class to La Caille near Solider Summit (I think). He got all dressed up left for an evening to learn about etiquette. He ate escargot, salad (but not the tomatoes or onions), chicken and a banana flam beau.

AJ has also started spring training with the high school football team. He goes to weights most days after school and on Wednesday mornings before school. His shoulder still gives him problems sometimes but hopefully he can get his strength back. Once a week they go to one of the coaches houses and do Strongman Competitions. They flip big tires, pull a truck uphill and try to get on the record board. The high school team is very goal oriented which I really like. I am hoping that it is motivating to AJ to keep working toward improving his skills. Click HERE see his Coach Russ Anderson doing one of these drills.

AJ has been anxiously waiting for his jeep to be functional so we can take it out when he practices his driving. It has been in and out of the shop for various reasons trying to get it to pass emissions. A couple weeks ago he was able to purchase some new (much needed) front seats and seat belts. Adam & him spend one Saturday morning installing those together. He also purchased a new antenna and spent several hours installing it so his radio would work better.

2009-03-14T18:01:00.006-07:00

As St. Patricks Day approaches, AJ reminded me of a funny story....

When AJ was in 5th grade he asked me if we could dye his socks green for St. Patricks day. I thought that was a pretty clever idea, so the night before we got some socks, put them in water with green food coloring and then let them dry overnight. The next morning he put the socks on and went to school. That night we discovered that dying the socks with food coloring probably was not the best idea. The socks dyed his feet green and he had to live with "Hulk" feet for the next week and a half. Ha Ha!

Sky & Flowers

2009-02-28T14:29:00.001-07:00

Sky & Flowers
Originally uploaded by smedina221

I found this fun tool on the internet where you can make your own collages from your digital photos. Here is my first creation.

2009-02-26T16:27:00.010-07:00

First Spring Blooms! February 26, 2009

Every year I anxiously wait for the first signs of spring. I have learned over the past few years that at the end of February, right around AJ's birthday, I can expect to see my tulips, daffodils and crocus' beginning to make their spring debut. My favorite day of the entire year is when I take a few extra minutes at the end of a hectic day to sweep back all the dirt and leaves the winter has left behind and reveal all the little surprises hiding underneath. It's like unwrapping a present, it's so exciting! I love the smell and the feel of the dirt on my hands. I love the anticipation of what I will find. It never ceases to amaze me how anything can survive the cold wet winters but I am never disappointed and the excitement I experience when I see everything that survived another winter is exhilarating! I will never get tired of this simple little spring ritual and I look forward to it every year. This little ritual has also given me some deep spiritual insights over the years.

Lesson 1: It reminds me that we get the opportunity to witness God's miracles every day. From the flowers blooming in the spring to babies being born. All too often we excuse these little miracles as insignificant or ordinary ways of life. I wish we could see Gods creations through His eyes. He has carefully crafted everything we see and His love for us is displayed for us abundantly in nature!

Lesson 2: Not only do the flowers & trees go through seasons but so do our lives. I am comforted knowing that no matter how hard of a season we may be going through, I know that God is with us every step of the way shaping, molding and preparing us. Sometimes he allows us to go through uncomfortable or painful situations in order to prepare us or teach us a specific lesson. His love is a perfecting love, not a pampering love and he is more concerned with our spiritual growth than he is our comfort. Sometimes the only way he can get our attention is by allowing trials into our life. We need to to learn to "give thanks in all circumstances" 1 Thes 5:18

Lesson 3: Just like the flowers blooming in the snow, God often shows up in unexpected places and situations. God is always working in our lives and we need to learn to trust him completely no matter what season our life is in. Who knows, he may me working a miracle in our life, we just need to be patient to recognize it.

I am so thankful for gifts I have been given. Not only the ones I can see in nature but the overflowing of blessing in my life (Luke 6:38). I am honored to be called a child of God and proudly serve Him daily.

2009-02-23T16:27:00.009-07:00

On Thursday, AJ celebrated his 15th birthday by going to the DMV to take his learners permit test. HE PASSED! For the past 3-4 months, Adam has been on KSL every day looking for a good deal on an older vehicle that him & the boys can work on together and that AJ can use when he turns 16 and inherit when he graduates high school. On Saturday, Adam & I went & looked at (and bought) an '88 Jeep Wrangler. It's in good condition and runs great. Now AJ just needs to get a job so he can spend his own money customizing it. I'm sure he will not be shy about asking for money when the holiday's roll around over the next few years. It will definitely make gift giving easy for everyone!

2009-02-19T16:45:00.002-07:00

Earlier this month we took the kids out of school for a week and went on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Encenada. Michael celebrated his 12th birthday while on the cruise. We had a birthday cake delivered to our table and everyone sang Happy Birthday to both AJ & Mike. Some of the highlights of our trip were: Seeing whales, dolphins and seals in the wild. Spending a day at an exclusive resort in Cabo. Taking a back country tour through Encenada in a Jeep and eating as much food and ice cream possible while on the cruise. Breathtaking sunrise, sunsets and rainbows over the ocean. Cute towel animals in our stateroom every night. Being waited on hand & foot for 5 days! Needless to say... we cant wait for our next cruise!

2008-12-31T07:37:00.005-07:00

Yup! Were going on another cruise in February (this time with the kids)! We were able to get an amazing last minute deal that we couldnt pass up. We will drive to San Diego on February 6th and be back home around February 14th. The cruise goes to Cabo San Lucas and Encinada. FYI... the weather in Cabo today is sunny and 80 degrees! Today in Utah the high will be 36 degrees with a chance of snow on Monday - we are out of here!

2008-12-30T18:48:00.011-07:00

RoadHome Charity Project

Last Monday we woke up early and loaded up our truck, trailer and back seat with all the donations we had been purchasing and collecting all year and headed to Salt Lake to drop them off

at the RoadHome.

We left the house before 9:00am and the snow was just barely starting to fly. We made it to the RoadHome easily but on our way back we hit a major storm system!

It took us quite a while to get back home then we

spent the rest of our day shoveling over a foot of snow and helping out several of our neighbors try to keep up with it all.

We were able to donate over $700 in sleeping bags, numerous hygiene products, clothes, coats, socks, blankets makeup & diapers. F.Y.I. The Radio-thon raised over $633,000 for the RoadHome this year. A huge thanks to everyone who helped purchased and collect items for this very worthy cause. We are looking forward to doing it again next year!

(for more information about the RoadHome you can visit their website at www.theraodhome.org)

2008-12-19T21:22:00.008-07:00

My Blogging Hiatus is Over!

As some of you may have noticed, I have not updated my blog since Halloween. Thanks to a brand new (much needed) computer, I am now back in the blogging business! To the right are some slide shows of the BYU and TCU games and below is a post from late fall that I have been meaning to post for several months now.

GRATITUDE...

As most of you now know by now, later this summer I got Mono (a.k.a. Glandular Fever or Epstein Barr Virus). The Doctors didn't know I had Mono until 3 months after my first symptoms appeared in early August. Now almost 5 months later, I can say that I feel like my "old" self again. There were times when I was not sure I would ever feel the same, so for me to say that I feel "normal" again is a huge victory! There is something wonderful that happens after you recover from a trying illness. Anyone who has experienced a prolong illness will know exactly what I am talking about. It's called GRATITUDE. I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude for everything these days. I have a new appreciation for so many things that almost everyone takes for granted such as our health, our families and our jobs. It is said that Love and Gratitude are the two strongest emotions that someone can feel. I truly believe that. I have a new appreciation for people who live their lives in constant pain or health issues. Every day I interact with people who live in constant pain. Some have arthritis and others are battling cancer. Many people endure surgery after surgery and live in constant pain. Most of these people have jobs, families and hobbies and try to live their lives as much as normal despite their health problems. I admire their strength and determination to not let their health issues determine their quality of life. If I had to pick one thing that I am the most thankful for it would be the ability to think clearly and rationally. I know that sounds like a strange thing to be thankful for but for nearly 3 months I was completely unable to concentrate or follow through with anything that required any amount of thought or concentration. My brain did not work properly and my actions and emotions were greatly exaggerated and affected in a very negative way. In all seriousness, I feel like I got a taste of what it's like to be mentally ill (unfortunately, my husband and kids can vouch for that because I was very irrational and crazy at times) I want to publicly thank my husband and kids for putting up with me during my crazy moments. I know they were very concerned at times and I am sorry that they had to put up with my very irrational behavior. I now have a new appreciation for many things and am so thankful for my health and the ability to live my life to the fullest.

2008-12-18T19:42:00.004-07:00

Christmas 2008

Last year I had such a bad attitude about putting up my Christmas decorations up. I hated the fact that I would spend a bunch of time putting it up just to take it down a month later. In fact, my sisters and Mom took pity on me and snuck into my house and put up some decorations for me. This year, my wonderful husband and kids put the tree up for me while I was at a Christmas Dinner (which they know I hate doing). I saw the tree as I drove up into the driveway and it made me so happy! When I came into the house I started to go to Mike's bedroom to see if he was still awake and I heard a voice from the front room say "Mom, we are hiding" then out they came from behind the couch and tree.
Thanks boys! I love you! I have enjoyed the Christmas seaon this year, I have so much to be thankful for. I have enjoyed reflecting back to my childhood and when my kids were little. I love thinking about the memories and stories behind each ornament and decoration that fills our house. We have kept things simple this year and have been looking forward to taking our sleeping bags and other items to the Road Home on Monday (see Adam's Rants & Ramblings about more on that).
Here are some pictures of the boys boxing up some of the items. I will post more pictures soon as we load everything up and take our stuff to Salt Lake.

Here are some pictures of my favorite ornaments.
AJ & Mike's Kindergarten photos - aren't they cute!

The X-Mas 1993 ornament I made our first Christmas together and I was also pregnant with AJ at the time. It seems just like yesterday!

2008-11-02T15:39:00.005-07:00

9th Grade Conference Champions

AJ's team accomplished a perfect season and won the 9th Grade Conference Championship against Lone Peak. Click on the photo above to view it bigger. AJ is on the front row, sixth in from the right. Below are some video clips from AJ's last game...

Clip #1 - Winning touchdown

Clip #2 - After Game Celebration

Clip #3 - AJ first through the banner

2008-11-01T18:07:00.006-07:00

Halloween

This year for halloween we all kind of went our seperate ways. AJ had plans with his friends and Mike went trick-or-treating. Adam & I stayed home. I procrastinated carving the pumpkins so I did that while the kids were out. After carving the pumpkins I decided to torture the animals by making them dress up for halloween and then endure a photo shoot. It took me back to my childhood when me & my sisters used to dress up our cocker spaniel, Sausha, into our cabbage patch doll clothes. She was such a good sport and very patient with us. Stan wasnt very happy with me but the other two cooperated just fine.

2008-10-31T20:51:00.003-07:00

Well, football season is finally coming to a close. Both of the boys did very well this season. Michaels last game ended in double overtime but unfortunately they lost by 1 point which disqualifed them from the playoffs. AJ's team accomplished a perfect season and so far they have won their first two playoff games which advances them to the championship game next week. I know the kids will have mixed feelings about no more football but personally, I will not miss having to run kids back & forth to practice everyday and am looking forward to being able to make & serve dinner to everyone all at thesame time rather than reheating dinner three different times every night. I found this article on the internet which expresses my exact feelings about the life lessons that can be learned from participating in football(or any team sport for that matter). Lessons such as perseverance, commitment, responsibility and learning that "life isn't fair" can all be effectively taught by participating in team sports.

Here is a clip from that article...

"That's not fair!", is one of the most common statements repeated continually by young people today. Well, it's time our young men learned that life isn't fair. You will get knocked down, people will cheat and the call will not always go your way. But, you must get up and get back into the game or lose. If you stay down, you can't win.Young men need to learn that being the best means preparing, persevering, and practicing whether you want to or not. They need to understand that things will be difficult at times; there will be trials and tribulations. It's all part of life. But quitting is not an option. Our young men need to regain a sense of responsibility, loyalty and commitment. The most important of these being commitment. Imagine the change in our world, if young men kept their commitments not because a court told them to do it, but because they believed it was the right thing to do.

This season has been challenging, exciting, frustrating, demanding and sometimes not fair but unfortunalty the saying "life is'nt fair" is a reality in life. I believe that it's a lesson better learned at an early age rather than later in life. I just want to express to both AJ & Mike that we are extremly proud of both of them regardless of the amount of playing time they got on the field. Good job boys - we are very proud of you!

2008-09-17T15:03:00.008-07:00

Valentines Day in September???

This morning I opened up my office to find it decorated to the max with balloons, steamers, banners and notes! My desk girls are so cute! It's been "bubble week" and I'm sure decorating my office was funner than cleaning so I cant say I blame them.

My favorite gift was the drawing

that Rachel drew for me.

Notice the photos on the wall that she drew of my cat & dog and Me & Adam. Thanks a ton Rachel, your very talented! Michaun bought me flowers and Brittany gave me some "Loose"berry Jam - Yum, Yum. And I cant forget to mention the personalized notes from all the girls plastered all over my door! Thanks a ton everyone, I dont deserve your kindness! Now get back to work!

2008-09-16T17:42:00.016-07:00

Football, Football & more Football!

Right now our lives completly revolve around football. The kids have practices 3-5 times a week (both at differnt fields and different times), we attend games 2 times a week, plus we plan our our weekends around all U of U & Patriots games. Both the boys are both doing very well.

AJ's team has played 3 games, winning all of them thus far. Last week their victory was 60-0 over Timpanogos -needless to say, AJ got a lot of playing time that game. He is still proud to say that he has still not missed, been late or left early from one practice since practices started in May! He is very dedicated and hopefully his hard work will pay off soon! It's been fun to watch his team play on the high school football fields this year. There is something about playing under the big lights and having each game announced. Another bonus is that the scoreboards work so we always know how much time is left in each quarter and what the score is. It adds a whole new dimension to the game, it's been very exciting to watch each game even if AJ doesnt get much playing time some games.

Mike has played 2 games thus far and they have won 1. He still continues to suprise us with his natural abilities at this game. He is a great asset to his team and it's not unusual for them the use him on offensive line, defensive line and special teams all in the same game. Mike is also proud to say that he has not missed, been late or left early from any of his practices either. His coaches are really positive and seem to keep it fun and enjoyable for the kids which is hard to find these days in competitive leagues.

Here are some short video clips of the boys. The first clip is Michael (wearing red #56 ). At the end of the play he is on the left hand side of the frame. The second clip is one of AJ (wearing red #69) he is in the center of the screen sacking the quarter back. AJ's clip is washed out so unfortunatly you cant see it very clearly. To help you find him, he is the one that hits his chest at the very end of the play with the black socks.

Good job boys, keep up the hard work!

2008-09-15T19:27:00.010-07:00

Biking to Shaker Heights, Ohio

OK - this might sound cheesy but its keeping us motivated to exercise each morning. First some background info... At the beginning of this summer, Adam & I bought some road bikes and would bike for 45 minutes every morning before work. Our motto was "5 miles before 5am". It might sound like torture, but it actually wasn't that bad. The air was nice & cool, the streets were very quite and everything is very peaceful that early in the morning (although barking dogs and hissing sprinklers can be quite un-nerving that early in the morning). Anyway, a couple weeks ago we purchased some indoor bikes so we could continue our biking routine without fearing death or injury. If you have traveled the roads of American Fork lately, you'll know what I mean. Every road is torn up and under construction for the pressurized irrigation project. (I have a feeling it will soon be the subject of "things that annoy me" on Adam's blog - just wait and see.) If you ask me, falling into a trench at 4:30 in the morning would not be a good way to start the day. Adam has admitted that there are some mornings that he sleeps through most of the route so there was a very good possibility that I could have been missing for hours before he ever noticed that I was gone. Well, enough on that... Anyway, one day I was curious about how many miles it was from our house to Ali & Kolby's. In case you are wondering, it is 1,763 miles. It gave me the idea that we should set a goal to "bike" to Ali & Kolby's house. So I made a chart and every morning we log our miles and track our progress to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Right now we are averaging about 17 miles a day combined. As soon as I get my "heart condition" figured out, I should be able to contribute more but until then, Adam has to work out extra hard to compensate for my minimal contributions. So far we have logged 168 miles... only 1,595 miles to go! Our goal is to bike all 1,763 by the end of the year. In order to achieve that, we are going to have to step up our game! Look out Ali & Kolby - here we come slowly but surely.

2008-08-14T13:40:00.008-07:00

5K Run

AJ ran his first 5k race last Saturday as a part of his football conditioning. He ran it in 37 minutes - pretty good for a lineman! He is proud to say that he has not missed one practice since workouts began the first week of summer. He is very dedicated and has a lot of heart. Right now he is fighting for 1st string defensive tackle position. They have been doing two-a-days all week from 7-9am and then again from 5-7pm in preparation for their first game which is August 28th at 7pm. Needless to say, he cant seem to get enough sleep or enough to eat! AJ will be wearing #69 this season.

Michael is also doing extremely well. He practices 5 days a week from 6-8pm each night. He loves going to practice and just weighed in at 125lbs! He is the biggest kid on the team and will be following his older brother by playing a defensive tackle position. Today, instead of his traditional football workout they hiked up to the "Y". Michael will be wearing #56 this season.

We are still awaiting schedules for both kids. As soon as we get those schedules we will post them on the "Calendar of Events" link located on the right side of this blog. This will hopefully be an easy way to communicate eveything that will be going on during this busy fall season!

Special thanks to everyone who has helped AJ meet his fundraising quotas this year. Apparently this is just a taste of what to expect next year as he enters the high school program (just a warning in advance). We are grateful to have such supportive family members who never hesitate to pitch in when needed.

2008-08-07T07:00:00.004-07:00

A peek into some of my conversations with the boys...

Conversation #1
AJ calls: "Mom, dad says that we can walk to the bowling alley"
Mom: "OK, be careful and watch for cars"
Mike calls: "Can I go with AJ?"
Mom: "Ok, but dont be annoying and cause problems. Oh and make sure you watch for cars"

30 minutes later...
AJ calls: "Mom, I think we are lost"
Mom: (Laugh) "Where are you at, do you recognize any buildings or anything?"
AJ: "We are sitting on the lawn of a church"
Mom: "Thats really helpful considering that there is a church on every corner in American Fork"
Mom: "Go the corner and tell me what the address is"
AJ: "Mike! Hurry and run down to that corner and tell me what the sign says"
Mike: (in the background) "No, you do it!"
(I found out later that night that Adam never told them they could walk to the bowling alley in the first place)

Conversation #2
Mom: "AJ, I made some spagetti so hurry and eat before you go to practice"
AJ: (after filling up his plate he said very seriously) "Are you going to make more for everyone else?"

2008-08-03T16:13:00.011-07:00

American Fork to Midway Trail...

This weekend we took a trail that connects American Fork Canyon to Midway. Here are some of the photos we took along the way. It was one of the most beutiful trials we have been on this summer. (See Adam's blog for more details and photos.)

2008-08-03T15:31:00.009-07:00

Football Season is officially upon us.

Last week Mike had tryouts for the 6th grade football team. He did incredibly well and exceeded our expectations. We have always known that Mike had the agressivness for football but up until now he has been kind of timid on the field. I believe the timing is good to have him move away from flag football to tackle football this year. He is one of the tallest kids on the team and will most likely play Defensive Tackle. We charted his heighth the other day and he has officially passed me up as far a heighth goes! He is also taller than AJ was at his age which he feels is quite the accomplishment.
Beginning tomorrow, Mike will start his first week of football practice. Both him & AJ will be practicing 2 hours a day, 5 days a week until school starts. As soon as we get game schedules we will make sure to pass them along to everyone. We are trying to prepare ourselves for a very busy fall.

2008-07-21T18:02:00.009-07:00

Work Hard.... Play Hard!

July 2008 Vacation: Yard Work, Bear Lake, More Yard Work & Moab

We all had the week of July 4-12th off and it seemed that we filled every second of it with something. For some reason we got the crazy idea that we should tear out all the rail road ties in our front park strip. So on Monday Adam, AJ & Mike (along with our wonderful neighbors) lifted and pulled about 15 ties and then helped the neighbors load them all in their trailers to take their houses. On Tuesday we left for Bear Lake. We enjoyed the ride up and took our time. When we got their we just relaxed on the beach and enjoyed the cool weather. That night we went into town and ate pizza, had shakes and then enjoyed the resorts swim pool. It was a quick trip but it reminded us how much we miss the summer tradition of going there each summer. On Wednesday we left before checkout and enjoyed the ride back home. Our entire day after that was consumed with the park strip project. We made 2-3 trips to Springville to get dirt & rocks. It was hard work and we were all very tired at the end of the day. I cant believe how much we were able accomplish! On Friday we left early for Moab. The highlights of that trip were shopping in downtown Moab, exploring some new trails, and a night boat ride down the Colorado River.

2008-06-10T15:15:00.018-07:00

Schools out! our first week of summer...

Its hard to believe that school has only been out 1 week. Our summer has already been jam packed with activities.

Moab - White Rim Trail...

School got out of Friday, Ma y 30th and the next morning we woke up early and drove 3 hours to Moab. We had a campsite reserved several months in advance and had been looking forward to our first off road Jeep'n experience in Moab. As many of you know, we have had an unusually wet, cold and windy spring but we were very fourtunate to have perfect weather the entire trip. The pictures posted here dont do the actual landscape justice. You literally drive within feet of massive canyons that drop of thousands of feet below. Being the whimp that I am, there were a few scary spots that I dont really like to think about but the beauty and the amazment of what we got to see was well worth it by far! Our campsite was literally on top of the world and we could see for hundereds of miles it seemed. It was definatly a trip worth taking and am glad we had the opportunity to go!

Michael - Clear Creek Camp

The day after we got bac k from Moab, Michael left for 5 days to Clear Creek which is located in Scofield, Utah which is about 3 hours from home and an elevation of 8,400 feet! There were about 100 kids from all over Utah County that went. He had a great time and met lot of new kids. His favorite part of camp was on the ropes course where they had to do a team building excercise and were not allowed to talk at all. They had to make sure everyone crossed the rope to the other side without talking to each other. Michael was one of the tallest kids so he helped grab the rope for everyone. He met a kid whose nickname was "Scooby" and they became good friends while down there. Scooby nicknamed Mike "Lightning". Scooby and Mike shared the same cabin together and Scooby was voted Mr. Clear Creek. Due to our crazy spring weather, one morning it snowed on them and they had to spend most of their day inside due to cold and wet weather but they had fun anyway. While inside avoiding the bad weather, they showed the kids funny commercials and video clips which Mike really enjoyed. His favorite funny commercial was called the "ipod flea". He found the link when he got home and wanted to share it with everyone. Here it is... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBwM2U77F2c

AJ started early morning football practices last week from 5:45am-8am! He is getting into shape quickly and is already starting to lose his winter weight.

AJ learned what payback means the hard way. About a month ago AJ and a friend toilet papered a kids house who had just moved into the neighborhood. AJ spent one morning picking up toilet paper, forks & spoons off our wonderfully decorated house, trees, bushed and lawn. Payback is so sweet, especially when its your kids!

2008-05-09T04:58:00.029-07:00

AJ made the "A" team!

Yesteday, AJ & 72 other boys completed tryouts for the 9th grade football team. AJ was one of 37 boys to make the "A" team. Even more impresssive, he advanced from last years "B" team to this years "A" team. From what we can tell from the rosters, he and only two other boys were able to accomplish an advancment from the "B" team to the "A" team. We are very proud of him and he is very excited. Workouts begin on Monday and will continue all summer long. Some of the training includes weight training, a road trip to snow college, participating in a 5k run and a three week team camp with the AF high school football team. Congratulations AJ, we're proud of you!

2008-04-30T17:31:00.047-07:00

Celebrating 15 years of marriage...

"A good marriage is not something your find, its something you work for. It takes stuggle. You must crucify your selfishness. You must at times confront and at other times confess. The practice of forgivness is essential." Quote from Sacred Marriage

"One of the best wedding gifts God gave you was a full length mirror called your spouse. Had there been a card attached, it would have said "Here's to helping you discover what you're really like!" Quote from Sacred Marriage

What we have learned...

15 years of marriage seems like the perfect time to reflect back on how much we have learned in the past 15 years together. I can't believe how fast 15 years has gone and how differently we view life now compared to 15 years ago. I would like to share a few things that we have learned along the way so far...

At a young age, Adam & I learned how to juggle full time jobs, marriage and being parents. We have learned (and are still learning) that blending different backgrounds, parenting styles, personalities and opinions is an often difficult process to master. Compromise, patience, forgivness and unconditional love is essential in all areas of parenting and marriage.

Being a parent has taught me that with each new phase that my kids enter, it seems like I have to relearn parenthood all over again. Kids are constantly changing and the techniques that worked great last month don't always work this month. I have learned that you have to be constantly learning and growing right along side your children. Getting ideas and advise from books has helped me immensly as both a parent and a wife over the years. I have learned that both Parenting & Marriage is an educational experience that you never get a diploma for. It's an education that will take a lifetime to accomplish and unfortunatly, trial & error is usually the only way to determine what works what does'nt. Sometimes I feel like we make more mistakes than we do progress but that's all part of the process that shapes and molds us into who we are and who we are becoming.

Adam & I have recently learned that our marriage is so much healthier & happier when rooted in a relationship with God. Prayer is an essential tool in marriage and is essential when raising children. Having an active realationship with our Savior has deepened our relationship with one another and has brought a peace into our home that only God can be given credit for. We have learned how to recognize and compensate for each others weaknesses and how to rely on each others strenghths. Although we have gone through difficult times, I would'nt trade them for anything. God has used each and every circumstance in our lives, both the good and the bad, to grow our faith. We have grown to trust Him and know that whatever our circumstances are, we can fully trust that God will use those circumstances to mature us and accomplish His plan for our lives.

Happy Anniversary Adam, I love you!

2008-04-24T17:22:00.014-07:00

Disneyland!

For Spring Break AJ & Mike went to Disneyland with their grandparents. They had a lot of fun and the only catch was that both kids had to write a report about their trip for Grandma & Grandpa when they got home. To make this activity fun we all put our minds together and came up with the ABC's of their Disneyland trip....

A - Annaheim, California
B - Bad Food
C - Castle & California Adventure
D - Donald Duck
E - Eeyore (yes this is how its spelled. I googled it to make sure)
F - Fudge
G - Goofy, Golden Zephyr (another google spell check)
H - Hotel within walking distance
I - Indiana Jones
J - Jet Blue & Jungle Cruise
K - Ketsup (AJ got to much ketsup at McDonalds?)
L - Lots of laughs
M - Mickey Mouse, Matterhorn, Maliboomer
N - No School! & No room on the 6am flight
O - Orchards - Flew over orchards on the Soaring California Ride
P - Pluto & Parades
Q - Question? Was the perfect blue sky in toon town real or painted?
R - River Rapids
S - Splash Mountain, Space Mountain & Sreamin' California
T - Tea Cups, Tower of Terror & Tinkerbell
U - Up, Up & Away... Maliboomer
V - Very Crowded (It must have been crowded because nobody was in Utah the whole week)
W - Wet - Grandma got soaking wet on Splash Mountain
X - Xtremly Fun - Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!
Y - Yikes! Tower of Terror
Z - Zippity Doo Dah, Zippity Ay, My oh my, What a wonderful day - Splash Mountain. (another google spelling search)

Special thanks to google for help with my spelling issues!

2008-04-23T11:30:00.007-07:00

ADAM'S ABC'S

A- ARGUE, LOVE TO-KEPT THE JURY DELIBERATING FOR OVER 4 HOURS
B- BOOKS, I READ A LITTLE
C- CARS, ON #25 (F-150) AND #26 (JEEP) AS WE SPEAK
D- DEBT! I’VE HAD 26 VEHICLES!
E- EYE, STUPIDTY TOOK IT AWAY-GOD GAVE IT BACK
F- FOOTSIE PAJAMAS
G- GOLF, LOVE TO PLAY OR WATCH
H- HAPPY VALLEY,USA-IF YOU CAN’T IGNORE REALITY YOU CAN’T LIVE HERE
I- IGNORANT,IMPOSSIBLE,IDIOT-NAME THREE WORDS YOUR SPOUSE USES TO DESCRIBE YOU
J- JEEP, LATEST FAMILY TOY
K- KIDS, TRAILMIX AND BONES
L- LUDLUM, ROBERT-FAVORITE AUTHOR (SORRY MR. KING)
M- MUSTANG-1969 MACH 1-MY DADDY GAVE IT TO ME
N- NEVER SATISFIED IN LIFE,LOVE OR THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
O- OCCUPATION: I SELL TOILETS!
P- PETS-RAMBO AND STANLEY
Q- QUARTERBACK-ALEX SMITH NO.1 PICK (AJ HAS A PICTURE WITH HIM)
R- RICE-ECCLES STADIUM-FAVORITE PLACE TO MEET FRIENDS
S- SHELLY, MY BESTEST FRIEND
T- TEXAS ROADHOUSE-MMMMMMMMM STEAK
U- UTAH UTES!
V- VEGAS, CEASAR’S PALACE,THE RIO,WAHOO
W- WOODS.ELDRICK-WORLDS GREATEST GOLFER AND MY PERSONAL FRIEND
X- X-MEN, COME ON WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH AN X
Y- I HATE THE Y-MAN DO I HATE THE Y!
Z- ZOO-I LOVE TO SEE CREATURES BIGGER THAN ME

2008-04-19T07:53:00.005-07:00

Cat & Dog Diary...

I recently got this email "Cat & Dog Diary". I thought it described Rambo & Stanley so perfectly. I edidted it slightly just to personalize it. I thought it would be fun to share since they are a part of the family too...

2008-04-16T13:39:00.006-07:00

RAMBO’S DIARY

8:00am -Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am – A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am – Playing with Stanley! My favorite thing!
10:30 am – Get rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm – Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm – Play in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm – Chase the mailman! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm – Treats! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm – Sleeping in my bed! My favorite thing!

2008-04-16T13:35:00.012-07:00

STANLEY’S DIARY

Day 270 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the dog I are fed some sort of dry nuggets. I make my contempt for the dry nuggets perfectly clear, nevertheless I must eat them in order to maintain my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely make condescending comments about what a ‘good little hunter’ I am. There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of ‘allergies.’ I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow--but at the top of the stairs next time. The dog is showing obvious signs of abuse. I think the prolonged captivity and the shock treatments have finally got to him. His bizarre behavior is getting worse – he barks at all the service vehicles that enter our neighborhood and runs wildly throughout the house and yard. I think it is his attempt to draw attention to our captivity and abuse. Occasionally he snaps and runs through the electric fence that surrounds the perimeter of these prison grounds. He is obviously retarded because the captors always lure him back with an opportunity to ride the family car. The cat across the street has got to be the informant. I observe him communicating with the captors regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have been feeding him MY dry nuggets in attempt to keep him from starving to death, this must be stopped! I will attempt to impress & befriend him tomorrow by showing off my tree climbing skills.

2008-04-16T13:16:00.015-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my 33rd birthday! As much as I complain about my job (escpecially as the dreaded summer months approach) I really can't complain. I work with so many wonderful people and they always go out of their way to make me feel loved & appreciated. This morning I entered my office to find balloons, streamers, candy, toys and personalized signs wishing me a happy birthday! I want to publicly thank Brittany & Sarah for everything they do, you make me smile and I love you dearly!

2008-04-10T18:37:00.013-07:00

Buenos Dias Amigos,

Adam & I had the great privelege of leaving the kids for 7 days to go on a Cruise for our 15th Anniversary (with many thanks to Adam's parents for watching the boys for us while we were gone). The weather was perfect, the food was great and we had a very relaxing time. Taking a cruise was so much different than any other vacation we have been on because you have no choice but to relax while on the ship. Your only options are to relax, read, people watch, go to a show or eat. You dont have to worry about traffic, finding a place to eat, cell phones, email, work, laundry, homework I could go on and on but I dont want to rub it in too much. We spent the first two days at sea. The third day we visited Puerto Vallarta. There we joined a jeep tour with about 15 other jeeps. We drove out of town into the mountains and was able to see how some of the local people lived. The children only go to school until they are 12 years old then they are put to work farming the land or working with their families in some regard. The people live off the land and its a very simple way of life. It made me consider what technology and modernization has done to this world and how many things we have and use in our everyday lives that we really dont need for our basic survival. It really made me realize how different their lives are from ours and realized that having more is not necessarily better or necessary. Blooming fruit trees were everywhere including Mangoe, avacado & bannana trees, fishing is also a common trade for the people that live there. From there, our next stop was Mazatlan. From the ship we took a water taxi to Stone Island where there is a small community and the land is filled acres and acres of coconut palms. It is a quiet village and also a very simple lifestyle. We took a bus through town on our way to the beach where we sat and relaxed by the ocean. It was so beautiful with the palms lining the beach and the waves crashing against the shore. Picture perfect! Our last stop was Cabo San Lucas. It was much more "Americanized" and very tourist driven with lots of resorts, hotels and shopping. We did an underwater excursion where we walked on the bottom of the ocean- well kind-of. It was a learning experience and we probably wouldnt do it again but the kids thought it sounded cool. When we got back to shore we only had about an hour before we had to get back on the ship so we quickly walked to the center of town where all the shopping was. We learned that everything was "Almost Free Amigo" & "No thank you" seemed to be all we said for the hour we were there visiting. We visited the Cabo Wabo Canteena, a famous resturaunt and bar - nothing really to brag about really but I guess we can see that we saw it. We then got some souvenirs and then went to dairy queen and got some ice cream for $90.00 (peso's of course) but it was still strange to see $90.00 on the register display. We found that eating ice cream was a useful tool in ignoring the street vendors on the way back to the ship port. From there, we were unfortunatly on our way back home. The last night was very windy and the ship hit rough water which apparantly is normal when you get near California according to some more experienced cruisers we met (this trip was their 38th cruise! That's how I want to spend retirement!) It's been hard to adjust to land again, at least for me. Today is Friday (almost one week later) and its the first day that I dont feel dizzy. It's a really weird sensation to feel that everything around you is still moving, its hard to explain and just thinking about it right now is bringing back the same sensation - weird! Regarless of the side affects, it was well worth it and we are looking forward to taking the kids with us next spring!

2008-03-22T14:18:00.005-07:00

Trip to Moab & Delicate Arch

2008-03-10T18:39:00.028-07:00

Our first Geocache!

Today was such a nice day - 50 degrees! A nice change from the cold wet weather we have had the past 4 months. Last fall I bought a GPS unit and I have spent the winter playing around with it learning how it works. I have been waiting for the first nice day to go out and try our first geocache and today was the perfect day! For those who may not be familiar with this hobby, its basically a treasure hunt using your GPS unit. I decided that we better do one close to home so we picked one called the "Caveman Cache" which is less than a mile from our house. It took us a few minutes to figure things out and then we used the hints and clues to start searching for it. It took us about 15 minutes of digging, moving leaves, tripping over branches and then Mike finally discovered it at the "base of a tree" (which was one of the clues we had to decode). Inside the box there was a notepad and a pencil to write something down about yourself. It also had little treasures that you could take and replace with something else. All we had with us was a magnetic business card for the Texas Roadhouse so we took a compass and replaced it with the business card (I think we will go back tomorrow and leave something better since we didnt have anything with us). We then re-buried it for the next geocachers to find. The second hunt was called "Dear Old AF High". It lead us to the high school near a picnic area but after looking for 10 minutes or so, we couldnt find it anywhere. I think I will see if there are any clues in finding it on the web. It was a lot of fun, we plan on doing many more now that the weather is warming up.

2008-03-01T19:26:00.012-07:00

First signs of Spring!

Today my crocuses bloomed! It was such a nice suprise to see colors of purple and yellow blooms today, what at treat! Spring is my favorite time of year. Seeing all the bulbs emerge from the frozen ground in the late winter never ceases to amaze me. Its hard to believe that anything can survive the cold wet winters but they do and even better they start coming up regardless of the weather. My bulbs faithfully start budding every year in mid February. Every morning in February I study my front flower bed and wait for my bulbs to break through the ground. Its so fun to watch a flower bed that looks like nothing but dirt transform into living plants with every color you could imagine within just a couple months. Every week from February till the end of summer there is something new growing or blooming and I love it! Even though the winters are long and cold I am glad I live in an area that get winter weather because it makes me apprecitate and look forward to spring that much more. I cant hardly wait for the daffodils and tulips to bloom next!

2008-02-16T19:39:00.009-07:00

Photos from our Jeep Run to Little Moab...

2007-12-29T18:14:00.003-07:00

Scenic Photos

I have taken many photos over the years and I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites with you . (To view them you can click on the link to the right.)

We are very blessed to live in such a beautiful state and I enjoy visiting new places to photograph (even if its a little scary to get to sometimes, the pictures make it all worth it!) Adam is very patient with my persitance to stop and take pictures when I see the opportunity. I developed a love for photography at a young age from my Dad. One of my favorite memories was setting up a tripod on top of the plateau near the mouth of American Fork Canyon while a thunder storm approached from the West. We were trying to get a picture of the lightning. I dont know if we got a good picture that day but I loved being out with my Dad watching the storm come in. To this day I love thunderstorms - especially lightning.

2007-12-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

Today we took a ride up American Fork Canyon and had the great privelege of seeing a MAMA MOOSE AND HER BABY! Wow! They moved very quickly and I was very lucky to be able to grab my camera in time to get these pictures before they disappeared into the trees. It is always exciting to see animals in the wild but to see a moose was especially exciting!

2007-12-26T12:03:00.001-07:00

Yummy Christmas Fudge!

Well this is a picture of my yummy Christmas Fudge. In case you want the recipe here it is. Put chocolate chips, broken up hershey's candy bars and marshmallows in a bowl & set aside for later. (The kids can easily do this part while burn the sugar and evaporated milk on the stove.) When the sugar & milk starts to boil over PANIC! Burn & blister your fingers trying to frantically scrap the boiling, gooey substance off your brand new glass top stove. When the house starts to fill up with smoke and the reality of the damage starts to set in, stop everything your doing and.... pray, pray, pray that your new stove top is not ruined. Anxiously wait 30 minutes for it too cool then scrape, scrub & wipe over and over again for approx. 60-70 minutes to restore the glass. It was truly an answered prayer that my new stove top was not ruined! I considered taking a picture of the original damage but couldnt bring myself to do it. I really thought that I was going to have to look at it like that forever. Suprisingly, my fudge (more like chocolate trail mix) was a hit and it all got eaten within a couple of days! AJ & Mike even set it out for Santa on Christmas eve.

2007-12-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our Christmas morning began at 6:30am with a loud wake up call from AJ. He yelled down the stairs as loud as he possibly could, informing us that it was Christmas morning. There is nothing like being woken up from a dead sleep with one of your kids yelling at the top of their lungs. My first reaction was that something was wrong (like the house was on fire or something terrible). It took me awhile to calm my heart rate down. Needless to say (very politly of course), I later told AJ to never do that again!

2007-12-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Funny Animal Videos!

Have you ever heard of a cat that likes to play in the snow? He likes to pounce in it and swat it around.

2007-12-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

Watch how the dog gets the cat off the top of the table.

2007-12-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Jeep'n in th Snow
Today we got our first snow! Adam has been waiting for any sort of storm for months so we could take the jeep out and "cause some trouble" as he says. Luckily we didnt get stuck and I survived another Jeep'n experience (I am such a wimp, I dont know how much more I can take!)

2007-12-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ankle Injury

On Thursday I got a call at work from AJ. He said that he had hurt is ankle in PE playing basketball. When I got to the school the teachers were very concerned and recommended that we go get an x-ray. The x-ray didnt show any breaks but he was in a lot of pain. They gave him crutches and a brace to wear. AJ says the best part is that he gets to miss PE for a couple weeks and he get to get out of class early so he can get to his next class on time.

2007-11-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

Party in Provo
Last Saturday we went to the first ever "Party in Provo". The U of U rented the Provo high parking lot for Ute fans to tailgate before the game. It was cold but alot of fun. Afterwords we went home and ate hot wings and watched the game. Unfortunalty the Utes didnt win but it was an exciting game to watch regardless.

2007-11-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Football is Finally Over!
Well, football is finally over! Both kids had winning seasons. It will be nice to eat as a family again now that football season is over. We have lived on quick meals and fast food the past 2 months. Getting everyone back into a routine and eating together as a family will be a nice change.

AJ's team did really well this season. They made it into the playoffs which was a huge accomplishment for their team. AJ improved tremendeously and is looking forward to playing 9th grade football next year. He is currently 5'11" & 210 lbs!

Adam & Lee coached Michaels flag football team this year and Michael played very well. He wants to try tackle football next year so Adam is going to work with him over the winter to help get him ready. He is getting taller & taller everyday. He has grown 3 1/4 inches in 7 months and is finally eating everything on his plate plus some. It wont be long before he passes me up!

2007-10-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Halloween was fun this year. AJ dressed up as a pimp, Mike as a zombie and I as a spider witch. I have to admit that I dont miss going out in the cold to take the kids trick or treating. The kids are old enough now that we just send them out with a cell phone and tell them not to stay out too late. I am enjoying the benefits of having older children. No more worrying all the time if they are going to run out in front of a car, no more bundling them up to the point of unrecognition, and I feel ok about letting them eat all the candy they want the next day because I know that they are old enough to know that they will probably get a stomach ache if they do (which by the way they did). We also carved pumpkins this year which we usually do but we have never used the stencils before. They turned out pretty good and they were fun to do!

2007-10-18T10:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Medina Family Blog!
Journaling is something that I wish I would have done when my kids were younger. Kids do the funniest things when they are litte and unless you write them down, I have found that the memories fade quickly. Although my kids are past the "cute" stage and have entered the notorious pre-teen and teenager stages, I thought it would still be fun to keep a record of what is going on in our lives. Every year we do new and exciting things and I dont want to look back on my life in 10 years from now and wish I would have recorded all the fun things that we did together as a family. So this starts the beginning of our Medina Family Blog. I am excited to begin posting notes & photos about what is going on in our lives and sharing them with our friends & family. Enjoy!

2006-12-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Christmas Spirit
By Shelly Medina

What is this Christmas Spirit I have heard so much about?
Asks a stranger on the street to some people rushing about
It’s about finding the perfect gift for family, friends & tots
Replies a father in a panic to busy to stop & talk
No, No says a child, it’s about Christmas trees, presents & lights
It’s about Santa Clause, reindeer and all the elves hype
No, it’s about parties and functions says the mother with kids in tow
It’s about baking and cooking and hoping for Christmas snow

Occasionally the stranger would find the true spirit of Christmas
Like those who give of themselves by serving and feeding the homeless
They were charitable and joyful and required no special praise
They would give generously to others and accept only a thanks
But the stranger noticed that these people were few and far between
Most of the people he met were very stressed and sometimes mean

It’s unfortunate that this holiday season has become so involved
The true meaning is simple - good will & peace to all
So who was that stranger asking questions and walking around?
It was Jesus Christ our Savior, right here in our small town
How could we be to busy to not recognize Christ our Lord?
Yet we pass by him everyday on the way to the local store
He’s on the street corner, hungry and in need of a home
She’s the elderly woman next door, who is living completely alone
He’s the drug addict in prison, trying to turn his life around
She the child in the hospital, her parents praying for a medical rebound
Christ tells us in Matthew 25, an important message for you and me
Whatever you did for the least of these brothers, you indeed did for me
When I was hungry you fed me and gave me a place to sleep
I was lonely and in need of a friend and those memories I’ll always keep

Christ is rarely mentioned while shopping, for that perfect gift
And it’s unfortunate that when we give, all the credit goes to St. Nick
Christ lived his life unselfishly and modeled true and perfect love
He taught that we should be thankful and give all praise to God above

Next year we will attempt to reclaim Christmas and follow Christ’s example
We will not purchase gifts that are unnecessary and run ourselves frazzled
We will donate our Christmas money to a charity that supports a good cause
We don’t want to continue a tradition that gives to others “just because”
We want to simplify the holiday season and rediscover the true spirit of giving
And free up time to reflect about what the Christmas season really means
To us it’s about Jesus birth and being thankful for all we’ve been given
We need to become less commercial, give to charity and show compassion
We were built for silence and solitude that’s what each of us are craving
So next year let’s make it simple and just be thankful for our many blessings

2005-12-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

Reclaiming the True Spirit of Christmas

This Christmas season I have spent a lot of time reflecting about what exactly Christmas is and how God would want us to be celebrating this holiday. I realize that the word “Christmas Spirit” means something different to everyone but I believe that the true spirit of Christmas (or rather the spirit of Christ) has been taken over by the commercial world and is difficult to experience while shopping, fighting traffic and running from party to party. This year I have tried to search within myself and try to discover what would give us the most joy when celebrating the Christmas season and honor our Savior in the process.

We have all been taught from a very young age that giving is better than receiving but do we really practice it? The other day on the radio station, a woman called in and said that she had just unexpectedly lost her baby to a sudden illness. She heard that the radio station was raising money for a homeless shelter and she felt compelled to stop and give something to the cause. Despite her tragic loss, she thanked the radio station for the opportunity to give to someone less fortunate than herself. How many of us can truly say that we experience such joy and pleasure from giving during the Christmas season? There is something so satisfying in giving to someone that you know will benefit and not return anything to you in return. I think that we have gotten into such a habit of giving to people out of obligation & tradition that we really don’t really feel the joy that we are meant to feel when we give from the heart.

Another thing that I think helps us feel the Christmas spirit is listening to Christmas Music & Reading the Christmas Story. The Christmas story is such a miraculous event and too often we fail to appreciate what an amazing story it really is. During the Christmas season it’s easy to view Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the Shepherds and Wise men as nothing more than figurines in a nativity set placed out on our coffee table for show. We fail to relate to them as real people who endured many things in their lifetime. I think my favorite part of the Christmas story is the shepherds. The scriptures tell us that the shepherds were watching their flocks when “an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified…suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angels, praising God” What an amazing event to witness! I love trying to imagine what it must have been like to be there in a dark field with angels singing and praising God for the birth of our Lord. There are so many beautiful Christmas songs that capture the Christmas story so perfectly. If we would just allow ourselves to actually stop and listen to the words and meaning of the songs, we’d be surprised at how beautiful and how spiritually moving many of these songs really are.

As I have gotten older I have noticed that for most people the Christmas holiday has become something to endure rather than something to enjoy. When we shop during the Christmas season we fight crowds & wait in traffic in search for that “perfect gift” for everyone that we know. No matter how much careful thought and time goes into obtaining that “perfect gift” we wind up getting people things that eventually loose their appeal and hold little sentimental value. Technology has trained us to loose interest quickly in everything we purchase because it’s a know fact that there will always be something better to replace it in a few months.

I would like to invite my family and friends to join me & my family in reclaiming the true spirit of Christmas. Next year, rather than spending energy and money on that “perfect gift” for everyone in our family, we are going to limit our gift giving and invest our time, energy and money into giving to those who are less fortunate. We will attempt to quiet ourselves and reflect on the spiritual significance of this holiday. We will let go of traditions that have lost their meaning and replace them with traditions that express our appreciation for the blessings that we have been given. As we change our priorities and focus on celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and honor Him through genuine expression of love, our high expectations and stress will be replaced with love, joy, peace and kindness.

So, in the true spirit of Christmas, we propose a new tradition. This is open for discussion and by no means mandatory. This is just what I & my family will be doing next year to try to simplify this holiday season and celebrate it in a way that would please and glorify our Father in Heaven.

Around Thanksgiving time, each family who wants to participate will enter their name into a drawing. For example: the Medina Family, the Vega Family, the Phipps Family & the Egan Family. Each family will draw another families name and purchase a GAME, DVD or GIFT CARD for that family. The amount that will be spent on each gift can be decided upon as a group. As Christmas nears, we can all get together as a family and exchange gifts. This would also be a good time to collect needed items or money that can be given to a charity. We have decided ahead of time that our family will be donating the money that we save on family gifts to The Road Home located in Salt Lake City. We have decided to start a Christmas tradition of visiting the shelter and donating our items in person. I have included some information about this shelter if you would like to contribute or participate with us. As I mentioned earlier, this is just what our family will be doing next year. If you would like to purchase gifts for us, please consider donating money or items to this cause instead of purchasing gifts for us. It would be very meaningful to us knowing that the money that would have been spent on a gift will instead be going to a good cause and making a difference in the lives of people who are in need not only during the Christmas season but in need all year long.

Just to show the impact that our family alone will make next year, here is an example of what we spend vs. what we will be able to donate….

We currently purchase gifts for the following individuals…
Adam’s parents
Shelly’s parents
Lee & Kindra
Kolby & Alison
Lindsay
& other charity, extended family & misc. gifts given

By limiting our gift giving and redirecting our money to a charity, we will be able to donate $600 or more in supplies or money to the Road Home! It costs the Road Home $12.00 per night to provide shelter for one person. That’s 50 nights of shelter provided for 50 people just by limiting our gift giving during the Christmas season. That’s the true spirit of Christmas!

We hope you have felt the true spirit of Christmas this holiday season and will consider joining us in making a difference for those who are less fortunate next year.

Merry Christmas,
Adam, Shelly, AJ & Mike