All In a Day's Work

We finally took the plunge and bought some grown up furniture...it took us a few weeks to finally make the decision but we ultimaately decided to buy ourselves a bedroom set instead of buying a dresser for the baby. I'm sure she'll be fine with our hand-me down dresser. So Friday we went and bought the set & then borrowed my mom's vehicle & grandpa's trailer to get it home. Thanks to our wonderful next door neighbor we were able to get it into the house. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to help Corey carry the furniture into the house... So Saturday morning our next step was to move out our old furniture and make room for the new. Since the room was going to be cleared out we decided that it would be a good time to shampoo the carpet. Needless to say the house was a disaster with the new furniture in the living room, all of our other items shoved into the kitchen, other rooms, etc. And since we had time to wait for the carpet to dry we thought it was a good time to put up the christmas tree and decorations. By the time we were finished with that the carpet was pretty much dry enough to start setting up the bed & move the furniture in. Poor Corey, I made him move everything around a few million times so I could make sure I liked it, and wouldn't you know, I like the original set up the best. So the point of my ramblings is that we worked all day long and by the end of the day we were both exhausted. So, without much further adieu here are some before and after pics of our room.

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

Per Your Request

So there are a few of you out there who have requested some pregnant pictures...I don't think any of them turned out real well but here's what I have...hope it satisfies. :o)

All about My Day

This is a few weeks over due but let me tell you about my birthday. Corey always seems to surprise me, you think I'd expect it, but nope. I came home a few minutes early from work on my birthday to find Chef Corey grillin' up some steaks to be served with a side of fries (my weakness). He had even prepared an appetizer of broccoli with cheese sauce. What more could a girl want? After we ate dinner a few friends came over to celebrate. Corey made a yummy chocolate cake with a whipped cream/pudding frosting, which was delicous along side a scoop of ice cream. Like I said, this was all a surprise and I had no idea he had been up to this all afternoon...and I almost forgot to mention the dozen roses sitting on the table. It was a real dining experience. :o)

Birthday Wishes to Desaray! Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Desaray!


I wanted to suprise you on your birthday with notes from friends and family about you.  I hope you enjoy them.  You are such an awe inspiring older sister.  You have always been there for me my whole life.  I remember when we were little and you would take care of Sabrina and I, you always helped with dinner and other chores to help us.  I was always grateful to have you as an older sister in school because even though I was a lowly 7th grader, you always said hi to me.  Even through college I knew I could turn to you for help or advice.  It has been so fun to be able to play with you over the years in Utah and have you take me on fun adventures.  I would never have snow shoed before if it wasn't for you, or grown to love hiking around mountains.  Thank you for your support, guidance, example, and love.  I love you and hope your birthday is amazing!  - Megan

Desaray, you and I grew up together. So much of my childhood is intertwined with you. I remember the summer our families went to Nauvoo together and we both discovered that we had armpit hair! That was hilarious. I remember having opposite-matching bathing suits that we liked to wear to the lake together. I remember going to dances and church activities together and I was always so glad that I could go with my best friend. I remember all the late-night chats we would have when we got to spend the night at each other's houses. You were such an integral part of my growing up days and I'm thankful I have such great memories with you in them. I hope your birthday is wonderful and that your family spoils you. I miss you and I'm sorry I won't be there to wish you a happy birthday in person, so I hope this will do! I love you so much, Desaray. Love, Becca

A story about Desaray. It is hard to pick one. But I have three favorites, that she will remember well. She is uniquely graceful, and I remember one time when we were walking from our apartment at Ricks. She had an empty milk jug in her left hand and went to toss it, overhead, into the garbage bin. Well. This is Ricks. There is ice. And with a cartoon-like "thwoooop!" she flew through the air. It scored a perfect ten. She also has amazing cooking abilities--just ask her to make you a grilled cheese sandwich sometime. She made me the best one I've ever had. Finally, a more serious memory, was in 2007--the last time I was home in Utah that I got to see her. I was going through one of the more rotten trials of my life, and she was just... there. Like she always is. The real maid-of-honor at my wedding. The one who helped me give my first baby her first bath. She is one of my absolute dearest friends, and I still think of her and miss her all the time. Happy Birthday, Des. :)   -Becca Riding

Desaray.... I did not get to hang out with u to much but when u came up to Canada for grandpas funeral I just thought u where sooo fun!!! I clicked with ya .. It seemed like we had known each other for a long time!!! I think u r a great person with a kind heart!! I could tell u love all those around u!! Happy!! Happy!!! Birthday! I hope it is full of fun suprises and love from all those around u!! Love your favorite cousin Jeff

Desaray...I remember when you were real little, I would babysit you and your sisters. After I got married, you would come and stay with us while your parents would go on their Amway trips, etc. It was fun! You were always a good kid! After you moved away and would come home to visit, I loved to see your enthusiasm as we were able to see each other again. You make people feel special and you are pleasant and bubbly to be around. I always look forward to seeing and visiting with you at the different family get togethers.

Thanks for being a great niece!
Hope you have a terrific birthday!
Love ya lots,
Aunt Diane and Uncle Daniel

I always remember Desaray as a happy and easy going child and she was always kind of loving. She still is to this day and always has a cheerful greeting when she sees you. She is a wonderful neice!! Love Aunt Becky
When Desaray was a Senior in High School, she played a piano solo at High School District Piano Competition in Joplin. The judge who heard her was Debra Miles, a former Miss America, and a fine pianist.
Desaray performed "To A Wild Rose" by MacDowell. Ms.Miles spoke to Desaray after her performance(judges don't do that usually)--telling Desaray that it was the best performance of that piece she had ever heard. It was a stellar performance and I was so proud of her! It was a delight to have her as a student.
 - Carol Echlos
 
for Des...she was the cutest little girl, so tiny with cute chubby cheeks and the cutest dimples....now she is a beautiful women with those same cute dimples...always smiling ,always kind, I'm very proud of her and I love her alot!!!  - Aunt Ruby

Dear Desaray,

Happy Birthday!!! Just wanted to let you know that I love ya and to wish you a very Happy Birthday! When I think about you, I totally think about goodness! You are one of the good ones!!!   I have lots of memories with you!! The first memory I have of you is when you were born and then watching you grow from a baby to a toddler and then to a young women!! I missed all the fun teenage years! I used to babysit you, Crystal, Sabrina, and Megan until I went off to college. That was always fun---well, for the most part!! ha ha

I remember when I had my second back surgery in 1988, you came and spent part of the day with me. We worked on a big jigsaw puzzle together and just hung out!!! You helped fill my day!! I have great memories of you when your family would come to Grandpa and Grandma's house and just hanging out with you kids!! Also, do you remember the contract that we signed? I don't remember why but we wrote up a contract together and both signed it saying that we would never get married!!! You were probably asking when or why I wasn't married!! lol Well guess neither one of us were to true to our word!!  Well Desaray I do hope you have a great birthday!!! Know that I love you and hope that you are happy and well!!
Lots of Love     -Aunt Melanie

Megan has a new blog

For those of you that like to read my post, I have a new blog.  I though it would make things more simple then just sharing with Desaray.  And even if I don't know you, feel free to read my adventures! haha, I'm sure they aren't too entertaining though. 

adventuresinmegansworld.blogspot.com

Bon Appetit!

Potato Harvest in Ririe Idaho

I worked Spud Harvest for a good friend, Brigham, this past week.  I only worked four days but I still worked about 40+ hours.  I will have to give a play by play of each day to explain my experience.

Monday Brigham put me in my spud truck (see picture below) and took me out to the field to learn how to load the truck alongside the tractor with the 'loader'.  You have to be a certain distance from the tractor and you follow alongside at the same speed as the tractor and there are two lights, red and green, if the green light comes on you speed up until it goes off then you keep pace again.  Same thing with the red but you slow down.  I'm sure you understand.  So Brigham made the mistake of telling me to stop driving so I did! and then the potatoes came flowing over the top of my truck!  Well, I learned quickly how to follow alongside the tractor and not stop until I'm loaded.  Later that day I was driving behind another spud truck waiting for my turn beside the tractor, the trucks ahead of me stopped so I did also.  I pulled out my air brake and then jumped out to see what was going on.  I was outside about 3-4 minutes and then hopped back in.  I pushed my air brake off and an alarm went off.  I tried a bunch of different things but to no avail.  Exasperated I called Brigham.  He said he'd be out as soon as possible to help me.  While I was waiting I walked to the tractor that Brigham's dad was driving and told him my situation, he was like I think your air just needs to build pressure.  So we walked back to my truck to check it out and sure enough the alarm was off and my truck was fine.  Just then Brigham pulled up.... Oh No!  So I had to apologize but lucky for me Brigham brought his dad's dinner with him.  Brigham was a great sport in helping me figure out what to do and not getting frustrated.  We broke down the first two days for at least an hour or so each time and I never saw him loose his temper.

My Spud Truck #99

Tuesday went pretty well.  At the end of the night I took another driver, Ben's, truck home to the shop.  He had a really old truck, a 92, it was so old I had to pull the choke out to kill it.  I pulled up beside the shop and turned the truck off and pulled out the choke.  Well.... the choke kept coming... and the truck didn't turn off!  I kept trying by pushing the choke and and pulling it out and it didn't solve the problem. The truck just kept running!  I tried calling Brigham and he ignored me, so I txt him and told him what happened and he still didn't answer.  So Gary, another driver, showed up and I told him my situation.  He couldn't kill the truck either, I swore to everyone that I did not break the truck!  Finally Jeff, Brigham's cousin, came over and opened the hood and manually pulled the choke to kill the truck.  I finally could go home still swearing I didn't break the truck and I told Ben, I broke your truck!  And he responds... "Hey I didn't break your truck!"

Sunset shot from inside my cab at the review mirror.

Wednesday was great and so was Thursday.  We ended early on Thursday, like 7pm because Brigham's grandpa passed away.  It was a blessing though because he was really ill and in a lot of pain so everyone was just waiting for him to be sent on.  It was such a great blessing though to go and work for Brigham.  He was a great boss and super fun to be around working.  I also felt like I drew back on my roots of farm/ranch work from my childhood.  It renewed my admiration for farmers and all the work they do. 

Idaho sunset across the already harvested wheat field

The cellar all full of potatoes

Wisconsin and Michigan Trip, Part 2 FINALLY

I know I said a long time ago I'd post the rest of my summer trip, well it's finally here and I'll have to do it in parts, so second part is Wisconsin.  Next I'll get to the Canada trip!

Megan at Gino's East Pizzeria

Suzi and I drove from Missouri straight to Wisconsin, outside of Milwaukee.  While in Milwaukee we played with Suzi's family including her little brother Joey, who is awesome!  We went to Chicago for a day and had real Chicago pizza, at Gino's East!  It was delicious.  We saw downtown and the pier and wend to the Field Museum.  It was so big we were inside for a couple of hours and we still didn't see everything.  I've never really been to a big museum so it was a great first experience.  Then we headed to Michigan to visit Suzi's 95 yr old great-grandmother.  She was a hoot.  It was tons of fun to see her and play in Michigan, the house was a little hard to stay in though because her great-grandmother smoked her whole life until she went to the nursing home.  I managed though.  Michigan was fun, we even went to Tower Hill at Lake Michigan and got to play in the water.  It was great, I didn't swim because it was a little cold and I didn't want to change, but it felt like the ocean with big waves!

We went back to Wisconsin after I we were done our 4 days in Michigan.  We played in Milwaukee and also went to the Harley Davidson Museum!  That was a blast.  We got to sit on real Harleys and learn all we could about them!  We also went to a car show on the rive after the museum, it was an accident but great fun.  Our last day we went to the Wisconsin Dells.  It was really neat to go up and down the river and see the rock formations and play in the Dells.  Wisconsin was a lot of fun!

Black bike at the Harley Museum

We drove out early on Saturday and went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD.  I love that place, it's always different and something new.  Then we traveled on to Wall Drug.  Suzi had neve been there but I had quite a few times and I loved it, we stayed in a really crappy hotel, but not cheap by anymeans.  It was July 3rd....  We ate dinner downtown and had fun just hanging out in a small shop town.  We woke up early and went to Mt. Rushomore on our way out of SD, it was really neat to be there on the 4th of July.  Then we drove all of the way to Cody WY where after an hour of passing town, we finally entered into Yellowstone National Park.  We took pictures and froze our little selves off, but it was a blast.  I got to watch the fireworks for the 4th of July in West Yellowstone, just like I had 5 years earlier.  It was neat to do that and see town again!  I loved Yellowstone!  We finally made it home at 1am and it was the best feeling to sleep in our beds again!

at Mt. Rushmore on July 4th!

Suzi at the Corn Palace

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone!

Blonde or Brown? I need help!

Dear everyone that reads my blog.  I'm trying to decide between having brown and blonde hair (I know the problems I face!) and I can't pick!  So I thought I'd bring it to the public and get input from my family and closest friends.  Let me know what you think.  Thanks!!

Brown Hair

Blonde

Lake Time

Yesterday we went to the lake with the family. It was lots of fun but boy, are we ever sore today. Apparently I used muscles yesterday I forgot I had and I only went skiing once...what a whimp eh? Graham rode for quite a while on the boat and didn't seem to mind it even though his life jacket was more like a straight jacket. It looked like the kid could hardly move. Camarae on the other had didn't like the boat, it was "too loud" as she kept saying and proceeded to cover her ears the entire time. Sound like we need to go more often :o) But she did ride the tube and like that for a few minutes.





Corey testing out his new boat driving skills...

Jamie and Matt battling on the tubes

Megan knee-boarding like a Pro

I don't think Graham knew what to think about his first boat ride

Alaska

I think this post is long awaited. We had a fun time visiting with Sabrian, Robert and Aurora. We took a Fjord tour and were able to see lots of wildlife. The highlight for me were the killer (or Orca) whales as I'd never seen one in the wild before. We did a lot of camping and even spent a couple of nights in the rain. We also went up to Denali which was a trip. I'd worked there for a summer about 11 years before and it was quite a bit different, much to my surprise. But it was still just as beautiful as I remembered.

Corey & I at Portage Glacier

Our cool Yert at the Military Resort. They had the cleanest bathrooms I've ever seen and they were soo warm. I was very sad to leave them.

A very "cool" glacier - we saw it calving into the ocean. I think this was Corey's favorite part of the trip.

This is as much as they'd surface but it was still so neat.

Me with my favorite Alaskan girl.

We're wishing Mt McKinley would suddenly appear behind us...unfortunately we never did see it.

Zion National Park

Way back in May, just the weekend before Memorial Day, Corey and I went with his sister and her family to Zion National Park. It is down by St. George and is probably one of the most visited parks in Utah. We thought it would be fun to go camping and see the park (Corey had never been there before) while the temperatures outside weren't scorching. We went on a few hikes and we were so impressed with Alexa, who is 3, as she was able to make the hike on her own...what a trooper. Here is a picture of our adventure. (sorry we didn't have many)


Corey & Me on the Emerald Pools hike.

June Trip 1: Arkansas

On June 8th Suzi and I departed from Layton Utah and began our trip to the MIDWEST.   We drove all day and then the thought came to me, check the oil, so I did.  Sure enough we needed oil and I added a quart.  Before we left I also checked the tires, they were worn out and ready to go, wire tread showing and as bald as an ice sculpture.  (I'm funny eh?)  I knew we needed new tires, so Crystal (my loving older sister) did some online checking and we had to get 50 miles down the road in an hour to get the the last open place.  It was already 7pm central time.  About half an hour down the road the tire went flat.  I got out and changed the tire --it's recorded on camera so there is proof!  We very slowly drove to the tire and lube.  The men stayed ten minutes after their shift to help us, by the time they were done changing the tires, it was an hour past their closing time!  What great men at the Walmart in Grand Island Nebraska!!  We were so grateful and ready to get back on the road and to Arkansas.  Angie and Dustin (my cousins' whose kids we were going to be watching for 10 days) were really anxious to see us get there in time!  About half an hour down the road I was talking to my mom on the phone and Suzi was driving, next word out of my mouth was deer deer deer deer deer!!  Suzi switched lanes to avoid the deer and it jumped in front of us!  We pulled over as soon as possible, I got off the phone with my mom, and checked out the damage.  We saw headlights hanging out and a dented front passenger fender.... ouch!  So after calming Suzi down, we got back in the car, I took the wheel, and turned the a/c off.  I drove to the next possible town, 1/2 hr down the road.  By the time we finally found a hotel, apx. 10:30 at night, the temperature hit RED hot.  We turned the car off and settled down for the night.  To make a long story short now, the next morning we got a tow and went the the shop and rented a car to get us to Arkansas.  We drove all day and got to Angie's house by 7ish that night.  It was great to finally be at a destination, one that we wanted to be at!

We watched the kids and played for over a week.  It was ten days, by the end I was glad I don't have any kids of my own right now!  So much work with 5 kids to take care of, oh and a Suzi. haha, don't tell.   We did have some exciting days, Precious Moments Chapel and Civil War Battle sites.  It was quite an adventure with the boys in tow!  We hiked up to this waterfall, this is the lower shot, there was more waterfalls up higher on the hike.  It was Suzi, Carley, and I with 11 kids!  

 We also went down to Fayetteville and met up with one of my old friends, Michael.  It was a ton of fun, we toured the Razorback campus and went mini golfing and go-karting!  We found the road that had my name on it, my favorite thing in Fayetteville!  We finally bought Suzi a new car because her other car was totaled by the deer. :(  ...but the new Civic is awesome!  Then on to Milwaukee and Chicago and Michigan! I'll show that later.  Bon Voyage!

Day 31: Wind Caves and Snow snow snow

First I want to share some photos of the past. :)

One of my best students, Alyssa Hawkes.  Her mom wanted photos of us together, she was my best volleyball player and track star, won the puppy of the year award (best student and athlete), a hard worker, and my first student council president! She's so much fun.  Also, her mom is destined to set me up with their cousin who is an engineer so I can be part of the family.  Good stuff!!

First is Katelyn, whom I car pooled with this past year. It was really good because we became good friends and saved money at the same time! Carpooling wasn't that bad with her!  Then Alyssa and Beca Rivas.  Now Beca is a stubborn hard girl, but she's so great and helpful.  She has so much to give and just wants to help everyone. She has been a life saver for me many-a-time!!

This group of 8th graders saw Katelyn and I drive by and came to find us!  We drove down the road a little bit so I could change my clothes, lucky for me I had just barely (by seconds) finished when they pulled around the corner!  It goes as follows, Delaney, Alexa, Hannah, Colten, Abby, and Hannah.  It is such a fun spirited class, imagine 30 kids with big spirits and a lot of fun and chattiness in one room.... wow how did I do 2 years?

Hannah Brown, Katelyn Quintin, and I after graduation.  I tried to come as spirited as I could for the kids! So I have all purple, yellow, and black on.  Hannah is my worlds fastest runner.  She is ranked at number one in middle schools in the state according to the Idaho Sports website.  She is hard to get working but once she does, she's a fireball!  Katey is my reader, her and I are always giving tips on what books to read next and usually I'll read it after her but a couple of times I get to suggest to her what to read, that's always fun!

We got a small group to go hiking today.  We went to Driggs up Darby Canyon and tried to hike to the Wind Caves.  This is Bryan, Bre, and I on our way up the mountain.  It was all snowy up the trail and we got wet, but it was so much fun!  We really enjoyed ourselves.  Suzi had a walking stick and still fell a couple of times and soaked her pants, but it was still fun!  Afterwards we went to mexican in Driggs and did Jonnie a favor by cleaning his cabin. We played Yatzee for a while and relaxed.  It was a neat Memorial Day weekend!

Me, Suzi, and Alycia playing on the mountain.

Suzi and Eric Stevens at the end of the hike.

Yay Mexican!

I am seriously going to take up hiking this summer as a weekly activity.  I'm really excited for this challenge!!

Day 28, 29, 30: Friday off of school

Today was the first day off from school.  It was so nice! I just did errands around the house and attended the temple, which was nice but seriously took 3 hours!  I also had the repair guy come and put in a new garbage disposal.  My advice to everyone buying a home, DO NOT buy the extended warranty on appliances!  It is not worth your money!  I had to pay 65 dollars for the guy to come out and do the garbarator, and his total bill was only 120.  Which, I paid almost 350 for my appliance warranty.  I could have saved so much money.  Also, the main reason why i hate this idea of buying the warranty....  The customer service people were so rude, they were not helpful and I spent over 40 minutes on hold with them in order to put my repair man on the line so they could approve the fix (they wouldn't find the repair man, I had to do that myself!).  The first time, my repair man ran to get a part, and they were like, oh you've been on hold for 20 minutes but we can't wait 5 for him to come back and talk to him.  You'll have to call back.  So after letting that lady know that I wanted to talk to someone to tell them how they could better run a company, I finally got a different rep to the the job approved by chatting with my repair man for 1 minute! count it, one!!  That was my productive Friday! :)  I also went to Robin Hood that night.  I seriously loved it, probably my favorite Robin Hood yet!

Saturday: ICE CAVES!!

Today I went to the Ice Caves with my friend Brandon.  We had a blast!  After driving down a holey, muddy, rocky road, we came to the caves.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures!  We put our snow clothes on, hiked in the cave, scooted on our rears across the ice, fell down a few times, climbed up an ice wall and slid down... good stuff!  It hailed on us as we climbed out, but it was great fun.  Then Saturday night I went to the Ridge and watched the Lakers game with Juan and my old friend Natalia.  It was so much fun I loved it, it was great to see old friends and just have a good time. 

Sunday: Relaxing....

Church was really fun today, I chatted a lot with friends, Suzi made me laugh a lot during the sacrament talks.  It was probably bad but o so funny.  I will do better. Afterwards, we went on a drive to  Monkey Rock (shown above).  Then we came home and made food, got home taught, and made cookies.  Some friends came over to play; we played Super Mario Brother Wii, because my friend Tyrel go my wii to work again! YAY!!  It was a good night.  Tomorrow we will hike wind caves! :)  Here are some pictures I wanted to share!

My Plants!  the green hang basket, is a topsy turvey, it froze last week and I didn't get home in time to bring the plants in. It froze the tomatoes.