Thursday's Deep Thought...

Laurie got offended that I used the word "puke". But to me, that's what her dinner tasted like.

If you are parachuting, and your parachute doesn't open, and your friends are all watching youfall, I think a funny gag would be to pretend you were swimming.

funny adjective, 1) amusing, entertaining, to make someone laugh 2) strange, unusual, odd

Wednesday's...Who What When Where Why and How

This week's "WHAT"
My new favorite shampoo!!
It smells so good that I actually rinse and repeat!!

shampoo noun, 1) a liquid soap used to wash hair, verb, 2) to wash hair with soap

Monday Memories...

Firefighters, with the exception of the few whose wives make so much money that it makes a fireman's wage look like paper route money, are known to have several jobs on the side. Jason's schedule used to be that he worked 10 or 11 24 hour shifts at the fire station each month leaving 20 days for him to fill. Over the years he has done a plethora of different things. Firefighter, Police Officer (main jobs), and on the side he teaches Hematology for UVU (UVSC in the good old days), teaches for Utah Fire and Rescue Academy, is a bodyguard (I'm not kidding) and a security officer for a private security company, is on the Utah State Fire Certification Council and is also a Deputy Park Ranger for Utah State Parks. The side job that lead to today's memory is when he worked for UVSC on their medical staff at the McKay Events Center.
I love country music...love, love, love it!!! Alabama was playing at the McKay event center and I so badly wanted to go. Well my dear, sweet hubby had scheduled to work the event and so while he was going to be there I was not. The night of the concert Jason called and asked me to bring pizza down to him and the guys. What a loser!!! He said that I could probably hear them singing from the medical office...if that made me want to kill him any less!! I got the pizza and drove to the college. I walked into the medical office and I gently set (OK, it was more like slammed) the pizzas on to the table and began my ranting and raving. "Do you all realize how lucky you are to be here, you are practically on sacred ground, my lame husband chose to work this rather that take me to see one of the greatest groups of all time...blah blah blah". It was at that point that someone walked up to my right side and put their arm around my shoulders. I figured it was one of the guys and looked to my right and said "what?" in a very sad and dejected voice. Are you ready for this...moment of silence please...it was Jeff Cook!! THE Jeff Cook!!! The fiddle player for Alabama. I was in shock...jaw on the floor shock!!! He had walked into the office right behind me. The guys all started laughing and Jeff (oh yeah, we are on a first name basis) thanked me for the shout out of love and dedication. He then said "stay here for a minute" and walked out of the room...okay medical people give me a bag I am hyperventilating. A minute later Jeff walked back in the room with a backstage pass and a wrist band so I could sit with the VIP family and friends...AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! So little old me had better than front row seats to watch the guys I love perform and then I spent a little time with Randy, Teddy, Jeff and Mark backstage. So what seemed like the worst night turned into one of the greatest...for me...as for Jason and the other med guys, they all received a notice a few days later that all employees were to refrain from fraternizing with the featured guests. Sorry Jason!!!

plethora noun, a large or excessive amount of something, an abundance

Sunday's Serenity

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us, if we put our trust in Him, if we pray to Him, if we live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers."
--Pres. Gordon B Hinckley

trust noun, 1) belief in someone's goodness and integrity, verb 2) to believe that someone will do as they say

Thursday's Deep Thought...

The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.

Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny.

thought noun, 1) an idea, the process of thinking 2) intention 3) attention, verb, 4) the past tense of think

Wednesday's...Who What When Where Why and How

Who...thought of this? What...were they thinking?
Why...would anyone buy it?

exercise noun, 1) an activity to train the body, verb 2) to train the body by using one's muscles

Monday Memories...

Soon after Jason and I got married I convinced Jason that we should get a dog. He didn't think the idea was as fantastic and brilliant as I did. I did a lot of research and presented the obvious to Jason... a lab would be perfect for us...they are excellent with kids (someday we would have some), gentle, and on average weigh 60 lbs(not to big but big enough to handle the future attacks of our human kids). A fireman friend of Jason's raised Labs and had a litter of cute little pups. When we went to look at them I fell in love with one of the pale yellow females...she was so cute and instantly fell in love with us. Problem: her little brother would cry every time we would pick her up. Solution: we left that day with a cute little yellow lab and a cute little black lab. Abby and Tyson were our new babies!!!
Shortly after the arrival of the dogs we found out Brian was on the way. When I was 7 months pregnant and not feeling at all good Tyson stopped walking. We found out that he had a severe case of hip dysplasia and would need surgery "yesterday". If it were not for the fact that I was a pregnant, hormonal, and emotional mess I am sure Tyson would not have gotten the $2000.00 surgery and would have been chasing kitties in the sky. You should have seen me when the euthanasia option was mentioned. Tyson had his surgery and when we picked him up the vet told us he would need to remain pretty sedentary for the next 6 weeks..."I'm sorry, did you say 6 'weeks' nice overpriced vet man"..."why yes I did big fat pregnant sick lady". Okay, while labs are gentle they would never be called calm and Tyson was a gentle 90 lbs (60 lbs???) that I was going to have to house indoors and keep "calm" for 6 weeks. I asked the vet for some sort of sedative and he asked "for the dog?" No, for ME!!!!...I swear he actually asked that!
We took Tyson home and set up the house for his recovery. He had one of those cones around his neck and he kept running into everything. The next morning Jason and I both had to work. We set Tyson up in the kitchen on the vinyl floor (just in case he had an accident) and then blocked him in using a piece of sheet rock that we propped up at the entrance to the kitchen...yes lets all take a moment to visualize the event. I left for work...only 3 blocks from our house...with the plan to return every hour to let Tyson out. When I entered the house after the first hour my brain began to process what I saw. There was a foam stuffing like substance everywhere, dirt all over the floor and a hole in the sheet rock blockade. I looked to my right and saw Tyson snoozing in the living room, the couch had a huge hole in the center of it (foam stuffing identified) and my pretty ficus tree was obliterated (dirt now accounted for). I picked up the phone to call Jason and this is how that went...

Brent: "Fire station 3, Paramedic Smith"

Jen: (sobbing) "Bbbbbbrrrrreeeennnntttt iiiiiiis Jjjjjjjjjjaaason ttttthhhhhhherrrrrrre?"

Brent: "Jen, are you okay, are you in labor, do you need us to come to the house."

Jen: (sobbing, now hysterically) "Nnnnnnooo thhhheeeeee ddddddoooooggggggg aaaaate thhhhhhhe couuuuuuch"

Brent: "Um, hang on...(muffled) Jason your wife is on the phone and I think she said the dog ate the couch."

After I called Jason I called the vet and asked why it was not possible for Tyson to recover outdoors. The vet told me we risked the dog getting a infection or tearing out his staples, I told him that currently Tyson was facing certain death (I would kill him with my bare hands or they would have to euthanize him) if he remained indoors and he best write us a Rx for an antibiotic because the dog was moving out to the kennel.
For the next few weeks Tyson went to doggy daycare ($25.00 a day) while Jason and I both worked (to pay for the surgery and doggy day care).

dog noun, a domesticated mammal with four legs that eats meat, a canine

Sunday's Serenity

"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances." Mahatma Gandhi

"Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm" Unknown

serenity noun, tranquility, peace

Friday Foto Flashback...

Families Can Be Together Forever!!

This was the day we had Hannah sealed to us!!! I was pregnant with Joshie at the time so our entire family was together in the temple.

forever adverb, until the end of time, always

Thursday's Deep Thought...

Broken promises don't upset me. I just think, why did they believe me?

If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid seeing yourself in the mirror, because I bet that's what REALLY throws you into a panic.

thought noun, 1) an idea, the process of thinking 2) intention 3) attention, verb, 4) the past tense of think

Wednesday's...Who What When Where Why and How

There are days when I feel completely inadequate to raise my children...
This was on one of those days...

Brian: "What if gravity fails?"

Me: blank stare...."that is a good question"

gravity noun, 1) the force that draws everything to the earth's center 2) solemnity

Monday Memories...

Because I have not been the greatest journal keeper I am going to start "Monday Memories" posts. Better late than never...right??? So this Monday will start back at the beginning of the Jason and Jenny story.

Jason and I went wave running for our first date. My mom was opposed to the whole thing..."wave runners are dangerous and I don't want him killing you on one". I reassured her that Jason was a paramedic and seemed to be a very smart, calm, and full of common sense. We went to Deer Creek and headed out on the water. I absolutely love wave running and I think I gave Jason a run for his money. After a few hours Jason asked me to ride with him for a while...I am all about the "control" so I was hesitant but finally agreed. We were screaming around at about 60 mph and Jason hit the wake of a boat. I thought we were headed for the water so I let go of Jason. Well the "we" ended up being "me". I bounced head over feet across the water and ended up getting knocked out. When I came to I was so confused..."why am I in the water and why is Jason sitting on the wave runner with a look of absolute horror on his face?" Jason came to scoop me out of the water asking over and over if I was okay. I am too prideful to show weakness, especially on a first date so I said I was great and we kept riding. Any time we were off the wave runners and walking around I was walking like a drunk woman. I kept losing my balance...clever me had a great excuse..."my sandal kept slipping so I needed to fix it". Jason dropped me off at the end of the day and I was exhausted. I was headed downstairs to my room and fell down almost the entire flight of stairs. It felt so good to finally lay down. The next morning I woke up and had the worst headache of my entire life. I headed to work...couldn't miss because it was a busy day. I was doing the production schedule which happens to be at the top of a flight of stairs. The next thing I remember was feeling like my legs disappeared and I fell down the flight of stairs. I called my mom and asked her to come and take me to the doctor. The doctor kindly informed me I had a horrible concussion and was sentenced to a week of bed rest. I know my mom wanted to say "I told you so" but refrained knowing how sick I was. Jason called every 1/2 hour to check on me and sent flowers, balloons, and visited as often as his schedule would allow. On the morning of day 3 I woke up with a 105 degree fever and I couldn't swallow. I called Jason and he told me to have my mom take me to the ER and he would meet us there. I was so sick I could hardly move. When we got to the ER I dropped into one of the waiting room chairs and waited to die. The door that leads back to the exam rooms was open and I could see a bunch of firemen staring at me and smiling. One of them finally came out and said "you must be the concussion". Ha Ha very funny. They called me back to a room and Jason and his 5 buddies all joined me. The doctor took one look at my throat and he gagged...yes, the doctor who sees horrible awful things all day actually gagged. Well that started the frenzy of "I want to see, let me see, I want to look" from the audience in the room. As each of them took their turn they all stated..."that's the worst thing I have ever seen". Apparently I had gangrene in my tonsils and throat. Because of my fever and being so sick they didn't dare operate to take the tonsils out. They gave me a big shot in my behind...thanks boys for leaving the room for that part...and started me on a medication that I think they use on "House" all the time. If in 2 days I wasn't significantly better they were taking the tonsils no matter what. It took about 11 days for me to recover and to be able to go back to work. Jason was put on probation by my mom...and we both got our wave running privileges taken away. Three years into our marriage we learned that the wave running stunt was also responsible for dropping my right kidney about 2 inches. Jason always jokes that if it weren't for the head injury I never would have agreed to marry him. Silly man, I knew I was going to spend eternity with him the second I saw him!!

concussion noun, a head injury that is the result of a blow or a fall, a shock

Take me out to the ballgame...

Our family is a huge fan of the Angels baseball team. We schedule our trips to California based on when the Angels are playing at "home". On several occasions when we have traveled elsewhere the home team of where we were was playing the Angels...it must be fate. The Orem Owlz just so happen to be the Pioneer Team affiliated with the Angels and the Salt Lake Bees are the Minor league affiliate...fate once again. On July 3rd we took the kids to see the Owlz play. We got there early so we could watch the guys warm up. The kids were on cloud nine the second we entered the stadium. We decided to go all out and let the kids pick some team paraphernalia. Brian, Ethan and Hannah all wanted a foam owl claw and Joshie wanted a baseball hat like dad. We got snacks and headed to our seats...5th row right behind home base...Jason was so excited that I had gotten such great seats...oh yeah Jen has skillz!!! The kids devoured the snacks in record time and moved on to Jason's peanuts. My kids do not like nuts of any kind (well except for their parents and most of Jason's family) however if the before mentioned nuts (the food ones not the human ones) are peanuts that are in the shell then the whole "we don't like nuts" is apparently null and void...note to self, put broccoli in a shell. After a few handfuls of peanuts Joshie decided that he wanted an owl claw like everyone else had...stupid $20.00 hat. How could I say no...I mean it's practically the Angels!!! So I take the little guy to get an owl claw and he is beaming from ear to ear. We sit back down and he puts the owl claw on his lap and says..."table for my peanuts"...are you kidding??!! Stupid $10.00 owl claw...no wait, stupid $2.00 peanuts!! The Owlz did not fair so well and ended up losing...I think the umps were pretty unfair...or "freaking blind" as the gentleman in front of me referred to them as. After the game they did fireworks to celebrate the 4th. All in all it was a great evening. As we left the stadium Brian and Ethan both said that it had been the best night of their lives.

Josh and Dad with their "sweet" hats...

Josh and his $10.00 "peanut table"...

The kids with Hootz...
Josh ran screaming when he saw him!!!

baseball noun, a game played with a bat and a ball by two teams with nine players on a side, on a field with four bases at the corners of a diamond

Hair Day!!!

Hannah with her hair combed out
and ready to be washed

after realizing what she looks like...

getting shampooed and conditioned...

washed and ready for braiding...

hair noun, a strand of filament that grows out of the skin of animals

Arrgggghhhhh...Matie!!!

Your Pirate Name Is...

Mad Blackbeard

What's Your Pirate Name?

pirate noun, a person who robs a ship at sea

Ahoy Matie!!!

Your Pirate Name Is...

Captain Fanny La Bouche

What's Your Pirate Name?

name noun, a word given to someone or something for identification

Independence Day!!!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday...fireworks and rootbeer floats at our house on Friday (the 4th) around 8:15ish...everyone is welcome to join us!!!

The 411 on July 4th...

Independence Day, or the 4th of July, is the celebration of the birth of our country.

On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by the Continental Congress. The signing of the Declaration began the American Revolution and led to our eventual freedom from British rule.

Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia one year later on July 4th, 1777. The custom of celebrating the Fourth of July gradually spread to other communities around the country. However, it wasn’t until 1941 that Independence Day was declared a legal federal holiday.

Patriotic-Sounding Names

31

Number of places nationwide with “liberty” in their name. The most populous one as of July 1, 2006, is Liberty, Mo. (29,581). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

• Thirty-one places are named “eagle” — after the majestic bird that serves as our national symbol. (Places include cities, towns, villages and census-designated places.) The most populous such place is Eagle Pass, Texas, with 26,401 residents.
• Twelve places have “independence” in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with 109,400 residents.
• Nine places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.
• There is one place named “patriot” — Patriot, Ind., with a population of 192.
• And what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called “America”? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, population 25,596.

independence noun, no plural, the state of acting alone or separately