To Trust in Him

I received a special blessing
shortly after I became a member of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
It's called a
Patriarchal Blessing.

I was seventeen years old when I received mine.
I love my blessing--
it has been a constant guide in my life
year after year
at every turn of my life
I have been able to go to the
written copy in my nightstand
and find answers to questions
or trials I have at any given moment.
I feel my Heavenly Father's love for me
every time I read it.

One part of it reveals
that as a Mother,
I will be in tune with my children
and their needs--
that I will be able to receive revelation
(answers to prayers and needs)
for my children.

This has been the case
many times in our home:

*One Sunday afternoon,in February,  I was sitting at the piano,
piddling around when I heard a still small voice that said,
"Call the Smiths and tell them that Danielle is to go with them to 
Germany."
The Smiths were an Air Force family that she had babysat for many times,
during their stay in the Springs. I did not know them very well, only that they were
a sweet family and that morning at Church, it was announced that their family was
being reassigned to Landstuhl, Germany.
At the time of the announcement, my thoughts
were simple,
"Oh so soon? We'll miss them."
And that's all there was.
I ignored the voice and kept playing the piano.
Again, it came:

Call the Smiths and tell them that Danielle is to go with them to 

Germany."

I wondered to myself,

"What? Why? Do they even like her? It's the military--is it even possible? Would she want to go?"

I kept playing.

The Lord heard my questions, but did not answer them. Instead, the voice came a third time:

Call the Smiths and tell them that Danielle is to go with them to 

Germany." -- and with such strength that I found myself standing in the kitchen, dialing the Smith's phone number.

Mr Wonderful walked in at that time and asked,

"What're you doing? Who ya calling?"--mainly because I didn't make calls on Sundays.

"I'm calling the Smiths to tell them that they're supposed to take Dani with them to Germany."

His eyebrows raised, his mouth dropped, "Okay. Does she know about this?"

"Un-unh. She's at Church still."

Sister Smith answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Anne. This is Dawn A********."

"Oh hi Dawn! How are you?"

"I'm fine. I know this is gonna sound weird, but I just got an impression,

a strong impression, that I'm supposed to call you and tell you that Dani's to go with your

family to Germany.  Now, I don't know if that's even possible, or if you even like her that much, and believe me when I say that I will not be offended if you don't, but I just needed to tell you this."

"Well, I am so glad you called. I will talk to Dan (husband) tonight; as you know, he's in Afghanistan, but he calls every night, and I'll talk to him about this and get back to you, ok?"

"Sure, sure. No problem. Talk to you soon." 

"Okay, take care."

I got off the phone surprised at what just happened.

Am I looney? Have I lost it totally?

Danielle walked in the door from her meetings

a bit later,

and Dad told her to talk to me.

"Well, I got an impression that you're supposed to go with the Smiths to Germany when they move there in July."

Her response was much like Mr. W's...a surprised, "REALLY?"  and then, 'whatever'.

Months passed by.

Dan came home, they sold their house,

and were all packed to leave.

Dani's ticket had been bought and she was leaving a week after the Smiths.

The night before they left,

we met with them.

Just as they were leaving, 

Anne said, 

"Did I ever tell you what was going on that day you called and told us to take Danielle with us?"

I shook my head 'No'.

She smiled,

"Dan and I had already been talking and praying about whether or not to ask Danielle to go with us. When you called, I knew we had an answer."

***************

There have been a number of times

that the promises in my blessing

have been kept.

I've learned that I can trust in that gift

to guide me as I raise my family

and that they can trust in that gift too.

Many times, I've overheard my yahoos

almost 'warning' each other:

"Mom will find out, eventually. She always knows."

This is true, I think, for most mothers.

We are given this gift of revelation--

some call it 

"woman's intuition";

and every woman knows 

it's Real.

The longer I live,

the more real it is,

and the more often I rely on it

to help me raise my family.

Recently, however,

I doubted it.

A situation developed

with a particular older child,

and while I knew in my heart

this child was not being honest--

out of fear of embarrassment

and consequences--

I outwardly accepted their answer of innocence.
tho' inwardly I knew better.

I questioned them over and over again.

Each time,

their behavior reflected that of a guilty conscience,

but the words were proclaiming innocence.

Well, because Heavenly Father loves me

and 

my child--

the truth came out.

Another source shared it with me,

because they knew I was 

worried and they felt I 

deserved to be informed.

When the truth was revealed,

I felt complete relief.

Yes, I was hurt at the lie.

But, knowing I could trust my feelings
gave me peace.

Then what?

I went to Heavenly Father in prayer and asked

"what do I do with this knowledge?"

His answer was clear:

"Love her."
I can't trust her right now
in specific areas,
and that stinks on ice.
But
I can be patient
while she figures things out
and my hope is that
she will want to earn my trust back
eventually.
So I can't trust her,
but one thing I am very good at already is
loving her.
Because I do.

When your older child is struggling--

the last thing you want to do is give them a reason

to pull away...because they're embarrassed or prideful.

Did you hear that?

If I share nothing else worthwhile on this little blog of mine,

it is this:

Don't give your teenagers a reason to pull away.
Don't BE the reason they reject 

your family, your values, your faith.
 Do not make your love so specifically conditional

that your children feel they have to
earn your affection.
Rules are essential--
standards are created to give purpose and joy;
respect is earned
so is trust.
But acknowledge that we all evolve into
better people
one day
one choice
at a time.
Be prayerful
and be patient.

So what did I do?
I prayed.

I wrote my feelings in my personal journal.

Not just for me,

but for the day when this child comes to me

and discloses the truth on their terms.

I can open my journal,

show them the dated page

and say,

"I knew. I've known. And I love you still."

Your Day Just Got Better

http://www.stylelist.com/2010/02/10/man-divorces-bearded-cross-eyed-wife-who-was-hidden-by-veil?icid=sphere_tmzcom_inline

Great Father's Day Gift

Are you like me?--
looking for the perfect Father's Day Gift
to give to the man in your life that
has everything??
or perhaps you're looking for a gift
that you will
never
never
never
have to pick up or take care of??
Hit a nerve there, did I??

C'mon over to
Nathan Sharp Studios--
you can Enter My Giveaway
or you can just order one of his
very masculine art prints that will
add depth & non-cheesy decor
to your special guys' Study or Office.
Much better than the talking trout on the wall,
yes?

So go over there, and then come back
to the Nathan Sharp Giveaway
and tell me which 8x10 you'd like to own.
Or
Just Order One from Nathan directly.
You can even tell him "Momza sent me"
and he'll appreciate that!
Nathan's a father of a bunch of yahoos
and a truly talented artist.
Now GO!

President Monson--notice it's a current image? love that.

*Special Thanks to Nathan Sharp

Nathan Sharp said...

Hey everyone, just to let you know, I am in the process of updating my website so the info that you are seeing is not entirely accurate. I have 8 x 10 prints of everything except for "The Veteran" (the moose). Everything else is fair game. Enjoy!

Let's Zumba People!

So the whole familia went to the YMCA tonight--
the youngest yahoos hit the pool
Mr Wonderful did his 5000+ steps on the eliptical,
while Dani, Nana, Daisie and I
went to the Zumba class.

Thankfully,
the Instructor was Wendy--
she's the instructor that's usually there.
I like her.
She's normal.

When we pulled up to the YMCA,
we parked a few spots over from her--
I meant to say "hi" or wave or something,
but by the time we all got out of the car,
she was gone.
So as the class assembles
and she is ready to start
she asks if there are any
"first timers"??
Daisie and Nana raised their hands.

Wendy smiled
at us all,
and said into her headset microphone--
"Did you guys drive here in a big Suburban?"
We answer "yes"--
then she addresses the rest of the class:
"Ya ever see a clown car?--where there's a never ending
number of people pouring out of it?? THAT'S what their Suburban 
looked like!" And she laughed.
 I hollered back,
"I have seven kids --they're not even all here--and one grandchild!"
She replied,
"It was overwhelming to watch them!"
To which I responded,
"I feel like that everyday!"

Great way to start a class,
if you ask me!

Wendy is a good instructor--
she takes a minute and demonstrates the steps
and always makes sure to give us dance cues
as we go along.
The best part for me,
was having my girls in the class too!
We laughed at each other
at ourselves
and just had a great time!

Daisie got a cramp in her foot,
so she did at least half of the class in her socks,
and she rocked out with Mick Jagger lips!

Diana pulled a rib head out midway thru--
she's had a problem with that since her car accident,
but she finished anyway--
and said it was so fun she's looking forward to the next class.
Dani is finding her pre-pregnancy mojo again
and it love love lovin' it.
And me?
I was movin' my bahooey and rollin' my hips
and shakin' what my mama gave me...
and occassionally laughing outloud at my girlies.

When I got home,
I checked my Body Bugg:
Calories Burned Today: 2938
Steps taken in Zumba class: 6,194  not even kidding.

Do I like the Body Bugg?
Nope.
I love it.

Zumba Makes Me Laugh-Out-Loud

I talked Dani into going to Zumba with me on Saturday.

I've been telling her how awesome it is,

how the music makes you want to move,

the time flies by

and the instructors are great.

She believed me.

That was BEFORE the class started.

I'd never been on Saturday mornings

I know I said I was going before but for whatever reason,

Saturdays are crazy during the school year.)

Any-stinkin'-who,

We went on Saturday--

and there was a new Instructor,

Elody.

Who I am pretty sure is 

on crack.

Think Zumba

on crack.

She wasn't really on crack--

she had about 8 to 10 other Zumba instructors

in the class--

(they all had Zumba! shirts on too!)

she was showing them her stuff.

I saw this,

and yet 

I stayed.

The music cued up,

the instructor started "instructing"

and I use that term lightly--

she was a big honkin' show-off

is what she was--

and then I had a spiritual experience...

I started praying--

"Oh help me keep up,

Oh help me not die."--

and other assorted, varied pleas to 

my Maker.

Fifteen minutes in it,

my face is blotchy red,

I am sweating like a stuck pig in Mississippi,

and guess what, chicken butt?

So is everyone else.

I look over at Dani--

who is fiercely trying to keep up with

this maniac instructor--

and she looked worse than when she was in labor
6 months ago.

I motioned for her to get a drink of water 

with me...

she followed.

"You don't have to do everything she says,

just keep moving. We've already done 30, I mean 15 minutes."

I say to her.

Dani asks,

"I thought you said this was fun?"

Takes a drink and asks,

"You coming back?"

Of course I went back.

How could I not?

I went back to my "spot"--

and noticed two young teenage girls

behind me,

I turned to a little blonde gal 

and said,
"I'm nearly 49 years old, 

and I may pass out, 

but don't worry--

my daughter is right there (pointing to Dani)

and she knows CPR."

The blondey smiled at me.

I went back to searching

for the salsa beat

for my feet to get in rhythm with--

and try as I might,

I couldn't make my body

move

like it was
on crack.

That's when it happened--

it was loud,

unrestrained

bordering hysterical--

laughter.

I couldn't hold it in--

this was insane!

How on earth did this instructor think

ANYONE 

without professional training

could keep up with her??

Yet, there I was--

twisting

turning

rhumba-ing

cha-cha-ing

spinning

twirling

touching my nose with my tongue

speaking Zumba-ese

with the best of 'em

and it was ridiculous!

I laughed so hard,

I couldn't breathe.

Well, I couldn't breathe anyway,

but oh-my-hex

a funny bone was hit with a sledge hammer

and I couldn't help myself.

Of the 50 or so women in the room,

maybe 20 knew what they were doing--

the rest of us

were making up our own steps

modifying the crazed instructor's steps

in the name of

Survival!

No longer was I praying for relief--

I was looking around me for a soft place to land!

I was moving my bahooey

to a latin beat

wearin BROWN sweats

and I started thinking I might make it

despite the evil instructor's effort to slay us all

with her bahooey-shakin' moves.

I was gonna live to tell the tale!
And you know you're a TRUE BLOGGER

when you're in this kind of situation

and start taking mental notes of just how

you're going to tell this story!

And then you curse yourself for not

bringing a camera--

cuz the pictures woulda told the story so much better!

Anyway

Anywayyyyy

A Shakira ("hips don't lie" gal) ballad

came on

and I knew the cool down was there.

There was a light at the end of the tunnel.

I had survived.

The paramedics were not called in--

there were no casualties Saturday at the YMCA.

We would all live another day to 

Zumba.

Which for me,

is tonight at 7:30pm.

Bring It.

Me and my brown sweats will be there!
And hopefully, Dani too.

Oh oh Oh!!

Gotta add this: When I checked my Body Bugg stats that night, it said I'd burned 1400 calories and did over 4000 steps in that one hour!!!!  Can you say, Worth the Pain??!

The Fifteen-Year-Old Speaks

 Freshman Year Tip List

By Daisie

1.      Do your homework, you don’t want to, but do it.

2.      Get up on time. Really. Do it. It saves a lot of trouble.

3.      Go to seminary. It’s good for you. Really.

4.      Eat breakfast. Really. Do it.

5.      Listen to Mom. She knows what she doing. You don’t. Listen. Really.

6.      Listen to your teachers. They don’t hate you. Really. Listen.

7.      Don’t pay attention to stupid boys. They don’t know what they want. You do.

8.      Focus on school not friends. They are important, but not THAT important.

 9.      These grades are important. They count. Make sure they do.

10.  What everyone else thinks doesn’t matter. Only what YOU think does.

11.  Sleep is amazing, but getting an education is better.

12.  Get your crap together then do whatever you have to top your best.

13.  Have a best friend. They do wonders.

14.  Exercise will help with stress. Do it whenever you have time.

15.  Change is good yes. But don’t change yourself so no one will recognize you.

16.  How you act influences your choices.

17.  DON’T PROCRASTINATE. DON’T DO IT. YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE.

18.      Siblings hold the answers to everything high school. LISTEN.

19.      LISTEN TO THOSE THAT HAVE GONE BEFORE YOU. THEY WILL HELP!

20.      Make sure you are prepped for next year. Don’t go into something that you are not prepared for.

21.      High school is a big place. Don’t get lost.

22.       PROBLEMS DO NOT GO AWAY BY THEM SELVES!

23.      THINK BEFORE YOU ACT.

24.      KEEP YOUR PROMISES.  They are IMPORTANT.

25.      Make sure you have everything you need for a great year. Friends. Check. Family. Check. Brain. Check. Listening. CHECK. CHECK. CHECK.

*she actually wrote this for a school assignment.

Other things she learned this year:

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/03/when-you-mess-with-bull-you-get-horns.html

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/03/aftermath-of-messing-with-your-teenager.html

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/05/direct-benefit-of-having-whole-heapin.html

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/05/nine-days-till-summer-breakeight-more.html

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/03/dear-mr-easter-bunny.html

and my favorite:

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-bad-do-you-wanna-know.html

I love this blue-eyed babe. 

She has potential.

Definitely.

Jalapeno Dog

End of the Year.

Teacher sends home all the artwork.

I'm looking thru it,

and come across this:

Now, I'd seen it before,
as the Boofus did it for a special art project
where we could have it the image put on any number of things:
a mousepad
coffee mug
t-shirt
He wanted it on a pillowcase.
Okay.
So we got it on a pillowcase.
I commented today on the original in my hands--
"That's a cute dog..what's on his head? a hat?"
A big grin surfaces--
"Uh no. That's steam coming outta his head because he just ate a jalapeno."
Then pointed to the backside of the pooch,
"And that's a big fart. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!"
Nice.
I love ten year old boys.
Did I tell you we paid to have it put on a pillowcase?
Lesson Today:
Ask More Questions.

The Journey of Memory Loss

I was standing in the kitchen last night,
preparing veggies for burritos
we were having for dinner.
Something needed to be warmed up--
oh it was the tomato-basil tortillas--
and I pointed to IT--
the square, black box on the opposite counter--
"Put them in there", I pointed.
The name of the black box wasn't coming to my lips--
"a microwave"
"a microwave"
floated around my rolodex-brain
but I just couldn't grab ahold of it
and bring it to my mouth,
so I described and pointed for my son to follow
my directions.
He looked up at me,
and without a doubt,
tossed the tortillas in the microwave and hit
"Start".

I felt a pang in my body,
as I do often these days
when words run thru my brain
ricocheting around like a pinball machine.
The many tests I've gone thru have revealed nothing.
The Neurologist warned me that tests often fail
when it comes to memory-loss.
I do know what triggers my "blank moments"--
lack of sleep,
being over-tired,
pushing myself beyond the ten o'clock bedtime.
I tried to ignore the fact that
last weekend while I was at the Casual Bloggers Conference
I stayed up past 1am the first night
and 11:30pm the next--
getting less than 6 hours of sleep.
I thought I could sneak that time away
for me to visit and laugh with friends
and perhaps my brain wouldn't notice.
But it did.

Dani and the Golden child are staying with us
for the summer
while Mr. Idaho is way down in Texas doing
an internship with Conoco-Philips.
I got up with the baby night before last
six times
that's every two hours
because the baby isn't used to sleeping
at Granma's house.
I wondered if that would affect my health.
It does.
I hate that it does.

On Sunday night the phone rang.
It was my youngest brother, Keir
calling from Georgia.
"Ya sitting down?" he asked.
"What's going on? Where's Dad?" I replied.
"Well, I'm on my way to get him. We left Sally's car (Keir's gf) with Pops this morning
because he said he wanted to go to Walmart and get some sausage for breakfast.
We were headed out to the Lake with the kids, and planned on stopping back by to pick up Pops
on the way back for Abi's birthday party. So we told him how to get to the Walmart--it's just down the street from his place, and he never made it back.  We called the highway patrol in three counties, and all the hospitals.  We've been looking for him all day, since we got back from the Lake.  We just got a call a few minutes ago from a Police Department -- four hours away in Alabama.  Dad got lost and drove for four hours
and ran outta gas.  He left his cell phone at his house and spent his money at Walmart.  He was trying to sell cookies he'd bought at Walmart to a police man to get some gas money.  So they found Sally's registration in her car, and called her.  We're on our way to get Pops. And he is never driving again. Never."

I was more than emotional.  It was after 11pm in Georgia. Dad had to be worn-out and worried.
I told Keir to call me when they got Dad.
I said a prayer as soon as we hung up.
Monday, my Dad called.
"Hello Princess."--that's what he's called me since I was a child.
"Hey Daddy, how are you?"
His typical ages-old response of "If I was any better, I couldn't stand it" was not there.
"I got lost. Keir came and got me though. I'm okay.  I don't have a car anymore."
"Yes, I know. Was that scary for you? Were you worried?"
"No. I'm fine. The policeman was nice. Keir says he's gonna get me a car soon."
"Daddy, I was worried about you. I'm glad to hear you're okay. I don't think you need a car. If you need something, Keir will help, k?"
"Okay, Girl. Bye."
~~~
I called Keir. He filled me in on the details from the night before:
When he got to the Alabama Police Station, Dad was sleeping.
He'd messed himself. But was very happy to see Keir.
The officers told Keir that they'd had EMT's check Dad out
when they realized he was lost and had dementia.
They recommended Dad never drive again.
Keir is looking at putting Dad into an assisted-care facility.
Finally.
That's what I've been pulling for all along,
but Keir didn't think it was necessary.
Until he had to drive eight hours round-trip
to retrieve him.
How grateful I am that my little brother is there
for our dad.

So what affect is this on Me?
Besides that I'm worried about my Dad,
I know his journey is one I have a ticket on too--
 when I can't remember a word
or a name
or a place
a day
I know it's just the beginning
of a long, increasingly, dark
sunset.
And that freaks me out a little.
But, it's 8:19am on a Thursday
and it's a beautiful Colorado morning
the yahoos are up--
the Caboose is making herself a smoothie
with strawberries and spinach,
Boofus is talking to Baby G
whose ready for sometime with Granma.
No time to fret in this house.
Not today.

Gotta make hay while the sun shines...
I'm off to spend the first day of summer
with my yahoos...
and I'm not quitting until the sun goes down.

*p.s. don't forget to Enter the Giveaway

http://momza.blogspot.com/2010/05/artist-nathan-sharp-giveaway.html

Welcome Summer~~ Last Day of School

Welcome Summer 2010!!

~The Yahoos' afterschool~

The Caboose and her bff, Lucy

Daisie and a friend, Becca.

Cuz nuthin' says "SCHOOL'S OUT!!" like 

cupcakes!

Cheese, please.

Noms.

It's finally Spring here in Colorado Springs...thus the bleeding hearts are, um, bleedin?

Let the Summer Ruckus Begin!!

Casual Bloggers Conference: What I Learned

Besides all the meet-n-greets,
there were actual classes for all attendees to choose from--
From Design Labs: The Art of Digital Scrapbooking,
Photography Labs, Writing Labs, Tech Labs, and
for the beginners, Geek Labs--the basics of blogging.

We had Rustin Banks of BLOGFROG
he gave some smart advice on increasing traffic,
finding your niche, and how to grow your ideas into reality.
His last great words were:
"Don't get discouraged."

Then some guy from "Screamin' Coupons" spoke a bit
about his company coming to a city near you,
and they'll be looking for bloggers to partner up with for marketing.
Screamin' Coupons is not in Colorado yet,
but the idea is neat, and you can bet I'll be in line to work with him.
What pulled me in?  The fact that they give back to the community.

Next, was Sarah Kimmel from Tech4Mommies.com--
a virtual banquet of information served up in heaping helpings
and garnished with simplicity...
I'd like to sit down with her one-on-one
to pick her brain--
she is THAT good.
Knows her stuff for sure!
Best nugget I got from her?
SEO "Search Engine Optimization"--
remember that if you don't already know it.
SEO is placing keywords in your blog title, blog post titles,
and blog posts themselves...
doing so bumps your rank up in GOOGLE
which equals more traffic
which equals more opportunities for growth and,
if you're marketing a product,
can result in more mula.
How do you do this?
Well go to her website and find out!
Oh and one more quick nugget,
never
never
never
use the words
CLICK HERE in your posts.
Write the best description of the link you can.
And tons more...so go see her.

Another class was taught by Sarah Kimmel, (the Tech4Mommies.com gal)
and also Marie Ricks of House Of Order--
called
"Keeping Your Real Life Organized So Your Online Life Works for You".
It was a unique class that I hadn't picked to go to,
but Nan did,
so we went.
I'm so glad I did because of the information I learned
that I am pretty sure will affect the way I do alot of things--
for instance,
cooking all of your ground beef at the same time
in a deep pot
to save prep time and clean-up too.
Such a simple, awesome tip!
Or how about the notion
that serving up sweets and treats
actually be
scheduled during the week
to give the yahoos something to look forward to??
Love it, yes?
Anyway, it was a fun, smart class just like the others.

What else did I learn?
The vendors were all gracious
smiling smiling smiling
patient and generous...
there were sweet treats lining every hallway
free for the choosing.
The giveaways were outta this world!
IPAD, Sony Bloggy, Digital Scrapbooking,
and more stuff than I can recall.
I also learned that the women who took the time
to come to the Casual Bloggers Conference
were glad they came.
There was no murmuring,
no complaining
no "why'd-they-do-it-this-way" yammering.
Nope,
everyone was just happy to be there!
Familiar faces were matched up
and hugs were handed out like free samples
at Costco!
Everyone was approachable--
the Event Organizers (MomBabe, Motherboard)
the vendors
the Speakers
and especially the Bloggers!
Will I go again?
Oh you betcha!
And just like spaghetti sauce,
the second day (or conference)
is always better than the first!
It's only going to grow and get sweeter
from here on out
and I for one,
am grateful I had the chance to go to the
First-Ever
Casual Bloggers Conference.

I'll be sharing the SWAG I received tomorrow.
Good stuff, Maynard.

On the Way to Casual Bloggers Conference

One of the most fanstastic perks of living in Colorado Springs

is watching the Thunderbird Air Show

each year for the

Air Force Academy graduation.

And it just so happens that

we have a pretty good view from our deck:

Which explains why I was an hour late leaving for my 

New Scary Adventure

aka 

The Casual Bloggers Conference

in 

Sandy, Utah...

which, for the record,

isn't really sandy at all,

but from the humongous amounts of traffic

is more like Asphalt, Utah.

But I digress...

I got my bahooey into the car

and headed West with my sweet BFF, Nan.

As you know, my memory likes to play 

hide-n-seek

with me

so to be safe,

Nan--an avid Non-Blogger,

volunteered to be my escort.

Southern Utah was especially colorful

this spring--

 I just couldn't get over the colorful desert flowers along the way...

 So I made Nan pull over so I could get a closer look...

 Ahhhhh...so beautiful!  We talked about the 3 L's....

Life, Little Yahoos, and Laundry along the way. 

Isn't it amazing how you never run out of things to talk 

about with a good friend?

It was really great to just have some time away from la familia

to think, ponder and pray.

We laughed our guts out,

sang with Lady Antebellum,

got a little choked up at times too.

Good friends are the best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, so besides the CBC,

big on our To-Do-List

was

IKEA (did you just hear angels sing too?).

We don't have IKEAs here in Colorado,

so that was a MUST-DO.

We walked around there for 

two and a half hours!

No kidding.

It was Retail Therapy like none other.

Loved. It.

 Is this lamp not the coolest thing??  

I have no idea where I'd hang it,

but if someone gave it to me,

I'd find a place, no doubt.

 More Lamps...I think I have a "thing" for lamps.

Is there a support group for Lamp Addictions?

"Hi, I'm Momza and I am addicted to Lighting."

IKEA is so freaking huge,

it could have it's own Zipcode.

  After my puppies were plum.wore.out,

and my pocketbook too,

we bid adieu to IKEA and headed over to the

BIG SCARY ADVENTURE

aka

The Casual Blogger Conference:

 You know these women.

Denae, Crash, and Kazzy.

I was overcome with shock and awe that they knew me too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At Teresa Collin's Girls Night Out,

we were treated to mini-massages--

Nan was almost in pure bliss during hers--

the only thing that woulda made it better

was if she had someone rubbing her feet

and a Diet Pepsi.

Seriously though,

it was a well-planned event;

so much to do and the people were super too.

~~~~~

A trip to Utah

is incomplete without a trip to

 I had their Pork Barbacoa Salad...delicioso!! I could only eat half of it, but even writing this, my mouth is watering and wishin' I had the rest of it!  

~~~~~

 When Nan travels, she knows how to travel in style--

a pedicure is always on the menu...

and she treated me to one too!

 I've said this before, but it's so true, I'm repeating it: 

The worst part about getting a pedicure is

 that you have to STAND UP and WALK OUT afterwards.  

 Cheesy Nan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We stayed with the Sharps in Pleasant Grove.

I could write a whole blog just about the evenings we spent with them.

Seriously. 

 We met Mr.Elder Sharp while he was a missionary in England.  He was one of the elders that taught MR. W the discussions.  We are keeping Mr. Elder Sharp for eternity.  His wife Sarah is his perfect companion. We LOVE her to infinity and beyond.  And don't even get me started on their precious family. Sweet. Scrumptious. Serious. 

While there, Sarah introduced me to Body Bugg...and I am loving it! There's a whole 'nother blog on that coming soon.  

Sarah also introduced me to Dawn Weidauer, a professional make-up/hair stylist.  Dawn works in Media Make-up and has a Who's Who List in her bag.  Dawn is preparing to launch another blog aimed at everyday folk like me where she does makeovers and uses step-by-step instructions to teach us how to look like a billion bucks on any budget.  I gladly became her first Makeover.  I don't have pics of this, but let me assure you, tons were taken, and will be posted on her new blog when she's ready to launch it.  

I really wondered what Dawn could do with an old hen like me.  I wasn't expecting much, honestly.  But, for the record, when she was finished, I felt beautiful.  Like, prettier than I've felt in a long time.  

Dawn is a miracle worker!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 So this is the Sharp Family.

Well, most of them.

Their son, B. was off to play with a friend,

and Dawn's son, L. was there playing with blondie Mr. T,

so I told L. to stand in "proxy" for B. for the photo.

But the rest of the gang are 100% Sharps.

 Sarah introduced me to OOBEES--

We went to the OOBEES outlet...

got all the girls some for $8 a pr.

Total hit at home!!

Thanks Sarah!

~~~~~~

And that's just Part Uno for the CBC trip.

I have so mucho-much to share,

the rest will be on tomorrow!

~~~~