RETREAT

WOW, THIS IS THE PERFECT FOLLOW UP TO MY LAST ENTRY. I JUST GOT BACK FROM OUR ANNUAL COUSIN'S RETREAT. WE STAYED AT THE BEAUTIFUL FALCON RIDGE HOTEL IN MESQUITE, NV. IT IS A TIME TO RELAX, REJUVENATE, REFOCUS AND GET RE-ACQUAINTED WITH FAMILY MEMBERS YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IN A LONG TIME. THANK YOU TO MY WONDERFUL COUSINS AMBER, MELISSA, AND SIMCAH WHO PLANNED A FABULOUS AND FUN WEEKEND FOR US. I HAD A BLAST. THANK YOU TO MY BROTHER AND SISTER, MILES AND COLETTE, FOR WATCHING MY KIDS AND ESPECIALLY THANK YOU TO MY ADORABLE HUBBY FOR ALL THE HARD WORK YOU DID WITH THE KIDS WHILE I WAS AWAY. I LOVE YOU.
YEAH, I WOULD DEFINITELY SUGGEST A RETREAT. PLAN ONE WITH YOUR SISTERS AND COUSINS. IT IS SO MUCH FUN. I CAME HOME WITH SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM ABOUT MY JOB AS A WIFE AND MOM. NOT THAT I DON'T LOVE BEING A MOM, BUT IT WAS AWESOME TO GAIN STRENGTH FROM HEARING THAT EVERY ONE ELSE YOU LOVE AND LOOK UP TO IS GOING THROUGH THE SAME THINGS YOU ARE AND THEY ARE SURVIVING. YOU WILL LAUGH A TON. THE JACUZZI WAS BROKEN SO WE ALL TOOK TURNS SQUISHING IN TO THE EXTRA LARGE BATH WITH JETS THAT WAS IN THE SUITE THEY GAVE US. WE LAUGHED, WE CRIED, AND WE FELT THE SPIRIT. I LOVE RETREATING.

BEING A MOM IS HARD WORK..........BUT TOTALLY WORTH IT.

I KNOW IT IS KINDA A CLICHE BUT IT IS SO TRUE THAT YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO BE A MOM UNTIL YOU BECOME ONE. I THOUGHT I KNEW, BUT I DIDN'T. AND, YOU TOTALLY APPRECIATE YOUR OWN MOM MORE.
I ALWAYS TOLD MYSELF THAT I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE MOMS WHO "NEEDED A BREAK" EVERY NOW AND THEN FROM MY KIDS, BUT NOW I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S NORMAL. I DON'T KNOW ONE WOMAN WHO FEELS DIFFERENTLY AND IT'S OKAY. THAT IS WHAT I HAVE LEARNED. YOU WOULD GO INSANE IF YOU DIDN'T GET THAT ALONE TIME. IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO TAKE THAT TIME SO THAT YOU DON'T LOSE YOUR SENSE OF SELF. I'M STARTING TO SOUND PREACHY SO I WILL MOVE ON TO SAY THANK YOU TO MY HUSBAND AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO HELP OUT IN THAT AREA. I APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH, BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT, I LOVE MY KIDS BEYOND WHAT WORDS CAN DESCRIBE. THEY ARE MY WHOLE WORLD. THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN BEING A MOM.

A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND, BUT I GOT THE BEST MAN!

SO, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, IT WAS MY HUSBAND'S BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY. I JUST WANT TO SEND OUT THIS SPECIAL BLOG FOR HIM. I WANT ALL THE WORLD TO KNOW THAT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND THAT HE IS THE BEST. THANK YOU, HONEY, FOR BEING THE GREATEST HUSBAND AND FATHER A FAMILY COULD ASK FOR. WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

TAG.....I GUESS

THIS IS KINDA DIFFERENT, BUT I WILL DO IT FOR YOU ALISE.

10 YEARS AGO I WAS ABOUT TO TURN 17. I HAD A BOYFRIEND WHO I WAS KINDA MEAN TO. HE GAVE ME MY FIRST "REAL" KISS AROUND THIS TIME TEN YEARS AGO, BUT I DUMPED HIM SHORTLY AFTER THAT. I ALSO GOT IN MY FIRST CAR ACCIDENT AROUND THE SAME TIME. THE FIRST OF MANY, BUT I AM GLAD TO SAY I HAVE BEEN ACCIDENT FREE NOW FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS.

5 THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST FOR TODAY: TAKE THE KIDS TO THE LIBRARY, BUY ORANGE JUICE, PAY A BILL, WORK OUT, AND WRITE IN MY JOURNAL FOR THIS 13 DAYS CLOSER TO CHRIST THING OUR RELIEF SOCIETY IS DOING.

SOME SNACKS I ENJOY: WHERE DO I START? I LOVE JUNK FOOD. HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, ICE CREAM, PITA WITH HUMMUS DIP, PIZZA, VEGGIES AND DIP, DILL PICKLES, AND ANYTHING FROM PANERA. I'M SO SAD THEY PUT ONE IN IN REDLANDS.

IF I WERE SUDDENLY A BILLIONAIRE I WOULD: SELFISHLY GO ON A SHOPPING SPREE FOR NEW CLOTHES. I LOVE FASHION AND NEW CLOTHES, BUT I HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THEY ARE THINGS THAT I CAN'T TAKE WITH ME TO HEAVEN. THEN I WOULD GIVE AS MUCH OF IT TO DIFFERENT CHARITIES AS I COULD. I'D DEFINITELY BUY A HOUSE TOO.

5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED: MONROVIA, UPLAND, RANCHO CUCAMONGA, SALT LAKE CITY, AND MENTONE.

5 JOBS I HAVE HAD: CATERING, WAITRESS AT MIMI'S CAFE FOR THREE YEARS, A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, ASST. MANAGER OF COPY CENTER AT OFFICE DEPOT, AND LIBRARIAN.

5 THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME: I PERFORMED IN A CHILDREN'S SINGING GROUP MY WHOLE CHILDHOOD. I WAS THE CO-CAPTAIN OF THE DANCE TEAM IN HIGH SCHOOL, I ATE SNAILS ONCE WHEN I WAS A BABY (STRAIGHT OUT OF THE GARDEN), I CAN BE KINDA SHY AROUND PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW, AND I WAITED FOR A MISSIONARY UP UNTIL SIX WEEKS BEFORE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO COME HOME AND THEN I BROKE UP WITH HIM IN AN EMAIL.

THREE PEOPLE I TAG ARE ASHLEY PATTERSON, BRITTNEY, AND MELINA

OUR FAMILY

THINGS ARE GOING GREAT FOR US. WE HAVE DECIDED TO START THE NEW YEAR OFF RIGHT BY GETTING INTO BETTER SHAPE. WE GOT MEMBERSHIPS TO THE GYM. PLEASE SHOW US ALL YOUR SUPPORT. WE NEED IT. OUR KIDS ARE STILL OUR WHOLE WORLD, OF COURSE. WE LOVE THEM SO MUCH AND COULDN'T IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT THEM. MARLOWE IS STILL THE LITTLE FIRECRACKER, CAUSING ME A HUGE INCREASE IN GRAY HAIRS. SHE LOVES TO SAY " I DO IT." SHE IS VERY INDEPENDENT AND WANTS TO DO EVERY THING HERSELF. HER OTHER FAVORITE PHRASE IS; "NO, I DON'T WANT" SHE IS A GIRL WHO ALREADY KNOWS VERY WELL WHAT SHE DOES AND DOES NOT WANT IN LIFE. WE LOVE THE SPICE SHE BRINGS TO OUR LIFE. MASON IS STILL A SWEET HEART. HE MELTS MY HEART WITH EVERY SMILE. HE IS A DADDY'S BOY, THOUGH. AS SOON AS HE WALKS IN THE DOOR MASON IS SPEED CRAWLING OVER TO HIM TO GET A BIG HUG. HE CLAPS HIS HANDS AND LOVES TO HAVE BOOKS READ TO HIM. WE LOVE HIM SO MUCH.

THE YEAR OF THE BANGS

YES, I CUT MY HAIR. I THINK I HATE IT. I WAS LOOKING ONLINE FOR CELEBRITY HAIRSTYLES THAT I LIKED AND MESE DISCOVERED THIS PROGRAM THAT YOU CAN PUT YOUR PICTURE IN AND TRY ALL KINDS OF HAIR STYLES ON YOURSELF. SO THE ONE THAT LOOKED THE BEST ON THAT PARTICULAR PICTURE WAS ONE OF ASHLEY SIMPSON'S HAIRSTYLES WITH BANGS. SO, I WENT FOR IT. FOR ABOUT THE FIRST WEEK, I LOVED IT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A LITTLE HARD TO GET USED TO. NOW I JUST HATE IT BECAUSE IT'S GOING THROUGH THE UGLY STAGE. I JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT, THOUGH UNTIL IT GROWS OUT MORE. AND WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE EVERY ONE ELSE I KNOW IS CUTTING BANGS TOO?

CRUISIN'

FOR CHRISTMAS MY PARENTS BOUGHT ALL THEIR KIDS A CRUISE. IT WAS SO AWESOME. WE ALL WENT FROM JAN.14TH TO THE 18TH. IT WAS LIKE A LITTLE FAMILY REUNION OUT AT SEA. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN. WE WERE SPOILED WITH DELICIOUS FOOD. TOO MUCH FOOD AND ALL KINDS OF FUN AND LAUGHS. WE DANCED THE NIGHT AWAY AND ROCKED THE KARAOKE BAR. WE JUST WISH WE WOULD HAVE HAD ALL OUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES THERE TO SHARE IT WITH. WE ARE GONNA TRY AND MAKE IT A YEARLY TRADITION AND GO EVERY JANUARY. THATS THE OFF SEASON AND YOU CAN REALLY CHEAP TICKETS. SO IF ANYONE WANTS TO JOIN US, LET US KNOW.
IT WAS SO NICE TO HAVE A BREAK FROM THE KIDS. LUCKILY WE KNEW THEY WERE IN GOOD HANDS. A HUGE THANKS TO MASON AND MELINA PATTERSON AND DAN AND GABBY HULL. YOU GUYS ARE SO WONDERFUL. WE LOVE YOU.