My 34th Birthday

I threw myself a birthday party this year. It was the first one ever. I'm usually out of town trying to escape the winter blues, and so my birthday doesn't get much attention.
This year I stayed home, and ya know, it actually turned out quite well.

I invited everyone up to my spec home that was just completed in Pleasant Grove. It's a huge million dollar home, and since I probably won't own it very long, I figured I may as well throw a party in it while I've got it.


I'd never made sushi before, but to my surprise, it really wasn't that difficult. Everyone made their own roll. Good thing there were left overs, because I forgot about breakfast the next morning!

See that scarf around my neck? It was made with loving hands by the lovely Heather Roberts.

I really, really really love this kitchen, and for the time being, it's mine....all mine!

Thoughtful Nicole made me a very special gluten free carrot cake. Everyone else had to eat chocolate cake with refined sugar and flour. Poor kids.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sushi party, and to make it even better, the partying didn't stop there. A few of us spent the night on foam mattresses and sleeping bags. For the next two days, we hybernated in the house, only going out to get food when necessary. Sometimes, we didn't even do that. This meal of bananas, edemame, popcorn and salsa kept us going strong for quite a while.

Sunday morning's activities included:

Yoga, or something like unto it,

Breakfast with left over sushi ingredients,

Conversation around the fireplace,

good, wholesome rapping,

and just plain being lazy.....all day long.

The next day we got snowed in and were trapped in a big house with fun friends watching videos, talking, laughing and eating. It was a rough three days, but together we made it through.
These are the troopers; the ones who stuck it out the entire 3 day weekend:







I adore both Emily and my D'Ogee. I'm not sure which one of them makes me happier, so I'm glad I got us all together.

I usually seem to connect with other red-heads. Don't know if it's just because there are so few of us or if there is something in our chemical makeup that draws us to one another, but Tanya is a red-head that speaks to me. Bonding with her this weekend was delightful.

As of this weekend, Matt is back in the picture as a romantic interest. I was hesitant to invite him to my party because we haven't seen each other since September, but in retrospect, I think it was a good move. We've seen each other every possible day since and so far seem to have a mutual interest. Emotions are so fickle, though. They can change at the drop of a hat, as I experienced with my first attempt to date him. Honestly, I'm keeping my guard up this time. Stay tuned for more drama.....

This is Keva saying a prayer over our last meal together: Papa Murphey's Kick-Ass Gourmet Vegetarian pizza. It was worth the stomach ache I received from eating it!

Super Dog!

He's so cooperative, he is...letting me do weird things to him and going along with it so passively. Look at that face. I'm confident he's enjoying this as much as I do. I know he was enjoying this:

It was kind of a surreal weekend. Leaving was like waking up from a good dream and stepping back into reality. It couldn't have been a more perfect way to turn 34, well, unless there was a beach involved, but I'll save that for another birthday.

Pet Psychic

I invited a pet psychic over today to get a reading on my dog. What an interesting experience that was. She sat down in my living room while I held D'Ogee on my lap, and for an hour and a half she relayed his thoughts to me. A lot of it rang true to me. Some of it I questioned, but according to the psychic my dog has a lot to say; the little jabber box. Here's what was on his mind today:

1. One of the first things he said was that he is getting much better food from me than he was with his previous owners. He has some stomach issues, but he feels better with the food I give him. I knew it would make a difference to give him quality food.
2. I'm supposed to give him a tablespoon of plain yogurt everyday to help his tummy.
3. He wants his toenails painted.
4. He's proud of himself for being a good watch dog. I need to tell him thank you when he's barking at people instead of hushing him. Then he'll be quiet. He likes to be acknowledged.
5. He's also proud of himself because he's so funny. He knows he makes me laugh all the time. He doesn't think the cat is very funny, though.
6. He's not jealous of the cat because he knows dogs are better than cats anyway.
7. He's trying to figure out a way to get the cat to play with him, but she isn't about to play.
8. He wants me to get another little dog so he can have a girlfriend that can be his pet.
9. He likes being my baby. He says it's ok to put clothes on him because then everyone says how cute he is. He wants a cowboy outfit. He doesn't want me to have any human babies because he wants to be the baby.
10. He must have seen someone fishing somewhere because he wants to see more of that. He wants to catch a fish. He also wants to bite a squirrel. He'd really like me to get a bowl of little fish and put it on the floor so he can look at it.
11. He worries about my health because he wants me to live a long time. He thinks I need to eat more protein and I need to take something for my stomach problems.
12. He loves the color of my hair. He thinks I'm very pretty.
13. He's worried about me leaving on a big trip somewhere (Costa Rica) because he's afraid of where he'll be left. I'm planning on leaving him with my mom on the farm. The psychic said he really likes my mom, but he's afraid she'll make him stay outside a lot and he's afraid of some big dogs around there. Mom and Dad don't have any other dogs, so I'm not sure what she's talking about. Maybe he's confusing the dogs for the cows!
14. His first owners were an older couple and he misses them sometimes, but he loves living with me and knows this is where he should be. He feels like his job is to help me mentally and emotionally and to protect me.
15. She sees me helping a whole bunch of children; maybe through dog therapy. I think I'll look into that. It sounds very fulfilling.
17. He says I'm a very good mom. He loves me very much.

OK, so with a dog like that, who needs a man? :)

I ran into my friend Johanna tonight at Cocoa Cafe while I was meeting with the Relief Society presidency. She asked me about something she read on my blog and suddenly I became nervous and I felt my face flush. Up until now, the only people who have had access to my blog were 2 of my sisters, or so I thought. I don't know why it embarrassed me so much to think of other people reading my thoughts, but I could hardly concentrate on the meeting. My mind was racing back to what I've written here and hoping I didn't say anything offensive or too vulnerable.
She told me she linked to my blog from Dainon's. Where did he get access to it? Then I remembered that one time, a long time ago, I got on my blog from his lap top for some reason and even though I shut it down before he could read it, it left its mark on his computer where it could easily be retrieved by someone who knew something about blogs.
Of course, the point of a blog is to share with friends and family what's going on in one's life, so I guess I should just accept that nothing is too private when it's posted on-line. I just wish I didn't know if anyone else was reading it or not so I don't censor my thoughts too much. Well, fortunately, I don't have that exciting of a life and my writing is not so compelling, so I don't have much to worry about. But in case anyone other than my sisters does stumble upon this boring, mundane, poorly-written blog that you probably don't want to waste your time reading anyway, just don't tell me about it, k? It'll be your little secret....shhhh......

Bringing in the New Year

I spent New Year's with some amazing people. I found myself sitting back, observing and feeling grateful to be a part of it all. Between a healthy dinner, an energy circle to welcome in the New Year, African dancing and drumming and creating vision boards, I think I've pretty much found the best group of Mormon hippies around!


Me and Dave relaxing by the fireplace.

The brave souls going out for a night hike....I wasn't one of them.

I also wasn't part of the early morning yoga group. Instead, I guiltlessly slept in until 11am.

This is Keva's adorable little brother Kent creating his vision board.

The artists painting their visions for 2008.

OK, even though I hate the cold, I have to admit, this is beautiful.

A candlelight dinner for 21.

Heather crocheting, Nicole napping and me playing with my hair.

John, Crystal and Melanie inspired me to learn to play the African Drums this year.

Emily and Melanie inspired me to wish I was an African dancer, but experience has told me I'm better off observing.

So, that was New Year's 2008. I've been meaning to sit down and create some intentions for this year. Now that my dog has gone to bed, I think it is time.

Christmas 2007

Miraculously, I enjoyed Christmas this year. Maybe it was the meds I'm on that helped me take my energy off of my own troubles and put it to better uses. Perhaps it was because of my sweet dog who came home with me and got spoiled for Christmas. Or it could have been due to a conscience decision I made to stay focused on Christ this season and forego all of the needless shopping, decorations, and traditions of Christmas. I think it was a combination of all of that and maybe more. I can't say that I loved the holidays this year, but at least I can say that I didn't hate them and feel depressed! One step at a time........



For years, I've been wanting our family to do something special for someone else rather than spend excessively on each other. Thanks to my sister Marlo, I had the opportunity to participate in giving Christmas to a family that really needed it. It wasn't so much the presents they needed, but the feeling that people cared about them. I watched my dad dress up in his Santa costume and go knock on the door of this humble family. Although, he wasn't sure how he'd be received, he opened his heart to them and they felt it. They could hardly speak as we brought arm loads of presents and food into their front room. My dad was as choked up as they were, so the whole event was completed in near silence, but in awesome respect and love for each other. I felt the spirit of Christmas, as well as a great love for my family who I shared that special moment with. It always impresses me to see people reaching out to love their brothers and sisters in whatever way they can. I'm so grateful for people who take action. Thanks, Marlo, for letting us get involved.


Dad in his Santa suit. What a jolly old elf.





This is my dog's first jacket given to him by Marlo and her kids.

D'Ogee will stay dry in his raincoat thanks to Joanna.

And if he ever gets asked to the prom, at least he'll have something to wear.

Chelsee likes to make weird faces. For such a cute little girl, she sure can look scary!
What a ham. I pity the boy who messes with her!