Green Motivation

Bumpa has agreed to pay 1/2 of the registration fee for all those that want to run in the SLC marathon; 1/2 marathon or 5K!

So generous!!

Just sign up BEFORE January 1st - when the price goes up and he will reimburse you!

I am totally in on doing the 1/2 marathon.

Nana & Bumpa said they would do the 5K.
I believe Dawney is planning on doing the 5K.

Just think how happy we'll feel at the end when we get our medals!!

Go down to the previous MARATHON post to get to the good link to see info on the race....OR Google the Salt Lake City Marathon. You can sign up there too.


http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_utah_salt_lake_city_half_marathon.html

there...I got the link back up here...now there are no excuses.

Donut Antics

Have you wondered what Chase is up to lately??

Someone from Chase's mission sent this picture to me the other day:

The missionaries were over for a meal, then they sang a song. I wish there was sound with the picture!

Chase sent his usual weekly letter this week. Here is an excerpt:

Ok here is an awesome story. So every P-day we go to the same Wal-mart and on the way we always drive past this donut store called Best Donuts. We always joke about the name and talk about how they have the self proclaimed Best Donuts. Well knowing me, of course I suggest we go try out these so called best donuts. When we pull up all the lights are off in the store, so we sit there for a second, then the owner of the shop, an asian guy, asks us if we wanted to buy some donuts. I told him yes of course, because they are the Best Donuts. They were about to close, but he let us in and showed us all the donuts he had left. I asked him if we could get discounts for the donuts since they were about to close. He was like, “Yes….I give you everything for 8 dollar.” There were over 50 donuts there! Of course we bought them! It turned out to be like 15 cents a donut or something. We all stuffed ourselves. I had like 8-9 donuts for lunch that day. Delicious. I do have to admit it made me kind of sick, but I would still do it again.

That is SO Chase! Makes me laugh. If you want to see more of his letter; see his missionary site:

chasemisison.blogspot.com

The Countdown Has Begun

First of all, I find myself continuously deleting and retyping this thing! Why?

Ok... Hayden and I said goodbye to my beloved Husband and his loving father on Friday night. We will not see him again for at least a year. I am hoping and praying that he will be home before next Christmas - which is the countdown I have already started using in my head. That's right - I'm already stuck on next Christmas - one year ahead of the rest of you.

Here are a couple of photos...

This first photo was taken after my "photographer" asked Mike why he isn't smiling? So, he gave us a cheesy grin!

If I had known that I looked so chubby, I would have asked my friend to take a few more pictures and remind myself to look up, not down. Oh well.

I don't know what else to say other than... I really, really miss him already - something awful.

Let's Fling This On The Wall And See What Sticks

There is a 1/2 marathon in Salt Lake City on

April 17, 2010.

Anybody want to run it??

I think it could be fun (as fun as running gets) to do it with lots of family and friends!

Here is a link to the information:

http://www.halfmarathons.net/usa_half_marathons_utah_salt_lake_city_half_marathon.html

It does cost $55 to enter until Dec 31st, then it cost $65.

The course looks like it is mostly flat and downhill.

Christopher, Steven and Heather all Graduate/have the ceremony on April 20th or 21st so we will be up there for that, so why can't we go a few days earlier to run a 1/2 marathon!

Zak says he'll run; no training....just carbo loading.

Come on!! Who else will do it?? Really!!
Running is not fun, it is hard, achy and sweaty work, but doing this with family could be ok. Think how good we'll feel at the finish line!

hope sings

If you were wondering what it sounds like you can click here.

Listen to, or buy, the christmas song (it's really good).

On the road to Vegas

You know, they say that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Unfortunately for my children, this didn't happen in Vegas but on the way to Vegas.




(Mom - push the play button to see the video)

I finally got the thing that allows me to upload the video files from the camera so that I can post them. This is part of what was in the camera when I was learning the software. The video is us (the Glenn family) driving to Las Vegas, heading for the Hawaiian cruise. The song came from Camp Earl Anna and the late 1970s.

Répondez s'il vous plaît

We are standing out....and NOT in a good way!

Apparently, we are not very good at the RSVP - no one on our (Steven's) side has done it!!

Please, let's all RSVP for Steven and Heather's wedding. You will need to be able to state whether you want Steak or Pasta.

Come on now - whether you are a yes, or a no, let's all respondez s'il vous plait!

Copy and paste (or maybe clicking it will work) this to go to the RSVP site:
www.theknot.com/ourwedding/StevenCole&HeatherMustard

Happy Thanksgiving!

Julie is busy cooking a turkey so I thought I would wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a great day filled with love and gratitude.

I'm thankful for a loud and energetic family who is fun to be around and who has lots of love to share. I'm thankful for my two wonderful boys, I'm so happy to have them. And for my husband who is very generous with his time and gives me lots of hugs and kisses. I'm also thankful for my new house that we are moving into on Saturday. I can honestly say that I love it!

I challenge everyone today to go out and do a little run/walk. It's a great way to begin your Thanksgiving holiday. I just got back from my run - small one today - and I feel good. Go enjoy the sun. Write back and tell about your day!

1/'2 of a 1/2

Today I ran 7 miles. My personal best. That's 1/2 of a 1/2 marathon.

Thanks for the inspiration Candice!

Look who's here...

Hayden Michael Stevens has come for a visit.

(He brought his parents with him)

Goal Accomplished!!!

Today I ran a half marathon from home (13 miles without stopping), and accomplished my goal of losing 42lbs after giving birth to Teo. It was a great feeling running my last two miles (very hard, by the way) knowing that all my hard work had paid off. And it was hard work!

I have 3 more weeks to prepare before entering my half marathon race in Oxnard, Ca. on Dec. 13th. I'll be thinking of Mom and Dad since it is their anniversary that day.

I've learned a lot about running and about coping with the pain. It takes me about 4 miles before my legs start to relax and I can run without pain, but at about 8 miles the real pain sets in. I'm not tired as much as I'm in pain. I feel like I could go much longer if my legs wouldn't hurt so much. The one thing I am thankful for is the voice inside my head. It is always positive and always encourages me on to the next stage. It tells me I am strong and that I can do it! I feel happy after I am done.

I also feel so happy I have a body that is healthy and capable of doing what I want. I know it is a blessing. I definitely feel ALIVE when I am running. Next week, I'll try for 14 miles so I can continue to push my limits. I'll be glad when my training is finally OVER!!!

and more interview updates!

Okay - I'm about at the end of all my interviews. Whew! This has been a long haul. Totaling 23 different companies, I have flown to Houston (twice), Washington DC (twice...and one more in December), Seattle, San Jose, and San Antonio. I decided to sign myself up for some frequent flyer miles, so now I get more free flights. I've received a total of 5 offers so far, with reasonably high expectations to get 4 more this week. I've eaten at so many fancy restaurants in the last few weeks that I am actually looking forward to making myself some mac & cheese for lunch.

Moral of the story for all you youngsters reading the blog: go to college. When you get there, do well and don't study something useless (like political science).

The $2.99 Special

We went to breakfast at a restaurant where the 'seniors' special' was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $2.99.

'Sounds good,' my wife said to the waitress. 'But I don't want the eggs.'

'Then, I'll have to charge you three dollars and forty-nine cents because you're ordering a la carte,' the waitress warned her.

'You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?' my wife asked incredulously.

'YES!!' stated the waitress.

'I'll take the special then,' my wife said.

'How do you want your eggs?' the waitress asked.

'Raw and in the shell,' my wife replied.

She took the two eggs home and baked a cake.


DON'T MESS WITH SENIORS!!!
They've been around the block more than once!

He's King Today!

Happy Birthday, Christopher! He's made the trip around the sun 26 times!

He got to have a free meal at Tucano's!

He's fielding many job opportunities.

What could be better?

Happy day to you!

Every Father's Nightmare - or Proudest Accomplishment?

I sent this picture of Katy to some of you by email. It's her in her Halloween costume. She's 13 until January (if she makes it). 13 year olds don't always make the best decisions... like me, right mom? I have certain worries about any boys trying anything "untoward" and Matthew ending up in prison... kind of. In case this sounds wrong, Katy has always made good decisions about boys and she is properly advised by her brothers! (and Matt won't end up in prison, but he likes her to think he would)

I Need to Know

Do you want to know the Nutrition facts of the recipes you make at home??? Like banana bread and chocolate chip cookies?

Go to this site; type in your recipe. It will calculate the facts and you will know!

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php?process=resubmit&count=7

Relief Society Lesson

I taught Relief Society today and I made this game board for my lesson.

I didn't necessarily want to throw it away at the end of the day, but what am I supposed to do with it now? So Gil took a picture so I could share it with all of you, and now I can throw it away!

My lesson was on "Faith in Jesus Christ." I gave everyone the article and let them read it through quickly. We then divided into two teams. Each team got to choose a question from the halloween bowl I used last night for trunk or treat. Then they got to roll the dice and move their token. Each game piece was a disney princess (Belle and Aurora). You can't see in the picture, but on the game board is a "path of obedience" which moves you ahead 4 spaces, the "depths of doubt" which make you lose a turn, and other parts from the article. We even had a winner at the end of the lesson, which I thought was good timing.

Teo crawled along the floor in front of me as I spoke and pulled himself up on the chairs where he could suck on the edge of the seat. What am I supposed to do, I'm teaching! All in all, it was a fun lesson. Sometimes, I just want to have fun in church and not be so serious. Even the RS president at the conclusion said, "that was fun." Now I'm free for another month.

more interview update

Wonder what I've been doing? Well considering the "down" economy and all, I decided I'd play the numbers game for getting a job. I figured that if I applied everywhere, I'd at least get one job offer, right? Well...try a dozen. So far, I have interviewed with 23 different companies. I have either already flown or will fly to San Antonio, San Jose, Houston (twice), Washington DC (three times), Livermore, and Seattle. I've been in DC most of this week also to present the paper at the conference I published in.

Basically what I've learned is that computer security is a really hot topic. If you want a job (or 12), tell people you do computer security.

Oh, the embarrasing situations I put myself into...

If only I were a Dr. Seuss book...

This morning as I drove my little children to their school 4 blocks away (that's another blog) I was wearing my usual no-work day uniform... soft gray Army t-shirt, cotton pink pajama bottoms with little black bows from Victoria's Secret, wool socks, and to disguise my lack of any supportive clothing, a big white zip-up sweatshirt. Hair tousled from sleep, a smidgeon of makeup under the eyes...you get the picture. After dropping them off I decide to indulge in McDonalds cinnamon melts and a small coke so that I can sit in my car and read a book I am LOVING (This impulse was probably in response to my conversation with Candice late last night about eating oatmeal or eggs for breakfast every morning with only an occasional bowl of cereal thrown in for a treat) before beginning my day of 14 jobs.
It was then that I noticed that I was seriously out of gas and I had to drive the Middle School carpool in the next 20 minutes. After briefly cataloguing my appearance I decided to pretend I was a queen and make a very brief in-and-out stop at the gas station. Off I headed to the nearest gas station, which was, of course, filled to the brim with customers. Not stay-at-home mom customers, but men on their way to work customers. I pushed down the embarrassment with a gulp, told myself I was a queen, and stepped out of the car with my head held high and making sure I didn't make eye contact with anyone.
I put the nozzle in the gas thingy, swiped my card and prepared to jump back in the car when the machine made this terrible beeping noise that said "look at me". I tried to follow the instructions on the keypad as instructed (enter phone #) (swipe card) (invalid loyalty card) (enter phone #) (etc.) but with every push of a button the keypad beeped longer and louder. It was now saying "Everyone look over here at the stupid lady who can't work a keypad" Then finally the message everyone dreads scrolls across the screen, "Check with cashier". I said to myself, only sort of out loud, " I don't want to go see the cashier" I think the cashier heard me because over the LOUD SPEAKER comes the disembodied voice of this supposed cashier saying "YOUR CARD READS INSUFFICIENT FUNDS".
"Thank you so much" I say a little facetiously. As I replace the gas nozzle, screw on the cap, and close the lid I can't decide between continuing the "I am a queen" pretense or just laughing at the total humiliation of the entire experience. I gave up the pretense and chose laughter! So, if you needed a good laugh today, go ahead and laugh with me!

PS. Candice has lost 99.9% of her baby weight because of her diet, and ran 9 MILES yesterday in preparation for her half-marathon!!! HIP HIP HOORAY FOR CANDICE!!

Comedy this week...

Mark and Dawney will be performing in Orem, at the Wiseguys Comedy Club on Thursday, Oct 22. The show starts at 8:00 PM. The cost is $5.00. This is a fundraiser for the UCI High School Ice Hockey Team--they need funds to purchase ice time. We'll be doing about 10 minutes--longer, if people actually laugh. The entire show is clean--Nana and Bumpa are invited!! Bring the kids!

Bumpa's First Blog

I am in the Family History Library, in the Special Collections room. I decided to write a blog. First I read all of Chases letters on the blog. Then I read every blog, and every comment of every person on the blog. How informative... and entertaining. I guess I have a new activity for when I get bored. When I am on "the floor" it would be harder to do because I am supposed to be helping patrons... which I enjoy doing.

I have tried to blog before but just could't figure it out. I hope I have this time.

Nana went to yoga this morning.... after we walked. She really likes yoga and I really like her to go because it really helps her flexibility. We walk almost every single day... about 25 --35 minutes. We both feel a lot better when we start the day with a walk.

Nana broke a barrier this morning with her weight at 149. It has been a log hard strugle but she has been relentless. A big hip hip hooray for her. She has lost weight very slowly, but very consistently, which is the best program. She has lost 16 pounds in about 18 months. Meantime.... I just continue to yo yo but I must admit I have not been as faithful as her.

Since we returned from the Omni Clinic in Las Vegas she has been way better in her eating habits. It is clear that most of her health problems seem to be from her food alergies....... bread (wheat) dairy, sugar. She has felt much better since we came home and I think it has given her a strong motivation.

Well.... that was a long blog

Until we meet again

Bumpa

NEWS!

We're engaged! (Big surprise, I know).

Heather and I had already gone ring shopping together, so the challenge was coming up with a way to actually surprise her.

Here's how I did it:

We went out to dinner and then came back to Nana's to watch a movie downstairs. It was a typical date, nothing out of the ordinary. After the movie had been playing for about 10 minutes, I said that I had to go to the bathroom, don't stop the movie for me. A few seconds after I left the room, the movie abruptly changes scenes and I pop onto the screen. Surprise! I talk to her from the screen for a minute, then I point to the doorway and say that there is someone who needs to say something. The screen goes black, then I came out into the room playing my guitar and sang her a little song. Then I dropped to one knee...

...and she said yes. The end!

BABY PICTURES!!

Here is our boy.




















Cutest little baby in the east


















Handsome, just like his Daddy!

Hey You!

As I was picking Tanner up from school today I saw something that I was not expecting. I was sitting in my car watching students come out of school and walk down the street (I pick up Tanner a block away from school). Boy #1 was following boy #2 and right as they got to my car, which was parked across the street so they didn't see me, boy #1 punches boy #2 in the stomach, laughs and then turns to walk away.

Boy #2 falls to the ground and looks behind him to see where the other boy has gone. As soon as he sees that the boy is walking away he begins to hobble away (really hobble, and I'm wondering if he is exagertating or not - you know sometimes they're just playing and it just looks real).

But I begin to think, "should I do anything???" SO I roll down my window, and in my best "teacher" voice I say, "I SAW YOU!" The boy stops in his tracks and stares at me. He does not run away . . . so I continue. "That was not OK, that is being a bully. You need to go apologize to that kid right now." To my utter surprise he puts his head down and says, "ok." I was not expecting that.

So he begins to turn around and walk back towards boy #2. By this time boy #2 is a good block away. So boy #1 begins running to catch up with him. Boy #2 hears him, and so he starts running too!!! He thinks the boy is coming back to hit him some more!! The more boy #1 runs, boy #2 runs faster, until they are about three blocks away from me (Tanner has still not come by this time). So after running three blocks after this kid, boy #1 gives up and starts to walk back where he was going.

By this time the flood of children have begun to come out, including Tanner. I ask him if he knows that boy (#1). He says yes, he is in MOST of his classes. I tell him the story and ask if he thinks that they were just playing. He says no. I guess this boy has a reputation. I decided I taught him enough of a lesson, so we drove away. As we drove down the street, we passed boy #2 far away. I was going to call out to him to see if he was ok, but he looked fine and I didn't want to embarrass him.

Beware what you do . . . you never know who's watching!!

Job hunt!

I have 5 interviews tomorrow. I had 1 today. I have 1 on Friday. I've had many more in the last 2 weeks. I've talked to all sorts of places, ranging from local jobs in Provo and/or SLC to much larger companies. I am flying out all over the United States in the next month. I've spoken to the CIA, FBI, NCIS (mostly because of the TV show) among others. I accidentally mentioned DirecTV in my interview with Dish Network (they didn't appreciate that...I didn't get a job offer there). So far the my favorite job has been working for Ernst & Young as a hacker. This job is in Houston, which would be funny because we all know that is where Chase is. I've gotten USB drives, water bottles, frisbees, squirt guns, flashlights, t-shirts, candy, pens, yo-yos, a sweatshirt, a travel bag, a pocketknife, several dinners, and a hand sanitizer that looks like a highlighter (that was the FBI's).

The job hunt is exciting and tiring, and practically like a full-time job itself.

Unattended briefcase!

Yesterday at work things were humming along nicely, busy but not frantic. I am on the phone with a patient when a man comes walking in carrying a black briefcase. I smile at him and motion for him to sign in and then I continue with my telephone conversation. Imagine my surprise when he briefly shakes his head, places the briefcase on the counter right in front of me and starts to LEAVE THE OFFICE. I have never seen this briefcase before. He has not said a word and HE IS LEAVING??? I frantically wave my hand at him to get his attention and motion for him to STOP and WAIT! My head is full of images of warnings from the airport regarding unattended luggage and the many terrorist and spy shows I have watched on television. I am NOT going to let this man out of my sight until I have an explanation!...But instead of stopping, he turns and begins walking even faster out of the office. I drop the phone and race around the reception desk calling for him to stop. He begins to run so I hop out of my shoes and race after him. I leap for the tackle and....

OK. I got caught up in my imagination there...but all that DID race through my mind as I motioned for him to stop and wait. He did. The briefcase had some equipment he had borrowed to help with his treatment (I don't know what). We all got a good laugh out of my instinctual response to the idea of an unattended briefcase sitting on my reception desk.

New Running Shoes

Yesterday I had a great experience buying new running shoes. I have needed to buy new shoes since mine were a couple years old and I know were not doing me any favors. I was referred to a "real" running store in Sherman Oaks where they "fit" your foot for the right type of shoe. So I packed up Teo in the stroller and off we went to the store. It was actually quite close to my house.

The man/boy who helped me was very nice. I'm guessing he was Christopher's age. He first measured my foot and checked my arches to see where I needed extra support. He then brought me out three different shoes to try - I didn't do any of the picking, he did it all. I felt like one of those clothing stores where you sit on a couch and the sales people bring you all the clothes to try on.

He was very informative and told me that these were the best type of shoe for my foot. He brought out three different makers, for my type, and for me to choose the most comfortable one. As part of the process, he had me run on a treadmill while a camera filmed me from behind to check if the shoes were doing what they were supposed to! It was very fun.

As I purchased the shoes he asked if I wanted any information on running groups in the area - I said, "of course." He told me of a mom's group and other ones I could join. He also told me of a half marathon in December I could do in LA. I'm very tempted. Maybe Tatia could come down and join me!!!

In the end I chose a purple Reebok (see picture above) and went running in them this morning for the first time. They felt great and I felt great. I'm happy to have my new shoes.

Katy's "What If" assignment

Katy wrote this piece for a class at school. She is 13 years old and in the 8th grade! This is the second of this type of assignment she has gotten. It is called a "what if." This one is, "What if You Could Win Any Competition in the World."

Katy Payne
Period 3
What If #2
9-30-09

"On your marks!" yells the starter. I bend down into my starting position. I'm focusing on the track in front of me. My heart is beating faster than ever. Beads of sweat are forming on the back of my neck. I am thinking of nothing but passing the finish line.
"Get set!" he yells louder this time. I unbend my legs, knees still slightly bent, my chest stays low. My back leg starts to quiver. I close my eyes, trying to clear my head and calm my nerves. The butterflies in my stomach seem about to burst through the skin. I open my eyes, completely refocused.
I take a deep breath and then, bang! I push off with my front foot as hard as I can. I stay low, slowly lifting my chest for about five paces. I relax my face, not wanting the extra tension to slow me down. I focus on two things as I run, my breathing and the finish line.
I'm coming around the bend, just over one hundred meters left to go. As soon as I reach the final stretch I really have to push myself, make my body go faster than it feels is possible. Two other runners are gaining on me. I can hear their footsteps growing closer. I breathe harder, in through my nose and out through my mouth.
I've made it to the straight away now and I can't believe my heart is able to beat this fast. I see the crowd cheering all around me, yet I can't hear a sound they make. The finish line is getting closer and all I can think about is my dad, waiting for me there and screaming louder than anybody else in the stands. The runner in the lane next to me is out of my peripheral vision almost completely, just her arms show up with every arm pump she does.
I'm almost there. Just a few meters in front of me is the white line that tells me I'm done. I can't see the other runner at all anymore. A smile begins to stretch across my face as I sprint past the finish line. I've won and all the noise rushes to my ears. I continue to run. I go straight towards my dad. Every race I've ever been in, he has always been there, waiting for me with a smile from ear to ear and outstretched arms.
I did it. I won the two hundred meter dash of the world Olympics. I can't believe that my biggest dream has come true in under thirty seconds. I hold my dad so tight that I'm not sure if he can breathe. I can tell he doesn't mind because he tells me, "Katy, I am so proud of you."

------------------
I'd like to post her other ones. I'm thinking of starting a blog for people to post writings such as this. Stories or journals or poems. Do you think I should start a new blog or keep posting these here?

Bart
VERY Proud Dad!

Conference is this Weekend. . .

Sunday night at Christopher's party when Tatia was feeling 'over the moon', Kerry told me about something he had overheard. It was about Daniel and Katy. They are the same age, however, Katy is half a body taller and gossamery. This is how it went . .
Daniel: "Oh, conference is coming up this weekend."
Katy: "Soo"
D: "Well, we'll get to hear Elder Uchtdorf talk - he always talks about airplanes."

It made my heart say, 'Thank you".

After the Defense

So, after the "defense" which took a bit of time, the men in charge let Christopher leave and when he came out into the hall, he said, "OK, let's go celebrate." We were all hungry and it was decided that we would go to "Chuck O Rama". That way, everybody gets to pick the food that they want. It turned out very nice as you can see by Griffin's smile. He is enjoying his food but, mostly he liked his rootbeer.







Here is Kylie being a perfect lady quietly eating her choices. She enjoyed her food.



Zak is a good eater and he enjoyed the cornucopia of assortments.



Quinn was pleased that day about the way his clothes turned out. He says when he gets dressed, he just picks any t-shirt, then any pair of shorts. (He never thinks about what he is going to wear). On this day he just happened to get a shirt and shorts that coordinated! But I think at a buffet he makes a decision about everything that goes on his plate. Both Quinn and Zak were very fun to talk with.



Here is Steven and Heather. They make a beautiful, fabulous couple!! I think we will be seeing more of Heather. Heather, we love you!!



Sorry, I guess when I was taking pictures, Christopher must have been looking for more food, cause I didn't get any pictures of him! And he looked so gorgeous, too, dressed in an elegant suit, tie, and white shirt. Very clean shaven and classy!!! We love you Christopher, and are sooo proud of you!

Now, here is the little family as they are ready to leave our home and drive to CA. Griffin cried (a lot!)because he missed Daniel. Everyone else seemed happy to leave. We shall miss them. They have a long ride ahead of them.



Kerry is backing out of the driveway. Kylie is waving her last tata. Goodbye all.
We enjoyed you all so very much. Drive safely and come back soon. We love you.

CHRISTOPHER'S DEFENSE

Yesterday we went to Christopher's defense (defending his Master Thesis). It was all about technical stuff - I didn't understand. I was just in awe how different our lives have been, and yet we are connected as Nana and beloved grandson. Anyway, as I sat there listening to him talking to his professors about all this new stuff that he had researched and they wanted to use in their teaching I thought about all the things that I can do better than Christopher!! Here are ten of them . . .
1. Herd cows.
2. Churn butter.
3. Clean my house 'till it shines like the top of the Chrysler Building!
4. Grow tomatoes.
5. Create a bouquet from my flower garden.
6. Make a snuggly quilt.
7. Pick Currents.
8. Pick the feathers off a chicken and pull out it's guts.
9. Brag about 22 grandchildren
10.Lose my big toenails!!

CONGRATULATIONS! CHRISTOPHER! WE LOVE YOU!

PARTY FOR CHRISTOPHER

Okay, I can't seem to get any pictures on the blog. Is it that too many people have used my computer lately? I don't know only that I have wasted hours!! Sooo, I'm just printing that we are celebrating Christopher's "defense" Sunday evening at 5pm. CARNE ASADA for all!! We want everyone to come!! But, if you want food, you must RSVP!! We want everyone to come - including CMP, TEO, Tanner and GIL. Plus, Bethany, Mike, and Hayden!! We will be done up in Blue and White (even if they are once again rated 20th) Love you all, see you Sunday at 5!!

Defense

Christopher will defend his thesis this Monday on BYU campus at 12:00pm. All the Coles will be there showing support!

We will be at Nana and Bumpa's house late Sunday afternoon. We are hoping to see lots of cousins.

We drive home on Tuesday. Yes, it is a quick trip.

We are not allowed to cheer or clap. We are to pretend that we are in court.

Congratulations, Christopher!

Glenn Family Update

Helped Tim and Hope move on Saturday. Nice new apartment in the Avenues. The darling kids are happy as clams.

Jessa sprained her ankle while helping. She made a conscious choice to fall down and let their computer monitor land on her, rather than dropping it and breaking it. She starts a new job tomorrow, working for U.S. Bank. Although she misses all her friends at Wells Fargo, the new job pays more and much less stressful.

Morgan had 2 of her wisdom teeth pulled on Thursday. She was paid $30 to participate in what amounted to a practice session for some new nurses at this study place. She had had the other two pulled previously and got paid a couple of couple hundred for it. Unfortunately, this time, not only was she paid much less, the medication she had to buy cost $24. Net gain - $6.

Dawney has a new job working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. She's calling people to get them to volunteer to be locked up for an MDA fund raiser.

Mark & Dawney are performing in comedy competition on Friday at the WiseGuys club in Orem. The show is PG-13. I am thinking of asking Mom and Dad to come. The rest of you are all invited. But I will probably post something more explicit about that tomorrow.

Teo Graduates!

Teo graduated from his bassinet to his crib last night for his first all nighter. It was not planned, but I could not cram him into his bassinet any longer since his legs would not fit! He also has been wanting to roll over in the middle of the night and he can't do that either with the limited space.

So last night I put him in the crib in Tanner's room where he had plenty of room. He rolled around all night long and only woke up twice, as opposed to six times the night before. And he didn't wake up until 8:30am! That's the longest he's ever slept.

He obviously loves his crib, and I'm happy he's happy. Let's hope this begins many more sleepfull nights!

Girls Night Out!

Tonight is my first night out WITHOUT the baby. I am not taking him with me.

I am going to my favorite restaurant (Claim Jumper) with my Monrovia friends. I have already decided what I'm eating even though it is NOT on my diet plan. I am having french onion soup. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

I will feed baby at 8:00pm and then leave for my night out. There is milk in the fridge for Gil to feed to baby.

Wish me luck, dumbbell!

Monday Meeting??

I know we have not done the usual "Monday" meeting lately, but I told mom (nana, sherma) a few of the items I am using to get me through the day and she wanted a real list. So, here is my public list of some of my favorite products that are VERY low in carbs and taste good. Some taste like a REAL treat.

Ok, First off------------------------------->>>>>>
We have the Ocean Spray Cran-Lemonade. It is SO good. Only 5 calories, carbs don't even register in my mind. Really a great drink. It just a nice change from regular water; which I really like too.



Next is an item that is NOT my favorite. I just put it here so you do not get confused and buy it.

It sounds good, but I did not care for it particularly.

The Atkins Caramel Chocolate Peanut Nougat Bar

So, this one, I do NOT recommend.








Oh, My Goodness! This is the ONE! It is SO good, kind of like a Snickers!!

Atkins Caramel Nut chew Bar

You can see why I confused and

bought the other, non-reccommended bar, I thought they were about the same. No.
This is the good one. It also only has 3 Carbs!!






Another good one:

Atkins Coconut Bar

So good, and only 3 carbs also



I will usually have 1 bar a day, around 3 in the afternoon. It is a great snack and it really tides me over till dinner.

You can buy them at Walmart or CVS, or possibly your grocery store.

And there is also the good old celery and jicama. I eat those too. They taste good!

Friends

Sherry VanWagenen just asked me to be her friend on Facebook!!

I said yes.

Someone Noticed!

A casual friend that I haven't seen in a while saw me today at school and noticed (in a VERY nice way) my weight loss. She could have said "you are fat, but not as fat as you were", but she didn't. She told me the other day she saw me walking and she mistook me for another friend that has a FABULOUS figure; really the figure that is hiding inside of me.

That was really great.

Oh, she also called me a "blond mom".

Now look at the post below and take the quiz.

Quiz for People Who Know Everything

I think we can all agree that this is family of very smart people. Or at least smart alec people. I got this quiz in my email this morning. Out of nine questions, I got three and a half correct. (And I am brilliant, as most of you know)

I am posting the questions here and the posting the answers in the comments. Don't Cheat. Answer the questions and then post how many you get correct. Partial credit is allowed (I got one of the vegetables in #3, that's my 'and a half').

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way.. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters "dw" and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar... Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter "S."

"DAY OLD CHILD"

My day-old child lay in my arms.
With my lips against his ear
I whispered strongly, "How I wish -
I wish that you could hear;

"I've a hundred wonderful things to say
(A tiny cough and a nod),
Hurry, hurry, hurry and grow
So I can tell you about God"

My day-old baby's mouth was still
And my words only tickled his ear.
But a kind of a light passed through his eyes,
And I saw this thought appear;

"How I wish I had a voice and words;
I've a hundred things to say,
Before I forget I'd tell you of God -
I left Him yesterday."
Carol Lynn Pearson

For Bethany

Bethany, I wrote this yesteday for you, and got it on the blog! But, somehow, I pushed a wrong button and it all went away. Anyway, thinking about my new little great grandchild, and then thinking about you as a child, my heart spilled over and I wanted to tell you this:

Before I go to bed tonight,
I just wanted to let you know
That my Love for you is very strong
And will continue, always, to grow.

Before I go to bed tonight,
I thought that you should hear,
The times when you were tiny and we spent together,
I hold so very dear.

Michael Hayden Stephens

My name is Michael Hayden Stephens. I was born at 3:53 PM (EST), on Sunday, September 6. I weigh 8 lbs 12 oz. My daddy says that I look just like my big brother Ryan (which means that he is one cute little bug). My mommy is doing just fine. We are having our first feeding right now, and Daddy is taking lots of pictures.

My Grammy and Papa are very, very excited and can't wait to see me in person!

We're having a BABY

Beth's water broke at 4:00 AM, EST. They are in the hospital, watching TV. Beth is on a pitocin drip and an epidural. Seven hours into it, she is only dilated to a 4. This is going to be a long one. Will update everyone when it's over.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GIL!!

Happy Birthday, Gil. Just look what you have accomplished in the last two years!!





Here is Candice and Gil in Paris on their honeymoon. Standing in front of the Eiffel Tower.



I think a ferris wheel (especially one in Paris) is a wonderful place to be romantic.



I love this picture of the whole family.



Kissing his pride and JOY. His Mom and Sis (Linda) flew out from Chicago to come to church for the blessing. How beautiful, wonderful, and supportive they were to Candice.



I love this picture of the family seeming very relaxed,and having a great time.



Just so you can see once more, and happily remember what a fun time we all had at their wedding on Mar 31, 2007. Gil, we love you, and have so enjoyed you. The children especially have enjoyed pulling the playful monster out of you so that they can scream and run and hide and hope that you find them! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!