THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

I was recently going through some old photographs and was surprised at how many moments and relationships I had almost forgotten about. I then began thinking about where I am in my life now and all of the experiences (both good and bad) that have made me the person I am today. I am so grateful to all of the many people that have been there for me. I rarely stop to think of how my life would be different if it wasn't for the love and support of my family and friends. I believe that all of the experiences we have in our lives are for a reason. And when I reflect back on crucial "moments of truth" where my character was truly tested I begin to realize that those difficult choices would have been sink holes instead of steps of progression if not for the support of my loved ones. Aside from my family I think some of the most influential people in my life were my roommates. And as I reminisce of the good old days I want to thank each of my old roommates for believing in me when I rarely believed in myself. So, to my roomies of the past: "THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!"

Lacey this one is for you!

And for every other person who thought I fell off the blogger world. To be honest, now that this site is blocked at work, I'd almost forgotten about it. But Lacey reminded me that there is still joy in blogging- even if that joy isn't escaping from the mundane work day.
Our most recent adventure was a couple of weeks ago when Jason and I took the kids up to Idaho for the Godfrey family reunion. What a blast! They are such a fun family. Let me set the scene for one of my favorite moments there. It's a pretty, cool afternoon in Bonnie's yard. The mountain scenery surrounding us. The adults are casually reminiscing while the kids are running around with buckets of water. Each child trying to be the one to soak the "chosen" adult. It soon became apparent that my husband was that chosen one, when my daughter and some scheming cousins of hers surprised Jason with a couple of cups full of water. The war was on. Jason began chasing the kids wailing his arms about in hopes of catching at least one of them. It didn't take to long until he had a prisoner of his own. And into the water filled raft she went. But much to Jason's surprise there behind him stood Benji. All six foot five of him. Standing there, waiting. With little time to react, Jason was once again wailing his arms about, this time in an attempt to be let down. Oh he was let down alright. Once he had the opportunity to stand on two feet again he was ten pounds heavier- soaked from head to toe. To this day I can still hear the swish-swash of his shoes as he walks by. My only regret- I didn't have the camera! I can't wait to see what happens at the next reunion. I'll make sure to pack extra clothes and have my camera in hand.

CALLING ALL PRIOR PINNACLE TENANTS

So Allison and I were chatting recently and thought it would be a great idea to have a "Pinnacle Party." We want to have this reunion of sorts with our past Pinnacle friends. We're looking at having it some time in July. If you would like information regarding this party please leave me a comment with your email address and I will forward you the details. Also, if you have any suggestions or fun ideas for games please let me know (maybe a reenactment of our mud madness party). Please pass this on to anyone you know of who might be interested. I hope to hear from you all soon!

My husbands grandma passed away two weeks ago. Although she will be greatly missed, it was a good opportunity to see all the family. Jason's brother and his family flew in from Michigan and his cousin from Kentucky. I wish we could have spent more time visiting though.
Her funeral was this last weekend. It was amazing to me that I knew her, but I didn't really know her. As each person stood and told about their memories of her I saw a different side of her that I wish I'd been able to know. I started to regret that I never made more of an effort to get to know the woman they were talking about. Her and I would talk at gatherings but it was always your typical chit-chat.
It made me start to think about my grandma. I only have one grandma left. I've always felt extremely close to her. But I started to wonder, how many stories will I be surprised about hearing at her funeral (heaven forbid)? I've now set a goal to truly know the people that are meaningful in my life. So hopefully when their time comes I won't look back with regrets. Instead maybe I'll be telling the stories that no one knew.

Last week our family went tubing at Soldier Hollow with some of our friends. Now I have to admit, days before our adventure I had flashbacks of the last time I went tubing.
I was 13 and my friends and I had chosen a park that was famous among our neighborhood. I think it could be compared to sliding down the top of Mt. Everest (or so it seemed at the time). After reluctantly arranging myself on the tub, down I went. To be honest I don't remember whether or not it was even fun. All I remember is my friend Kristina breaking her arm. There she was with this contorted arm screaming with pain. That was my memory of what tubing was like.
So as we were slowly be pulled up the mountain I was more than a little afraid. With that in mind, I did what any parent would do. I sent the kids down first (someone had to make sure it was safe- J/K). They seemed to make it down in one piece. Knowing that I needed to make it down the hill to meet up with them, I carefully placed my butt in that little round hole. I wasn't sure how I would be getting out once I was finished, but at least I would be safe in the process.
Down, down, down I went. What was that sound? Did that come from me? Bursts of laughter were beginning until they became uncontrollable. THIS WAS FUN!! We went on for close to two hours. Each time making it a little more interesting. I think we might have made a world record for making it down the hill the fastest when we all decided to link our tubs together and make our way down. It was such a blast. For any of you who might have had a bad experience with tubing, I strongly suggest trying Soldier Hollow. It worked for me!

Time for Tubing!

Random Thoughts

Okay, so I'm not entirely sure how this conversation came about, but my husband and I were discussing how the phrase "neck of the woods" came about. Then I got to thinking, how does any phrase come to be a common known expression? Here are a few that when you really think about them they make no sense at all or just sound ridiculous!
"Bump on the Log"
"Smart Allec"
"Holy Cow"
"Close, but no Cigar"
"Lights are on but nobody's home"
"Rule of thumb"
"It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings"
I'm not sure what it will be, but I'm bound and determined to come up with a saying that man will still be using decades from now. And it will be at the top of those random thoughts, a thought that everyone who hears it will wonder "where in the world did that phrase come from?"