WELCOME SURPRISE

Brian and I were standing on the sidelines of a lacrosse game Thursday night,
when this email popped in on Brian's phone:


It made my night!

FARKLE, GIRLS, GOLD & PIGS

There ya have it!

That sums it up!

Week One with Simon

Monday:

Parker and Simon went bowling with some GIRLS.

Tuesday:

We went up to the cabin with some GIRLS.

We also went on a picnic and panned for gold.
I told you I was going to get rich!

I found a couple of rocks with flecks of gold, and I'm pretty sure I can cash them in for $1.79.

Wednesday:

(Still up at the cabin) Seven hours of game playing, with GIRLS though. It was awesome! We played Nertz, Scum, Farkle, Quiddler, Speed Scrabble and ate and ate and ate.

Thursday:

We came home from the cabin in time for Parker and Garrett's last summer lacrosse game. There were no girls involved. After seeing the boys being beaten with lacrosse sticks, Simon decided he would stick with golf.

Friday:

Garrett and Simon just left for the County Fair to see some GIRLS (and the pigs they raised). Garrett will have Simon back here in time for Parker's Sophomore Class Swim Party (where there will be more GIRLS).

So far, Simon is exhausted.

And we haven't even had time to hit up the non-GIRL activities like seeing the Denver Mint, the Natural History Museum, Hiking in Castlewood Canyon, etc.

Why do I have a feeling that when we DO do those activities, there will be GIRLS involved?

SEVEN (7) THINGS I LOVE ABOUT SUMMER

Ooo...Ooo...I'm late!

I almost didn't get to play.

But I made it back from our little trip to the mountains for Writer's Workshop from Mama Kat/

I liked all of this week's prompts, but I chose:

Seven Things I LOVE About Summer

1) Doing NOTHING!!!!!
Who doesn’t love those long days of nothingness? I love getting up in the quiet coolness of the morning and enjoying cookies and coke while reading the paper. (And the teenagers love that I am not waking them up). Then I putter around the house doing a couple loads of laundry, organizing things, watering the flowers, and grocery shopping. And then it’s off to the pool to do a whole lot of NOTHING. Come home, clean up, cook dinner and do some more NOTHING. Love it!!!!

2) READING
I love reading and it seems like there isn’t much time for sitting around the pool reading during the school year. Maybe because the pool is closed. I love historical fiction and mystery/thrillers……….no pulp fiction or chick lit though! Some recent good reads are People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, Moloka’i by Alan Brennert, Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom.

3) GRILLING
We probably use the grill 3 out of 4 nights that we eat at home. Chicken, Beef, Burgers, Dogs, Kielbasa, Veggies……..its all good!

4) SWIM SUITS
Call me crazy! I like em! I know they are a pain to shop for, but once I find one I like, I want to go to the pool all day everyday and live in it. Two of my pregnancies were spent being a beached whale by the pool. I loved it!

5) FRESH FRUIT
I don’t think I have to explain this one. Juicy watermelon, nectarines, cherries, peaches, all manner of berries. Eat whole. Eat cut up. Cobblers, crisps, pies, smoothies!

6) OTTER POPS
Fake Otter Pops. I don’t like the name brand Otter Pops. I like the off brand TROPICAL ones from WalMart. I like em because they come in flavors like Banana, Pineapple, Watermelon (or some pink flavor) etc.

7) Doing NOTHING!
Have I mentioned that I absolutely LOVE the fact that, for the most part, our days are unscheduled? The whole day is stretched before you. Should we go to the park, take a hike, see a movie, go to a museum, explore a place we haven’t been ……….or………do nothing?

RANDOM THOUGHT TUESDAY

It's everyone's favorite day!

Let's play Random Thought Tuesday with Keely at The Unmom.com/!

*Wow! Can you believe that I can't even think of anything random?

That's because I am cheating!

I'm writing this on Monday night because I am on my way to a cabin in the mountains with Parker and Simon (French Foreign Exchange Student) and some friends.

We're going to be kicking back, eating, playing games, panning for gold (I'm gonna be rich!), hiking, going on picnics, wandering around Breckinridge, reading and playing games.

*We've been teaching Simon important vocabulary words that his English teacher hasn't taught him. We are soooo service oriented at this house! You should hear the boys define "weird," "creepy," "tight," and "Sike!" But Simon has indulged us as well.

Garrett: "How do you say UGLY?"
Simon"Ugly."
Garrett: "Yeah, like, 'that girl is ugly.' "

Simon: "Ugly."

Garrett: "Yeah. What is the word."

Simon: "Ugly. We say ugly."

Garrett: "So how do you say......sexy."

Simon: "Same. We say sexy."

I guess we know all the French we need to know!

*You know how car rides with kids are an awesome time to TALK?

Over the years, I've trapped all the boys in the car to discuss important topics.

Garrett is the best. He stares longingly out the side window with one hand on the handle.

He's kind of saying a double prayer: "Please make her stop talking" and "I'm gonna open the door and dive out...save me!"

We've covered a multitude of important topics like SEX and DRUGS and well, the other day we covered ROCK AND ROLL.

It wasn't exactly rock and roll, it was more about hip hop.

We had a philosophical discussion/argument on who has done more for the industry:

Kanye West or Lil Wayne?

We're at an impasse.
At least we can both agree on sex.

*Bacon, Cupcakes, Butter, Avocados, Shrimp Cocktail, Sugar Cookies with Pink Frosting, Ham and Funeral Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy...

I'm hungry! Don't all of those sound good?

* Brian hates to play games - like card games and board games, and, well, head games too.

I like games and no one will play games with me except for Parker. But how many games are for two players? Here's where Simon comes in!

From the moment he got here, I've tricked him into believing that 1)we always play games and 2) everyone has to put their own dishes in the dishwasher after meals. So now HE is setting an example for the boys and the boys think THEY are setting an example for him. I just leave my plate on the table and walk away.

*I've got to do an update on Trammell in Cambodia!!!! But I will be out of town when his email comes Tuesday night. I won't have computer access for a couple of days, so you'll have to check back.

* Oh, I ordered some really cute Ed Hardy tennis shoes. I was hoping they would come by now. They aren't the usual dark colors with skulls. They are an aqua color with koi and geishas and skulls.

*You know how I hardly watch ANY TV?

Well, I have a new favorite show! Are you ready?

LA INK!

Yeah, I really like Kat Von D and the gang.

I have a sick fascination for all the people who come in there and get the most bizarre things tattooed: a pic of their dog on their calf, a screaming pumpkin on their cleavage, or a picture of themselves!!! <- well, half the face is themselves, the other half is a skull (that makes it way more understandable.)

Enough of the random! I have to get up tomorrow at 5 am if I'm going to get everyone out of here at 8.

UNSELFISH SERVICE

I substituted for Relief Society yesterday.
The lesson was on a talk give by Dallin H. Oaks in the last General Conference.

The title is Unselfish Service D (without the D but I can't do the link without the D). You can read the whole talk and it really is worthwhile.

I loved all the conference talks, but after reading this one 7-8 times and pondering it all week, I really came to love it.

The crux of this talk is that in order to come unto the Savior, we need to lose ourselves in service.

The Savior told his disciples:
“If any man will come after me [He said], let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” Matthew 16:24-25

I particularly appreciated that the title of this talk was not just "Service," but "Unselfish Service."

Sometimes we are reluctant to serve because we 1) don't have time - we're busy with families 2) we are afraid our efforts won't be good enough or 3) we feel like we already served and someone else should do it this time.

1) Sometimes our time is limited. There are definitely seasons when it is easier to serve. But all of us can find a little bit of time to help someone in need. We can make a phone call and friendship someone new. We can double our recipe and make an extra dessert or meal for someone. We can involve our children in service and let them reap the rewards and feel the happiness of serving at a young age.

2) Our abilities are good enough! We may not be gourmet cooks or concert pianists but neither of those are required to assist others. All of us have talents and abilities that can be used to help lift others. One sister told about livng in a tiny apartment that didn't even have room for a table. She was reluctant to have the missionaries over for dinner because there was no where for them to eat. She overcame her worries and served them dinner on TV trays while they sat on the couch. She and her husband sat on the floor with their plates on the coffee table. Everyone ate, everyone had a good time.

3)There is always plenty of work to go around. Just as we welcome help around the house from our husbands and children, our Relief Society Presidents, Elders' Quorum Presidents and Bishops welcome our efforts at visiting teaching, befriending less active members, reaching out to the youth, and assisting in anyway to lighten their burdens. We made convenants at baptism and in the temple to help others and to consecrate our time and talents to the Lord.

Gordon B. Hinckley said, “He who lives only unto himself withers and dies, while he who forgets himself in the service of others grows and blossoms in this life and in eternity.”

President Thomas S. Monson said, “You can never love the Lord until you serve Him by serving His people.”

As is always the case in Relief Society, we had a stimulating discussion and many were willing to share their experiences and insights. The time flew by and we obviously didn't get to discuss every aspect of the talk.

I highly recommend reading it!!!

BONJOUR!

We picked up our Foreign Exchange student today.

Simon is 14 1/2 and is from a village near Normany, France.

GOOD NEWS!

Although we do not know ANY French,

the Parker and Simon are FLUENT

in the international language of VIDEO GAMES!

In a Perpetual State of Giddiness!

It's time for Mama Kat's Writers-Workshop-l. I chose the prompt to write about something that makes me giddy.

We already know what makes me giddy:

But WAIT!

There's more!

You know how the BONEHEAD BROTHERS make me laugh, cry and tear my hair out all at the same time?

You know how they are 17-18 year old boys and they act like.........17-18 year old boys?

Yeah, they are loud, obnoxious, messy, and sweaty.

Yeah, they think they are cool and funny and soooo smart.

Yeah, their idea of fun is to take lots of food to the basement, play video games and talk about girls until I text them at 2 am and tell them to SHUT UP!

And you remember the BONEHEAD BROTHER'S REUNION?

It started last night when Garrett flew to Utah for a PARTY, PARTY WEEKEND with Tyler.

He arrived at 10:54 pm.

I told him to text me when he got there.

Check! He texted at 11:08.

And I told him to take lots of FUN pictures.

This was in my inbox this morning - sent from his phone.

Sometimes they surprise me!