Our First Campout of the Summer

We went camping this past weekend in Huntington Canyon. We drove down Friday afternoon to a secluded little campground on the left fork of Huntington Creek. We roasted hot dogs for dinner, sat around the fire and visited and later made s'mores. The temperature dropped into the forties overnight, and it was cold! We all survived, though. Saturday morning, Tracy got sick and slept in the tent for two or three hours. The boys played cards, Camary did a word seek, and I read (The Host! Yes, I finally started it) and worked on my latest story. (Almost done ... give me another week or so.) After we packed up, we stopped for lunch at the Electric Lake overlook, then went home and collapsed. All in all, it was fun. Next time we'll have to go when Tracy is healthy ...

In other news:
We got our chicks in the mail today. (Apparently, they'll deliver on Sunday if it's really important. I'm sure they don't want live chickens in the post office overnight.) We ordered twenty-five, but they throw in a couple of extras just in case there are casualties during transport, so as of now we have twenty-seven adorable baby chicks.

Sam's Birthday and The GOP Primary

Sam turned ten years old on Tuesday! My kids are all getting so big. He got some Lego Star Wars sets and a book called The Fire Eternal, part of a series he enjoys. We had cake and ice cream. He wanted a cake shaped like the Death Star. Yeah, right. I don't have Mandi's flare for cake decorating. So, he said he wanted it frosted red, like a Red Giant star. No problemo, right? Well, I found out that no matter how much red food coloring you dump in, the frosting is still pink. I decided it was dark enough anyway, and went to frost the cake, which promptly fell to pieces. Sigh. I told him it was a red giant in the process of going supernova. It tasted good, though.

That same day was the Republican Primary where Jason Chaffetz challenged 12 year incumbent Chris Cannon for the 3rd district congressional seat. Now, I've been voting against Cannon for years. I got excited about Chaffetz when Tracy was a delegate to the state convention. Chaffetz forced Cannon into a primary, where he beat Cannon 59% to 41% (they have to get 60% to get the nomination outright), so we almost didn't even need a primary. Well, I figured I had to do my part to get Chaffetz elected, so I volunteered for his campaign. I marched in the Art City Days Parade, put yard signs in my yard, and passed out about 150 door hangers in my neighborhood. All the volunteers were invited to the Election Night party. It was in Springville, so after cake and ice cream, Tracy and I went to the party. It was a blast, especially since Chaffetz won by 20% over Cannon! That's never happened to an incumbent before. I am so excited. (Since the 3rd district is the most Republican district in the nation, it's a pretty safe bet that he'll win the general election, too.) I think we really sent a message to our leaders and the Republican party in general that we are fed up with business as usual! Anyway, we were even on TV, cheering at the party. If any of you reading this live in the 3rd district, check out jasonforcongress.com to find out more about Chaffetz and his stand on the issues.

I am glad I got involved. I really felt like I made a difference. I plan to stay involved, too!

Fun, fun, fun

We had a great time on our trip to Vegas, despite the fact that the air conditioning in the van went out in Mesquite and we had a really hot trip across the desert. The rest of the week was great. We had fun swimming, watching movies, and playing with Ike, Madi, and Becca and visiting with Tiffany, Mom and Dad. Lindsay saved my life by letting me sleep at her house Thursday night so I could get to Cedar City by 9am to pick up Ryan from soccer camp. And thank you, Lindsay, for the wonderful diaper bag. I love it! Now that all the camps and pioneer treks are over, I wonder how we'll spend the rest of the summer. Swimming and camping are in the works, and we're excited to celebrate Sam's 10th birthday on Tuesday.

Boobobber Man

Remember having trouble figuring out the lyrics to some of your favorite songs when you were a kid? I used to listen to songs by Alphaville or Bryan Adams over and over again trying to figure out what they were saying. That was probably a mistake, now that I think about it. Part of the problem, of course, is having a limited vocabulary, or being unfamiliar with common colloquialisms or cliches. So now my kids are dealing with the same thing. I broke out my Styx album awhile back and Blue Collar Man seems to be one of their favorites. Except they didn't know what the singer was saying. So don't be surprised if you hear me singing along:

"I'm gonna be a boobobber man."

Weird Mail Update

Got an offer today to participate in a medical study for women who have lost their sexual desire. I'll just leave it at that...

The Real Obstacles

Okay, I have to admit that Camary and Xander are not really my biggest obstacles. The real obstacles are fear and self-doubt. But, I believe that, "With God, nothing shall be impossible." So I am no longer going to let fear and doubt stand in my way!

The Writing Chair

Well, I've been wanting a papasan chair for about forever. I found one on craigslist for $20! Yoohoo! It's in Tracy's and my office between the two desks where I can sit and look out the window and have a perfect, beautiful view of Mt. Loafer. This is my writing chair, where I will sit and create brilliant pieces of literature. Seated in the chair in this picture are my two biggest obstacles to brilliant pieces of literature. I wouldn't trade them for all the best selling novels in the world, though.
In other family news, Rusty spent last week at Timberline -- a youth leadership training scout camp up in Mt. Pleasant. He was considerably dirtier when I picked him up from camp. :) While I was picking him up, Tracy and the other boys ran in the Art City Days 5k. Good for them!

Up next . . . Tracy, Ryan and Rusty go on Pioneer Trek this weekend, and Ryan is going to soccer camp at SUU in Cedar City all next week. He has also begun his Salem Hills High Marching Band practices. I'll be spending the week with the other kids in Vegas while Ryan is at soccer camp. Tracy gets to stay home and upgrade the chicken coop and maybe even work on the front yard.

Return to Sender?

I get weird mail.

First there are the credit card offers. I suppose everyone gets those. I just wonder what they are thinking when I have all of $0 personal income.

Then there are the invitations to free hearing aid seminars, endorsed by Lavell Edwards no less. (He's the former coach of BYU football if you didn't know. And he's old.) Okay, my hearing may not be perfect, but I'm only 36! I'm not quite ready for a hearing aid yet. But thanks anyway, Lavell.

I also get personal mailers from Stevens Henager College. They say I fit the profile of their students. What, because I've been unemployed for the last thirteen years? Hey, I want to say to them, I'll have you know I am a college graduate, and no, I'm not looking for a new career. I may also qualify for financial aid. Okey Dokey. (Don't get me wrong. Stevens Henager College is a great option for those who want to do it. I just wonder how I got on their list.)

Weirdest of all, perhaps was the letter I got yesterday informing me that I've been chosen to be listed in Who's Who among American Professional and Executive Women. Cool. The little information card to fill out asked about my job title and all about my business. Too bad I haven't exactly been moving in professional circles lately. Did I mention I've been unemployed for thirteen years? And even back then I was only frying donuts for $5 an hour. (Hmm. Maybe those Stevens Henager people do know what they are talking about.) Well, if they want to list me in Who's Who Among America's Stay Home Mothers, I'll be all over it!