Stand Back -- I'm a RadKid!

Our school offers RadKidz to the 3rd graders during their PE class.  RadKidz is a program designed by a police officer to teach kids how to handle danger.  It teaches them to run, that they do not have a right to hurt another person unless someone is hurting them and that its not their fault so they should tell someone.  Then they teach them how to defend themseles.  Its a really good program.  When they are done, they do a simulation with the kids, allowing their parents to come see what they've learned and helping the kids to try out their newly learned skills.  Taylor had her simulation this past week. Isn't she cute in her elbow pads? 

 They start out by having the group show off all the different "moves" - hits, jabs, kicks, using their hands, elbows, knees, feet and even heads to "fight off" their attackers.  They also teach them to scream things like NO NO, GET BACK, when they are hitting. 

 After they show us the moves, they show us the moves in action against pads. 

Then they do the simulation part.  Each child takes a turn.  First a stranger approaches them, and tries to get them to go with them, so they scream and run away.  Then a stranger approaches them (a dummy) and "reaches" for them so they pepper him (punch his eyes) until they can run.  Last, a stranger approaches them (a police officer dressed in protective gear) and corners them.  They don't have anywhere to run so they tell him to stand back and when he grabs them, the kids get to use ALL the skills they've been taught to get away from him - kicks, elbow jabs, head butts, punches and hits... Taylor got off a kick just as he picked her up that I think would have caused ANY unprotected guy to drop her.  There was a very solid THUD as her foot met his protective padding.  The coaches stand near by and remind them of other things they can do until the "stranger" drops them and they can run away.  Taylor told me it was a little scary having him grab her like that, but I think it empowered her.  I was proud of her for not playing shy... she really stuck it to him.  I took a video of it, but I have yet to figure out how to post them on here.  Very proud of her!

Just like the old days ...

I didn't realize it at the time, but last Sunday marked 11 years for us in our neighborhood.  Its been a great 11 years.  I'm grateful for the amazing neighbors and friends we've made over the years.  We feel so blessed to have this "framily" in our lives.  Our friends really are like family to us and our kids.  After our tailgate, we had lots of leftover pulled pork so we invited our friends over for a spontaneous afternoon dinner, just like old times.   The first few years we were here, we often spent time on Saturdays or Sunday afternoons relaxing in the yard with a simple barbecue or dinner.  With these gatherings we watched the kids grow up and we felt at home.  Since then, we've all had more kids, we've all gotten busier, we've made additional friends and life has just gotten busier so we don't hang out like this as often as we used to so this dinner brought me back to that simple time in our lives. 

 Also makes me glad we never put in a fence because it was fun for the kids to be able to play in our yard and the Walkers (even though they weren't home) and for the "big boys" to play football.

 Just relaxing with friends ... this is what life is about. 

  

 Wow - now that is a lot of girls!  And its not all of them either!  The group who was here.  Hansons, Becks, Gormans, Chilcotes, DeRoests, Bowens, us - 7 families. Break down the kids ... 14 girls, 9 boys ... of the 23 kids, 2 boys are teenagers, the rest are 12 or younger!   (Plus Taylors snuck in for a bit at the end after their family commitments).  Good times!

Steve and our neighborhood celebrity look-alike ... he calls her Cameron more often than he calls her Paige.  (Cameron Diaz ... but not sure this picture shows it that well).

I love this little guy ... major hunk.  He was so content to wander around yard, munch on Taylor's cheetos and watch everyone else. 

Ahh... the joys of summer days ... (ok, so its almost fall, but it sure felt like lazy days of summer). 

Football Season

Football season brings tailgating ... which is half the fun.  Our first tailgate of the season was definitely ALL the fun of that first game as our Cougars ... well, 7 turnovers is more than we need to mention of that game.  Our tailgating includes a lot of good friends, lots of amazing food and of course some football.  Tom has an amazing arm and with Steve's gloves, he doesn't miss many passes. 

The Becks joined us this year for the first time.  Jason and Kelli and Zach returned for another season as well. 

 Steve's co-workers Ryan and his son and Tom and his wife joined us as well.  Ryan has a smoker and offered to smoke some meat for us ... this is what made the tailgate!  Amazing smoked pork and chicken.  Thanks Ryan!  Dallas and Robyn always join us too, along with Tom, Ken and their kids.  And a few of Dallas and Tom's co-workers too.





 All in all, it was our largest tailgate crowd and that made it lots of fun!  Thanks everyone for the amazing spread of food and many good friends. 

We are true blue Cougars but it did take me a whole week to post this (and a win against UCF). 

Go Cougars! 



Racing the Kane

Steve ran another 5k race last week ... it is called Racing the Kane.  It is in Orem at Mountainville HS.  It is a fundraiser for the workers in the kane fields in the Dominican Republic.  Steve ran it last year too. 

While Steve ran the race, the girls got their faces painted and climbed on the "Bruins" sign. 

Steve did well. 

Alyssa really wanted to run, so we registered her.  I wasn't sure if she wanted to run or just wanted the "free shirt" and "free breakfast".  The other two girls weren't interested at all.  While Steve was running, all Alyssa had cared about was her face paint and prizes.  But once he finished, she started getting very focused and stretching.. 

Alyssa took her stretching very seriously, and did more stretching than probably about 99% of the people who had run that day.  I was even afraid she was overdoing it and would be tight as a result.  BUT, I have to say, she ran better than I've ever seen her run.  Her run was smooth and coordinated and athletic looking.  It was quite fun and exciting to watch her.   

There were 8 girls racing in her age group.  In past races Alyssa has run, there have been more like 20-30 in her age group.  Alyssa typically finished bottom 3-4, but we were pleased because she kept running the entire race.  We just asked her to run the entire race ... we want her to learn to pace herself.  This time, we said the same, just pace yourself, run the whole race and give it your best.  She did exactly that. 

As she was wrapping up the race, we realized she was in 4th place.  We told her to push hard and go for it.  She didn't realize HOW close she was to the front of the pack.  She ran through the finish line literally a step behind 2nd place, unfortunately, another girl was only 1/2 step behind so she finished 4th.  It was about as close to a photo finish as a kids race will come.  We are so proud of her.  She learned that pacing yourself is important and that giving EVERY last ounce of speed and energy at the end is extremely important.  She told us that if she had known the girls in front of her were 2nd and 3rd place, she could have run a little harder and beaten them, and I believe her.  She gave those two a run for their money as they both looked like they were giving it everything to hold their ground.  A spark of competitiveness showed up in Alyssa, something that I haven't seen in her before.  It made me excited for our next race!  And I see a little bit more of me in her.  :)

Overall a good day.  Now I just need to get disciplined enough to be ready to race again soon. 

2 Years Ago Today

Our personal d-day, you could say.  ... Steve and I found out that we would no longer be getting a paycheck from his full-time job...  And exactly a year before that, he had also been told he wasn't getting  a paycheck.  The first time around was a disaster for me emotionally, but fortunately, in 2008, the paychecks resumed a short 2 months later.  But in 2009, they didn't ... ever ... resume.  But I haven't shared much about the last little bit of our experience, so I thought I'd take today and share that. 

Steve battled hard to find another investor for the company he worked for, working many unpaid hours with HOPES it would work out.  But it didn't, due to unfortunate turns in the economy but mostly to a very selfish ex-co-worker.  So, he then turned his hard work and focus to his own company with hopes of getting it really going.  He worked hard to produce an amazing product, to offer customer support and met with many different investors with hopes of having the money to really market the product and mass produce audioshare.  Again, unfortunately, that didn't pan out either. It has been a HARD, LONG two years.

But in addition to his own company, Steve supported my business and helped me automate some critical processes, saving me a lot of time as well as helpled me find the right printers and technology to allow me to continue to grow my business.  My business more than doubled in the past 2 years, but that would never have been possible without his help.  We wouldn't have been able to get all the new clients setup or print everything in a timely matter if it weren't for him.  I am so appreciative of his time and efforts. 

During the past two years I have been a roller-coaster of emotions.  FEAR at how we would survive and FEAR that we would lose our home.  ANGER at the people he used to work wtith, ANGER at people who didn't believe in Steve and his company.  FRUSTRATION at people who didn't follow through on what they said they'd do, FRUSTRATION at people who didn't understand.  OVERWHELMED by the struggle we were facing and OVERWHELMED at the blessings we constantly received that allowed us to survive.   I can't begin to tell you how many times I cried and how alone I felt at times.  But I also need to tell you how grateful I am for the many blessings we received, how grateful I am for Steve and all we went through. 

Where are we now ... finally starting to feel ok again.  At the end of May, Steve started working for a small company as a part-time employee with hopes for growth as the company grows.  It has been a long, hard couple of years, and we aren't back to where we were 3 or 4 years ago, but we can survive again on our own and we can smile a little more often and feel a little more carefree as long as we are still cautious and smart.  I am very grateful for my best friend ...  he is strong, he is smart, he is talented, he is funny, he has vision and passion, he has faith, he is patient and forgiving and he believes in me.  Thanks Steve for being who you are and for always loving me.  And thanks to all the people who helped in little ways along the way - either emotionally or financially.  We appreciate the little things more than you realize.  THANKS!  And here's hoping that the future looks brighter for all of us. 

Payson Onion Days

Yep, Onion... Steve is from Payson and they celebrate Onion Days every year over Labor Day Weekend.  The tradition in Payson is for the class celebrating 20 their 20th reunion to ride in the parade on a fire truck.  So, honoring that tradition, we packed up the girls, some chairs, some candy and water bottles and headed to the parade.  You have to know, our family isn't big parade go-ers.  We rarely go watch parades other than July 4th in Provo (and only that because we stick around after the main event - watching the Hot Air Balloon Races).  So, going to a Parade clear down in Payson ... the girls were EXCITED!  And knowing that they would get to spend time with their Lindsey cousins, made it even better (especially sweet baby Celeste!). 

Alyssa would have held Celeste ALL day if I'd let her.  :)  She is at that age where she wants to be with little children, wants to babysit and be responsible.  We are working with her to teach her to be responsible and I've been really impressed with how far she has come with her sisters.  I think she would have even given up the candy being thrown in the parade to hold her! 

These 4 just can't be up to any good ... look at those looks on their faces... 

Taylor's turn with Celeste ... isn't it sweet?  Taylor loved it when Celeste was standing on her lap facing her and she'd play peek-a-boo type games with her. 

Jess was determined to take a turn holding Celeste, even though Celeste was ready for her mom.  She played with her later and almost had giggles from her though! 

My girls with all the Lindsey cousins who live here in Utah ... Zach, Kendal, Jessica, Sydney, Taylor, Zoe, Alyssa, Celeste and Keaton.  They had tons of fun gathering up the candy from the street that people with the floats tossed out as they went by.  I was proud of my girls for sharing with each other and with their cousins and even strangers rather than not pushing and hogging it all. 

The main event ... the Class of 1991 Fire Truck ... Pretty good turn out.  My girls and their cousins were all SOOOOO excited to see Steve on a firetruck!  They thought it was REALLY cool. 



Steve is almost at the back, waving at us.  Or maybe he just threw candy down to us ... :)   They weren't supposed to throw candy into the crowd (liability issues) but they did it anyway.  Steve said that every block police or parade officials would tell them they weren't allowed to throw it ... so they'd stop for a bit and then start again!  What a bunch of rebels!  But hey, its so much more fun for the kids to have candy!  And I won't even get started on how I feel about how sue-happy our society is! 

After the parade, we hung out for lunch in the park with Steve's sisters.  Then we came home and went to Rubio's with the Taylors and the Gormans.  We also bumped into the Planks at Rubios.  Then the kids watched a movie at the Taylors' house while we just relaxed.  It was a great Labor Day.



My Birthday

I was born on August 30th at 11:51 at night.  Growing up, my mom always put a ton of effort into our birthdays.  We didn't have big parties with our friends every year, but she always made us feel special.  Our birthdays were always a big deal - not necessarily a lot of presents, in fact, I don't remember those much, but we always got to choose what we wanted for dinner and invite a friend or a family over for dinner.  I remember I often chose my next door neighbor, an elderly lady named Mrs. King.  And we always had the special seat at the end of the table with the special red plate.  As a result, birthdays have always been special to me.

My mom still makes a big deal about our birthdays.  We do dinner, cake and presents at my parents' house on the closest Sunday - the kids all love it!!  With my sister and her family here, we have birthdays in Feb, May, June, August, October, Novemer and December.  The kids always ask WHEN is the next one.  For August, we celebrate 4 birthdays - my neice (Meghan) who is a senior in high school this year, my dad, my Aunt Donna who moved in with my parents this spring and me.  :)

I didn't take my camera this year so I'll have to get pics from my mom of the 4 of us with the cake.  I'm sure whoever decorated it thought, "really?  Donna AND Donna?" when they put the names on top.  I love having my Aunt Donna around.  Its really been fun to haver her more in my life and for my girls to get to know her.  My gift from my parents this year was money ... which WAS going to go toward my new bedroom set that I wanted for my bday but since I have changed my mind, it is going toward my camera!   I can't wait!

Steve wasn't used to quite the same, so its been a learning curve for him, but he does really well now. 

About 5-6 years ago, my birthday took a turn for the worse.  For three years in a row, my birthday was a really bad day ... not because I really care that much about getting older, but it seemed to be cursed, and I'm not usually very superstitious.  Really bad stuff always seemed to happen on my birthday.  They were TOUGH days with a lot of tears.  One year was losing my little nephew when my sister-in-law went into pre-term labor.  It was a heart breaking day.  As a result, for a couple years after those three years, I really disliked my bday and was anxious all day.  I still feel a little anxious as it approaches every year, and my heart is always sad for my sister-in-law and her family so when the day is over, I honestly still breathe a sigh of relief. 

This year was nice and uneventful!  ... nothing bad happened.  It was low-key here at home.  The girls actually forgot to mention it before they left for school in the morning, but had hyped it up for several days before.  My office assistant gave me a movie, some Martinelli's apple cyder and some bath salts.  I had planned to play the movie on the laptop while I enjoyed some Martinelli's and a hot bath that weekend while Steve had a gig, but his gig was canceled so I hung out with him instead (and watched the movie the next week when I was printing stuff for work late into the night). 

On my actual birthday, Steve took me and Melissa (my assistant) to lunch and I chose my favorite food ... SUSHI!  I love it!!  I NEVER thought I'd love it, but I crave the stuff ... when it is quality sushi, it is SOOO good!

After school, the girls remembered right away.  Tay and Jess had made me cards and Alyssa gave me some money she had been saving.  She so badly wanted to save up and get me one of the fire pits for the backyard, but she didn't quite make it.  It was really sweet of her ... although I've known since May what her plan was (she hasn't learned how to be subtle about things - ever since she heard me mention that I'd like one, she has brought it up asking questions like, where do you buy one, how much are they, etc).  I was really impressed that she had thought ahead and worked toward it. 

That night, we went to dinner with the girls to celebrate.  Again ... I forgot my camera (August was a bad camera month, forgot my camera to almost everything and have had to get pics from others ... and Sept has been even harder since my camera is broken)....  It was a nice, uneventful day!  PERFECT!

And I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED all the birthday wishes ... cards, emails, phone calls, and Facebook messages.  I heard from about 90 people that day ... on average, that's almost 1 every 10 minutes that I was awake!  How cool is that!!  I love feeling so loved by everyone!   Thanks all for making me feel so special!

Getting caught up, again

Wahoo ... in the last few days, I've gotten caught up on all of August and the part of September that has already happened.  :)  Every time I get away from blogging for awhile and then come back, I remember why I love it so much, its almost addictive for me to share.  And I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading blogs of my friends and catching up on their lives.  If you have a blog and its not on my list to the side, please email me so I can check it.  If you don't want me to list it, that's ok too, but I'd love the address! 

Oh, and by the way, thanks for visiting!