*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!

dear monday, ooooooooo I am not a fan of this COLD!  But, I got out and ran five miles today even though I was iced over before mile one!  It was okay once I got going.  

I spent a lot of time working on my Mom's calendar because Shutterfly was offering a 50% off everything on their site plus a buy one get one free and I always order one for me.  So I ended up getting two of them for half the price of one.  Pretty sweet deal!  ONLY... I thought the deadline was at midnight and as per "me" I was working right up until the deadline!  I previewed and then went to order it but it asked me to preview it again and so I did.  Good thing because what I had done the last two hours was GONE!  GONE!  Just GONE!  I had to go back and start over on all that stuff.  OH MY HANNAH LEE!  I was not happy.  I was so tired and so done and so ready to just yell HIP HIP HOORAY it's done!  But nooooooooo....   Luckily the midnight deadline was Pacific time and so I had one more hour.  I ended up hitting the order button at exactly 12:58 a.m.!  I got very little sleep this week due to many things ending up being just like this.  I think I was cursed!

At least the Waikiki meatballs I made turned out okay and no one was poisoned by them.

dear tuesday, my run was pretty dang chilly!  It's definitely Decemburrrr......

This picture is almost like the one above.  I need to more creative on my running pix.

 I ran out west and it was fun seeing all the bird tracks in the fresh snow.  
I also hit the jackpot!  CHOCOLATE that fell from the sky along with the snow!  
I didn't dare eat it cause...well, ya know...but it was fun to find it! 

Dave was asked to do a ring ceremony for our friend's wedding.  We attended the sealing at the BC temple first and then headed to the luncheon a couple of hours later.  Dave was trying to juggle work in between it all.  He ran over and did the ceremony and grabbed a crepe and then headed back. I stayed for the program.  It was great!  I cried during the video.  Mainly because these kids are my Taylor's age and the video just showed how fast time has gone.  Also, Jaida is the bride's sister and she was in so many of the pictures.   I watched them both grow up.  Jaida then sang! I had no idea she was so talented!  It was so sweet!  Weddings are kind of hard because it makes you realize how fast time flies!  And I have another one this week.  My nephew's!  

 They took our picture and asked us to write the couple a note.  I got one with Jaida too that I was going to keep but it disappeared!  I was so sad!

dear wednesday run, MORE snow!  I have run in the snow every day this week so far!  I have been wearing my Yak Tracks though and they really help with slipping and sliding.  Today as I was up in KC, this cute little pup was following me.  White labs are my favorite breed of dog and so I was in heaven!  But then as I got up a hill a couple of men asked me if she was my dog.  I told them no and so we all tried to check the collar to see if she had an address or number.  It was a national number and so I called it and the operator told me they would call the owner and then call me back.  We waited and waited and they never called back and one of the men thought it might be the Anderson's dog Molly. I thought so too and so I called Susan.  Sure enough it was!  My phone decided to freeze at this point and so I couldn't tell her where I was.  But the one guy took him home and as I was running back, Susan pulled over and I told her she had been taken home and she thanked me.  I was just glad she was home safe!

 

dear freezing temps!  It has been so cold this week!  Mr. Cat doesn't even like to go out in it!  He gets the funniest look on his face when I open the door to let him out and he tests the air with his face and then usually turns around and goes back in.  It's hilarious. 

I have ran on the Devil's Sidewalk (aka dreadmill - aka treadmill) several times the past two weeks as well because I am just not a fan of the bitter wind when it's already in the teens!

 
Tis the season for hot soup (corn chowder actually) and hot rolls!  Mmm...

 Sky and Mr. Cat are bonding again.

These two have always been such good buds.

Bryce's sweet ride for a while

dear ice skating, this has been a tradition that we started in Dave's family many years ago and now it won't be allowed to ever end.  The cousin's all look so forward to it and they always ask for weeks when we are going.  It is a lot of fun.  Even more fun when my boys can go.  Dave was off today and could have gone but he is not a fan of ice staking.  In other words, he wimped out!  ;)

The cousins

Sky and Taylor
Sky and Bryce both played ice hockey.  They are both amazing ice skaters.  Taylor would have been good at it too since he can really skate as well.

Tay and Aubrey strutting their stuff

Sistas!

Skyler was SO patient to help Mackenzie.  She was struggling and he was teaching her how to do it and was very kind and patient.  So cute to watch.

Cousins

This is what it takes to get a photo with these two...

One of my favorite pix!

Success! 

Our traditional photo by the Penalty Box sign.

We had a hilarious photo bomber, but he got cut off.

We went to Eastern Winds after....yummy!

dear visit to see bryce's lightshow, after we got back from ice skating we loaded up and headed to Idaho Falls to the Free-man Park Festiv*l of Lights.  It was really more like Bryce's Festiv*l of Lights because he has done most of the work.  That kid has worked so hard on this and it was a great success this year.  They had a lot of publicity and a lot of people that came.  One night they had over 700 cars go through.  We went there on the one of the very last days.  It was SO flippin' cold on the drive down!  The inside windows of our SUV were iced up!  We took my parents and Dave's parents with us as well as Taylor.  It was a two hour drive to get there.  We arrived and Bryce jumped out of his truck and in our car and gave us a little tour.  When we arrived it was -9 in Idaho Falls!  I do NOT know how he works in that cold every single day and night!  Brrrrr.....  I thought about McKay out in that every day and night as well and I was just grateful I don't have to join them!  The park was amazing!  He did a great job!  We were very proud of him.  

This is what my phone said on the way!

The lights were amazing!  They have done a really good job!

I truly have NO idea how he works in this cold!  I have two boys that are out in temperatures that I would literally cry if I had to.  I am not a fan of the cold!  At. All.  I never would have survived as a pioneer. 

We were out there only long enough for some pictures!  Then we hopped back in the car!

I have never been more grateful for a nice warm coat, mittens, and car!

Lot's of hugs because we missed him and to keep warm!

It was chilly, but worth it!  We left BC about 4:30 and got home about 9:30.  

dear new year's eve, we went to Dave's parent's house for the annual party.  Karen, Linda and I spent the first hour fixing Aubrey's dress for the wedding in two days.  It needed to be lined but Karen didn't want to sew it and so we used this fabric tape glue stuff.  It was cool and worked great!  It turned out perfect.

We did play a few games. 

Julie's gift to Dad on Christmas that I forgot to post. ↑ He always says there are three things he can't stand. This was the first time I have ever heard about this.  Apparently he only says it to those that qualify for the third thing he can't stand, which would explain why I have never heard it.  (hehe)
1. Cold soup 
 2. Wet toilet paper
3. A smart @**
So that is what she gave him for Christmas. 

The countdown was on! 
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!
Mr. Cat is not impressed!

dear 2016!  Bryce arrived home on New Year's Day.  He is here for a bit now until they have to take down all the lights.  On New Year's Day Dave's bros Kevin and Scott were doing a demo on the Utah Noodle recipes that they have figured out.  Utah Noodle is a big deal in Dave's family.  They all absolutely love it.  So much so that Dave took me there on our first date.  When it went out of business Kevin and Scott went to work to try and figure out the recipe for the Sweet and Sour pork, Chow Mein, and shrimp.  They were successful and their recipes all taste just like it.  So they decided to do a demo on how to make it.  I was excited to go but I decided I better stay home and get the cake done.  Dave took Taylor and Sky and they brought me some home.  It was delish!

dear wedding cake aka cursed cake!....Instead of re-posting what I already have about this cursed cake, I will just give you the link to this story and a very short version here.  You can read the details about it HERE.

The final product.  This really should have been a piece of cake. But it was far from it!

I worked hard on this cake but it didn't return the favor.  I had to redo, scrap, redo, scrap again...over and over.  What should have been a very simple cake ended up being a nightmare!  Mainly due to a very unstable cake mix brand that I will never use again.

After several disasters including a couple transporting it to the reception (and bakery!), I finally got it to come together. somehow.

This is seriously how I felt about it.  Other than I shouldn't be smiling. I should be leaning over in defeat with my tongue hanging out.

The happy couple was clueless. 

It wasn't exactly what the bride wanted, but I was just thankful it wasn't falling on itself as they were cutting it.

dear weston's wedding!....

I truly can NOT believe my nephew Weston is officially married!  How did this happen?  Weston is like my 6th son.  He pretty much lived with us every single summer for most of his growing up years.  He is like a brother to my boys and a son to us.  He is just one of the boys.  I am so happy for him because Mary is a wonderful person and they are so in love and so happy.  They will have an awesome life together. 

 Weston with my boys.  I sure wish McKay and Tyson were in this picture, but they are both doing more important things right now.  But I can envision the six of them all grown up now and standing side by side as men. 

They were married in the Salt Lake Temple.  It was a beautiful and touching sealing.  But it was bitter cold as we waited outside for them to come out.  It was in the single digits!  Brrr.....  Everyone told the cousins that no one was allowed to get married in January ever again.  

 Freezing!  I am not sure how Mary did it with short sleeves on.

  A few shots from the reception...

I took full advantage of the opp for some family pix.

I did a separate post on the wedding because there are too many pix to put on here.  Yes, I know I am out of control when it comes to pix.  But as I always say, I will never regret taking a picture, but I may regret NOT taking it.  

Just a little sample of some of the moments.  It was a great day!

I am publishing this post before I get the wedding one published (since I'm almost two weeks behind!)...so no link...but watch for it. 

dear new sunday school class, I was very sad that I was losing my class and getting a new one.  I have loved that class so much even if they can't stop chatting.  I am sure I will love my new one just as much because I always fall in love with all the kids in my class EVERY year.  I just love the youth!  They are so fun to be around!  They do my heart good!   I took a "Getting to Know You" paper and as they were filling it out, in walks four peeps from last year's class!  I asked them what they were doing there and they said that they didn't want to go to their new class and that they liked mine better.  Ahhh........... sweet!  The truth is they probably like that we pass out treats and the new one doesn't.  But, I don't care why, I was just glad to see them.  I wasn't about to send them back to the new one.  I figured that is the SS President's job.  hehe   They are so much fun and have so much energy that I was happy to let them in!

dear random, Dave took these pictures and when I asked him why he said because it was what he see's often and most of the pictures that we take are of things or events that happen infrequently.  He's right, we should take more pictures of the everyday ordinary things that we see all the time because in 20 years, those may be the things we cherish the most.  Just ordinary clips of our everyday lives.

And imagine what I am doing here?  Yes, blogging!  Trying to keep this up. Trying to catch up!  I honestly don't know how long I will keep at it, but for now I hope what I post will one day mean something to someone.

dear mckay, I am in awe of your resilience to endure the bitter cold of Siberia.  

In Siberia. 36 below zero!

Making Twix brownies

Twix brownies "a glorious creation"

McKay captioned these "Thine son"

Korea

Korean temple