a lucky anniversary

Soooo...  Mike and I have been married for 13 years. 

Yeah, we sailed through the 13th yr.

We're in a very comfortable stage in the marriage.  Not that I expect an uncomfortable stage...  It's just that we're, you know ...comfortable.  It seems we've figured each other out pretty well and we're like hey, I'm good ...wanna get a sandwich?  Someone once asked Mike, noticing we have an easy marriage, how we do so well.  Mike said something brilliant and neither of us can remember what it was.  Something about not expecting the other to make us happy, but being independently happy already.  So our secret is low expectations.

Yup.  That's gold.

Anyway, for my darling darling easy husband I put together a trip around the world!  I know, I know, traveling is expensive, what do we do with the kids, work, etc...  I took care of everything.  So just sit back and enjoy our post-trip slide show... 


We kicked off our SEETHEWORLD extravaganza at Niagara Falls.  BOY HOWDY it's incredible!  I didn't get the camera out much with all the water, but I did get a quick shot of Mike, excited about taking a dip...

Turns out they discourage swimming around the falls.  ...In case you were planning a similar trip.

From there we hopped over to Norway.  I've always wanted to see those majestic mountains.  Mike was patient as I dragged the camera up and down the highways.   

It was really cold so we moved on.

We then visited a ranch in The Netherlands.  What do you do at a ranch in The Netherlands?  Well I ate a lot of cupcakes.

This is me thinking Wait until I at least swallow!.

I was really excited about Botswana.  The wildlife?  Hello!  I had my camera out as soon as we arrived.   ...Unfortunately the wildlife is actually wild and well, the only shot I got was Mike rushing me out of there as he had just upset a pack of hyenas...

The photography was a bust, but we did make some good friends and spent some time selling fruit.

Before we completely fell in love with the land, people, and fruit-selling life style I remembered how excited I was to do this-

I'm pinching the Eiffel tower! 

Of course, Nova Scotia was next.  Of course.  In a village we found quaint cottages to stay in and ours was called "Tranquility".  See the gate?   

That got a little boring after a while so it was off to South Korea to shop for property.

So now we've got a lovely lot with a super view.  We'll be sure to put in a guest room so Becky and Nate can come anytime!  Someone will need to introduce us to the neighbors!  (All I can say, in Korean, is yup.  That might be how we ended up with property...)

By the time we got to Croatia we were both pretty pooped.  We had been gone so long and, well, once again Mike didn't get to go swimming.

Home again home again,
jiggidy joo.
Happy anniversary to us,
lovey, duvey doo.

I spent waaaaay too much time on that poem.

Come see! Come SEE!!

For the past 5 weeks I've had quite the conversation piece as a focal point in the living room.

Remember this post?  Monica took that as an invitation to decorate my living room on my birthday.  I LOVE it.  I mean, my lovely family in a GIANT frame?  YES!  Even if it is, well, kinda creepy (see earlier link)  So, the deal she made me swear to was to display it for at least a month before putting in the intended picture, which she had also printed and safely wrapped for storage. 

I know, right?

If you're confused, refer to this post and I have to admit that I was never happy with those two pictures.  They looked cheap and didn't have the impact I had wanted.  But, the lazy lady in me shrugged and figured years down the road I'd do something better.  Really, it would have been yeeears.

Here we go-

YAAAY!!!

Thank you Monica.  Tomorrow morning when you bring the kids down for piano lessons I'm going to come running out, jumping around like a monkey, shouting "Come see!  Come SEE!!!"...

the dream job

From Saget...

to Bergeron...

to...

Oh Brenda, that suit looks terrible.

me at church

After being released as the Young Women president in my ward a few months ago I spent a month subbing for a primary class, then onto my new calling as the Sunday school teacher for the 14 & 15 yr olds.

This meant a 45 minute lesson every Sunday and THAT'S IT.  

...How about a visual display?


My calling now:

 My calling before:

notice the heart so I won't be called a whiner...

Needless to say, leaving YWs, as hard as that was, has had it's perks.

There's a new curriculum this year for youth.  It's super-duper doctrinal, super-duper inspiring, and super-duper NOT easy to teach if you're a slacker like me.

Wait.  I have to actually prepare my lessons????

In Young Women lessons I would prep maybe 60% and ad-lib the other 40.  Yeah, I know.  I totally got away with it...  Somehow it worked!  I told myself that's just my style...  But apparently my style is not sufficient in this new setting.  Gone are the days of cracking open the lesson book at 11:00 the night before.  (I never did that. ..smirk.)

Yeah, the past couple months have been an eye opener.   

How about a visual?


If I am prepared -

If I am not -

 ...................

-For those of you not familiar with our Mormon ways this may all look very strange.  Sorry 'bout that.  Please don't take my weirdness to mean that the entire religion is weird.  I mean, even if it is weird, don't just take my word for it...
 
Hey, anyone remember Lamar?  Reading Rainbow?  Just me?

.................

Baaaack on topic!  Sadly, today was the second scenario.  Even the pie I brought, though delicious, couldn't save the lesson.  My yammering was simply a time-filler.  ...Well hold on now Lindsay.  There was one breakthrough.  A young man was inspired to proclaim March 10 national favorite-kitchen-utensil day.  Let's not let that little jewel slip through the cracks.

HAPPY FAVORITE KITCHEN UTENSIL DAY EVERYBODY!!!! 

But anyway.

I was just in the mood to goof off on photoshop.  And I wanted to say I'm gonna do better.

Because......

Thank you Reading Rainbow.

weird science

Driving the girls home from the grade school science fair-


Me: So girls, what was you favorite part of the science fair?

.
.
(long pause)
.
.

Brenda: I like zombies.  Zombies eat brains.

Suzie:  I like fairy princesses.  ...and dinner.

.

Me:  ...Alrighty then.

I shall call her Cordelia

Well this is exciting.

I get to show off a Pinterest success.

Here we go-

The original pin-

 The tutorial- here

...and what I came up with-

Total cost?  About 3 dollars.

Total time?  About 3 hours.

So you see why I've just GOT to show it off...