Goodbye Trailer, Hello 5th Wheel!

This them walking around while dad explains all the connections on the outside..and all the important details. Mom and Mrs. Rich were in the trailer this whole time talking while dad made sure that Mr. Rich knew how to open and put away the awning.





They hooked up everything while dad emphasized the use of sway bars. Mr. Rich doesn't drive a Dodge!
They got in the car


And drove off, and they didn't even hit the gate! Dad said in about a year we will get a new 5th wheel, but I assured Mr. Rich it would only be about 5 months or so, because I will be coming back from school. The joys of being the influential youngest!

P.S. I am glad that I still remember which one is the gas and which way is the brake. :)

Moms & Cars

Well the car is finally fixed! YAY!!!!

But it pretty much is fixed all thanks to my mom.

How it started.

The part was ready on August 4th. It takes two weeks to ship. So on the Monday of the 3rd week Dad gets tired of calling, so I call. They call the company that makes and ships the ramps, and apparently the ramp has been sitting there for awhile, and they haven't even shipped it yet. So the car company told me that VMI, the ramp making company told them something about not having a box or whatever, and the lady is trying to make me feel better with lame excuses, but I am getting really mad at this time that I am having a hard time not saying a few choice words. More like sentences not words. So I say goodbye and tell mom all this stuff, and I can't remember what she told Dad, because we were keeping him posted of course.

My pretty much awesome Mom calls back the van people and says give me the number to the company, and the part number and the order number and she gets all this stuff. I am sure they were a little grudging but she did it. She called the company, and I offered to do the calling around but she said no. So she calls and this lady told her she'd connect her, and of course there was an answering machine. Mom is pretty I guess "worked up" at this point. You know the don't mess with mom look. Well she calls the lady back and says I want to talk to a person. So they connect her to a guy named Scott. He says he'll look into it and of course calls back and says yep I sent it by FedEx, and here is a tracking number. Scott should get a gold star and the van people a kick in the bahonkus. My mom had the ramp here in Alb. by 12:30 the next day. Way to go Mom! But I still wonder why the company doesn't check up on these things? It really shouldn't be the customer's job. Thank heavens I have such a cool Mom.

I suggested to the mechanic when I called him yesterday that while he was fixing it he should paint the ramp blue, or make my car maybe look a little cooler. He thought that was pretty funny. He also mentioned that the texture on the ramp was bumpier so I now I won't slip. I told him I never slip I only roll backwards gracefully. So then he laughed and said, "So apparently I know nothin' after 18 years of this?" My parents are thrilled that I can drive! Apparently its much easier on them when I can.

Very Random, well sorta...

Well, hopefully my new background and other changes aren't to icky. You can complain or have issues with it if you want. You can even leave a comment about it if you wish. Guess what I made?? I really really really wish I had a picture of it, but I made my first lasagna! What I learned...

Things not to do when making lasagna.
1. Do not use a lot of sauce on the bottom ( you run out on top)
2. Do not use a lot of meat on the bottom. ( you run out on top)
3. Do not put a layer of noodles on top with just cheese. (apparently it makes them crunchy..the noodles, not the cheese.)
4. Plan ahead and buy fresh french bread
5. Don't make such big messes in the kitchen, because then you have to clean it all up!

But my parents said it was excellent, but i think they were just trying to make me feel good about myself. Mom said it was a good first attempt, whatever that means. Maybe it did help that they were starving... Anywho on to the more exciting things!

First of all here are some end of the semester pictures.

This is Nora and I. Her brother came down to visit so that is who the arm belongs to.

This is us going to the temple on Sunday evening, The only person missing here is Nora. I think she had a Chinese oral exam the next day. Oh the top two are my roomates, and the other brunette is Heather. She lives with Nora, next door.

The sunflowers are for Emily. They are dark but look close

The next egment is fair. It was way fun! I think Nathan has decided that its ok for me to come anytime for the rodeo part. Something to do with seating placement. You'll have to ask him about that. My fair pictures came out very very dark, its hard to see, so I will let others post about that! But it was really great to hang out with Nathan and Neita and to watch my nieces and nephews do their stuff, and the food was fantabulous! Thank you Nathan and Neita for having us!

I did get a rather funny picture of Melina and Joel that I will post. Mom and Dad and I were watching them, and here is what happened. Dress up!


Princess Melina



Not exactly sure what he is looking for, but maybe Snow White is missing something...

Extremely Sad Story...

So there I was, taking pictures.

My camera card decided to break. You would think I was smart enough to save all these pictures after I took them. Lets just say, I leave the smart things for Melanie. Now I have to figure out where to send my camera card where they can take off the pictures for me. Any ideas?

A rather good Friday

So there I was at my house. It decided that it REALLY wanted to rain to day. Of course I am trying to do laundery, and of course I had no quarters anymore. We'll just say that I almost got struck by lightening and I was very very wet.

After that adventure, I saw some of my friends that live a couple of doors down, and we made dinner plans. Guess what I made? A pie! Thank you Bethanie! Don't worry I wrote it down. It tasted fantabulous I did awesome! It was nice having friends over at my house, I have been feeling rather antisocial this week. Weird, I know, and I am sure no one really believes me. Well, the best part of my day was while I was making said pie, I got a phone call. It was Sister Rushton!!! She was in Rexburg and she brought her kids, and I carried them around Especially little Leah! She was telling me all sorts of things and most of it I got. Her favorite thing was when I spun her around and then dumped her in the grass. I think my shoulders are still slightly sore. Now for the rest of the evening I don't know what to do with myself, but tomorrow I have a rehearsal for rhapsody in blue. I love that song! It makes me happy.

It was a fantabulous Memorial Day weekend. My parents and sister love me! They came to hang out with just me! Well...maybe thats only in my dreams. We had a great weekend, seeing where everyone was buried, and flowers and eating, and mom's cousin reunion was pretty fun. Good food! It was kind of weird having them there at church because well, its a college ward in a classroom. But whatever I enjoyed having them there. Then Monday was spend all day catching up on everything, man was that exhausting! Tuesday we slept in a little bit and then got ready to go and do more fun things!

It was a beautiful day! I am so glad that the weather is warming up.

It was way fun with just the three of us. They really enjoyed it. Especially about the part getting in for free :)

I was kind of sad and really missed Jared because there was water....and fish in said water......

There were some plans to go swimming, but floating ice chunks kinda ruined that idea. COLD!

My favorite part was seeing this

I thought the people sitting behind us for Old Faithful were pretty funny. Oh its about 5 minutes late...we came 600 miles for nothing....It looks better on TV yadda yadda. Duh people its called OLD Faithful for a reason. Its slightly off its rocker timewise. And then a guy behind me said, they should hire a new geologist because this one obviously doesn't know. Dumb people. Oh well, I guess they are just people, I should be a little less critical.

Another thing I don't understand is sunscreen. You put it on everywhere and when the day is done...there is a small square on your arm, burned. You know that you put sunscreen there. Hmmmm...

I am so excited that I have two concerts this weekend! We are playing some really really fun stuff! And the choir is singing for one of them. Its going to be awesome!

Mother's and Social Skills Editorial

Mothers should actively participate in children’s lives starting at a young age. A study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council found that mothers who actively discuss their children’s feelings as well as, beliefs, wants, and other social interactions greatly affect children’s social skills. According to the ESRC report, children who discuss often with their mothers have stronger social understanding and skills.

The next generation is expected to be able to communicate effectively. Consequently, social competence is a necessary skill that should be emphasized very early in life, as we live in a world where communication is taking a dramatic turn. There are now emails, texting, and other tools of instant communication. It is no longer necessary or even expected to deal with others face to face. Therefore, communication skills must be taught to children for proper ways to communicate openly, and effectively. This skill can also teach children to understand when it is appropriate to talk about certain subjects.

Teaching children life skills helps them to become honest hardworking members of society. The person whom children go to when life is hard is their mother. Mothers have the unique knack for comforting and encouragement to help their children develop self confidence, learn more about themselves and increase their self esteem. They also provide moral support for their children. It is no wonder that with all they do, mothers are considered a force to be reckoned with. Social competency is key in the ability to function effectively in today’s society. Mothers have the unique role of being primary nurturer. This means that they have the duty to help their children achieve competency in the social world.

Teaching children is the highest calling given to parents. Mothers are the greatest influences on children. Children should be taught how to become socially adept, so they do not drown in the tumultuous big world. Mothers change and mold their children and talking and spending quality time with their children is extremely valuable. This study proves that the time parents spend with children is valuable learning for the rest of their children’s lives.








This is a short editorial I was assigned to write and post. It is based on an article found on CNN if you wish to read the ariticle, here is the link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/15/mother.children.social.skills/index.html
I would appreciate any comments or insights.

The picture is for Jamie. She said she only comments on blogs with pictures.