The pimp mobile...

Well we finally found a car... it isn't anything I would have picked out (crysler concorde). But it had some of the most important criteria

Great price

Low Mileage

and Reliable

and it was a really good deal and fit our little tiny budget. Everything in comparison was striped, gross, smashed up, or a rattle trap.

So all my other trivial expectations would have to be put on the back burner, like leather seats, moon roof, something I look cute, youthful and attractive in! (okay maybe that is asking a little too much out of a car)

It was really taken good care of, it's spotless on the inside, super roomy (the back seat feels like a big limo ride and the teenager totally fits in the front without his knees being up around his ears) and it turns on a dime, clean clean clean, front wheel drive, the new floor mats were still in the truck with the plastic on them, it was very well taken care of, it rides really smooth, no rattles or squeeks, and it is sound and tight running.

The most important thing is "the boys" are digging the tricked out cd player that hides when you turn off the car, and flips out when it's on with cool blue lights....

Yeah! with that I should be getting over all my hesitations about it being a boat size grandma car (no offense to grandma's) that's all tinted up, tricked out and looking like a pimp mobile huh.

He loves me...

This moment had to be documented... not necessarily for the whole world to see. But I never want to forget this moment EVER!

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I received my first email from my Strong Silent Mysterious Man.

Needless to say he is not very computer savvy. He could be, and used to be on the old old systems (I actually have a file of all the love notes he typed me when we were dating) but because I do everything for him (you know the type, "move over, I can pull it up really fast for you")... he has never had to do any on the modern day Internet computer by himself. The teenager actually laughs at how impaired he really is.

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But he is having to learn in his new position; as the boss man he has to do reports etc. So I guess he has been so busy, he hasn't had time to figure out the email program until today.

He has been calling and checking on me during the day as he could. I can tell he has been worried about me, and all the stress I have been under this week. Then today I got an email.

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I cried!

It is just SOOOOO him.

Strong yet silent and mysterious... no subject line, no signature, no capital letters, no close... but the strong exclamation point at the end says it all!

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good morning have a great day!

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HE LOVES ME!!!!

and I love him dearly, he is my hero... and this as simple as it is, just totally made my day!

I am smiling and have happy feet now!

Our Memories with "Bob"...

My friend Bob... We had lots of memories with him. Good bad and ugly... Bob could make me laugh one minute, cry the next because (he was very sentimental and talked about deep stuff like us girls like to do), and want to sock him between the eyes the very next min. in frustration. But I wouldn't give up not one single memory now for anything.

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I have known Bob since 2004. I met him through a mutual friend of ours whom we both love dearly. So we got to talk about her behind her back allot... he he he.

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I worked for him and became very good friends, a counselor to him through his ups and downs (and divorces... plural, uggg!), he became good friends with my family. He helped coach "the teenager", and many many other boys during his life, through earning his Eagle Scout.

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He was 55 years young (but even much younger at heart), a hunter, a father of 4 children who are grown and have 8 of his grandchildren. He loved kids, and he loved the outdoors.

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He was always looking for ways to make us laugh! Always!!

Bob was kind and always willing to help out, he was a hard worker and one of the most resourceful people I have ever met.

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My husband found himself planning a scout camp out with more kids joining in and more leaders dropping out as it came closer. The night before the camp, he realized he had to find more help and had exhausted all of our resources in our Ward. So he called Bob and he dropped everything with short notice and came running with gear and supplies to help make the trip easier.

He was a box of entertainment, and you never knew what you would get when you opened it up.

This picture of him holding the fish on the bank... the boys tell me he was slapping the fish on the face back and forth teasing saying "tell us where the rest of them are, we know you know; we won't stop the torture until you tell us where to find the rest of your buddies out there"... the scouts loved him and laughed at him the entire weekend!

Bob had been wanting another dog, when our neighbor had boxer puppies... and he got this little girl sight unseen. He named her Ali (as in the boxer Mohamed Ali).
She stayed at our house for a couple of days until Bob could come pick her up.
She became his traveling mate and went every where with him in his truck.

He loved animals.. he had mules and horses and more dogs. Including a big ol' white fuzzy Great Pyrenees name Durfee who I fell in love with everytime I saw him. And begged Bob to let me take him home with me. I hear the dogs were all by his side when they found him walking them along the ditch bank near his country home. That was heart warming... I know Durf would have never left him alone.
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We went and stayed with Bob one time at his house after attending another company Christmas party held in his town. He let us bring our dogs, and the kid, and made us feel right at home. The next day we got up and went horse back riding along the canyon. It was beautiful.
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Running an outfitting business for years; he was amazing to watch with those big animals. He knew how to get them all geared up and had a special way to tie, cinch, and saddled. Jim would try and step in and help, but Bob had his own special way he wanted it done, and did it all himself. And he knew just how to handle us amatures around horses too, he was a good teacher. He didn't get rattled and was very patient with all our ignorance and fear around them... well mine at least.

This past spring we were together with him and he couldn't believe how big the teenager had gotten, so he was being really funny and joking about what a giant he was becoming... so every single picture I took of him, he is bending his knees. The funny thing about it now, is the kid probably is this much taller than him.

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One time we left the teenager with him while we went to take care of some business in town, and they were going to dinner and the movies... we didn't think he could be a very bad influence during that short of time. But when we got home, they were laughing and joking for hours that night about walking through the parking lot and running into side mirrors on cars making them all turn flipped in as they went by; and about Bob reaching over and eating popcorn out of the guys bucket next to them and asking him if the soda was diet or regular. He was just a hoot!

But I could have killed him, it took me weeks to re-train some of the not so appropriate funny things he taught the teenager in just a few short hours. Like dumping the plastic trays in the garbage when you eat at fast food joints.

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Bob you made me laugh, you made me crazy. Above all of that you knew the gospel and tried to live the principles it teaches, and had a testimony of the Atonement and how works in our lives.

I will miss you dear friend.

Stressful week so far...

Well it's only Wednesday and it has already been kind of a stressful week for me...

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Dealing with insurance companies on the teenagers wreck - this is a stress level 8 (out of 10) for me. I try and be nice, but I know I will have to "fight for my honor" so to speak. To stand my ground. This is hard for me, but I have learned to do it as I grew up and matured and got walked on a few times. I kind of feel like everyone should have the same integrity standards of basic human nature as I do, and they just don't. It's okay, but I am a hugger not a fighter.

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Then turning and dealing with my Strong Silent Mysterious Man about the insurance stuff. He is silent, until he had an opinion about something. And so I get the fun job of working him through all the reasons why I didn't threaten them and poison their cat; and am still trying to act reasonable and work through this with some form of firm patience. He later thanks me and is very grateful I am dealing with them and it's not up to him.

Or somebodies cat would be dead by now.

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I also got some really bad news that my client I just quit doing books for in August died of a heart attack while out walking with his dogs on Monday morning.

It was very sad news, he is 55 years old and in good health.

I felt so strange all day, trying to get it in my head it was real... it just didn't feel real to me.

I was trying not to be stressed out by this situation, because of what I know to be true, and it really is a wonderful stage in his life for him. And tried not to be too selfish and just view the losses for us here left behind. But still I felt much anxiety and stress over this.

He had never come and picked up his books from me, and his children found all his mail since I had quit working for him piled up unopened. So that meant he had gone in a very low direction since I last talked to him. My last conversation with him was really good, so I have no heavy feelings or regrets or anything like that. I am just very sad for his family.

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On top of these things, which I am really trying to remain calm cool and collected about... I got to go car shopping with my boys.

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Okay, car shopping really stresses me out!!! It's a 10 on my stress meter!!!

I have nothing good to say about car salesmen.... sorry, I almost have to just stay out of the dealing, they are humorous to me.

My Strong Silent Mysterious Man and I and the input we listen to from the teenager (its a small percentage of input when you are NOT monetarily involved in the process at our house), are all usually on three totally different levels. We try and figure out what we NEED the vehicle for, we all have very different needs from in town errands, to hunting, to looking cool going to school, to fitting into our budget(which could severely change depending on the outcome of the insurance stuff), to major fuel economy, to something comfortable to take on trips, to something that will hold our dogs and camping gear, to something extremely reliable... You see where I am going here.

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STRESS!!

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Bottom line, they don't make just one vehicle to cover all of these needs... we discovered we would need 4 more cars to fit all these needs. But we go looking anyway, I am a glutton for punishment.

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So this is how it goes....

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The teenager checks out the stereo and the interior... to make sure it is date worthy...

The Strong Silent Mysterious Man checks them out for mechanical soundness....

Guess where that leaves me....

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Yep! Talking to the car salesmen that I despise so badly! Sorry to stereotype them... but yikes!

Like I needed anymore stress in my day right now!

Needless to say, I didn't snuggle up to them and ask for a self portrait for my blog.

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This is just not fun for me.... I hope this too shall pass... SOON!!!

Stake Dance Chaperones...

Last night my Strong Silent Mysterious Man and I got to go be chaperone's at one of the dances at our church for our youth. Working with the youth, we find ourselves often in situations a little outside of our box.

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Neither of us are much into dancing in public, but we did have our first dance together last year chaperoning the New Years Eve Dance... and we had a really good time, so we don't mind saying yes now and again when we are asked.

The kids in our Ward were responsible for the decorations and the food for this dance, the ones that showed up to help really did a great job!
Streamers and lit pumpkins, it was so cute.
I loved this picture of the boys working on their moves... while the girls were working on the decorations...
Here are some fun shots at the dance...
Every once in a while, they will all break into a line dance or two...

And someone started the Limbo... it went over well...

(Rachel there's your sis!)
Except for the jolly green giant... he's a big cheater...
He stepped over it this trip around... very funny kiddo!

And of course the popular YMCA... even I know this one!

My man wasn't much into dancing, but he made it through clean up. What a great sport!

A good time was had by all!