Dog Gone Adventures

There were a few adventures that have happened in the last few weeks that both startled and charmed me.

This little lab/boxer mix puppy narrowly missed becoming our first household pet known by either Back Up (after the dog on Veronica Mars) or Kaiser. Depending on if Jameson or I were to name him. Ten points if you can guess who belonged to which name.

I was out on a walk with Pack Man when Back Up ran up to me and followed me all the way home. It was rather sweet and charming. I called some friends to figure out what to do when you find a dog on a walk and he follows you home. Turns out you call animal control and they keep him for five days and if no one claims him, he is yours. I called Jameson and he was so excited. He rather suddenly really wanted a dog. Unfortunately, the owners claimed him before animal control could even pick him up. However, I am glad that he had a home where they loved him a lot.

Here are some things I learned from this experience:

1. Puppies are really hard to control. Meaning: he play attacked Packer the whole time, so I was holding Packer almost the whole 2 hours he was here. Not Fun.

2. Packer LOVES dogs. For a small amount of time, Packer was in his jumper, and the dog just licked his face. Packer would giggle and laugh and reach for the dog, who would promptly run away.

3. Jameson really wants a dog. After this experience, I got multiple emails detailing the sort of dog we should get. I said not until we are done having kids.

The second doggie adventure occurred on April Fools Day. Packer and I were on a walk and we ran into a man with a sheep dog. This is Jameson's favorite type of dog. I asked if I could take a picture, and the flattered man kindly agreed. I then text Jameson and said that there was a man I met on my walk that wanted to get rid of his sheep dog because he was moving -- were we interested? Jameson immediately started asking me questions, and as soon as he was on lunch called me. Feeling it would be cruel to let it go on much longer (he was just so excited!) I clued him in to the joke. I have done my duty (haha -- duty) to the April Fools Gods for until next year.

For family living far away -- here are a few current photos of Packer Man:

This is with his good friend, Mattie. Long story short, we had to shove them both in the stroller. Packer was NOT a fan.

Here he is with his friend Portland from church. They were twiners and we tried to get a picture - Portland tried to cooperate, but Packer was not going for it.

Our feet

Book I read: Seriously . . . I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres. Not that good. It's like she just mind puked onto a page and got it published. Quick read though. Definitely NOT in the same caliber as Tina Fey's bio.

Series we are Addicted to: Grimm -- it isn't on Netflix yet which usually means I won't watch it. But they had the first season at the library. Score!! Totally my kind of show.

Easter at The Cabin

We just had a lovely weekend at Jameson's family cabin in Bicknell Utah. Traditionally, he and his family spend Easter there. It is beautiful little well kept secret, as seen here:

This is looking Northwest from the Cabin and you can see the Fremont River winding away. Very pretty in the fading light.

We left Friday night and put Packer to bed in his car seat. This was one trip where his sleeping patterns were not totally thrown out of wack. He slept sooooooooo well, it was such a blessing. I was really concerned that I would have everyone up in the cabin at all hours of the night. But we didn't. We arrived late Friday night and then spent most of Saturday lounging about and letting all of Packer's relatives man handle him. He totally ate it all up. Jameson caught a fish (not pictured) and we ate it on Sunday. He also was the sweetest hubby ever and we went to the Sunglow (which I referred to as the sundowner on more than one occasion . . . honestly by accident), a fun little local restaurant that serves Pickle Pie. It was delicious and was much like a slightly sour pumpkin pie both in taste and consistency.

Packer with his second cousin Kaylee (who came with her 'stupid awesome' fiance Thane -- Jameson was jealous that he caught a fish before him).

Jameson kicking a flat soccer ball against the cabin. Even in the middle of nowhere -- he finds a soccer ball to play with.

Sunday, Dad got a late start. While everyone else when to Coleman Lake, we stayed home and did our family Easter traditions which include reading John 20 and filling our shoes with candy and hiding them. The shoes thing has been passed down from my grandparents. We aren't sure if it was a dutch thing or if it was a 'we can't afford baskets thing' but it has stuck and it is what we do in place of Easter baskets.

Sunday morning -- we were the only two up. It was pretty, if a little cold.

He found his shoe -- with candy in it that he didn't eat.

This came after our 'date night' at the Sunglow. He was really happy to see Dad.

Later, we took an ATV ride down to visit the horses at the adventure camp just down the hill and for a scenic drive along the river.

Jameson was afraid the horses would bite him or Packer, so I went up and help him pet the VERY tame horses.

Cute Picture with Dad on the ATV

Unfortunately we ran out of gas and had to walk back. It turned out to be more fun than the ATV ride.

Walking away from the now out of gas ATV

Look Dad! No Hands!

We left just after Easter dinner. It was a wonderful weekend that helped our little family fall in love with this place just a little more.

Good Book to Read: Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman. She has such pretty prose -- but this is a hard read for me. Lots of babies and mommies and since it is a story, there are some mommies that get hurt and some babies that you hurt for. So. Good. Definitely tugged at my heartstrings. Also, I think she has a great sense of magic realism (my favorite!!).

Good Music to Listen to:  Little Bird, Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell

Running Away

It is a little known fact that I accidentally ran away from home when I was 6/7. A friend and I went looking for friends to play with door to door and ended up far far far away from home. In retrospect, we are super lucky that I didn't fall prey to some horrible person. It wasn't until the police found us that I rethought our plan.

In my adult life, I have taken this adventurous and reckless spirit a different direction. Now I enjoy running away for exercise, and I usually take our little boy with me.

Both Jameson and I are currently training for various races. Jameson is far more adventurous/reckless than I and is training for the Spartan Race . It is 12 miles and filled with obstacles that he gets to tackle in June. I can't wait to watch him succeed. We are both super excited. He is training regularly with his friend, Taylor.

I train regularly with my friend, Packer. I am training for a Half Marathon in October. What that means now is that I am training for a 5K in May and a 10K in July. I haven't actually picked out which ones I will be doing, but I am excited never the less.  



Anyway -- we aren't super into fitness, but I think that running and exercise in particular helps us to run out the emotions. It is a way to run away from problems, without actually doing so. When I come back from exercising, I can always face my day with a little more energy to do the hard things. I know that one of the first things a doctor will ask regardless of why you are there, is if you are exercising regularly or not. Exercise not only creates a healthy body, but a healthy mind.

Here is our little healthy man:

We love to go outside together. He is such a sweet little man, and flaps his arms up and down when he is excited. I don't think he is particularly excited here.

He has taken to holding his hands up in the air whenever he eats. I think it is so I can tickle him under his arms.

Jameson and Packer had fun with the dryer :)

Good Article to Read: A 21 Minute Fix by David Willer -- This was the article this week that made me look at running not as drudgery, but as a way to gain a clearer perspective.

Overcoming Chall . . . Look A Squirrel!

So, I feel that every week for me has been increasingly filled with spiritual experiences. We also have had an increase in setbacks. I was really hoping that Jameson would get the Assistant Branch Manager position in Tooele, but they went with a candidate that lived in the area. I don't think Jameson is all that disappointed. Tooele was not his top pick to live in (sorry Jen).

People deal with disappointments in differing ways. Perhaps it is like grieving, and you need to go through the five stages of grief with every loss to be faced. In which case, Jameson and I kind of live in a perpetual state of denial, or distraction, as I like to call it.

So here is a top ten list of my favorite distractions:

1. Sex -- while it should NEVER be used to distract from problems, sometimes a good 'ole roll in the hay is just what the doctor ordered. I do believe that there is credence to the need to get laid (when you are married, or the consequences totally outweigh the benefits). I'm fairly sure dopamine is involved.

2. Bake -- I seriously do this a lot when I am stressed. Expect lots of random treats to show up at my neighbor's houses.

3. Exercise -- again, with the dopamine. Also, I sometimes feel that there is little that I can control in my life, and going for a run helps me feel like I can gain some measure of control over the 'natural man'.

4. Clean -- this also stems from the control thing. Turns out I'm a bit of a control freak. If there is a problem I feel particularly helpless with, I often will clean. For instance, I might not be able to help a grieving widow, but I can certainly have a clean microwave.

5. Read a Book. This is why I love fantasy novels -- they are a way that I can escape, and I don't feel bad about it because I am 'improving' my mind.

6. Watch TV -- I really only do this when I am seriously depressed and don't WANT to pretend like I am using my brain. I tend to consider it a total waste of time.

7. Social Networking -- I call this attending to my correspondence. It's how I keep in touch and stay in the lives of those who live far away. Kind of a losing myself in the lives of others.

So here are some cute pictures of our sweetest distraction:

He is a very happy little boy -- especially when he can go outside and smile in the sunshine

Jameson says that it looks like he is directing troops on an old British naval vessel. I think he looks like a cute little boy playing with a stick.

 Good Book to Read: The Lacemakers of Glenmara by Heather Barbeiri This book was so beautiful. The plot is a healing story of love and the prose is lyrical. So beautiful!

Good Song: Sweet Pea by Amos Lee

Eight Months Packer Man!!

So not only did we keep Packer alive for seven months -- we made it to eight. That's right! We are totally the parents of the year. Some of you may be thinking - ha! we have six kids (Cami) and kept all of them alive and relatively accident free. Here is what I have to say to you: I am by far less responsible than you could ever pretend you were. This is a massive accomplishment for the two of us and we WILL celebrate accordingly!

Where did that sweet little boy come from with his easy smile? Oh yeah . . . Heaven!

 So some stats on Packer: I have no idea what he weighs, and since we lack a scale in our home (it just depresses me -- taking away from the fact that I work out regularly and still don't lose weight but I look AWESOME). But I would wager he weighs 16-17 lbs. Somewhere in there. I would also guess that he is about 28-30 in long. He is crawling around on all fours and seems to enjoy his new found mobility. He can say dadadada and bababababa and mamamamamama and gagagagagagaa. And sometimes dadee. It is important to note that none of this babbling seems to be associated with any one person or object just yet. He is in 6 month clothes and size 3 diapers (this just barely happened like 3 days ago). He loves to go outside, but I think he gets a little frustrated in the stroller sometimes since he can't stop and smell (or eat) the roses. He has 2 teeth coming in on the bottom -- in the front, and can consequently get a little cranky and drool-y, especially at night. He loves to flirt with strangers, but gets a little nervous whenever Mom and Dad aren't around. He loves to read books with me, and his favorite is by far 10 Little Fingers and 10 Little Toes by Mem Fox and Helen Oxenbury. He used to sleep through the night, but now wakes up at about 3 or 4 to eat before going back to sleep. He wakes up for good around 8 in the morning, but that has changed to 9 since daylight savings. Pretty sweet business, and I hope that it lasts. However I am pretty sure his schedule will shake back out. He goes to bed at about 8:30. We do late bedtimes since Dad gets home so late. Otherwise, he would never get to see his dad. Who is a rock star in his baby's eyes. Jameson is just so much fun.

This is from when he was about 6 months, but it really shows how much fun he has with his Dad. They do all the crazy things that mom just won't do.

 We had a really sweet moment on Saturday. Packer generally is banned from our room, but on Saturday, I got up to get him in the morning at 8. I had to tinkle first, so I went in the bathroom. While the tinkling ensued, Jameson got up and got Packer, and brought him back to the bed. Initially, his trick worked, and I was a bit confused as to where the baby went. Turns out he was hidden under the covers of our bed and we had a fun and raucous morning all together. Lots of smiles and laughs. It was a stand out morning for me.

When I was at a Women's Conference for church, Jameson had some fun with the drums. There is a video of him actually playing the drums as well.

 Good Books to Read: Crazy Little Thing by Tracy Brogan -- this was a fun, saucy little romance in which it was easy to hate the bad guy, love the good guy, and root for the heroine. Favorite quote: 'Fashion is what separates us from the animals. And from the rednecks.' Not a lot of overt sex scenes (there are a few), but lots of funny innuendo. I found it on the kindle library check out for prime members.

Good Music to Listen To: Don't Blink by Kenny Chesney in honor of time flying by so very fast with my sweet little family. I know it is cheesy. I don't care.

Lucky Lander Land

Jameson and I had made plans to visit Lander over President's Day weekend. That didn't happen, so I made Jameson take yesterday off of work so we could visit my family just this past weekend. As always, Lander holds many hidden surprises and treasures . . .

Packer did so well on the ride up. Probably because we left around the time he goes to bed anyway, so he pretty much just slept the whole way there. However, once we were in Lander, that act dropped and he slept the worst that he ever has. There was one night I had to sit up with him and let him sleep on my ample bosom while I watched disney movies on Netflix. Just bear that in mind when you see pictures of me later.

Saturday we went to Cabin Fever Books -- a long time staple of Lander WY that has lots of books and some wicked sweet kitchen equipment. The owner, MaryAnn Hoyt is closing down shop because she is a grandma and wants to focus her life in directions other than making oodles and oodles of noodles (and money). She goes to our church and I have known her pretty well our whole life. My mom kind of spoiled us rotten this weekend and bought Packer and ourselves lots of fun things! We definitely had a hay day at MaryAnn's place. Everything was 30% off, and Mom and I kind of loose our heads over closing sales. Anyway, we had a giant pile of things on the counter when MaryAnn brought out some very fancy kitchen knives. I mentioned that I needed knives (I do) and mom said I could pick one out, then MaryAnn picked two out for me and gifted them to me! It was so generous and nice. It reminded me how supportive my hometown is.

Packer was so in love with my parents -- it was kind of weird, since he doesn't know them super well, but he took to them like a fish to water. He is usually a bit more cautious around folks he doesn't know well.

Moving on -- Sunday was kind of a disaster for Packer at church, so I didn't get to stay for Relief Society. Kind of a big bummer for me, mainly because I was looking for my friend Morgan Douglas who was my friend at SJHS, LVHS AND college. She is now a Vet in Lander and her husband is a Vet Tech with her! My Junior year of college, we were both moving into our apartments, and we both kind of screamed when we saw each other moving in -- turns out we had each moved 300 miles + just to be next door neighbors.

This is Morgan and her husband, Ben. They met on a guest ranch that they were both wranglers for -- they are buying a house in Lander now. So fun to see her and how she has changed and grown as a person!

Finally on Monday before we left, we went to visit the Sinks and the Rise with Packer Man. It was cold, but so fun just to go out and do something! It reminded me that we don't really need to be connected to our devices to be connected to people that we love, and that shared experiences are sometimes the glue that holds families and friends together. Definitely some motivation to go out and have some fun!

This is at the Rise of the Sinks -- I just love this shot of them walking down the pier with Packer staring over Jameson's shoulder.

My sweet mom and dad looking really great and the Sinks.

That's right -- we love each other. A LOT!!!

We braved the icy trail down to where the river goes underground. My Dad said some interesting stuff regarding some caves in the area where you can see the river flowing underground. You can tell Packer is done with the cold -- his nose is bright red.

This is about how the trip went -- Dad laughing, Mom vaguely amused, and Jameson really excited to show Packer what was up.

Good Book to Read: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margartet Stohl -- since the movie is coming out, I really wanted to get this read. Now I have to somehow justify buying the rest of the series . . .

Good music to listen to: Brand New -- I will play my game beneath the spin lights. I love the lyrics on this song: I would kill for the Atlantic, but I am paid to make girls to panic . . . when I sing.

The Face of God (Warning: This Gets Churchy)

I think that everyone on occasion feels that their lives kind of catch up with them. Meaning that you feel a little ahead of the pack most days, only to suddenly find yourself at the rear of the pack for what feels like forever. To sum up: Discouragement. Both Jameson and myself have felt like this for quite some time. Maybe it is the immense pressure to be/feel that we CAN do it all (we can't -- mostly laziness). We (meaning Jameson and myself) be an awesome Mom/Dad, homemaker/breadwinner, stay up on current affairs, read all the books we want, see every movie ever made to make sure we get the references on Psych . . . the list goes on. Maybe it is unrealistic expectations that we set for ourselves. Whatever the reason, we both feel a little discouraged.

This is my ultimate conclusion: We need to stop the pity party. For Real. There are so many people facing worse problems that we are (ours are of the 1st world nation variety: eat too much, watch too much TV). That doesn't mean we can't feel a little sorry for ourselves, we just have to get over it and move on. Do the stuff we don't want to, and realize it is okay when we occasionally screw up royally.

I came to this conclusion after we went and watched Les Miserables. There are MANY lessons to be taught by this book, play, movie, musical. However, the one that I want to highlight is the restorative power of faith. If we have faith in God and Jesus Christ, that they exist and love us, we have faith that they can help to change us. We can overcome our demons, whatever they may be, and find peace, hope, and love in this life. We can become better people. While this may not change our circumstances, we can work to change the circumstances of others, and truly love another person.



This video is a tad long, but it is a good medley of the music from the musical. This is from the 25th anniversary video. Nothing against the movie, but the voices are better on this one.

"To love another person is to see the face of God"

I love lots of people in my life that I love dearly, but here are some pictures of the one that probably brings the most sunshine into it:

Me and Bug on a walk

Packer's usual position as he is getting ready to crawl. Either this on flat on his face . . .

Ya Trick! Ya!

Our little English Gentleman getting ready for church

I am not going to recommend a book or movie right here, because I think everyone should read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo or watch the movie! (this means the list will be longer next week)