THe HaunTEd CanYOn anD a CooL Mom & DAd

We did the coolest thing for Halloween this year. My parents took me and the kids (Granty was on a business trip) on the Heber Valley RR's Haunted Canyon Train experience. It's a lot of fun and I would highly recommend it!

The train leaves from Vivian Park in Provo Canyon and when we got there, it was freezing! There were a few snowflakes drifting down which made the atmosphere in the dark, and the cold, that much more eerie. Grandpa bought everyone some hot chocolate, and then we waited for the train to take us on a spooky ride.

The train was decorated with spider webs, skeletons, etc. You know, all that stuff to make it creepy. Of course, I can't help but wonder, since the train is so old, maybe it wasn't decorated at all!! Heh!

While we rode the train, scary stories were told of ghost sightings in the canyon, and as you'd look out the window, the scenes from each story were being acted out. The dead bride wailing for her husband...the cannibals coming to gnaw on your bones...the children that died in a bus accident...the cat lady that turns kids into kitties! Truly, it was really cool and I liked it as much as my kids did!

What would my life be without the coolest parents in the world? They take us on "grand adventures" as my mom would say, and let each of my kids know just how truly important they are. LIFE itself wouldn't be the same without them. Here's to a great Halloween and two very, VERY cool parents! I love you, my parental units!!

Halloween, 2008

I can't believe how quickly Halloween snuck up on me! It seems like all of the sudden I was putting costumes together, making pumpkin shaped cookies, carving pumpkins, shopping for candy, etc. Where did autumn go? Or did it even arrive? I went to Wal-mart yesterday and there were Christmas decorations, and MUSIC playing...before Halloween! What the deuce?

Okay, so back to Halloween...

Last year, Granty was a horrendously ugly woman for Halloween. I admit, it was fun to put the costume together and send him off to work, like my little wife, however...THIS year, he decided to not only be a woman again, but a BALLERINA! Who gave my husband crack and made him smoke it? The kids and I were practically writhing on the floor laughing last night while he tried on his costume, complete with a blonde wig and HUGE tutu. Holy bajole!

Everyone really got into Halloween this year. Except me. I'm the party pooper who does all the make up. By the time I'm done getting everyone ready, I don't wanna get dressed up! But that's another story...

Tim wanted to be Heath Ledger's Joker, and I kept telling him, "I don't know how we're gonna do it." He insisted that if we just tried, it would work. Soooooo, we went to the DI and found a purple suit coat, and shirt and tie and some cool shoes that we figured would work. Okay, I don't wanna brag, but WOW! His make up was spot on and he does an awesome impression of the Joker. He's such a cute kid. He kept saying, "Mom, I look so good!!" YES! 10 points for the meanest mom in the world!! :)

Taylor was a witch and she wore the costume that I wore when I was 5! Now, at 5 years old, the costume touched the ground, but for Taylor, it hit her knees. She was quite the adorable little witch. I had fun with her make up and got really crazy with the colors. Halloween is the time to go a little nuts I suppose. Just not Michael Myers nuts...or Freddy Krueger...or Jason. Wait, am I revealing all the "naughty" movies I've seen?

Cameron, as usual, was some kind of scary monster guy. We never have a name for what he is. I guess he's just a monster. Did he really need a costume? HEYYYY, I'm kidding guys! Sheesh, you think I don't like my crabby stinker of a kid? Of course I do...slobbery fangs and all!

And then there was Squonkalicious Kaleb. He always wants to be something with a weapon, especially a sword! While we browsed my mom's costume box, we came along my brother's old Zorro costume. Wade was Zorro 24/7 for several years as a kid and my mom made him the cutest costume! Anyway, Kaleb thought it looked pretty cool, and thus, we have Zorro the gay blade! Okay, maybe not the gay part, but Zorro just the same!

So that's our Halloween, 2008. Wanna know the best part about Halloween? It's OVER! YAY!

Giggling with much needed glee...

You know those really, REALLY bad days? The kind when one thing after another keeps happening and on a normal day, said things wouldn't really bother you...but you're having a bad day and so you get frustrated, and then angry and then you flop on the floor and cry and your kids look at you like, "What the crap?" and there you lie, in a puddle of your own tears? Okay, maybe not THAT bad, but you get the idea.

I had one of those days yesterday.

My cute husband tried cheering me up and emailed me the following picture. I laughed so hard I almost pee'd my pants! Thanks for being such a wonderful guy, Granty!

Ahhh...so much lovin'!!

Tonight was my first time at "girl's night" with the fun ladies in my ward, and I just hafta say, THANKS GUYS! If I was in a Single's Ward right now, I'd be bearing my testimony and blubbering away...

"and I just want all my gal pals to know how much I love them...blah, blah, blah..."

You get the point! Tonight was really fun, all. Getting out of the house, enjoying awesome company, great food at the Olive Garden, and just having a break from it all was just what I needed! It was so nice laughing and talking about anything.

Next time Lindsay, remember to bring the rum! woot!!

Xanadu!!

Okay, okay...I am about to admit one of my most embarassing secrets, but I LOVE the movie Xanadu. I mean love, Love, LOVE! I know it's cheesy, the whole story about a disco roller skating rink, an artist, a daughter of Zeus and catchy tunes, but it's one of my guilty pleasures!

I was at the DI (a local thrift store) the other day and I thought, eh, what the heck, I'm gonna look at the videos for sale. There, smiling back at me in all it's glory was XANADU! I nearly pee'd my pants with excitement!! I squealed at Taylor to come look and together we giggled with glee about the treasure I had found. My boys all rolled their eyes and gagged at the thought of having to listen to Oliva Newton-John singing her guts out. Heh! I think secretly they like it, they just don't want to admit it.

So of course, the minute I got home, I popped it into the VCR. It's just as great today as it was "back in the day". I had so much fun watching it with Taylor and singing all the songs. She and I especially like the "crossover" song. Anyone who is an honest-to-goodness Xanadu fan knows what I'm talking about. She likes to sing the old 40's part, while I belt out the rock-n-roll part. It's so great! I love watching Xanadu. Memories of my childhood come flooding back...

My friend Jen had a player piano. You know, the kind that played music from a scroll? Anyway, the piano had the theme song from Xanadu and we used to listen to it over and over. We'd watch the movie, listen to the song, watch the movie again. I guess we were just a bit obessesed! I keep remembering fun times with that group of friends...Jen & Jen, Danielle, Heather and me. We had an awesome time together. Sleepovers on my back deck, gambling with cinnamon bears, playing with our Cabbage Patch Kids, taking dance lessons, playing Atari games at Danielle's, spending all day in Heather's hot tub, toilet papering our friend's houses, and playing neighborhood games in the dark. They were wonderful friends and I miss those times we had. I sometimes wonder how they all are and where life has taken them.

I hope they all have a piece of Xanadu in their hearts, too.

Greetings & Salutations!

So...have you missed me? I've been absent as of late because I...uh....well, I broke my husband's lap top. I was checking my facebook/email/blog and wouldn't you know it, I had motherly duties to attend to. So, I put the lap top on the floor, leaning up against the couch and *BAM!* I heard it slide to the floor and smack the tile HARD. I really didn't think anything of it, but when Granty tried using it later that night, it wouldn't even start up. Basically, I killed it. *tear* Sorry honey!

Anyway, Granty was able to get a "new to us" pc at work and so far, things are running smoothly. I wish I could get him a new lap top, but this will do for now. He seemed much happier when he went to bed tonight knowing he can check our finances online again, so I guess that all is well again! Yay!

SUpEr FuN WeDneSDaY...

Heeeeeey, catchy title eh? Ha! Too bad it has NOTHING to do with today's ramblings. Well, maybe to ME this will be super fun, but to all my readers...prolly not! Anyway...

I saw this on my cousin's blog and thought it sounded fun. So, without further adieu...

This is called "FIRST REACTIONS QUIZ". You have to type the 1ST thing that comes to mind whenever you hear these 31 things. You can't think and go back and change your answers...

Beer: tastes like pee (now, I've never tasted pee, so I really don't know...or have I?)
McDonalds: greasy
Relationships: worth the work
Purple: one of my favorite colors!
Power Rangers: stupid
Steroids: asthma (my son Tim has to take steriods when he has an asthma attack)
Cartoons: Saturday mornings and cold cereal
Florida: hot
Santa Claus: my Papa (my papa used to dress as Santa Claus when he'd come visit at Christmas)
Halloween: candy & winchells donuts (remember that Wade?)
Alice in Wonderland: odd and even a bit scary
Myspace: unnecessary...not for my family!
Clowns: my mind is a complete blank
Marriage: AWESOME! I love my Granty!!
Paris: Hilton
Blondes: are lucky
Brunettes: are LUCKIER!
One night stands: cheap
Donald Trump: needs a haircut!
Neverland: Johnny Depp in Return to Neverland (such an awesome flick!)
Pixie: Tinkerbell
Vanilla Ice Cream: I only like vanilla ice cream in a twist cone from fast food places...YUM!
Hooters: I could never work there, darnit! I'm not "hooty" enough!
High School Musical: honestly, it's a stinkin' cute show for young girls & I love watching it with Taylor...it's a fun mom and daughter thing!
Pajamas: Love 'em!
Woody: *tear* Makes me think of Belle and Zach. I miss them!!
Wet socks: cold feet, snow and hot chocolate

That was too fun! Now it's YOUR turn!