Sunday, October 31, 2010

Holiday Head Butting

This blog post is a bit of a venting moment for me, I'm sorry! But I have to say, the last time I vented on our blog I didn't receive the best comments. If you recall, it was the post titled "Battle of the Holidays". I've been afraid to do a blog post like this ever since because of how some people reacted to it. If truth were told, I'm afraid to read the comments. This post is strictly to get some thoughts out that have been making me a little annoyed these days. I just really hope that if anyone disagrees with me on this subject (which I'm sure there will be) that you don't send me any hate e-mails or annonymous text messages! Those are worse than the public blog comments or facebook comments. With that said, on to the post!

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I wish it wasn't such a big deal for some people that some parents would rather take their kids trick-or-treating on a Saturday night when Halloween falls on a Sunday. I promise these parents are not trying to change the holiday or ruin it for you. If holidays such as the Fourth of July or Halloween happen to fall on Sunday (as they did this year) the festivities that go with these holidays are preferred to be celebrated the day before in some areas, such as Idaho Falls. Is there anything wrong with that? There is nothing unpatriotic about having the big firework show on Saturday night instead of Sunday. Is the Fourth of July in Idaho Falls defined by the firework show on the falls? I certainly hope not. And that's what it's starting to sound like when people complain about it. Families will still be celebrating the Fourth and Halloween with family barbecues and fun family movies. And even fireworks of their own. After church today we will be going to my parents' house for a Halloween family tradition: mom's homemade chili and corn bread. Delicious.

Parents who don't want their kids to take part in trick-or-treating on the Saturday night are more than welcome to take them on Sunday. People are still going to keep their lights on for these kids and give them candy. Sunday is a day that most people in this area prefer to set apart as their day of worship and church attendance. And I promise it's not just "a mormon thing." There are more people out there than just those who are members of the LDS church who would prefer to trick-or-treat on a night other than Sunday.

I heard someone say recently that the people in "this town" will probably be changing New Years and Christmas too. I only find humor in this comment. Christmas falling on Sunday is the most ideal thing. What better day to celebrate the birth of Christ than on a Sunday? I love the feeling of going to church on Christmas day and celebrating the one of the most important days in the history of mankind. And again to clarify, some think that those who engage in holiday festivities on a different day are trying to change the date. This isn't true at all, and I hope those people can understand this one day. Trick-or-treating is a fun activity for kids, but most people in this area would agree when I say it isn't something that is really appropriate for the sabbath. But again we are also going to be keeping our front lights on for those trick-or-treaters who are going out tonight on Halloween. There is nothing wrong with them going at all. It is a personal choice that we are all making. Why should that matter if some decide to go on Saturday? Sunday or Saturday, whatever we all decide, the holiday is still being celebrated. Everybody should just be happy about that.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Family Pictures

We made a last-minute decision last week to get our family pictures taken. The good weather was about to end, and Thursday was beautiful outside. So my friends Joanie and Kristie met us for family pictures. Joanie did a great job with our pictures! And Kristie was very helpful as another set of eyes, helping us pose and watching out for runaway hair strands and wardrobe malfunctions. Thanks for all your help, Kristie and Joanie! Here are a few of our favorites:


Sunday, October 24, 2010

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Sad House

I loved our house growing up.
It was a brown house with wood siding that my dad and grandpa built. The yard was beautiful and green, so perfect that some called it a golf course lawn. The trees were so pretty, and the flowers were always so bright and happy. I have many fond memories at that house that I will never forget. My family met our best friends while living in this house and had some very happy times. Now this is what it looks like:
If you're wondering what that crap is all over the front, it's river rock. The entire front is river rock. My mom, Britney, and I drove by today after my dad had seen it and said it looked pretty sad. And sad it really is. And the trees and plants are all gone. The lawn is pretty patchy. Sorry if this house now belongs to any of you, by the way. It just doesn't look my house anymore, which is sad to me. Not even close to looking like my house. It looks pretty gross. And scary.
I'm glad my mom took pictures of our beloved home when we were growing up. Otherwise we'd be struggling to remember what it looked like when it looked good!

Monday, October 18, 2010

26

Amber and I are 26 today.
It seems we have officially entered adulthood. One year older and wiser too! On Sunday we went to our parent's house for a family party. Everyone but Adam was there. He was in Utah.
Tyson and Brycen gave me a new lens for my camera for my birthday. I love it! We used it at the birthday party. It lets in a lot more light and allows for better indoor pictures. It's just a really good lens and I already love using it!
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For dessert we had Reed's Dairy waffle bowls with homemade brownies (made by me - you can find the recipe here), and Reed's Dairy ice cream (huckleberry and pralines 'n cream. Yum!)
PS I had made a different batch of brownies and they were SO gross. I have no idea what happened. So I had to make a new batch and they turned out much better!

Blowing out the candles

Amber & Che'

Family picture
Brycen was struggling to sit still.


Amy, Aaron & Britney


Brycen


Opening presents
We got Amber a curling iron she has wanted for awhile.


And also mini loaf pans! Something every baker needs.
She and Che' got me a couple of hair clips from June and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" on DVD. Perfect!


Mom and Dad gave us cupcake carriers. Also perfect!
Other gifts included Kohl's giftcards from Amy, Aaron, and Britney.

Very nice!


Mom & Dad


Amy was feeding Brycen and texting at the same time. I had to get a picture of how she was holding his bottle! It was funny.


We had fun at our birthday party!
Still can't believe we're 26.
Thank you for all the wonderful gifts! Both mine and Tyson's family spoiled me this year. You're all so generous! And thanks to all of you for all your birthday wishes. We have felt very special today!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Our New Addition

We bought a piano!
I am just so excited I can't even stand it.
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A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from BYU-Idaho about a piano sale in Rexburg. The old pianos at the school were going to be sold for great prices, and it would be for one day only. But if we called and made an appointment we could come in a couple days before and have someone personally take us around and talk to us about the pianos. We could also buy a piano at this preview. So I thought we should give it a shot. I made an appointment immediately.
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On Thursday the 14th we went to Rexburg and were the first appointment on the first day of the preview. We walked around and saw all the pianos. They looked way too nice and new to be the old ones from BYU-Idaho. It turned out the ones from BYU-Idaho were in a separate room and were all the black low-rise pianos. Boo. Not what we were looking for.
However,
the rest of the pianos were from Piano Gallery in Idaho Falls. The company had purchased all the pianos from another company that had recently gone out of business and were reselling them for ridiculously good prices. We didn't have to walk around for long when we saw the one meant for us.
It is a brand new Pramberger and we are just loving it. Tyson was pretty set on a Kawaii when we came in, but the person helping us gave us a lot of good information about Prambergers that made our decision easy when we saw our piano. It was a great feeling when she placed the neon green "Sold" card on the front of it. We were the proud owners of our first piano.

I feel really lucky to have this piano in our home. From the time I was really young and just starting to play the piano I was dreaming of what it would be like to have one of my very own. (Of course at that time it was a gigantic grand piano that was jet black and in the middle of my library.) I always knew we'd get a piano, but I never imagined it would be so soon. It is such a blessing to have found not only the perfect piano but also the perfect price. I now understand how my good friend Sha felt when she got her first piano. I read her blog post and could feel her excitement through the words on the screen as she described this perfect instrument that now belonged to her. I feel the same way. I'm so happy I could cry! I love this piano. We couldn't have found a more perfect one for us!
I think it's time for me to start teaching lessons!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Mr. Green Eyes?

Brycen's eyes are all of a sudden looking really green. Not too long ago they were SO blue. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what his permanent eye color is!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

An Early Birthday Present

I got an e-mail today from Dustin and Erika (Tyson's brother and his wife) with this video of their little girl, Lillie (3), singing to me for an early birthday present (my birthday is Monday). The video is so sweet! It melts my heart. I just love her.

Thanks, Lillie, for the sweet video! It made my day!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

U-Pick Pumpkin Patch

Before the Arctic Circle madness we enjoyed a relaxing evening at this very cute pumpkin patch. The kids had so much fun! Brycen did really well and we got some fun pictures. Here are some of my favorites:



Brycen's first pumpkin


Gramps & Easton

Easton and Cooper helped Kate find a pumpkin.
They are the sweetest brothers!


Kate & Brycen


All the kids
Cooper, Easton, Brycen & Kate







Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Brycen's 6-Month Appointment

Our baby is 6 months old!
It's hard to believe.
And also hard to believe that he even had shots today!
He was super happy before the shots
(grabbing the table liner and completely destroying it, wiggling around, laughing and screaming...)
then he had the shots and cried until I got his jammies put back on.
I put him in his carrier and he fell right to sleep. An hour and a half later he woke up and had a bottle.
And he's been back to himself and super happy since!
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Brycen's numbers for today:
weight - 18 lb. 9 oz. (70%)
length - 27 1/4 in. (80%)
He's our growing little boy!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Aaron's 28th Birthday

My older brother Aaron turned 28 on September 29.
He went to dinner with his wife Britney, then came back to our parents' house for dessert.
It was fun visiting and opening presents! September - December we have six birthdays in our family so we do a lot of partying. It's so fun!

Aaron always wants homemade cherry cheesecake for his birthday cake.
It's funny how different we all are with our birthday cakes!



Brycen has recently discovered his tongue.
He has it out all the time, it's so cute!


Amber and Britney with Brycen

Adam likes the cheesecake but not the cherries.
He always scrapes them off.


Adam & Tyson


Aaron opening presents

Friday, October 1, 2010

The Problem with the World Today - The Arctic Circle Story

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we have to make a decision. A decision that we ask ourselves "What would you do?" Or in this case, "What should I do?"
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Our evening started off with Tyson's parents and our nephews Easton (8) and Cooper (6), and niece Kate (2) (and of course Brycen) at a very cute and cozy pumpkin patch in Idaho Falls. We were the only ones there and we took a lot of fun pictures. It was such a fun and nearly perfect evening. I enjoyed being there so much with everyone.

After the pumpkin patch we decided to get a bite to eat. The kids chose Arctic Circle because of the toy area. (It was that or McDonald's, and the adults weren't having any of that!) So we went to the crazy busy Arctic Circle and visited while the kids ran back and forth from eating their chicken rings and strawberry milkshakes to climbing around in the play area.

The place was packed but seemed to be settling down as we finished our food. As we started packing everybody up to leave we heard this lady (Tyson says she wasn't a lady, just female) yelling (seriously, yelling) at the woman behind the counter. She had just come from the drive-up window and had gotten the wrong food. After explaining the food she got that was wrong she started asking if the fries were fresh. Did I say asking? I meant screaming. She was screaming at the guy making the fries demanding fresh ones. And her voice...oh, her voice...the sheer volume and pitch were enough to make you nervous and want to run away. And also make your furious. Especially as a person like me who works at a restaurant and has to deal with people like her all the time. Our group sat and listened as she continued to ask who the general manager was and that she wanted to call him at home to tell him how awful his drive-up staff is. All I could hear were phrases like, "What is wrong with you people!" and "Aren't you capable of getting a simple order right?" It was embarassing. And Tyson was fuming, ready to say something to her. I naturally got nervous at this idea and begged him not to say anything to her. It wasn't our business and I was afraid of what would happen next.

So then she walked away from the counter with her free and oh-so-fresh fries. I was packing up Brycen when I heard out of Tyson's mouth:

"Do you feel better now? You were yelling loud enough, did you get what you wanted?"

That did it. I immediately looked the other way as I heard her yelling at Tyson about him butting into something that wasn't his business. He proceeded to tell her she was...let me remember how he put it...ah yes. White trash. And an embarassment. So naturally she used a two-letter phrase that started with a word that begins with "f". That's when things got a little more interesting as Tyson's parents came into the situation. His dad told her to watch her language and that she should just leave. Dang right! When he said there were children around she said, "What children!" Did I mention Kate was in his arms and the boys were right behind me? Seriously.

The arguing continued and eventually the two managers on duty came over to tell her to leave. She, of course, was incredibly rude back to them. That's when I told her that she had no right to treat these people the way she was treating them and that she was being very disrespectful. She got what she wanted, right? And aren't you always going to get what you want when your food is wrong? Do you really have to yell at the poor people? So many thoughts of being at the restaurant I work at were going through my mind and how much I hated those moments where the guests were so incredibly rude. And treating me like a servant. Just like this woman was treating the Arctic Circle staff tonight.

So much was said that I can't even get to all of it. But let's just say that Tyson brought his phone out to call the police and didn't, and this woman had no good comebacks.

Our group walked out and the lady yelled behind us, "You mormons! Why don't you go to your mormon church on Sunday!" Good one, lady. Was that supposed to be an insult? For one, you have no idea if we're members. And two, thanks for assuming that mormons stand up for people and do the right thing. Because you just served us a compliment! I've never been so happy to be a member. It was great agreeing with her and saying, "Ok we will! But actually we have General Conference on Sunday so we'll go next week."

As we walked out we couldn't help but laugh right out loud. How crazy was all of that?! Along with the laughter were apologies to the kids for what just happened. I'm sure they had a great chat with Grandma and Grandpa in the car ride home about confrontation and bad language.

The woman came out as we were getting in our cars. She kept screaming the same comment about mormons and going to our mormon church on Sunday. Then Tyson said something back to her that may have had something to do with going back to her double wide and frying something. Actually that's exactly what he said. And all she could say back was, "You'd be surprised." Again, good one.

That "lady" is what is wrong with the world. She walked into that establishment and acted like she was so much better than anyone else there. Like she was the most important person in the room and everyone else were her little servants. After all was said and done, I was glad that Tyson said something. I thought of that show "What Would You Do?" and being frustrated at the people who just sit there as others are being tormented on some level. I have always thought that I would do the right thing and help those people. But the situation presented itself and I didn't say anything until my husband had the guts to do it himself.

It felt good to leave there knowing we stood up for those staff members. And we could tell that they appreciated it and gained confidence of their own. As servers and staff members in retail and other such places we are required to let the customers have their say and let them be "right." But as the outsider and the person who doesn't work there when I see something like this happen, I'm not going to have it. Those employees may not be able to say anything for themsleves, but from now on I'm going to. After tonight I think I can do that. I want to be able to do that. And while this person was the extreme situation, I think she was preparation for when I find myself in a similar incident later on.

To that woman, wherever you are, I hope you are home with your family and friends furious about those mormons who told you what to do. Because while you're doing that, those mormons will be watching General Conference and learning more about the right way to treat people.