How far can you drive in a day?

In all honesty the title should be "our family vacation" but alas it is being defined (by me) as a marathon sprint so to speak. first thought I will share with you the most amazing family trip we have ever taken.
Drum roll please......
our family vacation centered around church history. Yep, the kids were about that excited when we told them. they would've much preferred a trip to Disneyland, a stay-cation or any number of other things they consider to be fun. One might ask how we came to this idea? well it was kinda easy. Dwayne travels A LOT for work especially lately and he earns hotel reward points that can be used for free rooms. Actually the real reason is we (Dwayne and I) have wanted to go to Nauvoo for at least 8 years and we decided now was as good of time as any. Plus, it was the month they do the Nauvoo pageant! YES!! now for our trip.
We left at 3:30 AM on the 3rd. our goal: Omaha, NE. The kids slept almost to Rawlins, WY. we stopped for breakfast, gas and of course the bathroom!! I was getting a little worried when one of our kids had to use the bathroom quite frequently it seemed (we were on a time schedule, didn't he get the memo?!) needless to say between the bathroom stops that really weren't that many (just seemed like it) and then it started rain in Nebraska. We made it there by 7/8ish. early enough we could still go swimming and give the kids a break for being so good. On the 4th we drove from Omaha to Kansas, MO. about 5 hours... raining actually POURING rain all the way there! once there we went to see firework at the Kansas city river fest. It wasn't what we thought it was going to be so we headed back the hotel had "Steak and Shake" for dinner YUMMY!! and of course it was POURING rain so we watched fireworks from the Hotel window :).
Monday we started with Liberty Jail. It was tender, peaceful and filled with the spirit. What amazing revelation was given there to Joseph Smith and recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants.We then went to Hauns mill. Not the stone marker but the actual place. I highly recommend you do not attempt to go there after it has rained, even if it has been a couple of days! but since we were there, we took a picture of the marker and prayed our car would make it out. Also to mention we went to Adam-Ondi-Ahman, it is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Super green, lush and very peaceful this is until I caught a small frog on the way to the bathroom. The kids begged to keep it! so after much whining, begging and crying we kept it. However, we did let it go across the border in nauvoo before the trip home, I really didn't think he would make it. Tuesday, we drove down to Jackson county. Walked through the visitors center there and also walked over to the Church of Christ (RLDS) temple. We didn't take the tour, mostly because it was a very weird feeling there. We drove over to Nauvoo after that and enjoyed walking around old Nauvoo. Wednesday we got up early and spent the day touring old Nauvoo. It was so interesting to hear the pioneer stories as recorded in journals. To walk where the pioneers had walked and get a small glimpse into how hard they worked and sacrificed for the fullness of the gospel. In the evenings before the pageant they have pioneer games, dancing, cart pulling and all sorts of super fun stuff to do as a family. We went to the pageant 2 nights. Why not! we drove thousands of miles to see it. It was AMAZING!! all of our kids enjoyed it. Thursday morning I had the opportunity to go with Maycie to do baptisms for the dead in the Nauvoo Temple. That is something I will never forget. So beautiful, so sacred I couldn't keep the tears in. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband that took the younger 3 kids so Maycie and I could go and perform such an important ordinance. There was so many things to do in Nauvoo. The kids had fun making rope, walking on stilts and playing all sorts of pioneer games. It was such a fun vacation, even better than the kids thought it would be!. Now for the "marathon" home. We left around 3:30 in the morning and.... drove all the way home in ONE day!! in our defense around the Nebraska/Wyoming
border we thought about stopping for the night but the kids were being so quiet, hadn't complained AT ALL so we decided to bite the bullet and finish the trip. Dwayne drove most of the trip, except for a few hours in Nebraska. He was exhausted. So being the driver that I am, I tend to go at least 10 over. I call it going with the flow of traffic but most people call it speeding either way we covered alot of ground that day and it went very quickly when I was driving:). Somewhere between Green River and Evanston, when the sun started to go down I had a hard time staying awake. Luckily Maycie stayed awake to talk with dad so he didn't start to fall asleep too. So there you have it, our summer family vacation, 5 months later.

Basement, European vacation, Graduation and the list goes on

March, April and May flew by for me. how about you?? In March we decided to finish our basement. It was insane!! 4 weeks and 5 days from framer to finish... and I can't forget to mention Dwayne threw in his European graduate trip in the last week of all the insanity! We still have touch up painting to do but we can live in it so I will call it finished! :) We hired out everything except insulation and painting/prep work (note to self: Never do it again, any of it!) The basement came together well, thankfully I have a awesome friend and neighbor who came over at 11:30 PM to help me spray primer. I have no doubt she thought I was crazy. my intent was to have EVERYTHING finished by the time dwayne got home from his trip, I was close. I had to push carpet out a couple of days and Dwayne I had to paint like mad when he got home. I felt really bad since I knew he was jet lag. But, in my defense I had ANOTHER project that I started doing the day he left, His own office (as I sit here doing my blog tonight:))I took the blue room, painted it two tone, hung crown molding and chair moulding (with the help of another awesome friend), made the coolest curtains EVER and did a little golf decorating for him as a graduation gift. Yes that was an even more insane week. Alas hooray we finished the basement and I LOVE it.
May was filled with the most anticipated birthday ever in our house. On May 5Th our oldest turned 12!! yes, I am getting that old. For years she has had the desire to go do Baptisms for the dead for her birthday. We went to the Salt Lake Temple. It was a "girl" day. Grandma Culley, Aunt Di, Aunt Nancy and I went with her then we met all of the family for dinner at her favorite restaurant, IHOPS. It was such an inspiring way to spend her birthday. She is becoming such an amazing young woman and we are very proud of her desire to develop her testimony and faith.
THEN, we had the momentous long awaited graduation! It was such an exciting day. I am very proud of him and this huge accomplishment.
The whole month of may seemed like parties. The executive MBA office had a dinner at La Caille for the grads and guest and what would any event be with us without something to spice it up??? not fun I say! we arrived and they were serving appetizers, YUM. they brought around an oriental chicken skewer. Dwayne and I both took one, my thought right after was... I bet this was cooked in peanut oil?! yep, sure was. within a few minutes Dwayne had an itching throat and his tongue was swelling. Of course just one the few times I have no liquid Zyrtec or Xyxal in my purse. We have them get our car and the only place we can remember seeing that might possibly have something was a 7-11. I rush in and buy a travel size benedryl and a coke go back to the car and we both thought he should probably take 2 more pills (4 total). so in I rush and buy another pack, the cashier was looking at me really funny... of course he was! We headed to back to the party and enjoyed the rest of the evening, uneventfully. I will post pics of all the past months of excitement later... I am exhausted juat thinking about the last few months!

time still goes by

OK, so I am willing to admit there are MANY things that I am not good at, so many I dare not list! but for simple moment 2 weeks ago I caught a glimpse of something that I had done good at. well in all honesty I can't take the credit, it goes to a loving Heavenly Father who helps us teach his children. I bet your dying to know what this moment was... not to often I remove my wedding ring, mostly when I do yard work or something really messy. This time I placed it in the kitchen window by the blinds. After doing the work I returned to get my ring and it wasn't there! my heart sank and I was sick!! Well, some of you might know a sweet, cute little one who lives in our home and very much wants to be a "mommy". I asked her if she took my ring (of course!). Yes she replied. Let me stop for a moment. I have been reading the 2009 women's conference talks and I found the perfect moment to put to use what I had been reading yay!! I calmly took her upstairs to her room where she said it was, I looked while she continued to tell me different spots it had "traveled". After a few minutes I was frustrated and I knew I would need help far greater than I. So I once again "calmly" talked to her about prayer and how when we need help and direction we should always ask and have faith. I am sure she didn't understand it all but, we said a prayer and went to work looking. She took me to my bedroom where she told em it was in ONE of the many shoe boxes in the closet... ugh!! after searching all, I sat her down in the closet and talked to her about telling the truth. Just then the 3 older kids came up and realized what I was doing in the closet. My little sweet girl told them a couple places downstairs where it had "traveled". needless to say I was upset so we sat in my closet for a few more minutes when there was a knock on my closet door. My oldest said they decided they needed to pray about it and go to work looking, she said they knew they needed to pray! the tears welled up in my eyes. The 3 had offered a prayer for direction without the prompting from me. Wow I was humbled. after about 3 more minutes it was found.... in the kitchen, in a pencil pouch that is hanging on the side of the fridge. I honestly wouldn't have thought to look there! I am so thankful for the small teaching moments we have with our kids because even when we don't think they are listening or even care they are learning.

Almost a year!

Wow! has it really been that long?? well in an attempt to post something new before it really has been a whole year, here goes nothing....
thinking over the last year at what has happened, I'm not sure where to begin....
last summer we did a stay-cation. Every day for 4 days we did something different. The first day we went to Antelope Island, it was fun to drive around and see the wild life and tour some of the "farms" on the island. After we headed up to Hill Air force base. we all really enjoyed it. I can't remeber the 2 day... probably becasue it was last summer but I do vividly remeber the last day. We took the family to Seven Peaks water park, it was the day before the 4th of july adn it rained on and off. The great thing was it wasn't packed. The most memorable moment would have to be watching Dwayne as he entered a dance contest for a free trip. He was the only guy with 5 women... it could be because it was hosted by Modbe (not longer in business). We all cheered! they narrowed it to Dwayne and 1 woman... he was amazing and he WON!! we still have the voucher for the trip and are trying to figure out the best time to go. We ended the stay-cation with a trip to the Bees game on the fourth. The game was super fun and the fireworks were better than Tooele's (not hard to do) they were actually better than any firework show we ccould remeber seeing! the hardest part was seeing poor Ty, he was having an asthma attack during the game and I forgot to bring ANY medicine. I still can't beleive I did that. I usually have at least 1 inhaler and Zyrtec in my purse and I occasionally throw the nebulizer in the car. What a trooper!
Then school started. The kids are going to a charter school this year and we are REALLY glad we made the move. It goes through 8th grade :) which I am happy about so there is no awkward Junior high stage and lets face it having her in the same building as the other kids lets me hold on to idea that I am not getting that old... yet. They kids have all doen so well this year I can't imagine them being anywhere else.
Now for the whole reason why I started this blog. To keep in touch with our family and friends since we live so far away (not really) and to pass the time with Dwayne in school. Well at least one of those things has come true! Dwayne has 6 days of class left!! I can honestly say 2 years ago I never thought this day would come soon enough. He also has a 2 week international trip to Budapest and Italy. He will graduate on May 7th!!
Other than that we are all a Year older, hopefully wiser and enjoying life. Thanks for reading!