Whirl Wind Weekend

***Warning in advance this could be a long one! I decided rather then doing separate posts for all the different activities this weekend I'd just do one LONG post so here it goes!!******

So our whirl wind weekend actually started during the week! I was having one of those days, ya know where you're just not feeling yourself and not as happy as you normally are. So I called up one of my good friends and had a good chat with her. It was great. But after hanging up it really brought to my attention the fact that I don't have any good friends that live here. I guess that's what can happen when you've moved a lot, but it seems all of my good friends live out of state! Which is great if you want a place to crash on vacation, but not so great when you need a shoulder to cry on. So after having a pity party for myself about having to have a pity part over the phone (it was one big party!) I decided it was time to get over myself and take some action. Being in Primary I've found it quite difficult to meet people. There are just not as many opportunities to strike up conversation, at least not with adults. Also it almost never fails the night enrichment falls on, I have clients. Just in general it seems the rules of making friends change once you get married. When I was single it was easy. FHE, ward activities, enrichment, parties. It just seemed like to opportunities to meet people and build friendships were practically endless. Now it just seems so much harder. And I feel like perspective friends need to be compatible with Brent too. Which is difficult since we have such different personalities! I also felt like friends should come in the form of a couple. I have recently decided those two things aren't quite necessary. I can make friends, for me it is great and awesome to have couple friends that Brent and I can hang out with together, but I need friends, girlfriends for ME! But I decided the first step to building friendships is to create opportunities to get to know people. So I called and invited two couples over for dinner on Fri. night. We had a great time. It was so fun to talk to them and get to know them better. Also after dinner we had a great time playing Rock Band. I definitely decided I just need to go out of my way more often to create friendships! So it was wonderful to have dinner with some people from our ward! Hopefully I'm headed down a good path (mostly in my head that it is my job to create my own happiness and friendships) to creating some wonderful friendships.

Then Sat. we had decided to take a day trip down to Willcox AZ and to go Apple Annie's Orchard. It is a cute orchard that has peaches, apples, grapes, and all sorts of fruit. They also have a garden with fresh veggies. All of which you can pick yourself! They also had a restaurant and the best home made peach ice cream I have ever eaten in my life! It was such a cute little place. Definitely off the beaten path, you had to drive a couple of mile down a wash boardy dirt road. Reminded me of Chino! This place also allows dogs so we got the dogs out of the house and took them too!

This is a pretty mountain we passed on the way down. I never realized how green and beautiful south east Arizona is!

Bentley thought it would be fun to see the view on the other side of the car for a while.

Bosco was too cute resting his head on the arm rest!

This was the cute Barn/gift shop.

Kind of obvious but Shaved Ice, Kettle Korn, also where you got the worlds best ice cream!!

This was the tent with fresh produce for sale.

The burger joint

One the way home we passed an Air Force base. There were tons of airplanes there. Maybe it's just the future pilot in me , but I love airplanes! So I took a pic, it's not that good but I think they look awesome all in a row!!

Then after we got home we headed over to Brent's parents house for our nephew Connor's first birthday party. I can't believe he is 1 already!!! And he is so dang cute walking around! They had a BBQ and of course cake and ice cream. There were a ton of people there to celebrate Connors first year of life! The kid made out with a ton of loot! I think he even got tired of opening presents!

Here's Connor opening a gift with his Mommy Erica.

Here is Conner is all the wrapping paper and tissue paper! He was buried!

Max at the party. Too cute as always!!

Brent and I at the party

I tried to take a pic of Kierstie, but she didn't want to stand still long enough! But she was adorable too! It was a fun party. After the party was done Brent and I took Kierstie to our house to pick up a movie and then we headed to Carrie and Burt's to watch Be Kind Rewind. That was actually much better then I thought it would be! Max was too cute, he was laying on the couch next to me and he says Terina will you rub my legs? So I tickled his legs and then he says, can you do my arms? So I tickled his arms, then I look over and he had fallen asleep in the most awkward position! His head was falling off the couch! But apparently tickling his limbs put him right to sleep. Or maybe it was the long day at the lake, and then a birthday party? I'll just take credit with my tickling! ha! ha! Oh and apparently Brent and I are not the only ones who think of our dogs like our children, Max asked if Bosco could have a sleep over at his house! Too funny!

On Sun there were just a couple cute moments I have to share. They do a spot light every week of one of the children. Well this week they were spot lighting a teacher. I knew it was not us, because no one had asked us any questions, and in the monthly news letter they had spot lighted another couple. But Hayden one of our cute little guys looks up at me, so excited and says......Maybe it will be you!!! He was so excited that we might get spot lighted! And then a little sad for us when it was some body else! They are adorable! I also love how when they want to tell you some thing, they think they have to whisper it in your ear! It's so precious! Our lesson on Sunday was on sharing. We brought a treat (candies) and I pulled them out and said look what I have, oh these are my favorite candy! They are SO GOOD! I love them. I'm going to have one. And I did. Then I said, but I really love them so I don't think I'm going to share. Oh the look on there little faces was priceless! They fell for it hook line and sinker. I had to quickly tell them. Oh maybe I will share! Because one of them was on the verge of tears! But I think it got the point across of how it feels to be left out! ha ha. They are too great! Also not this week but last for sharing time we had the best talk ever! There is a little boy in one of the Sunbeam classes who has downs syndrome. He gave the talk. His verbal skills are very limited so his Mom came in and helped. She gave the talk and then he signed the words in the talk that he knew! He was SO excited! It was so precious! I don't know if I was his teacher that I would have even though to ask him to do a talk. I thought it was so wonderful that they thought to include him!

Also during sacrament meeting one of the talks really struck me. It was on Tithing and Fast Offerings. Both of which Brent and I pay, but we are a little sporadic in when we pay, which means that we can forget some income that we have gotten. Which means we guess sometimes at how much we need to pay. Not so great! But that was not what I was thinking about at all. He told the story of Elijah how he was commanded by the lord to place a curse on the land that there would be a drought. As a result of the drought he did not have any water either. The speaker said how sometimes we think that just because we are living life righteously it will be easy. But that is not true. Sometimes following the commandments/the Lords will can make things more difficult. What a true statement! I'm not sure why, because I know this is true but it was a powerful statement to me at that moment. Then he continued the story where Elijah asked a widow woman for some water and food. She replied, that she only had enough for her and her son to eat one last meal and then they were going to lay there and die! That in it's self it sad enough, but then she had a prophet ask her for her last meal for himself. She was asked to sacrifice not only her food but her food for her child!! She was obedient and was blessed! Her grain and water did not end, there was just more and more. But she had to be tried and prove herself before the Lord could bless her with that miracle! Sometimes the Lord has to test us/me before bestowing the blessing I may want. Maybe even blessings I don't even know I want. I highly doubt that widow was praying for endless food and drink. But because of her faithfulness that's what she got. It just reminded me that I need to be faithful and continue to trust the Lord. It also reminded me of a talk that we had read in seminary. I thought it was entitled The Blessings of Adversity, but after searching that on lds.org I know that's not the title, I'm still trying to find it. But that was the message of the talk. That adversity is really a blessing. An opportunity for us to grow, and strengthen our faith in the Lord. So I'm trying to be thankful for my adversity!!!!

We also had gone to Lowes to replace our bamboo that had died. They didn't have any so we decided to just get a new plant. After looking at lots of plants, picking up a few I saw one sitting there and said that's it! That's the plant! So I picked it up and headed to the check out. When I was standing in line I looked down at the tag in the plant to see what kind it was. It's a Money Tree!!!!!! Yep that's right. I'm attracting money into my life even if it's only in the form of a tree! I thought that was pretty awesome!!

Here is our Money Tree

We also found out Bentley loves to play fetch with a tennis ball! We never knew! But he completely loves it! Even more then his tug-of-war rope!!!! So we've been having great fun with that! He really is too funny! So that was our action packed whirl wind weekend! I hope I didn't bore you all to tears since this post went on forever! But I did warn you!!!

Miracles Happen

So I know there are so of you out there that will find this silly but I'm sharing any way! Out dog Bosco it notorious for getting into the trash. We have a 30 lbs weight that sits on top of the trash can at all times to keep him out! Well last week we were pretty busy and then not at home all weekend. So by time we got home and looked in the fridge for something to eat all there was was rotten food. So after grocery shopping I pulled the trash can right up to the fridge, and started emptying out all the bad food to make room for the fresh groceries. (all the while thinking about how waste full we Americans are and wondering how much money we through away in the form of left overs and food that does not get eaten) Well we had a ton of things to get done last night after Brent got home so as soon as we were done unloading and putting away the groceries we were off to work on something else. COMPLETELY FORGETTING THE TRASH!!!!! Well this morning we come down, I'm fixing Brent a sandwich, he is getting some other things for his lunch when all the sudden we notice, the trash can is still standing in the middle of the kitchen UNTOUCHED!!! I honestly could not believe what I was seeing! It was sitting there with NO LID, NO WEIGHT and TONS of food and it was not pulled out all over the house to destroy my carpet and make my dogs sick! A true miracle in my eyes! So although it's small and silly I'm grateful for the miracle (all be it a small one a miracle none the less) of my dogs not getting in the very tempting trash!!!

Confession

So I have a confession to make! I am a horrible, irrational, violent person. In my mind, when I am half asleep/half awake! That state where you are almost still dreaming, almost awake. My dog Bentley that I love has an awful habit of whining! Try to take a nap, he sits outside the bedroom door and whines. If I decide I want to sleep in and not get up with Brent, Bentley will sit out side the bedroom door and whine. (Despite the fact that he tries to eat me he seems quite attached to me?? Maybe he is bipolar!) It is when he does this that my mostly asleep mind thinks awful things. I envision drop kicking him over the wall and down the stairs. Or smashing his head like a pumpkin. Of course I'm always awake enough by time I get to the door to treat him kindly. But man. I'm not a nice person when I'm not all the way awake! I really hope when I have children and I'm tired and not quite awake I don't envision smashing there heads!!!!

On another completely different subject we just got home from Costco. There was an OLD lady in front of us. (old as in gray hair, wrinkles, eats lunch at the all you can eat buffet, shops at Ross on senior discount day) And she was wearing SHORT shorts. But that's not the bad part, the bad part is that on the back across her butt it said, "Best buns in the business" First of all when you are elderly you should not even be allowed to wear such things, secondly what business are her buns the best in????? Do not want to know! Just thought I'd share the frightening Costco moment. The good thing about Costco today, AMAZING body pillow on sale! Love it, wanted it, now have it!!!

Also how long do crickets live? We have one that has taken up residence behind our piano. It really is quite annoying! I tried to look at it positively and pretend I was camping or sitting in a nice back yard in a hammock reading a book. But that didn't work. It's just an annoying cricket in my house. My dogs are of no use to me on this one either. I've been telling them everyday to eat the stupid thing. But Bosco is afraid of them and Bentley just doesn't get it. Maybe if I had cats they would take care of it for me! Ok well that's enough randomness for now!

Overflowing

This is a little silly, but the other night Brent and I were laying around. I was reading and he was dozing. I turned and looked at him and just felt like my heart was overflowing with love! (cheesy I know, sorry!) He finally saw me staring at him and said what? So I asked him do you ever feel like you're so in love that your heart is over flowing? And he said yes. It was very cute. So that night saying prayers I thanked the Lord for overflowing!

It's Beginning To Feel A Lot Like Connecticut!

So we have hit Monsoon season! I LOVE IT! Monsoon season, for those of you not from AZ is the best time of the year! Well at least the best time of the summer! We get moisture from the south that combined with the high temps create afternoon rain showers! (I'm sure it's a lot more complicated then that but I'm not a meteorologist so that's as good as it's going to get) And last night we got the biggest and best storm in years! In Mesa we got 3'' of rain over night! Now for those of you who are so lucky as to live where it rains more frequently that might seem like nothing. But take into consideration that the average rain fall for a year is approx. 7" and that puts it into perspective! We opened up our garage and back door and let the wind blow through. Until the wind got too strong and we had to close up shop. That and the rain was being blown all the way into our house through the garage! It was crazy. There were wind gusts up to 85 mph! And the lightning was awesome! We just sat upstairs and watched the storm! It was great! We loved it! But the funny thing is, just before it started to rain we were walking the dogs and I said, "man this weather is so nice!" This weather, was 97 degrees and VERY humid! I then started to laugh as I thought about how I would have felt about this weather if I had been living in CT! I would have hated it! Almost 100 degrees with near 100% humidity! But since it's such a change from what we normally have, it was glorious! But it definitely felt a lot more like CT the AZ! Also I found it amusing that the rain was the top story on the news this morning. Yes it's not common and it was the biggest storm in quite some time, but it was the head lining story! There were some flooded roads and therefore always stupid drivers getting stuck. (but AZ is smart and has a stupid driver law, if you have to be rescued because you are stupid, you have to pay for your rescue!) So I guess it was news worthy but it just made me laugh that 3" of rain was the top story. Welcome to AZ!! So to sum up, we love monsoon season. And you appreciate what you do not have.

Chelsea and Laycee Came to Visit!!!

So Chelsea and Laycee came down to stay with us for a little while during their summer break. It was so fun to have them here! One day we decided to go get our toes done. We called Shawna to see if she wanted to come. So the 4 of us headed to the nail salon. When we got there there was racks of designs we could choose from! It took us all forever to decide what we wanted to do! But this was the final result

All of our little piggies squealing in delight together!

Laycee's Little Piggies

Shawna's Little Piggies

Chelsea's Little Piggies

Terina's Little Piggies

The ladies who did our toes did such a great job! It's like our toes are little works of art! I love it! Definitely think I'll have to go there again!! So we had a great time getting our nails done! We also did quite a bit of swimming while they were here. These are a few pics of the good times.

Laycee, Chelsea, Shawna

Look how fun!

Shawna

I was trying to get a pic of all of them but Chelsea and Laycee were not cooperating too well!

Other then a lot of swimming we mostly just hung out! It was fun to have them here! They are both growing up so fast! Kind of crazy when you baby sister is a teenager! One thing is for sure! I'm glad to have my house and my t.v. back! We have had people visiting since the beginning of May! Not constantly some one here, but not very long in between people. So I'm glad to have my house back! So are the dogs, Bentley is doing much better now that it's just us. he would get better and then worse when people were here so I'm hoping for nothing but improvement from here on out! Also, happy to have my t.v. back! Teenagers like Nickelodeon and Disney channel a little too much! Great to be able to watch a good episode of Law and Order again!!