mucho miscellaneous

 Life is full of miscellaneous moments. 

 I like to capture them all because it helps me focus on the GOOD. 

During hard moments when I want to fall into a heap and cry at where my life has taken me I pull out my camera and capture the MANY miscellaneous moments that happen because those are the times I want to remember that bring me great JOY.  I have more to be happy about than sad and I never want to forget those good times.

 

After living away from Utah for so many millions of years I really cherish now our twice a month dinners together as a family in Provo. 

Lots of Yum and lots of FUN!

 

I cherish little moments like Grandpa and Ady playing duets on the piano.  A little

"Five Foot Two", a little "Chopsticks", sometimes hymns or "Blue River Valley". 

Can you see my feet looking so relaxed in enjoyment at the site of my daughter and dad tickling the ivories together?

I cherish the kisses and hugs I see from my children to their little cousins. 

It makes me so happy to watch them play together and love each other even though the cousins are so much younger.  But man!  they're cute!

I loved the end of the summer when Kaden was wild about catching the grasshoppers.  He kept them in his butterfly house and brought them on the ride to school every day, put them by the table while he ate, up in his bedroom at night... everywhere...

until

one day they weren't there anymore.

Kaden started losing teeth like crazy.  This one is hanging on for dear life.

A lovely girl's outing with the Johnsons. 

We went to the Relief Society meeting together and then to Kneaders for dinner.

SO nice to be with such loveliness.  Good talks, good times, no kids.

Another girl's activity making some Halloween crafts.  We got so into eating and talking and learning about the Silhouette that our craft went late into the night, but BOY they turned out dang cute.

Sara Madsen, my very best bestie from Redding came to Utah several times and made it a point to call me.  This time we were a "date" at the UVU yummy culinary restaurant.  LOVE HER!!!

STEVEN!!!! 

I hadn't seen him in so long.  Sara was in town which brought Steven in too.  He's such a big boy with his bandana and big muscles.  Remember when he turned 10 and invited Ady, who was 4 to his birthday party at the roller skating ring? 

Such a good boy!

Then there was this time that we saw this dead and flattened snake on our driveway. 

Ewwwww. Gross!!!!

I hate snakes and I only prayed that I wasn't the one who ran over it?

Nasty!

Went to a Hill Cumorah Pageant Reunion.

Someone took a picture of me eating.

Nice.

Oh, then there's Koni.

We were at the Pageant for 3 years together before we would talk to each other.  We each thought that the other one was too cool to be friends with.  It took us to go to Israel together to realize that we were cool enough for each other, then a few more Pageant years and then BYU together.  Many memories! 

LOVE her so much!

So grateful for her friendship!!

Loved getting much advise from my friend Lynn. 

She wanted to catch up with me and I her.  She has paved the way for me in the land of divorced mommies and has much wisdom to share.

It still is funny for me to think of the Nielsens and how long I've known them.  He was my teacher at Provo High for a few years and then one year they showed up at the Pageant where our families bonded forever.

Maryn and Laurel were little babies for several years at Pageant.  When I think of them together I envision a double stroller and 2 toddlers with attitudes.

Now they are 16-- WHAT? and still have attitudes but aren't they still adorable?!

A fun miscellaneous moment was our FRIEND FRIDAY that we started. 

Since we were at a new school and the kids wanted to get to know some friends better we invite friends over.

Everyone got to bring a friend home from school and we did games, dinner movies and laughed til late.

Ady picked Page.

Kaden picked Sam.

Emmy had Kaitlin.

Katie and Ady have made it a goal to go to a new temple every month to do Baptisms for the Dead.

Here they are at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

Such awesome friends since they were babies in California.

As a single mom it's hard to invite families over to our house for dinner like we used to. 

I don't know what it is.

The kids beg to invite families over every Sunday and for whatever reason it just feels weird to make an invitation.

But, this Sunday was different...

The kids were so happy when we invited our friends, The Castletons over.

We might have been a little overwhelming for them by doing our crazy-no-hands spaghetti dinner but it turned out fun.  We filled up the night as we played basketball, Pictionary, had a dance in the basement and a talent show by the piano.  It actually made us all feel normal... like the good-ol days.  We will have to do it again because we're after miscellaneous moments that just make us feel NORMAL.

 Always, carry your camera.

AMEN!