Willow Bay

On Saturday, we decided we needed to get out of the house and do something as a family. So we loaded the truck and took the wave runner to Willow Bay, AZ. Willow Bay, is a fun little beach area on the Colorado River, below the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. We had alot of fun, and the scenery was beautiful. I rode the wave runner up the river through the Black Canyon. It was amazing! I would have liked to take some pictures of it, but I didn't dare bring the camera on the water with me.

Alysa and Brian

Bry's sad face. She fell off of a rock and scraped her knee.

Building mud castles

First Day of School 2009!!!

Yay! The first day of school finally came!!! Ady is in third grade this year - she has Dr. Muench. Alysa is in the second grade - she has Mrs. Jackson.

Brylee is four. So she gets to stay home with mom for one more year, before she starts Kindergarten. She is super excited that the have started school because now she gets to stay home and play with mommy all day!

I am so glad that the new school year has finally begun! This summer seemed super long and stressful to me. I am really excited to get back on a regular routine.

Review: Wintergirls

Wintergirls
by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls is the story of Lia, a high school senior who struggles with anorexia. She has been through treatment twice, and is doing better. But when her best friend, Cassie, dies both grief and guilt trigger the disease that threatens her life.

Wintergirls is written for high school aged kids, and it reads like it. It isn't a great novel, the writing isn't spectacular, but it worth reading. My biggest pet peeve with the writing was that the characters were not very diverse.

I also had some problems with the way that Self Harm issues were presented. I worked at a residential treatment center for teenage girls. Almost all of the girls there had a Self Harm addiction. In comparison, the book seems a little unrealistic. She also didn't do a good job of explaining why Lia cut herself.

While author also failed to explain the reasons why Lia cut, she did do a very good job at explaining why she starved herself, and what triggered it. I think that she was accurate in describing the mind set of a girl with an eating disorder. It isn't about being thin, it is all about being able to control the number that appears on the scale. I think that she got that across to the readers.

I also loved that she mentioned the websites that promote eating disorders. They are very real. I first heard of them while I was working at the treatment center. I logged onto one. Once. It was the creepiest thing that I have ever read.

I would recommend that any parent that has a daughter read this book.

Family History Blog

In preparation for my trip to Nauvoo, I started looking up family names and histories on the Internet. That was kind of the start of an obsession. I, personally, didn't have any family records, pictures, anything. I don't think that I had ever even printed out a pedigree chart before. I now have an entire binder full of personal histories, maps, documents, etc. on my pioneer ancestors, and I haven't even scratched past the surface yet.

So, I needed a place to put it all... which lead me to start another blog. The new blog contains information that I find on all of my ancestors. There will probably be nothing earth shattering or new. I am just trying to collect everything and put it all together because right now it is scattered.

I am starting with information on my pioneer ancestors and how they made it west to Utah, the wagon train companies that they traveled with, etc. Then I will start on personal histories and photographs.

I eventually want to start on Brian's family history too. But it is a little overwhelming to even think that far into the future!

I am starting from scratch. I need to make a trip to the family history center in SLC. But in the meantime, if there is anyone who has any information, photographs, personal histories, documents, etc. that you think I would be interested in, please let me know!!!

http://jessicafamilyhistory.blogspot.com/

Nauvoo, Missouri, Fort Riley

Well, we are back from our visit with Maren! It's crazy... it seems like I waited sooo long for us to leave, and then the whole thing was over before I had a chance to blink!!!

I left Wednesday morning to make the long trek to G-town with 4 kids. We made really good time - only 5 1/2 hours and one bathroom break! I dropped Austin off at his house in Sigurd for the school year (we will miss him) and then continued on to my mom's house in Fayette.

Thursday, I got up my early got everybody re-packed and dropped the girls off at Grandpa Reed's and Grandma Josie's house. I was really sad to leave them, but they were soooo excited! Then Ady, my mom and I headed for the SLC airport. Ady, was really excited for her first plane ride.
It was a REALLY small plane.

Maren met us at the Kansas City, Missouri airport when we landed. We loaded our stuff in her car and drove all night to Nauvoo. We really didn't even get to see much of the scenery on the way because it was dark!

This is the sight that greeted us when we arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois around midnight:

So, of course, we had to stop and take a picture! Then we headed straight to bed at our room at the Hotel Nauvoo.

We stayed two full days and three nights in Nauvoo. It was so pretty and green. It would have been really hard, as a pioneer to leave such a beautiful place and travel by foot for three months to dry, ugly Utah. I would have been pissed, when we finally entered the Utah valley and they said, "This is the place!". I was not to crazy about the humidity. It does wonders for natural curly (frizzy) hair (that was sarcastic).

Carthage Jail

The room they were being held in. Joseph Smith was shot and fell out that window.
I think it is more than a little weird, and morbid that we are standing there smiling for a picture.


The Mississippi River at the end if the Trail of Hope

The Trail of Hope (Parley Street)

This is the road the saints took to leave Nauvoo and cross the Mississippi River into Iowa.

The Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds.

My mom caught a frog (after almost stepping on it). It peed on her.

Me and Maren are dorks.

Ady dressed as a pioneer

The Mississippi River - I love all the water lilies!

Sunday, we spent all day driving across Missouri, and halfway across Kansas, in the rain, to Maren's apartment in Junction City (near Fort Riley). We drove through Jamesport , Missouri (an Amish community), but didn't stop because everything was closed for the Sabbath. We also stopped at Adam-ondi-Ahmen. It was so pretty, peaceful, green, and humid. Maren, my mom, and I were a little concerned about there not being enough bathrooms for everyone when the saints come back. We may have many talents (mostly talking, and acting goofy), but wilderness survival is not one of them. So we staked our claim early - a spot close to the bathrooms! Sorry! The rest of you are out of luck. Good luck building a latrine!

A Missouri road sign

I found it really ironic that all these horses and carts were parked in front of a gas station!

Our land claim at Adam-ondi-Ahmen

Adam-ondi-Ahmen

A random High School sign in Missouri. I am pretending to be a Midget.

Our first night in Kansas, Maren and I decided that Ady needed to experience fireflies. There is a cute little meadow filled with prairie grass and a few trees behind Maren's apartment, where they like to hang out. Only problem was, they were all the way on the opposite side of the meadow! The meadow isn't so cute in the dark. We about broke our necks trying to walk across. Then Maren casually mentioned that she hoped that there wasn't any ticks or snakes. Ady and I quickly decided that we really didn't need catch a firefly. We were perfectly happy watching them from the landscaped lawn. There is a reason that we live in the city. The most wildlife we can handle is the occasional dead cockroach on the backyard patio.

That night we experienced our first Midwest thunderstorm. It was crazy!!! There was lightening popping everywhere, the whole sky would light up! The thunder was so loud that it rattled the windows. And it rained, and rained... poured. The only time I have experienced rain like that was in Phoenix during the summer Monsoons. Only this lasted all night, and not even a puddle formed because the ground soaked it all in.

Because of the storm, we were all a little sleep deprived the next morning. So, we didn't do to much. We drove around Fort Riley. It is really pretty, and the old stone building are really cool. We went to the commissary and I bought each of my kids a set of dog tags - the boys had specifically requested them before I left. We ate lunch at Famous Dave's, and went to see a movie - The Time Traveler's Wife.

Tuesday morning, Maren drove us to the Kansas City airport. We were all really sad to leave her! I hate that she has to live so far away!!! But, I was also really missing Brian, Brylee, Alysa, and my bed!

Wednesday I drove back to Vegas. Why does the trip home always seem twice as long? My dogs were really excited to see us, and I suspect Brian might have been too. Now, I am ready to get the kids back in school, and settled back down into our routine after a crazy, hectic summer!

Review: Lolita

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

First off, I would like to say that this is not a book that I would recommend to the average reader. It is VERY controversial. It is for that reason that I chose to read it. I was well aware of the subject matter before I opened this book. I wasn't quite prepared for how disturbing it is though.

Lolita is the story of Humbert Humbert, a pedophile, a murderer, and a European who has migrated to America. He falls in love with his landlady's 12 year old daughter, Dolores Haze aka Lolita. He ends up marrying the landlady, whom he despises, to be closer to the child. After the accidental death of his new wife, he becomes the sole custodian to Lolita, since she has no other living relatives. They then spend the next two years traveling across the entire United States in order to hide their relationship. She eventually leaves Humbert, and he spends three years trying to locate her. When he finally does find her she is 17, married, and very pregnant. Lolita ends up moving to Alaska with her husband and Humbert ends up on death row for killing the man (another pedophile) who originally stole her away from him.

Despite the story line, the book is beautifully written! I honestly think that it is the language of the book that keeps Lolita on lists such as the 100 Best of the Century (although, the story keeps it on the most frequently banned list). It was a definitely a book worth reading, and although it was very disturbing, the author does not give an overly descriptive account of Humbert and Lolita's relationship. It is by no means pornographic. The author tackled the subject very tactfully. And even though a large part of me wanted to throw the book in the trash, the language kept me reading. Although the book is based on the subject of pedophilia, and is narrated by a confessed pedophile, it does not advocate the practice at all. Humbert himself, thinks that he is disgusting and knows that there is something wrong with him. He expresses an incredible amount of guilt for stealing Lolita's childhood.

Anyway, like I said, I can't really recommend this book, because of what it is about. But if you do choose to read it, read the entire thing or else you will be left with the wrong impression.

My cell phone takes really bad pictures, and my camera batteries were dead. sorry.

Bry didn't get a haircut. She just wanted her picture taken.

Alysa

Ady

Laptops, Haircuts, and other randomness!

First of all, I have to say that this is my first post using my new laptop! Brian and I each got new mini laptops - mine is red to match my phone and camera, and his is blue. I thought that I wouldn't really like the mini ones because the screen is so small, but the opposite is true. I LOVE it, because it is so small and lightweight, I can pack it anywhere!

Now, knowing Brian, I am sure that you all will not be surprised to know that there is a story behind our new laptops. lol! We got them for free - okay well not "free" - he traded work for them. Since Brian owns his own business, we often get people who are willing to trade work with Brian. Well, a couple of nights ago he had a guy who wanted a water softener put in. He already had the water softener - he just needed it put in. Well, apparently this guy has an ebay business of the side. He buys computers at wholesale prices, and overstocked computers, or computers that customers send back (which he then fixes) and sells them. So, anyway, he traded Brian two new acer aspire one (they are very cheap basic computers) for Brian's plumbing services (which was also very easy and basic). We could have used the money instead of the computers, but work is so slow right now, that we take what we can get!!! Luckily, Brian just picked up a good contract, that should last a while, so hopefully it will help us recover a little bit financially!

Mike (Brian's brother) gave us an linksys wireless router - an extra one that he had - several months ago, so that when he stayed with us, while working in Vegas, he could use our Internet. That has worked out great for us, because we are able to get Internet on our laptops now at now extra cost. I LOVE being able to sit outside and play on facebook or farmtown or type a blog post while watching the kids swim outside.

In other news, Ady and Aly got haircuts yesterday. They swim outside in the pool probably two or three times a day. It destroyed their hair. Last time tha t I got a trim they recommended a good clarifying shampoo. Which I bought, and it helped a little. But with the heat and the pool, their hair was destroyed. So we cut it off. They now have cute chin length bobs. Ady loves hers, and Alysa is not quite sure. I figure it is hair, and it grows back, and it is low maintenance for me, so I love it!

Also, Brian picked up Taylor and Michael today. We have had Austin for the entire summer. We are excited to have them with us again! Things are much more entertaining with them here! But they are leaving on Saturday. I wish that we could keep them longer, but Ady, my mom, and I are flying to Kansas to see Maren.

We are excited! We are flying to Kansas City, MO and driving that night to Nauvoo, IL. We are spending two days in Nauvoo, then we are driving back to Forty Riley, KS to and staying in Maren and Matt's new apartment.

It will be Ady's first time flying (this trip is her birthday present from Grandma James and I). She is nervous but also excited! I had to look up some pictures of the plane (which is very small) and explain the whole process to her several times already.

It sucks that Maren's husband Matt is military, because that means they will pretty much always live far away. But the positive side is that it is giving my kids a great opportunity to travel. Matt's military contract will be up next summer, and he and Maren have already agreed that he will re-sign for another 3 years. He gets to put his preference of places to be transferred to on his contract. They have decided Hawaii. I will be super excited if it is Hawaii. Since we have been, the kids have been saying how they want to go. Well, if Maren moves there, the only way that we would ever be able to take them - because the only major cost would be airfare, which Maren could get us a military discount on. IF the recession comes to an end and we are able to save some money up. That's a big IF!

Anyway, sorry for rambling. I am excited to go on a vacation! Brian has been home WAY to much lately. I am excited to go to Nauvoo and Kansas! Look forward to my pictures after the trip. Although, you may get them sooner, considering that I now have a laptop!!!

Will post pics of the haircuts later.