Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Capitol of Wyoming is...


Eric had to go to Laramie and Cheyenne for work...so, once again, we tagged along. Here we are at a park across the street from the Capitol building. I'm not sure if you can tell, but Max was actually a little apprehensive about sitting on this airplane alone.
A little impromptu photo session with the boy. We wandered around for a little and stumbled upon the Wyoming State Museum. There was an incredible hands on kids area.
Max in his very own little tipi.
Max kissing his reflection whilst wearing a coon hat. You're so VAIN.
In his little WYO Fort.


Finally, daddy's finished with his meetings!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

48 Hrs in Our Hectic Life

Several women in our ward teach English to a few Mexican women and they all decided they wanted to have a big Cinco DE Mayo fiesta. That's where Eric and I come into the picture... Friday morning, the cooking began...
Friday night, the party began! (That's TOTALLY an appropriate place for an exclamation mark)

We had homemade beans (though I was told by several Mexican women that night that, "Mexicans don't eat beans!"), rice, enchiladas, nachos, Mexican Flan...it was all delicious. We also had a few pinatas, Maracas, Sombreros, a Mexican flag, the entire ward, Mexican Mariachi music and we were ready to party. The next morning we drove down to South Jordan, dropped Max off at the Christensens (THANK YOU JAY & LINDA!~ again, TOTALLY appropriate use of the exclamation mark) and went to do a session at the South Jordan Temple. Since we barely made the last session, we grabbed some dinner and headed back to Jay & Linda's. After attending church with them, we headed back up to Evanston for a pit B-B-Q. As the food was being prepared, Dylan and I had a little game of ping pong. You've gotta love the intensity on my face.
Then to the pit we went...it's probably one of my favorite things about the weather getting warmer...s'mores at the pit.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Lander, Lyman & The Old Barn

After Thermopolis, we went over to Lander for a few days...thanks, Adam & Camille for letting us stay for a night. Next, we went to Lyman. While Eric was busy giving his lecture, Max and I decided to go and visit the barn that Sylvester Phillips built. As luck would have it, there was a playground right next door to the old barn. There was even Chinese on the play structure. Who'd a thunk it!!??!Max had a great time on the slide...he felt like a real big boy!
Eric was really touched to see pictures of his son playing where he'd played as a young boy as well.
This sign made me chuckle...and I would've gone there for lunch, but they were closed.

When we went to go pick up Eric at the Town Hall, we were perusing the pictures of the past Mayors and saw Uncle Desmond.
Spring in Salt Lake...gotta love it!!!
Dinner date with Mer, Jason, Spencer, his date and us. It was fun being around "young love." I remember those days...
I love that Max and Lucy were so good at sharing! They continually shared their food and drinks throughout dinner!
That tears it, I'm going to significantly reduce my use of the exclamation mark...I think it's way over used...resist the urge to add the exclamation...

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Fun in Thermopolis

Eric had to go to Thermopolis for work, so Max and I tagged along. We first went to The Wyoming Dinosaur Museum.
It was amazing. The entire facility was filled with fossils, replicas, a prep lab, a dig site tour. I'm always amazed when we stumble upon these untapped treasures.

We thought Max would love the museum, but he seemed more terrified than anything else...perhaps that was because we continually stuck his head in the dinosaurs' mouths...perhaps...hmmm...you can't fake that fear...
This picture really is too cute...though I fear he'll use it one day as proof of our negligence as parents...
Thermopolis is most well known for it's natural hot springs. Due to a treaty signed in 1896 with the Shoshone and Arapaho Indian tribes, the hot springs are open to the public. So, off to the Star Plunge we went.
We had so much fun in the hot springs...I remember going to the hot springs in Taiwan. My mom always reminded me to take off any silver jewelry I had on. Just in case any of you are plagued with the constant nagging curiosity of things like I am, tarnish is what happens to silver when silver becomes silver sulfide when it reacts with the sulfur in the air or in the water of the hot springs. To get rid of the black tarnish in those hard to reach places if you accidentally go to a hot spring and forget you're wearing your favorite Tiffany's necklace, you simply soak it in boiling water and baking soda...as for the odor...you know, the rotten egg smell, it's the sulfur...sulfur crystals are actually referred to as Brimstone...as in fire and brimstone...like in the Bible, is referring to the fact that Hell is thought to smell like sulfur...random, huh? Anyway...
This is a picture of Max's hand after we left the hot springs.
This is a picture of Max, literally, before we had left the parking lot of the Star Plunge. Needless to say, we all had such a great time.

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Happy Mothers' Day

Pictures from Mothers' Day.

As a disclaimer, this is going to be a long post...I always think it's silly when people put a disclaimer like this, as it seems quite evident just by looking at the post that it is lengthy...but as I rarely post long entries, I encourage you to endure and read the entire entry...or don't, either way, I have some thoughts to share.
My mom used to read me a story that seems to have gained quite a bit of notoriety called Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, Joey even recited it to Rachel on Friends at her baby shower.

It follows the growth of a young mother and her son...the chorus of the book is a song that she sings to him while he sleeps, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."
Even as a child, I could feel the distinct pang in my heart as the story unfolded and the young mother matures and eventually passes away.
"I'll love you forever..." that without a doubt is the first feeling of motherhood...a mothers' love is eternal.

"I'll like you for always..." this sentiment takes a little growing to fully appreciate. It's a nod to the fact that children, like parents, are human and unfortunately will disappoint...but no matter what, a mother will still always choose to see the best in their children and like them despite the sometimes hurtful and disappointing things they do.
"As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be..." the last part of her lullaby takes more maturity than I've acquired, but I was able to catch a glimpse of this meaning as my grandmother passed away this last Christmas. She was my Grand-mother and I mean that in the way that it sounds, she was grand: wonderful, impressive, magnificent, rich in depth, noble, admirable...and she was a mother to my own mother and to myself.

On a particularly trying night, as my mother and I were consoling one another over this loss, she spoke of the loss of part of her identity. She told me that a person doesn't know what it means to feel truly scared until you've lost both your parents. It was odd to me to hear those words from my mother whom I'd always seen as so strong, responsible, capable & independent. Losing my Wi-Pua hurt...it still hurts. It stings when I think that Max will never get to be held by her loving arms, hear her wonderful stories, watch her eat an entire Costco hot dog or hear her root for the next contestant on the Price is Right. I lost one of my biggest fans whom I knew would always cheer for me & never asked for anything in return...worst of all, I lost the opportunity to show her, one last time, how much she meant to me, to let her know, one more time, how much I loved her & to prove her right by being the best version of myself that I could possibly be...


Families are forever, to the core of who I am, I believe this to be true. I also believe that much of this life is a test...and so often we miss the point of it all...we get caught up in wanting to help the elderly lady in the ward but forget our own elderly family members, we teach of forgiveness and charity in church but forget to give those things to our most loved ones...we forget that we only get the privilege of being their babies...as long as they're living.

I am so honored to have had my Wi-Pua as a grandmother, my mom as mother who is just perfect for me, a mother-in-law who humbles me with the love she has for all of her children and a son who has brought me more humility, endless nights of worry and joy than I ever thought possible. To all the wonderful mothers out there who've ever doubted for a moment how amazing they are or are ever unsure of their children's affections, know that your children adore you and try to emulate you as a person and as a parent each and every day, even if they're too obtuse to let you know. Happy Mothers' Day.