School: Madison High School.
1. Did you date someone from your high school? No
2. What kind of car did you drive? a dodge aspen and sometimes Layne's little toyota truck
3. What was your most embarrassing moment in high school? I got kicked out of biology for talking and was devestated. I cried and called my dad.
4. Were you considered a flirt? No, not in High School
5. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Choir and drama were my life
6. Were you a nerd? Not necessarily.
7. Were you on any varsity teams? Nope! Unless you consider MAPS (The Madison Avenue Players and Bel Canto's a team. I had to try out if that counts!
8. Did you get suspended/expelled? Are you kidding? No Way! I did get kicked off the bus once because I stood up to the bus driver.
9. Can you still sing the fight song? I am not sure I ever knew what it was!
10. Who were your favorite teachers? Mrs Barton my english teacher; she taught me great words like "Unctious"! Mr. Briggs my choir teacher and Mr. Bidwell my drama teacher. He forced me to play roles that were out of my element just to prove to me I could. Bro. Belnap, my seminary teacher (we had release time) it was the highlight of my day
11. Where did you sit during lunch? in the commons area with everyone else.
12. School mascot? The Bobcat
13. Did you go to homecoming and with who? Nope, I never got asked! Mabey I should go re-do #6!
14. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Not if my life depended on it.
15. What do you remember most about graduation? At our high school we had a huge after graduation party put on by the parents. It lasted well into the morning and everyone was to meet at JB's for breakfast. My friends and I, as exciting as we were, decided to go home and sleep for a few hours and then meet back to do breakfast....I slept through it all! I woke up after it was all over with and everyone had gone home!
16. Where did you go senior skip day? We went to Lagoon and yes it was excused!
17. Have you gained weight since then? gained and lost. I am actually now at what I was then!
18. Who was your prom date? I only went once and I really dont remember his name. His friends convinced him to ask me because they knew I was too nice to tell him no. I had to look him up in the yearbook to find out who he was back then!
19. Did you go to your 10 year reunion or are you going to? yes and to the 15 and to the 20th just this summer!
20. Looking back, what advice would you give to yourself? Very little of what happened back then has any impact on my life now so dont sweat it.
.I "Tag" everyone who reads it if they have not done it all ready. You know who you are! I'll be checking...
Posted by Melissa May at 2:21 PM 0 comments

Family Pics
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"Annie Get Your Gun"

We had family pictures taken on Saturday. We decided that since we dont have a professional family photo with Meredith in it, we ought to do that before Brittin leaves! I signed up for the $10 10x13 and that was all I was going to get. It turned out to be a huge ordeal. It took us all day to get ready and decide what to wear. Joel was doing a floor at the San Dunes and barely made it there in time. When the girls found out that they were taking the pictures at Jacks (the grocery store in LaJara) they just about died and it took every threat I had in me to actually get them out of the car. When we finally got the pictures taken and they turned out relatively well I ordered what I needed. I am not doing this again for a very long time.!!!! I As I was ordering I decided I was way too cheap to order enough for Christmas cards. Taylor suggested we go over to the ranch while we were all dressed up and snap a few ourselves. Then Brittin got involved and the next thing I knew we were each selecting a gun to pose with! For those of you that know Brittin, this wont suprise you! The girls were so excited. As I was viewing them, I decided that maybe using them for our Christmas Cards might be an option!

I am not sure what the girls would do if this tree came unhooked! They would be catapulted all the way home!

Okay, you have to admit there is something pretty sexy about a man and a chainsaw!!

Okay, so when we built our house and were making the decisions as to how we were going to heat it, I was totally against the whole wood burning thing. I stink at starting a fire, I burned two spots on the hardwood floors in our last house cleaning out the ashes, and I just flat hate the mess. Well then propane became more precious than gold and I started to think that burning wood was not such a bad idea after all. We took our summer earnings and bought one of those wood burning things that are outside. You may or may not know what I am talking about. I obviously dont. All I know is that you feed wood into this little shed looking thing and it heats our water and therefore our house will be warm. It is on back order so we dont actually have it installed but now is the quest to get enough wood for the winter. Joel works on it in his "spare" time. All those hours between teaching, hunting, hardwood floors, bishopric stuff and taking care of me! Anyway, last weekend, I decided that mabey I could help the cause. Taylor was line judging at the volleyball games but the rest of us loaded up in the pick up and headed for the hills. Joel found an awesome spruce tree and started up the chainsaw. The girls and I had the job of loading the wood. I took one look at the size of the logs and had to re-think my whole plan. The little girls decided that playing was more their style. That left Brittin and I. There was no way we could even lift the beasts. We eventually took to flipping each piece end over end until we reached the truck. We left the getting the log from the ground into the truck up to Joel. Even then it took him on one end and Brittin and I on the other! Luckily she and I each brought a book so when he was at the chainsaw, I spent my time with Eragon and I think she resorted to Louis Lamor. We got a good load and then hooked up our camper and pulled it out of the mountains. The colors were still so pretty. It was just refreshing to be up there. We came home, unloaded, ate lunch and then went over to the ranch for our next load. We had a much easier time at that. We still dont have near enough to get us through the winter but our wood pile looks pretty impressive to me. Joel loves splitting wood. I am pretty sure that I could not get the axe above my shoulders but its cool to watch him. He is pretty much the strongest guy I know!

Hunting Season

Taylor as she walked and walked and walked and walked searching for the elusive antelope!

Taylor, Cody and Tate enjoying the warm fall weather! Hunting season is over! For me, it lasted for an eternity as usual. I think everyone else involved might feel really bad to see another chance for "waylaying some dumb animal" gone by the wayside. Joel had a wonderful time enjoying archery season. Taylor had two tags; black powder elk and rifle antelope. She loves hunting black powder. I think that is because she gets to hunt with Brad and Nancy. They really do have a great time. Brittin had a 1st season rifle Elk tag. (I use all of these terms like I have a clue what they mean!) She is not featured here because unless she had horns to show off, she didn't want her picture displayed! Hannah was able to go duck hunting for the first time and killed two ducks. (I cant find the memory card with that photo so I will post it later. So this is what hunting means to me. I am very grateful when it puts meat in our freezer. I think elk burger is better than beef burger. It means that Joel gets to spend time one on one with the girls as they get too old to climb up on his lap and snuggle. Its a way to bond that they are all comfortable with. I don't understand the thrill of hunting but I do appreciate the fact that it runs thick in Joel's blood and therefore it also runs through the veins of my girls. I don't know if I will ever get used to my beautiful daughters coming home with blood on their clothes and hands and being excited about it! This year we didnt have to worry about that! Okay, Taylor would freak if she had to have blood or any other foreign substance on her hands for very long. She also has to get up early enough so that she can have her hair and make-up on before she goes hunting! ( Now thats my girl!) I am learning to love the fall inspite of the fact that it means my husbands neck gets all big and he has a tendency to rub his head against trees on occasion (j/k)!! Its the passing of summer and it means that winter will be here soon. But the colors are beautiful and it smells sooooo good outside! So there you have it...hunting season as seen through my eyes!

TAG! I'M IT!!
I am: a little grouch today
I think: too much about things that I cannot control
I have: so much to be grateful for
I dislike: green peppers but I eat them anyway because they are good for me
I miss: the innocence of my childhood
I fear: driving in the city
I feel: melancholy today
I hear: the wind blowing
I smell: cinnamon
I crave: peanut butter
I cry: a lot lately
I search: for the #1 guard to my clippers. It is never in the same place twice
I wonder: if my girls will be good daughter-in-laws
I regret: not being more strict
I wish: I were completely out of debt
I love: my family
I care: if others are sad
I always: say my prayers
I worry: about gaining weight
I am not: voting for Obama
I remember: when we had primary during the week, Sunday school in the morning and sacrament meeting in the evening on Sundays
I believe: the Book of Mormon is true
I sing: along to the radio
I don't always: fold my laundry as soon as it is dry
I write: when I am having a hard time with my emotions
I win: not very often because it just doesn't matter much to me
I lose: because there are some who really care about winning more than me
I listen: to others
I don't understand: Isaiah
I can usually be found: at home
I need: my sleep
I forget: Brooke's cell phone number all the time
I am happy: most of the time
I tag: Melissa, Brooke, Stacie, Becky-now you're all IT

Or are they the same person???

Mi Padres

(Brittin left her homework lying around, and I stole her compare/contrast rough draft paragraph. I loved it! Joel....well all he said was "I do to know what a book is")


My two blood relation overseers are so analogous, that they are typically the same person, yet their personalities are so contrasting that the very essence of their marriage threatens to tear apart the seams of the universe. When it comes to their hobby interests, no two people could be more different. My mother loves to read; whereas, my dad is not exactly sure what a book is. My father is deliriously happy when he can be in the mountains, enjoying the natural terrain and doing what he does best: hunting. My mother, on the other hand, does not understand the concept of waylaying some "poor dumb animal". But, somehow, their differences seem to work together to form a union that defies the laws of nature. It is like two magnets, one positive and one negative, pulled together by some unseen bond. Because of this connection, they are able to find things in common such as gardening, political beliefs, and a deep profound love for their family and religion. Their infinite vow of dedication and adoration to one another provides them with the strength needed to forge on. It does not take a sage to see that their diversities and similarities alike work to the benefit of these two.

Homecoming Royalty 2008

Homecoming Royalty Sanford High School 2008

Brittin with her escort (and cousin) Austin Edgar.
When the Royalty was announced last week, we laughed because poor Austin was related to four of the five girls! (Welcome to Sanford where we don't have a gene pool we have a shallow gene puddle!) So we were not surprised when he and Brittin were paired together. We have always teased them that they look more like brother and sister than cousins! Needless to say, when the other girls got kissed by their escorts, Brittin and Austin felt a hug would be more appropriate!

Brittin made her grand entrance on this red mustang driven by her dad! She looked absolutely beautiful. I was a little surprised by her dress. It was not the one she planned on wearing. When we got to the game she decided her dress was too "poofy". My dear friend Pixie came to our rescue. She had her daughter Chera take her to their house to see if they had something for her! It worked great. It was fun. Her Grandpa Gary, Aunt Cindy, and Aunt Heather all came to watch her! Thanks guys!!!

Its been a fun week. Since our school is all combined, Homecoming is for everyone. The little girls took great joy in dressing up all week for the different days. We had the parade on Thursday. The theme was decades. Taylor's class dressed from the 70's. Hannah's was the 80's (I still don't think they should be dressing up for that! It offends me! Hits too close to home for me I guess!) Olivia's class was the 50's, and Meredith's class dressed up as cowboys and Indian's, (whatever decade that was from). I went to take picture of them and my camera batteries were dead. I took photo's on my video camera. As soon as I can corner Brittin or Taylor to show me how to get them from there to here I will post them. They all looked so cute.

Thursday night we had an assembly where they presented the Royalty. They played a fun trivia game where we were able to learn some fun things about each of the kids involved. Taylor cheered and danced. It was fun to watch her. She danced with such personality! After that we all went to the bonfire; ate doughnuts and drank hot cocoa! The game was last night. We won by an obscene amount. Tonight is the dance. Taylor and Brittin went with all of their friends and I really hope they are having a good time. Joel even got to go and chaperon. So I am here enjoying the quiet as the little girls are asleep and my house is clean. It wont last long, as everyone else will be home soon and tomorrow is Conference Sunday so you know what that can do to a house!