Mini-Vacation

Well, I havn't blogged anything since last April so I decided to maybe try to start again. My excuse has been that we got a new camera, and I hadn't figured out how to download the pictures yet. Then our computer crashed. But really I guess I just haven't had the time or energy to really do it. But I really like the idea of using it as a way to journal. I have some friends and family with amazing blogs and they really could just print it all up and it would make an amazing collection of stories and pictures that they could pass on to posterity. So maybe I will try again to blog the most recent events and also throw in some past stuff as well.

Daren has been working out of town a lot the past six months or so. He has been in Sacramento, CA working at the Blue Diamond almond plant. He has been gone 3-4 weeks at a time. He came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas for a couple weeks each time, but for the most part he has been gone. I had been wanting to drive down with the kids to see him on a long weekend from school but nothing had worked out. Well, I finally decided to do it the last week he was there and it worked out good because the kids had a day off school and he was able to drive back with us, since that job was finally through. We left on Wednesday, Feb. 24th and got back Sunday the 28th.

I love to travel and Daren and I had visited San Francisco for our anniversary last summer. I loved it and really wanted the kids to see it, so I drove down with the kids and met Daren and then we drove to San Francisco. We had such a great time. We toured the Jelly Belly factory and saw them making jelly beans. We stayed at Fisherman's Wharf. We took a double decker bus on a guided tour around the city. We went to China Town, to a museum, took a ride on a cable car, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge 5 times, saw some of the Redwood Forest, and went to the beach. It was a short trip but the kids really had fun. I know Daren was anxious to get home, but it was really fun to spend some quality time together doing something fun and different.

Barfing Bruiser

So I don't have any photos of this which I guess is a good thing, but here is the news of the week. My kids had school off on Monday and I had to work so I left them home with chores etc. and "No fighting" instructions. I call to check on them a couple of times and things are going well. Then I call again at lunch and Rylee and Ellie are bawling their heads off. I, of course think they have been fighting but come to find out they were bawling because Bruiser, our miniature schnauzer had eaten up all of their easter candy, and I mean ALL of it--Cadbury eggs, malt eggs, jelleybeans, gumball eggs, m&m's, etc. I calm them down and tell them I will get them some more candy on my way home. After lunch I tell my co-workers about it and my boss, who also has a schnauzer, reminds me that too much chocolate can kill a small dog and that when his dog ate a big candy bar his vet told him to pour hydrogen peroxide down its throat to make it vomit. I start to worry and call home to have Jackson find the hydrogen peroxide. To make a long story short, he and Rylee hold the dog down, drown him in peroxide, and then freak out because not only is he vomiting profusely gumballs and jellybeans and blue and green foam, but he also starts foaming out of his eyes. By the time I got home Bruiser and the kids were fine although Rylee and Ellie were cold because they stayed outside with him for about three hours watching and worrying about him. I didn't have much sympathy for the dog because you just don't go around eating other people's easter candy. Note to dog owners--hydrogen peroxide really works-and it works fast.

David Archuleta ROCKS!!!!!

Rylee, Grandma Ward and I were able to go to the David Archuleta concert in Pocatello on Monday night. We had fourth row seats on the right side next to the aisle. We could see him so well. He was so good. His voice is so clear and pure and sounds just as good live as on the radio. He was cute and kind of shy when he talked to the audience. Other than all the little girls screaming in our ears, we had a great time. David you ROCK!!!

Hello, whoever out there that might drop by my blog. I am new to blogging and probably won't be very good at it. My sister, Ashley and sister-in-law, Amy are very good at blogging and assume that anyone can do it. Since I am anyone, I shall give it a go. Wish me luck!!