52 years and counting...

Today is Byron's birthday. He's 52 and probably really ticked that I put the number out there!!
Because people don't know much about the other half of me...

1. Byron is the third of four Byrons' in his family.
2. His nickname as a child was Barney.
3. Byron is very quiet.
4. Byron has an absolutely killer wicked sense of humor, and timing.
5. Byron totaled his parents car once. Totaled it. Only naughty thing he's ever done.
6. Byron doesn't really like water, like lakes etc... he's waiting for a creepy character to pop out.
7. Which brings me to...Byron loves scary movies. (I pretended to. )



8. Byron LOVES hot dogs.
9. Byron loves amusement parks.
10. Byron doesn't like to wear shoes.
11. Byron keeps a daily record of his doings. (impressive no?)
12. Byron's closet is VERY organized.
13. Byron watches TV in his underwear, (that was for you Andrea)
14. Byron loves to go on cruises.



15. Byron doesn't like chocolate. (what?)
16. Byron went to BYU on a full ride scholarship.
17. Byron scored a 760 out of 800 on his DAT. (smart boy)
18. Byron graduated in the top 10% in his Dental school class.



19. Byron loves the old TV show "The Avengers", ( we have a poster in our room...)
20. Byron LOVES music. His I-pod is close to full.
21. He has thousands and thousands of albums, 8-tracks, cassettes & CD's.
22. They are all in genre and alphabetical order.
23. Byron served a two year mission to Munich, Germany.
24. That's where he learned to love sausage, potatoes and cabbage.
25. Byron was a wild, wild, wild little boy.




26. Byron loves animals.
27. Byron loves to shop. (yes friends, you read that right...he LOVES to shop.)
28. Byron got three B's in college...Pearl of Great Price, Bowling and Organic Chemistry.
29. Byron can not tan. He burns very well however...
30. Byron likes to vacum and clean up.
31. Byron LOVES, LOVES, LOVES soda pop.
32. Byron is a fan of the SF Giants.



33. Byron is a night owl.
34. Byron is now a Science teacher.
35. Going places with Byron is like going places with Mr. Wizard.



36. Byron is very neat and tidy. (opposites attract.)
37. Byron is very gentle and soft spoken. (see above)
38. Byron is a very loyal son.
39. Byron has a mind of useless trivia.
40. No one likes to play games with him. He always wins.



41. Byron loves to watch Chelsea Lately. (it's his one vice...)
42. Byron was never once grounded in his life. (see side bar of #36)
43. Byron doesn't like ice cream, or dessert in general. (CAN NOT Relate)
44. Byron has very nice, readable handwriting. He flunked chicken scratch in Dental school.
45. Byron used to run track.
46. Byron used to play club volleyball and racquetball.
47. Everyone loves Byron.
48. Byron loves his kids fiercely.



49. Byron would rather be with his family than anywhere in the world.
50. Byron is very tolerant of his family's reality TV addictions.



51. Byron is excited about being a Grandpa!
52. Byron is very brave.


And.....

53. Byron shares a birthday with our son-in-law Skyler! Happy Birthday to two of my favorite guys ever!!!

My little hidden talent...

It's official...I am officially burned out as a creative mother.
For years and years I sewed masterpiece costumes...
A killer tomato, a shark, Harry Potter, various Pokeman characters, princesses, purple dinosaurs, skunks, mice, Genie's, Cheerleaders, Little Bo Peep.....
nothing was too labor intensive for me.










This year?
Jeff was a nerd...loved it, didn't cost a dime or a minute of my time.
Scotty was a ghost. An old sheet, a pair of scissors and a Sharpie.
And I didn't do a thing. I even forgot to take pictures.
I'm not even a Good Enough Mom.

Carter...Grammibelle promises to get her Halloween Mojo back by next year!

In the meantime....

It's well documented that I can sew.
I can cook too, as evidenced by my backside.

I can organize events.
I can soothe angry, out of control teenagers.

I can garden and grow things.
I can laugh (ha!) at just about anything.

I have some talents.
But the one I secretly pat myself on the back for?


I can carve a pumpkin.


I know it's not curing cancer or bringing world peace,
but it requires patience
and that's something I have in short supply most days.

You don't have to be impressed,
I am impressed enough for the both of us.
Hope I don't break my arm patting myself on the back.




This one is for Jeff who is still devastated that his team isn't in the World Series.



Scotty carved this one!! Chip off the old block!!! Momma is so proud.



The little boy next door loved this one..."oooooh scawwy"





Love this one!

I'm trying to think what I can carve for Christmas.

Photography by Jeff

Royalty

Lauren...Homecoming 2005...Liberty High School

Skyler....who knows when...some alternate universe...he held out on us....we didn't know he was royalty also. Thank you Facebook

This is why I love my son in law.

I realize that this is probably only hysterical to me, I saw it on Facebook and nearly bust a gut laughing. Posterity post. Their kids are going to love this someday.

Four people...eight days...two continents....

Sounds very fun huh?

It's fall break around these parts, and per tradition...we leave Brentwood for a week.

This year we took two separate vacations, something new for us!

Scotty and Byron went to England and Scotland.



Scotty's grandparents take all their grandchildren on a 12 year old trip to anywhere they want to go. England has two of Scotty's most favorite things....Soccer and the Beatles. It was a "dream come true", (nice to have all your dreams come true at 12!)

Jeff and I went to Idaho; (which is like a foreign country isn't it?)

Just in time for the potato harvest and before the first snow. Have I mentioned that my daughter Lauren and her husband Skyler are having a baby in 9 weeks?



I went to help set up baby's room and to sew...to craft...and to help my daughter nest. A grandbaby!! All my dreams coming true at 50!!



Let's compare trips................

Byron and Scotty flew in a luxurious airplane for 22 total hours with instant drinks and snacks and movies.


Jeff and I traveled 28 hours across the Nevada desert at a leisurely pace of 55 mph. Thanks to the 164 miles of road construction and ample highway patrolmen to keep us honest. The slower than average speed allowed us to see the sagebrush and sand so much clearer than usual. Lucky us.

Road construction in Cali also.....

Scotty and Byron went to Harrod's department store. It is a full city block and five stories of wonderfulness.

Jeff and I went to the newly remodeled Rexburg Wal-Mart. And Porter's, three times.

Scotty got real English soccer jerseys and Beatle's apparel.
Jeff got a BYU-I sweatshirt.

Scotty visited Beatrix Potter's and Anne Hathaway's homes.
Jeff visited Deseret Books and a couple of quilt shops and Sno-Oasis.



Scotty and Byron visited castles and quaint little villages rich in history. They ate true fish and chips and pasties and meat pies and yummy chocolates.



Jeff and I went through Winnemucca, Elko, Wells and Pocatello where we visited the oh-so-delectable McDonald's. To be fair we did go to the Cocoa Bean in Rexburg for a cupcake, but Mill Hollow never had the right flavor of Fro-Yo so we missed out on that.

Byron and Scotty hob-nobbed with royalty and the British.




Jeff and I had dinner with the kids from home and lunch and dessert with Lisa Marie and family!! (we won on that one....)


Lisa Marie's little Meg after ice cream...too cute!!

Byron and Scotty visited and toured Soccer stadiums where Scotty's dreams of a career as the next Pele' or Beckham were fueled.



Jeff and I watched our beloved Giants go down in flames and dreams of a post-season doused.

Scotty got his picture taken a bazillion times.
Jeff's mom lost her camera and consequently did not take even one picture.



Scotty slept in fancy hotels on snuggly beds.
Jeff slept in a sleeping bag on Lauren's floor.

Byron and Scotty learned so much about English history!
Jeff and I learned about the potato harvest!

Scotty and Byron learned to understand the Queen's English and various cockney accents.
Jeff and I wondered when Idaho moved to the southern part of the US as we marveled at all the y'alls and southern talkin' in Idaho.

Scotty and Byron didn't see all they wanted to see which gives them something to look forward to someday on a return visit.

My return visit to Idaho will be complete with a new little yummy baby grandson.

I win.

A sweet little story

Several years ago I read a story about a young girl with Down's Syndrome that was elected Homecoming queen at her high school in Murray, Utah. The story warmed my heart because of the generosity of spirit of the kids in that high school. In the world today with all the negativity about the youth, it's wonderful to hear something positive.

We have had such an experience at our high school this week. It's Homecoming at Liberty...and the kids got it right.

Here's the story:


(With her permission), Meet Katelyn.





She is a wonderful, very talented girl. But, she didn't always act wonderful. In fact, her first two years at Liberty she was a brat. A snotty, mouthy little brat and we butted heads constantly. Sometime in her Jr. year she had an epiphany. One day she came in to the office and sat down and apologized for her behavior. To tell the truth, I wasn't very nice, I was in a stinky mood and probably wasn't very gracious to her. I felt horrible after and sent her a note apologizing for my poopy attitude. Since then, we have become friends. She has become such an incredible young lady that is a little power house on our campus. She was voted as one of the Top 10 for our Homecoming this year, and I couldn't have been happier for her.

AND THEN...

This is "Mike" (not his real name as I do not have permission to use his name but I did ask him if I could write about him, he was thrilled...)



He is one of our special students on campus. He has Asperger's and a few other disabilities. He is a sweet boy that is so friendly to everyone on campus. When we have noon-time activities he dances and has so much fun, he tells all the girls how pretty they are. He's funny because he wears ties and bow ties to school for special occasions. Everyone loves Mike. He was voted as one of the Top 10 for Homecoming, and oh, he was thrilled!!!


The first thing after the Top Ten rally Katelyn ran to "Mike" and offered to be his Homecoming partner. One of the first obstacles was that Mike belongs to a church that doesn't believe in celebrations of a personal nature. The second was that his parents are Spanish-speaking. The third was transportation and last and most important, helping Mike know just what to do!! Miss Katelyn was NOT going to be deterred. She arranged to have a translator go to Mike's home and explain everything to his parents and get their permission. She offered to give him rides to and from practice. She helped him choose his clothes and put together their Homecoming skit using all Mike's favorite songs. She got together other kids at school to be back up dancers. When I asked Mike how things were going and if he was having fun he said, "Oh yes!!! Katelyn is helping me handle everything!" She even chose a modest dress out of respect for his beliefs! When most girls want to look sexy, she wanted him and his parents to feel comfortable. Bless her heart.




At the rally when they were introduced it was loud, loud, loud!! Everyone cheered louder for them than any of the others. Not to take away from the other kids, Mike is just loved at Liberty.

It came time to open the boxes of flowers, Mike needed help from one of the other guys. When he saw the red rose, he didn't know quite what to do...He won!!!!



Katelyn was thrilled, she didn't win Queen, but I honestly don't think she cared. Every member of the Administration was proud of her, every staff member was proud of her. Her motives were not selfish, she didn't take "Mike" under her wing for glory or attention but because she wanted HIM to have a great experience. She may not be Homecoming Queen but she had an experience that will last much much longer than a shiny crown. True compassion towards another is priceless.

But wait!!!! There's MORE to the story!



The young lady who DID win has Cerebral Palsy. It has affected her physically but she is an excellent student and has been class president and a leadership member. She was in a wheel chair until seventh grade and when I met her three years ago she walked with crutches. She has endured surgeries and physical therapy throughout her life that has enabled her to learn to walk. She is an amazing young lady who has overcome much adversity in her life. To see her walk in her special way across the football field to be crowned Queen and to see "Mike" walk over to be crowned King...words escape me. You should have heard the roar and clapping from the crowd.

Katelyn, I am proud of you and proud to be your friend.

Liberty High School...you got it right and I couldn't be prouder!!

Beautiful

This makes my heart happy.


Picture by Jennifer Lucas/Idaho Falls

After THE FALL

Remember when I told you about a little fall I had at work?

Three months later, numerous braces, trips to my physical tortureist, Dr. visits, ice-amundo, swelling, limping, whining and complaining...I'm going under the "knife" or probably a laser, and getting the problem fixed.

I tore my meniscus in two places, cracked my knee cap which healed incorrectly and may have damaged my ACL. I didn't know what a meniscus was until I hurt it~ who knew what a pesky little thing it was?

It's my first surgery ever. I'm a bit nervous. It's out-patient and I'll probably be home in 6 hours or so, but I'm still nervous.

I'm also excited!!

I will be able to bend my knee again!!!

I won't be miserable anymore!!!

I get two weeks off work!!!

I don't have to wake up at 5:15 for Seminary!

I get big time drugs which means I will get sleep!!

Be thinking good thoughts for me on Tuesday...7:00 am surgery time.

PS. if you are in my ward reading this....I don't need anything REALLY!!