Don't Look Back

For better or worse...

For richer or poorer...

The deal is done and this guy is the new owner of Wood River Dental!
(should I be happy or should I go puke?)farewell little office that has been such a huge blessing to our family...

Maren and I are freaking out, Dan is happy as a clam and Jared is...well, truthfully I have no idea, probably in shock! Life is a funny thing and one day I might figure it out...then again maybe not!

Mary Engelbreit wrote a poem that goes like this:

Don't Look Back

As you travel through life there are always those times
when decisions just have to be made,
when the choices are hard and solutions seem scarce
and the rain seems to soak your parade!

There are some situations where all you can
do is to simply let go and move on,
gather courage together and choose a direction
that carries you toward a new dawn.

So pack up your troubles and take a step forward.
The process of change can be tough.
But think about all the excitement ahead,
if you can be stalwart enough!

There could be adventures you never imagined
just waiting around the next bend
and wishes and dreams just about to come true
in ways you can't yet comprehend!

Perhaps you'll find friendships that spring from new interests,
as you challenge your status quo
and learn there are so many options in life,
and so many ways you can grow!

Perhaps you'll go places you never expected
and see things that you've never seen,
or travel to fabulous, faraway worlds and
wonderful spots in between!

Perhaps you'll find warmth, affection and caring,
a "somebody special" who's there
to help you stay centered and listen with interest
to stories and feelings you share.

Perhaps you'll find comfort in knowing your friends
are supportive of all that you do
and believe that whatever decisions you make,
they'll be the right choices for you!

So keep putting one foot in front of the other
and taking your life day by day.
There's a brighter tomorrow that's just down the road.
Don't look back, you're not going that way!

Sometimes you have to have faith and take a step into the dark...here goes nothin'
(Good luck Jared and Maren, hopefully all of your wishes and dreams are about to come true too!)

Had to share...

had to share:

The photo assignment for this week...selective focus. I took these pictures in my mother-in-laws yard on Sunday. I think I need my eyes checked after this assignment!

had to share:
that this was the treat Sydney picked at the grocery store today...must be genetic 'cuz I love them too! I want to conduct my own personal study: I have found that people who like green olives also like black jelly beans, and the same if you don't like them- you hate them both! Am I right???

had to share:
one more picture of Kallie in her 'glasses', she asked me to take this picture...she even brought the camera to me! And yes...that is chocolate milk on the end of her nose!

{Top 5} Tuesday...I love

I love...

*a long hot shower after going swimming

*Dreyer's Slow Churned Yogurt Blends Berry Granola Crunch Ice Cream

*'Dan in real life'- could watch that one over and over :)

*the smell as you walk into Target

*these girls with their 'glasses' (yes, reading glasses) from the dollar store that kept me laughing all afternoon. Kallie even showed Syd how you can hang them on the collar of your shirt when you're not wearing them, and also when they need to be cleaned you 'blow on them like this....hhhhaaaaa' (did you get the visual). love it!

oh my heck...look at Kallie- I can't stop laughing :) she is so cute!

Do you???

Do you have parents that have seriouslynoquestionsasked the most beautiful yard and garden you've ever seen? And do you have a mom and dad who are willing to share with you the delicious fruits of their labors even though the only thing you helped them do was rake the grass and pull out bushes (ok, Dan did that)? (cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, strawberries...yum!)

I DO!

Do You have sisters that will stay up with you until all hours so you can go see the late night showing of Mama Mia?

I DO!

Do you have a mother-in-law who spoils your kids rotten with unexpected gifts of HSM clothes (and anything else you can think of), school supplies, a moving bag full of goodies (etc.so on and so forth) and she keeps a baby bird in her garage just for the grandkids?

I DO!
(this isn't my mother-in-law, just an acorn in her back yard...although the whole family is a little nutty :) Jamey & Chandee you can't deny it)

click on this picture so you can see the fuzz on top of his head

And do you have a brand new friend that you've only known for 3 weeks who is willing to babysit your dog during your quick weekend to grandmas so this (see below) doesn't happen EVER again!

I DO!

How lucky I am!!!

Photo Assignment: Details- part of a whole

This was the picture I took for this week's photo assignment, Sydney's half eaten strawberry that she left on her plate when it was time to get on the bus for school. She has not been wanting to ride the bus lately, she's fine once she gets to school, but she says when the bus pulls away from the townhouses she feels super sad. And after today seeing her cute little face in the window of the bus almost in tears, I think I might cave in and just drive her to school. What should I do? Is it good for her to do this thing that is hard, or should I just bag the whole thing and drive her until she feels ok about the bus again? What would you do?

{TOP 5} Tuesday...I was wondering

{TOP 5} (or more) things I was wondering today:

*does anyone even care about the 'top 5', maybe moving away from SV Pizza is a good time to stop doing the Tuesday...besides I'm running out of ideas.

*should I join the gym with Jeni...I think we both need a little kick in the rear right now.

*does Livi miss Syd as much as Syd misses her...

*should I go to my mom's this weekend...for no reason except that I live close enough that I can.

*what could I get Joslynn for her birthday that would win me the 'favorite aunt' award...

*what am I going to watch on tv at night when the olympics are over...

*am I really the whitest person at the pool...or do I just feel like I am.

*is it wear 'yellow' clothes or 'orange' clothes to kindergarten day...

*are there any other parts of my body that can sweat...or have I found them all.

*will Mark (Diane's hubby) pass his pharmacy boards...yes!

*could these little girls possibly know how much I love them and how often each day I thank my Heavenly Father that he sent them to me...if I can't have any more, at least I got these two.

Zions National Park

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Zion's National Park. We bought an annual pass and we plan on visiting very often. There were so many people there from around the world, we heard people speaking German, French, Spanish, Chinese and others we didn't recognize. It seemed as if people from across the globe knew more about this beautiful place than those who live practically next door. What a perfect day!

Sydney planning our hike.

We hiked through the river in the Narrows for a while. The girls were in heaven!

Kallie & Syd were so excited when they found this cave, they were pretending they were cave women. They were playing in the mud (gushy gush) and doing mud paintings on the wall of their cave home.

Those swimming lesson did pay off after all.

My honey (and me...look close)!

You would have thought squirrels were a rare, exotic wild animal by how excited the girls were about them. They named them (with Dan's help) Herman, Ferman, Derman, Zerman, German, etc...

We can get anyone who is with us into the park for free...anyone want to come see us?!?

How Sweet it is!

I know this is cheesy but I'm going to say it anyway...there's nothing sweeter than great friends! Except maybe great friends and cotton candy!

The Rideout's hosted a very fun farewell bbq at their house on July 26th and just to make it feel like a real party...they rented a cotton candy machine! It was a huge hit and we were eating cotton candy for days! Great idea Jeni & Nate!

You should have seen these kids running when Nate fired up the machine!

Sariah Nilsen

Bridger Rand

I thought Nate's face was hilarious in this picture, cotton candy making is stressful (seriously)!

Maci & Kallie

Help me...Henry or Cooper???

Durg & Kathy Perron, where's their cotton candy...I know they had some at one point!

Emmie Nilsen

Katie & Amanda- oh how I miss them!

Nate's kinda makin' a weird face, but I couldn't leave this one off because of how messy and sticky his hands are...what a good sport!

Jeni took over for a while...how come she doesn't look stressed or messy?

Just a few of the greatest friends in the world!

Tenny Barrow

And the cutest bag I've ever seen full of yummy chocolate and bath and body works. A humongous thank you to the girls...you're the best, best, best! How truly grateful I am for all of you and your emails and phone calls, I could never have made it through this craziness without you!

Thanks Rideout Family for a Party that will never be forgotten! Friends like you are so sweet (hee,hee, I couldn't resist)!

First Day of School!

So the reason we moved to this new land so much earlier than Dan was that school started so early, today to be exact. What a fun day it was for both of my big, school going girls. Kallie woke up at the crack of dawn and then had to wait an eternity until 9:00 when school started (her old school started at 7:50, that's a big difference)! Sydney laid on the ground screaming because she wanted to go to school in the morning with Kallie and not wait until afternoon kindergarten started. To make matters worse, Sydney's teacher did a 45 min. 'treasure hunt' for the first day and that was it! So poor, poor little Sydney had to wait at home with no one but her boring mother to play with clear until 2:45...I think she asked 'is it time to go yet mom' about a million times! But at the end of the day everyone came away happy and excited for tomorrow!


Kallie couldn't get over the fact that there were palm trees in front of her school. How cool is that!

Didn't realize my camera was on full manual mode, there's no fixing this one but I didn't want to leave it off (a little over-exposure never hurt anyone).

"Syd, open your eyes so I can take a picture!"
"I can't Mom, the sun is too bright."

"Ok...they're open, hurry and take it!"

The question...will she learn to write her "S" the right way? I've practiced with her at least a zillion times...is there hope?

Side note #1: There seem to be a few people who are a little confused about our life situation at the moment, don't worry we're all confused! Here's the story in a nut shell: Dan is selling his office in Hailey to start a new office in Las Vegas that specializes in TMJ therapies and Sleep Apnea oral appliances as well as cranial-facial pain in general. However, we sorta don't want to live in Vegas so we are trying out the possibility of living in St. George and Dan will commute. It's isn't as bad as it sounds though because he is only planning on working 3 days a week (and a 4th doing paperwork at home) and his aunt and grandma live in Vegas so he can stay with them. This is just an experiment so we'll see how it goes. Dan will stay in Hailey for a while until the sale of the practice is final (hopefully just a few more weeks) and the 'vacation home' I've been referring to is our lovely home that we bought and may not be able to sell for a while. So let me know if you are in the area and don't want to stay in a hotel. And yes...Kristin if your in-laws buy the 'vacation home' you can have the flowers and not only that I'll probably buy you flowers every year until I die! How's that for a good offer :)

Side note #2: Have you ever had a friend (Jeni) that would hang out with you by the pool while the children swam and at a moment of panic when you think your 5 year old might be struggling in the water rushes into the water to save her. Just say this friend was wearing a brand new outfit that she had just gotten in the mail that day...would she still rush in fully dressed to help? What if the mother of the 5 year old (me) didn't rush into the water, but instead ran along the deck of the pool to yell at her 8 year old to go save the 5 year old. And what would your friend say in the end if your 5 year old was just crying and throwing a fit because her sister had taken a pool toy away from her and she wanted it back...would your friend be mad? And then...what if the towel you were sitting on by the side of the pool blew away in the wind and landed in the pool, no big deal right??? Unless your friend's cell phone was sitting on the towel and when the towel blew into the pool so did her cell phone. So now you have a friend (Jeni) who is wearing brand new soaking wet clothes with a dripping,dead cell phone all because your 5 year old wanted a little bag of plastic pool fish...would your friend still want to be your friend??? I'll let you know tomorrow :)