Friends

I have been thinking about the friends I have had over the years. I have never called anyone my "best friend" because to me, that means you don't have room for other friends in your life. And let's face it, we could all use more friends. I do have some great friends in my life that have those "best friend" qualities. I really am so grateful for those qualities being shared with me. I am a better person, mother, and hopefully friend because people were willing to share their best with me.

One of my oldest friends (Kristen) is from high school. She has taught me how important it is to have a sense of humor (Harry, Nona). If you can laugh at life, you really are ahead of the game. She has taught me the importance of forgiveness too. She had the ultimate betrayal and yet she forgave and has tried to move on. She doesn't make a lot of money, and she is not famous, but she has heroic qualities.

Another friend (Heather) taught me to never doubt my skills as a mother even before I had kids. Being a mother is the hardest job out there. You have to believe in yourself and the good influence you can have on your kids because sometimes, you are the only one that believes that.

I learned about being generous from Leslie. I had to stop saying that I loved certain things of hers, because often times, she would just give it to me. She really showed me that material possessions are not that important. Things do not define us. Money comes and goes. She taught me, if you are not using something, or you don't like it anymore, give it away! Let someone else use it and love it.

I have SIX sisters! I know, that is so many! What great friends all six sisters (Tam, Cam, Kim, Mist, Tar, Tiff) are. I call one of them at least once a week. It is so fun to have them to laugh and cry with, and tell embarrassing stories to. And it is so great to have six friends that love me even when I am crazy.

Jill has taught me to always be positive. Life sucks sometimes, but you can still be happy. Jill has also taught me that we don't always have to say "I'm Fine", when we are most certainly NOT fine. She is a true friend that will serve with no expectations.

I have learned how important it is to give genuine compliments from Nic. She always has such nice things to say about me. She is able to give those compliments so freely. She never compares and the words she uses are so believable.

Having Linda as a friend helped me realize I can do crazy, hard things in life; fail, and still survive. And then be a better person because of that failure.

So why all this boring talk about what I have learned from a few of my friends? I just spent last weekend in San Francisco with my dear friend Doone. She has been my friend for 16 years now. We met in our married ward at BYU. Then we both moved to Houston for grad school. We try to see each other yearly. This year we went to a great city. We saw all the sights. We even saw the play WICKED. But I realized my favorite part of the trip was talking to Doone until I fell asleep, and my voice was hoarse. I miss my friend. I miss living across the street from her. I miss going out to dinner on a Friday night. I moved away from her and thought I could replicate her, not replace her, just replicate. I can't. You really can not replicate the perfect friend, can you.
I don't have many friends, but the ones I do have, are very dear to me. Thank you for never forgetting my birthday (Roslyn). Thanks for enduring my potty mouth. And thanks for being my friend. You have taught me more than you know.

Baby Jace

My sis invited me to her house to take pictures of this beautiful baby. Isn't he just delicious?! I want to do this all day, every day. I need to learn more about my great camera, so I can take better pictures.
Look at that hair? Don't you just love it!

asthma anyone?

I have had a NAGGING cough every winter for over a decade now! It is so annoying. My brother-in-law even asked me once if it was a tick? No, it is not a tick! I don't have some crazy thing in my head that makes me cough. I have asthma!
I finally went to a pulminologist today. He asked me how severe my cough was. I told him, "Well, I pee my pants daily while coughing and occasionally spew vomit all over. How severe does that sound to you?" He agreed that was pretty severe.

So I will be taking prednisone for the next nine days to get rid of the cough, and Advair and Albuterol daily.

This is great news! Now I know why I can't breathe when I work out. I know why I can't walk two flights of stairs without wheezing, and best of all, I know what is causing this crazy cough.

Rodeo

We went to rodeo here in Denver. It was really fun. It's no Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but we still had a great time. We went with some friends (the Moyer's) and the kids had a great time.
The best part was these monkeys riding on the back of a dog. It was so funny with their scarf blowing in the breeze. The monkeys hung on for dear life and loved every minute of it.
Sam was blue from head to toe from the cotton candy, and Maren won a purple ribbon in the "stick horse rodeo".

Are you tired too?

So I sent the kids off to school today at 7:45 am, just like I do every day. I decided to lay down on the sofa, just for a few minutes. I needed a little rest. If you know us LeeMaster's you know what "just a few minutes" means when we are tired. I awoke to the phone so rudely ringing in my ear a mere FOUR hours later! That's right! I took a FOUR hour nap today. Can you believe it? Who does that? Have you seen my list of things to do? It does not include a four hour nap. For the love.... I guess I was tired.
I guess my list will have to get done tomorrow.

New Clip Boards

My friend saw these on a blog, so I decided to make them. You can buy all your supplies at Hobby Lobby. You need 1/4 yard of your favorite fabric, 4 giant clothes pins, 1/4 inch craft board, ribbon or fabric to cover the clothes pins and some modge podge. You modge podge the fabric onto the board and clothes pins. Hot glue gun the clothes pins onto the craft board. And you there you have the most magnificent holder for all things paper. I love it so much, I made two. One for the office, and one for the kitchen. I no longer have random papers that I need for tomorrow laying on the counter or the desk. It really is great. You should try it.

Disneyland!

We have ghetto rain slickers on because we paid $564 to get into this place. We sure as heck were not going to get wet and cold, and then go home early. So ghetto rain slickers it is. The kids favorite ride was Thunder Mountain Railroad. We rode, and rode that thing. What a great time. Maren squealed like a little girl. So did Sam. Maren kept her hands up the whole ride. She thought that was awesome.
I rode Space Mountain twice in a row. I had fast-passes for all four of us, and no one wanted to go with me. So Tyler took the kids on Alice in Wonderland, while I went. I just love that ride.
There really is such a spirit at Disneyland. Isn't there?

Disneyland! The Happiest Place on Earth!

Boogie Hoobie!

Hoobie is a nickname for Maren. She wanted to learn to boogie board. It was so cold. But she did it anyway, and unfortunately, made me get in and help her. Did I mention is was cold!?

Sharks or Dolphins?

For a split second, I thought they were sharks. Sam informed us,"Mom, sharks don't swim in pods; dolphins do." Phew, what would I do without the knowledge of my eight year old marine biologist? These are amazing pictures. Click on them, so they blow up.

Santa Monica, CA

Their lips are blue. They have goose-bumps from head to toe. The water is around 60 degrees. And it only stopped Dad. Sam and Maren were so thrilled to be at the beach. The locals thought we were crazy. I told one surfer who questioned our sanity, "We are from Colorado, this isn't cold."

Del Mar Beach and Lego Land

Del Mar Beach is so beautiful. It is great. Our friends Tadd and Linda told us about this place a few years ago. We love it. Lego Land is a different story. It was a total bust. Sam, lover of ALL things Lego, actually said, "Thanks for bringing us to Lego Land. It was really nice of you, but it kinda sucks!" And there you have it folks. Don't waste your money. The rides are lame, but all the cities, people, and animals made out of Legos are really fascinating. Take your kids to a flagship Lego store, and tell them they have $100 to spend. That would be cheaper and more fun than Lego Land.
Click on the picture of Maren at the beach. You can see the sheer joy in her smile.

USS Midway San Diego, CA

We went to see the aircraft carrier, USS Midway in San Diego. When we paid to park, the parking attendant told us the parking fee was good for four hours. I told Tyler," Hopefully we will not be here for four hours, right?" How wrong I was!! Tyler and Sam spent the whole four hours on the ship. They loved every second of it. Maren and I spent the last hour and half in the car playing Mario Kart on the DS. The things we women do for our husbands, right?