a non-creative person creates

it's amazing the stuff you think when you don't think you're thinking (you following this?)

today i found my self creating a poem.
what?!?! i don't do that. except, i guess i do.
maybe it was the humidity getting to me....


dear sugarhouse park,

i wrote a poem for you. a limerick actually. you didn't know that when someone walks nearly 3 miles on your pathway they get a little loopy and do weird things like write limericks for you. oh, well they do. at least i do.

my ode to you:

there exists a park in salt lake
of whos beauty we do partake
i take the kid there
to get some fresh air
and hardly a fuss does she make

katers wearing her jammies and lovin' on her new treat cup

ni-ni

jank,

thank you for teaching miss kate how to pray.

it's fun seeing her press her hands together when she hears the word "prayer".

your words in behalf of kate tonight were so sweet:

dear heavenly father,

thank thee for auntie brittany and couzie liz, i had fun with them today.

thank thee for the pool and for my friends.

thank thee for dinner and good food.

thank thee for my crib and all my blankies and my binki.

thank thee for jesus, and mom and dad.

please help me to sleep well and eat a lot tomorrow

and please bless that i can be done teething soon.

amen

katers learning the art of prayer

going-ons

an admission:

i hate to cook.

like, really hate it. given the choice between a live-in nanny, housekeeper or cook i'd pick cook and never grumble about cleaning the toilets again.

tonight we had rio... again. thanks be to a co-worker who gave me a giftcard to rio so i didn't have to feel guilty about spending some moolah.

i told jank that i would spend the evening researching meal ideas and come up with a month of meals to make our lives easier. he told me not to worry about it- he LOVES eating out. but i want to find joy in cooking and i figured i better just bite the bullet.

so this is how i spent my evening:

kate goes to sleep at 7pm. yep, 7 o'clock every nite. (it's rad)

i watch 2 hours of the bachelorette because i like drama and wasting time.

i clean some dishes

and then i browse through our pictures and find this one of katers:

and i decide it needs to be shared with the world.

and not one single meal was planned.

sandwiches, pancakes, tacos and frozen pizza for another month, coming right up!

the end

j'taime

madame behlow-

this letter is requiring me to reach waaaaaay back in my memories.

you were one of my favorite high school teachers. probably because you taught french and not english or history. most people would have listed math instead of history but i enjoyed math. or more correctly i had a teenage relationship with math- full of love and hate and misunderstanding. but french was an elective and i elected to not ditch your class due to it's laissez-faire-ness.

you taught us about pop culture in france and let us build 3D puzzles of french monuments for credit. you let me choose 'Olive Jardin' as my french name even though it meant 'olive garden'. and you introduced me to "notre-dame de paris". an A-MAZ-ING french musical that i am listening to right now. 10 years later and i'm still captivated by the songs.

you instilled in me a love for all things french. who would've thought i learned anything at all in high school except how to not be cool? (i was really good at that) but i listened to you and learned a little french along the way. came in handy when i had to order chicken nuggets at a macdo in paris.

moi, aaron et bb dans paris

five years and no death threats

this is an attempt to say thank you to everyone who made our 5 year anniversary celebration possible.....

mr and mrs snow-

let's start with you two shall we? you pulled some

family strings and got us a room at the park city marriott

GRATIS

to a part-time RN and a grad student that is

something to cry over. we've said thank you

so many times it probably has lost it's meaning

but here's one more....

THANK YOU!

the room was fantabulous and the time alone was much needed.

to show our appreciation we will let you win at cards next sunday.

grandma and grandpa hansen-

you two took care of our most precious kate. and we can't thank you enough, but i can try....

thank you for trying your hardest to get our stubborn little child to eat.

thank you for applauding her every move just like we do

thank you for using her noise machine and not calling us weirdo's for packing it

thank you for being patient throughout this last year when she hated everyone but us- it was worth the wait huh? can't believe she was reaching for kevin! monumental occasion.

but mostly thank you for loving her and snuggling her and playing with her. she sure is a lucky little girl to have you two.

(when can we drop her off again????)

windy ridge cafe and the eating establishment:

yum yum yummers. is there anything better than finding a good restaurant?

good food. outdoor eating. and not a high chair in sight. sigh. i was in heaven and i ate WAY too much. but man, did it feel good to gorge myself.

trout covered in crushed almonds with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies while sitting on a tree covered patio.

jank doing an impersonation of kate

gigantic pancakes smothered in butter and syrup while overlooking main street and feeling the sun on my back.

(me: happy and full of sugar)

i cannot tell you how many times i said thank you to mr jank for the good eats. (although i'm not sure why i was thanking him??? i'm the breadwinner after all! so thank you to me)

ernesto on main-

every vacation needs a good story. our honeymoon was full of good stories. some not appropriate for right now.... awkward silence.... and moving on....

i had high hopes for time in park city and was a little disappointed when

our hotel's pool was indoor. it was very nicely done and quite

lovely but nevertheless, indoors. i wanted to read a book

poolside while soaking up some cancer.

i decided it didn't really matter and was trying to

mentally move on and not dwell on the indoor pool

(i'm a dweller).

you approached us on main street where we were

killing time (and dwelling) until our movie. you wanted to give us

some shpeel about westgate resorts and how we should

buy a timeshare. i took the opportunity to cut you off and tell

you how nice the outdoor pool looked in the brochure

for westgate. you agreed and i continued to tell you about

my burning desire to sit in the sun- poolside.

you said you could help and pulled out your phone, rung up the

front desk at westgate and informed the staff that we would

be coming by to pick up a keycard that would allow us access

to the pool for the weekend. awesomeness! you said to head on over

and tell them "ernie sent you". we did just that. and a keycard

was obtained. we felt slightly shady and a little giddy with excitement.

(jank always wanted to be a spy and anything "sneaky" gets him lightheaded with joy)

then we found out the the keycard not only opened up the

gate to the pool and allowed us to navigate the

entire hotel, but also accessed a room on the 6th floor.

WHAT?!?!

we just wanted pool access, not an entire room.

and who does that? just gives a room for free?

apparently the westgate does, as long as you say "ernie sent us"

we debated staying in the room but i just couldn't bring myself to do it.

i have a VERY guilty conscience and i knew i wouldn't sleep well

in that room. so back we went to the marriott where we slumbered

guilt free. we did stop by that room just to check it out and change into our suits-

jank wanted to get a little frisky

and i had to tell him no a couple times.

stupid guilty conscience.

(kicking it poolside)

thanks ernie for the hook up and for the good story

we will visit you next time we're in the PC

to my love:

i love you and i can't ever get enough of you.

thanks for letting me snuggle with you until your

arm loses feeling

all in all a great time. thanks to everyone who made it possible

PC at nightfall

easter egg hunt

kater-ater:

this is how you burned the bottom of your big toe.

we went to the pool at our apartment (free!!) and i let you walk around without sandals on.

dumb, dumb, dumb mommie

normally you love to sit on the steps and splash and wave to all the kids. but yesterday you wanted to throw your easter egg as far as you could and then go pick up the two halves and put them in a ziploc bag. i didn't see the harm, so i let you be. i tried to keep you in the shade where the cement was cool but somehow i failed.

this morning i found the blister. and i was so very sad. but you don't seem concerned- you've adapted your frankenstein lumber accordingly and have been carrying on quite well.

i think you've earned a day at the allen's. we shall go as soon as you and lizamagoo wake up from your naps.

apologetically,

your mum

ps- i'm so glad you're back! the last few days you have been blah and you had us all worried. you didn't even smile for bb... but this morning you laughed when i tackled you and you ate a huge breakfast. i missed you.

fresh start

dear God,

thanks for making sunrises.

they remind me that every bad day will come to an end and a new one (with potential for awesomeness) begins.

thus were my sentiments as i drove home early this morning from work.

and when i returned home, instead of climbing right into bed, i spent a moment on my balcony enjoying the view.

i said goodbye to an overwhelming day and with a prayer in my heart, i welcomed a new day. one i hoped would be full of patience and laughter.

turns out You answered my unspoken prayer... my day was great. there was sleep, fun at the pool with kate and a girls night out. pretty sure at one point i was seen bouncing up and down and grinning.

so thanks for the reminder:

a lady with pretty hair

shari H

late saturday night, or was it early sunday morning.... night shifts just turn into a blur, you asked me why i have a blog. i told you it's because my memory is so very bad. i explained how this blog is basically my journal and kate's baby book and it helps me remember the little things. i told you it was for friends and family- so they wouldn't miss any of our going-ons.

and all that is true. (it really is my journal and i love rereading my entries)

but it's also for you. and people like you. those that inspire me and make me feel good.

this blog gives me a chance to recognize people in my life that have changed me for the better.

so thank you. so very much.

you ask about my life, about kate, about my hubs. and when you ask, i can tell that you really want an answer. you really do care. and that is better than chocolate ice cream. or sour gummi watermelons.

you told me that when i was a new hire you put great thought into who should train me. you picked kelli b and k bell to teach me the ways of the ER. i cannot thank you enough. not only are those girls phenomenal nurses but also life savers. i needed them and i am so happy that you listened to your gut and let me have them. i don't think many people would put that much thought into a possibly meaningless decision. but you did and i love you for it.

you're so incredibly hard working. and thoughtful to boot. and fun. and all around great.

so thank you for you. i'm glad you came to work nights so we could chat (even if you dislike the hours)

-k

now go give your dog lasix and stay up for hours with her. (did i mention selfless? b/c you've got that quality covered too)

alive and well (again)

to my non-rumbling gut:

thanks for healing. i no longer lay in bed and wonder if my insides want to be on the outside.

yesterday after i blogged i felt guilty about being a bad mom so i packed up miss kate and we went for a drive. we headed to sonic- i was craving their ice. doesn't that sound like a quality outing?!

katers had a grilled cheese. yes, i paid $2.99 for warm bread and cheese. i was still exhausted and making a lunch for the kid was too much to ask. man, that sounds lazy. wait til you hear this- i didn't have the energy to keep my foot on the brake at stoplights so i kept putting the car in park. now that's laziness to it's fullest. and it's kind of awesome too.

we then spent some "quality" time outside. by outside i mean, on our 3rd story 6' x 4' apartment balcony. i laid down towels and filled a bowl with warm water for kate to play in. she loved it. and i felt like a good mom again because after she played in the bowl she slept for 2 hours and we all know that's a sign of a happy toddler.

my life is good.

yuckity-yuck yucks

dear world:

i know that every citizen of planet earth is wondering about my absence.

so here is the summation of my life this past week-

i've been sick since wednesday.

correction- late tuesday night.

i was laying in bed getting caught up on bachelorette drama when my stomach started rumbling.

never a good sign.

i told the big guy that i was going to puke sometime in the night and i don't think he quite believed me.

(he's used to my sensational comments)

but then he found me clinging to the edge of the toilet for dear life.

all he could say was "oh no" and rub my back.

it sucked.

and so it goes for the last 2 days.

no more puking though.

just lots of gut rumbling and me wishing i was dead

last night i told jank that my gut was in V fib.

that's the only way i could describe the pain that kept me awake all night.

i even contemplated sleeping on the bathroom rug to simplify things.

thankfully i didn't come to that.

i decided the hardest part about being sick is attempting to be a mom while being sick.

i have been laying on the couch like a zombie for days now.

kate hasn't been outside or had a proper meal.

poor thing just roams the apartment looking for electrical cords to chew on and toilets to drown in.

at least she hasn't gotten sick yet.

we keep waiting for it to happen but she's hanging in there.

here's to feeling better before my night shift tomorrow night.

can't imagine that's going to be a lot of fun.

new moves, new couz

good morning katers!

you now walk.

you picked up your new skill this past weekend. more specifically in sunday school while your daddy taught about stuff that was really interesting- truly! no sarcasm present.

i promise i listened to him talk about king solomon but you were stealing the show with you frankenstein-y new moves. it was really hard not to clap and yell "YEAH!!" but i refrained. i think the class might have frowned upon that kind of input.

it was awesome.

then later at the hansen's you were just trucking around like you'd been doing it for months. the video camera wasn't charged so i used the camera which means the quality isn't very good. but it's still proof that you rock. check you out- you're so cool!

you seemed a bit hesitant this morning so you resorted to your "mowgli" crawl. a walk/crawl that you have perfected this past week. makes me giggle every time i see you do it.

you also have a new cousin.

welcome miss jaiden skye to the world.

i covet your head of dark hair.

5 pounds 11 ounces

18 inches

a big thank you to all the drivers who got out of matt's way so he could make it to the delivery of his baby girl.

to see the world

to my love:

it's just starting to rain. good timing.

another family walk. how i love them.

i kept telling you we were going to get lost but true to your word, you got us home before the rain started. with thunder rolling in the distance and kate munching on kix, you and i discussed triple a's, chest tubes, family, finances (gag) and traveling. the last topic was my favorite.

i've been lucky enough in my short 27 years to have been a few places. don't know if i have a favorite. they have all been great experiences. although the disgusting food and the lack your company puts the 2 weeks i spent in china at the bottom of the list. but i did climb the great wall.... maybe it's more the middle of the list. like i said, all great.

as we walked and you studied, i thought about the places i've been and the places i still want to go. you promised we will get to them all.... i think i'll hold you to that. how about some ideas to tuck away for later in life? (when you're done with school and we have a life again)

a convertible road trip through the florida keys

eating beignets at cafe du monde in new orleans

see central park, and all of NYC for that matter

spend a week in DC soaking up our history

and so many more....

sometimes i become obsessive with the things i want. a yard, a bigger vehicle, travels, to never wear the same thing twice... i blame it on the media. just kidding. it's my own fault. i don't often stop and appreciate the things i have and it's quite a bad habit. i've been trying lately to be more like you and to recognize all my good fortune. it's made me a happier person.

so... a few minutes ago i tucked katers into her crib for her afternoon nap (i also tucked you into our bed for your afternoon nap- you really are just a big kid) and i took some time to go through our photos and remember all the amazing things i've done and seen. thanks for all the adventures and here's to the many travels ahead. love your guts.

one of my favorite adventures is this one:

bb and i rode ostriches in south africa

amazingly terrifying experience- loved it

wouldn't do it again

my ears are bleeding

Oprah-

so most people think you're really cool.

i'm on the fence.

you do lots of good and heaven knows i would love to be in your audience on a give-away day.

but i think it's kind of ridiculous that your opinion changes how people think and vote and what they buy.

i've heard you're really nice in person (why wouldn't you be? you have everything you want) so i don't want to bash your ideas too much.....

it's just this whole "no phone zone" thing.

it's bothering me.

why you ask?

well, i don't think my phone is the most distracting thing in my car.

certainly it has it's moments but it doesn't compare to a child.

now, i know you don't have kids. so let me explain.

yesterday my brother needed a ride. he needed me to pick him up at salt lake international and drive him to his job site out past park city. (figure about 1 hour and 45 min round trip)

i don't get to see my bro very often so i was happy to help but i knew it wasn't going to be a leisurely drive.

katers (my 14 month old daughter) was fine on the drive out. fine meaning she cried whenever my brother looked at her but at least that was short-lived.

on the drive back she was quiet for a bit and i hoped and prayed she would take a snooze.

i even had the binki and blankie ready. but instead she cried.

screamed and gagged and said "mama, mama, mama, mama" about 50,000 times.

nothing would calm her.

toys. sippy cups. binki. snacks. blankie. fergie.

nothing.

i thought of your new petition to ban distractions while driving. i thought about it as i reached for items meanwhile swerving all over the road.

i thought about it as people had to pass me in the right hand lane because i was in the fast lane going slow. and as i snapped pictures of the disastrous outing, i thought about you.

long story short:

kids are a bigger distraction than any silly little phone.

so i think instead of trying to get every celebrity involved in the "no phone zone",

you should use your time and endless money to supply all moms with chauffeurs.

and then we can work on banning phones while driving.

just a suggestion. but i think it could change the world.

independence day (revisited)

a day at the allen's:

classic swimsuit and sneakers bball

proof i get out from behind the camera

lizamagoo's gordon fisherman's hat and kate's too large romper

a day full of glorious weather, food, family and chasing a baby....

that sounds like it wasn't all that fun huh?

it was

kate loved the pool (as usual)

we floated for 30 min on a raft together

she laid on me while i got a suntan

i loved every single second

-----

it's bugging me that there isn't a letter involved in this post....can you say anal?!

but in an attempt to de-analize my life i am going to leave it be and go shower

---

you can view me working really hard (for 3 sec) here

the fourth

founding fathers of old:

thanks.

that doesn't quite sound sincere enough....

i really appreciate all that you did. (you and your wives of course. i'm sure they were a big part of the whole founding the nation thing) i'm glad we have the month of july to thank you for your hard work.

in your honor we drove to brigham and partied with the hansens. even brock made an appearance. we pigged out on grilled yummers and played baseball in the street. matt and breanne supplied us with fireworks- matt put on a great show. somehow kate slept through the kabooms- all snuggled in on grandma's lap.

at church we sang the star-spangled banner and i teared up like i always do when i hear our anthem. especially since the chorister is an army wife and her husband will leave for iraq shortly. i kept watching her and thinking how strong she will have to be and how i couldn't do it. if jank left, i think i would pack up and go with him. i need his hugs.

i love rompers

random playground found along jordan river walkway:

minus the homeless guy hanging about, you were quite a nice little jungle gym thingy. kate mostly enjoyed watching the little boy swing on the monkey bars. she didn't particularly care for us forcing her down the slides. not that she was ticked, just indifferent. normal for kate. however, she did like climbing back up the slides. she's quickly becoming a little mountaineer.

and us?

we just watched her play with big goofy grins on our faces. we're normal parents that way.

big jank brought his notes from his surgery class to look over. and like normal, didn't touch them once. i'm an excellent distractor.

let the summer begin

dearest ponytail,

it has been far too long my friend. maybe 18 months, maybe longer. i just scanned thru my pics to see when the last documented ponytail event occurred and i stopped looking when i got to the summer of '08. lots of pigtails (apparently i like looking twelve) but no ponytail.

so we shall call today momentous.

there go my dramatics again.

today was almost 100 degrees and windy. a day that would normally cause me to regret even attempting to do my hair. but today i just slathered some goop into it, shoved about 7 bobby pins in and voila! instant awesomeness.

at least i thought so. you all can judge for yourselves:

a perfect day w/ accompanying perfect hairdo to take the babies (Liz and Kate) to the pool. and subsequently get ticked at all the parents who don't watch their children as they attempt to drown. even big jank got irritated, which NEVER happens. he even told a kid to quit punching others. i choked back a smile... i'm finally starting to rub off on him. mwaaaa ha ha