Relief

Once again this post comes with mixed emotions. I found out that Matthew was rejected from the service due to a medical condition. Matt was born with no hearing in his left ear. He was told that this wouldn't hinder him from joining the army if he could get a doctors release. He got the release but was unsuccessful in making it into the army. I feel some what guilty at how relieved I was to hear this. He was so excited to do this and I feel terrible that he is not able to do something that he had his heart set on. On the other hand knowing that my brother isn't going to the middle east to blow up bombs feels really really good. My heart goes out to those with friends and family to serve in the military. It's an amazingly brave thing to be a soldier but it is also so hard to sit back and watch someone you love do it.

Accidents Can Be For The Better

Two and a half years ago, after a winter of pretty bad snow storms, I told Taylor that I wanted a 4wd vehicle. I was tired of sliding off the road and feeling unsafe. We decided to get a Honda Pilot. I loved the Pilot! It was great in the snow and had the potential to be a great long term vehicle for us. My only problem with the car was that I felt it was a little to big for me. I'm only 5 ft tall and that's really big car. Taylor assured me that with time I would get use to driving it and everything would be fine.

Turns out not so true. About 6 months ago I was leaving my Aunt Michelle's house on my way to sign some final paper work on my house, and I backed in to my Uncle Bob's car in the driveway. Luckily his car only had a scratch on it. Mine wasn't so lucky. No dents or anything but there was a good amount of paint taken off the bumper. Then last Tuesday I was leaving for work and I backed into Taylor's car in our driveway. His car was not as lucky as Uncle Bob's. The front end of his got a nice big dent right in the driver's side front fender. At that point I was done! Obviously I wasn't getting use to driving the Pilot. It was just too big for me!! Lucky for us we had leased the Pilot and our lease was up 3 1/2 months anyway. So we took the car in to Carmax to see what they would give us for it. I was totally expecting to maybe break even. Turns out we had $4000 in equity in the Pilot!! So we turned it in and after many, many years of waiting I FINALLY got the car that I have always wanted. Yesterday Taylor bought me a 2010 Honda CR-V!! I love it! I've wanted a CR-V since they very first came out in 1998. My Aunt Michelle had one and would always let me drive it. I've wanted one every since then but for one reason or another was never able to get one. But now it's mine!! It's still 4wd but is small enough that I don't feel like I'm going to take out anything and everything that comes near me when I'm driving it. It's still big enough to accomodate the size family that we plan on having and will hopefully be the last car that we buy for a very, very long time.

Mixed Emotions

A couple of days ago I found out the my baby bro Matt had gone and enlisted in the Army. I didn't know what to think about this. I mean we are living in a time where deployment to fight in the middle east is pretty much a guarantee. But, the more I thought about it the more I became proud of Matt. He's really excited to serve his country and just because he is in the army doesn't mean that he has to go out fighting in the front lines or anything. This could be a really good thing for him. He needs a little structure and responsibility in his life.

So last night we all went to my mom's house for dinner. Matt was super excited because he was going to tell us what he signed up to do. So we all gathered in the kitchen to hear Matt's news only to find out that he is going to be an E.O.D. If you are not familiar with what an E.O.D is, they are the people who go in to try and defuse bombs. It's a super dangerous job. My heart just sank. It was everything that I could do to hold back my tears, my mom was already crying enough for the both of us. I know that I need to be supportive and I'm really trying my best but I am so scared. He's only 18!! I'm soo close to my siblings that the thought of any of them being in a dangerous situation like that is just terrifying for me. I just don't know how to feel about this. When I think about it I just cry.

Grandma Burnett

Two years ago I watched my dear sweet great-grandmother break down as she buried her only child when my grandpa passed away from lung cancer. Tuesday night at the age of 93 she was reunited with him again. As I get older and more and more people slip away, it makes me so appreciative to have such a wonderful family. We'll miss my grandma but know that she lived a very full life and it was her time to go.

Matt's Graduation

My baby bro graduated from high school last month leaving me feeling extremely old!! Matty I'm so proud of you!! I know that you are all grown up now but you will always be my baby brother! Good luck with whatever life throws at you! Here are a few pics from his big day.

Brown Topper or Dipped Cone?

For those of you who did not know, this is a brown topper. It's a vanilla ice cream cone dipped in chocolate that hardens and gets crunchy. You can get these at Artic Circle although I just found out that they simply call them "toppers" now. Taylor says I'm crazy and that this is a called a dipped cone. To him I say "FALSE" it is a BROWN TOPPER! And the battle continues in our house as to what we will call this delicious summer treat!! Everyone run out and get one!

Weight Watchers Round 4

I started Weight Watchers for the 4th time last week. I've done it in the past and had success but lose my motivation fast. Hopefully this time around I'll stay motivated. I'm down 6 lbs in a week so I'm feeling pretty good. Wish me luck!

Brown Topper

OK fellow bloggers, I'm doing a little poll. How many of you know what a Brown Topper is?? I was under the assumption that anyone who had ever spent a summer in Utah knew what this was however, Taylor had no clue. Not only that but he is certain that my family is crazy and made this up. So whether you do or don't know what this is, leave a comment. I'm curious to know.

He's Coming...

...and I'm going!! My amazing husband bought me tickets to see Paul McCartney!! As I am sure you all know, I'm a HUGE Beatles fan and could never pass up the opportunity to see one of them in concert. I'm so excited!

Love

Every night when I get home from work Moxley jumps up and sits on my lap. But she doesn't just sit like a normal dog. She sits up like a person, leans her head into my shoulder and has me scratch her back. And when I'm done she gives me a kiss on the nose, jumps down and goes about her business. It usually only lasts about 5 minutes or so, but I seriously love these moments. It's one of the highlights of my day. Just our special time together. It reminds me of the unconditional love animals give. They don't care about the things that you may have done or said. They love you anyway. No matter what. We are so lucky to have her.