Got a letter!

Check out

http://saltymission.blogspot.com/

to read it!!

Scott's address is:

Elder Scott Saltmarsh
MTC Mailbox #263
FL-JAK 0820
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, Utah 84604-1793

Write him! :)

Torture?

Off to Lagoon today with kids and cousins! How come Evan and Ron (the dads) aren't going??

Saltymission

I started a new blog today. It's called Saltymission and I will be keeping it up during Scott's mission to keep family and friends informed about what Scott is doing. Check in my sidebar for Saltymission and that will take you there. If you post a comment, I will be sure to send it on to Scott....er, Elder Saltmarsh.

Today was a hard day, but in the end, there is nowhere I would rather have him be than in the MTC. Those 3 weeks were some of the most amazing of my life. I'm so excited to have him be there and taking it all in.

Love you Scott. Miss you, too.

This picture pretty much says it all here:

Step on my heart

I'm just so so so sad today. I feel like my heart has been ripped out and stomped on. :(

Nashville Tribute Band

Cut and paste this link to see my facebook album pictures of the concert of the Nashville Tribute Band.

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004704&l=5d0eb&id=1031135735


Here are a few teasers:

Labor and Delivery

Busy today, of course!

BUT, I just had to tell you about a very funny site someone directed me to. It's called Tales from Labor & Delivery. Check it in my links on the side!

Funny pics for you!

This Week:

This Week:

Jordan is at EFY at Snow College!

Scott is working and getting ready for mission stuff. 9 days to go.

Rachel is playing with friends and volunteering at Courage Reins, an equestrian therapy place.

Krista is singing Les Miserables and Wicked incessantly. :)

Ron is working. :) Hopefully writing new amazing songs to share with the world!

Me....I'm taking Xanax. Lots and lots of Xanax.

Missing Mom

Happy Birthday Mom!




Today my mom would have been 76 years old. Hard to believe that she has been gone just a little over 4 years. I'm glad she didn't have to suffer any longer than she did with Alzheimer's. But, I don't like to think about my mom when she was sick, because it wasn't really her.

In fact, I like to remember my mom like this photo shows. I know I wasn't even born yet, but I have absolutely loved this photo my whole life. My dad is graduating from BYU and I believe Cathy was maybe one of two. But what always stood out to me was what an amazingly stunning sense of style my mom had. Look at this amazing dress. And look at her hair!!! Totally groovy and gorgeous! All slicked back and sleek. And those heels! Hot mama! Look, from the dawn of time, mom obviously had an obsession with shoes (which apparently passed to both my sisters!). One time I remember counting her boxes of size 5 shoes and she made me quit when I hit 100 or something crazy like that!!

But, more than a style icon, I was was doing something around the house and realized I was doing it the exact same way as my mom. Then I realized that most of the things I do in my daily life are because my mom taught them to me. I have often started sentences to my girls with, "Well, my mom taught me to do it this way....".

So, Mom, I miss you. I love you. I appreciate all you did for me. Thanks for making me do stuff I hated. Even when it made me mad. Like practicing the piano. Oh, and one small confession, you know the crystal goblet in the china cabinet? Well, I had a little dinner with some of my friends while you and dad were out of town, and I broke one of them off at the stem. So, yes, it was super-glued even though I told you I thought it looked totally fine.

I guess you knew that by now, though, right? :) I miss you.

Love, Cal

Nearing the end

It's been a few days since I updated......

Finally got the pictures back from the photographer. He did an okay job. I think the subject matter is great, but I think I could have done just as well. Oh well.....I learned from watching. Anyway, I can't believe how fast these past few weeks have gone by. So much going on with the play and Jordan finishing up baseball and Scott preparing to graduate and everything that comes along with that.

Scott was honored last week at the high school for a few things. He got awards for the following things: Having a 4.0 GPA, a Science award, or letter, in science, and a scholarship to BYU. He also had been nominated as the Valedictorian, along with 20 other students, but wasn't chosen for that. What do they say....it's an honor just to be nominated! Scott has always been so conscience about learning and has always been so inquisitive. From th beginning of his life, he was so inquisitive, and slightly obsessed, with all things mechanical or scientific. He loved playing with the vacuum, and watching the garage door go up and down. Once computers came into his life, he has never been the same. He is mostly self-taught, and has several teachers at school ask him to fix their computers (because the IT guy is too lazy to do it, or they ask him to break through the filter to access YouTube! ha!

With all the things that Scott has accomplished in his schooling, I think as a mom I am most proud of his dedication to so many things that are so important to him. He is valiant and loyal, he honors his priesthood, has strong values and is a dedicated servant of the Lord. He is a sweet son, who has an underlying wicked sense of humor, though few people get to actually see it. He values friendships and relationships and questions deep things. He has always been a deep thinker...trying to figure things out. I guess that's why he has been so successful in school. It has been funny to see him get a little bit of "senioritis" the last few weeks of school. He actually didn't study for a math test the other night! Oh, the horrors! Today we are headed over to the Marriott Center for a rehearsal for Graduation Day, which is on Thursday.

I'm glad that Heavenly Father has let me be Scott's mom. Scott, I'm proud of you.

 

 

 

Seriously?

Seriously, when did this happen???

Scott and I went to the photographer's yesterday to have his picture taken. Wow. I haven't been teary or nervous to have Scott go on his mission. In fact, I have been quite excited about it. We have been having conversations about my mission, and it has been fun to reflect on the things that happened to me, and possibly may happen to him. I guess I am a little nervous in some ways because I know the things that could happen to him. Much worse things happen to Elders than Sisters!

 

When I saw this picture of him on the preview screen of him holding his scriptures, it was the first time I got........um.......well.......hate to admit it...... tearful.

 

I am very excited for him to be leaving on an adventure that will change his life in many ways. He told me several months ago that the only thing he really wanted to do was go on a mission. I know what my mission did for me in terms of defining my testimony and making some lifetime friends. I only hope that he will have the same, if not greater, experiences that I did. So, Scotty, if you are reading this. I am SO proud of you and so honored to be your mother. It seems like you were just a little boy, and I think that's the hardest part of letting you go. It really did go by "so fast".

 

Mattress!

 

Krista and her director, Kim Makechnie. She is amazing! Her first year teaching and she was wonderful. Krista has appreciated and learned so much from her. Aren't we lucky there are teachers who make such an amazing difference in our kids' lives! Well, Kim is one of them.

 

Krista and her good friend Kristen Parker. Kristen played the naughty Queen in the show.

 

Krista, Brianna Bement and cute little Aubrey. She is tiny but has a powerhouse voice!

 

Rachel with Kristen Parker. Kristen is the youngest and fusses at Krista when she is naughty to Rachel. The youngest have to stick together!!

More Mattress

More Once Upon a Mattress

 

Here Princess Winifred, or Fred, aka Krista, are getting to know one another and she is practicing for her test that the evil queen is going to give her. She doesn't know the test, but is getting prepared in anyway she can.

 

Here is is showing how strong she is because she wrestles Dauntless and throws him to the ground and can STILL sing!

 

She finally collapses from all her practicing (and singing and dancing) and is exhausted. As a side note, this is the dress that I spent a TON of time on. It took me forever to get it to fit 2 girls who were very different in their body shape!

 

She has just felt while trying to figure out how she is going to pass this "sensitivity test". She is singing about how it was unfair that Cinderlla had a fairy Godmother, and Snow White had a regiment of 7 little men to help her! Very cute.

Pictures from "Once Upon a Mattress"

Krista's play at American Fork Junior High was this week. They closed it on Saturday night and had a great time. She did incredibly well considering that she was sick and had a sore throat for a good portion of the week. The cast put in an incredible amount of work.

 

Krista singing "I'm SHY!" This is where she makes her entrace and is the first song she sings!

 

This is where she comes into the castle and is trying to find the prince who is looking for a bride.

 

Here she is singing with her ladies in waiting. She changed into a robe because her dress was wet because she "swam the moat" to get to the castle....very unprincess like!

 

She is singing "Swamps of Home" when she is describing to her ladies, and Prince Dauntless, about what her home is like. Ironic the kingdom she comes from is in the swamps! You know, the whole Saltmarsh thing.....

You're my Tornado

This is in honor of my cute husband who left me high and dry in Utah to deal with all of the kids and their stuff while he went off to Nashville to play and see all of our friends and have fun and party. Miss you honey! Oh, did I mention it's Mother's Day Weekend??????"

My man

My man

I was thinking today about all the things that my husband can do. He is one of those really cool guys who can fix stuff and I like to brag about it. When we first got married, my mom had this washer that had flooded a couple of times and she was sick of it. SO, she gave it to us. The future of laundromats was no longer in our future. Because guess what? Not only did she give us the washer, but the perfectly good dryer as well. Because I mean, please, you can't buy a new washer and not have the perfect match???? Right?????

So, mom gets her new washer and dryer and we get the 3 year old ones. Ron tells me "I can fix that". He goes and buys a Whirlpool repair manual (long before days of the internet) for $10 and buys the part for $15. For $25 and a little bit of elbow grease from him, while I brought him cool, refreshing lemonade in tall, chilled glasses, we had a washer and dryer that served us for 4 moves, 3 kids, and approximately 9,742 loads of laundry.

That was a proud wife moment. My husband could FIX things. And not have to take the whole day off work to do it. He grew up on a farm. He can fix all kind of practical stuff like baylers, tractors, well pumps, fences, and radiators. He also can do a mean trick on toaster, a sewing machine, a cable, a guitar, lawnmowers, any computer, etc. etc. Sometimes he even fixes things when you don't want them fixed because you'd like a new one.

He can also do all sorts of other random things really well. Examples? Juggle, remember useless formulas from math classes taken 20+ years ago, make incredible "Ron-burgers", and talk in any number of puppet voices, i.e., Kermit the Frog, Grover (especially Near and Far), Donald Duck and Scooby Doo. He regularly speculates and pontificates about all things space, time and matter. He is a humble gospel scholar. He makes yummy mashed potatoes and he is a very good marksman (but hates hunting). He can inseminate a cow if needs be, or even deliver a calf if pressed. He's tall and can get stuff off the high shelves. He is awesome to have at a campfire because he can play anything you want him to (and somethings you don't want him to.) But, don't even get started on the whole music thing...that's a whole 'nuther thread.

Oh, he's not perfect though. He has road rage bad and he doesn't play board/card games well, though, because he cheats and he hates to lose. He forgets to put the juice away in the morning and he doesn't pick up his stuff. Something has to keep him on earth, though, doesn't it?



One last really smart thing he did...............Marry me. 'nuff said.

Popped collar?

Funny picture of the day................

Especially for you children of the early 80's/preppy phase. Who popped their collars? I did, and did it proudly. In fact, I gasped in glee when I was at the ever trendy Hollister at the mall one day buying an over-priced, poorly made shirt for my daughter, when I saw that the salesman had a DOUBLE POPPED-COLLAR POLO

It was then that I realized that not only had 60's hair, 70's bell bottoms and 80's music made a comeback, but that the

DOUBLE POPPED-COLLAR POLO

had now returned with gusto to the glorified annuls of a popular, hip, cool, over-priced poorly made store. The end.

Proof my Mother Hated My Sister


I was just reading my cute niece, Lauren's blog, who obviously gets all of her humor from moi, her slightly poorer, but much younger sister of previously noted Aunt Cathy, who happens to live at swanky 1 Central Park West. But I digress.

Anyway, I was thinking today about how much I love my sisters. My sisters are the most awesome women I know. I am SO lucky that I have them as friends and mentors. In fact, here is a really awesome picture of us from 1967:



Aren't we adorable. I mean, look at the expressions on our faces!!! Standing peacefully in front of the Christmas tree, gazing off to the East, wondering what it would have been like if we had seen the star, or dreaming of all the wonderful Barbie crap we were going to get the next morning! I wonder where we were going that day....or night. I wonder how many times Mom yelled at us to look up at the hallway lig....er, star in the East, and how many times Carolyn poked me in the ribs.

This was in 1967 and I would have been 4, Carolyn was 9, and Cathy about 13. Look at Cathy in her groovy little houndstooth print dress! She looks awesome. Look at me all cute and four. With the long straight hair that I could sit on, and my cute, mischevious grin. You know, the youngest who was spoiled and got everything and her sisters who were at her mercy?? (Somethings never change.) But, please, someone tell me.....what did Carolyn do to tick off my mom so much??? Did she have a horrible labor? Did she not do her chores that day? Did she play "Bridge Over Trouble Water" from the Big-Note Guitar Book one time too many on the slightly out-of-tune guitar she got for Christmas??? I mean, seriously, WHO makes their MIDDLE CHILD wear their hair like this?? What I really want to know is....what did she do to deserve the cat-eye glasses that were in her future?? (stay-tuned for pictures).

So, yes, Lauren, in response to your blog post, homely people DO get married. And they make beautiful children. And with lots of therapy they grow out of all the mean things their mothers did to them. Amen.

I'm Not Dead!!

I know, many thought I was dead....I thought that I would just to blog bi-annually and that would be good. Actually, that would be much better than how often I get to my personal journal.

I was reading on my friend's blog about how she blogs all year, and then she has a place who prints out her blog for the year in book form. Love it! Maybe this will change my blogging.

As I look back on things that have already happened this year, I am astounded and amazed at how quickly the year has gone. How fast it moves everyday, and ultimately, how much time I waste. There are so many things that I would love to do, and if I just budgeted my time better, I may get to them. So, to catch my faithful blog readers up, I know all two of you are reading, I thought I would just do a short recap of what has been going on the last few months.






What's this? It's a sheep. That's right. A sheep. Why am I pointing out a sheep?
Well, when we were discussing all things Easter, Krista said she wanted a lamb, and we got into the whole lambs turn into sheep thing, and well, it escalated into her having a desire for me to find or create a recipe for "Sheep Chops". If any of you feel the need to understand more fully, you may email her directly. If you don't have that address, please make a comment, and I will direct it her way.