Skating

~Memory Monday~

My first memories of skating were on the pond near our house. My mom taught me how to skate backwards on that pond, before the spring went dry and the pond was no longer.

Ice skating became a weekly ritual during the winter. We would traipse all over the Malad Valley; pond to pond with hockey sticks in tow.

Each year brought a fresh search for the perfect ice. And one winter Charlotte and I discovered "smooth as glass" ice. We grew up down the road from our town's sewer ponds. Yup. We skated on those sewer ponds and it was nice. Nice, nice ice. It was as if no one had ever skated on those ponds before.

The adrenelin rush from trespassing didn't compare with the adrenelin rush of possibly falling into something you flushed 30 minutes prior. Luckily, we never fell into that jackpot.

You just had to remember to wipe off the orange-brown scum that collected on the bottom of your blades when you were finished.

Thankfulness

I'm thankful for my new camera. With my old camera I would have pushed the button and after Wyatt jumped for 30 more minutes, ate dinner, headed home and got in bed, it finally would have taken the picture. Merry Early Christmas to me!

Thankful for neices and nephews who LOVE little Z unconditionally.

Thankful for this man, my father-in-law. What a generous and kind heart he has.

And he introduced me to the Pickled Garlic. Where have you been my whole life?

Thankful for these gorgeous full lips that I get to kiss 501 times a day.

Especially thankful Lulu, the 7-toed friendly cat, survived Z's visit.

Grateful that Zannah's traveling turkey trots didn't kick in until after the plane ride. I was alone on the last leg of the journey and believe me, I recognize tender mercies when I get them.

Come and Gone

I went to bed at 9:00 last night because that is how much fun we had. We have to pack in as much as possible when family's in town and that means staying up way too late. Now I'm going to eat obscene amounts of pie to make me feel better. I miss them already.

Does this look like a scene off of "King of the Hill"? It is supposed to according to Scott.

A Glorious Day

Reason #1---Successful dentist visit. My jaw didn't lock in the open position. It has happened a few times before---it is terrifying, painful and makes me feel claustrophobic.

Reason #2--The house cleaning is half-way done and Z just went down for a nap.

Reason #3---It is Ranch Rodeo Finals weekend which means these people are almost on their way.

I'm giddy!

Shhhhh

I got shushed today by a 20 month old.

For laughing too loudly while on the phone with Aunt Charlotte during her beloved "SIGNING TIMES." The nerve of some people's moms.

The Illusive Goose

Memory Monday~

Highschool was all about friends for me. And luckily, I had (still have) an awesome group of friends. We were involved in everything together. From History Fair to BPA (Business Professionals of America) to Basketball, Volleyball and Track, to trying to catch a wild goose with our bare hands.

During goose season, which is winter time, we would have sleep overs at Nicona's parent's shop. Good times were made in that shop. And luckily or unluckily many of those times were captured on video, such as commercials and music videos to any and all Dixie Chick music. I happened upon some of those videos the other week and glowed red with embarrassment and roared with laughter simultaneously.

Back to the geese. We had a burning desire to catch a goose as it was sleeping in a frozen snow-covered field. (Hey, there are worse things teenage girls could fixate on.) I guess geese sleep in fields, right? I mean they aren't sleeping in the air. It seems obvious, yet I'm still thinking about it. Hmmmmm...

I have a clear image of us walking down the lane in the middle of the night, a full moon reflecting off the snow. Once we chose which field we were going to explore, we would crawl on our knees or bellies, barely whispering. I don't know what we were going to do, if by some miraculous chance we snuck up on a snoozing goose. I am sure brave hearted Nicona or Maryann would have wrestled it and come out holding it by it's skinny neck.

We never got close to a goose that I can remember.

But, what a tale we could tell if we had.

Dreams

Memory Monday~

I have always had very vivid dreams. Sometimes I wake up and I think whatever I dreamt about is real and sometimes that plays out bad for Marcus. Especially when I have a dream that I caught him drinking coffee with another girl. Who cares about the girl, why was he drinking coffee?! Switch that around, I was mad about the girl.

Here are some dreamy "classics".

I swear that when I was little, I woke up and my hair had grown long, like 6-8 inches longer. I don't know how old I was, but I really believe that this happened. I remember telling Charlotte about this miracle when I was about 10 and she laughed. That made me mad.

One night I was dreaming that I had to go to the bathroom really really really bad. So, I got up and went into the bathroom, sat down and relieved myself. I felt warm liquid going down my legs and I looked down and realized I had forgotten to pull my underwear down! And then I really woke up and realized that it was a dream and I had forgotten to even get out of bed. And you guessed it, Charlotte and I were still sharing a bed. And I'm not even telling my age. Let's just say it was embarrassingly old.

My first year of college I had such a great roommate. We got along, except that she slept hot and I slept cold. In the middle of winter she wanted to sleep with the window open and my bed was right next to the window. Guess we could have just switched beds, but college kids don't think of those things.

Anywhoo, I awoke one night and looked over at her bed and to my surprise Marcus was sleeping in her bed. And I had this unstoppable urge to kiss him. So, I got out of bed and tip-toed over to him. I leaned over to plant a good one on him and my roommate sat up and said, "Lynsey what are you doing?" I snapped out of dream mode. I stammered that I was just wondering if she wanted the window open. She said that would be great.

The next morning, I overheard her telling the other roomies, "Lynsey is the best, she woke up in the middle of the night to ask me if I wanted the window open."

I am nice like that.

Happy Happy Halloween

Memory Monday

I'm starting a new thing. It is called Memory Monday. I have not been a faithful journal-er at any point in my life (big regret). I am going to try and post a random memory, old or new, every MOnday.

One sunny, peaceful Sunday, Lex (younger brother) and I were driving home. I may have been a moody teenager and had a temper that was crazier than a fruit fly. Lex was quiet and mischevious. He was a button-pusher.

As we turned the corner for home, Lex backfired louder than the car we were in. I told him to knock it off or he was walking home. Less than 1/8 of a mile down the road and another rumble was heard from the passenger side. The white boat (which looked a lot like the car below) came to a screeching halt in front of our nearest neighbors house, who also happened to be our Bishop at the time.

I screamed at Lex to get out of the car. No budge. I put the car in park and started pushing him out. Without the slightest indication that he was getting out, Lex started laughing, knowing only as a brother does, that this will send me into a fiery rampage. A blur of long hair and church attire jumped out of the car and began to drag Lex out of the passenger side. I was 15 or 16 at the time and physically could still hold my own with Lex who was 3 years younger. As soon as he was on the ground, I ran back to the driver's side and tried to drive off, but Lex easily slid back into the passenger seat with time to spare.

My pride was injured. I can still feel the anger bubbling up in my chest, my jaw muscles clenching, and tears swelling in my eyes. And there sat Lex, smug and victorious.

A game of cat and mouse quickly pursued. I would chase Lex around and around the white boat, through the white boat and, yes, even up and over the white boat. If we ever met up in the middle, a cross between a wrestling match and a chicken fight would start.

I wish I could say that I admitted my defeat only because our neighbors had gathered at the front window to watch the spectacle, but he won, fair and square.

It's good to know that some things change.

And some things don't. :)

GoodnightLoveYaSeeYaInTheMorningSorry

Charlotte and I shared a room growing up and even shared a bed for close to 11 years. I would like to believe this made us all the more close. Although at times it didn't seem that way. Charlotte would draw an imaginary line down the middle of the bed each night and insisted that I stay on my side. Now, I couldn't control that I sleep heavy and wild and my feet are always cold. And I definitely couldn't control that when I pee'd the bed she was heavier than me and it always ran to her side.

Last night, as Marcus and I were lying in bed, I remembered something. "Goodnight, Love Ya, See Ya In The Morning, Sorry." This is what I would say to Charlotte each and every night. I would say it really fast so it sounded more like this: "goodnightloveyaseeyainthemorningsorry."
The sorry was all inclusive I would tell her, it covered anything I had done to her that day and what I might do during the night.

And she would always reply, "Mm-Hmm".

It was a good tradition and I decided to start it again last night. Although it took Marcus 3 attempts at getting the "Mm-Hmm" right, he'll learn.

Mission Accomplished

Eat Dog Food. Check.


Dump dog-water bowl all over kitchen floor. Check.


Find open bathroom, climb on counter-top, leave signature hand-marks on clean mirror. Check.


Dump newly opened bag of pretzels on newly vacuumed carpet. Check.


Climb on computer desk and throw anything off you can find. Check.


Empty cooking bowls out of kitchen cabinet. Check.


Increase the likelihood of never getting invited to play-group again. Check.


Fall asleep on drive home. Check.


Mission Accomplished Little Z.

FUNNY MOMENT (I have to remember funny moments, so I don't cry as I am remembering the aforementioned moments..)

While in Wisconsin, I was shopping at a Goodwill (by the way, the discount stores there rock compared to here), and I had this conversation with the check-out lady.

Check-Out Lady: Where are you from?

Me: I live in Texas.

Lady: Wow, you speak really fluent English.

I smile and nod, because I am confused.

Lady: You don't even have an accent. Don't you speak Spanish?

I nod my head no while trying not to laugh. Maybe in Wisconsin they think Texas is their own Spanish speaking country?? Not that some Texans don't believe we are our own country, just minus the Spanish speaking.

17 Hours Later...

We were in Wisconsin. Marcus had a work thing there. So, I had the brilliant idea of making it a family road-trip. The night before we left, I was sick with the reality of my brilliant idea. 17 hours with an 18 month old in a car. BUT, it turned out great. Z is a trooper, and so is Marcus-- he drove 90% of the way.

Luckily Zannah got a hold of the camera, which is the reason we have hardly ANY pictures at all! We got to spend time with Marcus's parents, which is always great. Grandma
Self-portrait.

What Wisconsin looked like from the hotel room. Wisconsin was really pretty, take my word for it.

A Big Thanks

To Marcos.

You see, I got home at 4 AM from the hospital (where I take call one night a week) and you know how I like to eat candy on the way to and from in order to stay awake. I was trying to be quiet and not wake you and my toothbrush was missing. Yours was conveniently there and remember how you were just bragging to me the other day about how fabulous your new bristles were. So, I gave it a go.

And you are right, it is fabulously soft!

And I may have used it again this morning after you left for work. But don't worry, I have a pretty good idea of where mine went.

We can talk about the floss later.

Love ya!

Dear Elder

Thank you for this:

It will make a lovely decoration in our house.

Love,

Your sister

This Is

A Sneaky Little One. She knows how to lock me out of the bathroom by opening the drawer. This leaves just enough crack for me to watch her climb from the toilet to the counter top, where she shreds toilet paper and empties the garbage can (which are obviously no longer safe on the counter).

Decisions

Unimportant decisions plague my life. I can make big decisions almost instantly, such as school, moving, adopting, etc. But, decisions like how to cut my hair, what to hang on the wall, what color of shirt to buy, these give me anxiety.


Here are some recent decisions or the lack thereof: After 18 months, Missy Z finally has something on her wall. Got this super easy, cheap idea from Blue Cricket DesignIt only took 18 months to decide to put pig tails in Missy Z's hair. It makes her look so much older, which is exactly why I have tried to avoid it and I'm lazy.





Can't decide what to do with this garage sale gem. Any suggestions?? It could be a cool chalkboard in Z's room. Or it could frame those paper fans above her crib. I might paint it red, or orange, or a turqoise. Maybe in 18 months, I can post about what I did with it :)



Finally, Kabree and I decided to start a business AND tell people about it. A big thanks to Jen C. for designing our logo, we love it!

You can see some of the things we make at www.duckpickle.blogspot.com A couple stores here are carrying some of our stuff, which is awesome.

And now I am going to decide for the next hour whether or not to go to bed.

Treasures

Look at the treasures I found from today's yard-saling, all for the price of $19.

Cute red shoes.

Pretty sure I will break an ankle in these shoes, but for $4, the pain may be worth it.
"Yard sale regret" always kicks in at some point after the purchases. Sometimes I regret wasting money on something I really didn't need, but today I regret not getting more fabric. Luckily, there is always next week.

There and Back Again in 1 Month

First, the Firth Family Reunion in Bull Canyon. Grandma Firth showing us who's boss. Next, on to the Dorsey Reunion in Yellowstone! It was fabulouso. Onto Malad for the 4th of July, where some parents couldn't seem to keep their kids off the street during the parade. Also, played in a volleyball tournament, but didn't get any pics.

Hamburger fry with these hooligans.
Baby shower and catch-up with highschool friends at The Dude Ranch. Also, visited friends in Kaysville, but sadly no pictures were taken.

Drove 12 hours with these ladies enroute to Colorado, whom I nicknamed the bobbsy-twins for various and assorted reasons, and then got to spend 2 whole weeks with them! I think I miss them the most!
While in the beautiful state of CO, the Sterz's drove up with Marcos to attend our now annual camping trip. Sorry, I got us lost on our hike to WaterDog Lake....maybe next year?!?

2 of my favorite people! Grandma Barbara and Grandad.

Manassa hosts the best Pioneer Celebration, where you get to watch the parade not once, not twice, but 4 times!

The finale of the vacation was running the Manassa 5K with my cousins. Huge Thanks to Erica and Kristyn for hanging back with me and making sure I didn't pass out.

The end.

She's a full-fledge WaLkEr!!

It's a Sister Thing

Dear Charlotte,

I don't think you look like a boy or a worm for that matter. (Read here, it is hilarious) Do you remember when I looked like this? .

Many a patient was confused while I was working at the hospital. My face would glow red when I heard comments like this: "Sir, could you....." or, "Thanks, but that little boy over there is helping me...." And then I would just lower my voice and play along. (You bet it worked)

One time I was visiting Mom and Dad and I was even mistaken for Justin (my younger brother) by a lifelong friend that had just returned home from his mission. I know I was thinking the same thing: "Wow, Justin must be really hot." :)

As you and I well know, being mistaken for a boy definitely has its advantages. We save a lot of time and money in the make-up arena. It is completely liberating to go bra-less. And shaving our legs is annoying. So, maybe we are the lucky ones.

I love that this topic has had us rolling with laughter on the phone many a time. We've definitely got it made.

Love,

Lynsey

p.s. You are gorgeous and I still envy that you can wear boy-short hair better than Hally Berry every dreamed of.

Happy Easter to You

From this cutie pie!

Upstate NY

Marcus had business meetings in Syracuse, and being that this is where he served his mission many moons ago, Zannah and I joined him for a weekend tour.

With our crazy storm-dodging luck, we headed out before a blizzard hit A-town and landed in the best weather NY could offer this time of year.

Zannah was so well-behaved on the flights out. Thank heavens, I was a little nervous about such a long trip by myself. And for being such a good girl, we laughed and took pictures of the little treat she left in Syracuse. "It's okay sweetie, better their tub than ours."

Day 1: Palmyra: home to the Joseph Smith family. Walked amongst the trees in the Sacred Grove, what an amazing feeling. Took a jaunt up Hill Cumorah. Coveted SOO many old farmhouses that I lost count.

Found my dream town: SKANEATELES. Marcus's pronunciation: Skinny-Atlas (which is correct). Lynsey's pronunciation: SkinAttles. Call it what you like, I need to live there. I just do.

Changed my language to encompass the phrases, "when we live in SkinAttles..." "I wonder how much houses cost in SkinAttles..." "what do you think you'll do for work in SkinAttles..." "I do hope the people like us in SkinAttles..." And Marcus played along, because he is awesome like that.

Day 2: Stopped in and visited a family that Marcus knew on his mission. For me, this was the best part of the trip. I'm so grateful that I could witness such a happy reunion and catch a glimpse of what Marcus did for 2 years.

Ate at the Bombay Duck Pickle. Marcus says I am envious of the couple who own this diner. Why, because they own this great historical building, live upstairs, work downstairs and renovated the entire thing, complete with original tin ceilings AND named the cafe after their deceased hedgehog? Maybe I'm a little jealous. But, being that they are running a cafe instead of a candy store and NOT in the city of SkinAttles, I'm not completely envious.

Such a great weekend! We are so blessed that Marcus made the decision to serve a mission. I loved sitting in the passenger seat while he remembered and reminisced.

And then Marcus took Zannah on her first carousel ride.

And then we came home and the snow had alread melted in A-town.

Sweet bombay duck pickle!