Mini Mob Mentality

I am more and more convinced that kids operate on a mob mentality. Inevitably if one kid has something or starts doing something it won't be long before the rest of the group picks it up. The mob was in full force this last Sunday from the get go. It started with one little boy busted out a little chorus of "Move it, Move it," and it wasn't long before a "Move it, Move it" wave was moving around the table, complete with both fists raised and punched into the air.

Next during the lesson, I was talking about how they are all children of god and pulled out a picture of a group of kids. One little boy ran up and pointed to a boy in the picture and exclaimed, "THAT'S ME!" Sure enough the rest of the kids all swarmed to the front and started pointing out kids in the picture and saying "THAT'S ME!" Nate pointed to a little african girl in the picture and said "That's Me!" I don't think the kids got that one.

Lastly while the kids were coloring I had to help one little girl in the restroom leaving Nate alone with 6 kids equipped with crayons. One boy decided to draw on Nate's sleeve, everyone thought it was funny, and before Nate could act quick enough he became a living art canvas casualty. Lesson learned, kids can sense a shift in the balance of power and will take the opportunity to strike swiftly.

I find it funny that boys seem to universally turn anything into some sort of weapon (gun, lightsaber, etc.). One little boy created a rifle out of blocks and I was really impressed by his engineering of how he built it; so much so that when 2 other boys asked me to build them one I kept looking over to copy his design. Then the biggest boy in the room (aka my husband) had to top them all with this little number...

I guess they never grow up.

Stay safe from the monster!

A few months ago Nate and I were called to be nursery workers at our ward. While I was a little nervous at first, and some Sundays we're just trying to survive 2 hours of chaos, I have come to enjoy the time that we spend with the little kiddos. We don't have kids of our own yet but for 2 hours each Sunday of every other month we get to spend time with their sweet, though sometimes ornery, spirits. For a while now I've been thinking that I should keep note of some of the funny things they say/do.

A few weeks ago the lesson was on baptism and Nate was explaining how you get dressed in a suit that's all white.

Little Girl-"I want a purple or pink one!"

Nate-"They only come in white."

Little Girl-"How about black?!"

This last Sunday, during Toy Time, I was seated on the floor playing blocks with a very mild-mannered quiet girl named Shelby. I was in the midst of trying to build a bunny rabbit out of blocks (Shelby's request) when she quietly exclaimed something to the effect of "Oh good I'm safe from the monster." She went on to tell me how I was safe and so were William and Wyatt who were playing nearby. I was slightly confused but played along figuring it was some kind of imaginary game when maybe 5 minutes later the older brother (about 5 or 6 years old) of one of the other nursery girls who had come in to visit/play passed by us. Shelby playfully gasped, "the monster came close to me," and it dawned on me that the older boy was "the monster." I still don't know why he was the monster as I never saw him do or say anything mean to her, let alone really acknowledge her at all, nevertheless for the rest of nursery we had to stay safe from "the monster." Even at the end when one of the other nursery workers asked if I could take over blowing bubbles for her, Shelby sweetly said no because the monster was over there and I had to stay where I was to "stay safe." It's nice to have 3 year olds looking out for your safety.

Back on the board

It has been a while since I've posted, but July has been kinds of slow for us and there really hasn't been much to report. This past Saturday though we finally made it out to the lake for the first time this year. We had made plans several previous times to go on a lake trip but all of our plans were thwarted. One weekend my mom and I ended up getting sick. Another time we got out to the lake, waited in the overflow for a while, got the boat backed down the launch ramp and then the boat wouldn't start.
This weekend it was perfect. Despite it being Saturday, the boat traffic was light and the water was calm. Nate and I strapped on the wakeboards and hit the water. It was fun to see how our recent workout program has helped our endurance.

After wearing ourselves out on the boards for a while we took a break and Nate got a chance to take the captain's chair and drive us around the lake.


The we pumped up the tube, Tyler's favorite. I decided to pass on the tube this time since the last few times I'd ridden the tube I felt really hurt the next day, plus I'd taken a pretty good faceplant on the wakeboard that had popped me out of my boots earlier.
Nate got whipped around....


Tyler hung on for dear life...


Even my mom took a ride.


Everyone had fun playing on the water and hopefully it's not another year before we get back out there.

Reunited

Then...

...And now.


Last weekend we had a mini reunion with my best friends from high school. I've known these girls since I was 15. We've graduated high school and college together, we've seen each other get married and have kids. We've been together as teenagers and adults seeing the good and the bad. Until I got sisters in law, they were the closest thing I had to sisters and even though we have our own lives and go months, even years, without seeing each other I still consider them some of my closest friends. It never fails that when any of us get together the time will be filled with laughter.
On June 5 we got together with our families and had a bbq. It was the first time that all of us had been together for a year (I think we had everyone at McKenna's shower). True to form we laughed till our cheeks and our stomaches hurt, and it was way past our bedtimes. We had a great time catching up on all sorts of stories, many of which included labor and parenting so we didn't have much to contribute then but we had lots to learn.
Thanks girls for a great night and we look forward to doing it again real soon.

In the beginning

Today marks the one year anniversary of our first date (of round 2). Nate and I waxed nostalgic thinking back to that first date and how much has happened in the year since then, and seeing as I haven't written anything about our beginnings here or in my personal journal I thought now would be a good time while the details are fresh in my mind, sorry if it's kind of long.

Nate and I met in January 2007 through a LDS singles website. Though a number of friends had urged me to try the online scene I was strongly opposed until that year I decided to give it a try as part of a New Year's Resolution. My dear friend Stefani helped me put together a profile and Nate was one of the first people I clicked with. We really connected well and had fun talking a lot online before we finally met. We went out a couple of times and, well, our second date was kind of a flop for both of us. Shortly thereafter I left on vacation to Paris, he got busy with year end exams and started dating someone else, and we ended up falling out of touch. I figured it had run it's course and that I'd never hear from him again.

Flash forward 9-10 months later (which seems like a lifetime)and we were unexpectedly thrown back into each others lives again thanks to the power of Instant Messager. I was dating someone at the time and Nate had just gotten out of a relationship so we talked often as friends while I tried to pass the time at work. During our time talking I found myself wishing I had the connection and communication that Nate and I shared with my boyfriend at the time. Not long after that realization, my boyfriend unexpectedly ended our relationship. I was heartbroken and in the aftermath the following day at work I found myself desperately wanting to talk to Nate, and sure enough he was there. From then on our relationship quickly grew closer, though it would take another 3 weeks before we finally saw each other again since he was swamped with finals.

Saturday, May 17th finally arrived and I made the long trek out to Glendale dressed in my new outfit feeling full of nerves and excitement. It had been a long time since I'd felt this way about a first date, and yes we considered it a second first date since it had been over a year since we'd last seen each other. 45 minutes later when I arrived at his apartment, Nate took me on a tour of his school campus and then we headed off to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (Nate's traditional post final treat). After dinner we returned to his apartment for a mini Office marathon, then he suggested we go do some geocaching at a few sites nearby. This was my first time geocaching and I felt a little silly scouring the locations looking for the little treasures as Nate stood back and watched since he already knew where they all were.

The time came for me to go home and for some reason (it must have been construction related) I decided to take the I-17 home from the 101 in Glendale. Much to my surprise, I discovered after entering the ramp for north and southbound split that the southbound ramp was closed thus forcing me to go north. I either missed the sign completely or I had a subconcious desire to go to Flagstaff. To my further dismay I quickly found that the first couple exits off the freeway were closed and I had to go several miles in the wrong direction before I could get turned around. Once I finally got driving in the right direction it was late and I just wanted to get home. As I passed through Phoenix I spotted something strange a short distance ahead of me in the lane I was in. As I got closer I realized what it was, two lone road flares smack dab in the middle of the road, no stranded cars around, no other flares were leading to the shoulder. I quickly looked in my rearview and passenger side mirrors only to find several cars beside me leaving me with the only choice of going over the flares since there was no room for me to change lanes. I figured I was going fast enough that no harm would come to my car, nevertheless I drove the rest of the way home with my window down constantly checking for burning smells (which were there slightly) and watching my heat gauges convinced that my car was going to blow up right there on the freeway. I finally managed to make it home in one piece though this wasn't the only time we experienced car related mishaps while dating, including getting my car locked in a parking garage and Nate's battery exploding on the freeway.

From then on we tried to see each other as much as possible, which much to our suprise never seemed to be more than 2 weeks. It didn't take us long before we both independently of the other realized that if we took the best parts of all of our previous relationships we'd have each other, and the rest is history.

Birthday Hanukkah

A few years ago my roommates and I instituted the practice of Birthday Hanukkah. The practice came out of the observation that birthday festivities seem to stretch out beyond one's actual birthdate. Between different groups of friends and family outtings, the celebration usually lasts about a week. Now I imagine as I get older birthday hanukkah will gradually shrink as my friends and I get more involved in married life and raising families but at least for now the week long celebration continues and I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Friday, May 1st
After work I met up with Nate and my family at the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly glass exhibit they've had going on for a while now. I've been wanting to go since it got there but hadn't had a chance and with it leaving at the end of May we figured we'd better get on it. For those that aren't familiar with Chihuly he does huge blown glass installations throughout the world. He takes a lot of care to make and place pieces that really fit in and play off of the natural surroundings. Here are some of my favorite shots.



After we got done wandering around the gardens we went to Macayo's for a birthday dinner with my family. Since my birthday is on Cinco de Mayo it's only fitting that I celebrate with Mexican food.

Sunday, May 3rd
This was our Sunday to cook dinner for Nate's family, which can be an event in and of its self. On any given Sunday we can have between 15-20 people (including kids) at dinner. It can be a fun challenge since I like to cook but it is definitely a change cooking for that many people. This Sunday was also special because we celebrated my brother-in-law Danny's birthday (May 4th) and mine. My mother-in-law made each of us a cake (mine was chocolate of course) and we opened presents. My favorite had to be the card from my mother-in-law with a $50 bill inside but not because of the money. Upon seeing it my niece Audrey pointed and started laughing hysterically..."Haha, you got a DOLLAR! Haha." I didn't have the heart to tell her it was more than $1 so yep Audrey I got a dollar.
This particular Sunday was also fun because my parents came over to join us for dinner. It's fun to have the two families enjoy spending time together and get along. I had to laugh because twice my nephew Ryan mistook my dad for Pappa Matthews. The first time Ryan came running in from playing outside and dog-piled my dad who was sitting on the floor. It left dad a little surprised, and Ryan a little embarrassed but we all got a good laugh. About an hour later after we had finished having cake, Ryan came running in again and gave my dad a big huge around the legs only to realize moments later that it wasn't Grandpa. What a cutie!

Tuesday, May 5th
This one deserves a post of its own since my hubby's so cute.

Wednesday, May 6th
On Wednesday my friend Chrissy and I went to Cafe Rio (Yay! more Mexican). Chrissy's birthday was in the first part of April and I had been trying to take her out for weeks, so it was a joint birthday celebration.

Friday, May 8th
On Friday evening Nate and I went miniture golfing. This was our third time going since we first started dating and our score had been at one win each, so this game would put one of us ahead of the other. I started out with a few excellent holes, including a hole in one, that put me way ahead of Nate but things can change in the blink of an eye and after a few bad holes I fell behind and was never able to regain my ground. He beat me by 8 strokes.

Saturday, May 9th
On Saturday I had the chance to have a girl date with my good friend McKenna while my mom played grandma and watched her daughter Anna. It was nice to have some girl time, see a good chick flick, and chat over dinner.

It was a busy week but a great time to celebrate with friends and family.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

This year was my and Nate's first time really celebrating our birthdays together. Nate was being very sneaky and would not give me any details about what he had in store for my birthday despite several poor attempts on my part to extract some bit of information from him.
The day started out with finding a card that he slipped into my purse before he left for work. I always love getting little notes from him and wish I could return the favor more but he doesn't have a purse (thankfully) and usually leaves before I do. Then I had a lovely bouquet of purple flowers delivered to my office. I mean what girl doesn't like getting flowers at the office?
When I arrived home this is what was awaiting me on our back patio.

Nate had picked up take out from my favorite Italian restaurant, Mardenely's (aka Rigatony's old Mesa location)and served me a candelight dinner of crusty bread, antipasto salad, and baked ziti. Yummy!

After dinner it was present time. After rifiling throught the tissue paper I pulled out of the gift bag our Garmin GPS unit, and a yellow brick with longitudinal coordinates attached. I had to go geocaching for my present.

So we hopped in the car and I led the way. Upon reaching the specified location I searched around and found...another yellow brick with coordinates attached. After a few more searches that led me to his dad's print shop and the old Matta's restaurant (the site of our very first date) each time finding another yellow brick, I was led back home to our back patio where Nate had hid a green (supposed to be emerald) envelope. Inside were two tickets to Wicked at Gammage in July.

Now I'm not a big Broadway musical fanatic but I did like the book and The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie when I was growing up. I think I practically wore the VHS tape out, I owned red sparkly shoes, and I had a small battery operated dog I named Toto that I carried around in a basket.

I thought I did pretty good with his birthday but I think he just raised the bar.