A funny thing happened while in the shower...

It's really cold! And when it gets this cold, things happen that are...unexpected. Yesterday morning was interesting. I had gone to bed the previous night, thinking..."Every one's pipes are freezing. I hope our well doesn't freeze." Doug wasn't home, so I couldn't ask if the heater had been turned on in the pump house. So, I went to sleep hoping that we would have water in the morning. We did. Faucets running, toilets flushing, good! But in the middle of getting the kids ready for school we had a 'brown out' (that's when the electricity doesn't go completely out..it just causes everything to dim). That lasted a few minutes and then we lost power...then it came back on...then we lost it again. No power...no heat...no water! I managed to get the kids to school, and came back hoping the power would be back on. Nope. I went out to our barn to get a load of firewood and while bringing in the wood...POWER! Wait...only for about 3 minutes. But then about a half hour later POWER AGAIN. I waited a little while just to make sure that it was staying on before I hopped in the shower. I turned the water on and did notice that there wasn't much pressure. I should have stopped right there. I got in and decided that I should hurry because I didn't know if the power was going to go out again. The water was really warm...but there just wasn't any pressure, so I was pretty cold. I had just put the conditioner in my hair and had started washing...soap suds everywhere...and then it happened. The water....started...to...DISAPPEAR! I started yelling at the shower head, "NO! NO! NO!" Are you kidding me? I just stood there, yelling at the shower, not really knowing what to do. I was covered in soap and goose bumps, conditioner in my hair and I just stood there. We still had power but obviously our well had frozen and whatever water we had was what was in our tank. What on earth was I supposed to do now?? There was a little bit of water in the bottom of the tub so I plugged it, crouched down and tried to splash the water on me to rinse off. Um, that didn't work because most of what was there was soap suds. So, I got out. Wiped the soap off, wrapped myself up in my towel, put on my robe and headed for the kitchen. We had water in the fridge. Too cold, but I was desperate. But then I remembered that we had gallons of water in our basement as part of our food storage. I ran down there and grabbed one, pulled out a pan from the cupboard and started warming up some water on the stove. It seemed to take forever. I don't know if I have ever been so cold before. Because we had been without power, the fireplace had not been running for that long (it has a fan on it that forces the air into the house) so there wasn't much warmth. Once the water was warm...wait, make that HOT! I filled a pitcher full of it and got back in the shower. I had let the water get too hot and it was burning my fingers as I put my washcloth in and tried to sponge myself off. So, out again to add cold water from the fridge. Then back in, poured the water over my head. Not enough. I was really wishing that I had short hair at this moment. So, back out again to refill. BURRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! Can anyone tell me the first signs of Hypothermia? Back in the shower I went. That was my last time even if my hair wasn't completely rinsed out. Oh, my goodness. I felt like I was in some sort of comedy! I needed some background music and a warm trailer to go to when my scene was finished!

I was indeed grateful for the fact that we had power so I could warm up the water on the stove. And that the power has stayed on since. And I am grateful that my brother-in-law fixed the well so that hopefully, it won't happen again. But I will say that I am a little nervous about taking a shower today.

~TREE HUNTING~

I can't believe it's that time of year again. We loaded in our truck and went to the same tree farm we found last year. It's located just off of Jackson Hwy, but I can't think of the name of the road. The people that own it are so so nice. They cut your tree for you, load it up on their trailer pulled by a four wheeler and then load it in your vehicle. AND the tree, is only $10!! I do have to say, that their selection of Douglas Fir's is VERY slim. They have plenty of Nobles if that is what you like though. We ended up choosing the one behind us in the picture. We had to come a ways in front of it though because of the beautiful sun that was shining!

This is the biggest tree we have ever had. It was about 11 feet when we bought it and now it is about 9. (We had to be able to fit it in our house, we weren't trying to outdo the Griswold's or anything.) So, this year we are trying it out in our Family Room instead of the Living Room because the ceiling is much higher. I will post pictures when it is decorated so you all can bask in it's glory!

~

Oh, and just a little side note. The Christmas lights that were left on the house since last year... still work! Wow, that sounded a little red-neckish.

A somewhat theatrical overview of the

NEW MOON experience

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(Not meant for Twilight haters or those who think Twilight fans are 'pathetic')

~

Ladies of all ages have been waiting for this night for about a year. The sidewalk was lined with fanatics dawned in their Twilight saga apparel. Heads and hands covered in appropriate fall time warming attire. There was laughter, conversation and even a group of girls watching Twilight on their laptop to help pass the time and to fill the void of not getting tickets to the Twilight 'pre show.' There was this one group of ladies in particular. They were so energetic and fun that the 4 hour wait seemed to glide right on by. Slowly the line started to move. As earlier movies were getting out, they were filling each one of the 10 theaters with the anxious fans. These women, otherwise known as 'HOT MOMMA'S,' played silly games, and took pictures as the moments drew closer to show time. Among the insane amount of fun times, there were moments of disappointment when all of their efforts were exhausted trying to get just 3 more tickets for a few last minute additions. But those 3 ladies were amazingly gracious and still up for spending time and giggling until they could not cross the ticket line. They departed and the rest were left to absorb the remainder of the experience. The giggles and conversation continued once seated inside a toasty (NOT FULL) theater. For a few moments the happiness and excitement was taken over by awkwardness and tension when a yelling match broke out between a grown woman and a feisty teenager. But soon the butterflies and flowers returned to every one's hearts as midnight approached. When they finally started the movie, cheers, screams and whistles filled the room and eyes were fixed on the screen. The wait was finally over. For the next 2 hours their attention never deviated from the images flashing in front of them. Their overwhelming hunger to see this particular movie was being filled and they were savoring every bite! When the credits started rolling, feelings of satisfaction settled in and everyone started in on their review of the movie. Replaying and discussing what they had just witnessed. It didn't matter that it was almost 3 in the morning. It didn't matter that they were going to have to face real life in just a few short hours. It didn't matter that they would be exhausted. What did matter was they had made memories and had an absolutely fantastic time together. It was a GREAT night for a NEW MOON!

~My Veteran...My Grandad~

Every Veteran's Day the first person that comes to my mind is my Grandad!! Charles Bud Sumner. He is and always will be a Marine. He takes great pride in being one. He served during WWII and was stationed in New Caledonia (Fiji Islands), Guadalcanal and Eniwetok (Solomon Islands), Talogee (Marshall Islands), the Carolina Islands, and Okinawa, Japan. He saw so many horrible things. They got word over the radio that the war was over on the evening of his 21st birthday.

At 86 years old, the Marine pride still runs strong through this man's veins. He is a part of the Marine Core League and the American Legion in Alamosa, Colorado. He and my mom attended a Marine Core dinner last night, where he was the oldest Marine there. Him and the youngest Marine cut the cake. He was also in the local Veteran's Day parade this morning and will be attending an American Legion dinner tonight.
I just wanted to tell him, thank you my sweet Grandad for being one of the few, and one of the proud. Semper Fi (Forever Faithful)!
I love you.

Jillian: "Mom, what is that stuff?"

Mom: "It's Mayonaise. Do you want some on your sandwich?"

Jillian: "Well.....um....does it have potatoes in it?"

No GHOSTS or GOBLINS in This House!!!

~

Just angels....

A Blushing Bride...

and a Hero of sorts...Indiana Jones!

(just a little side note...I couldn't find a 'satchel' for Payton's costume, so...you better sit down for this, I MADE HIM ONE...by hand! A simple tasks for most, but a major accomplishment for ME!)

I hate all things scary, so Halloween isn't a favorite of mine. But I do enjoy seeing my kids dressed up and having a good time. We went to our annual dinner and Trunk or Treat. There was a great turnout and we were done by 8 o'clock! I just absolutely HATE having all this candy in the house though. I am terribly weak and have been grabbing something out of the big bowl every time I walk by...dang it! The next couple of months are going to be a test of self control!!!

~HaLLowEEn FUN RUN by Rachel~

~~~~~

My friend, Rachel organized a little run on Halloween. She went all out. She made signs, bought us socks, had prizes!!! It rocked. It was probably the funnest run I have done. Since it was Halloween, I decided to be festive and sport some bunny attire.

Doug met up with us around mile 3ish and gave us some waters and had other supplies in the Tahoe that Rachel needed...perfect timing!!

Rachel's friend, Jessie came in 1st and Rach and I tied for 2nd. It was my first podium finish!!!

Doug...Hero of the day!

Thank you so much miss Rachel for all the work you put into this run. I really had a fantastic time and can't wait for the next one. You rock sister!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOUGLAS!

Doug turned 33 yesterday. I think he had a pretty good day. I drove up to Olympia and spent the day with him...the entire day. We had lunch together, went for a drive around Otown. We really live in a beautiful place. The fall colors are amazing. We headed back to his office and I just hung out while he worked. Sounds kind of lame...but it was really nice. Oh, I didn't have the kids with me, so it was really enjoyable. We got home and Doug's sister had made him a delicious batch of cinnamon rolls. THEY ARE RIDICULOUS!!! Gonna be hard to not eat them all day long.

We topped the day off with a 7lb cake from Costco. Yikes. We were all on a huge sugar high!!!

Happy Birthday, baby!

~DADDY MOMENTS~

Who Is Payton?

In Payton's class they had to come up with a poem to describe themselves. I read through his, and just couldn't help but grin. Here is what he had to say about himself...

~

Pizza Lover.

Available when needed.

Yells sometimes.

Tells information.

Only two vowels in my name.

Nobel.

~

Team Player.

Rides a motorbike.

Optimistic.

Young.

~

Good student.

Into rock music.

Friends with Josh.

Freaky.

Ordinary.

Rough.

Dashes a lot.

~

I asked him if he came up with all of these on his own and he said yes. It is so fun to watch him mature and really start to understand who he is as a person.

Pumpkin Pickin'

The kids and I headed up the road a little ways to find ourselves some pumpkins. It's funny how something so simple can cause them so much excitement. They had a great time picking the ones they wanted, but the girls LOVED the really little ones. So, we ended up getting a few of those too.

They had some rows of corn, so I made the kids go pose in it. And then they wanted to run all over.
(Just to let everyone know, Jillian dressed herself today!)

(The nice lady that owns the place, took our picture for us!)

Goodbye Grandma and Grandpa!

~

It's official! As of the 30th of September, Doug's parents are Elder and Sister Gifford. Most of their kids were there when they were set apart by President Hansen last Wednesday night. I think it was an incredible thing for their posterity to be witness too.

They left the next morning and came to say their goodbyes before their road trip began. It is very bitter-sweet to see them go. The older kids understand what is happening, but the two little ones just thought they were saying a normal goodbye.

Mom and Dad were able to attend 2 sessions of General Conference and are reporting to the MTC this morning. They will only be there a week, and then it's off to the Colorado Springs, Colorado Mission. We know they will be awesome missionaries!