Picture Dump

Ok, a lot of catching up is needed, so let's get down to busniess! To defeat. . . the Huns! (Ha ha ha only if you're part of my family and have the Mulan songbook memorized will you probably find that funny.)

Let's start with the weekend visiting family for Jodee's farewell. Little sis is now in the MTC getting ready to go out to San Antonio Texas! I can't believe she is old enough to go on a mission, but at the same time I'm not surprised because she is so spiritual already and full of light and love that I'm sure she will bless many people in Texas. So happy for her!

Friday night I rode up with little brother Alex because Paul stayed behind for a show he played in that night. I really wanted to get up there Friday night for the EMOTION BOWL! I tried to convince Paul of it's coolness, but alas, he just doesn't get it. The guy is already not into any team sports. In fact, I watch more sports than he does on TV, and all I watch is the Olympics. Maybe that give you an idea. Anyways, it was fun to go with the siblings and put on my Tiger pride sweatshirt again and cheer for the winning team! It was pretty cold though and windy. But still, fun times.

Yep, we sure are pretty.

 Saturday morning Grandma and Charles were nice and took us out to breakfast at a 50's diner. I actually worked there one summer and it was horrible (that is another story for another day), but going there as a customer was great! I only snagged this one cute picture though of my beautiful sister-in-law Hayley, and her cutie little baby Adalyn. Seriously, I'm obsessed with her cheeks. Adalyn's, not Hayley's.

I don't really remember what else we did on Saturday, not much I think, or else I would remember! Oh, we helped my Mom get everything ready for the little lunch thing they planned on doing after Jodee's farewell. Exciting. 

Took this picture during the festivities on Sunday after Jodee gave a wonderful talk. Her sweet spirit really will be missed around here! I can't believe the next time I will see her I will have a one year old.

We tried to get a picture of all the girl cousins together. Below is just one of many attempts to get them to cooperate. Ashlyn did great because she had a cookie. Grace though, as you can see on the left, would have none of it. Adalyn just cried because everyone was in her face trying to get a decent picture. It was hilarious, actually.

Monday morning Paul and I headed to Sun Valley for a little anniversary trip. It's been three years! Wahoo! We didn't really plan much, just wanted some much needed rest and relaxation. We rented a cute little studio condo for two nights and it was glorious! 

We were really boring on this trip, which was just how we like it! We visited off season so there wasn't a lot to do anyways, and everything closed at like 5 each night! But it was gorgeous and wonderful.

 We did venture out and eat at a lovely little place called Perry's. If you're ever in Sun Valley, go there! Reasonably priced and awesome delicious food.  As you can tell below:

I tried to get a good picture of the bright red leaves behind us. The sun was so briiiiight though. And I couldn't find my sunglasses for the whole trip. . turned out they were in my backpack the whole time that was with us on the trip. I found them when we were unpacking. Go figure.

And that's all the pictures I took. I know, I'm really awesome about picture taking. Oh well. We really enjoyed our time there! 

Labor Day

Yep. . . a few weeks later I am finally posting about our Labor Day weekend!

Since I have been married to Paul, we've been spending every Labor Day weekend up at his family's cabin by Vernal. Yes, by Vernal. Meaning, it's like an hour outside of Vernal. Middle. Of. Nowhere.

No neighbors, just us and the cows. It's so quiet out there, I looooove it.

It's also our zombie apocalypse plan. If we ever have to leave town and the human race, we're going there. The electricity at the cabin is solar powered, they have running water from a local spring, and a wood stove to keep the inside heated. Pretty neat.

View from the front of the cabin. I love it!

Ah camping. . .really brings out the best in people.

Paul just adds so much to this picture.

This dirt road was made by the Siddoways driving up here year after year. 

 There's not really a lot to document about what we did while up there. I was finally, finally feeling better and not constantly nauseous anymore, but I was still tired all the time. So I just read and slept while Paul went out the four wheeler without me. (Boo! I was sad about that.) We played music together with his family, played a lot of card games, ate good food and just really enjoyed a relaxing weekend away from everything!

Enjoying our food. It was so nice to be able to eat whatever I wanted again without feeling sick!

Doing Sudoku. Yep, we are that cool! I beat Paul  though so I am really proud of myself.

Doing what we do best. . photobombing.

A post about siblings

Well, Sam and Tonya, your requests are coming true. Both of them asked that I post about how much I ah. . .look up to them and their families.

For a minute I thought about doing a completely sarcastic post, but maybe these pregnancy hormones are making me a little mushy so I've decided to actually be nice and talk about how much, indeed, I do look up to them.

In a nutshell: My family is awesome.

Oh sure, we are just like most families-sometimes I just want to wring some of their necks because they are driving me crazy, but that always passes and we end up laughing so hard we're crying at some inside joke. We Whittiers are pretty hilarious. Ask any of us!

I actually like the idea of posting about a couple siblings at a time since, you know, there are so many of us. Not gonna lie, sometimes growing up in the thick of 7 kids fighting over the last cookie, or getting furious because someone broke the lock on my diary and read it, or knowing that when Mom had to run some errands that meant babysitting for free (which usually ALWAYS meant every one was on their worst behavior because just a sister was watching them), made me wish that my family was smaller. But that has changed as I have grown up. Now I really do love being able to spend time with all of them.

So, today, because it was graciously requested, you get a post about Tonya and Sam.

Tonya-

Waaay back in 2007! Aw.

Most anyone who knows me now knows that Tuna and I are pretty much besties. Seriously. We chat weekly and always end up laughing at our own hilarious jokes. We really think we are comedians. If anything obnoxious happens to me, she's one of the first people I think to tell about it, knowing she'll appreciate the laugh- and vice versa. I love having her tell me about being a parent-she just lays it all out-doesn't sugar coat anything.

Yet growing up we were not really the closest. I have memories of her and a friend tricking me into thinking there was a secret door that opened up on the wall next to her bed on the top bunk, she and a friend (probably the same one) sneaking into my closet and eavesdropping on me while I played by myself with my stuffed animals, etc.

Then, somehow, we became friends! And stayed friends! And are still friends!

And now here's where it will get mushy:

We're best friends because I look up to her. Tuna has been through a lot and yet is still one of the most amazing people I have ever known. She's kept a positive attitude when life has thrown some way not awesome curve balls her way. She's real. She tells it how it is and I love that about her. She has a beautiful family and the cutest daughter that I love with all my heart. I'm so blessed that not only are we besties, we're family, which means we get to be together forever.


Sam-

Oh Sam, where to start. Almost the same tale as Tonya, we were not the best of friends growing up. Being the closest in age out of anyone in the family, we definitely had our share of bickering. The diary reading incident was him, I was always so mad when we would be playing together along with younger brothers  Cory and Alex and whenever we fought Cory and Alex would take his side only because he was a boy. It drove me nuts!

Yet through all that fighting, we still schemed together to do things, especially when Mom wasn't around- like watching him get on the roof with our bean bag chair and jump off onto the trampoline, put pillows against the wall at the bottom of the stair and ride down in either a box or a random giant piece of wood, lay under a swing that Cory was in thinking it was so cool and then sitting up all of a sudden expecting Cory to magically stop and instead both being hit right in the head (Sam took the worst of it, getting butterfly stitches on his forehead, I just got a giant bruise).

There were days after days of friendly water fights in the backyard, building rivers in the sandbox, playing game after game of "City" or "Doggie Town" or our personal favorite "Suck Up" (all of these will take too long to explain). And yet there were also times of him shooting boogers out of his nose that landed on my forehead, of endless teasing that once resulted in him chasing me to my room where I locked myself in and somehow jammed the door and Dad had to get me out of my room by a ladder outside my window, I could go on because most of my childhood memories involve that guy.

Pretty sure he is not as innocent as he seems in this photo. He probably just burped or something nasty.

What's nice about growing up is we have become great friends. I admire his ambition, and how well he cares for his family. When we are together with the family, I feel like he is one I reminisce with the most, since we did so much together growing up. We chat, I can't get enough pictures of his cute little girl, and I love his little family too with all my heart.

And there you have it- a nice post about these two.

I better hurry up and write one about Jodee before she leaves on her mission. . . .