Back behind the wheel

I am no longer the "lady with the huge van." I can no longer claim to have 14 children. I can no longer get my exercise by parking at the end of the parking lot so I can pull through a parking stall. I can no longer say I drive a van. For today I walked gladly back into the land of SUV's (and back into the ranks of those destroying the planet with over sized car emissions according to my brother). Today I got my Tribeca back- HALLELUJAH!!!

The Holy War..

If you live in our neighborhood no one cares if you are Mormon or Catholic, white or black or male or female. What really matters is blood: red or blue. Nearly everyone up here did their undergrad work at either the U or BYU and you make it your mission to tell your neighbors. We're very red. Over the years our house has been marked by our blue friends, and we in return have marked their houses. It's all in good fun and no permanent damage is ever done. It usually involves late night raids, spray paint, flag stealing, car decorating and the occasional lost bet. This year, we got hit and didn't know it until we woke up! Thanks to Lexy, the dog, for taking care of things (yeah, that's her doing her business on the giant Y).

Then, Rich had to go outside and fix the mess and make things red again.

Then we had to do a little payback.......and finally we got dressed to go to the ward angel tree breakfast. Great Day!!!

Venting

I blog when I am mad. I blog when I am happy. Today I was mad. Madder than ****. Why? Because some people are jerks. People who are supposed to be working for us-- work against us. You know the worse part, his wife is awesome. UGGGGGGGG.

Venting

Me and the MINI-van

Today my wonderful, sleek, sporty SUV with vanity plates (MYT PEN) went in to get fixed after last weekends accident. I told the rental company last week that I had to have six seat belts to fit everyone in for carpooling. They said it wouldn't be a problem. Today, I about laughed when I saw the monster of a vehicle they "reserved just for me." It's HUGE! I think it seats ten people. I turned in my cute Tribeca for...

...a Chev Uplander van. No, not mini-van, just van. No I didn't get the handicap chairlift but this van is so big it's the van of choice for "Mobility America" (featured on their website). Now, I have nothing against large vans. I have very fond memories of youth trips in them. But, when you can't remember the last time you drove a truck, better yet a van, it takes a while to get used to it. I didn't even get a good model. It's the base model--not even a CD player in it. The boys asked if they could sleep in the van like a camp out this weekend.

My girlfriend across the street called to say my "back end" was sticking out... of the garage. Nice. That's okay. Someone needs to be the butt of the neighborhood jokes, guess it is my turn. I'm going to borrow a few more kids (like eight more) put on my pioneer trek skirt and go to Sam's club this weekend....

Mat and Kellie----

This is my brother Mat and his adorable better half, Kellie. They are the kind of free spirits most of us just dream of being. They travel the world and visit islands that don't supply visitors with running water. They believe in causes and work to change the world. Today they are leaving everything they have behind and moving to St. Thomas in the Caribbean. Why? Because they can. For them life is an adventure. The world is full of interesting people and places and you just can't experience it from your laptop. I will miss Mat-- I kind of live vicariously through him. I respect what they do, I just couldn't do it. A few years back Mat backpacked through Africa with just the pack on his back and a map. I would love to see Africa, from a hotel room with a view. Good luck you two. I know you will have an awesome time. You can watch their adventures through the Caribbean, Cuba and other strange places over the next months by checking out their blog link. Love you Matt-- don't forget to call/blog..

Text messaging and Driving

Don't do it! Why? Because I was on the recieving end of an accident today. I stopped at a light and the car behind me didn't. The 19 year old driver was texting and didn't stop. She hit me going about 30 miles an hour. The Tribeca was amazing.. it held up like it is supposed to. I got a pretty good whiplash which warranted a trip to the ER. Her Nissan Maxima is in bad shape. She hit the trailer hitch on the back of our car and squished under it a bit. From the outside my car looks like it has minor damage, until you crawl under it and see that the hitch is now crunched up under the extra tire and it looks like the frame is a bit bent. Big time repairs. I'm glad I'm okay and that the kids were home with Rich-- moral of the story---DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE.