It's ALMOST Spring!!

... it is a beautiful, bright, sunny day... from inside a toasty warm furnace blaring home one might think it was time to throw on our shorts and put a little color back into our white pasty skin... that is until one opens the door and the cold air rushes at them... Obviously 24 degrees is not the coldest that we have been this winter... but in a nutshell... it isn't spring yet.

However... somehow in Northern Utah we all like to believe that spring is here before it actually is... me included of course. In the past week I have been making observation about our oddities. Bare in mind that ONE day this week we hit 49 degrees. The next highest day we were at 38 degrees. So not BALMY by many peoples standards... yet...

- School age children stand at the bus freezing in their SHORTS! And then try hard to convince you that they aren't cold. (As their jaw chatters...) And coats are left home since it might be HOT after school! ????? (we have rules about that in our house... apparently other people don't choose that as a battle to pick...)

- I saw someone driving with their windows rolled down???

- Motorcycles are out and about.

- People are wearing flip flops...

-Tayler's cute friend who we carpool to dance with, got in the van and was snuffy and sneezing... (you know the basic cold) and she said. "Oh, man my allergies are acting up." I said, "that's too bad, what are you allergic to?" She answered, "Moss and Grass". Moss and Grass???? Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I don't think the grass pollen is very strong right now... since it is COVERED in SNOW!

-Speaking of grass covered in snow... Shane saw our neighbor sprinkling ash on his snow to get it to melt... hehehe

-This morning after aerobics I walked out with my excercise friends to get the paper and said, "Hey it's not so bad out here, we could almost walk it's so nice." I checked the temp when I got back in... 13 degrees... Gauranteed I wouldn't have said that in January... somehow it just seemed warmer with the sun shining!

But then there are signs that spring is just around the corner... since...

- I see and hear birds chirping. (If I was a bird... I wouldn't fly north until April... or possibly May... but that's just me!)

- I saw tiny little green crocus and daffadil sprouts poking out of the soil when I went to Parent Teacher Conf. at Kenna's school!

- I have flys in my house. You know the slow, dazed, just waking up kind... that even I could catch with chop sticks!

- I feel like cleaning out things... I must act on those feelings quickly because they never last long!!

- And the final hint that spring is almost here is that tomorrow I will be taking all of my winter snowmen and "let it snow" stuff down to make room for all my "Spring" decorations!! Because Sunday is March 1st and I'm calling that spring... even if it really isn't... I just might put on my short sleeve shirt, dig out my flip flops, and drive to church with my window rolled down shouting "YIPPEE, it's ALMOST Spring!!"

Our 15 year Anniversary

WOW! It doesn't seem possible that yesterday... February 11th was our 15 year wedding anniversary! 15 years... that is a long time... in some ways... and it seems like just yesterday in others. 15 years with ups and downs... and I still think that I got the best catch around!

True Aggies forever!

Looking at this picture makes me realize how long 15 years really is... check out my siblings and little nieces! (I'm not really that old though :)... I mean Shane snatched me up when I was still in my youth!! And BTW that freaks me out to think that one of my girls could get married at 19! YIKES! I just might put my foot down... but of course I was very "mature" for my age. :))


Wow, Shane had a LOT of hair 15 years ago... not so much now... but a lot then. I'm thining more than me then! Business in the front... and Par-tee in the back!! (That would be a mullet joke :))
This was the picture that we used for our announcement in the paper. I love this picture... it makes me laugh. Shane my "manual worker honey" shows up at my house (a few days before this picture was taken) and has this huge sore in the middle of his forehead... right between his eyes. I ask him what the heck happened to him... Apparently... he was pulling the "pin" out of a door (while taking it off)... the pliers slipped... and he bashed HIMSELF right in the forehead... with the pliers. Shane, Shane, Shane... hence was the beginning of our marriage and many "minor flesh wounds" to come. I am knocking on wood right now because he really has been lucky many times. I mean he has only cut his fingers off once. (Those pictures are his pride and joy... not very appropriate for this particular post though...) Stitches... I'm thinking never... not saying he shouldn't have had them dozens of times... but he feels that carpet pad... and duct tape are just as efficient. Have you ever looked at Shane's hands...? They tell a story... you might not have time for. So when I was looking at these wedding pictures I decided I had to post the next one. Notice the band aid that I am trying to cover up... I'm sure a carpet knife got him that time... and yes he shook every body's hand like that. At least it was a band aid instead of duct tape :)! (Imagine my excitement last year when I noticed in the band aid aisle that they sell "duct tape" band aids - I bought a few boxes right then and there. I thought he would be so excited... he wasn't... he said, "I have been telling you for years we should have marketed that... and now it's too late!)

I sure do love that guy though... He truly is a fantastic man, husband and father. He has a lot (and I mean a lot) of patience with me!
He is a complete go with the flow guy... anything is good with him...
He truly never complains about anything in our family life. I remember one time I heard that you should do some dorky "exercise" where you write done the 10 things that "bug you about your spouse" and then share them... hoping to "work on them". I had my list written in seconds... (admitting here... I am easily "buggable"... !). I spew my 10 off and it was his turn... he says... "I can't think of anything!" WHAT! - I didn't think it was sweet at the time... I took it to mean that he wasn't thinking that night... or too lazy to write anything down... and he just didn't "care about me". Now I think back and realize that there was no doubt he was lying... but... completely obvious that he is just plain... "DANG SMART"!
He works so hard for us... and he loves his job.
He is so amazing with his girls... and they think he hung the moon.
He trusts me completely
He respects me
he thinks I am AWESOME in everything I do!
He helps me with my crafts (all though there are limits to his crafting willingness - if it involves using or better yet getting a new tool... he is ALL OVER IT!)
He thinks I am a great shopper... hehehe (the key to this is... don't let your husband see the checkbook... and only show him your REALLY good deals :))
In all seriousness he has no desire to know where our money goes. It freaks him out... if he is with me at WalMart when I am checking out... he walks away... he just doesn't want to know... very, very convenient!
He gives the best massages ever... almost everyday! If we are sitting on the couch he is ALWAYS rubbing my feet... LOVE IT!
He's a babe!
He accepts what ever is asked of him... (probably why he has 4 Church callings :))
He ASKS me to make him lists each Saturday. :)
He has a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He is VERY friendly... probably why he was such a fantastic missionary.
He is a great sport... loves playing games... even when he loses!
He sends me flowers all the time for no reason... or sometimes it's "secretaries Day" or "Bosses Day" or "Groundhog Day"...
Loves to travel and experience new things.
Wants only the best for our family.
And finally is just plain... THE BEST!

This year our anniversary was a little different... mainly because I'm here in this bitter cold... and Shane is off in Mexico... working! (but warm :)) So he had these flowers delivered (with a personalized note on one of my homemade cards, which means he had to have planed that last week... brownie points Shane!) Not sure of the significance of the one white rose in the dozen. I asked him if it was meant "as a peace offering" of sorts for being gone on both our anniversary AND Valentine's Day. He said the florist said I would know what it meant...? I don't...? I'm still thinking peace offering... or possibly they ran out of pink...
He also surprised me with a massage certificate. But hoped that I didn't like it more than his. :) After running crazy all day with the girls my awesome parents took us to Hamiltons... for "ribs". YumYumYum. Sorry you missed out on our anniversary dinner Shane... but it was delicious!

I LOVE YOU!