Family Dinner

I am the middle child in my family. Sometimes I didn't like that.

My family is run in an orderly fashion. Always has been. We always did things in age order, whether that was oldest to youngest, or youngest to oldest.

Regardless, I was always fourth.

Sometimes I liked being the middle child. I wasn't the oldest who had to experience everything first, yet I am not the spoiled youngest. I also have everything; older sisters and an older brother, and younger sisters and a younger brother in addition to two great parents.

What's better than that?

Leaving for college was great because I was able to be with my older siblings. It was great to spend time with them on occasion and see where and how they lived and be in older company.

Being here for the summer in Texas is a whole is a different story.

I love my family. It has been really fun to be home with my younger siblings for the summer. We never have a family dinner with out a laugh. Seriously.

We have all always sat around this same kitchen table for all our meals together, for as long as I could remember. We've pulled up highchairs to this table, and at times we have been so squished, it was often hard to have a family meal without "You're in my way!" or "Meany-boy-gym!" or "Stop crossing the line!"

As the years went by, my siblings have left home for missions or college and our table has become more roomy.

Now we all seat pretty comfortably.

These kitchen chairs have seen better days.

















But as much as I love my younger siblings, do I ever wonder how I am are related to them sometimes?




















Nah.














Gotta love them.

Hair in French Braids

I had a blast on Monday with my family! I had the day off from work, and the kids are all out of school for the summer. We had fun doing some of our favorite things, we played some competitive ladder ball, (of which Spencer and I dominated Mom and Dad) badmittin, and later on we went swimming. Dad and Julie sure had fun jumping in the pool!
Other than the fact that it was one hundred degrees outside and I got a slight sunburn, (well, we are in Texas!) it was a very relaxing and enjoyable day!

PS: Love Spencer's Texas shirt :)

Open House

Here are a few pictures from Heather and Dane's Open House, enjoy!

Darn Chiggers

What itches like crazy, takes weeks to go away, and itches like crazy?

"Son, them's chiggers." -Dad's co-worker to dad. You can ask him about HIS chigger story...

Nothing like chigger bites here in Texas, that's for sure. Last week at Heather and Dane's open house, I was attacked by chiggers. Strangely enough, no one else got chigger bites except me...

Well, what are chiggers exactly?
"Chiggers are tiny, six-legged wingless organisms (larvae) that grow up to become a type of mite. Chiggers are found in tall grass and weeds. Their bite causes severe itching.Chiggers bite humans around the waist, ankles, or in warm skin folds. Bites commonly occur in the summer and fall months."
https://health.google.com/health/ref/Chiggers

I've had chigger bites so many times before in the past, I knew exactly what they were when I saw them. Well, I was itching them like crazy before I realized that I had them. I have memories of getting them at girls camp and applying fun shades of nail polish on them. It's usually best to apply caladryl, but nail polish works too. (Not as well, but more fun!)

Its been about a week and they are mostly gone, but the itch doesn't go away till they are completely gone.

"Welcome home!" - Dad

Gee thanks.

Sittn' in a Tree

Howdy! Long time no see. My job has been keeping me busy for the past two weeks or so since I have been here last. It has been going great; oh the stories I could tell you already about my experiences there... But alas these stories will have to wait till a later date.

Until then, other exciting things have been going on here in Texas. As many of you may know, my sister Heather has found her perfect match, and is engaged to the man of her dreams. They have both flown here from Utah for him to meet the family and to get the wedding plans put into motion.

We are so happy for them! This afternoon, a sister in our ward (who is very much so better at photography than myself,) took Heather and Dane's engagement pictures. I tagged along for some practice and and to help make them smile and act natural. It was quite the task to get them to loosen up, but I think we got some excellent shots. These are a few that I took, but I do not believe any of mine will be used for their announcement.

It was fun for me to practice, however I'm not very good at taking pictures of people. I prefer taking pictures of objects, flowers, or scenery in general, if that makes since.

Anyways, tonight is their open house (which I plan to take pictures at as well, to be posted later) and we are so very excited for them!

Carrot Cake Kinda Day

Well, last night's monopoly game was quite the game.

I don't want to talk about it.

But we took pictures.

Well, mom really wanted pictures.

Picture #2: Spencer questioning the motion.

Picture #3: Spencer and Dad waiting for mom. ("She's the one who wants the picture, where is she?")

Picture #4: Well, didn't get it quite right..

Picture #5: Precious!

Well today, everyone slept in and the kids all stayed home from school because we were all up so late last night. (That would have never happened when I was there age!)

Oh well.

Well I made carrot cake today. Complete with homemade cream cheese frosting. Yum...

It was that kinda day.

Especially after last nights game...

"And in the Morning, I'm Making Waffles!"

Today we celebrated my little brother's 18Th birthday!

Not so little any more I suppose.

After family home evening last night, mom, dad, and I decorated the house for his birthday. Something we do in our house, is we tape up balloons in our entryway. Every year, we put up as many balloons as the birthday person's age.

I'm glad I was in college when my dad's birthday rolled around.

Regardless, I was out of breath by the end of the night.

Today while he was at seminary, I got up early and made waffles for breakfast. Good thing I'm a morning person. It was really fun, I enjoy cooking in the kitchen.

Tonight, I believe we are going to eat his favorite dinner and treat, and then later on play his favorite game; Monopoly.

Oh boy.

We'll see who wins this year.

Summer Work

Today is Monday, the beginning of a new week! And what a better way to start, then to finally get a job!

Day #14 at home: I get a job!

I will now be working at the day care job that I have previously mentioned.

On Thursday and Friday I start training in the morning, and Friday afternoon I actually start working! Its a Monday through Friday job, and I'm really excited to get started.

The day care school I will be working at, started here in Texas and has been well known as "Austin's best child care for 11 years."

"[This day care] began as a mother's dream... [they] opened the doors...with a vision of providing the highest Quality Care and Education for young children. Today, [the school] is the largest, most respected Early Care and Education provider in Central Texas! Our Trademark Curriculum has received national recognition, and we've become known for our highest standards of family service and the degreed, credentialed educators that welcome your child each day. [This school] is a warm, friendly place where your child's individuality is valued and respected in a safe, secure atmosphere of caring teachers and friends."

Well I'm really excited to get started and especially grateful I have been able to find a job. Things are looking good for me here in Texas :)

TGIF

Well it's Friday night and it's been a long week... Time to start the weekend off right, and pull out some ice cream!

You can never go wrong with chocolate, I always say, but any flavor will do.

But, not just any brand when you're in Texas...

I was talking to a friend the other day about how beautiful the Bluebonnets were in Texas this summer. He only wondered how the Blue Bell ice cream was.

Boys.

I had forgotten that the first Blue Bell creamery had begun here in Texas.

"Blue Bell Creameries is the manufacturer of Blue Bell brand ice cream, which was founded in 1907.

The company, which produces the third-best-selling ice cream in the USA, sells its products in only seventeen mostly Southern states...Corporate headquarters are at the "Little Creamery" in Brenham, Texas.

Beginning in 1911, the creamery began to also produce small quantities of ice cream. By 1919, the creamery was in financial trouble and considered closing its doors. The board of directors hired E.F. Kruse, a 23-year-old former schoolteacher, to take over the company on April 1, 1919. Kruse refused to accept a salary for his first few months in the position so that the company would not be placed in further debt.

Under his leadership, the company expanded their production of ice cream to the local area and soon became profitable.

At his suggestion, the company renamed themselves Blue Bell Creameries in 1930 after the Common Bluebell; a wildflower that is native to Texas, which, like ice cream, thrived in summer.

As of 2007, the company operates three manufacturing facilities, the largest (53,880²) facility in Brenham, Texas..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Bell_Creameries#Current_status

One more scoop?

The Birds

I love birds! Flamingos are my favorite actually, but I think birds can be the most cheerful and beautiful animals out there.

I love the peaceful but often times goofy personalities of Seagulls when every I'm visiting the beach in Maine. Or I love the beautiful red Cardinals here in my own backyard.

When the fall semester was over, I also went home for the Christmas break. From Utah I first I flew to my Grandmother's house in Arizona. I spent a week or so there with her and my dad who had driven up to get me. From Arizona, dad and I drove all the way home to Texas non stop. Just the two of us.

If you know me very well, I am NOT a scary movie fan.

If you know my dad very well, he loves them.

So while we were driving late at night we decided to pull out my laptop and have a movie playing to keep us awake. Dad suggested that we watch a Hitchcock movie called The Birds. Mom had told me in the past that I wouldn't like it, but dad told me the basic plot line and told me not to worry.

In goes the movie.

It wasn't so bad after all. (Actually I'll admit I thought it was kind of dumb.) However there were still some parts that I thought were a bit creepy and didn't quite settle with me.

It was early morning by now and we could start to see some sunlight in the east. I suggested that we put in a CD, mainly to clear my head.

In went a Carpenter CD

"Why do birds suddenly appear, Every time you are near?"

In went a new CD.

Out the window I could see all the many early birds sitting on the telephone poles... mocking me...

Speaking of mocking, did you know that the Texas state bird is the mocking bird?

"Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), the state bird of Texas, is a common songbird found across North America. This bird was chosen as the Texas state bird in 1927, by the Texas legislature, in accordance to the suggestions made by the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. The legislature noted that the mockingbird "...is found in all parts of the State, in winter and in summer, in the city and in the country, on the prairie and in the woods and hills...is a singer of distinctive type, a fighter for the protection of his home, falling, if need be, in its defense, like any true Texan..." Besides Texas, it is also the state bird of Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas, and are considered to be America's favorite backyard birds."
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/texas-state-bird-mockingbird.html

Like any true Texan... I guess I shouldn't be so afraid.

Eat More Chicken?

You know I'll have to admit, that I didn't get the Chick-fil-A slogan where the cows are saying "eat more chicken" for the longest time.

Its a chicken fast food place! Whats with all the cows? I simply didn't catch on.

Well, I am home for the summer to hopefully work full time. I have been looking all over the place for any kind of work. So far, I have an interview set up for tomorrow at a day care. (Wish me luck!) and my old fast food job at Subway is always an option to go back to...

(If you are interested about what I was up to there, you can refer to my other blog Fast Food Folly.)

Days #8-10 and probably through the rest of the week, I will be looking for a job. Today I set up an appointment to see someone at this day care...

But that's tomorrow...

So in the mean time I have been still looking around for different applications. Well, if I can ever FIND the actual application that is...

Is it just me? I seem to always have computer problems. When ever I go to any official website to look for their online application, there is never any "application" or "apply here" button. Why is that? Why do they just have things like the "career" or "business opportunities"? Don't they want people to apply? Why do they make it so difficult for me?

Mom told me about a brand new Chick-fil-A that just opened up close by. I have been trying to apply but I can't seem to find where to look...

With all this frustration with the computer, I figured I would wait for Dad to help me.

Computers like him.

In the mean time, I think it's time for lunch. Hmmm... I think I'll have a roast beef sandwich...

Shoe Shoppn'

Do you know what? I have lived here in Texas for more than thirteen years and I still don't talk like a Texan!

How humiliating.

Today I found a really cool web site called "How to Imitate a Texan Accent."

http://www.wikihow.com/Imitate-a-Texan-Accent

It's pretty accurate if you want to learn a thing or two.

For example, it says:

"Step 1:

Drop the g's in "-ing" for example:

"I'm taking a book" - "I'm takin' a book."

People with a heavy Texan accent always drop the g's."

Pretty neat hu?

So I went out with a friend the other day, (Day #5 I believe) to get shoes for her high school prom she was attendn' the next day.

We went shoe shoppn'. Not to be confused with shoe shopping.

It was really fun to go walkn' around the out door mall, lookn' at shoes, talkn' about boys, and eatn' icecream.

Before long, we was runn' in the rain (big Texas sized rain drops I might add) back to the car.

(I'm gettn' good at this!)

San Antonio Texas

There are many fun things to do here in Texas, and especially here in San Antonio.

For example, the Alamo is here in San Antonio.

"The Alamo, originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, is a former Roman Catholic mission and fortress compound, site of the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, and now a museum, in San Antonio, Texas.
The compound, which originally comprised a sanctuary and surrounding buildings, was built by the Spanish Empire in the 18th century for the education of local Native Americans after their conversion to Christianity. In 1793, the mission was secularized and soon abandoned. Ten years later, it became a fortress housing the Mexican Army group the Second Flying Company of San Carlos de Parras, who likely gave the mission the name "Alamo"."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamo_Mission_in_San_Antonio

Very cool.

Another thing down here in San Antonio is something close by to the Alamo, called the 'Riverwalk'

I remember going there ONCE with my family...

Well and of course there is the San Antonio Texas Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints. I remember when they built the Temple here in San Antonio. It was dedicated in 2005. Several of my siblings and I performed in a Jubilee performance for the Prophet. The President of the Church at the time was Gordon B. Hinckley.

No pictures will be posted. I was fifteen.

Well on day#3 I failed to mention (probably because I was so excited about writing about how I got to DRIVE) that my parents and I were able to go to the Temple.

Its a hour and a half or two to drive, which is very convenient for us.

(Not as convenient as when I was in college; I could see the Temple from my window!)

Enough Said.

Its true. Everything is BIGGER in Texas.

The cockroaches are bigger. (You don't want to run into those!)

Trucks are bigger.

Portion sizes in meals don't need to be any bigger.

Our thunder storms are bigger.

The fire ant piles are bigger and everywhere. (Watch out for those!)

The weeds are painfully bigger, even down to their roots. (Trust me, I know from experience.)

And trust me when I say that football is definitely bigger in Texas.

Texas itself is the largest state in the contiguous United States.

Definitely bigger than all ya'll.

(Our pride is certainly bigger too I might add.)

And even my sore throat was bigger in Texas.

It was a great way to start off the first week home. I had the sore throat since Tuesday, but it wasn't till Friday when it got too big.

Day#5: Texas size sore throat.
Day#6: Trip to the expert.

That's right. Saturday, Day #6 I was off to the doctor's office. Not too bad of a visit, she mostly told me to keep doing what I was doing, and to check in again in a few days if it didn't go away.

Well that's a BIG help.

Proud to be a Texan

What more can I say?

Well what's so great about Texas anyhow?

Texans really know how to live.

We eat the greatest food (I can recommend a few favorites.)

We have the best weather.

(Debatable)

We say cool words like: Ya'll and Fixn' to (Who else does that?)

We've got REAL country music. (Ye-Ha!)

Texans are very friendly. (Howdy!)

And we have the best drivers in the country.

Well... Maybe until I got behind the wheel.

I know its crazy but I'll admit that I am 19 years old and sadly without a driver's license. This summer I hope to practice up my driving and have my license for the fall. (Sadly again without a car however. Any donations are acceptable.)

Day #3 and 4: Driving with Dad.

Day three at home was quite the experience. Dad and I were sent out by mom to pick some things up at the grocery store, and wondered what was taking us so long. Day three I drove in the parking lot behind the grocery store for a short while, but day four was when I really got to drive. Dad and I went to a baseball stadium parking lot (much more room) and I think I did pretty well for myself.

Dad told me on the way home that once you learn to drive, when you sit in the passenger seat, you tend to sometimes stomp your foot down like youre stepping on the break, when in reality you are not the driver. I asked him if he had done that while I was driving in the parking lot.

He laughed.

Meet the Bluebonnet

"The bluebonnet, a name common to several North American species of Lupinus, is the state flower of Texas. They typically grow about 0.3 m (1 ft) tall. The name may come from the shape of the petals of the flower and their resemblance to the bonnets worn by pioneer women to shield themselves from the sun."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebonnet

From college I flew home to Texas where the first thing I did was admire all the wildflowers on the drive home with my folks.

It wasn't long however till my camera and I were out snapping pictures of the Bluebonnets in the neighborhood.

Day #1: Home.

Day #2: Out with my camera.

Photography is something that I very much so love to do, and the next day after I came home, I was already out with my camera taking these and other pictures of the Bluebonnets.

More pictures to come.