Down To Earth Recycling

I bought a curbside recycling pickup business a couple weeks ago, and am really excited about it.  I bought it from a friend who is moving to BC, she started it over a year ago.  I have 53 clients, a cargo trailer, a bunch of bins, and a lot of enthusiasm.  It's a sweet job, I make money, get some exercise,  only work one day a week, and I'm my own boss.  I got all my invoicing worked out by using intuit billing manager, it's so easy and best of all it's free.  I also think it's pretty great to be helping the environment, no worries, I'm not a crazy, hippie, recycle Nazi.

We've had our truck for a year and it has been a work in progress, Spence put in a new starter and we flushed our tranny, it just hit 300,000km this week and I hope it lasts a lot longer.  As a side note, Spencer is so great at fixing things, we were having some idling issues and took the truck into Ford, they wanted us to replace a sensor.  Spencer took the sensor off and found that it was all gummed up with dirt and oil, he cleaned it with electronic cleaner and saved us the $500 that Ford was going to charge to replace it.  He rocks my socks off!!

Thanksgiving weekend

 We went to Edmonton this year for thanksgiving but on the way we went to the Calgary Zoo.  It's a great Zoo, we had so much fun, Kali and I spent over half the time waiting for Spence to read every info board, but we made the best of it.  My favorite animals were the Gorillas for sure, I also liked the spider monkeys, the wolves, and I kinda liked the tiger, I would have liked her more if she didn't try to spray me.

Kali chasing the peacock, which she did a lot.

A family picture outside the Zoo gates.

Another family picture at the Zoo.

Family Picture in front of the Edmonton Temple.

 The reason we went to Edmonton was to visit my famliy, but I always love to have a visit with my good friends. I got to hang out with my dear Sarah, and it was so good to see her. We went to a really cool park, talked, watched the girls play, and had a picnic, and the weather was perfect too.

 Last of all, we dug up our carrots last week and found a couple funny looking ones. I'm thankful for gardens.

I love Kali Torrie

Kali and I have had 2 great days.  I think general conference was a good wake up call for me, and I have felt that the most important thing for me to do right now is be a good Mom to Kali.  I am trying to have more patience, and we are talking about our feelings, and how they affect our lives and especially our spirits.

We had the best talk tonight right before bed.  She has a friend at school who bullies her, but she doesn't want to tell on her because she doesn't want her to get into trouble.  She's also scared of her and frankly, I am too.  I worry about the future especially since this girl is only in grade one.  I feel sad that I have to send my baby into this world where I can't be there to "save" her.  I love my little girl and am totally behind her.

3rd Ward BBQ

We just got home from our ward BBQ, and it was AWESOME!!  The salads were mediocre, I wish there were something with cookies or chocolate bars.  Can you tell that I love treats?  I guess cookies and chocolate bars are not the first thing I should think of when I think of salad.  The rest of the night definitely redeemed the salads.  I had a great burger, it was really juicy and delicious, cooked to perfection.  Then for dessert we had cotton candy and snow cones.  I got a huge apple flavored cotton candy on a stick, the only down side was that I had to eat it fast cause little black flies were getting stuck in it.  I loved visiting with our friends, our ward is so great, I love it.  I think the other highlight was playing ultimate Frisbee, it's not my best sport but I did okay, and it made me feel young again.  I played opposite teams from Spence and really had a fun time hassling him and taking him down.
We didn't see Kali at all, she was all over the place.  When we took her home at 8:00 she begged to stay longer but it was already dark out.  I asked her about her night, she loved it, she played at the park, climbed the hills, ran around with her friends and ate treats.  "How many snow cones did you have Kali?"  Two fingers go up, Mom's jaw drops (maybe in jealousy).  "How many cotton candy's did you have Kali?" one finger goes up, then oh, no, two fingers come up.  Mom's jaw drops further.  Well, this only happens once a year.  She was tired enough to go to bed when we got home.
What a great night, life is so good.

School starts tomorrow, I am pretty excited.  We've had a few bumps in the mother/ daughter road for the past couple weeks.  Kali loves school and is looking forward to her new teacher and making new friends, it'll be awesome to have some structure in our lives again.

I spoke in church last week, it went well.  I'm surprised at how comfortable I am up there.  I love telling personal experiences and I think people love to hear them.  My bishop told me "That was exactly what I wanted to hear from you."  I love that guy. 

We have an addition to our family.  A cute little tabby kitten named Caramel, it matches Kali favorite stuffy.  She sure loves this kitten, and I am surprised at how much we all do, he's such a cute little thing and loves to sleep with us when he can sneak in.  Kali mauls him practically to death, I think it's cause she loves him so much.  I think he fills in some kind of void we had in our family, we're all so excited to see him and play with him.   I can't believe I have a cat though, last summer I caught like 5 in 3 days and took them to the SPCA for pooping in my garden.

Spencer's baby sis got married on Friday, so happy for her and her husband, he is a great guy and if Kali were older there may have been some competition there.  It was a beautiful day, lots of fun pictures, good food and too much candy.  With almost 20 grand kids running around hyper on pure sugar, it was chaotic.

Here's a pic with the happy couple surrounded by most of their nieces and nephews.

Spence and I kissing at the temple.

My dear friend Eliza and her little man Karsten.

The "Cool Table". (I love my cousins!!)

Our family picture by a corn field near Taber.

Bikes and Cakes

She finally did it.  It took a lot of patience, tears, and scrapes.  My Kali can ride a two wheeler.  She is pretty excited and learned over two days.  Last Saturday, we took her to the local toboggan hill with 3 different bikes, a coaster, a small bike with 12 inch tires, and a bigger one featured below.  We had her coast down the hill using her legs as skis, but keeping her weight on her seat.  She did good on the coaster, but the bikes with the pedals caused some serious adversity.  After 3 hours and bribes galore we had to give up short of her riding on her own.  Then on Monday we took her to a park really close to our house with a really small hill, she was happy and picked it up really fast and rode a while on the grass by herself.  Then later that afternoon Spence had her riding in the back alley, she still has to master the steering but it will come in time.  We are so excited that she can ride a two wheeler, it opens the door to so many adventures for our family.


I've been wanting to do this for a while, I finally covered my pine, scratched, stained, kitchen table with countertop laminate.  It looks awesome.  I love how sturdy it is.  I love how I did it all by myself.  I remind Spencer often how awesome I am and how great the table looks, he's so good at agreeing enthusiastically.  I'll kill two birds with one stone here, the picture below is of Kali, our friend Jen and I destroying the leftovers of a Safeway cake, which was so liberating.  It also shows the table and in the background you can see how my kitchen has no wall behind me, the one that Spencer took out a few weeks ago.

Our kitchen is on hold till we get our electrical permit, I hope we can get it soon, it's Spencer's department.

Camping in Waterton

We finally made it to Waterton Tuesday afternoon.  But I have to say that we had lots of fun Monday just hanging out as a family, Spence took us to Five Guys Burger and Fries.... and I LOVED it.  We spent the evening with the Wallaces at the library playing Jungle Jeopardy and had some DQ.  Fun times.
Waterton was beautiful, I love the mountains, but the idea of camping in the townsite was a drawback at first.  I did feel safer with so many camper around, and the showers were nice and clean.  We were really close to my sister's campsite which made it easier for our kids to run back and forth between the trailers.  I think I have a few highlights of the week:
1.  Kayaking for the first time in Cameron Lake, I attempted to cross the lake, made it about 7/8 of the way then turned back.  I felt bad for using up so much time on the kayak.  My abs were pretty sore the next day, but it was worth it.

2.  Spencer pulled Kali and my nephew down from Cameron Lake on the bike trailer, 16 km (almost 10 miles)  I drove behind them with my hazards on.  They loved it, the trailer has them facing out the back so I could watch them the whole way, they snacked, sang, talked and laughed.
3. Wieners of Waterton a great place for a good wiener, smokie, and sweet potato fries.  I had a smokie with the special sauce, cheese sauce, crushed chips and a pickle, it was awesome, although I think I enjoyed the fries the best with the southwest dipping sauce.
4. Hanging out with my sister and her husband.  We had fun staying up and talking, they have some pretty crazy stories.

 This is Spencer Kayaking down the Cameron falls creek.  People were lining the creek to watch him, it did look kinda crazy to see him put the kayak over the fence and into the water.

Friday morning was our planned departure, but I've now noticed a trend in our departures.  Spencer noticed a slow leak, then found a wire sticking in or out, not sure, of one of the wheels in the tent trailer.  He decided to change it to the spare, which actually didn't look much better.  After an hour, at least, we got on our way, saw a mother bear and her cubs and made it to Raymond, AB for the next hiccup in our trip.  Things happen in threes??  You betcha.  We were driving through some construction and over and bump in the road when our "good" tire fell off.  It could have been worse I suppose.  Throughout all my complaining Spencer found a parts store, bought new nuts and dust cap, and fixed the problem and had us on our way.  I won't mention that he had an impression a couple hours before to check that tire.  We were actually on our way to Elkwater for our ward campout, it's about 50 minutes SE of Medicine Hat.  We had fun at the ward camp, we visited with friends, got to know some people better, ate more hotdogs, hiked, geocached, it was great!! I hope it can happen every year.

I'm so glad to be home in my own bed.  I love summer and having lazy days.  I'm looking forward to some sweet times with Kali before she starts grade one.

Camping departure

I shouldn't be telling a story about our camping departure, I should be departed and on my way.  We're supposed to be in Waterton National Park camping with my sister and her family.  Although being home writing about it is better than being out on the road stranded somewhere. 
I woke up in the 6th hour this morning getting everything ready for camping, we planned to leave around 11 AM.  We cleaned, and organized and hauled everything out to the tent trailer, put our bikes in the truck and canoe on the tent trailer.  Spencer had me help check the lights just before we got in the truck to leave.  Left signal... good, right signal... good, brakes... ppppfffff.  The brake line to the passenger side tire blew up.  Let that sink in... 
Now, I could have been upset, but all I feel is gratitude.  Could this have happened in a better place?  No.  Better here than out on the highway.  We were so thankful that someone is looking out for our family, Kali told us that she said a prayer, she is so faithful.  The brake line should be in tomorrow morning, Spence should be able to fix it.  Life is good.

I Love Summer Vacations

Kali and I went to Utah this past week to visit family.  I drove my sister in laws old van to her sister in Logan, we caravaned, and I went back with her and her 4 kids.  We had lots of fun visiting with family and friends.  I took Kali and her cousin to Lagoon, we went swimming at the aquatic center, hung out with the Turpins and Garbinatis and did a little shopping.  Kali loved Lagoon and the rides, I think it was the highlight of the trip, I can't wait till she gets a little taller so we can go on the huge rides.  It was a little tricky for her to patiently wait in line, she climbed the little rails, whined, sat, laid on the ground and talked to people around her.   Kali liked the bumper cars, I remember putting her on them a few years ago and she hated them; I couldn't believe how great of a bumper car driver she is now.  Bumper cars are not the easiest thing to drive, and I was so impressed, she could drive straight and back up when she got stuck, I was completely amazed and proud.  A weird experience, I took the girls to the bathroom, we walked past an open stall and this very large girl was using the facilities, Kali just stood there and started at her, I had to pull her away.  I figure the girl was so fat that she couldn't close the door, and it was a marvel to Kali, she is such a "funny" little girl.  I'm not sure if the girl was embarrassed, she must have been, but she kinda rushed out and didn't even wash her hands, GROSS!! Sorry to have to scare you but here are some good pictures of our day.

Kali's favorite ride, Jumping Dragon, she went on it 4 times.

This is the Dinosaur Drop, it bobbed, dropped and slowly rotated. They went on this one 3 times.

This was a huge granite ball that spun on this rock, it has water flowing around it.  Each time the girls walked by it they wanted to try and stop the ball from spinning.

The end of the day, we were all tired, but the girls had lots of fun.

We got to do some of our favorite things, like go to Lagoon, Costa Vida, Target, and Maceys, it sure is a nice place to visit and sometimes I think, I'd want to live there.  Then I remember that I love Canada, I love the mentality, not having to pay for heath insurance like some of my friends who pay over $600 per month and only get 80/20 coverage, plus the heat is a little more than I can handle.  I've learned that I am content with where I'm at in life, and that we are very blessed to have what we do.  We have the best friends and family, and we're happy, I couldn't ask for anything else (I just need to remind myself of that).

Oh, and the wall that I needed to remove in the kitchen was done for me while I was gone.  I was not looking forward to it, as it's super messy and hard to do, but not for my superman husband.  He rocks, I can't wait to go ahead with the rest of the kitchen now, I've kinda been at a stand still since we haven't had a weekend where we were free in many weeks.  We have some electrical changes and additions, and plumbing to do before we drywall and install cabinets, I'm looking forward to all of it now.

Had to add Kali's last day of kindergarten.  She had a great teacher, we just loved her.

Home again

I got home last night after volunteering as a support person in an adventure race, it was 36 hours long and started at midnight on Friday.  It was a beautiful place, throughout West Castle,  I didn't realize how close we are to the mountains, I think my family would love to camp there. While I wasn't trekking, biking, kayaking or climbing like my team was, there was enough stress to completely wear me out.  Erin and I were the support team, we had to set up and move camp 4 times, feed our team, disassemble and assemble bikes, drive for hours and get lost on dusty, bumpy, narrow, sometimes wet dirt roads, and it all happened at random times during the night or day.  We did have a great experience when we were lost, it involved some prayer and some random people who knew the area really well, I was pretty grateful for that experience.
The drive home was especially difficult, I had the hardest time staying awake while driving.  It was all worth it to see my family, they were so happy, I think Kali was the most excited to eat the rest of my treats. 
We have lots of summer left, and enough to keep us busy.  I hope to go visit some family and take Kali to Lagoon, in UT next week.  We have a camping trip planned with my sister and her family in Waterton and we may go to Montana to visit with some friends for a few days.  Kali and I are going to plan some fun things that we can to do together, if anyone has any ideas, comment, I'd love to hear it.

Kali's birthday

Kali turned 6 yesterday, and I just love her.  She is such a great little girl and fun to be around.  We made some cupcakes for her class and she was so happy to share them, she loved the whole day being about her.  She was excited to get a birthday ribbon from the office, help with the calendar, snack and choose 3 things from the treasure box.  After school she went to Erin's, I had to work till 5, poor Kali said a boy in her class was so mean to her all day and she was sad and crying.  Erin is like another mother to Kali, I'm glad she can talk to her.  We had a weenie roast in the backyard, due to the flooding in the parks, with the Wallaces; we had cake and presents then we went to Toy Story 3.  What a great day!!  Kali loved it. 

I made this cake for Kali.  It's a Hello Kitty cake made into her stuffy cat, Caramel.  She loved it.

This is our friend Scotia, she had super static hair on the trampoline.

Kali opening her Barbie SeaWorld set from the Wallaces, she loves it too.  She really is so easy to please, she loves everything.

Kali and her kitty cake, she loved it... so did I.  We love chocolate cake around here.

This is my 6 year old, just before school.

What a wonderful little girl I have.  She is the perfect child for me, I just love her so much.

Ode to my Little Girl

A couple weeks ago Kali had a sports day at school, it was great to see how good she was at some of the events. She's never shown much interest in anything athletic, but she did very well at the events I saw. She's quite competitive but doesn't like sports which I have had a hard time with. I shouldn't rule out her becoming an athlete, I can always dream, right?

Kindergarten is almost over, so we went to the end of year celebration this week; it was in the evening so it was a family event. The kids had 3 different half hour sessions: music time in the cafeteria with cookies and juice, K-graduation in the Library and play time in the gym. The K-grad was my favorite part, the children sang the cutest song (see video below). Kali sang so well, she just got right into it, one parent came up to me and complimented her so well. She said she joins them in their music class and loves to listen to Kali sing. After the song, their teacher, who is amazing, gave a tribute to each child about their strengths and they received their certificates. She said how big of a heart Kali has and how she likes to make people happy, and talked about her artistic abilities, and her love for music. I was so proud of her.


I have had a great year getting to know some of the other parents at the school. I was the room rep and was also in the parent council. I love the school community, so many parents are involved and the school staff is so friendly, it's really the greatest school.

Weekend in Edmonton

We're driving back from Edmonton so I thought I would pass time writing in my blog. We had a nice weekend, Spencer had a conference in Edmonton. APEGGA, the engineering association put us up in a fancy hotel downtown and fed us way too much good food, we actually ate Salmon 3 times this weekend. All the fanciness is almost wasted on me but I think many of the other people at the conference just expect that type of treatment, I'm not sure I'll ever fit in and I hope I never do. I spent my time eating, shopping by myself, which I love, and hanging out with my sister. When I went to the mall I shopped for what I wanted, I didn't have to tell anyone to stay close to me, or wait for anyone to try anything on, I loved it. I noticed that Emily Osment was going to be doing an autograph session at the mall so I stuck around for it and talked to another nice mother from Quebec. Emily Osment acted in Hannah Montana as Lily and is a recording artist now.

Renovations in the kitchen

  I've been crazy this week doing kitchen renos.  On Tuesday I decided to change the color of the cabinets that I had already stained to a darker color, I sanded everything down to the bare wood, AGAIN.  It took all day, I had really sore thumbs, and I was almost finished. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday it rained so I thought of something else I could do... I started hammering down the plaster off the kitchen walls.  It is super messy work, I tried to tape and plastic the kitchen off so I didn't have dust everywhere, it's working so far.

This is my kitchen before I started hammering, it was actually fun to take out the upper cabinets.  But I can see a lot of work for me in the immediate future since I hope to have the kitchen finished before the end of June.

                            

This was taken on Wednesday morning after I tore down the upper cabinets, I've been trying to clean as I go so that my house doesn't feel so much like a construction zone.   

                            

This was taken Thursday morning.  All the plaster is gone, and underneath was this 1/2 inch thick paper, it was almost as hard to remove as the plaster. I have fun doing this type of work, Spencer was completely surprised that I was this ambitious.  But when I get an idea in my head, I can't help myself. 

So currently, the paper is all off that wall, and just the lath is still on.  I'm a little nervous about taking it off because there are wood shavings as insulation underneath.  My next tasks are to take off the lath, clean up the wood shavings, add another electrical plug-in, insulate with itchy pink batting, vapor barrier, totally remove the wall to the left, remove lower cabinets, add a sanitary vent, remove the cast iron pipe running up the ceiling, and drywall.  Then I get to install the cabinets and add a dishwasher, which I am very excited about.  I am also excited to have my back porch empty again, right now it's full of almost re-finished cabinets.  I have a side project too, I am painting my basement floor, but I have to do it in phases cause we have to much junk down there.  I have one phase done and it looks really good, it's clean and much brighter, I think it looks bigger too.  Well, I have a few busy weeks ahead of me, with lots of renovating and something to do every weekend.

We attended stake conference today, it was a Canada wide broadcast.  It was really good, I like what Pres. Uchtdorf said, "is everything I want to do what the Lord wants me to do?"  I took some good things from this conference, I hope I can evaluate my life and make a lot of corrections.

I made a cake for my friend Jinnie she turned 50 today. I copied the idea from a friend who made me a cake like this on my birthday.  We had Jinnie and her husband, the Bishop, over for dinner on Friday night, it was so fun.  The cake was amazingly delicious.  I now love homemade cake over a store bought cake, I know, sounds crazy, but it's true.  It has to be a nice thick, rich chocolate cake, and I do have a great recipe.  I have to put in a plug for Erin, she does makes the best chocolate cake.

These are some pictures I took last week or the week before, from Grassy Lake.  I realized I haven't put pictures up in  a while.

Kali riding a pony, she loved it and was kind of a pony hog.  I think this would fit in our backyard...

My niece, Brooklyn, on a tree swing, with her twin brother Colby in the tree.  She looks so cute in this picture.

Kali and Colby posing for a picture in a tree, can you tell they are cousins?  Little cuties.

We're looking forward to going camping this weekend, I hope the weather co-operates.  We're going to the farm to camp near the river in our secret family camping spot, we have a few friends coming, should be really fun.

My Blog Chair

I love sitting in my blog chair.  It is also my reading chair.  I don't think its even my chair, but I love to sit in it and put my feet up.  It was a gift from Spencer's Grandma, I just love her, she is such an example to me.  She's written a few family history books in our personal library, she has lived and is continuing to live such an amazing life.  So this chair that I sit in was Grandpa's, I believe, it's a green recliner, in great shape.  I think there is a story behind the purchase of this chair but I don't know if I have all the facts in order to tell it.  Maybe someone can comment and tell the story.  The point of my post isn't about the chair, but as I sat in it getting ready to write, I felt grateful for this wonderful chair.

Had a great Mother's Day, Spence made breakfast and dinner.  We had bacon, english muffins and omelettes for breakfast, with Turkey, funeral potatoes, grilled pineapple, salad and Chocolate cake for dinner.  He did a wonderful job, I am so happy that I have the best husband in the world.  I bought myself some Gold Canyon candles for Mother's day, the best one is the Birthday Cake one, it really smells like birthday cake, it rocks!!  Back to the chocolate cake, I made it on Friday, it was chocolate zucchini with a ganache frosting, I decorated it with melted chocolate pieces that said "MOM ROCKS", I really do. And I think I like cake too much.
So Spence wrote me a poem and he's lining up a massage and a haircut for me.  Kali gave me a little craft she made at school with a card that you fold up, it says "My Love for you grows... and grows... and grows" (into a really tall flower).  She was so excited to give it to me in bed.  In primary she made another craft and was "supposed" to give me some Hershey Kisses... I never received them.

We've been having fun working on the yard and the house, we have lots of projects to finish, and I keep starting more.  I sure love being at home and being able to renovate my house, I'm becoming pretty handy.

Well, this week Kali's school was hosting Sean Covey and trying to display the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I was able to help out and take a few of the visitors around the school.  I talked to another Mom, we were chatting about catholic schools, I told her that I went through the Catholic system as a kid.  I told her that I am LDS and she asked how I would ever change religions, it was nice to bear my testimony to her.  She subs at the school a lot and knows that a lot of the staff and students are LDS too, she seems impressed by the community we have and how nice everyone is.  What a miracle it was to have a gospel conversation, actually that was our ward goal for the week, the Lord works in mysterious ways.  I wasn't even expecting it to happen since I didn't think I talked to non-church goers very often. 
So, I had a very embarrassing moment today at church.  I was asked to say the closing prayer in Sunday School, I did so and maybe I wasn't loud enough.  I had said something like being thankful for the Savior, Jesus Christ, someone in the front row said "Amen" right after that... I was so thrown off that I just said "Amen" too and sat down.  My face was so red, I'm sure.  I wanted to run away and never come back.  Spencer was sympathetic but said he'd never heard anything like that before, and one guy thought it was so funny that he was going to start a journal and write about it.  Great, I wish I were never born, jk.

All Moms go to Heaven.

I'm reading this book called "All Moms Go to Heaven" by Dean Hughes.  I actually met him and his wife at Christmas time and visited with them both on a couple of occasions, they gave me a Red Brick store Rootbeer.  Anyways, I liked them, they are real people and very nice.  So in this book he talks about how great is wife is, but he also shares some of her weaknesses... I'm glad Spence isn't a writer.  I found my favorite idea in the book and thought I would share it.

    "...it's always good to take a peek at your children when they're asleep at night.  They really are angels even if they've acted like little devils all day."

I'm reading another book "Being the Mom" by Emily Watts.  Here's my favorite part so far:

"I have loved being the Mom - and at moments I have hated it.  I have laughed myself silly and cried myself to sleep, burst with pride and withered with embarrassment, felt so much love for my children I thought I might float away and been so frustrated with them I feared I might wrench their little heads clean off their little necks."

I think I can relate.  I have a very easy with Kali most times, she is such a perfect child for me.  That being said, there are rare times when we don't see eye to eye.  But I love checking in on her at night, and I hate to see her walk into the school on her own when I drop her off at school.  I love her so much and realize how blessed Spence and I are that she was born into our little family.  If we didn't have her I'd have to work.... yuck.  

I have no words of wisdom, just thought I would share some funny quotes, Have a great day!!

Rattler Run and the Mud hole

We had some really nice weather this week, in the mid twenties (Celsius).  I had to use my air conditioning in the car, and I loved it.  Kali and I both wore shorts everyday.  I love this time of year, Kali can wear capris and shorts and I don't have to worry about her out growing them.  I had a real problem this year with her pants becoming too short, I bought her a few size 7's in January hoping that she may be able to wear them next year too. We'll see, she seems to be growing a few inches every year.

I had a busy week, I prepared for the Rattler Run and did it with a couple friends, we practiced it on Wednesday, which made me super sore for Friday and Saturday.  Saturday came, I took a few ibuprofens, had a good breakfast, and a Mars bar... it still wasn't good enough.  I ran alone trying to get my iPod to motivate me, I was tired and my feet fell asleep right before the hill.  It was weird, my feet were numb and tingling, I've never had that happen before.  I didn't do as well as I thought I would, I think 30 must be taking it's toll on me;  I remember when I could run a race without training and still do pretty good.

Our stake had a Women's Conference yesterday, I had fun.  We ate sweet pork Costa Vida salads and there was chocolate everywhere,  I brought "*** in a pan" and pounded it with some friends at my table.  The classes were good, I learned how to make my own laundry soap, I may try that someday.  One of my favorite parts was driving the scoot, I love it, I feel so free.

The highlight of my week was Thursday, it was definitely memorable.  My friend Erin called and invited us to come play in this mud hole with our gum boots.  It's actually a place where the city dumps snow in the winter and in the spring it melts into this muddy lake.  I was a little surprised to see Erin's kids in their swimsuits... well sort of.  They were swimming and loving it, Kali was a little freaked.  Trevor drove through the mud hole a couple times, splashed up a lot of water and after the 4th time, his car wouldn't run.  So, we drove them home in our truck.  Erin and I sat in the front, the four kids in the ext. cab, and Spence and Trevor laid under the kiddie pool in the bed of the truck.  We laughed a lot.   

Good times, Great memories made!!

April half over??

I looked at my calendar today and couldn't believe it's April 18, I thought it was still March.  I think time flies the older I get, I need to figure out a way to slow it down.  Meanwhile, I am enjoying the present and wouldn't want to go back to the past, but the future is turning into the past way too fast.

We went to Cardston yesterday, missed the last session, but still ended up serving.  We went to visit a family we knew from Edmonton, saw how grown up their kids are becoming and had a great time.  We went for dinner to the Grotto and had an Indian Taco, it wasn't love at first bite (or the last), it was kind of bland.  I can't complain, we had great company.

Spencer's sister had a missionary "friend" come home.  We were able to hang out with them last night, it made me think about when Spence and I started dating and how much fun we had.  Spence and I started dating on conference weekend 7 years ago I remember how we made strict rules like going home at 10:00pm, we had to give ourselves hugging and kissing time.  We had decided when we were engaged that we weren't going to kiss on the lips till we were over the alter getting married, and we really did it.  I love Spence, he is my perfect match, and the man of my dreams.

We spent last night hanging out with Ryan & Tonya, Dave & Tami, Whitney & Blake and Grandma, it was a lot of laughs.  It's great to be around family.  I had to drive home and luckily we made it home at 1:30 in the morning, I haven't stayed out that late in years.  Thank goodness for 7-11 and Slurpees.

Kali's shining moment

Kali had a great moment at church today, I was so proud of her.  We arrived late at church this morning, we drove home from Taber in order to attend our ward, and had to sit in the overflow at the back.  Our friends were sitting next to us, their girls and Kali were having fun coloring and cutting.  Their Dad made a really cool rose out of pink paper and gave it to his daughter, she loved it and kept smelling it and kept it close to her face.  Kali admired it too.  He made a tiny one for Kali out of a pink gum wrapper, it even smelled like gum.  As he handed it to Kali, his daughter, who loved the previous rose went berserk, she had a major tantrum, I was quite surprised.  After a physical struggle with his daughter, Kali received the rose, smelled it and asked me if she could give the rose to her friend, who was still crying rather loudly in the back of the chapel.  Kali felt so happy that she could make her friend happy, I could see it in her eyes, and I know she saw it in my eyes.

What joy I felt in seeing my daughter serve in the capacity that she knows how, I can only imagine the joy our Heavenly Father feels, even in a world of turmoil, when we go the extra mile to serve another.  I really love my sweet daughter, she truly is a gem.

April already???

We came home from Utah this week.  My nephew died last week at 16, he just got his license and went on his first date in February, I'm sure going to miss him.  He was my Lagoon buddy, and just started hugging me without pushing me away.  He was such a great young man, I've seen him change and grow in the past year or so.  I have a testimony of the plan of salvation and know that he is loving his new realm, I'm almost jealous.  I have seen my brother and sister (Spencer's side) bear testimony and show the strength they have received through the Lord and prayer, they are an amazing example to me.


We were invited to stay with our friends, the Turpins, in their beautiful home, Kali loved playing with their two girls.  We spent most of our time with family, Spence's parents came from Nauvoo and it was the first time in almost 7 years that everyone has been together.  It was a big bunch of Torries all in one place, about 45 of us.  We were able to go to Costa Vida twice, I had a burrito and a shredded chicken salad, YUMMM!!  Spence loved going to Smith and Edwards, a army surplus store and so much more, he spent 2 hours shopping, I couldn't believe it. 

This weekend we went to Grassy lake, we got to visit with the Woodruffs and help them with some renos, I have the blisters to prove it.  And tonight we had Ryan and Tonya for dinner, it was fun, although I think I am starting to get the flu.  I haven't felt like this in a long time.  We'll I sure love my family, and I hope I can  be a better wife, mother and friend.  Thank goodness for general conference and the outpouring of the spirit, I want to be better because of it, I think that's the plan.

It's motorbike season.

I think we have run 3 of our 4 bikes this year, one may never roar to life again, it's a 1967 Honda Cub, I think it will be more of a hobby bike for Spence.  We took the Honda CT70 trail bike out for a ride yesterday, it was so fun, and we didn't even really get hurt.  We went out to a friends acreage, rode around on the trail bikes, Kali played in the sand with her friends, and we had a sweet weenie roast.  We had s'mores but instead of using graham crackers and chocolate, we used Peak Freans with chocolate on one side, it was good and saved a lot of hassle.  I love weenie roasts and BBQing, especially with friends, it's one of my favorite parts about summer. 

We went for a walk today and looked for a geocache, it had been removed, I was kinda sad.  I found the spot where it was supposed to be, but it was taken or moved.  It was exciting anyway, I mean we saw a porcupine and our friend Christian found 2 ticks on himself.  I'm freaked about ticks, we had to come home and thoroughly search each other.  Before that we had dinner with the O's, Boeuf de bourgeois or something like that, it was good with lemon merange pie for dessert, fun times.

Kali has two field trips this week, one to see chicks and bunnies and one to the greenhouse.  I love field trips.

I had a great week, a couple of my friends invited me to go swimming with them even though I had no kids to bring.  I was able to help them with their kids, which I love, so that's probably why they invited me. 
On Friday, Erin set up and shot off the bottle rocket her husband made, it was so awesome!!  It flew over the house and into the neighbors back yard; the second attempt was a little more scary, luckily the kids were in the back yard.  I yanked the rope but it ended up tipping the rocket over towards us... we ran and it blew off into the side of a nearby truck.  It could have been pretty bad.  I should have been scared but that just got me really excited, so Spencer and I made Torrie Rocket Launcher 1.0.  Yesterday we went out to Erin's Mom-in-law's and had a "Bottle Rocket Festival", it was totally  awesome.  Erin and Trevor's 4.0 version was very successful, our worked too but needs some tweaking, the next version will definitely require a rubber stopper instead of a cork.  We can't wait to do it again, I think we'll make sweet rockets with fins next time.
Another highlight of our week was Kali's report card.  She is very smart and has mastered almost all of her kindergarten objectives.  Her teacher thinks she is so great and we are so proud of her, I just think she's the greatest kid.  She's learning the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", and has been using them well at school; Sean Covey is actually going to visit her school at the end of April so that's really exciting.
We've been Geocaching too lately, I love it.  It's a great family activity and Kali loves finding the treasure.  We can't wait to go again and again.
I'm off to bed, I'm going to learn how to make bread in the morning... trying to be more domestic.

12 years and counting.

On this day, twelve years ago I was baptized.  It's fun to recall the events that lead up to that day.  I had some friends who were members of the church in jr. high, we played soccer together, and I really liked them.  There was some curious draw to them, but I never fully took that advantage of that, mainly because I had a different group of friends.  Later in life, I had a second chance with another friend, it was good timing, and of course the Lord knew that.  I went to many church activities before I met with the missionaries, I made lots of friends, and was socially converted.  When I met with the missionaries everything felt right, I had a baptism date set for Feb. 21, but my Mother interjected.  I waited till after my 18th birthday.  I was taught by the perfect missionaries for me, Elders Bettilyon, Anderson and Peterson.  Elder Bettilyon baptized me in St. Albert; I remember coming out of the water and the feeling of the spirit rush into my heart, it was so warm and comforting, it's still my favorite feeling.

Since then I think of the possibilities my life choices could have taken me.  I'm scared to think of where I'd be without the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life, I certainly was a wild thing.  But really, back then I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams that my life could be this good.  Life is perfect.  I have an amazing husband, he is phenomenal, he is so good to me, sometimes better than I think I deserve and I love him like crazy.  Kali is such a blessing, we have become so close, and she just has so much love.  These two are my best friends.

I can't not mention all the amazingly, wonderful friends I have met in the past 12 years.  Everyone I've met has touched me in some sort of way.  I have had friends that have been fun, great to talk to, shared interests, felt a spiritual connection, been in the same ward or all of the above.  If you are my friend and you are reading this.... I'm talking about you.  So, thanks.

I'm grateful for all those who have taken me under their wing and treated me like a daughter.  Especially Mom and Dad Torrie, they have always made me feel like a daughter, I love them and miss them so much.  Shout outs to the Gibbs, Ords, Olsens, and Hamiltons for sharing your families with me.  I have learned so much from so many GREAT people.

I'll finish up here.  I was able to bear my testimony today at church, I loved seeing the faces of my friends and family in my ward.  Kali smiled the biggest smile at me, and many friends also showed me the love, I just have so much support, and I hope I can be a support to others.  I love this church!

The big 3-0!

I turned 30 this week.  I never thought I would get this old.  I've definitely noticed a couple mature changes over the past little while.  Like, I'll eat onions, and I even ate a salad with tomatoes this week.  I'm sure there are more to come.  Kali has been wishing me a happy birthday for a solid week, I love it, she seriously ROCKS.  She wrapped up some of my stuff in a towel and hid it in her room till Thursday morning, she was so excited to give it to me, another reason I love her.  She is so excited about many simple things, and she loves me more than anyone. 

I also had a SWEET cake delivered at about 5:30am on my birthday, I woke up to Grandma's musical phone call and found a chocolate cake on the table, it made my day, and I just finished eating the last piece this morning for breakfast.  I sure like cake.  Spence surprised me by coming home from work at his regular time, he thought he would have to stay and finish a project.  We had steak, wings and a berry/peach salad, I wish I could live on meat alone.  Another couple friends dropped off a Pavlova after dinner, it was so good, I was pretty spoiled.  Last night, I went out with some friends for dessert to celebrate another friends birthday, it was so fun to visit.  They even paid for our dessert.

So now that I'm 30, I have thought of some goals for life, one includes becoming better at doing service.  I love helping people, I think I honestly do it for others and not for myself.  I love making things easier for my friends especially, but maybe I should branch out a bit more.   I'm excited to see what the future holds.

Kali had all week off school, she starts again tomorrow.  I asked her if she's excited to go back to school... she said no.  I asked her who she missed the most from school and she said Ms. Werner, she really has a wonderful teacher.  We tried to have fun each day, we had a couple different friends over a couple of days, we went skating, played games, and baked cookies.  I like hanging out with Kali, she's a great girl, I hope she likes hanging out with me too.

Friday, we went to pick our truck from the shop, it was supposed to be finally finished and ready to go.  When I went to start it, it wouldn't start.  The fuel pump is dead.  Nice.  Well at least it's parked where they can fix it and we don't have to tow it to the garage (count your many blessings name them one by one).  Maybe next week we'll have it back.  I'm not sure how I feel about this truck, I have mixed feelings.  We bought it in B.C. so it has to have an out of province inspection, which is a pain, and we have to fix a lot of things on it.   Although at least when ALL those things are done we know that we shouldn't have to fix those things again.  I hope Spence really likes this truck cause he's going to have it for a long time.

Friday was also the BEST day because Kali got to go to the Cinderella Ballet... with her other Mother, Erin.  I personally hate ballet and never care to see one, but Kali loves that sort of thing, I am indebted to her now.  Kali loved the ballet and came home dancing, but apparently thought the men in tights were gross,  I can't blame her.  The other awesome part was that I got to watch some great basketball.  My cousins were in town from Barnwell for two tournaments and they ROCK!! Brianne plays for the Rebels in Taber, and Brandon plays for Barnwell, they are both awesome, and kicked some major trash.  I love watching sports, so this was a great day for me.

Saturday, we went to Taber to visit Spencer's family, we visited and ate wings (my favorite).  Kali loved playing with her cousins,  I didn't see her the whole time.  We went to Ryan and Tonya's new house, it's almost done, and WOW, it's amazing.  I told Spence he better not take me there anymore, I get too jealous, jk.

I'm Re-Energized.

I got home from Las Vegas early Friday morning, I went with my bestest friend (besides Spencer), Erin.  We left last Sunday and flew out of Great Falls.  We stayed at South Point Hotel, it's a mile or so south of the strip, it was a nice place.  I really liked that it was far from the craziness of the strip, I'd recommend it and we got Bath and Bodyworks in our room. I would say that we saw more than we wanted to in some regards, Las Vegas means different things depending on your purpose.  I found the hotels very fancy and physically clean, but morally filthy.  We spent some of our afternoon at the Shark Reef Aquarium, it was cool, we touched Stingrays and saw lots of cool animals.  We checked out M&M world, the Lion Habitat at MGM Grand, and a couple hotels.  Our goal was to see a show, and we had a few to choose from,  I was glad that we got to go to "The Lion King" at Mandalay Bay.  It was amazing, the puppets are so interesting, Erin and I wondered how some of them worked and had our own theories... We ate at the Bellagio... I was disappointed, I thought it would be better, but I have simple tastes so I can't not recommend it.  We ate great breakfasts and found a Cafe Rio, and I actually didn't gain a pound, must have been from all the walking and eliminating. 
We only spent a day and a half in Vegas, then we drove to California.  Our other purpose for the trip was to go to Disneyland, it was fun but different going without children or even being one.  I dragged Erin on some fast rides, we shopped, we ate some great parmesan, garlic fries, we laughed a lot and just had fun, it was so good.  That night we went to Cold Stone, pounded some great ice cream (cake batter with Reese's PB cups), and went to Huntington Beach.  We walked the pier, talked, took pictures, found sea shells, and played in the water, this might have been a highlight for me.

 I'm glad our husbands let us go together and managed the kiddies, they are so amazing.  The biggest highlight of the trip was hanging out with Erin, we had so much fun.  We had lots of driving time to talk, and laugh and get to know each other better.  Thank you Erin, that trip Rok(ed) my socks off, I'll never forget it.

Well,  I had a great week!  I have decided that I love being a stay at home Mom.  Although I am thinking about opening a preschool at my house for September, but there are lots of things to do.  I love this idea and have felt REALLY good about it.  We'll see what happens I guess.

I have been working on my kitchen cabinets, Spencer's Uncle and Aunt gave us their old light Oak cabinets and they have been sitting in my back porch for a year.  I am sanding them all down to the bare wood and staining them a natural color.  I've been using a disk sander, which has saved a lot of time, but the grooves are killing my hands, if anyone has any tips, I'd really appreciate it.  And my back room is really dusty, I might just start doing it outside in the back yard to save my lungs and the mess.  My plan is to do a couple doors per week and have them finished by April or May.  I have huge plans for my kitchen, involving taking out a wall, buying a corner lazy Susan from a used cabinet shop and making a eating counter.

Spence and Kali have been sick this week, Kali stayed home most of the week and Spence stayed home Thursday and Friday.  I'm sure I'll get it next week.

My great friend, Erin Wallace, and I are flying to Las Vegas next Sunday.  I am SOO excited!!  We are going without kids, totally unsupervised, it going to be sweet!  We are planning on spending a day in Vegas and we're renting a car to drive to Las Angeles to hit some beaches and DISNEYLAND!  We booked our trip a couple weeks ago and got some great deals, we organized our kids and husbands, and we've been planning all the fun stuff we are going to do.  Only one more week!!

I LOVE MY LIFE!

Soddom and Gommorah in Haiti?

I may receive some interesting comments about this post, and that's okay.  It's my blog, I can write whatever I want to.  I'm kinda sick of hearing about Haiti, I AM sorry that there are children going without food and water in Haiti.  But really, Haiti is a very dangerous place, I read some articles about Haiti about a year ago stating that it was a very dangerous place to visit/vacation.  I remember reading that Canadians were being robbed, kidnapped, killed... I never had any desire to go there.  I am not super surprised that they were shook by a quake that killed hundreds of thousands.  I found another article posted by the U.S. government:

There are no "safe” areas in Haiti. There is a persistent danger of violent crime, which can be subject to periodic surges sometimes not obviously explained by other events or conditions.  Haiti is among the four most important countries for drug transit to the United States.  Law and order in Haiti has steadily deteriorated as a result.  Kidnapping, death threats, murders, drug-related shootouts, armed robberies, home break-ins and car-jacking are common in Haiti. Generally, these crimes are committed by Haitians against other Haitians, although several foreigners and U.S. citizens have been victimized. The incidence of kidnapping in Haiti has diminished from its peak in 2006 when 60 U.S, citizens were reported kidnapped.  In 2008, there were 27 reported kidnappings of U.S. citizens, and as of September 2009, one U.S. citizen had been reported kidnapped. Many U.S. citizens who were kidnapped reported being beaten and/or raped by their hostage takers. Kidnapping remains the most critical security concern.  Kidnappers have frequently targeted children.
U.S. citizens who travel to Haiti should exercise a high degree of caution throughout the country. Travelers should keep valuables well hidden, ensure possessions are not left in parked vehicles, use private transportation, alternate their travel routes, and keep doors and windows in homes and vehicles closed and locked. U.S. citizens should avoid all night-time travel due to poor road conditions and increased criminal activity after dark. They should be alert for suspicious onlookers when entering and exiting banks, as criminals often watch and subsequently attack bank customers. Withdrawals of large amounts of cash should be avoided.
Criminal perpetrators often operate in groups of two to four individuals, and may occasionally be confrontational and gratuitously violent. Criminals sometimes will seriously injure or kill those who resist their attempts to commit crime. In robberies or home invasions, it is not uncommon for the assailants to beat or shoot the victim in order to limit the victim's ability to resist. If an armed individual demands the surrender of a vehicle or other valuables, the U.S. Embassy recommends compliance without resistance. This recommendation also applies in the event of a kidnapping. Visitors to Haiti should exercise caution at all times and review basic personal security procedures frequently.
U.S. citizens in Haiti must be particularly alert when arriving from overseas at the Port-au-Prince airport, as criminals have often targeted arriving passengers for later assaults and robberies. The use of public transportation, including "tap-taps" (private transportation used for commercial purposes) should be avoided. Visitors to Haiti should arrange for someone known to them to meet them at the airport. 
Taken from http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1134.html


My opinion is pretty clear, Heavenly Father is taking care of his people.  If some children have to die... what a blessing for them rather than to grow up in Haiti.  And I'm thinking those people need a little more than food and water.

The start of a new decade

We've been home for a week now, I think we're settled in. It sure was amazing to have a two week holiday. I've noticed it has taken some people all week to get back to normal routine, one of the ladies at work has been calling people by the wrong name. She called Miss Neufeld, Seinfeld, and Mrs Lewry, Flurry, it made me laugh and want ice cream at the same time. Luckily, I didn't have a hard time getting back into the swing of things, Monday came without much notice.
Kali is happy to be back at school and I'm glad she's there, although, I did miss her. She's learning about space this month, the stuff she is learning now is so up to date, my knowledge is foggy and from 20some years ago. She told me this week that she knows more about everything than I do, so I had to prove her wrong... 5+5? 10+10? She sat quietly in the back seat, HA, I do know a little more than you. Funny thing, I thought I knew more than my Mom, and I still think I do.
Spence is working hard on some Energy Audits and a couple re-designs, he actually had to stay late Wednesday night. A friend called for him while he was at work, his friend told me that I should have a hot dinner ready for him when he got home. I said "if he's not here when we eat, too bad", I was chastised to show a little compassion, and that was my plan.... until I fell asleep putting Kali to bed. Spence is a good man, he re-heated his dinner and washed all the dishes.
My highlight of my week was Volleyball night, Tuesday. Our stake does women's volleyball from 8:30-10:30pm. It was REALLY fun, it took me a few minutes to get my game on and my serve. Luckily no one is too competitive, we have all ranges of talent (and patience).
I dragged Spence and Kali to the Arena last night to watch some Ringette, we watched 7 year old, and 12 year old girls. I loved it!!! I had to tell Spence the rules as it went, and Kali was making friends, running around not even watching the game. I really wish she was more interested in sports, that's almost reason enough to want more children.
Well I'm looking forward to using the new manual tomorrow at church, and for our new 11am time slot.

The Greatest Vacation EVER!

We got home from Nauvoo last night, it sure was nice to be out of the car and to sleep in my own bed. We went to visit Mom and Dad Torrie on their mission. I loved the one on one time we could have with them, we had a blast. Mom and I played some games, not near enough though, she hasn't played in a while and when I beat her it was just like old times. I loved seeing Mom and Dad as church history missionaries, Mom loves history, she knows so much. When we would meet other missionaries they would say one of two things about Mom, either that she is such a hard worker or runs around like a crazy lady ( I think they were jealous of all her energy and zest for life). What a great example she is to us and our Kali.

Dad is having lots of fun in Nauvoo too, he is a teamster who takes care of the horses, he gives site tours and just like Mom they perform in a great musical called "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" Dad and Mom are so talented. We went to their show 3 times while we were there and recorded most of it on our camera. I loved the songs and the stories.



I loved Christmas in Nauvoo, really I think it was the best time for us to go. I hate the crowds and the busyness of big family Christmases, and I loved having Mom and Dad all to ourselves. We saw all the sites, my favorties were: Carthage Jail, the Blacksmith shop, Lucy Mack Smith home, John Taylor home, Brigham Young home, the mansion house that belonged to Joseph Smith and the Family Living Center. All the sites were really great, although having so many things that Kali couldn't touch was almost too much for her (and us). There is a special spirit in Nauvoo, especially at the Temple and the LDS sites. We went on a community of Christ tour, I sure wished our church owned those sites too, it would have been amazing. My testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith has increased and my appreciation for the Saints at that time increased too. I've been to many places and this is my favorite so far. Thanks to Mom and Dad for serving the visitors to Nauvoo and the Lord. Here are a couple of pictures of Mom and Dad, I love how you can see the name tags.

Elder Torrie after a long day.

Sister Torrie after a long day