Pidow Poop

Olivia: Mom. MOM!
Me: What sweetie?

Olivia: I nee a ban-aid!
Me: Why? What happened?

Olivia: A PIDOW(spider) POOP ON ME!!!!!!!!!

After examining her finger I find nothing. You just never know with this girl though. I wouldn't be surprised if she was poking a spider and either killed it (getting bug guts...poop on her finger) or if she really did get bit. There is no denying that she is MY daughter.

Punkin Patch

My cousin Candy and I took the girls to the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago (yeah, I haven't made a post in awhile). We had a great time checking out the petting zoo. Livie was fascinated with the chickens. We fed the goats and rode the cow train. I just love Lattin farms in the fall!

What happened to that PIG?
Somebody pull your tail?


Headin out to the patch, compliments of a hay ride.

Love my sweet SWEET

Mallory

Olivia was more amused by the bugs crawling all over, rather than the pumpkins themselves.

At the end of the day it was Faith who found the perfect pumpkin.

Oh ,and note to self:

Park closer next time. Its a long walk with 3 kids and 5 pumpkins. Uugghhh!!

How Different We Are

There are times when I am placed in a situation and I am forced to realize how different we all are as individuals.

We as people are molded first by our parents, learning right from wrong and perfecting the golden rule. We learn from the world around us. Each given different experiences to create the person that the rest of the world will see.

Relationships both good and bad are hugely responsible in shaping our preferences, communication skills and needs. Some of us are sensitive needing more physical affection and enduring words to lift our confidence. Some of us are strong and need little emotion to carry on most of our relationships. Some are used to having lengthy discussions to make sure that communication is thorough. Some are happy to think that less is more.

No one is right or holds more truth than the other, we are all just different.

We should really embrace the differences between us instead of finding them as fault in others. Surely we can all stand to learn a thing or two from each other.

For my EM

Today was a tough day. A day that I will remember forever.

As most of you know my best friend, Emily Harrison's mom passed away on the 13th. Today, the Harrison family held her service and said their last goodbyes. I have been so worried about how I should be there for my friend and help her through such a hard time. I've felt at such a loss as to how to do this. I've never lost anyone close to me. She has just lost her mom, unimaginable, what do I say, what do I do?

While I was at her service I was consumed by how incredibly strong Emily is and has been through these last few months. She has endured more than a daughter should ever have to endure. And while she did, she would never complain or make her mom feel like a burden. Emily always carried on with a smile on her face, taking care of the woman who had for so long taken care of her.

I was faced with a few challenging questions of my own. Could I be as strong and as capable as my friend now sitting in front of me? Could I stand in front of an audience giving my final words about my mother and maintain my composure as well as she did? I don't really know the answers to these questions but I do know the feeling of awe and astonishment that I felt as I watched my friend today.

Emily

You are an amazing person to whom I will always look up to and will always cherish your friendship. There is no way to describe how impressed I am by you in so many ways. No matter the reason, you have a way of looking at challenges as just that, something to overcome. You are truly incredible.

I did cry today. I cried when I saw the hurt in your eyes and there was no way that I could fix it for you. I wanted to wrap you up in my arms and take all the pain, anger and sadness away, but I couldn't and I'm sorry. All that I can do is be there to pick you up, dry your eyes, make you smile and carry on. And forever and ever, I will be there to do just that and more.

ALASKA

So here is the reason, or the excuse I should say, as to why I made the trip to Alaska. I was asked to go to the Fairbanks hospital which is a part of Banner, (same company who owns the hospital that I work at) to help the staff with their new L&D computer charting system. I jumped on the opportunity at a paid trip to Alaska since I've always wanted to go but have never been.

So here it is, this is Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. I think they deliver around 1,000 babies a year which is twice as many as we do here in Fallon. They definitely got their moneys worth out of me. I was whooped when it was time to leave. The staff was great though, everyone tried really hard to keep their heads up during such a difficult transition.

Here are 3 of my favorite nurses that I got to know during my stay. I really enjoyed all of the nurses there. They all helped me plan the vacation part of my trip.

During our flight over Collene and I had a 5hour layover in Seattle so we decided to head out to Pikes Place Public Market. It was so pretty with all of the flowers everywhere and tons of crafts to cruise around and check out.

Taylor flew into Anchorage as soon as I was done at the hospital and we were off to start our vacation. We stopped just outside of Anchorage on our way to the Kenai peninsula to walk up a trail. The leaves were all turning color and falling, making for some great picture taking.

We headed straight to Seward which is a pretty little town right on the coast of the peninsula. There wasn't a whole lot of activities to do since tourist season had just finished. I wasn't aware that the state of Alaska kinda goes into hibernation when the tourists leave. It was ok though, because we didn't have to fight with crowds, we had no real agenda and plenty of time to relax and soak up the beautiful scenery.

Without much to do, we had plenty of quiet time and I really enjoyed the alone time that I was able to spend with Taylor. We have such a good time together. Never an awkward silence or forced conversation, we're just always on the same page. I love it!

We did stumble upon a cruise that was still operating and took us on a 2.5hr tour across Resurrection bay. It was our only sunny day during the entire Alaska trip and even so, it was still pretty dang cold out on that boat.
Both Taylor and I really wanted to see some wildlife and better yet, a glacier while we were there. The cruise took us close enough to this glacier for some pics and also gave us a glimpse at the sea lions.
After the boat ride we walked down to the Sealife Center in Seward. The king crab kinda signifies Alaska to me (Yeah, I'm a big fan of "Deadliest Catch") so thats why this crab gets the spotlight :)

On the 3rd day of our trip we decided to head down to the tip of peninsula to a little town called Homer. There is a little piece of land that extends out into the ocean called the Homer Spit that has plenty of shops and restaurants (I would imagine its pretty busy in the summer). Sadly it was pretty much deserted and after a 4hr drive down slick Alaskan roads I would have to say that it was kind of a let down. Taylor and I were also a little disappointed as we stumbled into a restaurant advertising Fish and Chips, only to find that it was an oriental restaurant with a rainbow of items on their menu, very little of which was Chinese. I should have known better when I realized the window said, "Fish and Chip" and their logo was a big yellow SMILEY FACE :)

Here is a pretty little spot just off the road as we were leaving Homer.

The road conditions made for some intense driving but that didn't stop us. We spent 10hrs in the car this day. Its a good thing Taylor is a good driver.

IT was a great trip and I would like to go back some day during the summer months to do some fishing next time. Alaska is definitely a beautiful state.

Oh yeah, and just for the record

I didn't get to see a moose :(

The Weirdness that is ME

So....I was tagged to do this:
List on your blog 6 weird or odd things about you...tag at least 5 people to do the same on their blog.

1. I work night shift. Haha, just kidding... kinda. I do however feel like this deviates me from normal functioning society. I can now sleep at anytime of the day or night and I never wake up feeling rested. I find it extremely difficult to wake up in the mornings and I feel sorry for my alarm clock and the verbal abuse that it receives each time it does me the favor of getting me out of bed on time.

2. I have a really hard time letting other people drive or actually, I have a really hard time being a passenger. I find myself analyzing their driving and I get really tense. It must be a control issue.

3. I have to pour the cream into the cup before the coffee. It bugs me when I do it in the reverse order because then I have to dirty a spoon to stir the cream in. Not a big deal...right? YES IT IS!!!!

4. I'm a girl who loves to race cars, or anything with a motor really. I have a passion for classic cars. My dream car that I will own someday is a 67 Shelby Cobra. No, not the mustang cobra. I love to shoot guns and kill the occasional jack rabbit. My favorite is going out skeet shooting with my dad. I grew up raising livestock with the intention of sending them to the slaughter house to make $$. I own a 4-wheeler and will make sure that my girls always have a 4-wheeler to ride also. I love to fly in small airplanes and hope to have my private pilots license someday. I like to go fishing and have no problem gutting and cleaning the fish I catch, but hate to put the worm on the hook. Sometimes I think my parents raised me to be a boy. Just kidding, but all in all I'm weird and not your typical girl.

5. I like public speaking and interviews. Its a fun little adrenaline rush. Now that is weird.

6. I think #4 is long enough to count for this one too. I'm having a hard time thinking of something else now.

I will cease this tagging now, since most of you have all been tagged already. Its been fun reading about all of your little quirks also. If you haven't been tagged yet and want to join the fun: This is for you.