It's Autumn Time

Today is the first day of Fall, my favorite season.  I can't pass up this day without letting you know this fact.  The cooler temperatures, red leaves, soup, sweaters, boots, every cliche, I love.  It's the final hoorah before hunkering down for the winter, which in Utah lasts until June.  I also couldn't pass up adding this picture, even if it is celebrating Halloween a little prematurely.  It screams FALL to me.  I mean, look closely - a jack-o-lantern, a witch and a black cat cruising around in a SQUASH!!??  Clever.

A Utah Man

Tonight was the rivalry football game between Utah and BYU. We are a split household. G went to the game with his BYU boyfriends. I told him if he wasn't going to take me, he had to at least wear his Utah t-shirt (deep down he's a BYU fan, but he keeps that on the downlow around these parts). He didn't wear his Utah shirt, but I bet he wished he had after that game!

Utah 54 BYU 10.

GO UTES! There's no doubt who this little man is cheering for!

"STOP!"

As JW is learning about the world around him, I have noticed that he tends to identify objects by the sound it makes. For example, when he sees a dog, instead of saying, "dog" he says, "woof woof" When he sees a train he says, "choo choo" For his toy monkey it's, "oohooh aahaah." You get the picture. Last night he started screaming at the top of his lungs, "STOP! STOP! STOOOOP!!!" So I asked, "Is that what mama says?" And without hesitation he replied, "...Yes..."

Now I know he's listening.

10 Years Later

Part of the beauty in working for an investment manager is the paid time off we get every year. 10 years ago it was a use it or lose it policy and since I never took time off, and my vacation calendar was about to rollover, I decided to take a week off.

I didn't go anywhere for my "vacation." Didn't have any big plans, except to clean up around the house. I got started early that day. Pulled out the vacuum and went to town in the living room. I noticed as I was vacuuming the light on my caller I.D. flashing. It was around 8:30 a.m., who was calling me? I didn't hear the phone ring over the vacuum. I stopped to see who it was and noticed that G (we were dating at the time) had called a couple times. Just then the phone rang again - it was my boss. She said, "Are you watching the news?" "No, what's going on?" I was clueless. She said, "The World Trade towers were hit by two airplanes and have collapsed..." I didn't grasp the magnitude of the situation immediately. All I really knew was that thousands of people went in and out of those buildings every day. This was a big deal.

I turned on the t.v. and didn't turn it off the rest of the week, or weeks, for that matter. I didn't go back to work for several days more than my "paid time off." Fear had gotten the best of me. G came over after work that night and was a mess. The firm he worked for was based in NYC, at World Trade Center. He was worried for his colleagues. We spent a lot of time watching the events unfold. Listening to the stories from the people who were there. We hoped for survivors.

10 years later we live by the cliche, we will never forget. We will never forget how evil evil really is. We will never forget the people who went to work that day and didn't go home. We will never forget their families. We will never forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of others.

Labor Day Canoeing

As my niece Noelle was planning her visit to Utah, she called Papa Bear and requested that he take her canoeing. I am not sure where she got the idea, but Papa Bear, being the accommodating grandpa that he is, went out of his way to make sure Noelle got her wish.

So he planned a little excursion. I don't know what I was expecting, but when I saw this, I wondered, is this safe? Is this legal? Maybe we should just go to Liberty Park and rent a paddle boat.... We launched the canoe with the babies sitting in the middle. We gave them strict instructions, "DO NOT MOVE." Canoes are not the most stable water craft, in case you were wondering.

Whoaa. Steady....steady...steady...

DO NOT MOVE.


JW thought I was a real jerk for not letting him play in the lake. Hey, you never know what might be floating in there---dead bodies much? Despite the murky waters, I think we all had a good time. Thanks, Papa Bear, for taking us out in the canoe!

Milk 'n Donuts

I kind of fell off the earth after my 30 day blog challenge. I have to admit, that challenge was exhausting.

We have been spending a lot of time with our family over the last few days. Auntie and Uncle Boo are in town and all JW can talk about is his cousin, "sis-sis". They have the best play time, but they fight like siblings. {sigh} Two year olds are the best.

Yesterday JW and I were picking up sandwiches at Subway to take to a family picnic. The lady standing in line in front of us sneezed. JW replied, "Bless you." That was the first time I've heard him say that. Be still my heart.