2 days of fun, fun, fun in the sun!

Part 1: Memorial Day Celebration

When my family comes up to UT for Memorial Day (which depends on when school gets out), we have a really fun tradition! Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great-aunts and -uncles, 2nd cousins - essentially, anyone and everyone who are in the area - meet at Nephi Cemetary. This is a special place to our family, as several of our family members, many of whom were early settlers of the Salt Lake valley, are buried here. Among them rests my Grandpa Tew. Here, local residents put on a Memorial Day program for all the veterans and their families.

Family starting to gather... of course, Jacob had to be passed around. He was a good sport about it, considering that he really doesn't like it.

Jacob and Grandma Tew

(aka: GG or Grandma Great)

Laci and Jacob with my brother, Zac

Laci with Grandma Great

Jacob with my brother, Trey

Jacob with Grandma Farnsworth

Laci standing by Grandpa Tew's grave.

We all gathered 'round and sang "Families Are Forever."

That was a nice touch, Mom.

I just LOVE this picture!

Grandpa's name on the veteran's board: David Ivan Tew

(Korean War).

Also on the list was his father, John Ivan Tew

(World War I).

I found out that my great-uncle Milton, Grandpa's older brother, served in World War II, as well. For some reason his name isn't included on the board ... maybe you have to be buried at the cemetary?

He is a very healthy and independent 88!

Here are the veterans, marching with the colors.

raising the flag

gun salute

taps.

Then we headed over for a picnic at our traditional spot, Nephi Park. (not sure if that's the official name)

Laci swinging

(I can't believe how big she's getting!)

Jacob with my brother Dane

And, finishing off the day with a tractor ride!

This tractor wagon has pulled 3 generations of grandchildren!

definitely brought back memories of Grandma and Grandpa's house...the small bowl of mints on Grandma's kitchen table, homemade ice cream, smell of fresh-cut grass, Sunday dinners, playing dressup under the pepper trees...

What would eternity be like without families?!

I love to see the temple

Last night our family went to a VIP Construction Tour at the Oquirrh (pronounced O-Ker) Mountain Temple open house. This temple is really special to us. Jason's company did the landscape install on it, and they asked Jason to oversee the final stages this spring. The official open house dates run through June 1-August 1. It is beautiful! And, it is so humbling to think that Jason had a part in beautifying the grounds of Heavenly Father's newest house.

crazy fluke!

do you see something strange about my right eye (your left)?
definitely not a glamour shot!

here it is close up
(the pictures really don't do it justice + I've been on medications for about 6 hours)

Okay, so I woke up this morning with a really red, puffy eyeball and headache. Initially, I thought it was pink eye, but it wasn't goopy. Even more alarming, I could barely see out of my right eye because it was so cloudy!

But, like most moms, I didn't give it much thought because my busy day had already started ... Dad goes to work, breakfast for kids, dishes to be done, kitchen floor swept, bedrooms straightened, etc. By 9am, however, all I could do was lay in my bed in agony because of my headache. When I went into the bathroom to look at my eye, it was dilated and so cloudy I could see the film over my eye. At this point, I was beginning to feel alarmed.

So, I looked up an eye doctor's office and described my symptoms to the nurse. Her response was even more frightening: "You need to schedule an appointment immediately or go to the emergency room." In my mind I'm thinking, Um, okay. What the heck is wrong with me? And, of course, the worst enters your mind: Does she think I have a brain tumor? What else could cause such a bad headache and immediate swelling behind my eye? Several phonecalls and about an hour later - since Jason had taken the car today - I found someone to watch my kids and a ride to urgent care.

When the doctor at urgent care looked at my eye, he was surprised at how swollen it was. Asked me some questions: are you using new eye makeup? have you used any chemicals that could have gotten into your eye? have you had any head trauma recently? No, no, and no. At this point, he is really puzzled and walks me next door to a vision center (which had I remembered it was there, I would have scheduled an appointment with them to begin with).

The optomologist took me back, and the first thing out of his mouth is, "Wow!" (pause) "You're eye is extremely cloudy. Wow!" (I'm thinking, okay, that's not really comforting ... I hope you can figure out what's wrong with me, and that it's not too serious!)

Long story short, 4 hours later, including a follow-up appointment, 3 eye drop samples, and 1 eye drop prescription later - my eye is inflamed, (really, you think?), and is a medical fluke. (The optomologist actually said that my case is one of the rare cases that they take photograhs of and use as a case study.) It could last anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. In other words, he didn't know exactly why my eye is swollen. Thankfully, the meds are working. Within the hour, I could feel the swelling on my eye go down. It's still a little blurry, but is no longer cloudy.

I am really grateful for the sisters in my ward who stepped up and sacrificed their time to serve me. I am grateful that I didn't have to run to the emergency room for xrays/MRI's. I feel extremely blessed as I recognize just how involved my Father in Heaven was throughout the entire process.

In case you were wondering

this is what you see when you walk in our front door
(pre-painted walls definitely makes it feel more like home!)

to the left is the family room

going up the stairs

opens up to a loft, which we've turned into the toyroom,
turn left toward two bedrooms and a bathroom

here's the bathroom

and laci and jacob's room

across from laci and jacob's room, and to the right of the toyroom, is the master bedroom;
but who hasn't seen one of those before?

we're happy to be here!

Sparkling

So, I'm not a big fan of joining bandwagons, particularly the whole "going green" idea. I don't believe that conserving energy, recycling, and eating local produce is important simply because it is the latest fad. I went along living life doing my best to keep lights turned off in the house when not in the room, changing the lint drawer in my dryer after every laundry load, rinsing out soup cans to go in the recycling bin, and deemed the nickname "health nut" from my mom. But why join the "going green" movement? It's just another fad that will fade out in the next decade or so, isn't it? Besides, why shouldn't I expect it to become another multi-million dollar industry? Why get sucked in?

However, I'm starting to change my attitude about "going green." Buying organic groceries can certainly cost you a pretty penny, but buying locally grown produce actually doesn't cost very much. Before moving from Arizona, I heard of Bountiful Baskets - local food that's left over from restaurants and grocery stores. You can pick it up at a delivery spot, and I think for a family of four you pay $35 for two weeks and get a lot of food. Small fruit stands mark Utah streets in the summer and fall - all local food. Anyone is excited to save a penny, right? (especially in this economy.) Plus, having once owned our own business, I am grateful for the opportunity to support local business owners.

Recently, I've been studying up on "green" cleaning products, specifically, home-made cleaning solutions. But to do this cost-effectively, I'm replacing the home-made solutions when my store-bought ones have run out. Last week my Clorox All-Purpose cleaner ran out. And, instead of spending $5-$6 for a new bottle, I spent $1.99 for a galon of vinegar. Mixed with equal part water, you have an all-purpose cleaning solution that costs close to nothing.

And my bathroom is sparkling!

Get this...
1. Add 1/2 c. distilled vinegar to your laundry for a natural fabric softener.
2. For a really good scouring agent: mix baking soda and castile soap.
3. Furniture can sparkle with 2 parts olive oil + 1 part lemon juice for a home-made furniture polish.
4. Do you have a wood or pergo floor? Try this:
1/3 white distilled vinegar
1/3 rubbing alcohol
1/3 distilled water; add first three ingredients to bottle & shake.
3 drops castile soap; add & shake bottle.
5-25 drops essential oil, for fresh scent; add & shake.
Shake before each use.
5. Add your favorite essential oils to any cleaning solution for a fresh smell. White Tea Tree Oil inhibits bacteria, mold, and fungus growth. I'm going to be adding 2-3 drops to every cleaning solution I make.

ran out of ideas...

So, I know it's been a while since I've posted anything! One reason for my lack of posts is because, frankly, I ran out of ideas. However, my main reason for stopping was because I felt like it was becoming my venting mechanism. I'd rather stay positive and upbeat. Sure, we have faced tremendous trials over this last year - and we all need moments to vent. But, we have also been extremely blessed! I just don't want the venting to become a habit. So, I took a break.

Recent Events:

Jason and I recently traveled down to Arizona for his brother's wedding. Spencer and Hilary were married on April 16th in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Hilary is amazing - she is stunningly beautiful and one of the sweetest people I've ever met! We are so excited that she is a part of our family.

That same morning, Grandmommy Farnsworth passed away. So, I ended staying in Arizona an extra week to attend the funeral on April 27th. She was diagnosed last August with ovarian cancer, about 3 weeks after we moved to Utah. For me, that was the worst part! It was extremely difficult to be so far away. Thankfully, we have good memories of going over there often for family dinners, or just to visit Grandad and Grandmommy. She will be greatly missed, but our knowledge of the gospel truly comforts and sustains us.

During our visit, we also found out that Holly and Winn (Jason's sister and brother-in-law) are expecting their first baby in November! Congrats, you two, parenthood is so fun!