Zombies, Grizzly Bears, and Hamburgers of Unusual Size

Just when you think you have had all the summer happy a person could possibly hope for, more summer happy comes knocking at the door. And when summer happy knocks, I answer.

First came the 4th of July...with a lovely hometown parade, watermelon, homemade rootbeer, and darling kids. Nothing like it. One of my favorite holidays because I can just sit back and be entertained. Perfect.

Next, a Zombie party came to the door. Well, I know better than to be defiant and nasty with a zombie. My sister-in-law, whom we shall call "Queen of the Party", never fails to astound me with her birthday bashes. They are creative, they are fun, and there is ALWAYS a cake that defies description. This year was no exception...

If you have never played the game "Plants Vs. Zombies" where you fight darling zombies with garden vegetables, then you have absolutely missed out...and this cake will make no sense to you.

It was clever AND delicious.

I'm afraid to say there were zombie casualities...nothing is spared in making sure the nieces and nephews are properly entertained.

Where are those garden vegetables when you need them?

So after the zombie games...

the uncles took turns blasting the children with water shot from an authentic World War II fire blaster thingamajig...

and then the candles on the cake were lit with a blow torch. Just your plain, old, ordinary birthday party.

It was a splendid week of cousins, family, and fun. There was hiking...

A little bit of bobsledding...

And a very slow ride down the alpine slide in Park City due to 3 boys who weren't big enough and/or were afraid to push the lever all the way down and created a traffic jam the likes of which I have never seen. It was hilarious and tragic and on my sweet son's second ride down, they actually had to send someone to go find him on the track because they were afraid he was either stuck or had been eaten by a grizzly bear. Nope. He was just puttin' along enjoying the scenery and doing just what the sign told him to do at every turn...BRAKE. And when he brakes, he comes to a full and complete stop. Bless his little heart. Before he would even go down the slide, he read the entire board with all the rules in little print and then proceeded to question the teenage attendant on all the points that were not clear...like what happens if you are going down the slide and there is a moose on the track?

Last weekend, our very kind friends loaned us the keys to their little piece of paradise in Island Park and we spent a delightful weekend in Idaho/Wyoming/Montana. It was peaceful, beautiful, and only one little person threw up one time.

I absolutely insisted that my family stop and explore the Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum in Rigby, Idaho. It was everything I hoped for and more. It was small, quaint, fascinating, and filled with  interesting little tidbits and gossip from all the surrounding towns. It used to be a hotel that they converted to a museum by putting glass on the wall where the fronts of the rooms used to be and giving all the local towns a room to deck out to their hearts content.

I really did love everything about it...the 2 senior citizen ladies running the show who had lived in Rigby all their lives, the doilies and buggies, the artifacts that represent a piece of so many lives in so many different eras of history...but these 2 were my favorite...

Creepy mannequin man in his underwear offering a bath to my children...one of my innocent children stood and looked at this scene and then announced, "I don't get it. What is this supposed to be?" I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. So we moved on to the next exhibit...

Woman in electric chair...or woman getting her hair permed...or Medusa. She provided several minutes of intense giggling.

Next was a stop in Rexburg, ID...home of Ricks College for us old folks...home of BYU-Idaho for the upcoming generations. The Rexburg temple was beautiful and the city is HUGE compared to what was there several years ago. Chris and I could not get over how much the city had grown...it was unbelievable. Now YOU wouldn't look at this little town and believe it had grown much, but trust me. It is a sprawling metropolis compared to the Wendys, Arctic Circle, and Dominoes Pizza that once dominated the town. It was fun to drive around and visit the ole' "stomping" grounds. I feel quite confident that our children were just as fascinataed as I was when my parents drove me around their college town and told us all the stories of days gone by. The glazed eyes and slack jaws told me they were hanging on every word. No fear...after a brief stay, it was off to Ashby for burgers bigger than my daughter's head...

Lots of cows were harmed in the making of this hamburger but no children were harmed in its consumption.

Big Judd's Restaurant

We spent a fantastic day in Yellowstone...the kids were amazing. They hiked and hiked and hiked and never complained...very much. We saw some amazing things and I was once again in awe of the Lord's artistry and majesty. It never fails to take my breath away.

We watched a young grizzly bear frolic and play in a big, green meadow. It was beautiful!!!

We saw bison, a moose, elk, and an osprey. It was a red letter day for wildlife in Yellowstone! It truly was so magical and beautiful. I never appreciate how starved my soul is for nature until I'm standing at the side of the most frightening, majestic waterfall I have ever seen or watching a bear play in the grass or listening to the bubbling of the earth. It was soothing and wonderful!

A huge thank you to dear friends who loaned us their piece of paradise to borrow and savor. We loved it...I still have my eye on the lamp in the front room.

No fear...we didn't actually let them have the keys. Although it didn't seem to bother them one bit that the things weren't actually moving.

On our way home, we stopped off in Chris' home town to attend his 25th class reunion picnic. We ate sandwiches, took a tour of his high school, and took some souvenir pictures.

As we were leaving town, we pulled over on the side of the road and watched the Blue Angels that were performing at a local air show. It was magnificent!!! I actually get all teary eyed and emotional watching these planes fly. I can't explain it...it is seriously so amazing and beautiful to me. I loved it.

And so summer happy just keeps filling my inner teacup with happy. I'm so grateful for family, friends, and loved ones that just keep filling my life with so much more than I deserve. I am blessed...and deeply grateful.

So may I suggest that if summer happy comes knocking at your door...don't hesitate. Just jump in the car and go have yourselves an adventure with people you love! You won't regret it.

Jail Time

Meet this woman. We'll just call her "Roxy".

                                                 She hasn't had such a good week...trust me!


                                                 "Roxy", and her charming boyfriend "Axel"....

are currently spending a little time in the county jail. This is most likely a temporary housing situation as I feel quite confident they will be swapping their jail cell here for one in a bigger, more permanent location. You see, Roxy and her boyfriend were arrested this week. They were pulled over because the pick-up truck they were driving had a front head light out. But when the police officier looked inside the truck, he knew he had hit payday. This charming couple had 51 burglary tools, a $1,000 diamond, drugs and more than 50 pieces of stolen mail including birth certificates, bank account statements, personal checks, and more. Included in those 50 pieces of mail were also one of our bank statements, our phone bill, and a credit card offer. Those 3 items that were carefully selected from our mailbox in our little suburban neighborhood provided plenty of information for this charming couple to either us to set up lines of credit or to sell that someone else could make all their credit dreams come true.

I remember the day I picked the mail up and thought it was strange that one of the bank statements didn't come with the rest of them. They usually all arrive together and I did notice one wasn't there. But I truly thought nothing more of it...until the police officer called at 5:30 a.m. in the morning and asked if there was a reason why Roxy and Axel would have our mail.

These two, while not terribly attractive (you'll have to trust me on this!), are very smart. They understood that having these 3 items were all they needed to cause lots of chaos. Having someone's information, adult or minor, means they can cause years of damage to an individual's credit without that person realizing it...and by the time you find out, you can spend years trying to repair the damage.

I truly feel blessed that this police officer pulled this couple over. I feel truly blessed that these items were discovered. I feel truly blessed that we didn't go months or years before we discovered this problem and were then required to spend years trying to get out of it.

All our accounts have been closed and changed. We have contacted credit bureaus and tried to stop all credit card offers. We have have gone completely wireless with all our statements, bills, etc. We have added identity theft protection to our computers, bank accounts, and credit reports. This kind of stuff just doesn't happen in a sweet little neighborhood like ours.

Now we know better.

(This is the article that appeared in the newspaper this week regarding this incident! Names and locations have been changed to protect us from any creepy friends these two might have!)

Two people were arrested in Happyville after police say they discovered 51 burglary tools, a $1,000 diamond, drugs and more than 50 pieces of stolen mail in the truck the pair were driving Tuesday.

Roxy, 34, and Axel, 41, were pulled over about 2:45 a.m. Tuesday after a police officer noticed one of the truck's headlights was out, according to a police affidavit filed in 4th District Court.
During a search, the officer discovered burglary tools, including pliers, black ski masks, a glass punch and Slim Jims, the affidavit states. The officer also found the mail that belonged to 15 different people and included birth certificates, bank account statements and personal checks made out and signed.

Axel admitted to owning a black bag found in the truck that contained methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, a diamond and some of the burglary tools, according to the affidavit.

Roxy and Axel were each booked for investigation of 51 counts of possession of burglary tools. Roxy was also booked for investigation of a pattern of unlawful activity, mail theft, possession of stolen property and other charges. Axel was also booked for investigation of various drug and stolen property charges.

5+16=Summer Happy

I told Suzie Petunia...when I grow up, I'm going to invent a world where sisters and brothers live next door to each other and nieces and nephews are never further away than an aunt's arm can reach! These last 3 weeks have been filled with sisters and brothers and nieces and nephews...a little bit of throw up but lots of giggles and fun. I have cherished it and I miss them desperately. You took a little piece of my deep happy with you when you left. Please return immediately...

Never, ever underestimate the power and coolness of a "big" girl cousin to her sweet, adoring "little" girl cousins. It is a magical, wondrous thing to behold!

Uncle Taylor made all of Jake's culinary dreams come true by spending an entire day in the kitchen cooking with him. They prepared a splendid Sunday feast for the family that was amazing.

Jake learned about splicing, dicing, sprinkling, basting, and a whole bunch of words I can't even pronounce. But the result was splendid and delicious!

Aren't they splendid? I adore every one of those beautiful people!

Cousins...the magic of wonderful cousins!

Family always means new adventures. The whining and complaining is all part of the fun...and no one was griping when we reached  real waterfall that they got to splash and play in!

Oh, this delicious hunk of adorable baby. My mouth waters and heart beats fast just looking at him!

One of my favorite people in the whole world. Everything is sweeter and brighter and more fun with my HB at my side.

And these boys...handsome, daring, smart, silly, and never boring!

Every girl should have a gaggle of girl cousins to love on!

Oscar receiving uncle guidance on the proper technique for roasting a hot dog!

What is better than a parade? Being IN a parade...and having buckets of candy to throw. It makes you very popular with the parade spectators lining the route!

The kids were invited to participate in the neighboring city's rodeo parade representing the charter school they attend.

They started by throwing candy out...and when that ran out, they resorted to spraying people with squirt bottles. We are very dignified...

OK, so dignified may be pushing it a little bit but you can't dispute that we have the cutest kids in town! Here is one of my favorites...he is loyal and funny and filled with energy and spirit. I LOVE this boy!

One of my darling nieces, whom I shall call "Princess", held a 2 day summer camp for the little girls. My 4 Scharman nieces and 1 daughter signed up immediately and had the time of their lives. Thank you for an unforgettable experience Princess! This was the front door sign that welcomed 5 very excited girls...

The boys held their own "camp" in the study with a computer game.

The Queen Fairy...the first day of camp was "fairy" day.

There were big fairies and small fairies...

The girls made flower crowns, decorated fairy houses, played fairy games, and built a fairy house under the bush in the garden.

The girls ate pretzel fairy wands dipped in "glitter", little cupcakes, and all manner of delicate, delicious treats.

No detail was overlooked...and this was just the first day. It was a splendid, fabulous affair!

I love my family. I realized very early on that I was not capable of raising these children on my own. I feel very strongly that the Lord chose me to be their mother and has blessed me with the ability to succeed in this eternal role and opportunity if I will rely on Him and His spirit. I also firmly believe that He has provided the people and family that will aid, support, love, teach, and help me nurture these amazing spirits. I marvel at the gifts, talents, and strengths that these wonderful people around me possess. It is my job to nurture these relationships and then get out of the way so these aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins can give my children all that they have to offer. I am eternally indebted to them...I am so blessed.

Thank you Taylor for teaching my son to cook...and to find joy in a new skill. Thank you Sarah for being the aunt that will come run with them in the dry, hot Utah air and then celebrate with smoothies afterward for a job well done. Thank you Emily for your sense of humor and enormous sense of fun. Thank you Clark for serving our country and being a hero to my children. Thank you Spencer for singing and playing the guitar and making my children believe in fulfilling dreams. Thank you Sho for your grace and patience and deep love for your nieces and nephews. Thank you Carrie for being the aunt that loves and adores and lets them play inside and outside and all over.  Thank you Todd for teaching us the right way to roast hot dogs and always being willing to let these children climb all over you...they adore you. I could go on and on...

Thank you.