GO BULLDOGS!!

We have a nephew that plays football for Queen Creek High School. Last weekend our girls participated in a cheer clinic with our niece Ciara. It was a great idea I thought for a fundraiser & our girls were beyond excited to hang out with the cheerleaders & to be able to cheer for RJ. As part of the clinic the girls got to perform at the football game on Friday night. It was so fun. Here's a few pics...
Jadyn & her "buddy"...
Kylie & Ciara's group with their "buddy"...
The Parkinson girls...
This was the only picture that turned out somewhat decent of the players I took. RJ is #34 in the middle. He was one of the team captains at this game.

DREAMS & JADYNx2

DREAMS
I do not sleep well at night. And this could be part of the problem. I have the craziest dreams. They are always about people out to get me & chasing me & I usually end up waking up in a panic. Here's just a couple of examples...

Last Tuesday I had a dream that a giant robot was chasing me. I ended up swimming in the ocean because robots would rust in water right? NO! He swam after me. I found a rocky bank that looked like the bank to Alcatraz & started to climb up it & find a hiding spot. I then see the robot coming out of the water right in front of me & I woke up.

On Wednesday I had a dream that I was doing deposits for Bell when I noticed a $1 bill I had just laid down started blinking. Not even a $10 or $20 bill - a $1 bill. The next thing I know may house is swarmed with about 20 SWAT guys pointing their rifles at my face. Turns out the $1 bill was marked for some drug lord & ended up in the Bell deposit. Go figure?

JADYNx2
Jadyn has this little boy in her class named Jayden. I think because they have the same name they have seemed to "click". I ask Jadyn everyday who she played with at recess & she always tells me that she just chased Jayden around. One day I decided to ask his mom about it to see if he ever says anything & she tells me how he never shuts up about Jadyn & she's all he talks about when he comes home from school. She says he comes home spelling her name correctly even though he's still working on his own. Then he tells her that he can't help himself because she's always smiling & she has the cutest smile! I think I like that kid - he has good taste!

3 MONTHS

Today is the 3 month anniversary of my brother Michael's passing. (**Click HERE if you don't know the story.**) I still am in shock & not a day goes by that I don't think about him & that horrific week. Here's a picture I love...
My brother's Michael & Jeremy came with me to get my bridal pictures done. Along with Michael's first wife Suesie. We had so much fun laughing our heads off at all of the silly things I had to do. At one point the photographer had my brothers hold both sides of my veil out for a softer background & she had a hard time getting a straight picture because we were just laughing. (Yet, I also look at this & think - what was I thinking with that silly looking veil? And how much that dress dates me. Oh well!!) I'm so thankful for these memories I have & that our photographer thought about taking this picture.



Yesterday was my turn to teach in Relief Society & it was on the Plan of Salvation. Just a subtle reminder on why we're here & where we're going. Again, I'm so thankful for this knowledge. I just can't imagine how people go through things like this & think this is it. It just is mind boggling to me. For now, my only comfort is that I will see my brother again & for that I am grateful!

I love you Michael!!

CONFESSION

I have a confession to make. I will apologize now for anyone who may be offended. Jess - you may fall out of your chair! But, I just have to admit that I love the Jonas Brothers!
You have to admit, the fact that they write their own music is quite impressive. Who writes their own music anymore? I'm not a huge fan of people who don't. Although, I'm sad to say that I don't mind Miley Cyrus either. I guess that's what we get for having two girls! And don't let Erik fool you. He doesn't mind them that much either. In fact, he went to the doctor the other month & came home & told me how he read an article about Nick Jonas while he was in the waiting room. Turns out that Nick (that would be the youngest brother in the middle of the picture) has Type 1 diabetes pretty bad. So, we like him best. Anyway, just had to share how pathetic my life has gotten these days.

CELEBRITIES

The other week I was told I was cool because of all of my "connections". First off, I've never been told I was cool a day in my life! (Thanks Maggie for making me feel special!) On behalf of this funny thought - I think I may need to clarify some things. Here is my run-ins with famous people. (Sorry this will be another novel.) Keep in mind, that they are all more of a "6 degrees to Kevin Bacon" type run-ins. Not people that I actually have met. Besides one.... moment of silence please for the picture I treasure the most...
Not photoshopped in anyway. This is real. I won a backstage meet & greet pass to get a picture taken with my favorite band! Gotta LOVE it!!

Now, to continue on. Did you know that my Dad dated Linda Carter? Oh & that my mom was friends with Steven Spielberg? These are treasured stories (aka jokes) that we tell in my family. Actually, Steven Spielberg did go to Arcadia High with my parents, but he was in a different grade & they didn't know him. He ended up moving away to California after his Sophomore year I think. Linda Carter went to school with them as well. (For those of you that are young - she played "Wonder Woman" on the TV series.) She was a year older, I believe, than my parents & had a younger sister named Pam that my mom was friends with.

When Erik & I were dating we were quite the concert goers. We went to a concert once at a very small venue with a brand new up & coming band named "Weezer". There was maybe 50 people at this concert - quite cool! After we were married we still went to a few concerts. Erik worked for Ticketmaster building the printers that printed out concert tickets. (Remember when you had to go to Dillard's & wait in line for tickets. Gotta love the internet!) Sometimes Erik could pre-order tickets through work & get better seats. We did so for a 311 concert & somehow ended up with tickets that had "CLUB" stamped on them. When we arrived we were told that we could go to the "CLUB" backstage before the show & hang out. We did thinking we might get a glimpse of the band, no such luck. But, the opening band was there & I was a little sad since I was not excited AT ALL for the opening band. They had one single out & it was horrible. It drove me crazy - it was a song called "Fly". Here's who the lead singer was that I stood maybe 3 feet from at one point....
What was I thinking!?! After they played I was so mad at myself because everything they played, besides "Fly" of course, was good. Oh well! You live & you learn. By the way, this picture is one Erik took years later at a benefit concert in Vegas that he was asked to take pictures at. Sugar Ray was the headliner along with Vertical Horizon.

Here's the story that has been construed the most that I must clarify. All of my Vegas friends will laugh hysterically at this one. When Erik & I first moved to Las Vegas we were in Gladys Knight's ward. She is a very busy woman though & was out of town a lot. And no, I do not have her #. They kept that out of the ward list for good reason. I talked to her only a couple of times. She did wish Kylie a Happy Birthday on her first birthday & I thought that was pretty cool. She's hilarious & always had something to say in class. But, she would have no clue who I was. My mom is friends with her daughter Kenya who is the sweetest lady you will ever meet. Kenya was in the ward, too. She has a son named Jordan that's the same age as Kylie. They were in nursery together & he was the cutest little kid. When Kylie started Kindergarten & I would drive her to school I loved seeing Gladys driving her kids to school on her golf cart. It was great!! What a cool grandma! But, that's the whole story.



Some think it's cool that I know Stephenie Meyer's sister-in-law - I am one of those. But, in respect to her & Stephenie I will not say who. This poor lady gets bugged all of the time about Stephenie & I am guilty of bugging her.


I've met the real "Rudy" before. (From the football movie based upon a true story.) My mom & stepdad were friends with him for awhile in Vegas. I won't say why. We just met him once on one of our visits.


Some think my dad is a celebrity. Ok - so about 300 people is all that were in the Easter Pageant. My dad played Jesus in the Easter Pageant for 11 years & he was treated like a star. Especially by the little kids. (Hey! I gotta beef up my stories somehow!) Although, my dad does get told that he looks like Harrison Ford. Which, back in the day, I used to get told I looked like Sarah Jessica Parker in "Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun". I played tennis my freshman year & during one of my matches the girl stopped it & came to the net to tell me I looked like her. "Um, OK, thank you." Then, when I went to Australia for dance I had people ask me if I was her. Weird! Too bad I don't look like her now!

Have you ever been laughed at by a celebrity? Well, you know I have. We had friends visiting in Vegas & we were walking around the strip. We were in the Mirage (not sure why - since there's nothing to see their in my opinion) when everyone had to go to the bathroom besides me. So, we found a restroom down a deserted hall & I sat outside waiting. Just then a few other people came as well. While some of their group went in to the restroom one guy & one girl stayed out talking. I did a double take at the guy because he looked EXACTLY like Steve Harwell. (The lead singer of Smash Mouth.) Same silly skinny beard & everything only his hair was bleach white instead of black. I found myself thinking "What a loser. He is such a wannabe!" The whole time I kept glancing at him & they were just watching me. Like they knew what I was thinking. It was weird. Then, it clicked. It was Steve Harwell - he just bleached his hair. At that point his friends came out & I was getting ready to get up when they looked over at me (Knowing I finally figured it out.) & laughed. Yes, laughed & then walked away. Only to me.

Now, on behalf of this fun - let's end with a game of 6 degrees to Kevin Bacon. Upon which - I'd like to hear yours. Here's mine - I can make it in 5 degrees...

1. I know my stepmom Mignon

2. She has a cousin named Anita that was in a scene of "Dumb and Dumber" with Jim Carrey

3. Jim Carrey was in "Ace Ventura" with Courtney Cox

4. Courtney Cox was in "Friends" with Jennifer Aniston

5. Jennifer Aniston was in a movie called "Picture Perfect" with KEVIN BACON!!

How many can you make it in?

Like Mother, Like Daughter

This is probably not the kind of picture a normal person would put on their blog. But, I'm not a normal person - so Mimi this is for you...


In my family (mainly with Mimi) we have this joke about how I can put my feet behind my head. I guess I use to do it when I was younger & every once in awhile it comes back to haunt me. Just a few minutes ago I looked at Jay (who was sitting on the couch watching a show with Kylie) & found this...

I laughed - Silly Nut! (She posed for the camera pretending her legs were a guitar. Hence, the silly hands. Not sure why - we just go with it.)