I <3 My Family.

Last week was super nuts but I loved every second of it. My little sister got married and my brother Billy and his family flew out for the wedding and to spend time with family in general. The wedding turned out really nice, I honestly didn't get to enjoy myself much, but it was Wendy's day to not have to worry about a thing so I think that I accomplished that! She looked really beautiful in her dress, and Chris performed the ceremony. He got a lot of compliments on it and I think it may have been a neat enough experience for him that he wants to do more.


The younger kids all wore their halloween costumes (the wedding was on halloween!) and they all looked so cute! Lora was a pirate, I made her the costume and she seemed to really like it! Its the third costume I've made for her.. last year I made her "a very real" looking Sally costume.. even hand painted the exact patterns on the different colors of fabric.. and the year before I made her a cute fairy princess costume. Its fun to be able to make stuff for her, I can tell she feels extra special in the handmade costumes and knows that most kids have to wear gross plastic cheapo ones. Billy and Christy's kids went as minnie and mickey mouse and were totally adorable!
I was so happy to get to spend as much time as I did with Billy and Christy and their kids. Its crazy that you can love little kids so much that you don't even get to spend that much time with. I feel like Alana (minnie mouse!) genuinely gets it that I'm her Aunt and I feel like we have a fun little bond even though I only get to see her a couple times a year.


Sunday night after the wedding everyone came over to my house to just hang out and eat wedding leftovers. We managed to get everybody there so of course we had to take a picture.. there is a lot of us and this is only the 2nd time in probably a decade that we've all been in the same room together! Last weekend was great and really made me so thankful for my family. I can't imagine ever having as many kids as my mom had.. but I really feel like people with super small families are missing out! My family rocks!

Just some stuff..

Yesterday was my little brother James' birthday, I can't believe he is really all grown up, 18 years old. I remember turning 18 and who I thought I was at the time and what I thought I believed and it's interesting to think that James is now that age, in my head he is still that cute little boy in his blue jammies holding Tiggy outside our house in Rexburg, Idaho. I think maybe thats one of the reasons its hard to see him as a "person", I see him and who he is and it just dosn't connect right in my brain.. he is still 5, not 18. We had a nice little get together at my house for him and it was nice to have everyone together.




Lora and I went down to my garden to finally pick the pumpkins I grew and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of them! First garden ever, and I managed to get some good looking pumpkins! I let Lora choose whatever one she wanted and she picked the worst one. I wasn't surprised at all.. I would expect nothing else from that little girl! Little girl.. I don't know how much longer I even get to call her that, yesterday she looked more grown up than ever.. even in her "Clarissa Explains it All" inspired outfit!


Yesterday got me extremely excited for the next week or two. My brother Billy and his family are flying out and my sister Wendy is getting married on Halloween. It will be nice to have everyone all together since it rarely ever happens. <3

Halloween Cookie Love

Saturday night girldates rock! Especially when making yummy soft sugar cookies is involved.. I like the fact the my saturday nights can include frosting cookies and watching Paris Hilton's - My New BFF (it was surprisingly entertaining!). My cookie frosting skills were not up to par with Aimee and Maddie but even the ugly ones still taste good right? I'm just going to consider this batch the practice batch and I will just have to make more!

Never Grow Up.. Never Fall in Love.

I really never thought I would ever, EVER say this.. but the new Alkaline Trio is pretty close to horrible. Maybe its not horrible.. but its not good. Not even a little.

I've been having an over a decade long love affair with this band and this album is almost heart breaking.

If I had to pick only one thing that made them amazing.. it would be the lyrics. They have written some amazing songs with lyrical gems like "and maybe i'll catch fire. something warm to hold me, something pure to burn away the darkness that hides inside my mind." and " He likes to spill all of his guts On the top of a well stocked bar
And then swallow them bit by bit remembering every scar As a valid reason for every drink" or how about " I'm dying tomorrow, Did I do it right Did I remember to sleep in, Take lots of pills or Commit irreversible sins."

I could write down words from their songs for hours.. and I can think back to a certain point in time.. being drunk, or sad or even really fucking happy and being so glad that I had their music to listen to. The memories they have given me are priceless but even beyond that.. The Alkaline Trio have been somewhat of a bonding thing between me and my sisters. I think they are the only band that all three of us absolutely love and we all get the same sick tingle when we listen to them. I have so many sister-memories involving them.. from the time i played "Fuck you Aurora" in Rand's bookroom for Aimee to hear.. or when Aimee and I waited outside their bus like little fangirls just to be able to say Hi! to them and I still remember the heartfelt thing Aimee said to Dan about his songs. I remember driving to Cali for my birthday and fucking rocking out so hard with Wendy.. sweating and screaming along. Someday I will see to it that we really do get sister-tattoo's involving the whole "mishaps always happen in three's" idea.

I think all of that is why this new album is depressing me! There are no lines to fawn over. Not once did I hit the back button because I just had to hear that again.. in fact, I hit the forward button more than once. Their previous album Crimson almost left me speechless and this new one is making my mouth verbally vomit. I just hold those two boys to such high standards that writing songs with lyrics like " Love Love Kiss Kiss Bla Bla Bla" or " And I feel a miracle, In every breath that I breathe, Won't let this miracle, End in tragedy " is just not acceptable.

I guess they aren't boys anymore. They grew up and fell in love.

Definition of Disturbing.

The definition of disturbing is finding your sisters undies in your brothers truck.

At least said brother has been letting a male friend drive his truck.. but that still means my sister is a hoskank... haha.

Don't Mess with a girl with a gun.

Last sunday was Lo's birthday party. Her parties are always fun and interesting. The only small children that are ever there are one that are related.. last year it was the half english half russian speaking daughter of my brother Doug. She is cute but I really can't understand what she says. This year, Scott and Sophie brought their son Luke - cutest kid EVER. Even when he thought the party was for him and he should help Lora tear the paper off each present. Still, the adult to child ratio.. at a childs birthday party always makes me laugh. Our adopted sisters Sarah and Maddie both came too, but I think they were just mostly there for the cupcakes. Once the grown ups left I had to start the water war that Lora had been wanting. I thought I had come prepared to be victorious.. I had a ton of water balloons and a big squirt gun but little did I know that Aimee had just armed Jon with a huge, high pressure, if you get squirted with it, it hurts water gun. Game over.

If you want to see the rest of the birthday party pictures just head over to my flickr.. link box on the right!

Mike Ness

Aimee was kind enough to buy me a ticket and to allow me to tag along with her and Daniel to go see Mike Ness at The Depot last night. The first act was alright, I could have done without the weird old guy commentary but the tunes were good. Don't people know by now that the only person allowed to perform the old guy kinda funny but kinda not commentary is Mike Ness? When he talks, even though its not funny or profound.. its sexy. When others do it.. not so much.

Mike Ness has gotten old. Its crazy to think that the boy I fell in love with in the Another State of Mind video is now this aged, heavier, could be my dad.. man. He is still rockin' it though. He puts the same energy into his shows currently as he did a decade ago when I first saw him.

Ergh.. A Decade? Now I feel old...