Bipolar Disorder

***This is going to be an offensive post to those of you with bi-polar disorder. If you have it, don't continue reading. Thanks.

Brian does not have a job. So we continue to discuss where our lives will be next summer. I think we have narrowed it down to CA and UT (job permitting, of course).

The only problem is that I get so bipolar about both states. For instance,

• I went to the store last week to buy polenta, and no one knew what it was (I was just asking where they had it stocked). C'mon Utah! Can we not make something that DOESN'T include cream of chicken soup?!! But then I went to a BYU game and it was so fun!! Now I am loving it, see?

• We all miss the beach, Disneyland, Trader Joes like crazy, but then I think about trying to buy a home on a hill with a square foot backyard, and I am glad to be gone.

It is troubling, to be sure.

• I was planning on coming down to visit this next weekend, and use our Disneyland passes once more before they expire...then I find that Gay Days is going to be occuring at Disneyland the very same weekend. So much for that.

We miss our friends. We miss you more than you know.


Go to the beach, soak in the sun, and go visit Disneyland.


And think of us.

Wind

We live right close to Emigration Canyon, which is beautiful and all that...but it also means we get some wind. Not the breeze on the beach, but SERIOUS wind.

We also live (right now) in a really old house. And this really old house has really old windows that don't stay hooked on their cranks.

Put those things together...wind + old windows, and you get this:

A nice, broken window.

Isn't it lovely? It is almost like the house was trying to fit in with our van...:)

Balloon Festival

Not long after we moved here, I heard about a hot air balloon festival. I love hot air balloons...and a whole field of them?

Even better.

So I woke the kids up way early and we made our way to watch.

These are our we-just-rolled-out-of-bed looks. Mine is absent for good reason. Kids are SO much cuter in the morning than adults.

Everyone decided they needed a closer look. Watching them take off is awesome.

The pig was definitely a favorite of my kids. C'mon, who doesn't love pigs?

New Teeth

Annie got her first teeth about a month ago, which is SO LATE for my kids. Not only that, but the order is crazy!


Who gets the vampire teeth first? (I do realize these are not actually the placement of the vampire teeth, just so you know...)By the way, the hands helping me are Julie's.

Annie really loved showing her teeth. Seriously.

My neglected one

I have been negligent about posting pics of Annie. I haven't even had her pictures taken professionally (gasps from all those who only have 1 child ;))

So I feel bad. She is 9 months tomorrow...and is as crazy and spunky as her older sister.

Heavens help me.

The way we roll

We were cooking dinner over a campfire and wanted to get a picture. The story goes like this...

Kids are being wild and crazy, not looking at the camera. Dad gets mad. Landon gets reprimanded...

Landon cries. Julie is being happy about Landon's misfortune.

Not skipping a beat, Dad gives Julie what-for as well. She cries.

Mom gets mad. Tells the two rowdy kids they are cut out of the picture, but really wants them in! Come on!

Now the bribes come out...either you look and smile or no smores! And we get this.

This is the way we roll. Peace out.

Retired

I managed apartments for 8 1/2 years. I was in charge of 51 units for 8 1/2 years!!! It was a huge blessing in our life, and I am grateful to have had it.

But I am even MORE grateful to be done with it!!! Yahoo!

The farther removed I am from it, the more I can really see the humor in a myriad of situations. I want to remember these. Here are the best:

1. having a tenant come over, tell me his toilet is clogged, and then ask to borrow MY plunger. Uh, no thanks.



2. a tenant (and friend) finds some unruly tenants doing private, intimate things in the public laundry room



3. a tenant calls to tell me her toilet has been overflowing since she LEFT FOR WORK!!! She was nice enough to call only 1 1/2 hours later...it was a mess.



4. the owners of the buildings sat down with me for a meeting when I was pregnant with Landon, and puffed smoke into my face for about 45 minutes



5. finding a homeless man living under the building



6. having trouble with pests...the pest control trapped and caught 3 skunks, 2 oppossums, and 1 raccoon in two weeks



7. one tenant was chronically locking himself out of his apartment (and he always came home sometime between 11pm-3am) Those are awesome hours.



8. a tenant (who was angry) called at 6am screaming and swearing about a car blocking his carport



9. having sewage spraying all over the laundry room for about 4 hours at night, and trying to find an emergency contact (all while my parents were visiting)

And the BEST?

1. cleaning up all the sewage that had sprayed all over the laundry room and carport while I was 8 weeks pregnant and quite sick. It was disgusting.

There are so many more stories, but I will bore you no more. Suffice it to say, I am glad to be done. All I manage now is my own family, and it is much easier. :)