Two Are Better Than One

This is Penni, the new addition. She is a 9 week old mini schnauzer and she's so cute that I want to scoop her up with a spoon! She is VERY sassy. I think she forgets that she's 3 times smaller than Zoey. Zoey was definitely not this rambunctious when she was a pup. Penni likes to swat at Zoey to get her to play. It is so funny to watch them together. This little one has NO fear. She will go up and down the stairs, jump off our bed and pounce on Zoey. We just love our girls so much!

Something To Be Proud Of

Ok, so normally I'm not one for the mushy love stuff, but I heard this song by Montgomery Gentry today and got a little verklempt thinking about my husband. This part in particular:

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
You don't need to make a million
Just be thankful to be workin'
If you're doing what you're able
And putting food there on the table
And providing for the family that you love
That's something to be proud of

Man, I'm a sap! I love you, Brian. Just remember, you don't need to make a million... If you're doing what you're able, and putting food there on the table, and providing for the family that you love.. That's something to be proud of.

There's a story that my daddy tells religiously
Like clockwork every time he sees an opening
In a conversation about the way things used to be
Well I'd just roll my eyes and make a bee-line for the door
But I'd always wind up starry-eyed, cross-legged on the floor
Hanging on to every word
Man, the things I heard

It was harder times and longer days
Five miles to school, uphill both ways
We were cane switch raised, and dirt floor poor
'Course that was back before the war
Yeah, your uncle and I made quite a pair
Flying F-15's through hostile air
He went down but they missed me by a hair
He'd always stop right there and say...

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
That's a chin held high as the tears fall down
A gut sucked in, a chest stuck out
Like a small town flag a-flyin'
Or a newborn baby cryin'
In the arms of the woman that you love
That's something to be proud of

Son graduatin' college, that was mama's dream
But I was on my way to anywhere else when I turned 18
Cuz when you gotta fast car you think you've got everything
I learned quick those GTO's don't run on faith
I ended up broken down in some town north of L.A.
Working maximum hours for minimum wage
Well, I fell in love, next thing I know
The babies came, the car got sold
I sure do miss that old hot rod
But you sure save gas in them foreign jobs
Dad, I wonder if I ever let you down
If you're ashamed how I turned out
Well, he lowered his voice, then he raised his brow
Said, lemme tell ya right now

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
You don't need to make a million
Just be thankful to be workin'
If you're doing what you're able
And putting food there on the table
And providing for the family that you love
That's something to be proud of

And if all you ever really do is the best you can
Well, you did it man

That's something to be proud of
That's a life you can hang your hat on
That's a chin held high as the tears fall down
A gut sucked in, a chest stuck out
Like a small town flag a-flyin'
Or a newborn baby cryin'
In the arms of the woman that you love
That's something to be proud of
That's something to be proud of
Yeah, that's something to be proud of
That's something to be proud of

Now that's something to be proud of

Your Favorite Scentsy Consultant

Guess who started selling Scentsy?! We thought it would be a good idea if Brian picked up a second job so he decided to sell Scentsy.... I'm totally kidding. It's me, in case you didn't figure it out. I am closing my first party on Monday night, so let me know if you want to order anything. Also, feel free to hit me up about hosting a party! The benefits are awesome! Go here to check out the holiday catalog. The new warmers are SO cute!

Oh Boy!

I told myself I wasn't going to be one of those crazy "Twi-hards" this time around, but who are we kidding?

CAMP!

Let's be honest... Girls camp rocked. And I don't mean to toot my own horn or anything, but I'm pretty much the bomb.

I LOVED our camp ground. It's in Morgan. It's called Camp Zarahemla. And it's run by the cutest missionary couple you will ever meet in your lifetime.

Our theme was E.R. for Eternal Rewards, but we totally played up the medical part of it. We had scrubs, doctor ID's, syringe pens, and many other medically related items for the girls.

They have a giant hill for tubing/slip 'n' sliding (yes, it's more fun if you do it in a chain):

The aftermath of the mud that the slip 'n' slip created:

The girls making the cutest ever pop top bracelets:

And tying the cutest ever rag flip-flops:

My awesome hubs and his awesome dad who came up on Bishopric night and made delicious dutch oven chicken and potatoes. And don't forget apple and peach cobbler for dessert!

Making the cutest ever Lifesaver mail boxes:

What happens when you don't get up when your told:

Me and Sheryl, one of my perfect assistants:

The girls doing their skits. I have about 857 pictures of the girls doing their skits, but I'm thinking they are only going to be funny to me :) So here is a picture of one of my 4th years giving our Priesthood helper a pedicure (gross).

The entire gang and all our silliness:

A gift from my secret sister :)

Cute girls decorating their cute scrubs:

Our camp ground was right by the river:

And we got to go tubing down it:

These AWESOME girls cut thistle for their service project. The cute missionary couple was SO grateful. (Did I mention they were the cutest couple ever?)

Breakfast on the last morning :(

I am SO PEEVED that we didn't get any pictures of our Iron Rod activity. I was stressed about this for MONTHS and it turned out even better than I planned. We did a reenactment of Lehi's dream. The girls started off walking past the "great and spacious building" where the 6th year girls were mocking them. Then, one by one, they were blind folded and placed alone on the Iron Rod. This was not an easy path. Oh, and it was dark. And did I mention they were blind folded? The path started out going down a steep hill, then weaved through the trees, went over a dirt hill, through waist-high grass, through a rocky valley, and across a dirt road. There were also tempters along the way to try and get them to let go of the rod. If they let go, they had to repent, then they were put back on the rod. At the end of the Iron Rod, was the tree of life where each girl got a "fruit" bag with some gifts relating to camp. The YW president read a quote about the tree of life, and then we listened to the song. Oh, the song. I can't even talk about it without weeping like a baby. It just hit so close to home for those girls and the trials they face as teenagers. SO. AWESOME.

I had one leader tell me it was the best girls camp she'd ever been too.

It was the best girls camp I'd ever been to, too :)

Independence Day

We did our OWN fireworks show this year!

Someone was a little TOO excited about what was about to go down.

We invited the neighbors over to party with us.

Happy 4th of July!

We're Domestic

Day 1:

Today:

Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, peas, beans, carrots, beets, cantaloupe, zucchini and corn. Mmmmm....

What The Camp Director's House Looks Like The Week Of Camp

And that's just the front room.

Crane Family Fundraiser

On Monday, July 18th, our family tragically lost an Uncle, Brother, Son, Cousin, friend, but most of all a Dad/Husband. Kacey passed away due to injuries sustained in a small plane crash in Grace, ID. He leaves behind his wife and 2 little boys. At this time we are trying to raise money to minimalize the stress of daily life so they may concentrate on healing. There are SO many great people out there and it truly takes a whole bunch of people doing something small to make a HUGE difference.

My heart has been so heavy this past week. We love our Aunt Cari and her boys and want to help them so badly. So, go visit the website daily and look for items you won't be able to live without! :) Most importantly, please keep Cari and her two boys in your prayers. They are most definately felt.

http://www.cranefamilyfundraiser.blogspot.com/

The Happiest Place On Earth!

*There are a few pictures in this post :-)


Disneyland was so awesome!! I didn't want to come home (and I'm pretty sure Brian wanted to leave me there)! I can't wait to go back... which may be sooner than I planned!!

Day 1: It looked like there were a lot of people there, but we waited in line for NOTHING! It was awesome! Unfortunately, this was the day that I had a massive migraine and we had to leave the park at 4 because I wanted to die a little bit. Hence the fact that there is only 1 picture of day 1.

Day 2: I was MUCH better and ready to party!

Here we are waiting for Toy Story Mania! I love this ride!

Guess who won?

Jungle Cruise!

Pineapple whip: My favorite treat at Disneyland

We found Nemo!

While we were riding Autopia, I could hear Brian yelling my name from the car behind me. I turned around and he was busting a gut! He had his hands way above his head and his car was going crazy!

Day 3: Our day of rest. We took a break from the parks and walked around downtown Disney. This picture was taken in front of a store called Ride Makerz. It's like build-a-bear for boys. You get to design your own RC car.

Day 4: At the Monsters Inc. show in California Adventure!

This was probably Brian's favorite part of Disneyland. He would have stayed in there all day. In the Hollywood backlot part of California Adventure, there is a studio where you can take a drawing class. We did this on our Honeymoon back in the day, and this time we got to draw Minnie and Donald.

It's A Small World

Love this face.

The Train

The pier at night. So pretty!

Day 5 and 6:

Brian's second favorite thing at Disneyland: Grizzly River Run. I'm almost certain the only reason he wanted to go on this ride is because I didn't want to get wet. I went the first time, but not the second. Lucky for us, we met up with some friends and he didn't have to go alone.

Pirates! I made Brian go on this one about 47 times. I love it!

This picture was taken on Thunder Mountain Railroad WHILE we were moving! Hence Brian's face. We're about to go around the corner.

This was seriously awesome. On the weekends, California Adventure shuts down the Hollywood backlot section for ElecTRONica. They turn it into "the grid" from Tron. It was SO awesome! It's just one big party! They had dancing, and hoola hooping, different shows going on, and they had Flynn's arcade open so you could play video games. It was so fun.

The World Of Color!!

Let me paint you a little picture... World of Color was on the top of my list of things to do while we were in Disneyland. So I did my homework. If you want good viewing for World of Color, you have to get a fastpass for it when the park opens first thing in the morning. So, Thursday morning, I ran to the back part of the park where they distribute said fastpasses, and waited in line with a bunch of other crazies so I could get prime viewing. I got my tickets and we went about our day. Then about 1 1/2 hours before the show started, people were lining up to get in. So we went over to join them, we cut in front of about a million people (don't worry, we were sneaky). And we got to stand right up against the fence! I was STOKED! And then we waited.... and waited... and waited. Then, the show started right on time. I was so excited I was almost in tears. And then about 2 minutes into the wonderful World of Color, they turned off the water, turned the lights on the pier back on, and a man came over the loud speaker... "we're sorry, but due to technical difficulties, tonight's performance of World of Color cannot continue"...

WHAT?!?!

I. WAS. SO. MAD!!!!

I told Brian "I'm not going anywhere until they start the show again!" Well, they did not. So I did the same routine on Friday morning to get fast passes. And we got to see the show that night. Our viewing area was not as excellent as the night before, but the show was amazing. And I'm so glad we got to see it.

One last night at Disneyland :-( We went back one last time for souvenirs.

Day 7: Or as I like to call it... ghetto day.

We sort of found the Hollywood sign on accident. We were driving around trying to find this sketchy place for lunch and we happened to stumble upon it.

Brian heard from a friend that Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in LA was super delicious, so he wanted to try it. I was a little hesitant, to say the least. It was in a sketchy part of town. However, that was, hands down, the best waffle I've ever had.

We went to Venice Beach on our way out of town. They were setting up to film Ninja Warrior! I was so sad that we missed the actual taping. (Ninja Warrior is like Wipe Out.)

This is a crab. They were EVERYWHERE. When he stared moving, I about high-tailed it out of there.

Day 8: Vegas

Brian wanted to stop in Vegas on the way home to go to the races. It was so WINDY!

And then we came home. And now I am sad. I can't wait to go back. Thank's 101.9 for the free tickets. Thanks Mike and Heather for watching our dog. And thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to my husband who was such a trooper and had such a good attitude the entire week, even for someone who claims he doesn't like Disneyland.