October

Hello October! The month that kicks off the holidays. Lots of stuff goin on. 

My handsome man hung up the old window I've had sitting out in the garage for a couple years. Covid gave me the time to get around to finally cleaning it up. I thought it would be a nightmare to put on the wall but it was probably one of the easiest things we've hung up. I love it and am glad that's done. 

Another thing we hung on the wall... Well here's some backstory. Ty donated plasma, and within a couple of days didn't feel well because of it. Actually his lips started going tingly and he had weakness in his arms and legs. It was bad enough he scheduled an appt. \with a Doc to get it checked out. Lack of electrolytes, too much caffeine from soda and taking Excedrin because of a headache. So I bet him that if he could go from September 1st to end of October - 2 months, without caffeine that I'd buy him a tv. A 70" tv too. If I'm being honest, I didn't think he would actually do it. But my word is my bond and I found a good deal on one from Target so I bought it. I got it in the house by myself and we hung it up pretty quick. Not sure I will ever forget the look on his face when he turned that tv on for the first time. He was like a little kid with the biggest smile on his face. This is probably one of the most irresponsible things we've done with money in the history of our marriage (so relatively speaking we're pretty responsible) but he'd been asking for one for a long time and it was an early Christmas present. I am hoping it becomes a habit for him to make better beverage choices and that he notices a change in his health. 

    

I love going to High classes with Crystal, just like old times. Except this class was being taught by Emily Nelson (owner of High) and she was doing a High Low class so we could see it in action. A bunch of instructors went to get ice cream after and it was fun and oh so yummy too.  A little puzzle distraction is always a good idea. Tisha lent me this Mando puzzle. 

  

Lashes and teeth whitening from the YIN fundraiser. Finally cashed in my certificates I won. The lashes make me feel put together from the second I wake up in the morning but man if you get one in your eye it kills!

 

Braces consultation for this kid at Imagine Orthodontics. She was nervous but so so so excited. Her dreams were coming true haha! I was expecting a huge $3700 quote for braces but the Lord is looking out because she only needs phase one for now and it's less than $500. Phew! We can handle that plus we can use the HSA. So we scheduled a time for this girl to get an expander and 4 braces on the top/front four teeth so we can create more space in her mouth for some adult teeth that haven't come in yet. From the X-ray we learned she will need to get her wisdom teeth out in the next couple years because they're growing in sideways and can really mess up the teeth next to them. 

   

Surprised Mom with a girls night for her birthday. We took her down to Erica's cute shop called The Land of Salt and did a ring making workshop and shopped around at her store. It was so fun and I love that I got to see Patcho in her element, creating and having a good time. Her store seriously is so darling and I'm so proud to be her friend. It was a good time to hang out with all my girls too. 

  

A few randoms: We had Brynlee do her Christmas list. I'm sure it will change but for now this is what it looks like. A 121 giga bite iPod (had to explain there is no such thing). Hydro flask stickers, rollerblades, Harry Potter clock tower legos. Socks, bras, towels, face wash, deodorant. Sports leggings/swimsuits. Baby sitters club, graphic novel, Whatever After Series. So yeah. That's the list. 

Her school picture. We're doing retakes for sure. 

Tech deck and the mini bike thing. She bought these for herself and it just takes me back to my childhood. 

Loving the soccer life, snuggling with Toby, making messes and playing with friends, trying to hide in the couch cushions, doing face masks (always doing face masks). This mask was supposed to look like a cheetah or lion or something. She looked hilarious!

   

   

October was the month of family pictures for sure. Marty Millet did the Thomas side pics at the Cove pond in Herriman and I love them. They turned out so good. 

   

  

     

    

  

  

The Lawrence side pics were taken by a friend of Mom's/Britt and these were up Butterfield canyon. It was so pretty and everyone and their dog was up taking pictures or just being up the canyon that day. It was packed but we found a somewhat secluded spot to snap these. 

  

  

  

 

Lake Powell 2020 *~* 10 year business anniversary trip. 

It was supposed to be Hawaii and I'm sure it doesn't even compare but for now this was absolutely amazing. Thanks Covid! Honestly, Lake Powell is a trip I'd been wanting to take anyway so, even though I haven't been working as much, I did have money saved for this trip specifically and Lake Powell was a fraction of the cost of what Hawaii would have been so we went for it. Ty wasn't too thrilled about the drive and we decided that Brynlee would have more fun if she got to pick a friend to come down with us. We left and got to Bangerter and 22nd before we had to turn around and go home to get the fishing poles that we didn't even really use. Ha! Once we were legit on our way we got stuck somewhere around Nephi in traffic due to a truck being on fire. If we would've not forgotten the fishing poles I'm not sure if we would've gotten stuck in that traffic. It was definitely a long drive but the girls did pretty good to keep themselves entertained and we listened to our road trip music which consists of mostly country from our teenage years. Think Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks and Rascal Flats. The first glimpse of Lake Powell made me so giddy! I haven't been there since after I graduated High School and before that I was like 9 years old I think. But I have distinct memories of sitting on the front of Uncle Shannon's speed boat getting bounced around, feeding the carp at the Marinas, hiking, cliff jumping, getting rashes on my chin from my life jacket, sun burns, playing cards and learning how to shuffle, washing my hair in the lake, u-boarding, and all the red sand that would get everywhere. It was paradise for me as a kid and it was no less satisfying as an adult. We stayed at the resort which was nice. Once we got there, explored the resort and got checked in, we headed to Page, AZ to get some groceries and some food. We went in to Page quite a few times, mostly to eat and stuff. The restaurants were pretty good, some Italian joint, pizza, a chicken place, the breakfast place we almost didn't find since it was tucked back in an alley way that we thought was a good place to get mugged. The girls wanted to swim so we let them. The pool technically had a limit of people allowed due to Covid precautions but I'm not sure that was followed. There was only one time we even considered it to be an issue but no one really cared it seemed. Those girls swam and swam and swam. I took stuff to do face masks and it was hilarious to watch them try to peel it off. Ha! I still laugh thinking about how they were freaking out trying to get it off. The next day was boat day! We were late because our clock in our hotel was wrong! I was bummed because that's an hour less we had to be on the boat during the day. It took a minute to get everything all packed onto the boat for the day. Ty was sooooo nervous to drive that thing and I didn't blame him but it had to be done. I mean, I offered to drive it but I knew he would have none of that. Getting it out of the boat slip and out of the marina was a little bit of an adventure. We almost hit another boat that was tied up. Ha. It was a bit nerve wracking but Ty got the hang of it. He's a quick learner. Not sure I'll ever rent a boat from the marina again though. They don't go very fast and I'm pretty sure they do that on purpose. It was still fun. The Cutright's let us borrow their gigantic three person tube that we ended up not being able to use because there was no tow hook on the boat. Which I also think they do on purpose so you have to rent theirs which includes the pole that is extra and has to be inserted in to the floor to tow anything. Super bummed about that. Honestly it would've been freezing anyway. The weather was nice but definitely not hot. I put a jacket on cause it was a little chilly when we were moving and the girls needed blankets, Ty was in jeans and a long sleeve. The plan was to try to make it to Rainbow Bridge but we honestly got lost a little and just ended up sight seeing and parking the boat on a sandy beach where we searched for shells, ate lunch, explored, played in the freezing water, the girls gave me a leg/spa treatment and Ty did some fishing. No luck fishing though. While we were beached, Ty had gone around a bend and we couldn't see him so I asked the girls to go find him for me. I followed them and at first all I could see were his shoes! It had me a tad worried but as we walked around the bend you could see him and it was kind of funny. Geez it was so beautiful to just cruise around on the boat. The cliffs and water, the red rock and sand are so incredible. Lake Powell is beautiful. Before we turned the boat back in we decided to go catch a view of Glen Canyon Dam. That was cool to see too. We gassed up then returned our vessel to the marina to unpack everything and get some grub. The last full day we had there was low key. It was supposed to be a beach day where we pulled the truck up to the sand and water, tailgated, played games and used the blow up toys I bought but the weather had other plans. It was windy and the wind was cold. The wind in and of itself would've made for a miserable beach day so we decided to stay at the hotel. Ty had a headache so he stayed in the room, laid in bed, and watched a bit of tv while I took the girls swimming. It was several hours and Ty finally joined us. The wind was picking up and I'm not sure how the girls weren't absolutely freezing.  Time to go home. I didn't want to leave. It was too short. I knew it would be though since we went Friday to Monday was all. Before embarking on our journey home everyone got something from the gift shop. I had to get an ornament and some turquoise earrings. The girls got some jewelry and Ty got a hummingbird ornament too. We almost forgot to get some sand too but we walked down the steep walk way to get some. It had been raining though so we had to find some dry sand that didn't have weeds and stuff in it. Plus we found a small seashell that would fit in the tiny bottle I keep my sand samples in. 

   

  

    

 

    

  

   

     

  

We came home from Powell to a ton of leaves covering our back yard. That's always a fun time to rake them up. Plus Ty purposefully didn't pick this zucchini before we left and that's how big it got by the time we got home. 

   

Carved pumpkins with Grandma and Grandpa Brown. Brynlee picked the skeleton dog. Her team had a fun Halloween practice that week and they all got to dress up. Brynlee was a red panda and it was super simple because all I had to do was buy a pajama onesie. 

 

Our High Fitness studio Halloween party was a blast. Trent came to teach with us in his gorilla suit and I think it was during the last half of class he was running around the room and totally slipped on his suit and biffed it. He was ok but it stopped everyone in their tracks and we all had a good laugh. Crystal and I got cheetah print gold tattoos and I put some on my face. Oh man, I scrubbed my face literally raw trying to get it off the next day and it scabbed over. 

   

High Fitness Halloween Round 2 - back yard couples High. I was a gypsy, Ty was Waldo. It's so fun seeing what people come up with for costumes. This year we all ordered food and Adam picked it all up then we ate it around the fire. We talked and laughed and had a good time. In class we also got to celebrate October birthdays. We love our participants and love celebrating them. And just making them feel awkward in the birthday circle. Haha!

  

High Fitness Halloween Round 3 - Kids Halloween High class. Oh my word it is so fun having kids in class. They bring a different element of energy and I love it. Brynlee was a good sport and Mc came with Tisha so they hung out together. I had a swan costume I hadn't used yet so that was a last minute deal. Don't fret, I kept the mask on the whole time. Ugh it was so sweaty but worth it. 

  

  

Happy Halloween! Red Panda Brynlee and Vampire Bree. The teeth were the coolest part of my costume and I even had one trick or treater thinking they were real. Brynlee, Kam and Briana hung out together, decorated/carved pumpkins (Brynlee's is the blue one) and all went out trick or treating together in Kams neighborhood. They surprised us by walking to our house and trick or treating at our door! It made my mama heart happy. We were the last stop so they sorted, traded and bartered their candy on the front room floor. Then I took them back to the Cutright's after I had given them all a warhead. Their faces are priceless. They hung out there a little longer since Halloween was on a Saturday this year it was ok to stay out late. 

   

  

   

Other news for the month: we helped Grandma and Grandpa Brown move in to their new home. It's here in Herriman about 3 minutes away from us is all. It'll be really good for them. No yard maintenance or snow shoveling. It's all one level so no stairs either. They seem happy. 

Brynlee's well child checkup was this month. She is still a well proportioned human being. We talked about signs of puberty, mental health, Dr. West agreed that not having a phone until she is 14 is great. Brynlee absolutely did not want to hear that at all. She had to get a couple shots. Flu shot, HPV and something else. Honestly, I felt social pressure for her to get the HPV shot and now that I've done it I can't help feel fear about what I've done. I just don't know enough about it I guess and it worries me. She had soccer practice that night after her shots and her legs were pretty sore. 

We have arrived at the grown up kid years where friends are most important and I am not involved in the plans, like trick-or-treating, and it's sad. Bittersweet I should say. The little kid phase is just a whisper right now and I am looking back at my little girls life thinking about where it went and why it went so quickly. We had to have a chat about how she can't just plan things without asking us because she's still not old enough to do that. Plus she should always ask anyways instead of just assuming she can do whatever she wants. The preteen era is a real thing and I didn't realize it was going to be happening already. The mood swings and emotions are real. The attitude and sass are real. The more involved conversations and tough questions are real. Time is ticking and before I know it, she will be graduating high school, going to college and moving on to real adult things. I'm not ready for that.