Here I go

I'm irritable and bothered. I seriously misplaced my patience earlier on this week and have yet to find it again. I think I've used up all of my reserves too. 

I'm bothered by the news articles I've been reading about this upcoming election. This year I made a point of following the Republican candidates.  I'm not republican but I want to know who my options may be. 

I faithfully watched the debates and thought about the topics discussed. I never liked Cain, or Bachman. Huntsman didn't have a chance. I thought about Newt for a while, but the more I learned about his history and paid attention to his words, I decided he was off the list. The only thing I liked about Santorum was he believes a healthy family unit is what will help our nation stay great. I liked most of his comments about social issues. 

I REALLY liked Ron Paul. He seems like, out of all of the guys out there, the least corruptible. I really, really liked a lot of what he had to say. But, I didn't like his policy on drugs and some of his policies on National Defense. AND, I'm not sure he'd be successful negotiating with both sides of the aisle. I'm off and on about Mitt. I worry that he is going to ignore environmental concerns to appease big oil. I think there are many, many positives about him. He really does know how to runs stuff. I was living in SLC when the Olympic games were tagged as being in debt and unaffordable. He came along and managed the games without debt. 

Speaking of debt, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney are the only guys running their campaigns without debt. HELLO AMERICA!!  I'm NOT impressed with Obama, at all. He keeps trying to fix things by spending money. 

Also, why is it one candidate can "evolve" and it's okay, while another candidate is labeled a "flip flopper"? Which technically, he never did. He never "flopped" back. Seriously, words.

I'm starting to get even more bothered, so I'm stopping this and moving on.

So, O graduated from her preschool this past Friday. The program was, of course, cute. 

Here is the class of 2025!!

I really don't know what she's doing here, but she looks thoughtful.

This is how she posed for LT. 

AND, this is also why she will likely have ankle, knee and hip problems later in life. 

What a goofball. 

Here she is with her Rockstar preschool teachers. She loves them and so do I. I'm nervous for Kindergarten next year and she thrilled.

Scars on 45

These guys have a great sound. They kind of remind me of Coldplay, but better. They have a lot more going on with their instruments and vocals. I really really enjoyed their set. I've been listening to their album non stop since the concert and that was 2 weeks ago.

Ingrid. 

I heart her. She was so much fun to be with. 

I would love to see her again.

These guys were at the merch table so I grabbed them for a pic.

If all goes well, we will be closing on our house next week. I'm not quite sure it's real yet. I feel good, but pretty mellow about it too. We have a lot of cleaning to do before I will allow ANYTHING into the house. I'm kind of a control freak about bugs in the house. ha ha ha... I'm excited to get out of limbo land. I'm going to be busy cleaning, moving, updating addresses and accounts, and preparing for girls camp all at the same time. At least, I get to finish up June with a week at Girls Camp. It is stressful there, but it is also totally worth every ounce of preparation and stress. I'm really going to miss my girls when I move. They are a handful, but they've endeared themselves to me in their own little way.

On The Nightstand.
Now that my television shows are over for a season, I've spent more time reading. Funny how that happens. I was at the library and picked up two books at random, they are;


The Mostly  True Story of Jack By Kelly Barnhill
It's young adult fiction and I really enjoyed it. It was fun to step away from of the other books I'm reading and escape into a land of magic and mystery.

The Clockwork Universe, Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World  By Edward Dolnick
Well, it's interesting and it provides bits of science trivia I can share with LT. So far I've learned about the Greeks understanding of gravity before Isaac Newton explained it.

Backyard Homesteading , A Back-to-Basics Guide to Self-Sufficiency  by David Toht.
I reserved this book and I RELLY like it. In fact, I'd like to buy it so I don't have to keep renewing it from the library. I first checked it out to read about raising goats but there is so much more in there I just want to own it and use it as a reference book as we progress with our land. We are starting with goats to help clear the land. I will prepare a plot of land for gardening this fall and then in the spring we will look at at the possibility of raising chickens, for eggs and meat. And I think, eventually, I'd like to try beekeeping.  Have I mentioned before how excited I am to move to our new place?

Women of Character, Profiles of 100 Prominent LDS Women" by Susan Easton Black and Mary Jane Woodger.
I bought this book because it was on sale and I thought it would be interesting to learn a little bit about LDS women past and present. One thing that is evident in this book is that UT was way ahead of the times when it came to women suffrage and women in politics. I grin a little when I think about all of the haters saying mormons see women as second class citizens. Whatever. Take that haters.

Mother Dearest

My mum is awesome. 

She always complains about any recent picture I post, so I'm posting some oldies. 

I can say for many, many years, I severely under appreciated her. Now that I am older and a tad bit more mature AND a mother, I can really appreciate who she is and how much she loves me. This mothers day, I hope she knows that I love her dearly. Thank you Mum for being the wonderful, generous you that you are.

Pamela Read Murphy

A flower in the teeth and a bottle of milk. 

Ya, I don't know what she's doing either.

SEA WORLD SAN DIEGO

I had to post this picture because our hats are so awesome. 

Plus, my shorts are scandalous!!

Hammy Pammy

Pam-Pam

Nursey Nurse

Pam-a-licious

I'm not sure, but I think that is her childhood pet pig, Hamlet. 

She always spoke fondly of him.

Pensive Pamerson

11 on the 11th.

Happy Anniversary to us!!

We went out to dinner with O tonight to celebrate, and she was really put out that I wanted to sit next to Daddy. The nerve!! We shared memories of our wedding day and laughed. We've experienced a lot in 11 years and it has certainly changed us. And changed us for the better. Here are some of the pictures from our "I Do" day 11 years ago. They are blurry and cheesy, and I love them.


Leightons hair was so long back then. I can't remember the last time he had hair long enough to "flip". We were so stinkin' young.

I love that we chose to get married at the Jordan River temple instead of the Salt Lake one. EVERYBODY gets married at the SL temple, and I'm just not the type of person to do what EVERYONE else likes to do. I'm so glad we went where we went. I was the only bride there that day. No assembly line, no comparing brides and dresses and wedding parties. Just us.

I love that my wedding dress wasn't the typical wedding dress. I love that I didn't have to go shopping for it. I love that it had a flowy skirt. I love that it was comfortable and pretty, uncommon, and one of a kind. (Funny thing about that statement. When we moved into our home in Midvale, our next door neighbor, who is an amazing woman, gave us special names. She was battling cancer and I'm not quite clear on how it all worked, but we became part of her tribe. She named me "One of a Kind" and LT was "Go My Son". She said my name was a very special one and the male "One of a Kind" was her brother. I felt very appreciated for being my own self. )

My parents. I like my smile in this one, so I had to use it.

I love that I arm wrestled with my bff on the lawn at the temple while wearing my super cool wedding dress.

This is the spot where LT proposed to me. It is a really beautiful place, it's too bad you can't tell from the picture. Neither of us knew what we were getting in to.

This and That

I had a little freak out session earlier this week about buying our house. Are we really ready to buy? Do we know what we are doing? Am I ready to give up my kitchen?

This weekend, LT is taking a SANS course and I am going on the High Adventure trip for our Stake YW. Woot.

I ate 4 donuts yesterday and I feel fine.

I LOVE my green smoothies. I've decided Kale is my green of choice. It's more affordable than spinach and it is better for me. I've noticed that as long as I drink my smoothies everyday, my sugar cravings kind of go away. There is hope for an addict like me.

I went to a Kina Grannis concert. It was awesome. I love being tall because I could see over everyone. Then again, most of the people in the front were short. I didn't really get there early, but I ended up with only 3, very short, people in front of me. I got some great pictures and okay video. I want to see her again. She chatted a lot with the audience. I love that, it makes the concert experience so much more enjoyable.

I'm going to see Ingrid Michaelson in a few weeks.

I really want to see Matt Nathanson. Most of his shows here have been on Sunday. Grr

I cut my hair short. I like it. I'm sending a braid to a friend on her mission. It should make her laugh. She always told me how much she loved my hair and now she can have some. I even made her a hair clip with my hair glued onto it. ha ha ha. I crack myself up.

We've reserved 2 goats. We will pick them up in June. O wants to name one of them Tommy. Okay.

O's pre school held their annual art auction last night. It's a fundraiser where the kids have their artwork on display for their parents to buy. Yep, I have to buy my daughters work. Last year O valued her piece at $50,000. This year the price was a little more complicated. It was something like. "8 dimes and 20 dollars. You have to use 2 dollars to make the 8 dimes and 20 dollars." I love that kid.

Yesterday O called my dad, just because. SHE wanted to talk on the phone. Anytime I picked it up to talk to him she told me I was interrupting her. Okay.

O is still obsessed with "The Phantom of the Opera". I gave the "Highlights" CD and she plays it nonstop. She likes to go for the high notes. It's pretty impressive.

Our 11th anniversary is this Friday. 11th on the 11th. Woot. I want to go on a date on Saturday. Because I want to go to a girls night on Friday, is that bad?

One of my friends confided in me that she was so tired, one morning she tried to shave her armpits with her toothpaste. In her defense, her toothpaste is in a pump like her saving cream, and her baby isn't sleeping through the night, but even so, that is just funny. I laugh imagining the slight tingle all day.

I bought a Kirby vacuum for only $200. I'm so excited because I totally scored on the deal. They are ridiculously expensive new. The only thing that needs to be fixed, is, it smells like dirty socks when it runs. I've taken it apart and cleaned just about ever nook and cranny. I think I'm going to go to the Kirby store and just get a new bag. BUT, even with replacing the bag, you can't beat that deal. I'm excited to suck all of the crap out of the basement carpet in our new house and shampoo it too.

One of my friends went to the temple to receive her endowment this week. I took care of her little dude while she was there. She dropped him off while O was at school. He was really reserved and quiet with me, but once O came into the picture he was way more excited. On our drive home from pre school, I told O my goal with E was to get him to laugh and to get him to babble. I'd tried tickling him, but it hadn't worked. So, she reached over in the car and tickled him. He laughed and laughed. It made me happy to see her so happy to get him to laugh. I have some cute video of them playing in our fort.

We have started boxing things in the house so that means O has been playing with our boxes. We read a book from the library called, "Not a Box". O's imagination has been running wild. Well, it always runs wild, so it has been in overdrive. We used 2 large wardrobe boxes to make a fort. I think later on today or sometime this weekend we'll add 2 more boxes and take over the entire living room. Why not, huh? She's having a blast, AND she can color on the walls and it's no big deal.

After I returned from TX, I left the very next day for a fun weekend in Harrisburg, PA. I went to Time Out for Women. It's the third time I've been to one and they never disappoint. This time I went with some friends from my ward, L and her two daughters V and R. We had a really good time. At one point on the drive there, L, who was driving, was laughing so hard she had to wipe tears away. It was a sign of things to come. Several times I had to wipe tears because I was laughing so hard. The presenters were great, the messages were great, and the company was great. It was an overall perfect way to end a thoughtful and exhausting week.

I recently finished "Heaven is Here" by Stephanie Nielson. I've heard bits and pieces of her story over the years. It was nice to read about her entire experience. I liked that she was real about her experiences with being burned, recovery, her depression, her stubbornness and her desires for her family. I cried a few times while reading it.

Here is one of our little guys. He is only 2 days old in this picture.

The one that is the boy is ours. Ya, I don't know which one it is.

 Me and the R girls at Time Out for Women.

Kina Grannis

Serious Kina

Kina Grannis

Happy Kina

I made my peace with TX.

As I flew in to the San Antonio airport, I had a feeling of dread. I felt a little deflated too. The 4 years I spent in TX was rough and I wasn't excited to visit the place of so many struggles. The first two days I had thoughts that burdened me. I thought of the migraines and ER visits. I thought of the loneliness. I thought of the desperation. I thought of the sickness. It was yucky. And then at the end of a lunch date with some friends, those thoughts started to dispel.

I slowly pushed away the negative with the positive. The silver lining and goodness that was hard to detect when I lived there reminded me, it had always been there.

N- One of the very first people I met before I even moved to SA was, as usual, incredibly generous. She offered me a place to stay. I ended up staying at our house though, her family was stricken with a miserable stomach bug. She did, however, offer to let me use a bazillon of her tools. Seeing her reminded me of her kindness. In the course of 4 years, I spent at least one major holiday with her family, Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Years. I'm glad I know her.

A- hosted at lunch for me at her house. I remembered her kindness when she drove me to the airport one Christmas. She got rear ended on the way. I was, of course, panicked. What she did has remained with me ever since. She got out of the car and the girl who rear ended us was crying. Instead of being upset, A gave her a hug to comfort her. I carry that image in my heart. I was a very powerful moment.

There were people I didn't get to see that were a large blessings to me while I was there. One couple who took me in and loved me dearly had moved away. My roommate, who was an answer to prayers had also moved away. A dear friend who supported me and comforted me and taught me, lives elsewhere.

I learned a lot about myself while I lived in SA. I learned about my health, my body, my desires, my marriage and my faith in God. I am a better person because of it. It has taken time to heal from what happened while I was there. But I am now able to see the blessings that were with me.

I made peace there and I won't mind going back.

Before I end this post, I need to share a list. I had a long list of things to accomplish in a short amount of time. I'm going to post it here, just because it feels good to see all that I did. Yay me and yay for lists.

Purchased touch up paint for all of the rooms. 

Touched up the paint in all of the rooms.

Power washed the driveway, sidewalk to the front door, door step and the back patio.

Filled a joint between the front sidewalk and the house.

Tested the sprinkler system.

Pruned the trees.

Stained the fence.

Cleaned the dryer vent.

Placed fill dirt by the fence and patio. (I hauled over 500 lbs, thank you very much)

Removed the fridge.

And, I made at least a dozen trips to each Home Depot and Lowes. People started to recognize me. "Hey, how did that paint work out?"

I got to reward myself with a dinner at Rudy's. Simply the best BBQ in TX. 

O and my pending trip to TX

So, whenever O doesn't like something or want to do something, she calls it ugly. For example, if she doesn't want to eat something, "MOM, I don't want (whatever) it's too UGLY!!!" Or, "I don't want to go to the park, it's too UGLY!!!" I try really hard to hold the laughter in when she's adamant it's ugly. I'm just glad it's her cuss word. I can handle ugly.

The pre school O attends focuses on a letter each week. O has a friend, Torri, and when the letter of the week was "V", Torri insisted she be called by her given name, Victoria. As a result, O informed us she'd changed her name to Victoria. Okay.. The funny part of this story happened at the park. We went to the park one day without our friends so O had to make new friends. She told them her name was Victoria. I heard them calling for her across the playground. I laughed and laughed. Seriously, what a character.

O loves Veggie Tales. One day I asked LT if he wanted cucumber on his salad. O dramatically said, "DON'T eat Larry".

O is REALLY into The Phantom of the Opera right now. She will put it on repeat and sing along. It's really cute, most of the time. Last night, however, she was awake at 3:30, singing.

O started T-Ball. For weeks leading up to it she told me how ugly it was and that she didn't want to play. 3 of her friends are on the team and we knew once she started, she would really like it. The day of the first  practice she decided it wasn't ugly anymore.

I have no clue what she is doing in this picture. But it's funny.

Getting her hat from Coach Joe

Practicing the swing.

CONTACT!!

In other news, I'm going to TX this week to do some maintenance on our home there. We are in between tenants so it's the perfect time. I've had mixed feelings leading up to this trip, and even a nightmare. TX was a hard place for me. I realize what I experienced there could have happened anywhere we lived. I can honestly say, it was one of the hardest experiences of my life. I was tried and tested. So, I'm not thrilled to return to the place that holds many bad memories. And on the flip side, my experiences brought me to a level of faith that I that really sealed me to the Lord. A part of me is settled about going back so I can appreciate who I am now. I met some genuinely salt of the earth people there and I'm excited to connect with them again. If I have time when I return, I'll post about my experiences there.

Our house, O and her hair.

Ah, the good life! We will be moving in a couple of months to a property that has just about all that we've wanted in a house. Our closing date is quite some time away, but we've received permission to clear vines and debris from the yard. So, we've spent a couple of hours each week clearing the back 40. ha ha ha. At least, that is what it feels like. Here are some pictures I took while we were there last Saturday. I'd like to take you on a mini tour of our soon to be home.

Here is the doghouse which is across from the garage. O is CONVINCED we are getting a dog. We are NOT getting a dog, but we do plan to get chickens. I'm working on clearing the fenced area so we can try the chickens in there.

Here is the greenhouse that is attached to the garage. I'm so very, very excited to get busy in there. I plan to grow wheatgrass so I can juice it and use it in my green smoothies. (Side note about green smoothies at the Hill household. When I started making them, O refused to drink them based on the color, and you know what, I couldn't blame her. They didn't look so appealing. Since I really wanted to get more veggies in our diet I had to get sneaky and make them when she was out of the kitchen. I put hers in a colored cup with a lid and she drank from a straw. Today, she saw me make it, and it was a bright green one today and she actually drank the entire smoothie. Hooray for success.)

Here is the path from the driveway to the addition to the front house. O calls the addition her ballroom or dance hall. When you see a picture from the inside, you'll know why.

Here is the ballroom from the front of the house.

The ballroom once again. You can see more of the house in this picture. LTs truck is in the driveway by the garage.

This is on the side of the house opposite the dog house. The driveway to our home is not pictured but would be on the right. You can't see the main road in this picture, but it is at the top of the hill.

If you pan right from the previous picture this is what you see. The driveway is beyond the ivy. You can also see our neighbors house past the trees.

One of the pretty dogwood blossoms in the front yard.

This is a view of a portion of the backyard. We've got a lot of clearing to do to get it how we want it.

This is the backyard and I am walking toward the greenhouse and garage.

More backyard.

The little roof on the right is the doghouse. The greenhouse is on the left at the edge of the house.

And here, my friends, is the

GRAND BALLROOM!!

It has 5 sets of sliding glass doors.

Here is the former front door of the home. The ballroom is behind me. You can see into the hallway and you can even see a chair at the kitchen table.

O has become intensely interested in doing her own hair. Most days she sneaks off into her bathroom and comes out with just about every thing she owns pinned on her head. I get a real kick out of it and I don't tell her to take it out. I love that she likes to play with how it looks. Here are some pictures of just one of her creations. Enjoy. (Also, she is wearing her favorite dress from last summer and she is determined to wear it every day of this summer. You may see a lot of it.)