Stay off the Roads

Well, it's official. Zachary is driving. So scary! He turned 15 on the 12th and that makes his old enough for a learners permit. He studied and William and his mom took him to take his test. Well, he failed. He was so sad, but I was secretly kinda happy. Not that I wanted him to be sad, just that I wouldn't have to let him drive me around town. In Oregon, if you fail a test, you can come and re-take it the next day. Well, Zac did and he passed. He was so excited! He is getting better. It is so strange to be in a car with him while he is driving. So, when you are on the roads in Grants Pass, beware!

Earlier this week, Camille let me straighten her hair for school. She is very particular about her curls, so this was a special treat for me. She has let me straighten it a couple of times for school. One time, she asked me. I think she was in 1st or 2nd grade and was being bothered by some one at school. She asked me if I would straighten it so she could go to school in disguise! I usually flat iron it ever few months to see how long her hair really is and how bad her ends are. So, that was the plan this week. She didn't seem to mind this time as much as in the past. Her friends at school loved it, even a couple of teachers commented. So, take a good look, I don't know when she will let me do it again.


Last night was our ward Halloween "Trunk or Treat". I really, really dislike Halloween. It is so much work! I usually fight with Camille about her costume. I beg her every year to please be a princess or some type of girly costume. She was Raggedy Ann on year, but it's only because I forced her. So, for many years she has begged me to be a hot dog. No, no, no is always my answer. She has been so good this year. Her grades are all A's which is extremely hard this year because they have put her in 8th grade math. She has really been easy, so I gave in. I ordered the costume online and gave it to her as a surprise. I hate it and she loves it! It is totally Camille. Everyone at the party loved it! She was the only hot dog. Megan and her friends all are going as the same thing. We had a very difficult time finding costumes that were not skimpy. They wanted to be super hero's, but as soon as you get in the teen sized the costumes become either strapless, bare midriff, or mini-mini skirts. So, disappointed but modest, they are Josie and the Pussycats.

Spirit Week at North Middle School

This week is Spirit Week at school. Megan is president of her school, so she got to help decide the days. Today was "Favorite Team" day. Here is just a quick photo of the girls. I thought they looked so cute, plus Camille let me put a little mascara on her today!

Girls Trip to New York

I had a wonderful time in New York City. My friend, Joanna and I went to celebrate our 35th birthdays. It was a quick trip, but a ton of fun. We saw two shows together, Legally Blonde and Tale of Two Cities. They were very different, but both good. Legally Blonde was light hearted and funny. Tale of Two Cities was beautiful! It was similar to Les Mis, which is tied for my favorite show with Wicked. I didn't see Wicked on Broadway. I saw it in LA last month with William. Plus, it is coming to Portland and San Francisco. On Saturday night, our last night, Joanna say Mary Poppins while I went to the Bliss Spa. I would have like to see it, but I was just too tired. We spent all three days walking and shopping. The first stop we made was, of course, Tiffany's. The rest of Thursday was spent shopping at the big stores on 5th, Madison, Park Ave. and that area. We had lunch at Serendipity's. Joanna had a frozen hot chocolate. It looked to rich to me. Strange that I would pass up chocolate. I bought a pair of boots as Saks. They are really comfortable and cute! That was my big purchase for the trip. I spent a lot of time looking at handbags, but could never decide, so I bought none. Friday we spent the day in SoHo. That was a lot of fun. Again, we shopped all day! We had lunch in a deli, I can't remember the name, that was neat. They had every kind of food that you could imagine! Yummy. Saturday morning we went to Central Park and went to see the temple. Then we took the subway to Herald Square. We both wanted to go to Macy's. It was huge, but I was very disappointed. It was kinda dirty and way too crowded for me. I much prefer Bloomingdale's or Saks. We both wished there was a Nordstrom. Oh, well. We did spend some time in H & M. That is a fun store. I bought a shirt. It was overwhelming. So many things! By mid-day on Saturday, Joanna and I both had so many blisters on our feet that it was hard to walk. I had blisters starting the first day. Those had already popped and started again. Joanna's poor feet were bloody. Gross, I know, but we looked good! We had a great time! The most funny thing happened while we were in SoHo. We walked into a store and the lady complimented Joanna on her bag. Now, her bag was one I bought her at Target. It was funny because here I was carrying a designer bag and Joanna's was a cheap little bag that got the compliments! Joanna could not stop laughing. It was funny. It was a fantastic trip. What a good use of frequent flier miles and Marriott points. Every girl should have a trip like this! So much fun!

General Conference and such....

Today is Troy's birthday. He would be 37 years old. It seems strange that he has been gone for so long. The girls asked me questions today like, "What kind of cake would you make him?" and "What gift would I give?" The answers were Apple Cake and golf or video game stuff. I probably would have bought him clothes. I have been thinking about him a lot lately. Maybe because of General Conference. This past weekend is one of the few times a year that his parents come to the states. I was sad to have missed watching conference live. I was in NYC on Saturday and on a plane on Sunday. I wished so badly that I could have been bumped off my flight when it landed in SLC. I was only about 10 miles from them, usually they are thousands of miles away. I was also unaware that some family from the colonies was up. I was especially sad to hear that Daniel, Troy's dad, gave the closing prayer in the Sunday Morning session. I understand it was the best prayer in a long time. I haven't heard many comments about what he said. I have heard that it was short, very short! When I talked to Pop about it, he said as he was getting up to pray, they told him he had only 30 seconds. I guess no sleepers in that prayer! He spoke in conference in 2006, but I am sure this was a much easier assignment! Today they were spending time in Provo with Mike and Elizabeth, Troy's brother and wife. They were then going to the cemetery to visit Troy's grave and take him birthday flowers. I am always grateful when that special place is looked after. Whenever we are there, we try our best to get it clean. It needs a power washing. Someday, I will find a way to get it as clean as possible.

Mr. Darcy

I guess it can be confirmed that the girls and I are fickle. Move over, Edward, Mr. Darcy is now here.We spent some quality time together watching Pride and Prejudice on Monday evening. We had such a great time together. I love it when it is just us girls. Plus, it reminds me that Megan is still human, and that the alien that has possessed her is not permanent! Megan is now over "Edward" and on to "Mr. Darcy". For the first time, Camille even has a little crush! She got the book the next day and is tearing through it. Megan wants Camille to finish so she may have it next. On Tuesday, I did nothing but spend the day watching the 6 hour BBC version of the movie. Both were fantastic! LOVE IT! The girls and I are going to try to watch all of the movies and read all of the books by Jane Austen. Next up is, Emma.

My New Bag

Most of you know that I love handbags.

Okay...in LA I bought myself a new bag. I had been looking for a new bag. I have been carrying my old bag for over a year. That is the bag on the left. Love it, but it is super heavy. So, directly from the airport we went to the Beverly Center. William was of course thrilled. There I found a LV and a Burberry store! Heaven. Not to mention it had a Bloomingdale's too! So, I looked for a couple of hours and this is what I found! Doesn't everyone need a new bag for Fall? You can't have a new bag with an old wallet. So, I HAD to get that too. (:

Plus, it will look so pretty on my arm when I am in NYC with Joanna!

NO KIDS ALLOWED

William and I just returned from a quick trip to Southern California. We had this planned for many months. I had planned to cancel to stay and take care of Megan. Her surgeon told us to go. We were very close by plane and Megan would be home from school, sitting down and watching TV. So, nervously, I agreed to go. Everyone was so excited to get away, especially William. We went to celebrate a friends 40th birthday. We joined about about 10 of our friends, including several couples, and went to Disneyland for a couple of days. The best part was it was adults only! The goal was for everyone to be kids again. Well, William sure accomplished that goal by getting in a spat with Mr. Potato Head. Long, but funny story! William and I went down a day early to spend some time with his family and also to see his daughter, Ashley. She is just finishing school in Santa Monica. We flew in early Wednesday morning. We did some shopping and after lunch, Ashley came to join us. I was on the hunt for some perfect jeans. Thank you, Bloomingdale's. We had a fun dinner and evening with Ashley and William's family. We stayed in a beautiful hotel right on the beach in Santa Monica. We had a perfect view of the beach and also of the pier. Thursday we walked the promenade in Santa Monica. Thursday evening we took Ashley to dinner again and met our friends at Wicked. William and I saw it in November, but Ashley hadn't seen it. It was fun. Friday and Saturday we spent the days at Disneyland and California Adventure. We had a great time with our friends. We rode just about everything. The best part was spending time with William away from the stresses of everyday life. Well, maybe the best part was my new Burberry handbag, with matching wallet, but don't tell him that! We are lucky to have such great friends. William and I are blessed.