Winter Holiday Blues

I guess the winter blues have got me down. The past couple of days have been emotionally rough on me for reasons that I don't understand. I have nothing to be depressed or sad about, but yet for some reason I am. I have been crying over silly stuff, tired all the time, temperamental and pretty much angry at everything.

Bill and I had a long discussion yesterday about this and have reached the conclusion that it's a case of winter blues or depression. The culprit is probably due to poor diet intake (more sweets than I'm used to due to all the parties lately and lack of will power), lack of exercise (because I have been a real slacker lately), and a lot to do with not getting the serotonin I need from the sun (because we haven't seen the sun for many days) - or in other words some kind of chemical imbalance within myself.

Anyway, I was a real witch (with a B) yesterday. I yelled at my kids for no reason, pushed my wonderful sweet husband away by saying nasty things, refused to go on a Mother and Sisters outing with my family yesterday. All of which are not like me. So I really have a lot of apologizing to do and hope that each person I hurt will forgive me. I am so sorry to all of you for anything I did or said that hurt you.

Today I have really made an effort to make things better. The sun shining today has helped a lot. I got up early and went out to work, I am focusing on a much healthier diet, and I am going to fit some excercise into my schedule today.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of madness during the holiday's or winter? What do you do or have you done to help get yourself back in balance? I am really curious to see if I am just the only crazy one out there. I would appreciate any suggestions or tips to make sure this does not happen again.

Traditions: Family Party

Every Christmas we get together with all of my extended family on my Mother's side and have a Christmas party. It is always in Delta, where most of my family is from. This past Saturday was our Christmas Party. We always start out by having a nice dinner. We rotate every year, which head of family is put in charge of organizing and preparing the meal. This year we had a Potato Bar with all the fixings. YUMMY! There were lots of goodies and treats afterwards. Santa comes and brings all the kids under 18 a sack full of goodies. There were 29 kids this year. They all get to sit in Santa's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas. The little kids draw names earlier in the year and had their gift exchange. Me and my cousins generation buy a girl and a guy gift and play a game while reading a story, moving the gifts around in a cirle and whatever gift you have when the story is done is the gift you get to open and keep. My mother's siblings exchange gifts and everyone usually gets something for Grandma. We rent a place that is large enough to hold us all... about 75 people... and also has room to play basketball or other games and the kids can run around and have lots of fun. It's always a fun time. Getting together with family that you don't get to see on a regular basis is always something I look forward too. I'm glad that we have had this tradition in my family for many many years for as long as I can remember. And I hope we can keep it going for many more years to come. Because, afterall, isn't that what Christmas is about? Spending time with your loved ones? I am very grateful for the closeness we share as a family, and that we all really enjoy each other's company. I was very bad though, and didn't take any pictures. I'm mad at myself for not having any pictures to post. So... I decided to post some pictures from the party from 2003.



My Grandma crocheted everyone hats this year.


Shellise - Not so big like she is now :)


My Grandma and Santa


My Jessie Boy! A much younger version.

The gift exchange. Grandma opening her gifts.

Elf Dance

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I saw this on my friend's blog and couldn't resist. You all should try it too! Thanks Michelle!

On a much lighter note...

We have enjoyed getting our home ready for the Holiday's. Here is a slideshow of the decorations.

One of my greatest fears...

One of my greatest fears (not the greatest, but a close runner up) came to fruition today. For those of you that don't know, my husband, Bill, drives the big trucks for FedEx Freight. At 1:00 this morning he left for Las Vegas pulling 3 trailers. Earlier in the day it snowed and then it got really cold but the roads were clear and dry until he reached the Fillmore/Meadow area on I-15. He then hit black ice and his back trailer went flipping into the median, followed by his middle trailer, and just as the truck itself started tipping he was able to pull out of it and stop.

At 5:50 this morning, after startling myself awake when I realized I hadn't heard from him in a while, I called and called his phone and couldn't reach him. A deep dread came over me, but fortunately he called shortly after that and told me what happened. That although it was a huge mess, and he would be there for many hours, HE WAS NOT INJURED and nobody else was involved. That was the most wonderful news for me!!! He said that the Highway Patrol was working on two separate accidents involving cars that hit that same black ice, just as he hit it and went out of control. Luckily no one was injured as far as I know.

There are so many things that could have happened to make this a much worse situation. I am very grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who listens to our prayers every time we pray before Bill leaves on one of his trips. I am thankful to Heavenly Father for watching out for him and keeping him safe. Every single time he leaves I fear for his safety. I worry and I am not relieved of that worry until I know he has reached his destination safely.

Unfortunately, after many hours of being delayed, they still sent Bill on to Las Vegas instead of sending him back home. So, I don't even get to see him or hold him until tomorrow morning sometime. He was pretty shaken up and wanted to come home but the freight that he had in the one trailer left still had to be delivered. Such is the life of a freight truck driver.

It is a HUGE fear of mine that I will lose someone else I love in some kind of automobile accident. After losing my Cousin's 15 year old son in an automobile accident last December, it really scares me to know how quickly a life can be taken in a blink of an eye.

I am very grateful and happy that I was given the blessing of being spared what would be the greatest loss in my life.

Thanksgiving and Other Random Things

Thanksgiving for me was a little different this year. I am used to LOTS of family around, Immediate and Extended Family - Usually up to 50+ people. This year, however, was just Bill and I and my Mom and Dad. Only 4 of us. Everyone had in-laws to go to and my kids were with their Dad's family. It was very nice, AND very quiet. It was Different. I enjoyed the time we got to spend with Mom and Dad, but I think I like the noise of all the family around. I can't believe I said that because I have complained about the noisy chaos in the past. Mom did an awesome job of preparing the food and the pies. I thought my homemade dinner rolls turned out awesome. The rolls and the pies are the best part of the meal!

Later that evening, we took dinner up to our friends, the Bettridge's, at Primary Children's Hospital. We were glad to see that Erik is doing a little better. We hope he can make a full recovery from his injury. See my earlier post for more information. http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=108401111767017590&postID=3177152485798816695

Erik in Therapy petting the rehab dog.

After we got home we finished off the evening by watching our favorite classic Christmas movie "A Christmas Story". Bill had never seen it so I definately had to break him into the tradition. You either love it or you hate it. I am glad to say that Bill loved it as much as we do.

I didn't do any of the madness early morning Black Friday shopping like I usually do. There wasn't anything that great on sale that I needed. So we slept in and went shopping a little later. I was able to get the things I wanted and I didn't fight any crowds. However, I do have to admit that I did miss the years past when me, my mom and sisters would be standing in lines at 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning to get the must have sale items. Those were good times.

On Saturday, we celebrated Bill's birthday (which is today, Sunday) I took Bill to his first ever Desert Star Theater performance of "Miracle on 42nd Street: Give My Regards to Blitzen" http://www.desertstar.biz/playhouse_now_playing.htm. We had front row seats and had a wonderful time. If you have never been, I would recommend to anyone. They have 5 or 6 shows every year. By clicking on the link above you can see the line up for next year's shows. Afterwards, we had family and friends over for cake and ice cream. We also watched "The Grinch" with Jim Carey. We really enjoyed the company and thank those of you who came to help celebrate Bill's special day.

While the kids went to the hockey game with their dad that evening, Bill and I started getting the house all decorated for Christmas. We will be putting up 2 trees this year. The artificial will go downstairs and the live tree will go upstairs. My brother and brother-in-law, every Thanksgiving weekend, gets tree tags and cuts their own trees and usually gets me one if I want. We got the artificial tree all decorated today, while we watched "Elf". The live tree will be decorated in a couple days.

At the close of our weekend, we dreadfully sent Jessie back home to Cedar City and Bill went off to work. Shellise finished off her weekend tonight by watching "Pirates of the Caribbean". And I sit nestled in front of this computer updating my blog, in hopes that I will get to hear from all of you who may be reading this :)

While it was a different kind of Thanksgiving for me... It was very nice. I got to spend it with my favorite people, had a terrific Birthday Celebration for my sweetheart, and was able to get the "Christmas Spirit" started in our home. What more can I ask for?

Things I love about my husband.....

Sunday, November 30th is my Sweetheart’s birthday and I want to post this tribute in honor of him because he does so much for me that I am so thankful for. And I want to let the whole world know, what a terrific man he is. I sometimes feel inadequate and undeserving of his love, and I sometimes find it hard to believe that he is truly my husband. I want him to know that I know how blessed I am to have him in my life and that I love him so very much, with all my heart. (These aren’t in any particular order)

Sweetheart, I love you for……

Your Sensitivity. Whether it be my feelings, or a song you are listening too, or a movie you are watching. You can be so sensitive and tender hearted at times, and it really touches me that as a man you are not afraid to show this side of you.

Your Compassion. For always thinking of others and what you can do to help them to make their day better, or something they’re doing a little easier.

For the way you look at me. All I have to do is look into your eyes to know how much you love and adore me. It brings me so much comfort to know that you do and be able to see it in your eyes at all times.

For showing me how much you love me in everything you do and say every single day.

For being a true gentleman. For always holding the doors open for me as well as helping me in and out of the car. There aren’t many gentlemen in this world anymore. I am glad you are one of them as it shows how much you respect and honor me.

Being a fantastic cook. You are truly talented in the kitchen. I love ALL things you make for us.

For being a frugal spender, or as you put it a “cheap bastard”! I like that you are careful about money and always looking for good deals. I need a good lesson in this. I have never been good at it.

For your love of music. I love that we love the same genre of songs. But I really love that you like to listen to the sappy love songs and Delilah at night on 106.5. I also love that there is music playing in the house most of the time.

For your talent in playing the bagpipes. I never knew how much skill it takes to play them. I love listening to the music you play. I love how it makes you feel inside, because it takes you into your Scottish heritage.

For your empathic abilities. Because you feel so deeply when something might be wrong or if something might happen ahead of time. It also means I can’t ever hide my feelings from you…even though I try at times.

For being Mr. Romantic! You always have such good ideas to keep the romance alive in our marriage. I love the fact that you truly love being like that.

I love that you would rather spend personal, intimate, quality time with me than watch TV or do anything else. I love the way we can talk for hours and enjoy doing nothing but just being together.

For being a great Massage Therapist. You have great hands babe! Whenever I have muscle aches and pains… you know just what to do to make me feel better.

I love that you love to be active outdoors, whether it’s Paragliding, Hiking, Snowboarding, Bike Riding, Walking, etc. We have made some good memories doing these activities. I loved the Paragliding ride even though I was so afraid to do it. And I look forward to learning how to snowboard (I think) this winter. I also look forward to all the hikes we are planning to do next summer.

For loving my kids as much as you do your own. I am grateful to you for taking them under your wing and guiding them and caring about them as a father should. I am really glad that we can be a family.

For your wonderful and sometimes distorted sense of humor. You are a great comedian! I love the fact that you can always make me laugh. I love your mischievousness and the way you play around and tease. You like to have as much fun as I do. You bring so much joy and laughter into our household everyday. It makes life so much more enjoyable.

For loving to dance with me. I love that you will, out of the blue, ask me for a dance. I love the dances we have shared and look forward to many more.

For watching the chick flicks with me and liking them.

For standing up for the things you believe in. I love the fact that you are not afraid to speak your mind or stand up to someone, if you feel you are being wronged.

For your love of the Lord, your knowledge of Gospel Principles and the scriptures. I really admire that in you. For being a convert to the church, you have more of a testimony and knowledge in these things than I do, being a member all my life.

For praying with me daily. I love our personal prayers together and our family prayers. I am so glad I have someone who honors this principle and knows of its importance. I am greatly blessed to have a husband who honors his priesthood in our home.

For always holding my hand wherever we go or wherever we are, whether it be in the car or out on a walk. I love that you love this as much as I do.

I love your tenderness, all your Hugs, Kisses, and your touch. For being so loving and caring to me. For the intimacy you share with me.

I love your smile and the sparkle in your eyes. I also like the innocent look you get on your face when you are being mischievous.

You have a wonderful heart of gold. You are thoughtful, tender, kind and loving to everyone. I love how you treat my mom and grandma and the love you show to all my family. That really means a lot to me.

Happy Birthday Sweetheart! May you always know how special and dear to me you are. I Love You!

What I am most THANKFUL for this THANKSgiving...

When most people think about Thanksgiving the first thing that comes to mind is the Turkey Dinner with all the fixings – potatoes, gravy, candied yams, fresh baked rolls, cranberry sauce, and pies galore. Is that really what Thanksgiving is all about?

Nope, not in my book anyway! I could do without the dinner. The meal itself is not my favorite…well the pies – Maybe! Thanksgiving is really about “Giving Thanks”.

Because I have so many things to be thankful for this year, I thought I would post them here to share with all of you.

This year I am most grateful for and blessed by my Wonderful Husband. Finding him and having him in my life has completely changed my life for the good. I am truly blessed to be loved by him.

I am also very grateful for our kids and grand kids. Without them my life would be dull. They bring so much joy and enrichment to my life. They are my inspiration and my heroes.

I am thankful for parents who have stood by and supported me through the hard times, who have always been there for me no matter what. Who have picked me up when I have fallen on my face and gave me the encouragement I needed to get back up and keep going.

Thanksgiving, for most people, brings families together in one place, to eat and enjoy each other’s time and company, and of course, Football. For this I am grateful. This is the part of Thanksgiving that I do enjoy. It is the time I get to spend with family.

I am most thankful for my Heavenly Father who does hear and answer prayers. He answered mine by bringing Billy into my life at the exact time that I needed him most.

I am blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, to have the knowledge that I have of Heavenly Father’s plan for me.

I am thankful for my brother, Jesus Christ, who died for me on the cross and who was resurrected so that I might live again.

I am thankful to live in America, the land of the Free. Especially for the freedoms that I have, that we sometimes take for granted. For the right to Vote. While I may not always agree on who was voted into our government, at least we have the right to vote and to know that our vote does count. For being able to worship God freely, at church and in our daily lives. Not everyone is free to do that without persecution.

I am thankful for our jobs. For being able to work and make good money, that keeps food on our table and shelter over our heads.

I am thankful for living in this day and age of technology - To have instant communication at our fingertips - For being able to search anything on the Internet with a touch of the keyboard and the click of the mouse.

I am thankful for getting started in the blogging world this year. It has been such a fun way of sharing lives with all my friends and family.

I am especially thankful to all of you who are my dear friends. For your kind words when I needed a listening ear. For your help when I needed help. For always being there supporting me no matter what. I love you all!

And finally, I am very thankful for this Holiday in November. Because it reminds us that we need to be thankful in all things, every day of the Year!

Announcing Mr. & Mrs. Carpenter

Our day finally arrived!

On November 8, 2008, I married my best friend and the love of my life, Billy Carpenter.

I just want to share with you a few photos and also tell you about the wedding. I don't have all the photos back yet from my Aunt who took all the photographs, but Shellise did take these for us and so I will post these now and the others later.

The day was perfect. The wedding was held at my sister, Alicia's, home. It was very nice of her to let us use her beautiful home for this occasion and I thank her so much for suggesting it and allowing us to invade on her. It was the perfect place for the number of people that attended.

In front of immediate family and close friends we exchanged our vows and rings. My Aunt Yvonne then sang "Grow Old Along With Me" by Mary Chapin Carpenter, while we danced. She has a beautiful voice and the words of the song combined brought tears to many eyes. This song is listed on my playlist below if you are not familiar with it and would like to hear it. Thank you Yvonne for singing this song for us.


Us and the kids, Shellise & Jessie.



With my parents, Dwight & Claire Alldredge.


After the ceremony was over, the reception/open house began. We served a light meal of sandwiches, jello salad, relish stick (olive+pickle+cheese on a stick), sherbet & gingerale for the drink, and cake.

We were happy to see so many friends there supporting us. It was nice to see and visit with those that we haven't seen in a very long time. However, we were really missing Bill's parents and his son, Kyle, who could not come due to health related issues as well as the travel distance. We hope we get the chance to see them soon though.

Later in the evening we cut the wedding cake.....






































More photos from our day.......


My bridal bouquet. Unfortunately none of these
pictures have me actually holding the bouquet.


Me and my beautiful kids


Shellise & Jessie


Me with my two favorite men, my Dad & my Sweetheart


Me with my parents
















The sign my niece made for the front door.
Isn't it just darling? I love it! Thanks Megan.

It was a Wonderful Day! It was exactly what we wanted it to be. It was small and simple but very nice at the same time. The best part is we didn't go into any kind of debt to pay for it. Everything was paid for in cash including our rings. It's a good feeling knowing that as we start our married lives together, that we are debt free.

We stayed at home the night of our wedding, and on Sunday morning we traveled to Providence, Utah (near Logan) and stayed at the Providence Inn Bed & Breakfast in the Bridal Suite. http://www.providenceinn.com/ I recommend this place to anyone! It is an Old Rock Church built by pioneers that has been converted into a very large Bed & Breakfast, Wedding & Reception Hall combined. This place has a lot of history behind it and is very interesting. We learned that many Church General Authorities stay there frequently.

Sunday afternoon we went on a Heritage Driving Tour, north on Hwy 91 towards Preston, Idaho. We stopped in all the small towns along the way and learned the history of each town. In Preston, we bought a lottery ticket (yes we were bad - and on a Sunday too - no wonder we didn't win) and then we headed back to Providence and the Bed & Breakfast. Where we spent a fantastic, relaxing evening together. Here are some photos of the room....

Thank you to all of my friends and family who helped us out. Who have supported us and love us unconditionally. You made our day very memorable.

And now I get to begin a new chapter in my life. I am so happy and very blessed to have found the kind of guy I have. He truly loves me. He shows me every single day in the things he does and in the way he looks at me. I am so happy to be able to walk through the rest of our lives together hand in hand.

And so... from this day forward I will be forever known as Mrs. Sherrie Marie Carpenter.

Bad Things that have Happened to Good Kids

This past week two friends of my kids from Cedar City were seriously injured in separate accidents.

Erik Bettridge, 14 years old, was injured on October 25th in a motorcycle accident. He was life flighted to Primary Children's Hospital with serious head injuries. He remains in a drug induced coma to keep him from moving which would cause more injury to his brain. He will be in this comatose state for at least 2 more weeks. It will be several months before they know what kind of recovery he will make.
http://www.carepages.com/carepages/Erikspace

While my kids were at the hospital, yesterday, visiting Erik's family, Shellise found out that a friend of hers, Chase Roberts, 14 years old, was also in that hospital. Again, life flighted there this week, because he was accidentally shot in the neck by his little sister. He will be permanently paralyzed from the chest down.
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=4651169

This has been traumatizing to my kids. It makes you realize how precious life is and how things can change in the blink of an eye or as Shellise says, "a beat of the heart".

Our hearts go out to these families. We are praying for them. We hope that they will find peace in knowing that there are many people that care about them and wish them the very best during these hard times.

While I am on this subject, I am remembering the tragic events that took place in our family last December 13th. My cousin's son, Dustin Wright, 15 years old, was killed in a rollover accident in Millard County, in a car being recklessly driven by his 16 year old friend. These past 10 months have been full of pain and heartache for all of our family over the loss of this young man. He had so much going for him and his death is a great loss to all.

I hope that we never take for granted the lives we have and remember that it can be gone in a split second. Bad things can happen to good people. Let's all be a little more loving and caring to those around us. Lets remember what is really important... it's not the things we have, but the memories that we share with family and friends that we will take with us.

Too Funny!

A friend posted this on her blog and because I thought this was so funny, I just had to share it with you! Thanks Lori :)

What I've Been Up To

Here are the top 10 things that I have been doing lately....

10. Reading Danielle Steel's Book "Bungalow 2".
9. Listening to Audiobook of Michele Ashman Bell's "Forget Me Not".
8. Yard Work - Weeding, Planting Perennials, Putting Bulbs in the Ground.
7. Watching the 1st and 2nd season of "The 4400".
6. Blogging.
5. Bowling on Thursday Night Mixed League.
4. Preparing and sending out Wedding Invites.
3. Spending Time with Honey & Kiddo's.
2. Working for S.L. County Constables Office.

AND THE NUMBER ONE THING I HAVE BEEN DOING IS.....

1. Planning our Wedding.

Now for anyone that is reading this.... You are tagged! I want to see the top 10 things you have been doing lately. Thanks for playing along with me on this!

A perfect 223

For several years I have bowled on a mixed bowling league. This is something that I have always enjoyed. I have worked hard to improve my average every year. Right now my average is 158. I have bowled a 200 game only twice in my life. Tonight, however, I bowled my best game ever - I bowled a 223. And it was a "perfect" 223, meaning I marked in every frame (either a spare or strike). I am very happy and proud of this accomplishment. Unfortunately my last game of the night was a very low 112. So much for consistency!

Shellise's School Picture

I just wanted to share Shellise's school picture with you because it shows off her "new" hair style. Isn't it absolutely adorable on her? I love it!

A Fall Day!

I was working in the Bountiful area today. The air was cool and crisp. The leaves are starting to change into beautiful fall colors. I was really enjoying the scenery. Here is a view from the South Bountiful bench overlooking the Bountiful Temple and the Valley.

Kind of smoggy, but from high up on the bench you can see the Great Salt Lake. The smog makes it difficult to see.

Here is another view of the Bountiful Temple. Isn't it beautiful?

As I drove past, I couldn't help but stop and take a picture of this beautiful, majestic, glorious temple. I really enjoyed this fall day. I also enjoy my job. I am so grateful that I don't have to be stuck in an office...that I am able to drive all around, listen to good music on the radio and enjoy all the beautiful things that God has made for us to enjoy.

Are you enjoying the Autumn temperatures and scenery?

Hurry! It will soon be winter!

Wedding Invitation

Grandma's 85th Birthday Bash!

And what a bash it was!

For my grandma's 85th birthday we wanted to do something really special for her, to honor her and the life she has lived. So on Saturday, September 20th, we held an Open House in her honor. We invited many friends and family, and many people came. Many people that she hasn't seen in a long time came which meant so much to her. We had good food, birthday cake, and family members brought scrapbook pages of their families to put into a nice scrapbook for her, and we took some fun pictures. It was enjoyable to see and listen to all the people gather and talk and enjoy each other's company. Grandma really enjoyed this day. I hope she felt special, which she very much is. I hope we did a great job of honoring such a fine, elect lady. She is definately worth it. This was a day all of us will remember always.

Here are a few fun pictures.

Announcing The BIG Day!

I just wanted to let you all know that our wedding date has been set for November 8th at 5:00 p.m. The ceremony will be at my sister's home in West Jordan with an open house to follow. Nothing big or fancy, just simple, and perfect for us. I will post a formal invitation once they are completed. I am so excited to finally be able to move forward. It has been a long haul but I am really glad and truly blessed to be where I am, who I am, and who I am with right now. Thanks for all your support.

Shellise Ann McCray

Shellise is my 14-year old, beautiful, photogenic, dimpled smiled, smart, talented and tall (5'9")daughter. She just started 9th Grade at Hunter Jr. High. She loves school and excels at most everything she does.

What is she up to these days? Shellise's favorite things to do besides hanging out with her friends and texting on her cell phone is Reading and Watching TV. Shellise is very talented in many things. She has played the Piano since she was about 5 years old. Although she no longer takes piano lessons, she still plays often. She also plays the Viola and is in the Hunter Jr. High Orchestra and during the summer tried out and made it on the Granite Youth Summer Symphony. She will be going to tryouts next week so that she can be part of the Granite Youth Symphony throughout the year.

Another talent and favorite thing for Shellise is Softball. She has played Girls Fastpitch Softball since she was 4 years old (starting out as T-Ball). She has really enjoyed this sport and looks forward to every spring/summer to play again.

Shellise is also a dancer. She has danced since she was 5 years for Shellie's School of Dance until we moved to Cedar City and then she danced for Onstage Dance where she competed in Hip Hop Dance Competititions. Since moving back to Salt Lake, we have not signed her up for dance yet as we have yet to find a dance company where she can compete in Hip Hop style dance.

Shellise has always been able to make friends easily which I consider a huge talent and for one I admire. She not only makes friends easily but she is a good friend to all. She has so many friends all over the State that she keeps in contact with on a regular basis. She is very blessed to have such good people in her life that she can call true friends.

From the time Shellise was 5 years old she knew that she wanted to be a Lawyer when she grew up and attend Harvard Law School. This goal has never changed. She is looking forward to getting into classes over the next few years that will get her closer to reaching that goal. I believe she would make a very good attorney someday and if she continues to do well in school and is able to get some scholarships, she just may make it to Harvard.

Shellise is such a wonderful daughter. She gladly helps around the house when asked and rarely complains. She is witty, and funny, and brings so much joy into our home and in our lives. I am so blessed by this beautiful gift I was given by GOD. I am so grateful and happy that I am her Mother.

Football

Jessie plays as the Fullback on the Cedar City 8th Grade team. On Saturday, he ran a 45-yard Touchdown. His team beat Hurricane 20-0. He was very happy and excited when he called to tell me about it. I am still so new at football terms that I had to look up what the duties of a fullback are. This is what the description is for those of you who, like me, have no idea:

In American football, a fullback (FB) is a position in the offensive backfield. Traditionally, the duties of a fullback are split between power running and blocking for the quarterback on passing plays, and running backs on running plays.

Good Job Jessie!

Family Togetherness

This past weekend was wonderful! Having Jessie home for a visit made our family feel complete. I think that Shellise and Jessie really missed each other. As you can tell by these pictures, they might even love each other! Jessie has grown up so much. I think he grew another 2-3 inches since we saw him last. He is almost as tall as Shellise now, at 5'8".

We had a wonderful time together. On Saturday the kids went back to their old stomping grounds in Kearns and watched a little league football game between Kearns and Hunter. They both had friends playing on both teams but they still routed for Kearns even though we now live in the Hunter area. After the football game we picked Bill up after his Paragliding class and went to lunch at Guadalahonky's Mexican Restaurant in Draper. The food was great the company was awesome! We picked up Jessie's best friend Ryan and had him over to our house for swimming and skateboarding. They always have such fun together and have been friends for many years. Thank goodness for good friends.



It was sure nice having Jessie attend church with us and seeing him pass the sacrament. It is very difficult seeing an empty spot every week where Jessie should be during sacrament meeting. We all miss him so very much every day and every week.

Swimming, sharing meals together, watching movies on the big screen at home, and visiting with extended family members made for some wonderful memories. The best memory is seeing both the kids having fun together and being happy. We will cherish these memories forever. What terrific and beautiful kids we have.

The weekend came to a close on Monday, when we had to drive Jessie down to meet his dad in Scipio. We don't know when we will get to see him next because he will be busy playing football in Cedar City every weekend from this point on for several weeks. Good Luck Jessie! We Love You.

Hike to Top of South Mountain

On Saturday, August 16th Billy and I set out to Paraglide off Point of Mountain. The winds were not blowing the right direction to fly off the South Side and the North Side was closed for construction. So at the spur of the moment we decided we would hike to the flag on top of the North Side of South Mountain. It was quite a steep hike and I did some complaining because I was not wearing my hiking boots, but making it to the top was worth it. This is a collage of some of the pictures I took looking out over the valley and of the flag. One of our favorite things to do is to go on hikes and we have been on a few this summer. We look forward to some time off when we can seek out a new hiking spot very soon. If you know of any good hikes please share with me.

Memories

Here is a fun little game that a friend inspired me to start on my blog. This is how it works:

Leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a very short time, a long time, or just your first impression of me, any memory that you can think of. I have many friends that read my blog but don't comment, I would love to hear from you. Even if you don't have a blog you can comment, all you have to have is an email address.

Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.

I will try to jog my memory and come up with a memory for you too.

My Grandmother

My Grandmother, Dorthella Glover Spencer, is my moms' mother. She is the mother of 5 children. My mom happens to be the oldest and that makes me the oldest of all the grandchildren, which I am very proud and happy to know that I had her as my grandma first before any of my cousins... :) Kind of stingy and selfish huh?

My Grandma is the strongest woman I know. I have always thought of her as someone who I would like to grow up to be like. She is an amazing woman and is the glue that holds everything together for our family. She will be 85 years old this September. She is alert and lively and full of life and always has been.

She recently, within the last 3 weeks, had knee replacement surgery and things have gone pretty well so far except that she hasn't regained her strength, lost 25 pounds, and has had trouble with her peripheral vision. She went to the eye doctor today and after running a bunch of tests, decided that she must have had a stroke shortly after her surgery. The stroke has effected the right side of her brain which controls her left peripheral vision. She now has to see a neurologist as soon as an appointment can be scheduled. I hope and pray that she will make a speedy and full recovery from this.

Grandma lost the love of her life, my Grandpa, Douglas Spencer in October 1996. And this past December 13th, she lost a 15 year old great grandson. She has also lost all three of her siblings in the recent past, as well as many many friends. She has always showed so much strength during these trials and in all the trials she has ever had to overcome. She has a great faith in the Lord. She stands firm in her belief that we will all be reunited again in the next life.

I have so many fond memories of grandma from the time I was a little girl until now. There is so much I could write about but it would take up pages and pages of this blog. She has always been there for me in all the good times and in the bad. She has supported me in everything I have ever done. She is my Rock, The person I look up to most, My Hero, My Friend, My GRANDMA. I love her so very much.

My Beautiful Boy!

My beautiful boy, Jessie, has decided that he wants to live with his Father in Cedar City and has been granted that wish by the courts. This was a very sudden and unexpected surprise to me and it has left me with a huge hole in my heart and like my heart has been ripped out of my chest. On July 5th I sent him down for a 3 week visit with his dad and then I learn a week or so ago that he is not coming back to me. He came back up here on Saturday to gather his things and left on Sunday. What a devastating day that was for me and for our family. I have been his mother for over 12 years and now I won't get the opportunity to mother him on a daily basis. My heart aches as I am mourning his absense. I am trying really hard to support his decision and really hope that for him it is the best decision, that he will truly be as happy there as he says he will be. I just want him to know how much I love him and how much I truly will miss him in my daily life, how much I will miss watching him play football and baseball, how much I will miss being there for him when he gets home from school, how much I will miss every single little thing that we all take for granted. Jessie I love you!

The Carpenter Bunch

Here are some photos of our Carpenter family... kids, stepkids, grandkids, parents. We love all of our family and wish we could see you more often and be closer to you all. We Love You All So Very Much!!!

Our Story

Billy and I met almost 5 months ago on March 9, 2008. We both created a profile on LDSSingles.com about the same time. Billy sent me an IM with just a "Hi". I sent one back with just a "Hi". We then chatted online for quite sometime that day. He wanted to meet me but I said not until I can talk to you over the phone and then only in a very public place. I was very much afraid to meet him (or anyone) in person. Billy, however, was very eager to meet me and gave me his phone number. I called him and we had a phone conversation that lasted over 6 hours. After talking to him and feeling a little more comfortable I agreed to meet him a week later at temple square. However, the next day on Sunday, March 9th he asked if he could please take me to dinner. I only had a very limited amount of time because I was working nights at KraftMaid at that time and had to be to work at 8:30 and it was already 5:00 and he still had to drive down from Clearfield. I agreed to meet him at Chili's at 6:00.

Wow! What a life changing experience that meeting was! We were both very nervous but there was this HUGE instant connection between us. It was like our spirits or souls were reconnecting with each other, like we had known each other before in the pre-existence. It was an awesome and a very spiritual experience for both of us as well as a little frightening. We had dinner and talked, he held my hand and when it was time to part ways we had a good bye kiss and **WOW** that was like something we both have never experienced before. We both knew at that time that we were meant to be together. But this is something we kept to ourselves for a while longer.

We have been together ever since. Both of our lives have been changed dramatically but for the good. We are very happy and very much in love with each other. We eagerly await the moment when we can be united in marriage in this life and in the next. This should be happening very soon (we hope). We feel very blessed that we have found each other, but we also wonder why we had to wait so long, why so many years had to go by without the other in our lives.

I am so blessed to have Billy in my life. He has made me the happiest woman in the whole world. He truly loves me and treats me like a Queen. He holds every quality in a man that I prayed to Heavenly Father I would find. It was like Heavenly Father knew my hearts desires and hand picked Billy just for me and placed him in my path just at the right time when I needed him the most. It has been a long, painful and unhappy road for me until now. Out of the darkness I am finally seeing the light. Billy is my light, my love, my next breath, my everything.

I Love You so very much Babe! Thanks for always showing me your love and for caring about me enough to take care of me and my kids even when it hasn't been your responsibility to do so. I love you with all my heart and soul and look forward to a long and happy life with you.