Fantasy Football

My oh my...
so, i am in a league with joe's bros - a very interesting league - no bench... this will be a fun and fluid experience - full of trades and movement... unfortunately, i missed the draft and my team looks like this (my spouse picked these for me, i will give it a go for a week)

Drew Brees QB

Reggie Bush RB

TJ Housh (my MAN!!!) WR

San Diego DEF

plus a W/T, W/R, K, and 2 D players (i wont bore you with their names)

i am also in a league with some other people, - and that is set up normal. our live draft was last night right after the byu game... (GO COUGS!!!)

Peyton Manning QB

Chad Johnson WR

Rudi Johnson RB

Chicago DEF

plus a few more people and Vince Young as my bench QB ;)

now, joe's bro wants to start yet ANOTHER league - are you SERIOUS????? how many do we need to play with? honestly!
but, because i am competitive, i will of COURSE join it, and our draft is tomorrow morning. ;)

why do i love football season so much????

1. fantasy football - it is SO fun to play the stats game, and compete and cheer for random players you normally wouldnt give a darn about.
2. spending my weekends (and monday nights) parked and YELLING/CHEERING in front of the TV - honestly, you cant get any better!
3. spending more time with joe...

Coping strategies anyone?

So, my sweet daughter has NO coping strategies. seriously. she just breaks down - physically and emotionally - when everything is not absolutely perfect or exactly her way. i dont think i am the type of mom to just give in and give a child her way... but honestly, i cant take it anymore. you see the picture of her in the hall screaming and crying? that was just exhibit 763a. honestly, those fits happen so often, it drives me NUTS! this morning on the way into the gym, she had another episode, because she didnt like her hair the way i did it. this is how her fits go: her legs collapse, she screams and crys, there is no consolling her, i giver her hugs and tell her it will be ok, i bribe her, i hold her hand, i TRY EVERYTHING! (at least i think i try everything) but she still cant function. then, i start threatening - "i'm going to count to 3 then you will get a spanking" which doesnt help... any ideas? or is this just what i get with a girl?

3 Things

1. Aaron had his first day of school today!!! YAY! He was so excited! He is such a stud. I am so glad he gets to finally be in all day school! Here's my new 1st grader!

Here's Charity. Ya, she cried like this the ENTIRE time (from the car, to the classroom, back to the car). I could not get her to stop. People stared, I felt like a Super Mom. But, I HAD to go in and talk to his teacher, and get things to my PTA girlfriends. Notice she is still wearing what she wore yesterday? I am SOOO awesome - but that was a DIFFERENT emotional breakdown. At least my boys were in clean clothes.

2. The blinds on our back door were suffering a slow painful death at the hands of our 3 children. So, Joe and I went to the store and decided to get those cool enclosed blinds. Unfortunately, the curse of the failed home improvement projects is upon us; tried as we might, our door was just not going to give in and allow a simple install. SO, we went to the store and returned the enclosed blinds. We decided to go with an entirely NEW back door with the blinds already INSIDE the glass. I went so far as to take the door off, and take it to the store so they could measure it EXACTLY and there was no miscommunication as far as measurements go.... WELL... the door came in. It looked just right, except we needed to buy ROUNDED hinges. No biggy. With only 1 extra trip to the store, we got the door hung. It looks great!!!! Time to shut it. AGGGHHHHHH the threshold is a fraction too high (or the sweep is too big). So, we try to screw it down and poof.... the threshold is rotten and falls apart. Joe is now gone till thurs, and this is what i get to look at till i can motivate him to pick up his tools again... Another trip to the store...Positive: the blinds are in the glass, and my kids cant break them (yet?) Negative: It is SOOOO hot and gross so just imagine all the bugs and heat that will come in through my back door now :(

3. Fantasy football draft #1 done... i am having panic attacks. i had to go to church and play piano for choir, so i missed the LIVE draft for the VERY COMPETITIVE league joe and his brothers do. i gave him my draft sheet, with rankings, and even what rounds i wanted to take what in... HOWEVER, joe decided he knew what was best. he passed up carson palmer and gave me drew brees. (joe conveniently picked up palmer for HIS team). then, rather than ANYONE higher ranked (i.e. gore, westbrook were still available), i got reggie bush... not too bad, but SERIOUSLY?? well, thanks for doing my draft for me (he says i will be eating my words when i kick everyones trash) but i am doubting it. i just dont think that strategy will work for me? at least i have another league i am involved with. joe, i love you and i appreciate you caring enough about me to get those players; however, with my fantasy football luck, they will all get injured, and i am SOL when the saints have a bad game... Essentially, i feel like i am playing a settlers game where the "unbiased banker" placed my initial settlements!!! sigh.

Inspiring!

Ok, what do you think of this?
For those of you who dont want to read the story:

a 59 yr old guy got kicked off his college football team his sr year. after years of regret, he still has 1 more year of eligibility, so he is going for it. ( just IIIA school in tx) but still!!

dont we all want redemption? how long do we wait to go get it?

my thoughts in relation to this particular story:
1. i SOOOO TOTALLY relate - wow highschool cheer anyone? (unfortunately, i am past my prime, and would not DARE TO BE FOUND in a cheer skirt!!!)
2. SADLY, i think he will get his BEHIND kicked; he will prob seriously injure himself
3. i wish i had the guts to do this. i would love to go back to college and do something fun like that. not that i would do cheer or try to be younger than i am. i was just so boring and practical. i traded fun and excitement for a degree that gets me NOTHING! if i had the chance to go back - as an adult, would i?
4. i'm inspired. maybe i will go back to college or somewhere and take ceramics or jewelry or even dance again... i think i just feel like, maybe i can go do something that i always wanted to do, but didnt... (masters?)
4. finally... what position do you think he will play? i dont think he could do linebacker anymore? well, maybe??? maybe on the O-line? hmmmm if i was the coach, i would want him out there as an example, but i wouldnt want him to get hurt... i think maybe the long snapper?

Quick Explanation:

ok wanna know how steph became phanelb? when she lived w/us, it got confusing (my little sis was stephanie allen too) so, my dad (the werid genious) said: an elbow is higher than a knee, so we can have steph-a-knee (my little sister cause she was younger/shorter) and steph-an-elbow (my aunt, who was older/taller). From there, steph-an-elbow got shortened to phanelb. See, it makes perfect sense.?.

Today:

Today, we went to the zoo w/Steph (phanelb) and her kiddos... (i stole this pic from her blog cause i forgot my camera)
it was a perfect day there: we got there early. it was not crowded. it was not too hot. the white tiger was out and ANIMATED! the kids played well together. we ate lunch. we played in the indoor barn thing in texas town. we left. seriously, it doesnt get any better! I LOVE MY ZOO PASS!

ON A DIFFERENT NOTE: today is monday... i have to wait till thurs for my hubby to get home now. he just started his new consulting job at deloitte. last week, (his first at this new job) he was gone only wed & thurs. but, now, he will be gone mon-thurs EVERY WEEK!!! ok, i can do this?!??? i just have to tell myself what a great opportunity this is for him. i am independant, RIGHT?? who needs a man at home EVERY night? well, at least there is less pressure for me to clean and cook a great meal every night! (did i even do that anyways?) i guess it just hit me - i'll really miss him, but i guess i can get used to this?

SPOILER WARNING!

i fell for all the hype, and read twilight on my way to disney world, new moon on my way home, and eclipse early last week.

so, i have been putting off posting about this, but i cant take it any longer. what did you guys think? i was SOOO aggrivated by the end. seriously, stephenie meyer, when you write a 500+ page book, cant you write about more than feelings? i mean, i was tortured the whole time i read it, wondering what would happen, and in the end, NOTHING HAPPENED!!! there were no plot twists or turns. i didnt have to read closely each chapter looking for some forshadowed event. it was like she had a picture of edward and bella, a picture of jacob, and then drew a line to them all fighting together and beating the victoria character - all that took more than 500pages?? nothing else happened!!! there was nothing i had to read into. i appreciate the fact it was written for a younger audience, but even the harry potter series had important little turns that happened in each chapter! nothing of the sort happened in new moon or eclipse. ok, i get it, edward and bella are in love. couldnt jacob have imprinted with angela or something? couldnt SOMETHING else of importance happen? right now, i have invested 3 days of my life to reading this "trilogy" and i am just frustrated. i think i am going back to jane austen.

Nate's Haircut

So, i chopped it off... all those precious curls...

i think he looks so much older?

Fantasy Football Anyone?

if i had #1: Or #2:

ok, i LOVE football!!! i am so excited even about preseason. are any of you playing fantasy football??? well, i am, and my husband and i are pretty competitive about it.

Anyways, i watched the 1st half (cause that is really all that mattered) of the cowboys against the colts last night. i am excited about tony romo - who knows, will he be my qb??? anyone have opinions about dallas defense? i dont think i will go with them. but, i am a die hard dallas fan, so i have to pick at least a few of the players! (NOT for my K, but maybe for my W/T or WR) any opinions out there? what sites do you use for your cheat sheets?

of course, i depend on http://www.fftoolbox.com/ but i also found

http://mvn.com/brunoboys2007-cheatsheet.pdf

i liked the info they put together, but it lost a bit of credibility when they used roy williams, fiery, and "led by" in the same sentance when they were talking about dallas' D.

anyways, WOO HOO for football!!!

Disney World

So, we went on a last minute trip to florida & disney world

So, if you are wondering how this happened:

joe is in "transition" - changing jobs (his new one starts monday)

SO, he came home and said, lets take the kids to disney world during that week i am "unemployed" ;)

i jumped on board immediately... so, friday, after his last day of work at his old job, we drove down to houston to drop the baby off w/joe's mom and sis-in-law (and to hang out w/his bro too) then, sunday, we DROVE to florida (about 13.5 hrs). We did Magic Kingdom on monday, then Tues, we hopped around from Animal Kingdom, Epcot and then ended up at Magic Kingdom again till midnight. Then, wed, we slept in and drove back to houston. the kids were great. nate didnt miss me at all, and everything worked out perfectly. my kids are seriously AWESOME in the car (joe prefers complete silence as he drives, and they comply)

My Laundry

Happy cleaning day!!! ;)

They forgot this verse in "If You Could Hie To Kolob"

There is no end to Laundry

There is no end to dust

There is no end to dishes

There is no end to rust.

There is no end to diapers

There is no end to crud

There is no end to cleaning

There is no end to mud.

so, am i the only person in the world who waits and waits and waits to put laundry away? i have no problem doing it, and even folding it and putting it into bins and piles for their respective destinations... but do i really have to put it away?

and, to be honest, i have 2 more loads processing and one more in the queue.... ahhhhhh laundry! ;)

truth is told me

So, i did one of those quiz things...

You Are An ESTP

The Doer You are adventurous and risk taking. You act first, think second. You love being the center of attention. Chances are you were the class clown. Competitive, charming, and charismatic - you have your own code of honor. You live a flexible life, bouncing between a series of activities that interest you. In love, you are a master seducer... and quite manipulative when you want to be. If someone loves you, you'll only believe their actions. Words don't mean a whole lot to you. At work, you are a "people person." You're especially good at getting people to do what you want. You would make a great salesperson, marketing director, or entrepreneur. How you see yourself: Reasonable, proficient, and tough How other people see you: Flaky, unrealistic, and untrustworthy

What's Your Personality Type?

ok, i am NOT the master seducer, i am NOT very good at getting other people to do what i want, and i would DEFINATELY NOT make a good salesperson/entrepeneur...

BUT lets focus on the end there...
How you see yourself: Reasonable, proficient, and tough
How other people see you: Flaky, unrealistic, and untrustworthy

truth hurts, but, i think i can face it. I KNOW THIS ABOUT MYSELF!!! for example, how many times have i set up VT appointments and forgotten about them!!

OR... 8 years ago, i convinced my husband i was ALL logical and not emotional at all. joe still brings up that conversation, cause apparently, i AM emotional (although in my head, i feel completely rational!)

A Day at the Museum

So, i took my kids to the Fort Worth Science Museum today... they had a big star wars exhibit... we had a lot of fun. i couldn't resist getting these pics!

then we took the kids upstairs to the planetarium... um, maybe if they were all older they would have enjoyed it... i went with 2 of my girlfriends (so together, we had 10 kids under 9) and that was not the place for crazy kiddos... oh well - live and learn?

so, after that fiasco, we just went down to the kid's play place and they all were able to be more themselves - wild and crazy, and us moms got a chance to do our favorite thing: sit and watch.

it was an exhausting day, but lots of fun!

Tagged

Ok, i cant help it!
i was tagged by Laura

Some Jobs I’ve had:
Besides Mom/piano teacher?
1. Receptionist Great Western Homes
2. Janitor/web designer for my dad! ;)
3. TA in Computer Science Lab
4. Computer Programmer at a radiology company

Places to go for a weekend getaway:
??? i dont get those?
1. Houston (to see Fam/friends/cousins?)
2. Vegas
3. I wish i could go somewhere?
4. a hotel??? anywhere????

Movies I can watch over and over again:
1. Legally Blonde
2. Talledega Nights
3. Harry Potter (any of them)
4. Pride & Prejudice

My guilty pleasures:
1. Cookies & milk at noon
2. wearing a bikini
3. doing sudoku
4. wasting time on the internet/not cleaning my house?

Places I have lived:
1. Mesa, AZ
2. Provo, UT
3. New Providence, NJ
4. Keller, TX

Places I have been on vacation:
1. Denmark/Sweden
2. Spain
3. Paris/Germany
4. Canada

Favorite Foods:
1. Cookies & Milk
2. Icecream with magic shell
3. those hawaiian chocolate macadamia nut things
4. anything itallian

First things you thought when you saw your significant other:
1. Funny
2. charasmatic
3. Outgoing
4. peter priesthood (ok, i met him in sunday school...singles ward....)

If in a jam with Spouse, what tactics do you use to get out of the doghouse?
um, i dont have any tactics... write a mean song w/the guitar? let it blow over?

Wesites I visit daily:
1. Blogs
2. yahoomail
3. shockwave.com
4. websudoku.com

Best First Kiss Landmark:
1. at a park
2. in a car
3. on a couch
4. camping somewhere beautiful?
(um, disclaimer, i kissed a few people - there are funny stories... but we dont have time for all that)

Places I’d rather be right now:
1. Shopping (and having $ to spend)
2. in bed? showered & clean?
3. on a vacation w/my kiddos and hub
4. anywhere w/my sisters?

Now I get to tag four other blog buddies:
1. You
2. that person
3. reading this
4. surprise me

Harry Potter

Am i the only one who HAD to read this Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows?

Ok, i can get back to reality. i have finished the whole series, and i am very pleased. i was glad that it ended the way i hoped it would. thanks jk rowling for not going crazy and keeping it aimed at children. i was getting worried hearing about all the deaths that were imminent. i kept thinking that it would end up a depressing series... HOWEVER, i guess the whole HARRY POTTER thing was aimed at 5th graders, and so, the way it ended made me very happy. unlike the ending of the book WICKED... (not aimed at 5th graders)

a great site: http://www.mugglenet.com/

some people dont like the epilogue at the end? i did... well, i wished it went on a little longer (explaining more about the future) but i am cheesy and LOVE seeing those things! isnt that why i love legally blonde? because at the end we got to see a few years in the future?

Joe liked to laugh at me cause i was reading this book... but i dont think i was crazy. i still did stuff with the kids, and wasnt completely CONSUMED... i mean, (due to trying to better balance my job as a mom) it took me sunday AND monday to read the book... (rather than just 1 day like the previous ones) i am curious what you guys (those who read it and those who didnt) thought?

So, on Monday, we found out my little niece has lukemia. We are so bummed. She is just Charity's age, and so sweet and beautiful. We are all praying for her.

Anyways, we decided to ship her something (but the hospital doesnt allow plants or flowers?) so after searching online, i came across a GREAT teddy bear site. a LOT less expensive than vermont teddy bear, and i LOVE that you can personalize so many things on it! in an email i just got, they said they upgraded my shipping and are refunding me money for it too! they said, please tell friends about us, so, i am doing it.
http://800bear.com/

This is mambo, and he will have a tshirt that says jillian's feel better monkey and a sunshine on it.

As for my neice, (and my sis-in-law's family) they are in for a long hard journey, and we hope it all turns out ok.

All this makes me pause and think about how much i love my children. Patrice (my sis-in-law) is the best mom in the world. her kids are amazing and beautiful. they are one of those families that you just see how loving and amazing they all are... anyways, there is such a long road ahead of them... as parents, we would all be willing to go to the ends of the earth and back to save our child. i just cant imagine the fear and heart ache they must be feeling right now. We are all praying for you guys!

Our Office Fan

So, funny story:
our office has the UGLIEST lighting in the world - that cheapy brass light fixture. Anyways, we decided to replace it with a BEAUTIFUL fan from home depot. we have done other lighting/fan projects in the house, so we considered ourselves pretty experienced professionals by now....

we got it all up and it was GEORGEOUS! while finishing the final plug-ins of the light part, joe fell and our poor bookshelf fell victim to the project (the top of it was destroyed)... not a big price to pay (we thought) we could use a new bookself anyways??? WELL....it worked great - for about a day and a half... then, for no reason, the wiring died! the light just stopped working. my professional electritian of a husband, climbed back up there and checked the wiring... it was all dead.... AGGHHHH we bought a new switch, we double checked all the wiring, we did everything short of rewiring the whole room... then, joe was so frustrated cause he wasted 3 days on a stupid project. SO, he just took it down - let me tell you - he was pretty aggrivated.

BUT the story doesnt end there....

Aaron was so thrilled to get a box. he LOVES making things out of boxes. As soon as the fan was up, he took the box and had all kinds of plans for it - he convinced me to help him make a box plane. he told me exactly how to do it too - i worked the sissors and he told me where and how to do everything... he was SO specific! i was laughing!!! anyways, here is his AWESOME box plane....

ya, that is the box the fan came in :)

Ok, now back to the original story....

SO, joe decided to take the fan down. let me remind you: he was pretty aggrivated! we were down a bookshelf, and now our wiring in the office was all busted.... he wants to return the fan but the box is now a plane... so, he seriously took it apart and just put all the pieces in the car and took it back to homedepot. about 2 mins after he left i get a phone call. as he pulled away, something fell on the glass part of the fan light and smashed it. AGGGHHHHHH. he was going to try to return it still (i was doubtful) but thankfully, home depot let him return it (the broken glass bowl was conveniently not in the cart full of fan stuff that joe brought in). So, he came back home and it was dark. we reinstalled the ugly fixture (but that was at least a step above nothing) using the one good wire left... but we lost the switch!!! we tore apart the whole house. you can imagine the frustration that we were feeling at this point... so, the next day, joe went out and had to buy a new switch... we put it all behind us - that project just costed us a lot of frustration, a lot of wasted time, and a bookshelf, and we didnt even get anything out of it but a new light switch? after it was all cleaned up, of course we found the old light switch... but i guess that is just to be expected. i think the room is cursed?

No More Braces!

Joe got his braces off... i think he looks quite nice! Here's the pic just before he got them off....

and here's the after!!!!


i think he looks quite handsome!!! what do you think????

I'm Back and in effect

So, i got back a week ago... it has taken me this long to sit back at my computer... just havent been very motivated.

Here is my last set of pics from hawaii... the underwater camera.

i was glad to get home... i really missed joe. he missed me too ;) we have seriously been honeymooning ever since - and i LOVE it! :) i think i need to get away every year!!!

The best part of living here on the 4th of July is what i like to call the war zone... it is this field outside city limits (in Justin) where hundreds of pyros go and light off their own fireworks. words can not describe the mayhem... imagine smoke, and crazy people shooting fireworks off all in one place - i mean the BIG fireworks... so it is like the finale to a fireworks show that just goes on and on and on... add in some crazy bottle rockets shooting every which way, and screamers and fountains... times a hundred, and that is what you get here...

seriously, i am like a child. i LOVE fireworks - especially doing my own! we bought bottle rockets, artillery shells, roman candles, some fountains, and a mini pyro set for the kids to do whatever (with sparklers and fountains and smoke bombs etc) i think joe and i had more fun than our kids, but by the end, aaron was ALL about lighting off bottle rockets all by himself... too bad next year they will be illegal... we lured a bunch of friends there with us... we even got kysha and thomas b* (who just so happen to be up here for their prodigy of a 4 year old daughter who was doing a violin camp.) side note: seriously, summer is 4 years old, and can play violin SOOOO well... i mean WAY beyond twinkle - like the REAL classical songs. WOW!

Anyways, Happy 4th of July! it is good to be home (although, i miss hawaii) hopefully the rain here will stop!!!

HighSchool Senior Year

I saw this on audra's blog... thought it looked fun!

My High School Senior Year

1. Who was your best friend? becky w.

2. What sports did you play? cheer

3. What kind of car did you drive? whatever car i could snake from my parents/sisters - sometimes i lucked out with the green chevy s10, sometimes i got the honda accord, and sometimes, i got stuck with the AWESOME 1979 mustard yellow ford ltd... all those cars are near and dear to my heart, and i had MANY memories in all of them!!!

4. It's Friday night, where were you? Football season - the game... otherwise, hangin out - trying to have as much fun as i could... maybe doing a bit of philosophising????

5. Were you a party animal? yes ;)

6. Were you considered a flirt? maybe? guys werent really in the picture that year? or maybe i just have selective memory?

7. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? in my heart - yes. in reality - no.

8. Were you a nerd? Yes. i LOVED taking hard classes and getting in deep discussions... didnt really win me any 'cool' points

9. Did you get suspended or expelled? um, i got into enough trouble... no need for details.

10. Can you sing the fight song? yes, and i can STILL do the dance too (i WAS a cheerleader) and it is FOREVER ingrained in my memory

11. Who were your favorite teachers? Besides good ol' bro. Downey??? i dont remember their names... but i LOVED my AP Chem teacher (that old guy who was big?) although i didnt take chem sr year, i still would drop by and say hi to him! i LOVED my AP physics teacher (we did extra credit at the dog shows) and i think Mrs Colgate? was that the name of the english teacher? i dont remember, but she impacted my life too.

12. Where did you sit during lunch? In a classroom to do my homework, OR, i would just go ANYWHERE... a park, a restaurant, ANYWHERE w/my friends!

13. What is your schools full name? Mountain View High School

14. School mascot? The Toro...

15. Did you go to Prom? Yes!!! :)

16. If you could go back and do it over, would you? um, although i would LOVE to go back and change some of the things that happened, getting through those times made me who i am, and i prob wouldnt be where i am today w/out all the good/bad consequences to my actions... so, really that question is do you like where you are today? the answer is yes. so, i could NOT go back and do it over. (nor would i want to)

17. What do you remember most about graduation? um, i prob shouldnt write much down and post it to the world, but i remember sneaking into the grad party at that water park... and i remember being sorry i had to wake up real early for a flight to europe the next morning...

18. What was your favorite class? ceramics (i took that in place of cheer 2nd semester) and physics. (at least senior year) i had so much fun w/my buddies in there!

19. Where were you on senior skip day? i never knew there was an official senior skip day, but i think i got my max and even more (i got pretty crafty when it came to ditching class) - i would go to the park, or to jamie's house, or out to eat, or to the mall, or just walk around not in class... wherever the wind took me.

20. Did you have a job your senior year? No - i was too busy. well, actually, i taught piano, and i think i was helping the tumbling class at the dance studio? but to be honest, i dont remember.

21. Where did you go most often for lunch? depends on who i was with? classroom for my homework, schlotskys, wendys, filabertos, i dont remember? jamie's house?


22. Have you gained weight since then? nope - maybe now i am a little smaller - blame it on atrophy! my nice muscular legs and shoulders are GONE

23. What did you do after graduation? i did that party, then wisked off to europe, then got "sent" to NM with my grandparents, then headed up to byu... where life really began!

24. Who was your Senior prom date? jarrett - he was the validictorian... he was so fun, and we had a very memorable time! i loved that group of people!!! i wonder where they all are now?????

25. Did you go to your 10 year reunion? it is in october, and honestly, i think i am going to go... i think it would be fun to find all these people again!