Love Letters

This picture is of my Grandma Emery. She's my Mom's Mom. She's 85-years-old and still works full-time at her beauty salon! We lived with her a few summers ago.

I'm not the greatest at staying in touch, but I try to call on her birthday and Christmas and send the occasional letter. This week I got some pictures together and decided we should all write Grandma a letter. This is how Joel's looked:

Hopefully, Grandma won't read this letter from bottom to top, as Joel wrote it. It says, "This is for You. Dear Grandma, I do like Grandma Malone but I'm sending you a letter. Joel Malone." Nice.

HISTORY

This may be my favorie picture of Matt's childhood. It says so much to me. Krepps Park in the late summer. Matt, always the carefree kid. Carey, always right behind him. (Later on, she was usually a step or two ahead). I found this picture among a stack of pictures from Matt's childhood in our car. Yes, our car. And what's worse, they've been in there for YEARS! I don't know why Matt and I haven't moved them to a safer location. Maybe we both love to look at them during the inevitable waiting that happens in the car. Whatever the reason, this picture got me thinking about Carey...














Matt and I each have a long history with Carey. Matt and Carey were born a short 12 months from each other. I still can't imagine how hard that must've been on their Mom. But it also had a wonderful effect--they were almost like twins! They did everything together as children and were very close through their childhoods.


















As teenagers, Matt and Carey shared friends. They were only a grade apart in school and a party at Carey's house was a party at Matt's. Although I knew them as child, I really entered the picture in Jr. High. Matt was best friends with my brother, Joel. Carey and I were best friends. Believe it or not, we had a few siblings' sleepovers before our parents wised up! I have many happy memories of long late-night talks with Carey. And for all the fun and happy memories, I have just as many of the other kind. I want you to know I am smiling right now, remembering endless fights I had with Carey. I don't think any two blood sisters have fought and made up more than Carey and I did! I think that's part of what makes our history so strong!















And so it went. In highschool Joel and Carey dated. It mostly enhanced our relationship :) Matt and I did NOT date, but we were in the same grade and therefore spent a lot of time together working on school projects and generally hanging out.

Most of the important memories of my life include carey. Girls Camp, Mutual, EFY, Seminary and School. Friday nights and Holidays. Most of them were spent with Carey. Carey was my confidant. She and I could talk for HOURS about anything from what boy we might like to why so-and-so would've said such a thing. I always counted Carey as one of the best friends of my life. And that was BEFORE we made it official and I married her brother.

You know the funny thing? Not much has changed! I guess when you put all the pieces together, it's like Carey was my sister long ago. We acted like sisters then and we act like sisters now. We still disagree sometimes. We still talk for hours on end. Most of the memories I make include her. I don't know what I would've done without her, but I know my life wouldn't have been the same if Carey hadn't been such a big part of it.

I love you, Carey! Happy Birthday!

Disney on Ice and Things I Might Miss

We took the kids to Disney on Ice's Finding Nemo last night. It was phenomenal, really. I think Matt and I enjoyed it as much as the kids!

Of course, Disney can really gouge you. They lure you in with affordable ticket prices (by affordable, I mean we got ours free and the other schmucks paid $20-$35). After you're already in, you meet this guy...

...then your kids cry until they get some variation of sugar mixed with a plastic nemo replica. Case in point: here's a picture of our kids eating $10 snow cones! I had to take a picture to somehow justify the million% markup.

In other news, I found this on my computer tonight:

I know, you probably don't find online auto insurance popups very interesting. Look closer...

Yep, that's it. Right there in the zip code line. H U L K. It might as well say "Joel was here". You know, I have never considered myself one of those moms who will cry when she wipes the last fingerprints off her sliding glass door. But I have to say, I just sat at the computer and smiled. I know I will miss this little guy someday. Someday Joel will be worried about girls and sports and grades and.. who knows? But he won't be worried about superheroes. I think I'm gonna miss him. A few other things I think I'll miss?

I love my babies!

Too Much of a Good Thing

Everyone keeps asking for pictures of the snow. Here ya go... I finally got up the energy to shovel the walk. I know there's nothing to draw perspective from, but the snow is up to my knees!

The snow between the bushes is really climbing up there and half-way up the light pole!

The top of the grill has a foot of snow on it. Or more?

Notice the deer tracks in our backyard!

We have a holly tree! I just realized this today!

This cool red fence borders one line of our property.

This shed belongs to the house.

Lots of mature trees in the backyard.

And it's still snowing.

LUXURY

You've probably heard the idea of choosing a word to define your year as part of a New Year's Resolution. If you haven't, feel free to read here or here. I , myself, had heard the idea a few times but never thought to try it on my own. Until now.

Over the past few weeks I've been thinking a lot about luxuries. You know, the kinds other people have, but I don't...Or the kinds I don't know if I wish I had...Or the kinds I wish someone else could have...Or the kinds I'd like to provide for my children. You get the idea. Most of my luxuries were stuff, I have to admit. Boats, tropical vacations, nice cars and houses, expensive clothes, you get the idea. Gradually, though, my thought process shifted a little to luxuries of choice. So many of the luxuries we enjoy or do not enjoy are a matter of choice. Want some examples? Thought you'd never ask...

1. The luxury of not feeling tired all the time. This is a luxury that we can easily provide for ourselves if we will just CHOOSE to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

2. The luxury of having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Again, we can CHOOSE to have this by inviting the spirit into our lives or choose to squeeze him out by allowing things that will offend him.

3. The luxury of not feeling fat in my clothes. I think you know what I will have to CHOOSE to provide myself with this luxury. But anyone who has experienced it both ways will agree, it is a luxury to feel good in your clothes!

4. The luxury of being in a good mood. I have given this one a lot of thought. I could provide this luxury to my entire family--a mother who's in a good mood. It is definitely something you CHOOSE, although it is sometimes a difficult choice.

5. The luxury of time alone with my husband. It's about priorities, isn't it? I have to CHOOSE to make the sacrifices necessary, but it's worth it!

6. The luxury of self respect. I think this ones comes when you CHOOSE to rise above and beyond what you have done in the past. It comes when you CHOOSE to use self control in areas you may have been slacking before.

Well, you get the picture. The list could go on and on. And, so, my word for 2010 is Luxury. I resolve to provide myself and my family with some luxuries of choice this year. This short list represents a few of them.

What are your resolutions?

Oh, and here are a few cute pics of Norah...couldn't help myself. (I have the luxury of a cute baby).

It's All Uphill from Here

I guess we haven't passed the grace period for how long you can do touristy things in your own town, right? It's only been a month, after all. Today we celebrated the last day of Christmas vacation by taking the kids to the "World's Steepest Vehicular Inclined Plane" here in Johnstown. It was FRIGID!!!! Have I mentioned this town lives hard when it comes to weather? It is cold and it never stops snowing! I just try to keep reminding myself that the spring and fall will be glorious. I hope I'm right! Afterwards, we took our kids to another unique local spot--the theatre cafe. That's right, folks, step right up to buy tickets to see your favorite movie and order your lunch along with it! Imagine normal theatre with the rows a little farther apart. A bar lines the back of the seats in front of you so you have somewhere to put your food. Pretty Sa-weet, as Jack would say!