quick trip to Cali

The first weekend in August, we headed to the beach. When you're living in a hotel, you might as well travel on the weekends, no? We went to visit Aaron's brother, Brett and his cute wife Kate in sunny Californ-IA.

The boys had such a good time in the water. It was a little cold (compared to Hawaii ocean temperature) but everyone got in. A few waves toppled over Luke and I tried hard not to laugh (because it WASN'T funny.)

We had a great time playing in the sand. Each of our boys wanted to be buried and Zack lasted all of 2 seconds under the sand. He "didn't YIKE it berry much!"

Aaron and Brett helped the kids build an awesome sandcastle while Kate and I laid out on the beach. It was a great day... we always love playing with B&K! Just after we arrived home, Aaron and I quickly changed clothes and headed to Hollywood Blvd to see the Broadway show Wicked! It was a great night.


Note to self: If your husband says "work it" while you're posing with Michael Jackson's Hollywood star, that means he's looking down your blouse and he's gonna take a picture of your cleavage. I'm so glad I know how to Photoshop it out.. so I can keep my blog PG rated. If only I could really get good at editing and change my face to Cindy Crawford's.. but I don't actually want to look like a 40 year old. And I guess you wanna know why I still love MJ after his 400 face surgeries and child molestation accusations? Because his music rocks my world. so just beat it.

One of the best memories we have of this Cali trip was on the drive home (no, not the part when we drove 30 miles in the wrong direction.) We stopped for dinner at a yummy diner and while we were waiting for our food to arrive, we had an INTENSE starring contest. Aaron and Ben were the final two (big surprise.. they are both crazy competitors!) I honestly didn't think Ben could beat him because Aaron will never lose at anything. But, guess who won? That's right.. little Benny. Aaron's eyes were so dry after not blinking for so long that both of his contacts POPPED out of his eyes-- they both landed on the table at the same time and we could not stop laughing. He had to go out to the car and get contact solution to put them back in because they were shriveled up (and he couldn't see anything because he's blind.) Maybe it was one of those "you had to be there moments" but I wanted to write about it anyway.

lessons learned while living in a hotel..

• If you are going to spend a month in one small room with your family make sure it's during the Olympics. There's usually nothing on TV (except for Law and Order, which runs 24/7) so being able to watch the Olympics together was such a thrill! Of course, we wished we had our DVR so we could rewind the good stuff (and fast forward the commercials) but Beijing 2008 will be memorable for our family. We stayed up WAY too late!

• Bed-jumping should be considered an Olympic sport for 2012. It takes serious practice and effort. High scores were given for form, speed, and concentration.

• Three boys can EASILY fit in one hotel bed. But some nights they would rather make a "bed" on the floor.. and that's okay-- as long as they eventually fall asleep. (And after their "Hotel Olympics" they were usually exhausted.) Zack was always the last one awake- go figure.
  

• If your hotel curtains are shut tight and you keep your room cool and DARK, the kids will sleep in until lunch time! Now that's my kind of vacation.
  

• You MUST have access to a swimming pool... especially in Vegas when all you do is swim, eat, swim, meet your husband for lunch, swim, take a nap, swim, watch a little TV and then go to bed.

• Don't pack very much. Less is always better. If you run out of clean clothes for your kids to wear, keep them in their swimsuits all day. If their swimsuits get dirty, take them swimming. All problems solved.

• When your 7 year old gets out of bed in the middle of the night and opens the door to your room (instead of the bathroom door) wake up and stop him from walking down the hotel hallway. When you ask him what he's doing, laugh when he says, "No Thank You" with his eyes closed. But don't go back to bed and tell your husband about it. He has to work the next morning and doesn't want to talk at 3 am.

• Stay in a hotel where there are fun things to do, like daily stingray feedings and mermaid shows. Make your boys go even if they say they hate mermaids. They will complain and try not to look at the mermaid when her face is inches away from theirs, but secretly they like it..
  

• Going in an elevator is thrilling no matter HOW many times a day you ride. It's very important to take turns pushing the buttons, or a fight will brake out. When you have more than one elevator to ride, it's really fun to stand in front of the one you think will open first. This can be quite an exciting game for little kids.

• If you're bored and don't have anything else to do, collect McDonald's Star Wars bobble head toys. Make sure to pick a set that has a LOT of toys--say, like 18. Your kids will think it's a treasure hunt and you will become the coolest mom on the planet-- especially if you make the drive-thru workers go in the back room to check what other toys were just shipped to them. When they come back with a new toy, your kids will shriek with excitement.

• DON'T take your kids to the drive-in (or any theater) to see the new Star Wars movie. It's really, r.e.a.l.l.y bad..
  

• Make sure to drain the water immediately after your relaxing bubblebath-- because a little somebody might want to get in, even though he's fully dressed.
  

• And even though you want to scream and yell at your 2 year old because he's crazy and loud and thinks he's the energizer bunny at midnight, don't. Because he's just so lovable. Stop trying to hate him and realize that soon he'll be old and grown and you'll really miss this freckle face.. tongue out and all.

getting settled...

We're in. You heard me. We got our keys yesterday and we are finally unpacking. It feels so good to be HOME! The beds are made and the computer is up and running (the two necessities, of course.) I just downloaded over 400 pictures of our homeless adventures and I will get around to blogging them eventually, but right now I am going to unpack my kitchen. I cannot tell you how excited I am to whip up a home-cooked meal! We have a gazillion things to do and projects to start... I am so looking forward to a LONG weekend!

I just want to say THANK YOU to all who have helped us this past month. Our friends and neighbors here in Vegas have been more than incredible. Moving out on such short notice was crazy, but somehow we did it. Zack, being the little demon that he is, managed to pour out an entire bag of cocoa pebble cereal just minutes before the men from our ward came to help us move. It was a disaster..

We had 15 muscle men show up to help move us out... I didn't take a picture of all of them because that would have embarrassed my husband-- but it was quite the crowd and we're grateful to them. Then-- all the wives came over to help me clean and it was a party! Loud music, good food, dust busters, and all. I love these ladies and I am so glad we're still neighbors!



The biggest THANKS (of all) goes to our agent PAUL for everything he's done. Last night he and Aaron single handedly unloaded our temporary storage unit. He has been great through this whole process and I am sure he's going to miss Aaron's never ending phone calls. I also want to say thanks to Paul's wife, Krista for letting us store the rest of our stuff in their garage this past month! We owe you guys BIG TIME and we'll have to take you out to dinner when things settle down!

frustrated. tired. anxious. excited. impatient.

So, we "closed" on our house Friday the 22nd.. The title company told us it would be about 24-48 hours before we got the keys to our house and we could move in. It's five days later and we are STILL waiting. I honestly have been doing okay up until this point. My kids have been great, it's been somewhat of a vacation staying in a hotel week after week, but ENOUGH already. The word on the street is that we get our keys today, but I am not counting my chickens until they hatch. Until then I am feeling every emotion under the sun.

You know, I really hate complaining. I realize I have every reason to (HELLO-- I have been homeless for a month!) But I also know that I have also been very blessed. So, instead of leaving you on a sad note, I am going to post a few emotion posters that were inspired by my mother in law's birthday present.

These are my cousin Bethany's kids. Three boys about the same ages as mine...
They moved back to Utah and we really miss having family in Vegas!
(click on the image to enlarge it)

And Andrea and Matthias are good friends from high school. Could their boys be any cuter?

It's really NOT hard to create these collages. Bethany and Anj took the pictures of their boys and sent them to me via email. It took me about an hour to edit them and combine them on photoshop. Of course, it's nothing professional, but I think they turned out pretty cute... if I do say so myself :)

Our Adopted Grandma

I have been wanting to introduce you to a dear friend of mine for some time now. She means so much to me and even though I have only known her for two short years, she has been such an influence for good in my life. I feel privileged and grateful to have a friend like her and thought you would all benefit from getting to know her better.

The short intro is this: Bev is 80 years old.. She is going to hate that I told you her age, but she should be PROUD of it! She has said herself, "80 is the new 60." And she is right about that! She is spunky and energetic and fun. She stays in shape with Weight Watchers and her weekly yoga classes. She volunteers at the local hospital. She has an immaculate garden in Spokane, WA. (The hardest thing about leaving Spokane was moving away from Bev --but I couldn't convince her to move to Vegas!) She is a widow who has been through tremendous heartache in her life. She has lived abroad while her husband served in the Armed Forces. She is a SURVIVOR. She has buried all three of her children, two daughters and one son. She lost her son a few hours after he was born, and both of her daughters died tragically as adults. She was never able to have grandchildren of her own, but she has adopted mine. Even though we have no blood relation, she is a part of my family. She is one of my greatest examples and one of my dearest friends. We met two short years ago, but she knows me better than most people. I am truly grateful for the relationship we have and for the things she has taught me. Our story is not one that happens everyday. If you want the long version-- keep reading.

I have mentioned in earlier posts about my difficult time in Spokane, WA while Aaron was in law school. I was living in an area with lots of fun people and I was doing my best to reach out and make friends, but I wasn't able to connect with anyone. I had just had baby #3 and as wonderful as my husband was, he just wasn't around. As Mother's Day 2006 approached, I was missing my family... and I felt as though I had hit rock bottom. The Sunday before, I was really emotional. I was finishing up the dishes from a meal my husband wasn't able to attend because of his church responsibilities and just as I was about to have a break down, I had a distinct impression come over me. As I was looking out the window, with my hands in the sink, I had the impression to call an elderly lady in my ward (whom I had seen only once and whom I had never spoken with.) I couldn't remember her name and wondered why her face had popped into my head. Just as I was pushing away the thought, AGAIN the impression came that I needed to call her, and I needed to do it NOW. I dried my hands and grabbed the ward directory, thumbing through pictures, trying to recognize her face. But she wasn't there.. so I called the Bishop to see if he could help me. The Bishop wasn't home, but his wife was and she listened to my description of a woman I had never met. "Several months ago, a woman stood at the podium during Sacrament meeting and spoke of losing her entire family.. I remember her well. She was tall and slender and mentioned that her husband and three children were buried in Idaho. Do you happen to know her name?" The Bishop's wife rattled off a few names of widows in the ward, but none of them seemed to fit the description. When I hung up the phone, I was discouraged... but a few minutes later, she called me back and knew exactly who I was talking about, "Her name is Beverly Olson. She is recently widowed and doesn't attend church very often." And that was the beginning.

I called Bev that evening and wasn't exactly sure what I was going to say.. "Hi. I was doing dishes in my kitchen earlier today and felt like I should call you," was NOT what I opened the conversation with. Instead I invited her over for dinner on Mother's Day. She declined. She wasn't feeling well and had recently had knee surgery. "Then would it be alright if we brought dinner to you?" Again, she said no. But I wasn't about to take NO for an answer. I told her that this was more for me than it was for her. I was lonely. I lived far away from my family and needed someone to visit on Mother's Day. She may not let me take her dinner, but no one could turn down a plate of cookies. Finally, she accepted. I hung up the phone and realized that I had just invited myself (and my husband and my three little ones) over to someone's house that I had never met... I was a little worried because I knew she was a Grandma-- and we all know that all women over a certain age have homes that are just filled with trinkets and little things to brake. I crossed my fingers that it would be a good visit.

It was a wonderful visit. Bev was kind, gracious and welcomed us into her home. We sat and talked with her for a few hours about her life and the things she had been through. While sitting in her lovely home, I realized that the impression I had a week earlier in my kitchen was anything but coincidence. She has my mother's name and her first born was named Janet. We had an instant connection and I believe we all felt it that first meeting.

We had her over the following week for dinner. She immediately adopted us... she always had a present or book for my kids and was a natural with little Zack. She always asked how I was feeling-- she wanted to know the full health report and I appreciated that (and still do) that she cared so much about me and how I was feeling. She was the only person we visited when we were dressed up in our Wizard of Oz costumes. She took us out to restaurants. She sends our kids cards in the mail with dollar bills (and of course they LOVE that!) She knows what's going on in my life and always asks me how I am doing. I can talk to her about everything and she always takes my side! I love hearing the advice she has to give.. whatever the subject may be! We talk weekly on the phone and a couple of times we've talked until midnight! She's a night owl and one HIP 80 year old. She always gives me the scoop on things... the latest movies, the Hollywood gossip, etc. I will never forget one phone call when she said, "Well, you know Lindsay Lohan is gay, right?" I was shocked to hear it, but I am so glad I have someone to keep in the the KNOW! I love Bev and have benefited so much from her example. I have asked her to write about her life experience and allow me to post it on my blog.

Tomorrow I will be posting HER story, in her words. Stay tuned and make sure to give Bev a shout out! I know she will appreciate it!

My Journey Thru Grief

My story begins on March 2nd, 1954 with the death of an 8 pound baby boy a few hours after birth in an Air Force Base Hospital in Bitburg, Germany a month after I arrived there to join my husband who was stationed there. My oldest daughter, Janet who was 4 and a half and I had flown there in early February.

We named him Dennis James and he was buried in an American section of a cemetery in Frankfurt.

Anyone who has lost a baby knows how devastating it is compounding the loss was being thousands of miles away from family in a foreign country. Janet, who had been begging for a baby brother or sister for awhile was sad when her Dad told her we wouldn't be bringing one home from the hospital. She had playmates at our previous home at Ft. Lewis, WA including a cute little African-American boy. She asked if the hospital only had black babies.. (she figured the reason why they didn't bring a baby home was because they didn't have any of their race.)

My husband, Dick, was discharged from the Army Air Corp in December, 1945 having spent time flying The Hump over India, Burma and China during WW2. We met shortly after that and were married Sept., 1946 after I graduated from high school.

We had been married 4 years when he was called back to active duty during the Korean War. Janet was 18 months when he went to Korea and 3 years old when he returned in 1952. He had decided to make the army a career and after 18 months at Ft. Lewis he had orders for Germany with an army engineer group attached to the air force.

It seemed as if most of the wives there at the air fore base were pregnant and it was heart breaking that mine didn't live. He was perfect except a serious heart defect. Today the government would send the family back to the states on a compassionate transfer but not in the 50's. We still had nearly 3 years to go before returning to the states. I was very depressed and prayed a lot.

God was good and eleven months later I gave birth at the same air force hospital to a baby girl we named Denise Lyn. She couldn't replace Dennis but brought us much joy.

We returned to the states in 1956 when she was 18 months old and Janet 7. We arranged for Dennis to be disinterred and his body was sent to Dover, Delaware and on to our home town of Rigby.

Dick was army reserve adviser in Terre Haute, Indiana for 2 years and Ft. Collins, Colorado another two years. Then we returned to Germany in 1960 for another 3 year tour of duty. During our nearly 6 years there we visited some of Dick's family in Sweden (his father was born there) and many other countries.

Returning to the states in Sept. 1963 We were assigned to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia near Washington D.C. August 1965 he was sent to Vietnam for a year and the girls and I returned to Rigby to live near family for a year. The girls were 16 and 10.

His last assignment before retiring in 1968 was as Area Commander of the army reserves in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho with headquarters in Spokane, WA. We had decided we would be making Spokane our home.

On Oct. 3rd, 1969, Janet, 20, died of injuries in an auto accident having been broadsided by a drunk driver a block behind our house. She was going to nursing school and working nights at Valley Hospital and Medical Center.

Losing the baby was so hard and now we were grieving the loss of a twenty year old daughter. There was no support group in our church like The Compassionate Friends like there is today.

Dick, Denise and I struggled with our grief and in my own grief I don't think I helped Denise as much as I should have. Today there are also sibling support groups. Not only is there tremendous emotional pain but also physical brought on by the heart breaking loss.

May had been my favorite month but for many years I dreaded it as within a 3 week period came Mother's Day, mine and Janet's birthdays and Memorial Day.

Fifteen years later two days before Christmas Denise, 29, died at home of an aneurysm. We had spent a wonderful day together Christmas shopping. The paramedics worked on her here at home surrounded by Christmas decorations and she was taken to the hospital but it was too massive for her to have survived even if she'd been in the hospital. I couldn't comprehend why God would take our last child from us and said many times I couldn't make it thru the loss of another and our last child. From then on and even nearly 24 years later the holidays starting with Thanksgiving, but especially Christmas brings more sadness than joy.

Over the years Dick and I did work our way through grief again. Our lives forever changed as now we were childless. There were gallons of tears and thousands of prayers. I've never understood why a couple would divorce after the death of a child as we needed each other. No one else could understand such a loss.

I couldn't function at home but had joined the Valley Hospital auxiliary in 1970 and could put on my uniform and go to the hospital 3 days a week. I was chairman of a new committee without enough volunteers to cover all the shifts. I would walk down the halls trying to hold back tears but at least I was doing something. The other volunteers and staff were so compassionate and supportive.

Denise was very close to us. It seemed as if she was trying to make up for our other losses. It was so painful and still is to a certain extent to see mothers and daughters enjoying each thers company and hear about family visits. Especially at holiday time.

Over the years I've accumulated around 70 books about grieving and life after death. Most especially related to the death of a child. I would read one that helped and then look for another one at different bookstores. The best is "Beyond Grief, The Death Of A Child" by Ronald J. Knapp. It may be out of print now.

You wonder how the rest of the world can go on normally when yours has stopped, but I would rather have to go through it all again than not to have had them.

I've told many people I know that I'm positive God has a plan for each of us as my husband survived three wars safely. The baby died in a hospital, Janet on a corner behind our house and Denise in our living room. I have finally accepted the fact that in the pre-existance I was shown how my life would be and still wanted to come here. I know we will be together again as a family.
My husband died three years ago of pneumonia. I don't have any family in Washington state but many good friends. My 38 years volunteering at the hospital has been my salvation. Everyone supports each other.

My family of four are buried in the Rigby, Idaho Pioneer Cemetery near many other family members.

I'm blessed with good health and the love of friends here, relatives out of state and the Shumway's who reached out to me when they lived in Spokane when they heard my story in church. Janet calls me every Sunday night.

I'm including some insensitive remarks that can hurt if people don't know what to say.

• Please don't tell me he--she is in a better place. They aren't here.

• Please don't tell me you know how I feel unless you've lost a child.

• Please don't ask me if I feel better. Bereavement isn't a condition.

• Please don't tell me God never gives you more than you can bear. Who decides how much another person can bear.

• Please just say you remember her or him if you do.

• Just let me talk if I want to, let me cry if I must. Just say you're sorry and give me a hug.

Bev Olson
Spokane, WA
July 27, 2008

A few funnies from my boys...

This is a small portion of the entertaining things my kids have said, but I better post them before I forget...

While eating dinner one night Aaron was teasing me about having another salad. He said to the kids, "Your mom is a rabbit." That made Zack mad. He stood up in his chair and pointed at me while saying, "HIM NOT A WABBIT. HIM MOMMY!"

We were all packed and moved out, but had a few cleaning supplies and last minute things to take to a neighbors to store for us for a month (thanks Samye and Dustin!) From underneath everything in the van, I hear Ben yell, "How LONG are we going to be living in this car??" I just laughed out loud because it was day ONE and he had no idea how long we were actually going to be LIVING in the car... I replied with, "You haven't seen nothin' yet, kid!" He said back, "We really ARE homeless, aren't we mom?" Is that a bad thing for your kids to experience? I hope he doesn't grow up with issues.......

My friend, Jane, watched the boys quite a bit in the middle of my moving out craze (and so many others helped too!) One day while making lunch for the kids she asked Luke what he wanted. He said, "I will take a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with everything except for peanut butter." (So... you're saying you want bread and jam- was Jane's response.) And a minute later when she asked if they watched a particular show on Nick Jr, Ben responded matter of factly, "We watch it more often than we don't." Hmm..

All the kids were so excited about being in a hotel room for an extended stay. They kept going around to every corner, checking things out. Aaron and I would smile everytime we would hear a comment such as, "Hey! Look at this cool TV!" or "It even has toilet paper!" and even better... "Whoa, look a wall!" We were living like kings (with walls and EVERYTHING.) After a day or so of being in the room, Ben got frustrated when Luke was in the bathroom for a while and said to me, "Can't we stay somewhere that has at least TWO bathrooms or something." Getting a little picky, aren't you Ben.. just yesterday you were happy with toilet paper..

I was busy cleaning when Ben came up to me and said, "Mom, I just really need to know something.... Who is the lady in the Statue of Liberty?" I just rolled my eyes and said, "Why do you REALLY need to know that?" Ben said, "Well, I don't NEED to know, but I was just wondering about it." I shrugged my shoulders and told him that I think she's a French chick. Sounds like a future lesson for homeschool, but I am not in the mood to do any extensive research at the moment.

While hanging out at the Silverton Casino, we threw pennies in the pretend river/waterfall and made wishes. Then we spent a while in our hotel room talking about what we wished and why. Luke's WISHES cracked me up. He started out by saying, "I get to have lots of wishes because my first wish was brilliant. I first wished that I could make a wish any time I wanted... and then I thought of more." When we tried to ask about the other wishes, he wanted us to guess them. He gave us a few clues by saying, "The 4th wish has something to do with lizards and transformers." Ben said, "Do you wish there was a lizard transformer?" Luke's eyes got big and he ethusiastically said, "HOW did you guess that, Benny?" All the boys, including Aaron, thought that I wished for another baby.. but they were wrong. I just want our house to close on schedule. No point to bring another kid into the world when you aren't sure if you'll have a roof over your head....

Zack is REALLY a big boy and has had only a couple of accidents this whole month! He is so funny about going potty and wants to be left alone on the toilet (he can climb up himself and if you come in, he says, "Don't YOOK at me!") When he's done, he lets me know.. one day he came out screaming, "I pooped a rocketship!" of course, Ben and Luke had to rush in to see, and it was a long skinny, pointy poop that looked as if it was ready to fly up into space..

Another time while he was running around in the hotel room without his underwear, I said to him, "You better go get your underwear or I will spank your bare bum." He stopped, looked at me and said, "My don't have a BEAR bum. Mine is a mouse bum!" We all started laughing and I said, "You think you have a mouse bum, huh?" He laughed and said, "My have a mickey mouse bum!"

stay tuned... there are more funnies to come....

we've only just begun...

After all those high school posts, nobody actually knows what's going on in our current CRAZY life. We have been homeless for a couple of weeks... We moved out of our fancy townhouse on Aug. 1st... and put our stuff in temporary storage. Our house isn't scheduled to close until Aug 25th... we are crossing our fingers that it will actually close on time and not a month later :)

We stayed in a hotel for a week in Vegas, took a trip to Cali (had a great time at the beach and Aaron and I went to see Wicked!) Then the kids and I headed up to Utah to visit family and friends while Aaron worked his tail off and payed for all our excursions. He flew up just in time to attend my HS reunion with me (and had the time of his life--not.) Then we headed back to Vegas for a little more R&R at another hotel close to his work... If our house doesn't close in time, we will drive to Arizona to visit Aaron's parents in the White Mountains.. Does that sound like CHAOS or WHAT? I am surviving... sometimes I want to pull my hair out, but I am enjoying myself for the most part. I haven't had access to a computer in over three weeks.. (so *glad* our laptop crashed just before we moved!) I was able to quickly write my HS posts before we packed up and they've posted on their own. (For those of you who don't know how to change the date of when you want your post to publish, click on POST OPTIONS.. you can back post or schedule for the future) But even though my blog has been somewhat updated, I feel completely out of touch with everyone (I haven't read or commented on anyone's blogs for weeks..)

My two biggest frustrations (besides not having a place to live :) is the fact that my camera has 500 pictures on it and I am unable to download them.. and that my kids are saying HILARIOUS things and I am not documenting them as they happen. Seriously, there is no way I can remember a month's worth of funny things they've said. And let me tell you, when you are staying in a small hotel room for a week at a time, you realize how hilarious they really are. I haven't needed any other sources of entertainment.. who needs a computer or TV when your kids keep you amused?

Life for the Shumways is usually smooth sailing, but when it rains it POURS. We thought life was crazy last summer-- but we got through it, things seemed to fall into place and settle down for a while, and now we're going through a whole new "adventure." A year ago today, Aaron and I were laying on beach in Hawaii, sipping pina colodas and enjoying life without kids... what I would GIVE to be there again! We are seriously LAUGHING about our situation because if we don't laugh about it, we would get divorced, sell our kids and join the circus. Everything seemed to crash down on us all at once.. but we are survivors! Stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed for us! Ta-ta for now. I hope to be settled and back in business sometime in the Fall.

the reunion...

It was a blast.. It was VERY well planned (thanks Rae and Val!) It was great to reminisce about the good old days with long lost friends.. I can't believe how MANY people came! I have a ton of pictures but won't be able to download them until we get settled in our new house (I lost my camera cord in the move :) Thanks for emailing me this picture, Brooke!

Aaron (or should I say "Theo") was a fabulous date and had everyone laughing all night. He was very friendly and was often mingling in a crowd of people he'd never met, and that was fine by me! I was happy to see him having a good time... and then towards the end of the night I realized the reason WHY he had been having so much fun.... he'd been telling everyone a bunch of lies!! I had SO many people come up to me and say things like, "That is so cool that your husband is a lion trainer at the MGM." Or, "I am sure your boys love having a Magician for a daddy! Does he make a good living doing that on the strip?" I thought they had me mixed up with someone else, but then they would say, "No, isn't your husband Theo?" I overheard THEO telling a few people, "Yeah, if you ever come into Vegas, look us up. I will make sure to get you sweet tickets to the dolphin show... " I just rolled my eyes and laughed. I guess his current job is not exciting enough for him ? On the way home he was saying, "I should have told everyone I was a pirate at Treasure Island-- and then just responded to all their questions with an ARRR." I am very glad THAT idea didn't come to him until after it was over! I should have realized that he wasn't going to take the reunion seriously-- but it was great to have him there, "Theo the dolphin trainer" or not.

HS countdown #1-- GRADUATION CELEBRATION

I chose not to write about Graduation itself because I don't remember anything about the ceremony (except that Brad Belcher had a seizure and collapsed on stage-- that was scary!) Instead of showing shots of me in my baby-blue graduation gown, I am posting pictures of my girl friends in their bathing suits... without written permission. And they can't do NOTHIN' about it. Na-na-na-na boo-boo! (quoting my two year old.)

I loved high school, so I am not sure why I celebrated when it was over.. I guess it was a good excuse (as any) to party. Our senior dinner dance was held downtown at Little America. A bunch of girls decided to sleep at the hotel-- [again our parents let us go without any adults] and it was a total blast. We checked in, swam, got ready together and headed downstairs to the awards ceremony.. and then we danced the night away. After the dance, we rented a long white limo and cruised State Street. We had chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling champagne (courtesy of Paula Kawa! Thank you!) The limo drove us up to the capital and all around the city. We screamed through the sunroof and felt like the coolest, hottest girls in town... Every 16 year old boy who just got their learner's permit wanted a piece of us... and we have pictures to prove it.

Our group of guy friends also checked into a hotel room at Little America just down the hall from us, but they got kicked out because they didn't have an adult with them.. and we were so happy about it! We rubbed it in their faces and enjoyed the peace and quiet we had in our hotel room (if you call giggling and laughing all night peace and quiet.) It was a night to remember--with such a fun group of girls!

After graduation, when others were flying off to Hawaii or somewhere else exotic to celebrate, my BFF's and I headed to Camper World. We didn't have a lot of money and didn't want to "party" like the rest of the class so we celebrated HARD CORE in a pop up trailer. I don't remember the name of the town that we stayed in, but it had a population of 56 and wasn't worth remembering. We karaokeed by ourselves and danced with 12 year olds at a local "hang out spot." We cheered for the Jazz as they were playing in the NBA finals and almost got into a punching fight with the another man staying at Camper World. We went swimming, took hikes, made our own food and had a grand old time. I guess when you LOVE the company you're with, it doesn't matter where you go. Here is a hideous scrapbook page of pictures to prove how much fun we had..

I always have a good time with these ladies. It's crazy to think that somewhere along the way we grew up, got married, had kids and were forced to become adults.. but we're still the same old girls and we STILL know how to have a good time (after ALL these years!) I remember Karlin and I staying awake all night in this camper crying about how much we were going to miss each other as we got ready to go to different colleges.. We were awake when the sun rose and we were seriously sobbing! Little did we know that no matter how far apart we lived, or how crazy life got, we would still be able to remain close.. it's so refreshing to have friends that you can always be yourself around.

I can't believe I am even posting this picture because it is going down in history as the ugliest picture of me EVER. But it always gives us a good laugh, though so I thought I would share.. I believe I have a quadruple chin.. and I am proud of it!

This post concludes my HIGH SCHOOL countdown.

Believe it or not, I had to cut out a lot.. such as---volunteering with Muscular Dystrophy and attending their summer camp each year, cheating in Mr. Fisher's first period English class (Remember when he had a stroke while bending over to turn on a movie?), Tetris tournaments during calculus, MEL NOMIYAMA.. nuff said, favorite hall monitors who never got us in trouble, the successful food drives and Sub for Santa fundraisers, student gov. camp in Price.. staying awake ALL night and then running through the grave yard at sunrise, Colby Holt eventually getting baptized (I teased him all through HS that he would convert, and he did!), watching Girls Just Wanna Have Fun a million times in Stephanie Kawa's basement... while doing all the dance moves, Teaching Michelle Carr about sex.. BOY! that girl was naive, putting up Christmas lights for Homecoming in the middle of our SAT test (as if decorating for a dance was much more important than our college entrance exam!) Bingham High rivalry.. and having to do the WIGGELO (or Jiggelo according to Val) at one of their assemblies because our football team lost, The fabulous $10 florescent pink student government couch, Getting into a big fight with Duffy during driver's ed. He was my teacher and I wouldn't talk to him for weeks because of a 'discussion' we had on one of our drives. We eventually made up, (unfortunately) and whenever he saw me in the hall (even if he was 100 feet away) he would YELL, "HI CLAW!" with his hands out like a tiger.. I always looked the other way and pretended not to hear him, tuna sandwiches in Mr. Bickmore's closet, Belva Kay Davis, buying an ENORMOUS bag of fortune cookies and getting sick after eating them ALL (do you remember that Tristie and Kelly?) I am sure you all wanted lengthy entries about each one story... but a girl can only post so much, ya know. Thanks for sticking with me!

*I just added more pictures to the previous posts-- Fran had a copy of Bowcutt in his zip up pj's, so make sure to scroll down and take a peek!

Happy ten year reunion! I can't wait to see everyone tonight and I am SO GLAD my husband is joining me! It wasn't easy convincing him, but he's comin' after all! For those of you who wondered what Aaron's reaction was to the picture of me and my ex-boyfriend, I will let you know--- First he said, "I would pay Scott Wood good money to take you off my hands." Then he cracked a joke about how he and Scott are definitely alike.. especially the smart and good looking part. He said that he thinks Scott Wood is SO good looking that HE would like to sit next to him..... See what strings you can pull, RaeVal.. I'd like to be at their table, please.

HS count down #2-- PRINCIPALS

I chose to make friends with the principals.. and I believe it paid off.

My junior year our high school got a new Vice Principal... Mr. True. He was a less handsome version of Guy Smiley from Sesame Street (yes, I have always thought Guy Smiley was handsome.) Mr. True was a nice man, but tragically he would torcher the students by wearing THE TIGHTEST WHITEST pants about once a week. They looked (and probably felt) terrible. My friends and I soon started calling him Mr. Tighty Whitey.. and the nickname stuck. When Francine started driving her white Ford later that year, we also gave the car the nickname of Tighty Whitey because we liked saying it so much.

Our head principal, Mr. Boyd, was a weird guy.. I believe he had a few health issues because he twitched and stammered and stuttered when he talked. I learned to like him though and found after a few months of kissing up, I could get anything I wanted. I could get out of any class anytime.. in fact, I could get several others out of class-- without explanation. I would order 20+ dozen donuts for the band or choir- (just because) and we threw some incredible student government parties.. paid for by the school, of course. I also got several parking tickets my senior year. And when I say several, I mean about once a week. For some reason I felt entitled to park in the back of the school next to the student government room... especially when I was carrying in tons of posters, boxes, ect. I didn't really care if it was a teacher's parking lot.. but apparently somebody DID. Every time I got a ticket, I would put it in my glove box of my car. At the end of the year, I took the pile of tickets and went into Mr. Boyd's office. It was the last week of school and he was being all sentimental talking about how much he enjoyed working with me. I thought it was a good time to ask how much he really loved me. He looked confused until I put all the parking tickets on his desk. He said, "How many are there?" I responded with, "Probably 25. And you're not going to make me pay for them, are you?" He smiled and said, "Of course not." He cleared them off my record and I graduated without having to deal with the fines. I learned quickly how to spell princiPAL.

HS countdown #3-- ACCIDENTS

It wasn't ALL fun and games...

My sophomore year I went four wheeling on a double date.. well, it was supposed to be a double date anyway. Brad Richardson and Mike Cox asked Francine and I to go-- only Fran bailed at the last minute so I ended up going with two guys. It was an awkward threesome, but I was up for the challenge.. It wasn't really anything THAT exciting-- until I got RUN OVER by a four wheeler. That's right. The four wheeler crushed my head. Luckily we were in the sand and it didn't kill me. Brad and I were driving together and when we started to slow down, my right ankle got caught under the wheel. We were on a bit of a hill and Brad got off on the other side of the four wheeler, trying to hold it up to keep it from smashing me. Apparently he wasn't as strong as we both had hoped. It rolled on top of me and one of the wheels crushed my head. Mike was just behind us and came over to see what happened. I believe I blacked out for a minute or so and when I woke up, I was covered in gasoline and I couldn't see anything. They helped me back on the four wheeler to take me to the car (I didn't want to get back on, but I was blind and didn't have much of a choice.) My sight came back within five minutes or so. Brad drove us back to West Jordan and Mike was such a gentleman riding in the backseat with me... I knew he was worried. When I got home, my parents took one look at my head and rushed me to the ER (something that should have been done before I went home..) I had several tests run and spent a few hours at the hospital. But besides a massive black and blue bruise on the side of my head (mostly my neck and left ear) I was just fine. I have not a single picture to show for it, but believe me, it was nasty. The doctors told me that I would have been dead if I was riding on anything other than sand. ((This was my second accident on four wheelers-- but certainly not my last-- This past Fourth of July, Aaron and I almost died just a few blocks from our house. It was all my fault.. I got a little too comfortable driving and seriously almost crashed into the Simpon's neighbor's home. I wasn't going to mention it, but since we were on the subject....))

During my senior year, I got in a bad car accident with a good friend, Colin Wood. It was a devastating.. truly a life-changing experience. I wrote a bit about it last December in this post but there are several things I didn't share.. After we hit the man and called the ambulance, we believed he would live. He wasn't able to move, but he was talking and responding to questions. What we didn't know was that he was heavily intoxicated-- and even though he didn't look like he was going to survive, he suffered from internal bleeding and died the next day at the hospital. Colin came to see me at work (Geppedo's porcelain doll shop) to tell me that he had passed away. I was completely shocked. We had heard the hospital report earlier that morning and they said he was going to be okay. We made the difficult decision to attend his funeral. The snow was falling hard that day and I will never forget sitting next to Colin in the last row, while his family mourned for their husband, father and grandfather. It was truly heartbreaking.

I still hear from Colin. I can always count on an email from him every December 4th- the date of the accident. Ten years seems like a long time ago, but somehow I don't feel any older or wiser. That single event was a big part of my high school experience, but the lessons I learned did not come from any classroom.

HS countdown #4-- VIVA LAS VEGAS

A week after getting a bloody nose during the dodge ball attack, my friends and I took a road trip to Vegas--and it couldn't have come at a better time. I think we all needed a break from life and we took an entire week off of school in the middle of a semester. My sister and her husband were flying into Vegas for a business trip. They had booked a room at the Luxor hotel and told us to come and join them. It was a 5 bedroom hotel suite and we didn't have a pay a dime. We ordered room service, watched movies, rode all the rollercoasters and crazy rides on the strip. It was such a memorable trip and really brought us closer together. I drive past the Luxor all the time now and think about the great memories we made during our January adventure.. I would have never guessed that I would be living in Vegas 10 years later with three little boys.

It was the BEST week.. we spent hours laughing, crying and talking about things that really mattered... and the only regret we had was that Hillary had a drill team competition that week and couldn't join us.

**one of the funniest memories I have during this trip was inside the New York New York casino. We were walking past a HUGE nickel slot machine and I put in a nickel and pulled down the big lever.. as soon as I did, nickels started pouring out. My friends were so scared (because we were underage and shouldn't be gambling) so they RAN when they saw that I had won. I thought they were crazy for drawing more attention to themselves.. and I wasn't about to leave all those nickels there. I grabbed a cup and scooped up the money and treated everyone to ice cream. I am not sure how much I won but I believe it was about $20 in nickels.. Wahoo!

And I still crack up every time I see this picture of "us" in our bathing suits. I am sure the ratted bangs were out of date back when we bought this picture.. but we liked it anyway. Can you tell who's who? Karlin and Azy look fabulous as blondes...

HS countdown #5-- TEAM SPORTS

My friend, Karlin, and I took Team Sports together our senior year. (In fact we had EVERY class together.) Anyway, team sports was a PE class- most of the students were guys- but we had fun playing basketball, softball, soccer, going to the local bowling alley once a week, and playing an occasional game of dodge ball.

For some reason-- I had a dress on when we were scheduled to go bowling.. so I changed into my gym clothes but didn't have any shoes.. so I went to the bowling alley in my socks. I bowled a killer game-- two sets of turkeys-- something I have yet to do since that day. On my way out, I was so excited and distracted that I walked out with the bowling shoes on my feet. We didn't realize until we got back to the school and we were in our next class. I stole the shoes-- and didn't leave any at the bowling alley, so I never returned them. I am going to hell for sure. I still have the shoes and can still bowl a decent game.

During the basketball season (towards the end of the first semester) my friends and I were at home game and happened to be sitting next to a few guys in our team sports class who were standing on the front row of the bleachers and SCREAMING the F-word and other obscenities at the referees. It was annoying and it was giving our school a bad name. I had the AUDACITY to tap them on the shoulder and ask them to clean up their language because "not everyone likes to hear the F-word." They apologized and seemed cool that night.. but when we got to school the following Monday, I was in BIG trouble. Their whole group of friends hated me and started spreading rumors that I was trying to get them expelled, etc. I felt bad because I wasn't trying to make enemies. They were constantly swearing at me and my friends and even hung up a picture of us in the hall with quotations coming out of our mouths such as "I am too good for everyone." and "I rule the school" (Who has that picture now? Michelle?)

Things were always amplified in our teams sports class because we were actually playing against these guys-- Karlin and I would try to get on their team, but they would always switch no matter what we did-- so they could target us. It sucked because they were big guys and I was scared of them. One particular day, I pulled Coach Poland (our teacher) aside and told him I didn't want to play DODGE BALL because I was afraid of the guys who were going to peg me with the ball. He laughed and told me not to be a baby.. so I played. The minute the game started, I had balls flying in my direction and I was relieved every time I got hit so I could sit out for a minute-- I kept praying that no one on my team would catch a ball so I wouldn't have to play again.. It sounds funny now, but it seriously sucked. As soon as I went back into the game, I had three hard balls flying my way and one happened to hit me right in the face- giving me a bloody nose. Karlin came with me to the girls locker room to help me clean up and I was sobbing.

Months later, at a graduation party, they apologized to me.. and I think we cleared things up, but you never know.. they probably still hate me. I actually ran into one of the guys a few years ago and the first thing he said to me was, "I will never forget the day Ben Brandt pegged you in the face with that dodge ball. Do you still hate him?" I replied.. "No, not at all. In fact, I named my first son after him."

These pictures don't have anything to do with team sports because Nate Brisko was not in our class (thankfully) but I thought I would include them anyway. There was big drama about who stole Brisko's scary football picture out of his locker.. and I will finally confess. It was me. I hope that he's not coming to the reunion because if he is, he will probably be chanting my name while pounding his HATE stick..

HS countdown #6-- JOBS

I started my first job the day after I turned 14. I loved working at The Sconecutter.. a fast food joint (local to Utah only.) Before I could date, it was COOL to work on the weekends. I stayed there for 2 years and loved the people I worked with. We had a bowling league, went skiing together and I still keep in touch with some of them. And I still love their food and have to eat their every time I visit. I love their pitas and frozen yogurts. yum

During 8th grade, my parents started managing Geppedo's (a porcelain doll shop) at Crossroads Mall and the ZCMI Center downtown SLC. It was only for the Christmas season, and my friends and I worked there after school during our high school years. I cannot even BEGIN to tell you the fun that we had. It was drama-- because we got close to all the workers around us.. we got lots of dates- this is where I met JJ.. my first kiss.. and I even got asked out by a bald 50 year old-- (NO I didn't go.. sheesh.)

When I was 15, the Geppedo's corporate office sent me, my two sisters and my mom on business trips to do training at stores around the country-- only we didn't go together. That's right.. before I could drive, I flew to Austin, TX on a business trip-- by myself. At the time, it didn't seem weird, but looking back, I have no idea what I (or my parents) were thinking! I flew out my myself- got taxied around a big city, stayed in a couple of hotels, conducted training meetings, spoke at a big conference and then flew home. It was crazy. In fact, one owner from the training meeting talked to me after the meeting and we realized we were both LDS. She asked me if I had served a mission and I told her I was 15. She FREAKED out and told me that I couldn't go to my hotel that night, but had to come and stay with her family that night. She had two daughters older than me and I attended early morning seminary with them before I went to the next conference.. funny. I made it back in one piece and I believe we got paid well for it-- but HELLO

I believe we worked there at the doll shop for 3 years and I still love the mall scene during the Holidays. I actually miss those times and appreciate my parents for being so understanding when we were so irresponsible! I also fell in love with the dolls and have a great collection of my own. Of course, they are still in boxes in my parents garage, but someday I will get them out and have a little girl to appreciate them!

My senior year I worked at Seagull Book and Tape (an LDS bookstore) and it was the perfect job for me. I don't know how I balanced work, school, my studies, and extra curricular activities, but somehow I got through.. I really loved this job. I was a closing manager and was often in the store by myself. I felt like it gave me great experience and helped me gain a stronger testimony during that crazy time in my life!

I was a fanatic about saving money and keeping track of my finances. My dad taught me well and expected me to pay my way during high school. My older siblings were constantly borrowing money from me... I paid for my own lunch, school registration, pictures, gas, clothes, etc. My parents were supporting two missionaries when I was in high school and still had little ones at home, so I didn't ask for money. I believe it taught me great responsibility and I appreciate the experience I received during those important years in my life. From the time I was 14 I have been managing a checking/savings account and to this day I am a fanatic about spending more than what is in your account. When Aaron and I got married he said something about how it's scary sharing a checking account with someone else.. and I was so offended because I don't spend a dime. I got mad and said something like, "You don't know how lucky you are, boy!" We laugh about that now... but I do believe I was taught how to manage money Aaron and I have never money our entire marriage but we've NEVER had a single credit card balance.. even through all our chaos. I believe having a job at an early age taught me to be responsible for what I made and how I spent it.

HS countdown #7-- FREEDOM ACADEMY with THE FARTMAN

One of the incredible opportunities I had as president of my high school was to attend a week long summer camp at a national guard training site with ALL of the other student body presidents from the state. It was a crazy week and I have a million pictures to show for it. Just imagine combining 100 loud, outgoing, fun high school seniors into one room.. most of them were guys.. but there were several girls and we became the best of friends. The camp was run by Army Officers. We slept in their barracks and ate in their chow hall. We woke up at the crack of dawn for flag ceremony and then spent the entire day doing obstacle courses, driving hummers, touring historical sites in Utah and then sat for hours listening to motivational speakers about leadership, responsibility, etc, etc. In the evenings we had dances and swam at the pool. When we went back to bed, we didn't actually go to bed... even though we were completely exhausted. It was an incredible experience, but I don't think I have ever been more tired in my life.

One day, somewhere in the middle of the week, we went to the state capital to hear a bunch of lectures of government and junk. (boring!) During lunch we went to Memorial Park across the street and had a picnic in between legislature sessions. I was sitting with a few HILARIOUS girls (Val and Neena from T-Ville) when a couple of nice guys came to sit by us. We were talking and chatting when one of the guys (I will not name him, but let's just say he was the president of Skyline high) FARTED really loud. We were in the middle of a conversation, so the guys just kept talking... but I was trying everything I could- to NOT look at the other girls... We eventually made eye contact and started BUSTING UP! Mr. Skyline felt so bad and kept apologizing, but that made it worse. We were SO tired and so silly and we could not stop laughing. Tears started coming out and eventually WE were apologizing to HIM. It was a totally awkward moment and we had to leave for a lecture at the capital before we could really get it resolved.

Inside the capital, we each had notebooks to "take notes" on the speakers giving us such valuable information. Instead, we doodled and wrote notes back and forth to talked about how IMMATURE we were for laughing so hard. Mr. Skyline was sitting right in front of us, so we had to be extra quiet.. we were trying not to giggle as we gave him several nicknames, such as "The Oklahoma City Bomber" And the "FARTMAN" We started drawing silly pictures of the Fartman with several hearts with captions such as "the Unibomber has escaped." We got through the lecture without falling asleep and headed to the bus without ever saying a word to the Fartman.

The next morning, bright and early, we were sitting in the auditorium of Camp Williams. One of the MEAN army officers stood up to the podium to make announcements. The first thing he said was, "JANET LEE CLAWSON, GET UP HERE!" I came up to the front and realized that the big, muscular officer was holding my notebook... which I happened to leave at the capital. He gave me a lecture about keeping track of my possessions and then showed everyone that instead of taking notes from the speakers, I was drawing pictures. It was funny and I laughed and then asked for the notebook back. He said he wouldn't give it to me unless I confessed who drew the pictures with me. I tattled on the president of Taylorsville high and she had to come up to the front too. He gave another lecture about paying attention and then said (really loud) in the microphone, "Before I let you two go.. I need to ask one question: WHO IS THE FARTMAN??" The crowd started to laugh, but we did not. The Fartman was sitting the the FRONT row and turned bright RED. We wouldn't answer him and just said we had no idea what he was talking about. He teased us again saying that we had pictures and love notes about the Fartman all over the notebook. We just stood there and eventually I said, "Please don't make me say." He finally let us sit down and we tried SO HARD not to laugh. We never talked to the Fartman about it... but he still holds a special place in my heart.

*ps. It's been FUN to get back in touch with some of my friends from Freedom Academy through blogging.. it's such a small world afterall!! While looking at my notebook last week, I laughed OUT LOUD at a note from "Weena Nalker." Hilarious--is all I have to say.

**pps. If you happen to know the Fartman, please tell him I am sorry for #1- laughing at him #2- writing funny notes about him in my notebook #3- posting picture of him and telling the story over the Internet. Seriously... I am sorry, dude.

HS count down.. #8-- STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Warning: This post is so HIGH SCHOOL. But don't judge me.. I am documenting my HS memories... it is what it is.

I loved being involved and making new friends and I think being in student government was one of my favorite things about school. I ran for office every year.. my sophomore year I lost and was pretty bummed about it. The next year I became a Jr class officer with Francine, Karlin (two best friends) and Phil Wolfgramm and we had the BEST time planning assemblies, activities and most of all Prom. And even though Phil was the only guy... he quickly became one of our best friends. We even spent a night sleeping at his house in the back of his truck.. I have no idea what our parents said about that?

One night late in my Jr. year, I had the distinct impression (while reading my patriarchal blessing) that I needed to run for student body president. Now as "high school" as this sounds, I felt like it was a BIG deal to run for president of the school-- and I knew that I wouldn't win. I was not exactly popular and felt uncomfortable with the idea. But as the elections approached, I became more and more sure that it was what the right thing. I came up with a campaign slogan, took pictures, made posters and got ready to humiliate myself. My slogan was simple.. but I believe it caught most people's attention--


I believe there were about 15 (or so) people running for President. A few days before elections started, Phil Wolfgramm came over to my house to tell me that he was NOT running for VP (as we had previously talked about) but wanted to be president instead. I started crying as soon as he told me the news. Seriously, I was devastated.. I considered stepping down, but for some reason, I just couldn't. My posters were finished and I knew what I "needed" to do. I was sure I didn't have a chance against him (because he was the cool guy and was loved by everyone.. including me!) but I was going to lose trying.

After the first week of preliminary campaigning, each office was narrowed down to two competitors.. and it was me against Phil. A week later, when the results came in, I was more shocked than anyone else. I had won--- and I was thrilled. Phil became senior class president the following week and we still got to work together (which I was so happy about.) And I believe we were able to mend our friendship after all :)

Being president of my high school gave me a lot of incredible opportunities (including a full ride scholarship to college.) Looking back, I know it was what I was supposed to do at that time in my life. Of course, I am sure I would have survived either way, but I am grateful for the opportunities I had during high school.. I was so sad to graduate!! And this is where Aaron starts making fun of me... when I start crying about what a wonderful experience I had in school. But the truth is, I did. And I am grateful for that time in my life. It was also lots of fun being in office with my little brother David! I made him run for class president his first year in high school and he stayed with it and became Junior and Senior class president.. the following years.

Here are the random pictures I have of the good times in student government... Enjoy!

For Homecoming week during lunchtime activities, the officers became human ice cream sundays.. WHY did we do this? Seriously.. was there a point? I am still laughing about Colby Holt using a banana peel as deodorant. He is still a nut..

One of my favorite nights in office was spent at Stephanie Kawa's.. it was the night before Inductions Ceremony (the assembly where the new student body officers and cheerleaders took reign.) Everyone (including the boys) had a sleepover.. only we didn't get ANY sleep. We roamed the town in our pj's (Jared Bowcutt wearing his zip up sleepers) and it was crazy. The next day for the assembly we were COMPLETELY exhausted. But it was a good time... I know I have pictures of that night somewhere.. but oh well.

The funny thing about Inductions Ceremony is that in years past, the school rents this ridiculously large GOLD throne for the student body president to sit in for the assembly. I thought it was too much.. So when it was our turn to bring in the new officers, instead of renting a throne, we moved this HUGE, old (broken) recliner chair from the student government room as replaced it at the top of the stage. I remember Mr. Garcia (one of the principals) pulling me aside after the assembly and telling me how mature that was of me to not use the throne. I laughed because the recliner almost busted in half in the middle of the assembly.. and I was thinking the whole time, "It would have been worth it to rent that gold thrown-- if it would have kept me from falling off the back of the stage." It broke minutes after the assembly was over.. phew. Anyway.. good times, good times!