Happy Birthday to Grandpa Great

Today we headed downt to Provo to celebrate Grandpa Keith's birthday. Everyone met and Grandma and Grandpa's house to enjoy a meal and time together. We've been blessed that while his health has taken some serious hits, he's hung on and the kids are able to know him.

A fun time was had by all, cousins played and it was the first time all of the little Olsons were together so we made sure we took a picture. Nathan was not having any of it unless Mommy was there, so Lori got to be an honorary cousin. :) Hard to believe just 4 years ago there were only 3 Olson grandkids and now there are 11.

Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time Matt wasn't Matt, he was "that tall guy from LDS Singles." Once upon a time he was "that guy who is a 'red' on LDS Mingle." Once upon a time he was "That funny guy from LDS Planet who tried to get me to go to a Dee's Dance." (Dances for the over 30 & single crowd at church. A place where line dancing and industrial strength push-up bras rule the world.)

These are pictures of THAT guy.

I was looking through the e-book to try and find some pictures for my sister in law, Paige, and I saw a file full of the pictures from Matt's online profiles when Matt and I were dating.

When you live out in the sticks like I did, Internet dating was the only way to go. All the local guys were creepy and I was astounded how many Dungeons and Dragons playing jobless guys thought I would give them the time of day. Matt was always surprised at how different women looked in real life than in their profile pictures. We both have some pretty funny horror stories about our online dating adventures. You have to have a bit of social weirdness to do the Internet dating thing, something Matt and I both have in spades.

His profile made it clear that he was looking for a woman with a sense of humor and that no matter what, he was relocating to Chicago and DONE with Salt Lake. (Knowing now what I didn't know then, I don't blame him.)

My profile made it clear I didn't want any short guys who who were looking to change me.

That short part was a deal breaker.

Short women were a deal breaker for Matt too.

We started off with that in common,lol.

It took one whole date before the tall guy online was my one and only forever and ever big dopey grin nerd love. I looked at these pictures last night and smiled. That guy seems like someone I knew a million years ago.

No matter what the hardships we face, I am always always glad that when I saw this bunch of photos online that I decided to click that button and send a cheesy 'flirt.' I'm glad I made the effort to click two whole buttons that night and hit on Matt.

Because that guy, is now this guy:

And holy cow, I LOVE this guy.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This...

Rugby and glasses just don't mix, so Zane got contacts.

He was a complete spaz at putting them in, so Matt had to help, but he's getting use to them and said it feels really weird, but he's excited to have them. I think he is perfectly content to wear glasses forever, but he wants to excel in his sport, so a change was in order.

So far Rugby is kicking his butt, he's one of only two Junior High kids playing with the High School guys, but it's a good experience for him to spend time with the older guys who are taking him under their wing and teaching him not just the ropes of the sport, but the brotherhood and bond that comes along with it. Of course, 85% of these older guys are smaller than Zane, but that just motivates them to support Zane even more to help keep the team strong as my mack truck of a son gets his body conditioned. With three practices a week now, Zane is completely pooped.

We know he won't get much if any actual field time being an 8th grader when the season starts, but we're excited for the season to start.

I'm still reading my way through the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, I just started book 4 today.

They've been fun to read and much better for me than those stupid smutty Sookie Stackhouse books I was reading. I like reading books in a series, so I'll be looking for a new series after this.

Not Twilight.

Never Twilight.

The red sock is starting to bore the heck out of me, so I've started on a pair of leg warmers for Roe when I need a break from all of those tight little stitches that my sock has. I will finish the sock this week and then I'll cast on a new pair with funner yarn. The leg warmers use bigger yarn and bigger stitches and don't require any thinking so they are a little more relaxing to knit. I can't believe it took me this long to learn knitting, and I can't believe how much I enjoy it. if I could read and knit at the same time, I'd plant my butt in a comfy chair and never leave.

Maybe it's for the best that I can't do that, but oh, a girl can dream.....

Hmm...My dreams are kind of disturbing.

I won't go into the one I had about pushing the talking pony off the side of a mounatin made of Gummi Bears.

Mmmm...Gummi Bears.......

Pretty Red Things.....

I swapped out the blue ring with the red one that Matt gave me for Valentine's Day for the next week.

He did a great job and has great taste.

Thanks Matt. I love you.

But oh, my hands are getting old and wrinkly. I'm not 22 any more, am I? Because my eyesight is also failing me, I never notice how old my hands are looking until I take a picture like this.

Note to self:

Let go of lifelong dream of being a world famous hand model.

Also, there's ice cream in the freezer.

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I'm on the home stretch for the sock. Thank You, Joie for helping me with the heel. Joie is my knitting Obi-Wan-Kenobi or maybe Yoda..."there is not try, only knit"

Anyway-That looks like a heel, doesn't it?

It's bulk and deformed, but it's a heel. I have royally screwed it up in terms of lining up the stitches, but I figured out the concept, meaning I can do it again and this time mark my stitches. My tension is so wonky I couldn't tell what was a gap in the stitches and what was just spazzy knitting.

I have decided that I won't make two socks out of this yarn. The yarn is bulky and my tension is all over the place here and I'm never going to be able to make an actual matching sock, but it's a good first sock.
I'll use thinner sock yarn on my next one and I'll do my best to finish a whole pair.

I bought a circular needle after being loaned one, but I was just knitting so tight with it, I needed to switch to the straight needles.

I know all of this is terribly enthralling. I'll bet you can't wait for my next installment or at least for me to finish the stupid sock so I will shut up about it.

If you think you have it rough as a blog reader putting up with this, just imagine what it must be like to be poor Matt. He gets hourly updates and calls at work about this crap.
He is a lucky, lucky man.

Love Love Love

As you know I adore my husband. I'm like teenager in love with him. He's a rock star, he's amazing.
I am simply nuts about Matt.

Nuts, but not chocolate...

I don't like the chocolate filled ones.

Gack.

Today Rosie decided that instead of napping all afternoon in Zane's bed, she'd come downstairs and be near me. BUT she misses Zane while he is at school big time. She helped ease her missing him by bringing downstairs a pair of Zane's boxer shorts and a dirty smelly sock of Zane's and using them to sleep on.
When Matt went to Chicago to work for a few months when we were engaged, I really really missed him. I missed everything about him. I whined and cried and slept in his favorite old T-shirt from college calculus. It helped me feel closer to him.

So....I get it, Rosie.

It's kind of gross because Zane's sock really stinks, but I feel you, Puppy.

Purl Dyslexia

I know you can't see it, but I can.

I figured out how to start the heel and I think I was on track to teach myself the whole thing. I was definitely on track to have knitting bunch help me tomorrow night.

But....

This is all wrong.

I noticed it wasn't looking like the socks I got from Joie, the texture was off, the gauge was super tight but I was progressing, it was turning into a sock.

As I watched more Youtube instruction to day to prep me for the gusset I noticed the purl stitch I was doing was coming in from the left and in all the videos, it throws from the right.

I did a row taking it from the right to see if it was different looking. Yep. I was doing what is called a "combined" purl, which is very pretty, but not the stitch I want. It's wrong.

8 hours I've been working on this sock.

I said a bad word or eleven.

And then I laughed and realized that 2 weeks ago, I couldn't knit a single stitch. I AM figuring this out. I am looking at sweaters and seeing how they came together. I've had many Knitting Helen Keller moments in the past 2 weeks. I've graduated beyond the granny square. I'm well on my way to becoming a full fledged yarn snob.

I just watched 3 out of 4 skiers biff it and about break their necks on TV.

This wasn't a career ending knitting disaster.

I'll keep knitting.

LOAD Fail

I've once again failed at the LOAD challenge.

This was worth it.

I've figured out the cuff of the sock. The next hurdle is the gusset for the heel and the rest should be cake.

I got nuthin'

I can't even come up with a clever title to try and trick my readers into thinking this blog post is interesting. Sorry, but it also serves as my journal. Most days are just days and that's just fine with me.

Today I gave my first lesson in Relief Society at church. I was nervous as can be, but I managed to fill up the time and hopefully didn't sound too crazy. I tried to make sure my lesson didn't stray too far from what the point I was trying to make was. My point was that Christ is our Savior and our leader and need to do our part and follow that leader.

He's always going to lead you to a good place, but you must follow him. Long before we were born, we asked him to be our Savior, we asked him to lead us and we need to follow.

There are those who think it's a weak minded person who submits to a Higher Power and that they know enough, that salvation will come by sheer force of will, that it is not required of them to be humble and meek. I am a pretty strong willed person, a pretty free thinker-- but I'm nothing without the grace and salvation from the Lord and from Jesus Christ. He does know more than me and I'm glad I have him to turn to when I lose my way and when I'm face down in the dirt, he picks me up and sets me back on the path that will lead me to happiness. He has the map, I don't. I trust that he knows what he is doing and while the path is sometimes really super hard, I hope that I am always willing to follow where he leads.

But wow, it was scary teaching that class full of adults. I've only taught kids before and I wasn't prepared for the huge difference in my comfort level from teaching kids and teaching grown-ups. We'll see if I am able to relax or if I keep feeling like a complete spaz every month.

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For Valentine's Day Matt and I chose to spend the evening watching the Olympics, we LOVE watching the Olympics. Matt doesn't remember watching the Olympics together when we were dating, but do. I remember being really glad he was an Olympics nerd like I was. I gave the kids each a Valentine and some chocolate, even Parker seemed happy to get his this year. I actually got a real "thanks, Mom" this year when I gave him his bag of candy and chocolate heart.

Matt and I exchanged gifts and cards. I gave him the Vampire Weekend CD, a book and a DVD set he's been wanting as well as some accessories for his computer. He surprised me with not one, but two gorgeous rings, one sapphire and one with a ruby. Both were heart shaped because heart shaped jewelery is my favorite. I only have a picture of one of the rings, though.

Matt is such a wonderful husband who treats me like I'm a princess and makes me so happy. I know I still talk about him like he's my brand new goober boyfriend, but I still get mushy and dopey around him. He is the perfect guy for me in so many ways and I'm all sorts of happy with him.

And now the moment you have all been waiting for........I finished my dish rag. I messed up somewhere on the decreases and so the lines on the border don't line up but I finished it and I finally figured it out.

This blog post was brought to you by Sudafed and the number six...

I know, it's not a funny title, but the Sudafed has made me pretty loopy.

My head cold is still killing me, but I can't lie in bed and complain ALL day, so we ventured out to the theater and caught a movie. We were ally wanting to see The Lighning Thief because Zane, Matt and I have read the books. Well, Zane has finished them, Matt's on the final book now and I just started book 3. They're great books. We were a little, no a lot disappointed in the movie. I understand that they need to fit a whole book into a 2 hour movie but they left out the real heart and soul of the story. The characters all seemed a little one dimensional and the moral and point of the book was left out. Percy's feelings about what is going on in his life are as important as the events. The reasons why he takes on his quest and how he goes about going on it, the ties with fate and destiny and a prophecy are key elements of the story- all missing from the movie.

And Annabeth has blond hair. They say it over and over again in the book to the point that it's annoying. While the actress playing her did a decent job and was well endowed in certain areas....she wasn't Annabeth.

Grover and Percy were passable.

Luke was missing his scar and everything about him that makes him Luke.

The Gods were boring and I'm sorry but James Woods will always be Hades, regardless of the story. There was no half Blood hill, no Thalia's tree and what's the point of putting Sean Bean in a movie if you're not going to let him act?

Sigh....rant over.

Here's the cute picture. The popcorn was good, the kids who hadn't read the book loved it and my date was hot. So that salvaged the day. I'm just annoyed that everything I loved about the book was left out and I'm probably going to complain about that to anyone who will listen or to anyone who is still reading my blog wishing I'd post something interesting.

If wishes were gold Drachmas......

Hello Nyquil My Old friend, I've Come to Talk With You Again...

I have the flu or something like it.

So..... learning how to do the knit2 purl2 is going to have to wait until next week.

I'm bummed about that.

I'm just lying here in bed, figuring out how to knit the washcloths my mother in law makes. I think I've got it down, but the Nyquil slows me up,lol. I also can tell that I knit just a little too tight for some of the things I am doing and I need to ease back on my tension. Over the years I've mastered it with crochet but knitting still doesn't quite feel natural to me, so I'm sure it will come in time.

Try not to explode from anticipation at the knowledge that pictures of a dishrag I knitted may be coming soon. I know the daily knitting updates have been a real thrill.

You'll thank me when I give you cute socks, I promise you will.

Since I feel like crap, more of my layouts for the LOAD challenge have had to be digital. I don't know why I feel like digital is weenie scrapping, but I always feel like I'm cheating or cutting a corner when I do a digital layout. Maybe it's because there isn't a paper finished copy to show for it unless I choose to print it out, or maybe because there isn't a huge mess to clean up but I don't feel that sense of accomplishment from a digi layout that I do from paper and glue, even if they turn out just fine.

But I'm keeping up with the challenge and that's important to me.

I am also keeping up on my Nyquil doses, it's the absinthe of medicines and I'm lucky today's layout made any sense at all.

As for this post, I have no idea.

I'm glad Nathan got his books I ordered him today. I found online three board books that have Kreyole and English in the same book. I have visions of Mom Lori being able to read him bedtime stories in Kreyole and English to help Nathan adjust to his new life, and yet still feel connected to his Haitian culture.

I worry all of the time about Jessica and hope she is safe and returned soon. I thank Heavenly Father every day that Nathan and Brent are home and hope Brent heals from his pneumonia soon.

Today, my husband was at the capital in Slat Lake City for a Big Brother's Big Sister's presentation to the Senate. I'm really proud of how much he has done with this and how passionate he is about the cause and about community service. While we don't have a "little" ourselves, we figure it's enough that we're keeping our own kids out of the program,lol.

I'm really proud of you Matt. You work hard and you carry a lot of responsibility and weight on your shoulders. I am thankful for you.

Bleah

Knitting success...... Knitting failure.......

Knit 2 Purl 2, my eye.

LOAD Day 8 & 9

I did another digital layout yesterday because I love this picture of Rocco and I don't have a print of it yet. Today the challenge was to do your layout in 30 minutes or less, I 'm not sure how long this took, but it was close enough. I don't love it. I hate how the white edges don't look "inky" they look dirty and chalky. I also am not happy with the overall design of the layout. I like my papers, I like my title, but the rest pretty much sucks. They can't all be works of art.

For those who don't know Parker's band has a gig on February 27th, probably in the afternoon. I will let everyone know when we have a time. They've been working hard and are super excited. Keep in mind they are 16 year old kids if you come to hear them and this is their first performance so their nerves will be all over the place.

Yesterday was the annual eye appointment for the boys and Grey and Zane got some new glasses and Parker finally got the dreaded news that he needed them, too. He chose these frames, which I think, in spite of his sour look on his face, look great.

Romy is bummed that she is the only one in the family with perfect vision. Zane will be getting either goggles or contacts so he can see what he's doing while playing Rugby this year.

Weekend Wrap Up

Saturday we were able to load up the kids and go out to see the Rosenlofs, and have them meet Nathan for the fist time. He was a cutie pie. Lori and Brent are sick, we hope they get better soon.

The Larsens were over visiting as well. Rocco is getting bigger and sweeter. He's mastered scooting himself backwards, and managed to scoot forward in order to grab things as well. He'll be mobile in no time.

I've figured out how to decrease and increase in knitting, but I'm not happy with any of the increase stitched I have learned, they all leave holes. Joie said she will teach me how to increase without it leaving a hole, then I need to learn how to knit in the round and I'm ready to start my first pair of socks. Once I learn socks, I'm never looking back,lol. Hand knitted socks are absolutely the best things I've ever seen. i still wear the pair they gave me all of the time and they make me happy and feel loved.

I finished my first official knitted project this weekend, it's just a simple headband, but I figured out a flower I don't love but I don't hate and made this for Rome, then did a hat for Aunt Gail, who is battling cancer.
Today I got a new calling at church. I'm a Relief Society teacher, I cannot tell you how relieved I was that it wasn't Primary Chorister. I love you Sarah, and we will miss you terribly when you move, but Oh....

I didn't want your calling, lol.
I'm excited about my new calling and to get to know the sisters in the ward better. I hope I don't say anything too stupid. I've never been much of a scriptorian, and I have felt this year that I wanted to increase my knowledge of the Scriptures in some way that fits in with how I learn and grow best. I think this calling and the desire to really teach something long lasting will help me bridge that gap between my head testimony and my heart testimony. They are both strong but they don't necessarily hang out together if that make sense. I can't pull up and cite references when I probably should build a firm foundation on my position about something, and sometimes when my heart is conflicted, my head just says "this is the doctrine, and you know that, quit wasting energy with doubt." I'd like for both sides of my soul to communicate better.
I guess that doesn't make much sense, but cut me some slack,life has been a little nuts lately and I have a migraine today.

For the LOAD challenge, one of the breaks I'm giving myself is that all my layouts don't have to be paper for me to feel like they count. This weekend I did digital only which helped me not have that stupid mommy guilty for hiding out in the scrapcave for a few hours during the weekend. I purchased this new kit called Port Au Prince by http://www.songbirdavenue.com/ It's a huge kit and 100% of the proceeds go to help victims of the earthquake in Haiti. If you're a digi scrapper, the kit is massive and has a really wide variety of elements. Both of this weekend's layouts were done with this kit.

The Eternity Blanket

Here is today's layout for the LOAD challenge.

I'm really tired so it's just a simple one of my niece, Rori.

I think I'm just decompressing from the crazy past few weeks. I'm feeling like curling up in bed with a book and the rest of DVDs of The Office. Matt and I both noted that we're both kind of dead on our feet these days.

Last night at knitting group I finished "The Eternity Blanket." I started it as a way to delay learning how to knit, to just have something to so while I visited with the knitting bunch and rather than start a new project, I just kept buying yarn and adding to this blanket.

Having figured out the basics of knitting, I'm ready to move on and try a few knitting projects, so I finished the border on the Eternity Blanket. It measures about 5 feet square and is really soft and cozy.

Star Struck

I like today's layout, I'm trying to steer away from some of my go-to color schemes. I think this is the first layout without black as a prominent color in it in a long time. The circle is more yellow than it looks in the picture.

This morning Fox 13 news was at our local grocery store, Harmon's and the kid's school was invited to present Big Budah with Valentines for Haitian children and be on T.V.

A lot of the kids from the ward here there, as well as some of my cub scouts.

I'm not sure what the kids in Haiti are going to do with Valentines, but it made the kids feel like they were doing something.

Big Budah is a local celeb, and is idolized by kids all over the valley. Romy has been wanting to meet him for a long time and was really jealous when Matt and I saw him at Wiseguys Comedy club this summer.

She practiced all morning how she was going to tell him she was his biggest fan, but when the big moment came, she froze up and was completely star-struck.

It's a rare thing that renders Romy speechless.

She and her friends were on a few segments of the news, all just in the crowd of kids but when you're 8 years old, being on TV means one thing.

You're famous.

Romy is on cloud 9 today.

She had a great morning and loved every minute of it. Grey was with us as well and was having no part of it. Just as well, he's been licking his face a lot more again and he has that attractive bright red ring around his mouth that looks so nice.

Load Day 3

Load Day 2

Romy saw this and said "Thanks for scrapping naked pictures of me, Mom."

I told her she wasn't naked, she just had no shirt on and she said "Same-o Same-o."

I can't win.

Also we were all on the Channel 5 news today when they covered Nathan's arrival last night.

It was midnight and I'd only had a few hours of sleep the night before. I've gained weight this year because of my awesome health issues and medications and I wore a stripey sweater and I looked like the Hamburglur.

I'm not posting a link.

Lakay

Lakay is the Creole word for HOME.

Nathan is home.

Home as in home with his own bed in his own house with his own Mama and Papa.

Last night around midnight they flew in from Miami.

Then nearly missed their connection in Atlanta. That would have been awful, we were all climbing the walls, waiting to meet Nathan and to see Lori and Brent. We were also looking forward to meeting Collin, Tia's little one.

You're supposed to wait downstairs, but I knew there was a place upstairs we could wait and anyone who was going to tell us differently wasn't going to get much satisfaction.

Grandpa O was the most anxious, waiting as close to security as possible. We all paced and the minutes seemed to tick by so slowly.

People from the plane walked by and offered congrats to us as we kept grinning from ear to ear like crazy people, waiting to see our loved ones.

Then they were here.

And even though I had finally let myself exhale once they landed on U.S. soil, all of the weight and fear immediately vanished.

Nathan is home home home.

He was awake and quietly taking it all in. Brent's family brought him balloons, and he loved them. It was a nice distraction for him from all of the family who did all they could not to bum rush the little guy, but it's been so long and so scary. Everyone just wanted to be near the three of them.

Truly, in my many incredible Twilight Zone life experiences, I have never experienced anything like this. This whole roller coaster was something life can't prepare you for in any way. This blog doesn't cover a fraction of all that happened to get this little guy home.

But he is here.

Before we left I put my hand on his little back and said a prayer in my heart. Get some rest, Baby. Get to know your new and forever home. Spend time with Mama and Papa. When things have calmed down I'm going to sneak you M & M's and play with you. I'll try and keep a leash on Romy, who is your human cartoon cousin. I'll laugh if you join the "Uncle Matt is Scary" club with Abbie.

I'm glad you're home, Nathan.

And we're all overdue for a loooong rest.

It begins...Layout A Day 2010

I bring you..... layout one for the 28 day Layout A Day (LOAD) challenge for 2010. No lofty goals of all paper layouts and leaving 50 comments in the gallery. My goal is to finish it and do a complete layout every day.

Today's prompt was "new beginnings" and nothing says "new beginning" like a new baby. I haven't scrapped really since Miss Lilly was born, so she needed to be the subject of my first layout. My only complaint with this layout is that I needed to move the flower that dots the "i" and tore the paper a little bit.

No big whoop.

This weekend Parker's band recorded some songs. Lisa and Erik came and hooked up all of their fancy equipment and recorded a couple of tracks.

We'll see how it goes. Parker did a great job, he's an excellent bassist and he's written all of the sings and lyrics with help from Jake. They have their first real gig at the end of the month.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't crazy nervous for him.

I figured out the basics of knitting over the weekend. There you have my first cast on, knit, purl, and cast off. I only did one row of purl, but I practiced with other yarn and I have it down pat pretty good. I now need to learn increasing and decreasing and I might actually be able to make something besides squares.

Haiti update....Lori, Brent and Nathan are due to arrive home tonight.

And that's the best new beginning one could ever hope for and dream of.