Flashback Friday: Gas Problems

I don't know why but the other day I got thinking back about a trip to St. George with a large group of girlfriends. We all headed down for a fun weekend despite me being very pregnant . My friend Emily had to be back for something on Sunday so I had no problem returning a day early with her.

We left Saturday night later then we had anticipated. When we stopped to fuel up in St. George, Emily ran her card and pulled out the fuel nozzle.

Somehow the nozzle must have been jammed in the on position because when she hit the grade the fuel immediately started spewing out. (At least I think that's how it went down it was sort of crazy at the time and I didn't take notes.)

Emily's first instinct was to jam the nozzle into the cars fuel tank while I ran around all crazy like trying to find a fuel stop switch. Unfortunately when she tried to jam that blasted nozzle into the fuel tank the gas splashed back and covered her.

Finally the nozzle was in the tank flowing but she was completely covered in fuel.

She went into the bathroom and tried to clean up, getting clothes out of her bag to change into.

Once she was cleaned up we got in the car and headed back north.

Unfortunately... that gross gas was still somewhat on Emily and the clothes she had been wearing were tied up in a bag in the back of the trunk but the smell was seeping into the vehicle.

For the next few hours we drove home amid the strong smell of gas fumes. I remember worrying what it was doing to us (and my baby) but I mostly remember, especially on my leg of the trip driving home, being very worried about an accident as Emily might combust!

Gladly we arrived home without any other problem.

Although, I do remember the problem of my very burnt belly and a hope to avoid or postpone my next doctor appointment that week as he would most certainly and emphatically scold me for my burnt body!

Art

I love art.

I took many community courses when I was young, classes in junior high and in high school.

I never pursued anything, cause to tell you the truth, I wanted to hang out with my friends more than pursue any specific talent.

So now I am left with loving art but in a different way.

I love to look at and appreciate art.

When Erik and I first met and before we had any children, we were able to make a few trips back to New York City to visit his Dad and Sabine. They lived on a narrow strip of land at the beginning of Long Island called Far Rockaway's. We loved the city life. We hit as many big museums as we could, the Met, Guggenheim, Frick, Cloisters among others.

Hours spend walking and enjoying art. And talking. I think that was the best part. We could discuss works of art together which would transcend into ideas, hopes, dreams, philosophy, religion - LIFE.  I think that's what made us such good friends.

I saw this piece on a blog and think it is just wonderful.

The artist Yayoi Kusama started with a blank canvas.

Kusama then met with children and introduced them to dot stickers.
































Over the course of two weeks she invited children to collaborate in the transformation of the space.

Two weeks and thousands of stickers...

The grouping of dots in this last picture brings so many different thoughts and emotions in me.

The layers. The process. The stages of stickerdom. Thought and emotions as each child placed his or her stickers.
Civilization - building upon and over another's work.

Kind of makes me want to go to Brisbane to see it in person.

I have been so horrible at the blog thing lately. Sometimes life asks you to step away from things you enjoy. I guess that's what it's been telling me right now. I barely have time to take care of the essential and necessary things... so things like blogging have to wait. I guess I could say I'm too busy living life to blog about it!

We had glasses like the vases in this picture growing up. I remember seeing them on the top shelf of our glass cupboard and thinking they were pretty but I seldom ever remember using them. We generally used the plastic variety (typical of a household with young children). They were acrylic blue and I remember on the occasion of beets or some other vegetable which at that age was most emphatically NOT palatable, we (I seem to remember others giving me the idea)... I continue... WE would spit the vegetable back into the bottom of the glass, submerging it into a sea of milky white. On those nights we were all too willing to take our dishes to the sink and rinse.

The vases are pretty aren't they? I wish my Mom still had those cups or I'd ask her for one or two!

Great Grandma

Most of you probably are like me and have a grandmother who is dear to your heart.

One who has watched you from when you were a baby to the time when you are caring for your own babies.
Who's hands have changed hundreds of diapers, cooked thousands of meals, wiped away countless tears, and cupped your chin as she kisses your cheek. Those hands have been worn soft from years of work and service but are dear and as beautiful as ever.

She loves your children - her great grandchildren - with a special element that only she can add to there lives.

After 97 years she is so vivid and clear in her stories and experiences and we had the fortunate pleasure of visiting with her on Saturday and having her meet Estelle Lucy for the first time(Lucy named after her own dear mother).

Mother's Day

Mother's Day Weekend 2009

My cute little family was so good to me this mother's day!

We headed to Thanksgiving Point and I got another pass for the new year. We ate at the cafe & purchased some of their big cookies for dessert. We then walked the gardens, feeding fish, watching a large goggle eyed frog on a lily pad, ate our cookies in a shady cove. We looked at the hundreds of tulips and a few other flowers like tiny blue/purple forget-me-not's blooming through the gardens.

I love Thanksgiving Point!

We then headed up to the Little America in SLC and swam, hung out and just kind of relaxed. No cooking - no making beds.

Just time together.

We have all been suffering from a bad cold/cough, and poor Claire got it Saturday night - but she's a trooper and we all had a good time regardless. Erik so far has kept from getting this horrible gunk (he's the only one that got a flu shot this year - humm).

Probably should avoid the flash in the morning!

On Mother's Day we had Brunch at the Grand America. YUM!

Today, Monday, the girls and I are all taking the day off and relaxing and trying to rest and feel better! I wish I could take some medication (I am on Sudafed and an antibiotic for my sinus infection) but it's all worth it to have a healthy safe baby!

It was a great weekend and we all had fun - especially the kids - which is always the most important part for Erik and I. I felt so special and loved by my cute little family and I can't wait thinking that at the beginning of July we will add our final installment in the PETERSON CLAN. We are so blessed!!

Flash Back to a Sunbeam

This was taken at our church... thus the cinder block bricks...

I was a very happy sunbeam at the time... as you can clearly see.

Flash back because it's Friday

Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Autumn. I think it just may be my very favorite season. I love new jeans, fabulous new sweaters, school supplies, crisp air, open windows all night long, cuddling under a soft down comforter with the cool air in the room stimulating my face and cheeks. The smell of over ripe fruits and veggies, decaying matter, the canner steaming in the kitchen, shinny glass quart bottles - filling my kitchen counter - filled with preserved treasures to give my family in the coming year. Fall leaves of yellow, orange, and red; a warm jacket and a drive up the canyon - roasted hot dogs, or maybe a turkey sandwich on crusty wheat bread, and apple beer - all to the sounds echoing off the canyon walls in the cool Autumn air. Organizing and scouring the house to prepare my nest for a long winter indoors...

To this mention of indoors I flash back to summer. This summer one of our favorite activities -- I almost hate to share it (it was so wonderful) and I hate to think others might start doing it and take our favorite grove -- but our favorite activity was heading out to Thanksgiving Point Gardens, taking a quilt, water, a snack (sometimes a delicious and ridiculously overpriced chocolate truffle for each of us) -- and spreading out beneath a grove of trees to read. The girls loved to lay and gaze around them looking at earth and it's beauty and listen to me read them a story. Edward Tulane, the Little Prince, among others, danced and played under the canopy of trees in the girls imagination.

I love reading at bedtime, I love reading Fancy Nancy to Elizabeth all day long, Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Mouse Paint to Claire...I love reading with my girls... but there is something magical about being outdoors, removed, separated from the house and it's distractions and completely immersing ourselves in the tale of a china rabbit, or a tiny prince on a tiny planet...

This is my flash back...I will miss those quite times, those peaceful times, those times when I feel like I am drinking in every moment, each second, of the joy which is so fleeting as our little ones grow. I am reminded of the scripture..."Be still and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10)... As I would sit under the shade of our beloved trees, watching the eyes of my girls on me as they waited to see if we could read "one more chapter...pleeease?" I think of Heaven and I feel it all around me -- I want this very moment to go on forever, to never stop. As the season changes, I feel a twinge of pain to think that our time together in our grove has passed...sure there is next year...but the girls will be a year older, a year closer to moving on, someday leaving me. As much as I adore autumn, right now, in this moment, I wish I could banish it, send it away and hold on to summer just a little while longer.

Flash Back Friday

What I loved about my Wedding Day...

I know it sounds trite, but I got to marry my best friend, my perfect half - and he was cute too! (It's not just me because I've had other women stop and tell me he's handsome.)

I didn't know it at the time but our relationship would weave into a tight and sturdy fabric based on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work...

The Stake President who married us, later sealed us in the temple.

I loved that my dress was simple, nothing too over the top and puffy - no bad use of satin and tulle, I still like it today - although I guess every bride would say that! My wedding and reception was the same...simple and easy. (Maybe not for my Mom though!)

I loved that it was a warm August evening. The day's warmth passing into the evening to make it perfect. The profusion of flowers blooming abundantly in the warmth of late summer. We had a simple dinner following the ceremony, the food fit the warm summer evening. The Reception was a dessert bar with lots of yummy sweets to indulge in.

That we weren't stuck in a line the whole time, we could mingle and talk with people. Here I stole away to talk with some of my best friends from high school, Suzy and prego Shandee. I don't know what Jessica was up to - but we got a good laugh from it!

Little girls treated you and looked at you like you were royalty.

We spent this day with many loved ones and friends who have passed on and I love thinking about the day shared with those whom I miss so dearly. It was a day spent celebrating our families and the formation of a new one. What could be better?

I'm sure everyone looks back at their own wedding day with the same fondness, but I just thought my day was perfect, and it was for us.

Flash Back Friday

This was a picture from Jr. High....you can clearly see that bad bangs were very hot that year!

I was talking to McCall about school and stuff and it got me thinking about how great those years were. In elementary school everyone was cool. You just hung out with whomever....when you had a party there were so many to chose from that you just picked your closest few. There were no "popular" or "not popular" -- sure there was always someone who picked their nose or maybe didn't wash enough and carried a disturbing aroma -- but other than personal hygiene issues no one differentiated between "cool" or "uncool". One week you are playing with one friend and the next with someone else and it doesn't matter.

Then Jr. High hits and with such a huge number of students you start to see fellow classmates in categories. Unfortunately, at such a young age kids struggle to find "their" group. By high school things settle back down a bit. You find your place and get comfortable with your skin and the social circles open back up. With such a huge number of student bodies it is impossible to hang out with everyone but unlike in Jr. High you mature and realize that there are lots of "COOL" groups.It has been so much fun to keep up on some of those friendships! Not only those from school but those from church.

I have been so fortunate to keep up with some of my home ward girls -- we grew up together -- and while maybe we didn't always run in the same immediate circles -- we were always joined by our time learning to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is so amazing to see what wonderful women they have become and renew those friendships! I'm so glad we keep in touch.

Talking to McCall about her friends and her upcoming advancement into the Faith in God program I am so excited for the friendships she will make! I hate to see her grow up and I love my babies but she is just so much fun right now. I hope that she will be able to treasure those friendships like I do and look back on this time with happy memories.

Flash Back

So I missed my flash back on Friday but I'm going to post-post?!

This is me at graduation with 3 of my best friends, Colby, Jeff and Spencer. (Thanks to Creative Memories in High School for slaughtering all my photo's to annoying circles and other odd shapes.)

We had so many good times together and most of it was laughing hard and going on all kinds of crazy adventures. Thank you to my parents for allowing us to hang out, watch movies and laugh in the basement all the while filling up on the all plentiful RICE CRISPY TREATS from my dad's work.

One May afternoon, (Jr yr) we decided to leave school a little early. We drove over to Play-It-Again sports (a used sporting goods store) and we purchased a 3 man raft. Then the three guys above and my friend Shandee and I drove up Provo canyon, plopped our raft into the river and all five of us hopped in. No further then about 4 feet out on the river we capsized sending all of us into the FREEZING cold, quickly moving, runoff water of Provo river. I was caught under the raft briefly and remember thinking...well, they will find my dead body at the dam and then my parents will know I "sluffed" (Utah slang for skipping class). We tried to stop ourselves from being pulled down stream, the river knocking off our shoes in it's swift current -- Shandee and I tried to stop ourselves by grabbing branches which ended up just ripping off the skin on our palms.

Finally, the river turned and slowed and we were able to get to a rocky bank. I remember all of us laying there coughing and sputtering, calling out names to see if everyone was okay and accounted for. I can't believe I can laugh at it now -- what idiots! Once we recovered I think we went home and got shoes, most of us having lost one or both of ours -- and then went hiking the falls! (Our hiking adventures are another whole story. i.e. - Me saving Jeff from plummeting down the mountain by diving after to stop him.)

Flash Back Friday

So I have viewed a couple blogs where they show fun flash backs from the past on Friday. I thought it was a fun idea to show those photo's, so I'm join in on the fun. This is a picture of my cute hubby at about 4-5 yrs old. Erik developed Perthes 'disease' as a child, thus the leg brace. (See Perthes description below)

Sunday Dinner

At a family dinner one Sunday, at Erik's Grandparent's house, about the time of this picture, Pres. Kimball and Camilla showed up for dinner. (Erik's Grandmother and Camilla being sisters.) When Pres. Kimball walked in and saw Erik, he immediately grabbed him in his arms and set him in his lap. Pres. Kimball had a great love for children and especially those with limitations, his own son Edward suffered from Polio. Pres. Kimball talked with Erik and held him for awhile and then, placing his hands on each side of Erik's cheeks, he asked Erik to do something for him, he asked Erik to pray for him. At the time Erik's mom was a little taken back, she felt like Pres. Kimball should be praying for Erik, but as she looked back she understood the wisdom in Pres. Kimball's request. Pres. Kimball had great love and faith in children and he knew that he would be supported in his heavy duties and responsibilities by the prayers of young children like Erik. Secondly, and most importantly for Erik, Pres. Kimball taught him by that simple request to loose himself. Rather than feeling sorry because of his limitation for that brief period of time, Pres. Kimball taught Erik to think and feel for other's and their needs.

This lesson, the significance probably unrealized at the time, has greatly influenced Erik's character. Erik is so good about jumping in and helping out inside and outside of the home. He is such a hard worker, he is so completely honest in all his dealings, he truly wants to help people for the right reasons not for recognition. He does everything he can not to be noticed for his efforts. He is so right on when it comes to living the gospel. Erik really is a powerful influence for good in our home and I just think that Pres. Kimball could see all that when he looked in Erik's eye's.

Perthes is a condition in children characterized by a temporary loss of blood supply to the hip. Without an adequate blood supply, the rounded head of the femur (the " ball " of the " ball and socket " joint of the hip) dies. The area becomes intensely inflamed and irritated.

Perthes disease usually is seen in children between 4 years and 10 years of age. It is five times more common in boys than in girls.
Although the term 'disease' is still used, Perthes is really a complex process of stages. Treatment of Perthes may require periods of immobilization or limitations on usual activities. The long-term prognosis is good in most cases. After 18 months to 2 years of treatment, most children return to normal activities without major limitations.

The Stoner Family

Just thought I'd show off my sWinGin' family! Isn't this photo of all of us so great? (Grady's just a little itty bitty thing so it's not much of a representation of him though.) I have the most amazing family in the WORLD. I am so glad that families can be forever because it just wouldn't be heaven if we were not all together through the eternities.

(btw...I know I got tagged a while ago --- I'll get to it soon!)

What matters most...

So I have the most amazing family. They are one of my greatest blessings. This is the last group photo we have together -- we really need to update because I had just had Elizabeth two weeks prior in this photo. We have three additons (Ayden, Claire and Mary). I just love my family and we all have a great time together and get allong so well. I wish we were all lived closer to one another but it sure makes times when we are together so great!

GRANDMA - MAURINE EYRING BOYD

We knew it was coming as her health continued to go down hill but it was so hard to say goodbye to Grandma, but we are grateful that she and Grandpa are together now. Grandma was so special and wanted the best to come out of everyone. She was so kind and she endured all of life's trials with great faith and optimism. She will be an example we will never forget.

Her funeral was amazing and it was so great to have her nephew...Elder Henry B. Eyring speak. It was a powerful testimony and confirmed our knowledge in the fact that we truly have living prophets today!

I miss the way she made me (and each person) feel like we were so important to her. She was concerned about everything and was so thoughtful of the challenges of young families. I miss the gatherings at her home and the Spirit which presided there. I will always think of her in a pink - pink everything. We miss you Grandma (& Grandpa) and will always remember your legacy.