Typically Crazy

Here's a little glimpse into a typical summer day at our house:

She's:

* Wearing her swimsuit at the dinner table
* Drinking fruit smoothie from a canning jar because all the cups are dirty
* Totally making a mess
* Totally showing off her "SMOOSH" (what the kids have termed a "smoothie mustache")
* Refusing to smile for the camera
* Hogging the Afro-- The object of the kids' fighting throughout the day.

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Meanwhile, I'm:
* Still wearing my pajamas at noon
* Wiping up puddles from where the kids came in from playing in the hose
* Trying to do dishes
* Cleaning our house in an ever moving vortex of messiness
* Attempting to keep the peace by confiscating the Afro

* and trying to stay sane by embarrassing myself in hopes that it will make you laugh just a little...

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Day 205--Staying Sane....

Sometimes I just need to let out a little silliness in the name of staying sane.

Day 204--Don't Ask....

Here's a little glimpse into a typical summer day at our house:


She's:
* Wearing her swimsuit at the dinner table
* Drinking fruit smoothie from a canning jar because all the cups are dirty
* Totally making a mess
* Totally showing off her "SMOOSH" (what the kids have termed a "smoothie mustache")
* Refusing to smile for the camera
* Hogging the Afro-- The object of the kids' fighting throughout the day.
* I'm totally exhausted and haven't taken any photos at all, so I take this without any thought to lighting or composition

My Trip in NUMB3RS

After a VERY long day yesterday with more than 12 hours spent in airports and airplanes, Ellie and I are finally back home again. I have a whole list of blog ideas that I'm busting to write, but I really wanted to get this summary of the trip down before I forget everything.

So, in an effort not to bore you with too many pictures and boring descriptions you don't care about, I am trying out an idea I did a few years ago....

My trip summary in NUMB3RS:

10 years ago (or more) since I'd last seen most of my Hepworth cousins.

9 times a day that Ellie and her cousin Andrew tried to turn on the TV each day.

8 decades young: I was so happy to be a part of the surprise party for my Nana's 80th birthday.

7--$20 bills plunked down at the BYU Bookstore for new Cougar paraphernalia indoctrination for the kids.
6 straight days away from my family....hip hip hooray! (for the first day or two anyway)

5-hour lay-over in the world's worst airport. Do you have a guess (or vote) at which airport earns this title from me? I was grumpy enough about our flight being delayed two hours on the third

leg of our trip that I didn't actually take any pictures of the experience (this picture is from our trip out).

4 hundred pictures that I took while in Utah and Wyoming.


3 out of 4 sisters and our Mom...talking, cooking, cleaning, reminiscing, and laughing together.


2 sweet grandparents finally reunited after almost 26 years apart.


1 very tired, VERY happy lady ecstatic to be back home surrounded by her sweet husband and rambunctious kids. Oh yeah, and to be sleeping in her own bed again.

Day 203--Summer Fun

Sometimes I swear it seems like my kids would live in their swimsuits in the summer. If we aren't at the pool, they're begging to go to the pool, or running around outside pretending they're at the pool.

Day 202--Good-bye and Hello!

Ellie and I spent 12 hours in airplanes and airports today, between the three separate legs of our journey. It was sad to say, "Good-bye" to my family in Utah, but I was only too excited to sleep in my bed again and see Glen and the kids!

Day 201--Alma Mater's Sons and Daughters

Of course I had to take the opportunity while I was in Utah to visit my Alma Mater--BYU!! Ellie and her cousin Andrew had a great time in the Bookstore warming up for the upcoming football season. I also took them by the Bookstore Candy Counter where I worked 15 years ago or so.

GO COUGARS!

Things I've Learned the Hard Way on this Trip:

• I am not a country gal. After 24 hours in the tiny towns of Grover and Afton, Wyoming I definitely have decided that I much prefer big city/suburban life ( I think I need to do a separate blogpost on this topic).

• I need a regular night's sleep to function properly. Of course I already knew this fact, but it got reaffirmed to me in a big way when I reverted back to my teenage days one night when I started crying and yelling at a family member after they said something I took the wrong way. Nothing like feeling immature and stupid.

• I need to eat healthy food on a regular basis or I get grumpy and sick to my stomach. Oh yeah, and ice cream is NOT my friend!

• I need my personal space. Even just 10 minutes of being quiet and alone does wonders for my state of mind.

• I need to go on a diet. When both my mother and my grandmother divulged that their weights were lower than mine, I decided it's time to get my rear in gear.

• Checking my email is just not as fun as it usually is. Where have all my blogging/commenting friends gone? Vacation or something? :)

• Packing for an overnight trip is just as time/space consuming as packing for a week.

• Forgetting your toothbrush for an overnight trip is NOT cool and it's even worse when every store in town closes at 8pm.

• I have so many cousins that I don't even know some of their names.

• Laptops are good...and bad. I like that I haven't had to give up my blogging, but I do find it a little sad and humorous when four of us will be in the same room all mumbling to each other from behind our laptops.
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• I miss my family more than I ever thought I could. I'm glad Ellie is here to keep me company or I think I'd go crazy. I may be surrounded by sisters, brothers, a niece, nephew and my parents, but I really, really miss Glen and the kids.

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• Oh yeah and I hate the automatic formatting on blog posts. Stupid extra bullets.

Day 200--Grandma & Grandpa's House

Here's Ellie and her cousin Andrew hanging out on the 200th day of the year with Grandpa Crain on their deck in Alpine, Utah. I love sitting on their deck enjoying the beautiful view of the mountains and peaceful, bugless surroundings. We had just returned from Star Valley after spending the night in a hotel there and the kids were happy to be back in familiar surroundings again.

Day 199--Until we Meet Again...

On the 26th anniversary of the day my Grandfather Hepworth passed away, his eternal companion was buried next to him in the Star Valley Cemetery in Afton, Wyoming.

The cedar casket was just beautiful and seemed just perfectly fitting for Grandma.

Her eight remaining children gathered from far and wide to pay their loving respects to their angel mother...

and a whole host of Hepworth cousins came to say, "Good-bye" to their wonderful grandmother.

Day 198--SURPRISE!!!

SURPRISE!!!

Make a wish!

Happy Birthday Nana!

The Last Grandma

I flew out to Utah/Wyoming to celebrate the long and happy life of my Grandmother Hepworth, but little did I know that another important celebration was also taking place here this weekend...the 80th birthday of my Nana Crain (the last of the kids' great-grandparents).

While calling the death of my beloved grandmother convenient sounds a little sacrilege, I am feeling quite blessed at the serendipitous timing. I came out West to honor the life one grandmother and while I'm here I get to honor the other in person.

My Nana Crain is the very epitome of a true southern lady with her sweet "Okie" accent and generous hospitality. Like my Grandma Hepworth, she never forgets a birthday, even with dozens of grandchildren and I am still surprised at how quick she is to answer each and every letter my kids send her in our weekly letter writing. And wow what a writer she is! My kids are enthralled hearing about her days with her cute little pug named Lucy and even I love reading her detailed, well-written descriptions about her life. I couldn't brag about my awesome grandmother without talking about her amazing cooking. She is legendary in the Crain family for her delicious and HUGE meals. I only wish I could cook and entertain half as well as she does.
For as sweet and kind as Nana is, the thing for which I am most grateful for is her faith and courage. Living in the Bible Belt of Oklahoma, her decision to embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ was not a popular one in her community, but embrace it she did. When I think of that fateful stormy day more than forty years ago when she let the missionaries in to teach her family the Gospel, I am forever grateful for the legacy of faith that began that day.

Happy birthday Nana! I love you!

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Day 197--Nana Crain

While I am out here in Utah/Wyoming mourning the loss of my grandmother Hepworth, my last grandparent left living, Nana Crain, is celebrating her 80th birthday. Not that death is ever convenient, but I feel blessed to be able to share in both of these special experiences while I am here. One a celebration of a long happy life come to an end and another celebration of another happy year to be.

Day 196--Long Day!

After arriving into Utah at 1:30am (Virginia time), Ellie and I were a little bit on the exhausted side. We are happy to be here with my Mom and Dad and have already seen more aunts & uncles in the half day we've been here (I post dated this entry) than we normally see in an entire year. I'm hoping that tomorrow Ellie will sleep in past 6:30am.