Eight New Bestest Friends Ever!

Husband being gone for two weeks meant spending lots of time with my family. People always tell you that your family eventually becomes you very best friends. I didn't ever not believe them, I just didn't understand what that really meant. My mom. My dad. Two brothers. Four sisters. They really are my best friends. Here are some of my favorite things about each of them.

Dad! My dad is the greatest ever! I love when I can just sit and talk to him about everything. I think he misses having me around all the time, even if he won't admit it. I think his new favorite thing to do is going to be taking me with when he goes to teach Bryton how to drive. Him and Keila seem to think I'm pretty entertaining. As for me...Husband is going to have to teach our kids how to drive...

Mom! Mom's the best mom ever. She loves being a mom and doing mom things. While Husband was gone she was the one who took me to downtown Phoenix because I'm too chicken to go by myself. She's always willing to talk on the phone whenever I'm lonely. She's answered a million questions like, "How do you make this?" "How do I do that?" in the last six months of my marriage. Mom's also closer to the Spirit than anyone I know. I aspire to be more like my mother.

Bryton! If you ever want an exciting story go to Bryton. He's got a million and a half and he'll tell you each one at least four times. It doesn't matter if he's told you before. He get's so excited that he has to tell you again! Bryton's also excited to go on a mission. He's such an example to me of having your heart in the right place. I'm so excited to watch him over the next couple of years. Not only will he become a great missionary, he's going to steal all the girls' hearts when he gets back.

Keila! Keila and I used to be pretty mean to each other. She was such a pain and I was so bossy! Things have magically changed, though. She's pretty fun to hang out with. We went and saw the midnight showing of "Eclipse" together for no other reason than "We went to the first two...it's tradition!" I admire Keila in so many ways. She can make friends with anyone. That's something I have yet to learn.

Sydney! Sydney just turned twelve and she is the sweetest! She's always willing to help. She's responsible beyond her years. We enjoyed watching "Ever After" together...twice...in the course of 24 hours. What can we say? It was that good! I also got to go with her to the temple for the first time. She was so excited to go. We went on her birthday and she was able to be baptized for some of our own ancestors.

Leslie! Leslie is a reading machine. I remember those days when summer meant nothing but swimming and reading. She wants to be an author when she grows up. We learned this week that she's a better Wii ice skater than me...and I held the world record! She's also excited to go to summer camp. The American Cancer Society puts on Camp Sunrise every summer and because she's a cancer survivor she gets to go. I'm so glad we got to keep our Leslie!

Brooke! Brooke, or Brookelee as I like to call her, is a blooming young lady. She is absolutely beautiful and will only become more so as the years go by. She's silly and fun. She always wants me to go swimming with her. Shame on me if I forget to bring my swimsuit! She always has tons of hugs ready for me when she sees me. She's always asking when I'll come visit again.

Hayden! Hayden is four and the poor guy doesn't understand why I don't live with them anymore. He wants me and Husband to move back in with them. He's crazy and fun and most of the time out of control but we wouldn't change him for the world. I always tell Husband I want one just like him. Husband just rolls his eyes.

Musings of the Lonesome: Week Two

I have decided that my post from last week made me sound utterly miserable and helpless without Husband. That's really not completely true. So, in order to spare you all, I shall not post anymore musings...just know that I still miss him. He'll be home on the sixth!

Musings of the Lonesome: Week 1

Day 1: Husband left today. He's off to Philmont. In other words, he's off to live in the wilderness for 10 days. Ten days plus traveling to and from New Mexico equals one lonesome wifey at home. I couldn't even go half the day without missing him terribly. Today was made bearable because he did call once this evening and because Little Sister #4 and Little Brother #2 came for a sleepover. We ate junk food, swam, and watched movies. Husband will find it entertaining to learn that I woke up in the night upside down [as in my feet where my head goes and my head where my feet go, not as in I woke up vertically oriented]. This has happened only once since we've been married although it was a common occurrence beforehand, when I had my own bed...

Day 2: I got two more phone calls today--one this morning and one this evening. I might even get one last call tomorrow morning before they officially start their hike tomorrow. I still had the kiddos this morning and then I went to work this afternoon and finished up my assignment for my microbiology class this evening. Not very eventful. Not too lonely either since I kept busy and had a couple of chances to talk to Husband...

Day 3: So much for my phone call this morning...Hey! Do you have so-n-so's number? Thanks! Love you! Bye!...Coping strategy #1 for today was memories--the good kind. I was thinkin about when I lived in the dorms and got zero cell phone service in my room so I would go out to the courtyard with a pillow and blanket at the break of dawn to talk to Husband (before he was Husband) on the phone. We had to do it at the break of dawn when we could use free minutes so that Dad #1 didn't get after me. I thought about how whenever we were in the back seat of Dad #2's truck I would stick my head on his chest and my face in the crook of his neck. Husband wondered how the heck it didn't make me claustrophobic and Mom #2 always got after us for snogging even though were weren't snogging...at least not most of the time...Coping strategy #2 was to stay the night at Mom and Dad #1's house. THEN! That night I was saying family prayer and straight from the heart I said, "...and please don't let Husband get eaten by a bear..." and then Mom #1 snickered and Dad #1 guffawed (right in the middle of my prayer!) and then kids #s 4, 5, 6, and 7 started to giggle. They all just laughed through the rest of my prayer! Yet, even with the coping strategies I laid down that night and felt very...

...alone...

Day 4: I worked all day today and had no one to text me or email me or keep me sane. Seriously. I went nuts. This afternoon I was eating animal crackers and I thought...Poor little penguin. You just got your head bit off. Cute little camel. I bit your head off too...and then I pulled out a bear and said...Take that, you nasty old bear! That's what you get for messing with Husband!...Wow. He needs to come home....

Day 5: I cried today...

Day 6: I missed having a husband to sit next to during church today. I was able to listen to two of my best friends speak in church. They're both leaving on missions in a couple of weeks, one to Argentina and one to Bolivia. They both did a spectacular job with their talks. I know that they will be great missionaries. I'm still praying Husband won't get eaten by a bear, although I suppose I'm more worried about him worrying about getting eaten by a bear than I am him actually getting eaten by a bear...

Day 7: I cleaned the house today. Wish I had Husband here to help me or at least to tell me I looked beautiful with my PJs on and my hair going everywhere once I was all done. Is it weird that I texted him to tell him how much I miss him even though I know he can't respond? I miss those days when seeing his truck in the parking lot meant Husband was home...

Petition

If anyone would like for Tony, Mr. Brown, Brother Brown, Texas Tony, Mark Anthony Brown, Jeri Lin's Husband, [enter whatever name you'd like to call him here], etc. etc. etc. to take a turn and write a blog post, please insert a comment and tell him so.

He thinks he's a big, bad, and busy, but I'm sure he has at least one post deep, down somewhere inside of him.

Besides, you're probably sick of hearing from me. He needs to spice things up a bit.

We are the champions!

Tony participated in our stake's annual softball tournament last month. It was all afternoon and evening on a Saturday and our boys played hard. They won their first game which put them in the winners bracket. They made it to the championship game and had to play two games against the team they played in that first game. It was so fun to watch! I enjoyed meeting some of the wives for the first time. We cheered our voices away!



Tony is proud of his key plays in every single win. This is his glory shot after he got booby trapped at home plate in the championship game!

Gila Valley Temple Open House

In May we had the opportunity to go to the Gila Valley Temple Open House with my family. It was a great experience. It was fun to see how excited the kids were to go inside. We were able to teach them a little bit more about what goes on inside of the temple.


Tony and I also watched the broadcast of the cultural event. It was fun. What a wonderful experience for those kids, some of whom were my cousins!

Then, on May 23, 2010, we were able to attend the dedication of the 132nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are so grateful to have so many of the Lord's temples so close to us. We are especially excited for the Gilbert and Phoenix temples to be built as well. This truly is the Lord's church. We are grateful for the happiness it brings into our lives.


P.S. We found our camera. :)

Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Old Movies, and the Sorcerer's Stone

Tony and I went to the city library today and got library cards. See below. They're kinda weird looking--some kind of Public Art Project... Anyways...

I'm very proud of my library card. I checked out the following items today:

1. Showtime! Music of Broadway and Hollywood by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
2. "Arsenic and Old Lace" starring Cary Grant released in 1944
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Life is good.