Gone too soon

I just returned from the most wonderful retreat I've ever experienced (maybe because I have the most responsibilities I've ever needed a moment away from).
BYU Women's Conference was amazing!! Every speaker was very up-lifting and easy to listen to (unless, of coarse I was starving or dead tired). Ultimately, I left the conference feeling refreshed and having a new motivation to be a better mom, better wife and better friend. Listening to President Monson was absolutely the highlight of the conference. Just being in the same room with him and being filled by the Spirit and love we felt was overwhelming. I loved being a part of something so large and so productive. You give a crowd of ladies a bag of yarn and you can't imagine how many little baby booties or scarves can be made! Busy hands!
When we weren't in class, Sheena and I were eating delicious food, shopping, tasting samples, browsing thrift stores, eating a little more, and driving around (and around). I got to see some hidden treasure shops on Sheena's tour. It was shopping heaven.
Here is the little gem I've had my eye on for some time: Anthropologie will never let you down. Practical, yet not-so-practical (I have to cut the butter so it'll fit) it makes me smile every time I look at it.
For more details and even some pictures (why take my camera when I'm with the photo queen?) see here!

I was Tagged...

...a long time ago! Cara tagged me with a fun, new "purse" tag, that I finally got around to doing!

I've been searching for a purse recently.
This is a little $1 Spot treasure I found. I'm not crafty, but I had to add the strap and the ric-rac...

...and I HAVE to have pockets in my purse, so I added 2. And a snap.

Here are the contents of my purse (minus the 3 gum wrappers I threw away).
Kleenex, lady necessities, Water Babies sun-block stick (love it!)
Velvet Tuberose lotion (not my favorite, but it's O.K.), hand sanitizer,
Orbit gum, Sweet Mint- yum, 3 bobby pins, pocket calendar, wallet,
ticket from UTA trax, wipes, Mentha Lip Tint (FAVORITE) lip gloss,
keys, cheap Target sunglasses (they do the job), and of coarse, a spare binki.
At any given time there could be extra snacks, or a diaper thrown in there too! Since I love to see what's in people's purses, I tag:
Ali
Crystal
Marie
Sheena
Kasey
& Kaylynn (when she starts a blog)

Just for Men

Tonight at family night, Ryan was talking with Emily about getting older. The subject of gray hair came up. (as if Emily was getting gray hair because she's growing up so fast). Then, the conversation went something like this:

Ryan: "Does Troy have gray hair?"
Kids: "No"
Ryan: "Does Trent have gray hair?"
Kids: "No"
Ryan: "See, I'm the only one. It's from stress."
Jaydon: "Don't worry, Dad. It's not gray. It's white."
Joel: "You are not the only one."
Jaydon: "Yeah, Grandpa Jibson and Grandpa Southwell have gray hair."
Emily: "And Nana and Papa have gray hair."


That's when my laughter would not stay contained and I ran to get the computer!

Mr. Mom Understands

Day three. I'm not searching for pity or compliments here, seriously, but I was thinking today about stuff. Cool eh? Well, here's my thought. After making grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and picking up the house, mopping, and doing dishes so I don't get behind, I realized that I was... lonely. I felt like this could be such a hard, difficult life for those who are single parents or feel like they slave away to no avail. But most importantly I missed having communication with other adults. I see why my wife is always on the phone during her mid-day kitchen cleanup. But me? I didn't really have anyone to call to just talk to, being that most male adults go to an office job. But it's not even a guy thing to do, yet found myself wishing.
(Of course I love my kids, despite that I spend half my day breaking up their fights. But Kelly makes he way through it all and is Wonder Woman for it.)

Jack Wayland once wrote a book called "Charlie" where a guy marries a girl who is sick, but they have a baby and then the mom dies. I happen to know what happened next that was not in the book or movie (they were based on a true story in case you didnt know). He later finds another lovely lady who fulfills his life. And here I am. Point being, a man needs his woman. And I can see that through different eyes now. Not for just the cooking and washing our clothes, but for sanity, to avoid that loneliness.
Anyway, this is sounding depressed. I am not, but I appreciate things like my dad, sister, mom, and wife for the struggles they have come over.
Soooooo, I took the kids to the pool and my back looks like a fresh cut of Basashi (raw cut of horse meat. Japanese delicacy). Sunburn. Although the kids had a great time. Oh, and Ezra thinks he's funny by sticking his bulgy stomach out and walking in the shape of the letter "c".
Tomorrow, we go to the air show and then I get to socialize with other adults in the evening. Can't wait.


Time to go do some laundry....