Our little vacation- KEEP

So here are the pictures from when we didn't have kids Halloween weekend!

So our anniversary was November 2nd, and my mother inlaw took our beautiful kids for 4 days!! So Jed wanted to go shooting!! I went when we were dating...and thats pretty much it. But I have to say I liked it!! I felt like Angelina Jolie in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". LOL
Here is me, my Dad and Jed doing our James Bond poses!!
Then we ate with my family that night without children!! I am the only one in my family with kids so far, so it was really nice to have an adult converstation with my brother his wife, and my parents!
The waiter let us geate our own cheese! Jed was super excited!
Just the ladies, this is Julieann, my mom Nusset and myself!


My mom and I!! awwwww....
The boys are getting impatient for their food!!

It was so much fun to have a few days away and get to do adult things without children. The next day we went to park city and had a blast shopping and having dinner. Then we went to pick up our beautiful kids, I was so ready to pick them up and bring them home. I love my kiddies, but its nice to get away!

-Cat-

Hee Haw's - First field trip KEEP

Jocelyn's had her first kindergarten field trip!! Of course I had to go!! In our team we had our great friend and neighbor Payson!!


Here the kids are picking out their beautiful pumpkins. They all got to take one home.




We found a wagon, and I thought it would be so fun to push them around in the wagon. I pushed them around the whole time, and a great idea turned out to be a a big job for me. Ha Ha. But they loved it!!
Jocelyn loved being at Hee Haw's. She had the best time there and wanted to go again. We will totally go again next year.
Jocelyn went through the mini Maze.
Sammy Rivas is also in Jocelyn's class, here he is having a great time sliding down the big slide.
Our little group for our field trip. Payson and Jocelyn are on the right.
Jocelyn going down the slide. She loved it, I think it was our most popular feature at Hee Haws!
Jocelyn loved this slide. It went pretty fast, and was very slippery.
Jocelyn and I at the begining of our first field trip. We had the best time, and I love that I got to go with her.
Our little group!

I'm so glad, I got to go with Jocelyn on her first field trip. She is growing up so fast and I don't want to miss a minute!! My sweet Jocelyn!!

-Cat-

"Cliques" *Updated*

“Cliques”

Ya see when I got married; I was one of the first people to get married in my social group of single friends…my “Clique”. Of course I couldn't be away from Jed for a minute when we got engaged, after work it was Jed, on the phone it was Jed, in the morning it was Jed, and on the weekends it was Jed.

Then we got married, and we worked even more, we saw each other LESS even though we were married, let alone have any time with any of my friends. When I was finally ready to start hanging out with my single friends again, I had to rule out the guys- No more hanging out with my single guy friends...apparently its not "appropriate" and "Looks bad" and "having made out with one or two of them would be "awkward" (OK I'm seriously joking)....and then my girl single friends all started to get engaged, and doing the same thing I did to them.

THEN I got pregnant, and of course I was the first one to get pregnant, they were all being busy being engaged...that is when I first noticed that for the first time in my life I didn’t have any GIRL FRIENDS!!

In High School or College, or working, its easier to make those connections…but being a Stay at Home Mom it got way harder to meet other Moms!!. .So I didn't have any "GIRL" friends for a very very long time. When I was pregnant I felt SOOO alone, because I lost that connection with other women.

So if you think a “Clique” is two women making a connection or 3 women making a connection or how ever number of women making a connection is a “Clique”, then that is what I was craving for. A connection with another woman!! Now I love my husband, he is my BEST FRIEND in the whole world, but he is NOT a girl!! There is something so special in having that one on one girl time!!

So when I finally made that connection with some of my closest friends today, I was in heaven. I felt like I had some balance in my life. I felt like I had someone that I could talk to every day, that I could complain too, that I could ask to watch my kids, or someone that cares about me when I’m sick or when my kids are sick. It’s that special connection you have with another woman that I feel makes your life balanced out.

I feel that as I get older, married with children, that these friendships get more valuable to me. I get more protective of them, and I get more comfortable with them as they do with me. So I understand when a group of friends finally get to that level of friendship.

I also feel that being in a “Clique” also comes with some common sense underlying rules that people “should” already know when we are with other people like:

1. First of all, if a friend or a group of friends are going to go do something WAY fun. Don't announce it to everyone that ISN"T going! Don't start talking about the event or the activity with people that AREN'T invited. I mean...didn't we learn this in first grade when we are invited to a birthday party and our sweet BFF wasn't invited??
2. When we’re in a group, it can take ONE person to either pull us IN the conversation or leave us OUT. Lets be a little careful when we tease someone new that isn’t in our group, they don’t know us and don’t understand our sense of humor no matter how fun loving we say it, having a group or a couple of women laugh or chuckle at you isn’t fun at ANY age.
3. Third be courteous and more aware of people around us. Sometimes we are so involved with the funny thing that happened to us last night that we are having this great time, while someone else might be trying to get in on the fun, and can’t. We can laugh about our “inside jokes” when its just our little "Clique", but while other people are around lets venture out! Ya never know what awesome friendships we might be missing out on!!

So before I get off my soap box, I have been on the receiving end as well, wanting to have connections with other women, and not having the time to make them, or not making the effort to do so. I had the power to “Be a Duck” where I let it roll off my back, or I could be offended at everyone I knew and stay home and feel sorry for myself. I’ve done BOTH. LOL. The latter got old really quickly!

My Dad told me something that has stood with me my whole life. He told me that life is a Party and I am the host, I have to be the one to greet everyone at MY party, to make sure everyone feels included at MY party, to make sure everyone is having fun at MY party, and to make sure I was nice to all MY guests. (Even though sometimes “SOME” of the guest we’re not invited!!) I know it’s a little silly analogy but its worked for me.

I LOVE my party, and as I get to know every single one of my "guests", I get to love it more and more.

So I am off my soap box, to those that have “Cliques” more power to you!! For those of you craving that connection, make it happen!! Don’t wait for the invitation, send out your own!! Remember its YOUR party and you’re the host, no one will know to come unless you invite them!!

To all of my "Guests" I love you and I'm so glad you came!! To my guests that haven't come yet, I can't wait until you come!!

-Cat-

Our New President- KEEP

President Barack Obama

So we have a new president of the United States of America. I will have to be honest and say that he was not our choice for President and we were disappointed at midnight when we saw the polls.

But even though he was not my pick for president, he IS our new President of the United States, he will have my respect as long as he is in office. I might disagree with some if his opinions and my congressmen will hear of them, and thats ok, but I will respect him as a President.

He will have 4 years to prove himself and to show us what his plans are for our country. But we have to be united in supporting our president if we want to succeed as a country. I love my country and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else and I am going to try and give my support and my help in being more proactive in my neighborhood, city, and state and being more vocal about changes in our country.

Being supportive doesn't necessarily mean you have to agree with the bill or law or proposed law, it means being vigilant of the issues going on today. It means speaking up when you don't agree on a law or a bill that is going through, it means calling your congressmen and being proactive. But let us all be united in making a better future.

On that note, I also wanted to comment on what a historical day it was for us and a huge leap forward in having our first African American President Elected. This is an amazing day and age in where we truly are seeing equality.


To a new President ....

-Cat-

WOMEN: Remember to VOTE!! KEEP

Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote:

OUR grandmothers, great-grandmothers, aunts, sisters, mothers fought very hard for us to have this right! Lets not take it for granted cast your vote TODAY!! Every vote counts!! Make your MARK!!




Women were shunned, beaten, spit on, looked down upon because they were fighting for the right to vote. Lets not take it for granted!! VOTE TODAY!! Every single vote counts, make a difference in our future and vote!!

-Cat-