All the Sandwiches

I've always thought of myself as "so/so" when it comes to sandwiches. There are some sandwiches I really enjoy, but I'd hardly consider myself a "sandwich enthusiast." But then the other day, Scotty and I went on a date, and we got sandwiches from Capriotti's, and I just really enjoyed my sandwich (we did a bit of a food hop and also got fries from Wingstop). I kept saying, "This sandwich is so good!" and I was kind of already daydreaming about the next time I have that sandwich. Then I started thinking about all the other sandwiches I love, and I realized... maybe I am a sandwich enthusiast. Cause, dang! There are quite a few sandwiches that I think about when we're not together. That, of course, made me want to write a blog tribute to My Sandwiches... which is what brings me here today. 

If I were a truly committed blogger, I would go out and get each of my beloved sandwiches and photograph myself with them. But that would be kind of ridiculous (it would be ridiculous, right? Please tell me it would... otherwise imma leave right now to get my first sandwich. Is someone going to stop me? Anyone???)

If I were to go on a Grand Sandwich Blogging Tour, these would be my stops.

First to Capriotti's to get the aforementioned sandwich: the Capatrami. It's a pastrami sandwich with swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and cole slaw. 

Let me tell you something... cole slaw is fantastic on sandwiches and burgers. I particularly enjoy it on a burger with Wingers sauce or on a pulled pork sandwich. I don't care for cole slaw plain, but on sandwiches it add such a nice, cool crunch! Nom nom. 

Sandwich with cole slaw (but, sadly, not the Capastrami)

Next, I'd go to Grove Market and get the seafood sandwich. This is a sandwich with imitation crab, cheese, lettuce, avocado, tomato, and mayo. Make it full sized, and I'll split it with Scotty because, THAT, my friends, is romance. The BLT from Grove's is also really good. 

I always cut up my portion and eat it like a salad because it's just too darn big to eat sandwich style. 

Another sandwich I cut up and eat like a salad is the teriyaki chicken sandwich from Red Robin. I order that sandwich 90% of the time when I go to Red Robin. The other 10% goes to the BLTA croissant, of which I eat half at the restaurant and then bring the other half home because it's a rare food item that tastes better the next day. 

Teriyaki chicken sandwich

After I leave Red Robin, I'll hit up Zupa's where I like to get the pesto chicken on ancient grain. I love the hint of basil and the crunch of the almonds. 

At Chick-Fil-A, I enjoy their classic chicken sandwich. I don't like the deluxe version, though, because I don't like it with cheese. If I'm in a "need a veggie" mood, I'll get the grilled chicken sandwich, which has lettuce and tomato (and no cheese). 

Grilled chicken sandwich (this was an excellent lettuce day)

If I need something freaky fast, I'll order a Pepe from the Jimmy John's app (ham and cheese). I'm currently a little sick of this sandwich, though, so we're "on break." But after some time, I know I'll appreciate it again. 

From Kneaders I enjoy a half turkey sandwich on hazelnut bread. In the past, I've always gotten this sandwich with a cup of broccoli cheese soup. Due to unfortunate circumstances which I will not disclose here... I must never eat that soup again. 

I have put it here in writing. So let it be. 

At Subway, I usually get ham and cheese toasted on Italian herb and cheese bread. I change up my fixings depending what I'm in the mood for, but usually I get lettuce, tomatoes, and banana peppers. Spinach, cucumbers, olives, green peppers, red onions, mayo, mustard, honey mustard, and vinegar and oil are all in my fixing rotation.

You may recall that I used to have a Moochie's problem. I must have overdone it because now I can't eat Moochie's. But I still appreciate a good philly cheese steak! My last two philly cheese steak sandwiches have come from Murphy's Cafe 126, and they have been excellent (although now that I've started reminiscing about Moochie's, I'm wondering if it's time to try it out again). 

At home, I love BLT's with tomatoes from the garden.

BLT

I enjoy an occasional tuna or egg salad sandwich. Peanut butter and jelly is always a delight, but I gotta go with white bread, crunchy PB, and berry jam. No grape jelly or apricot nonsense for this girl! And one of my favorite breakfasts is a ham, egg, and cheese bagel with a slightly runny egg. 

(Breakfast sandwiches? Yes please). 

Ham, egg, and cheese bagel

So I guess I'm not that "so/so" about sandwiches after all. I think the key to my sandwich tastes is going beyond sliced bread and deli meat. 

Care to tell me about your favorite sandwiches?

Donuts Aren't Sexy After All

Scotty and I don’t have very well-synced waking schedules on the weekend. I tend to wake up around 6:00 and end up laying in bed for way too long. I want to get up and start my day, but if my kids happen to still be asleep, I don’t dare move. I want them to sleep as long as possible, and if I so much as breathe with any slight amount of vigor, they will all come running from their rooms in a chorus of “Can I watch YouTube?” “Get me milk!” “What are we doing today?” Therefore, I lay quietly in my bed even though I’d like to be up for the day using my brief morning burst of energy to do something productive before I turn into a slug, which lately, has been happening by 9:00 a.m. 

Last Saturday, after laying in bed for two hours next to a sleeping Scotty, I decided it was time for him to wake up so our schedules wouldn’t be completely off for the day. Being the thoughtful wife that I am, I rolled over, put my arm around him, and whispered the sexiest thing I could think of… 

“Want to go to Krispy Kreme?”

Normally, this would get Scotty right out of bed for the day, but this time, he startled as if woken by a sudden explosion. His face froze in absolute horror as he laid there trying to find himself in space and time, and he made some disturbing guttural sounds that indicated I am now married to a 40-year-old man.

Eventually he came around and agreed to go to Krispy Kreme but with far less enthusiasm that he would have exhibited at age 39. 

We drove to the nearest Krispy Kreme - a 23 minute drive - only to find that their machine was broken, and they had limited donuts and would therefore, not honor their buy a dozen, get a dozen for $1 deal, nor could we get our free donuts for being vaccinated, nor could we get Scotty's free birthday dozen.

No wonder Scotty didn't find my offer sexy…  

We ended up stopping at a different donut shop because we had told our kids we were going to Krispy Kreme, and we didn't dare come back empty-handed. We'll make another attempt at Krispry Kreme this Saturday... because FREE BIRTHDAY DOZEN!!! But please don't tell them we're coming. We'd like to catch them off-guard and fully functional.

(This was the second time in a row that Krispy Kreme has had problems when we've gone there, and we haven't been able to get donuts).

Once Upon a July

July… what is there to say about July? It flew by, and yet, it dragged on forever, and I’m wondering how it is STILL July. I didn’t do much blogging this month. Not for lack of trying. I had a bout of writer’s block, and therefore, I’ve accumulated about 12 single-paragraph drafts in my folder where I attempted to write something, hit a dead end, and read a book instead.

Speaking of reading, I’ve done a lot of that this summer. A quick glance at Goodreads indicates that I’ve finished 24 books since Memorial Day and DNF-ed seven. My kids, in the meantime, haven’t touched a book since May. Don’t judge me. I don’t know who these people are.

Segue to parenting things… being a mom is hard. Before I had kids, I always thought I was going to rock the mom thing. I don't know where I got that idea, so chock it up to not having a fully developed prefrontal cortex. I was still riding high on the adolescent mentality that I was invincible when I started ushering new humans into this world. Reality hit hard when they put that first baby into my arms, and I felt my earliest symptoms of post-partum depression. I've spent every day since then acknowledging that I'm not who I thought I was, and they're not who I thought they were. Nor are they play-doh that I can mold into whatever I want. 

I'll spare you the laundry list of all my current motherhood woes, but just know that they are there. They always will be. With each new phase of life, I'm bombarded with angst over my kids, and I never know if I'm doing the right things for them. That's one of the crappiest aspects of parenting - it's full of guesswork, and the results of your guesswork aren't usually immediate, so you can't course correct quickly. Sometimes it takes years to know whether you did the right thing. And what is best for one child might be the very thing that damages another child. You just never know. 

But wait... July... what has July been like aside from writer's block and parenting struggles? 

Scotty turned 40. We got some fabulous new curbing installed around our new garden. Zoe has been doing cheerleading and tumbling three times a week, and she was in the 4th of July parade (crazy hot). We've gone to visit Scotty's parents a couple of times at the camp where they are serving their mission (but we haven't camped). We've been to Thanksgiving Point a lot. We've spent days at the lake. My kids have been to the zoo with my mom a couple of times. We got season passes to a water park since Nicky and Daisy get in free with their Gabb phones. We've been hiking and park hopping. Scotty was put in as elders quorum president. We've had game nights and a few birthday parties. Daisy went to her first girls camp. Nicky went to seminary twice a week. I did inventory of all my kids' clothing, and we started back to school shopping. 

And… in Most Exciting News… Wingspan was released as an app on July 20, so guess what I’ve spent way too much time doing?

And even with all that... my kids have still managed to watch TV for, like, eight hours every day while I lay on the couch and wallow in depression. July is usually a very bad month for me. This year was no exception. 

July... thank you for being fun and awful. I'll see you next year.

Quick photo dump:

Scotty's Birthday

Parade

Lake Day

The Gateway

Water Park

Park Hopping

Hiking

Fortunately/Unfortunately

Unfortunately...

Someone didn't close the freezer in the garage all the way last week, so later that day, I opened the door and felt a splash of cold water on my feet. Everything had thawed. 

Fortunately...

I was able to keep a few things that we hurried and ate over the next few days.

Unfortunately...

The basket of Otter Pops had all melted, and some of them were split open from when the kids had pulled them apart. There was a big, sticky mess, and when I pulled the basket out, that big, sticky mess made its way to the garage floor where it seeped under a life jacket and then dried, resulting in me having to pry the life jacket up a week later. 

Fortunately...

The freezer wasn't as full as it normally is - it was only about 1/4 stocked. 

Unfortunately...

Having the freezer door partway open had also caused everything to frost over, so I needed to defrost the freezer.

Fortunately...

It was so hot in the garage that I only had to unplug the freezer and let the ice melt for about 15 minutes before it was ready to wipe down and restart. 

Unfortunately...

A week later, a stack of 275 paper plates caught fire in my kitchen.

Fortunately...

I was able to smother it within a few minutes, and we didn't have to use the fire extinguisher that Nicky was holding on standby.

Unfortunately...

The house filled with smoke and smelled really bad, and I ended up with orange iodine-like stains all over my arms and hands from the melted plastic.

Also unfortunately...

I had just purchased the paper plates about half an hour earlier.

Fortunately...

My house didn't burn down.

Unfortunately...

My laptop has been having issues lately (hence my lack of blogging). 

Fortunately...

Today I took my laptop apart and found that a small cell battery had come lose. I have no idea what the battery is for, but I put it back in place, and my laptop is now working fine!

Unfortunately...

When I took my laptop apart, I found that it's all sticky inside, which means something must have spilled on it at some point. I just put it back together and left the stickiness. I don't have the energy to deal with it right now.

Fortunately...

I ate lunch at one of my favorite pizza places today. 

I had hot dogs and ice cream for dinner (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: On my phone I keep a list of ideas for blog posts. This is a good plan, in theory, since I get ideas for things to write and then quickly forget them. But the problem is that later I don't know what I meant. For example, my current list has the phrase "not in the mood." I have no clue what I was referring to.

Fact #2: If you're ever bored, I recommend visiting the book section of a store and counting how many book covers feature People From Behind.

Fact #3: Of the books above, I liked The Things We Cannot Say the best.  

Fact #4: Speaking of books... a few weeks ago, I fell asleep listening to an audiobook. In fact, I finished the audiobook in my sleep then woke up and rewound it, only to finish it again in my sleep. The next day I finished the book awake and then went to add it to Goodreads. Lo and behold, I'd already submitted my review for the book, which I must assume, I did in my sleep. 

Fact #5: Today I spent all day at the lake with my kids and two of their friends. When we first got there, Max, a friend, got two bloody noses. Then about three hours later, Nicky got a bloody nose. Max's were quick and mild. Nicky's was a 20-minute gusher. On the way home, we stopped at McDonald's, and Nicky's nose started bleeding again. He and I were sharing a bag of fries. I reached into the bag to get some fries, and my hand came out covered in blood. He'd bled right into our fry bag! 

Fact #6: As if that weren't enough blood for one day, Eva's tooth fell out when we got home, and she came running into the living room screaming with blood all over her face (girl does not handle the losing of teeth well). I have since found three bloody paper towels laying around the house.

Fact #7: I came home from the lake with splotchy sunburn patterns and Chacos tan lines. I love having tan lines from my sandals. Makes me happy. 

Fact #8: I've probably grossed you out enough for one day, so would it be totally out of line to tell you that my kid threw up at her tumbling class last night and then threw up in her friend's car on the way home? 

I mean, I did give you that little break in between gross things where I talked about tan lines. 

Fact #9: I owe a few people gift baskets for cleaning up barf. Probably more than gift baskets, actually. Week-long vacations at all-inclusive resorts.

Fact #10: I'm too tired to go to bed. I'm also staying up to wait for the tooth fairy to come (see #6).

Currently {July 2021 Edition}

Reading: 

So far I'm not buying into the story. 

Watching: 

I started re-watching Call the Midwife from the beginning. I've watched all the Jenny Lee seasons before, but I haven't watched any of the newer seasons. Mostly I just needed a Miranda Hart fix after finishing Miranda and going through withdrawals. 

Wearing: a University of Utah t-shirt with cut-off shorts that are seconds away from splitting in the crotch. What a dangerous life I live! 

Listening to: 

We had an hour-long drive the other day, and I tried turning on Matilda in hopes that the kids would listen to it, but no. I can't trick them into enjoying books. They won't have it. 

Singing: “No Me Diga” from In the Heights.

Buying: new tires. The most recent batch of tires on the van have been cursed. I got a screw in the tire right after we bought them, but it was repairable. A few months later, I got another screw in the same tire! But it was in the side wall, so we ended up having to buy two new tires. Kindly, they gave us a good discount. Then Father's Day weekend, we got another screw in the sidewall of a different tire and ended up having to buy two new tires, of which they discounted one. Then on Sunday, we found a nail in one of the new tires. 

Craving: a nap in a cold room. I'm not sleeping well at night lately, and I think it's because I'm hot. I should just get up and turn on the swamp cooler (we still live the swamp cooler life at our house), but I have swamp cooler guilt!

Swamp cooler guilt: when you feel bad about using water and energy to cool your house when you could just suck it up and probably be ok. Swamp cooler guilt also includes the knowledge that if you get up in the middle of the night to turn on the swamp cooler, you're going to be too lazy to get up later to turn it off.

Update: I've started turning on the swamp cooler when I get hot at night. And I'm too lazy to turn it off, as suspected. , 

Needing: to get my kids to read. I thought about hiring a pre-teen to come read with them once a week, but I have a pre-teen, so I feel like I shouldn't have to hire one. Yet... family is complicated, so I might just have to bring in an outsider.

Daydreaming about: going to the thrift store and finding something amazing. 

Regretting: eating a really big rice krispy treat earlier today. It wasn't just an ordinary one - it had marshmallows and coconut frosting with chocolate drizzle. It was delicious... for a minute. Now I just want to puke.

I even shared the dang thing with my kids, and it was still too much!

Annoyed by: fluid in my ears. It's making me crazy (See #'s 40-43).

Playing: Clue. Every year for Chad and Scotty’s birthdays, we have to play Clue (See # 35).

Working on: my spiritual habits. I've gotten a bit complacent regarding spiritual things lately. 

Procrastinating: taking care of our current laundry situation. Right now I'm feeling some really negative emotions toward the laundry cycle. 

Loving: the pumpkin vines growing in my front yard. I grow them every year. Never get any pumpkins, but the vines are a nice and green addition to my otherwise dead front yard. 

Hoping: that we get to harvest some corn in a few weeks! Things are looking hopeful!

Worried about: Nicky at YM camp. I’m not overly worried, but just the right amount of worried. This is the first time he’s been on a camp without Scotty. I’m not worried about his safety so much as I am about the social experience. 

Update: He made it home and seems to have had a decent time.

Looking forward to: the sunflowers in my yard blooming. I am terrible with flowers - I kill them all - but I’ve managed to grow sunflowers for the past three summers.  

Update: They have started blooming!

Eating: honey crisp apple sliced with cookie butter and Pringles.

Struggling with: energy. I’m so tired lately. I tend to be more depressed in the summer, so there’s a little bit of that going on, and the heat just adds to it. I nap every day, and when I nap, it takes me forever to get up and going again.

Thinking about: quitting soda. Just thinking about it… but then part of me is like, “No! Wait until Labor Day. Spend this summer with your beautiful Cokes. You need them to survive.”

But the other part of me is like, “You haven’t had any soda today. If you keep this up, you could be one day soda sober by this afternoon, and then you could just keep going!”

Update: I haven't had any soda since June!

Learning: that people don’t care how much you know. They only care about how you make them feel. I read a quote about this recently, and I was like, “Holy crap! That is absolutely true! But why have I never thought of this before?” I’ve spent way too much of my life acting like a know-it-all and always trying interject every conversation with what I know. What an unattractive quality! So I’m trying to not do that any more.

Trying: to overcome feelings of Mom Failure. 

Enjoying: any moment I don't have to wear a bra. No photo. You're welcome.

Feeling: all over the place. I'm happy, depressed, tired, excited, anxious, lonely, blessed, bored, hungry, and grateful all at once. 

Grateful for: all forms of air conditioning. 

The Day a Boy Turns 40

This morning I woke up next to a 40-year-old man. Fortunately, it was Scotty. Otherwise this would be a very interesting pronouncement. 

Today is his birthday - the big four, oh! He wouldn’t let me plan any type of gathering, but with this being a milestone birthday, I wanted to do something special to celebrate, so I asked some of our family and friends what they love about Scotty and compiled a list to share with him. I didn’t do it with the intent to post it on my blog, but the answers were so heart-warming and so true to who Scotty is, that I decided to share them here so that his family and friends can read them and nod in agreement with each other’s answers. 

Without further ado… here are the things we love about Scotty!

Lil Scotty

"Because Scotty is so kind, my kids are drawn to him and will let him help with 'scary' things like going down giant inflatable slides and floating in lazy rivers. He also always addresses my children by name and says hello and how are you whenever we see him. He genuinely cares about and is interested in how you are doing." -Darcy, sister-in-law

“I think Scotty is one of the nicest, patient, and non-judgmental people I know.” -Jared, step-brother

“No one yells Banjo Kazooie in the shower on vacation louder than Scotty.” -Chelsea, step-sister

"He's a great life-long friend. Non-judgmental. Never judged me for some of my stupid decisions. Great gamer (or pretends to innocently cheat to win). Always helpful. There for you when you need him. My go to 'Alone' survivalist if the world goes to pot. He will get me through. Good golfer. Tries to make me feel like I'm a decent golfer when I'm not. Really the best kind of friend I could ever ask for." -Chad, friend

Chad and Scotty with their birthday brats

"Just love him like a brother. I agree with what Chad said completely. He's just the best. He’s always so attentive when you're talking to him, and he always acts like everything you're saying is so exciting and important." -Carlie, friend

"His hilarious laugh on the rides at Lagoon." -Brianne, friend and ward member

Mark, Scotty, Kyle

Michelle, me, Brianne

"The way he greets people when he is excited to see them. 'DUDE!!!’ He has a way to approach things with enthusiasm, and it's awesome. Also his passion for DLR and good musicals." -Mark, friend and ward member

Kyle, Mark, and Scotty (i.e. "the band")

“He is fun to be around and always up for an adventure.” -Michelle, friend and ward member

“First thing that comes to mind when I think of Scotty is his Permanent Positive Attitude (PPA). He’s always in a good mood and only talks about positive things. I’m always in a good mood around Scotty.” -Robb, friend and former ward member

Scotty with the bros - three of whom are named Robert

“What I love about Scotty is his great sense of humor and the fact that he makes games and activities so much fun.” -Shirley, friend and ward member

"The way he threatens his kids to 'Have fun or you're going to bed!'" -Tim, brother-in-law

“Scotty always makes everyone feel welcome. Every time there’s a friend that comes over or a new boyfriend of mine, he’s always the first to treat them like they’ve been in the family forever.” -Kaedyn, niece

Scotty and Kaedyn

“Scotty is a great father and husband, adventurous and open, kind and patient, a Godly man but humble, inclusive and non-judgmental. He’s a great example to me. Happy birthday, old man!” -Scott, step-brother

Disneyland Dad

"He is always positive and kind! And always willing to go on a new adventure." -Mindy, sister-in-law

"He is the best teeth checker to make sure teeth have been brushed." -Riley, step-brother

Stevenson, Riley, and Scotty before a Spartan race

"I love how he is always so adventurous. He's a really, really good dad. I consider him to be one of the smartest people I know because of how he can fix or create just about anything. I love how much he loves vacation and Disneyland. I love how he's always willing to help whenever I ask. He will literally drop everything sometimes and do it right away. I love how he doesn't care what people think of him, and he's still just a big kid." -Anonymous, step-sister 

Scotty being a kid

"I love that he loves Disneyland so much that he invented a boys' trip to Disneyland. He's very patient, friendly, and laughs easily. I also appreciate that he liked the Chili's corn chips when I accidentally burned them in the microwave. He thought they tasted good." -Melissa, step-sister

“I love how he gets excited over the little things.” -Kyle, step-brother

"What can I say, I'm his mom. He has always been a joy and comfort to me. He has made me laugh when I wanted to cry. He can handle any situation. Ideas just come natural to him. He is a fabulous provider. He's so giving with his time, and he knows how to fix our electronic problems. Heaven blessed me the day Scotty was born!! He makes me proud to call him my son." -Jackie, mom

Scotty and his mom with the kids

(at Disneyland, of course)

 

“I ask him for advice or why what I’m doing isn’t working, and he always has the right thing to say, and he has the knowledge to tell me how to do it. He’s always willing to help with anything. He’s super fun on vacations or just short getaways. I love all the adventures he does throughout the year. I love him, and I’m so proud of who he has become.” -Craig, dad

Zoe, Scotty, Craig (Scotty's dad), and Kyle (Scotty's brother)

"I love how accepting and loving Scotty is to everyone. He makes everyone feel comfortable." -LuAnn, step-mom

"He buyed me Minecraft, and he loves us." -Zoe, daughter

Scotty introducing Baby Zoe to Mickey Mouse

"He always takes me to McDonald's." -Eva, daughter

Scotty with two-week-old Eva at the pinewood derby

"He takes us on vacations. He's the one that drives us." -Daisy, daughter

Scotty mini golfing with Daisy in South Carolina

“I love that he’s willing to help whoever even if he’d rather be doing something else.” -Nicky, son

“Scotty is always smiling.” -Kayla, step-sister

Scotty... smiling

"Scotty is a brother that has always carried an amazing heart. I reflect quite often of our lives together and my gratitude for his love, kindness, and passive character... When we are together, I feel a kind of strength that is specific to him. I am always very proud of Scotty when people report to me how kind an individual he is... Thank you for selecting me as your brother." -Kyle, brother

Lil Kyle and Scotty

"I love how Scotty is easy going about the right things and gets super excited about other things (like bidets and food and fishing, not in any particular order). He's always entertaining to play games with, he is awesome with kids, he's a great example of someone willing to serve and help others, and he works hard." -Katie, sister-in-law

This man loves to fish!

"I liked that one Christmas sweater he wore that one time at the Christmas party, I thought that was really funny. I love his sense of humor and that he can have good serious conversations too." -Scarlett, niece

"I like going on fishing trips with him. I like how he's funny and witty and always beats my dad in arguments." -Avanlee, niece

Daisy, Nicky, Scotty, and Avanlee

 "I really like how he is open and likes to do activities with us. I like that he has a good attitude with a lot of things, and I feel really happy around him because of his personality." -Asher, nephew

"I love how he's always willing to help people no matter what the cost and that he's so funny. He's an amazing uncle, the best uncle!" -Juliet, niece

Scotty holding Juliet and Daisy

"I like that he has nice kids. He's an amazing uncle. He's nice and everyone in his family is." -Gwen, niece

“What I love/enjoy/appreciate about Scotty is his love of life and people. personally, Scotty makes me feel like I’m his favorite person. Every time I see him he gets excited and has a sincere interest in knowing how I am doing and what’s going on in my life. Every single moment I have spent with Scotty has been filled with laughter and fun and has left me feeling uplifted. In the Board of Directors for my life, Scotty has a chair.” -Stevenson, friend

“I like that he has a sense of humor, loves outdoor adventures with the family, works hard, is a good example, does projects around the house, and most importantly, loves Brittany and the kids.” -Shawnna, mother-in-law

“That’s what I was going to say.” -Ron, father-in-law

The only time my dad has ever 'smiled' for a photo

"Scotty is always happy. He is always smiling. He is an outstanding father. He is the kind of dad that everyone wants to be. He put up with his mother-in-law's crazy parties. He is a great and righteous example to his family. He is a hard worker and has always been able to support his family with their needs. He sets a good example by living a gospel centered life. He loves unconditionally. He has an amazing amount of patience. He always makes time to help anyone that asks. He never missed an opportunity to serve others. His sense of humor is the best, and he passes it on to his kids. He doesn't take life too seriously. He doesn't let things bother him. He leads a simple, uncomplicated life. He loves to plan vacations. He's the best travel guide. He's very creative. He's very talented. He's a child at heart. He always has a rope if you need one." -Jill, mother-in-law

Scotty with his rope

"Scotty is super patient and kind. I've always admired those traits in him and looked up to him because of it. It made me really happy as I grew up knowing that my sister would be protected and cared for by such a great person." -Brock, brother-in-law

Believe it or not.. this used to be us!

“I love how Scotty is always willing to help, isn’t afraid to act child-like, and is always good for a laugh.” -Michelle, sister-in-law

“My favorite memory is when we had a paintball war in Grandpa’s field.” -Drew, step-brother

“For me, Scotty has been so kind and welcoming to me and my kiddos. It’s meant so much everyone has been so nice and made us feel like family.” -Caroline, sister-in-law

“He calls the Royal Red Robin Burger ‘The Vegan Hater.’ He (with his beautiful bride) loves games, and we love when they teach and share with us the cool ones. He loves his wife and kids the most. He goes on numerous double date nights with us crazies. He supports and loves his wife and gives her Christmas gifts to go see Hugh Jackman with her girlfriends. He has the best laugh.” -Christie, friend

“He always has a smile on his face and just has a really relaxed demeanor. He doesn’t want to stress about the small stuff. He would rather laugh about it.” -Brian, friend

As these comments about Scotty rolled in, I was overwhelmed with the realization of how blessed I am to get to be the one to share my life with him. He is truly an incredible person. He is a wonderful husband and father, a peacemaker, and a problem solver. He is giving, adventurous, and humble. He is joyful and makes me laugh like no one else. I’ve seen him at his best, and I’ve seen him at his worst, and I love him for all of it! I feel honored to be among his friends and family in wishing him a happy 40th birthday!

We love you, Scotty! Thanks for bringing so much light and joy into our lives.

Garden Talk

Even though I talk about my garden a lot on this here blog, I need you to not be fooled by it. Yes, I have a garden - a big one - and I write about it with pride and joy. But the truth is, I hardly have a green thumb. Probably three quarters of what I plant ends up dead before it can yield any produce. Every year I wonder, "Why am I doing this?" It costs us far more in time and money to grow our own vegetables than it would to just buy them from the store. Plus, my mother-in-law, the garden hoarder, is always trying to make us take her vegetables. 

But there's such a sense of accomplishment in gardening, despite my low success rate. And home-grown stuff tastes amazing... for vegetables... 

So I continue to garden even though I'm not great at it.

With my gardening efforts, I have learned that I cannot grow flowers. The only flowers I've ever successfully grown are sunflowers... so basically... weeds. When we first bought our house, I tried every year to plant flowers, and they always died. Every year, I try to grow poppies, and they always get a few centimeters high and then die. Potted plants inside my house always die. And every year I plant marigolds next to my tomatoes... and they die.

But this year is different! This year, for the first time, the marigolds are alive!

And they are flourishing! 

I've never had them expand beyond a single bloom and actually fill in the space. 

Also this year, I've kept some of my Mother's Day flowers alive. They're not in the best shape, but they're alive!

My friend, Melissa, gave me some snapdragons for Mother's Day.

Zoe gave me whatever these are...

And like I said, they are barely alive, but they're alive!

(The mystery plant Eva brought home from kindergarten growing in a Dixie cup didn't survive the transplant to the yard). 

The funniest thing about all this is that I married a farm boy. Scotty's grandpa and his brothers ran a local produce company for over 40 years, so Scotty grew up farming. You would think that would make him a great gardener, but it hasn't given us any gardening advantage. Scotty is just as responsible for plant deaths as I am!

The farm did give us a great resource for fresh peas, tomatoes, green beans, and corn for many years, though, and thus, we are corn snobs. As Scotty's grandpa grew older (and as his brothers began passing away), we knew that the day would come where we would need to learn to grow our own corn. Scotty's grandpa passed away a few years ago, but his brother, Fred, has continued growing corn and sharing it with us in the summer. This year, we decided it's time to give corn a try. 

Since we do square-foot gardening, we are using a far different method than that of the farm. We got some seed from Uncle Fred who said, "give them plenty of space," and we were like, "uhh... we're planting nine per square foot because that's what Mel Bartholemew says to do..." and Uncle Fred said his daughter has been doing that, and somehow it's worked. It's very different than growing corn on a farm, but it makes sense because on a farm, you need space for irrigation and pickers. We don't need that in our backyard. Farming and gardening share some similarities, but ultimately, they are two different systems, which is why marrying a farm boy doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have an amazing garden.

I wanted a little bit of a "head start" on the corn, so I planted our first batch from starts. The rest I have done from Fred’s seed, and I've planted it in phases so it will ripen across time. One of my greatest concerns is making sure the corn pollinates effectively so we actually get ears of corn, so I've spent all summer reading up on corn fertility and watching for the stalks to form tassels and silks. 

When we got back from our vacation last week, I was so excited to see our first corn tassels from the corn starts peeking over our backyard fence. A few days later, the first silks appeared. 

Just this morning, I found our first tassels on our very own corn stalks grown from seed! I now feel a great sense of responsibility in that I must bring about corn fertility. I am, essentially, a corn sex therapist. My therapy techniques for this season will include giving the stalks a gentle shake so pollen drops from the tassels to the silks. Other ideas include breaking off a tassel and touching it to the silks or touching a cotton ball from tassel to silk. I also read online that it's recommended to only water from the ground and never from above the plants because that washes the pollen off before it can do its thing. I'd never thought of this, and I've very often watered my garden with sprinklers or by hand with a sprinkler attachment, so this year, we decided to try only watering from the ground (i.e. NO SPRINKLING) to see if that helps with the rest of our garden. 

So far, it has been super fun to grow corn. It sprouts really fast and grows rapidly, so it's exciting to have a crop that show such visible progress from day to day. Hopefully, by the end of July, we'll have some ears of corn! And if all goes well, the marigolds will still be alive, and the sunflowers will have bloomed!