I need a three-day nap (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: I am really tired, and I should be asleep right now, but I’m away from home and I have a few problems:

1. I don’t have my blankies

2. I don’t have the right pillow configuration

3. My kids are in the room 

4. I don’t have my cpap

Fact #2: Yesterday I was playing Crossplay (basically Scrabble), and I spelled the word “ditto.” That made me remember when I first learned the word “ditto” - I thought it was the greatest word ever! I would use it anytime I could. I’d be like “ditto!” And in my head I’d think, “OMG, I’m so cool!”

Fact #3: Zoe learned about Jimothy at FSY last week. She is absolutely terrified of him and thinks he’s coming to get her. 

Jimothy traveling from Seattle to sneak into Zoe’s bed

Fact #4: I have an overwhelming desire to go clubbing with Miranda Hart and Steve Martin. And by clubbing, I mean some sort of activity that allows us to be home in our jammies by 7:00 pm. 

Fact #5: My kids have been buying the Stranger Things Kinderjoy eggs hoping for a Steve Harrington. Eva got one the other day, and she was so happy, she cried. 

Fact #6: Life lesson: never let your eye bags prevent you from sharing your gigantic onion ring with the world!

Fact #7: School starts in two weeks. I’m equal parts ready and not ready. 

Fact #8: I recently determined that if I needed to identify a TV character to describe myself, I would be a mix of Beverly Goldberg and Liz Lemon. 

Liz Lemon would love my giant onion ring

Fact #9: The evolution of Nicky’s latest haircut:

June 22

July 27

Fact #10: I’ve never had a good experience bowling with my kids (written whilst bowling with my kids).

It's Father's Day (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: We took our girls fishing last week, and I found my spirit animal.

The only way to eat cheese

Daisy and her fish (she caught 4)

Fact #2: The other day Scotty used AI to pick his clothes to go see Back to the Future. AI dressed him to match the carpet of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. 

I saw an alarming number of elderly men at Eccles Theatre dressed the same way. 

Fact #3: My friend Carlie and I got matching shirts. I will not say which of us is more suited to this particular design.

(Honestly, it just depends on the day).

Fact #4: Whenever I think about past versions of myself, I realize what an idiot I used to be. The problem is, in each phase of my life, I have been an idiot. That means I’m an idiot right now, I just don’t know it yet. 

Fact #5: We went to see Toy Story 5, and I thought it was pretty good! It made me nostalgic for Little Nicky (not the Adam Sandler Little Nicky, but the little kid version of my son, Nicky). 

Speaking of Adam Sandler

Fact #6: On our way out of the movie theater, a bird pooped on me. It splattered all over my shirt. I thought someone had thrown something at me!

Fact #7: With all of the merchandise for the semi quincentennial that's been in stores for months, I feel like it's been the 4th of July for... well... months. How is it still almost two weeks away? I’m ready to move on with my life. 

Fact #8: Good news, though! If you go to Hobby Lobby right now, you can get your fall decor. Never mind that it's June. Your scarecrow is calling!

Fact #9: Speaking of movies (see Fact #5), I took my kids to see The Breadwinner, and I really liked it. I didn't expect that! I don't know if anyone else agrees because I haven't talked to a single other person who has seen it.

Fact #10: We also saw Masters of the Universe. I slept through a big chunk of it, but it was worth being there just to hear Scotty and his friend Chad geek out together afterward. Also, I think He-Man and I have the same haircut. Mine is unintentional (I currently do not have "hair agency" - as in, I have no choice in what my hair does right now).

It's the Merry* Month of May (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: This week I stumbled across a post I wrote during COVID. Reading anything from that time is sure trippy. Those were crazy years. It doesn’t feel like it really happened. Now that it’s in the past, it feels like some weird lie we all agreed to tell.

Fact #2: My kids have a lot of performances right now. Daisy recently competed at Region and State for theatre. At the Region competition I overheard one of the judges ask, “Does Nicky Brittish have a sister because I saw a girl here who looks just like him.” I just chuckled and carried on with my favorite pastime of eavesdropping. 

Fact #3: I see what the judge saw.

Fact #4: May is insane. This week is probably the worst. 

Fact #5: My Mother’s Day gift from Zoe and Eva was a 20 minute presentation comparing city life and farm life in hopes that I will move them to a farm. 

Fact #6: Mother's Day was so long and exhausting. What's the point of it, again?

Fact #7: I appreciate a good melt on a hot sandwich. Look at this beauty:

Fact #8: Saturday was our 23rd anniversary. Don't get married in May. 

(We didn't know). 

Fact #9: We did nothing for our anniversary, by the way. Unless you count serving refreshments at the high school dance. 

Fact #10: Our swamp cooler died, so I guess that's what we're getting for our anniversary. 

*I am not feeling a single ounce of "merry" right now. 

January is Finally Over! (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: Currently I can’t upload any photos from my phone to my blog. I’m trying to fix it, but so far I haven’t been able to figure it out. This is very unfortunate. 

Fact #2: Over the last few weeks, I’ve taken a drastic step back from social media, and it has been wonderful! I didn’t get on social media at all for almost two weeks. Then I got on only to share my blog posts and check my DM’s. 

Fact #3: I had my yearly mammogram today last week. Just a reminder, if you’re over 40… get your mammogram! 

Update: all is healthy and well for 2026. 

Fact #4: I have recurring dreams about loading my grandma’s dishwasher. Isn’t that weird? 

Fact #5: Scotty just returned from his annual Brocation to Disneyland. This year they had 26 attendees! (up from last year’s 19). 

Fact #6: Nicky was transferred (moved to a new place) for the first time in his mission (he has been in Puerto Rico since August 13. His mission began June 30). He was sent to the island of Antigua which is a separate country. They have a different currency and different language situation (very little Spanish - mostly English and Creole). They have 4 missionaries there. 

My son is one of four missionaries in an entire country!

(Granted, it’s a 17-square mile country, but it’s exciting nevertheless). 

He had to leave some of his belongings at the mission home (he was only allowed to take one suitcase). We won’t be able to get him any packages while he’s there.

So Nicky is on an adventure, for sure! He had to fly to Saint Kitts and stay one night and then fly to Antigua, and he was all by himself. He was so excited to be alone and was hoping to have some good airport food (San Juan has some options). 

Fact #7: This has been the longest week of Nicky’s mission for his mom and dad. We are so excited to talk to him tomorrow because we know he’s going to have so many stories to tell us! I need to keep notes on my phone of all the questions that I want to ask him!

Fact #8: Yes, we know how fortunate we are to be able to talk to our missionary every week! 

Fact #9: I am so sad about the photos that I can’t upload right now. 

Fact #10: The things in my head that I want to blog about right now are innumerable. I wish I had more time and a better ability to collect my thoughts. 

I’m sure I’m forgetting something important (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: Zoe has been taking a (kind of) home ec class this semester, and she has become very interested in cooking and baking. I’m not hating it. She made some great cookies a couple of weeks ago. She has made crepes twice without any help, and today she made seven-layer dip.

Fact #2: We got a new banister on our porch, which was much needed as our old one (original to the house) was rusted out and likely to kill an elderly person or delivery driver this season. 

We sent a photo of the new banister to Nicky, and he said “That’s not my house. I’m not coming home to that.” So I guess he’s officially moved out. 

Fact #3: I still sit on the floor to wrap presents. I don’t know how much longer I will live this way, so I just wanted to put that out there. In three years, I might look back on this post and realize this was my final year. 

Fact #4: About once a year, I accidentally bump the bidet while I’m cleaning the toilet and get a brutal awakening. Thursday, December 28 was that day. 

Fact #5: The other day, while out in public, I looked down and saw a hygiene crotch sticker stuck to my pant leg. I have no idea where it came from, and I hadn’t been to any stores that would have them.

Ew.

Fact #6: We’ve had some big wind gusts this past week- one resulting in a snapped power pole right outside our house.

They had to turn off our power for about 7-8 hours while they replaced the pole. Merry Christmas to us!

Fact #7: As I’m writing this, I have two grocery orders underway. One for Sam’s club and one for Walmart. I need to finalize them so they can be delivered tomorrow, but I want them to be my very last orders/purchases until after Christmas, so I keep thinking, “Is this everything? What am I forgetting?” 

Fact #8: I’m not sure if I’m allowed in Eva’s room.

Fact #9: I have now made the grocery order commitments. Walmart lets you make changes up until a certain point, so if I think of anything I’ve forgotten, I can still add it tonight. But Sam’s club doesn’t let you add anything to your order after it’s submitted, so what’s done is done. 

(Why can’t Sam’s Club make order changes? I find this baffling since Walmart and Sam’s are the same company. Do better, Sam’s Club). 

Fact #10: I don’t know if I dare say this, but I think we’re pretty much done with Christmas prep. I have four gifts to wrap, and other than that, there are just a couple of small tasks that I can do but don’t have to do.  

What am I forgetting?

School’s Back In (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: Papa Murphy’s got rid of their classic cheese bread. This might not be news to you because apparently it happened a year or more ago. But for me? Who hasn't had Papa Murphy's for quite a while? This is new and devastating information. 

I don't understand. 

Fact#2: My kids didn’t read at all this summer. I had such good intentions. I was going to reward them for reading. I was going to read to them. We were going to start the year on benchmark (my kids are behind in reading). 

And yet... 

Fact #3: Nicky is supposed to head to Puerto Rico tomorrow, but Tropical Storm Erin is a-brewing. I’m interested to see if his travel is affected. I’m not at all worried about it in terms of Nicky’s safety (should I be?)

Update: the plane made it to Puerto Rico, so as long as Nicky was on it, he’s there now! (He does not currently have a phone. He will be issued one in PR now that he’s there. We are excited to hear from him, but we have no idea when that will be. In the meantime, I continue to not feel worried about him. Curious… but not worried).

Fact #4: A few things I don’t like about the school year:

Friend drama

Managing children’s anxiety and daily breakdowns

Keeping up on school communication (especially during years when I have three schools to keep track of)

School dances

Drop off and pick up traffic

Not being able to go to work at 5 a.m.

Fact #5: A few things I like about the school year:

Built-in friend encounters, reading, and exercise

Having a schedule and a routine and not so much downtime

A bit more alone time for me - even just a little time in the car between drop offs and pick ups is so nice

Being able to start and finish a small task without interruptions every two minutes

Going to the store without my kids

After school activities that keep the kids busy

The weather starts to cool down (but gosh darn it, not for a while still - it was so hot today!)

Fewer messes around the house (in theory)

Fact #6: First day photos:

Eva - 5th

Zoe - 7th

Daisy - 10th

Fact #7: Last weekend Scotty and I went camping all by ourselves! I don’t think we’ve ever been camping, just the two of us. It was amazing. All we did was play games, take naps, eat food, and go back and forth from the outhouse. 

It was exactly what we needed. 

This is the only photo I took:

Fact #8: I don’t understand why people don’t take their photos out of their picture frames before donating them to the thrift store.

Fact #9: I fell asleep while writing this blog post… two nights in a row

Fact #10: How I celebrated the first day of school:

Scrubbed my shower

Shampooed the living room couch

Went to the thrift store (bought some books and a shirt for Zoe)

Picked up my prescription eye drops (that don’t help)

Went to the car wash

Met Christie at Cafe Rio for lunch and talked for 2.5 hours. Almost died on a shifty Cafe Rio toilet seat.

It’s Summer Break (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: A couple of weeks ago I found this doll at the thrift store, and gave her a makeover. 

Before

After

Then I took her for a drive and handed her off to Addie, and said, "Here! Find somewhere to put this for your mom!"

Buckle up, Babe

A little while later, Addie sent me this photo:

Patiently waiting in the closet

Anyway, her name is Odessa, and I love her very much.

Fact #2: Last week I had to go to a neurologist and have an EMG. They were addressing my neuropathy and trying to see if they could determine a cause. As with everything else in my life, they didn’t have any answers. I’ve had two different rounds of labs done and now the EMG. I have another round of labs ordered, but I’m not feeling hopeful that we’ll find any solutions. I think I might just hurt for the rest of my life. 

I got to wear these fancy hospital shorts:

Disposable shorts

Fact #3: A couple of weekends ago I got to visit with my sister from California and my friend Shannon from Idaho!

Liz & Britt

Britt & Shannon (aka: Brown Gravy)

Fact #4: Last week, Lala and I went to a VIP event for her work. We got to tour the homes from the reality show Rock the Block (full disclosure: I’ve never even heard of it). It was pretty fun, and we got to eat some yummy food and bring home some swag bags. 

Our weird washed out photo (the backdrop was black!)

Fact #5: The night before graduation, Scotty helped me put out a yard sign that said “Class of 2025.” He was so proud when it got to this point, and he sat out in the yard waving to all the neighbors for a while.

Fact #6: This year in school, Nicky took AP Ceramics. It was very different from the other AP classes he has taken because he had to create a portfolio rather than take a final test. I’m excited to see what he scores. He wasn’t going to do it, but his ceramics instructor basically said, “You’re doing this!” 

(I love a good “teacher made me do it because he saw my potential even though I resisted” success story). 

Nicky created some pretty cool pieces over the years. He ended up taking pottery classes every year of high school. He had one pot, in particular, that won a few awards and was displayed in a museum. 

Some of Nicky’s work

Fact #7: Summer weather is upon us! 

Slip n sliding’

Fact #8: Daisy made cinnamon rolls without my help! I’ve waited my whole life for this!

Fact #9: Other important people who graduated with Nicky:

My Briana Whitney:

And my Addie

Fact #10: Zoe got her hard cast on today (it’s been a week since she broke her arm). This is the first broken bone we’ve had in the family. Can you believe that?

She will have the cast for three weeks. She’s having a hard time with it and is losing patience over everything she can’t do. 

I’m still here (and ten other random facts)

Fact #1: I don’t know how to blog anymore. I try every few days, and it doesn’t work!

Fact #2: This was Zoe’s great idea…

Her logic is, why put someone’s actual name on a bracelet when it might change?

Fact #3: Speaking of Zoe, she worked hard all morning on April Fools to prank the family. 

Fact #4: This wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be:

Fact #5:

Crock Pots.

And I love buying them from the thrift store. I will never turn away a good Crock Pot. 

Fact #6: Yesterday I took Daisy to the eye doctor, and there was a mini Jesus hidden in the room (it’s a TikTok trend).

Then today at the orthopedic specialists office, we found another Jesus.

I decided to leave Him a friend.

Fact #7: Why were we at the orthopedic specialists? Because Nicky injured his calf. We initially went to the ER, and then after a few days, it was starting to get more painful so we followed up with the specialist.

He will be in a boot for two weeks and has to miss the rest of tennis season.

He’s pretty devastated.

But I took him to Costco and bought him a cheesecake to help lift his spirits. 

Fact #8: We went and saw the Minecraft movie, and I realized Jack Black and I have the same hair.

Fact #9: Other devastating things… on Monday, Nicky was supposed to go skydiving. We had been at the skydiving place for about three hours. He was all harnessed up and set to take off in 20 minutes when they called the other plane down because of wind. We waited an hour and a half or so, and then they called it off entirely. It was so sad.

Fact #10: My kids are currently on spring break. Our big plans have mostly consisted of doctor appointments.