Blast from the Past

Sometimes you just have to be crazy. And sometimes you just have to be brave. While in Utah, I decided to try on my wedding dress. (It's at my mom's house.)

I was feeling confident. I knew I had lost some substantial weight in the past few years, but I knew I wasn't at my pre-wedding weight. Nonetheless, it was time to give it a go.Miracle of all miracles: I could zip it up. Mind you, I was zipped in there tight. One wrong move on behalf of my shoulder blades and things would have started popping. Luckily, the style of the dress (form fitted on top, not at the hips) allowed my "baby pouch" to fit in the dress. Gravity had definitely affected particular parts of my body that was clearly evident from the form-fitted top. BUT I got the thing on. Shallow breathes were sometimes needed...but I wore it...for about 20 minutes. Then, I heaved a sigh of relief (with a large intake of air) when I was finally unzipped.

The girls got in on the fun. Jenna was in seventh-heaven with all the fancy dresses. She was seriously giddy with excitement. K is wearing my prom dress (with Angie's veil). J is wearing my mom's wedding dress.

35 Years OLD

Well, that does it. I'm 35. Rounds to 40 and frankly, that stinks! However, "Birthday" to me means to do something out of the ordinary. So I did.

The morning began with an impromtu drag-the-kids-from-their-beds and go to breakfast. Yummy!

Then we went to the last day of swimming lessons. My birthday wish was that everyone would be happy with their swimming progression (and not worry if they passed or not). The kids complied.

Then, I got a bit crazy. We introduced Matt and Trevor to the show "Ace of Cakes." Of course, that inspired us to possibilities...SO for my birthday, we made a bunch of mini-cakes and let the kids go to town. We even purchased some fondant and gave it a go. As you can see from the picture, our cakes were pretty colorful. (It should be noted that the cakes were SO sweet that the kids actually turned down some of their piece.) When Chad got home, he even made his own cake. He just didn't make the picture.

Lastly, Chad took me to our favorite little soup place. It's called Fresh Thyme Soup Company. They make interesting soups. We tried the Chicken Peach Soup and the Watermelon/Canteloupe (cold) soup. I'm not a big soup lover, but these soups are truly divine. I feel like Remy on Ratatouille...savoring all of the flavors...your taste buds literally come alive. It's such a pleasant experience.

It was a unique day...that's all I could ask for.

Oh, just one more thing: I loved facebook on my birthday. What a great and simple way to wish people a Happy Birthday. It was fun to get all the emails. Good ole' facebook...always coming up with a brilliant idea or two.

What We Did on Our Second Trip to Utah This Summer

First, and most importantly, we got to see Nana and Tompa. They returned from their mission to Pennsylvania. The kids HADN'T hugged them for 20 months. We were spoiled that we got to "see" them and talk to them on the computer or cell phone.

Nana would hold "show-n-tells" when she would empty a box. The kids would gather around and she would show them things she found in PA. Often she would have a little trinket that she had brought just for them. This picture is of Jenna giving Nana hugs after a Show-n-Tell. Jenna, ever the hugger, couldn't get enough hugs from Nana and Tompa.

We had plenty of time to enjoy cousins on this trip. Dave had traveled with us from Oregon. We really enjoyed having him with us for the whole trip. He is a great kid. The boys really spending time with him. The Utah Smith cousins also came to spend lots of time with us.We made pie crustos with Nana. Give kids some dough and a rolling pin and they are happy for hours (well, at least the girls of this group were!).

We made a marionberry pie for Tompa for his birthday. We brought the marionberries from Oregon. I may be biased, but it was pretty yummy!

We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Nana and Tompa. Tompa took the older boys golfing one day. He also helped Matt pass off lots of scout things (like fixing bikes--Tompa got REALLY good at that on his mission. He put the bikes together for the missionaries.).

One of our favorite things was the impromptu evening devotionals by Tompa. Each night, we would talk about things we did that day. Then Tompa would guide the boys in relating what we did to something in the scriptures. We had some great, thought-provoking discussions. I was amazed what my boys knew. Pretty cool.

Summer Survival

Hi. My Name is Julie. I think I have a problem. I think it might not be a bad problem, but some might disagree. I get a thrill out of "Summer Programs." I'm sure it's something my kids will tell their kids about (for good or for bad) when they are parents. I can hear them now, "Oh yeah, well, do you know what MY mom made us do every summer?"

Secretly, I have to admit that this summer's program has brought me joy. I don't know if it's the bright colors. Or maybe the feeling that we were getting things done. Or the fact that the older boys were so independent about doing it. Or that I felt we were well-rounded in the things we could accomplish.

Anyway, I borrowed the general idea from a friend (thanks Heidi!). Each day the kids (and Mom!) had things to work on that involved: MIND, BODY, SPIRIT, and HOME. We added to it a Morning Meeting that actually turned out to be my favorite part.

Vacations made it hard to keep steady on the program and got us out of the habit of Morning Meetings. However, tomorrow is Monday. A good day to start Morning Meetings again! AND we only have 2 weeks left until school.

Overall, it's been a successful program. It accomplished the goals we needed to achieve this summer (like keeping Mom's sanity and spending quality time with one another...).

I think it will rate as one of my favorite "Julie-Produced-Summer-Programs"--right up there with the year we did the "Hancock School of Hogwarts."

I guess this is what happens when a school teacher retires early...she fills her "need" to teach by instituting "learning programs" over the summer. Poor kids. Or maybe they're the lucky ones. Maybe. If you ask them, I suppose it would depend on the day.

A Shoe Time-Out

For FHE last Monday, we played soccer. The boys found their soccer cleats and we were down to serious business. Sissa joined the fun. She found her tennis shoes that we had bought a year ago (they were a size too big, but we got them for $2). It seems that this year they were a perfect fit.

Sis ran onto the field, while game was in play, to proclaim her joy to the boys. "Hey, Dad, don't my shoes look great with this skirt?"

She would play a little soccer and then would need a time-out. (see picture) We thought for a minute that she was "tying" her laces, but these shoes only had fake laces. Oh, no. She was taking time-outs to ADMIRE her shoes. Priorities, baby, priorities.

Mind you, although the new shoes brought out the fashion-ista in her, she was not afraid to push a boy or two to get to the ball.

Humility

Hello little blog that I have avoided.

Seems that we may become best friends for the next couple of days, at least.

I've eaten a big slice of humble pie and will probably be sitting (carefully) on my tail for the next couple of days.

Sometimes pride gets in the way. Sometimes I think (know!) I'm invincible. I should know better. I'm not invincible. I'm human. I make mistakes. I do too much. I should learn to listen to my body, because it's going to scream back eventually. Then, I'll be compelled, no forced, to be humble.

And that's where you find me. I CAN sit. I CAN crawl. Ask me to stand, and you may be waiting awhile. I CAN do it...eventually...with a bit of wincing. Ask me to walk and you'll see the little old lady within me bursting forth. Crawling is a much better option. (How sad is that!!!)

Lower back muscles are beautiful things. Something you don't truly appreciate until they don't work. Something you don't realize how much they DO until they won't work.

Looks like I'll have a couple days to bond with the computer--it may be the only thing I accomplish this week. Oh well.

The Hike to the T

(Note: this is a LONG one. It's really for posterity sake, so only read if you have nothing better to do...)

We had planned to return to Oregon on a Wednesday and finish out our vacation camping on the coast. Our Utah trip had been pretty power packed. So, we decided to forgo the camping trip and stay a little longer in Utah. We're glad we did as we got to spend Grandma's birthday with her.

With a little more time on our hands, we decided to do something memorable, something unique. We decided to hike to the T on the Tooele Mountain. It didn't look like to bad of a hike. In fact, Chad had done it in high school. (They had to run from the high school to the T...now that's a run!)

We parked in the canyon and proceeded to the purple Buffalo gate that led to “the T.” We had good hiking shoes on and 2 bottles of water. It was a perfect day for a hike (not too hot). As we reached the top of the first hill, we could see that the road divided into two paths. One led away from the mountain and was muddy. The other led up the mountain. We decided that UP was the right path.

Wow, was it a steep climb, but the kids did so well! Trevor really impressed me. He liked to be in the lead and has quite the endurance. The grasshoppers were jumping by the hundreds. They really have a grasshopper problem this year in the Tooele valley. Every step that you took, the grasshoppers were popping like popcorn on a hot stove. That really bothered Jenna, but she kept on going.

We reached a barbed wire fence. We could see a road on the other side of it (and the fence was broken by that road). However, we could also see a road up a hill that I thought led to “the T.” Despite Chad’s better judgment, he went along with me. I guess I was quite convincing that I could see a road that led straight across the mountain. I was sure of it. I remember seeing it from the valley.

After a steep, very grasshopper-invested climb, we indeed found the road that cut across the mountain. Unfortunately, we had found the end of it. It didn’t lead where we needed to go.

Then, a spot of brilliance appeared in my brain: “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” We could just walk across the mountain, through the little bushes to “the T.” Surely it couldn’t be that far away (mind you, I couldn’t see it). To Chad’s dismay, I started blazing a trail through the brush. He suggested we go back to the road by the fence. After about 30 yards of brush and grasshopper kisses, I relented. He was right. Forging a path across the mountain for my 4 kids didn’t seem like the brightest of ideas.

At this point, I started to see the many ways this “journey” could be likened to our journey here on earth. Sometimes the road of life is hard and challenging. Choosing the right path is important. Choosing the wrong path leads to repentance and extra work to get back to the right path. (Also, it should be noted that in hindsight, it was really quite shocking that we chose the WRONG path when the road first divided. Returning to the car, it was quite obvious which path we should have taken. We missed all the important signs. I think Satan likes to tempt us in this way. We want the “easy” path or he puts things in front of us to cloud our vision.)

Anyway, once we were on the right path, things went a little smoother. Until legs started to get tired and voices started to whine. They were tired. They were thirsty. When “the T” was in sight, it made the journey a little easier. We had to be careful with our water, because it could easily run out.

The negative comments were pouring out like running water. It was time to take action. We needed inspiration. We talked about the pioneers. Surely, their experience was much worse than ours. Can you imagine day after day after day of walking? I couldn’t resist humming a few bars of “Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked…”

We were buoyed up for a little longer until legs started to give out. I even carried a particularly tired 6-year old for about 30 yards—just to give him a break. Amazing how that helped (him, not me!). A few more yards and the whining/complaining/murmuring crept back in. The negative comments and thoughts were back in full force. This time, I fought it with “the positives.” It was like a secret science experiment: if I make positive comments, will it weed out the negative ones? “Thank you Heavenly Father for the trees that give us shade and a relief from beating sun.” “I believe in you.” “You can do this.” “Remember the little engine…I think I can, I think I can.”

Then we had two stumbles, even a little bit of blood. I thought we were done for, but “the T” was so close. How could we give in then? We added a little bit of blood to our tears, dirt, sweat, and grasshopper kisses.
The thought then occurred to me. It wasn’t enough for my kids to know that I thought they could make it, they had to believe for THEMSELVES that they could do it. My comments changed to “You know you can do this.” “You are strong.” “Dig deep…you are NOT a quitter.” “YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS.”

Well, we made it to the end of the road. We were there. (Hallelujah!) The only thing that stood between us and “the T” was a steep incline of about 30 feet. Oops, didn’t know about this part! It was pretty steep – probably a 70 degree angle. Climbing it required hands and feet. Trevor (who, by the way, had NOT complained on this adventure) and Chad decided to head up to “the T.” We decided it was safer to congratulate the others on their success and let them rest. Taking them to “the T” wasn’t going to be safe.

Julie remained with the younger kids…there was a cliff by the resting spot that DIDN’T need a Hancock visiting it. After much jubilation at finally being able to rest, we found joy in throwing rocks off the cliff. After about 5 minutes, I turned around to see Jason heading up to “the T.” I reassured him that it wasn’t necessary to go to “the T,” that it wasn’t safe.

“Jas, you don’t have to do this. It’s ok. You accomplished a big goal. Stay here, buddy.”

“No, Mom. You don’t understand. I’ve GOT to do this.”

The boy who had struggled the most to get up the mountain had apparently set his goals high. He was going to SIT on the T. Off he went and I just smiled. He made it half way up when the previous party met him on the way down. I guess getting down was beyond challenging. It was hard and it was scary. Chad didn’t feel it was safe to take Jason up any further, because he wasn’t sure how he was going to get him down safely. (I think Jason is still bugged that he was only “almost” there.)

The journey back down from the T was quite pleasant. We talked, we laughed. Interesting how the positive comments were now flowing! We all knew we had accomplished something HARD. It felt great. We felt confident. Even the grasshoppers weren’t as annoying. Although the path was a bit challenging in some places, it was much easier given that we were on the RIGHT path.

Back at the van, we replentished our bodies with much needed water and applied some bandaids to wounds. We talked about what we had learned and how it felt to accomplish HARD things.
Then, Jason said, “When I’m a Dad, I’m going to make my kids climb to ‘the T’ and I’m not going to carry them. In fact, I hope I live in Tooele. I’ll make my kids hike to ‘the T’ EVERYDAY!”

To which Jenna replied, “Oh yeah, when I’m a Mom, I’m just going to stay in the car."

The Time Has Come...

If blogger will behave, I think I'll update my blog with pictures (since I'm a month (!) behind).

Here's what we've been up to.

A fun-filled week to Utah for 12 days:

First, we spent a couple of days with my sister and her family at the "Smith Hotel" (my parent's house while they are on their mission). We played, talked, went swimming, and made an excuse to eat at one of Chad's favorite Utah spots: Crown Burger.Then, we headed to Tooele to spend time with the Hancock-side of the family. The Pyros (Hancocks with a predisposition for fire) held a private firework show on the 3rd of July. We were glad to report there were no injuries, but a few scares when the fireworks visited the grass area. We had a good Hancock showing for the 5K the next day. Chad and Julie ran along with Steve, Zach, Jared, Pauline, Kim, Libby, and Luke (via stroller, of course). Some of us hobbled around with sore muscles for a couple of days...but that's the good kind of sore. We collected plenty of candy from the parade and then went to the church pavillion for a picnic. Grandma made her infamous potato salad. Chad was in heaven, potato salad heaven that is.

Next the Hancock families visited Lagoon. The kids (and Chad) really love this place. It was a different experience this year, because most of the kids can ride the big rides. Jenna was excited to be tall enough to ride "The Bat." Jason proved to be the most fearless. He rode Colassus twice! (Although we're not fully convinced that he loved it...I think he just endured it.) He did, however, LOVE Wicked (a ride that goes straight up and then straight down). Chad was thrilled to have a fearless riding partner.

One of our excuses for going to Utah in July was to be able to take our kids to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. This was a chance for the kids to see inside a temple and feel the Spirit there. Chad and I both remember attending the Jordan River Temple Open House when we were little. It made a profound impact in our memories. I thought it was interesting that this temple was only a few miles from the Jordan River Temple.

Most of the Hancock family was able to attend (minus those at school, at work, in CA, or in Oregon). We were able to sit in a sealing room together at the end of the tour. It was very special to look around the room at these people whom I adore and love. How grateful I am for the knowledge that families ARE forever! I had a greater resolve to live worthy to be with them in the hereafter. I also felt a longing for those of the family who weren't with us that day...I truly missed them.

Ok, this is going to be too long of a post...so I guess my July update is going to come in sections. Get ready---a story to go down in Hancock History (maybe folklore) is coming up next.