Wanna See Some Pictures? Lots of Pictures?

Grab a chair. Perhaps a nice, cool, refreshing beverage. For the super brave, a wrist guard to prevent future carpel tunnel. This may take awhile because it's been....a long while.

Oh, if only I could share all the stories. You know, the stuff that wasn't captured on film. Like when I parked Maureen's car in long term parking at the airport at 5:30 am and rather than waiting for the shuttle bus to take me to the terminal, I decided to hoof it. Except I got stuck at a fence. And then I had to climb it and throw my suitcase over. And then when we returned, I wanted to redeem myself so skipped the shuttle and tried walking a different way. But I got stuck...again. So I climbed over the fence...again. The only difference was this time, I looked like a criminal at midnight instead of dawn.

Or the time the cute kid came up to me after one of our en mass feedings (restaurants and groups of 100 are a frustrating mix) and said, "You lived during the 80s. Is this song Flock of Seagulls?" I realized that I was old to these students. They weren't even born in the 80s. To them...the 80s are what the 60s are to me. A long ago, funky era. And perhaps more telling was that I could reply, "No. It's Tears For Fears." "You sure?" he questioned? "100% positive". And I was.

But I can't. Instead, I offer pictures for my memories. I'll let them tell the stories...

I really can't say enough about how much I loved Charleston, South Carolina. It's a fantastic place to visit. You learn so much, it's unbelievably beautiful, and ripe with history. This is a picture of a early revolutionary war era house. I could totally live here.

Most of the homes in historic Charleston are what is called "Single Room" style. They have this big piazza on the side that allowed for open doors and windows but protection from the wind and rain. I guess it gets pretty hot there in the summer, but springtime sure is nice. Maureen and I toured through one of these during some free time.

Maureen's choir sang at the oldest church in Charleston, a methodist church. It dates to the late 1600s.

The lower level

I thought this was a fun picture of Maureen. It was so windy this day.

We did a boat tour of Charleston Harbor. We didn't stop but got close to Ft. Sumter, the site of where the first shots of the Civil War were directed at (Union troops had control, the Confederacy fired from Ft. Johnson and within 24 hours, the Confederacy controlled the harbor.)

WINDY!

Another fort, Ft. Moultrie, on the west side of the harbor. You can squint and see Ft. Sumter on the left side. Charleston's skyline is in the background (small). So interesting for me to learn about our history of defense.

Cannons and how they moved them.

A self-portrait on the beach.

Maureen's choir did a high school exchange with a very talented choir in Charleston. I couldn't believe how much energy teenagers create when surrounded by their peers. I could feel the buzz afterwards. Both schools had a blast doing this.

Later that evening, the choir did a clinic with a college professor at the Charleston campus. Look....a circle!

Charelston's Patriot Point. The USS Yorktown was the first air-craft carrier opened to the public. Very cool. And this is what 100 people arriving at something looks like.

We also went on this submarine. No way I could live on one of those.

A little Top Gun action for me.

Maureen's choir sang some patriotic songs on the ship. It sounded great.

Up on the flight deck. I had Danger Zone stuck in my head the rest of the day. Now, I have it in my head again. Super.

We toured a couple of southern plantations. A little too close to the crocs, if you ask me.

A big live oak with Spanish Moss. Beautiful. But not those white legs. My eyes!

Maureen with her choir in front of the plantation house.

Sisters at Tybee Beach, Georgia.

A lighthouse that was on the agenda to visit, but we ran out of time so we just drove by it. Yup. There it is.

We went to this fort where they made us pretend we were in bootcamp (we just had to do some marching drills and turn when they told us to). They fed us dinner later and I thought these flags captured the south.

They taught us how to fire a Civil War cannon and then actually did it. It was loud.

The next week I went home to Montana because my parents came home from their mission! This is Sarah making a sign with the children.

At the airport. They all wanted to hold the same part of the sign.

Welcome Home!

Fresh off the plane! yay!

Some of their friends came to the airport as well.

We all helped with the luggage out to the car.

Sam and Ian figuring out how to get on the tall fence.

I remember doing this, but it seems WAY more dangerous now that my kids want to.

Self portrait with my mother.

One of the many feeding times. When you get this many kids together...it just always seems to be feeding time.

Henry in a hat from Myanmar.

Emily and I ventured over to the local children's museum on our last day in Helena. The kids loved it.

Wind and vacuum stuff. I don't know.

There was this "brain motion" table.

But wait....it's a children's museum. And look at the children that want a turn.

Brendan and Seth battle it out. The ball moves towards Brendan.

Sammy gives it a go.

Emily is master of mindball. Look at her victorious ball placement.

I really tried to focus, but Ian's mind was too powerful. And the ball seemed to always move to the person on the right.

Andrea's family came for spring break and our kids to to play together again. Seth and Emma played like no time at all had passed.

My parents, Jen and Christopher's family, and Jon and Tara's family all came for General Conference, Spring Break and Seth's birthday and baptism. It was a full, busy week, with lots and lots of family time:)

Jen broke her foot at the beginning of the week. It put a hamper on their week, for sure.

My dad got tired of all the trash outside so took care of it himself. This is such a perfect example of my dad. I am embarrassed to admit how many times I thought, "I wish someone would take care of this trash!" without bothering to do it myself.

The Homeowner's Association thanks you.

Seth turned eight and we had a football party. Christopher leads all the cousins, plus friend Ethan in a game of flag football.

Hut, hut.

Seth always had a plan.

With Tara around to decorate, Seth got a really cute cake! But...some child, who clearly needs more parental supervision, got his hands on it. Oh.......Henry.

Cute Seth. Cute cake.

I, of course, forgot candles. This is Seth pretending to blow them out.

A party isn't complete without the pinata. Jon only got whacked a few times. Grandpa gets in on the fun.

I filled it with 400 pieces of Dubble Bubble. We had gum coming out of our ears.

Seth and Ethan.

Then came the baptism day. Our family in some bad light.

Jay and me with Seth in his new suit.

I love this picture.

We had everyone over for lunch afterwards. Sam's Club cake.

The spread. Plus pizza.

Some of our family members visiting. It was finally nice enough to have all the kids play outside....and they actually want to do it.

Saturday night, we rode Trax into downtown Salt Lake to walk around Temple Square and go to a Jazz game.

Johnson Family

Jay teaching Seth about Joseph Smith. He's always teaching our kids.

Jon and Tara's family in the tabernacle.

Caleb and Seth. Best friends since....lunch! (I love this story, Tara)

Our view of the game. It's always fun to go to a game.

Even Henry had fun. He's grown up a lot since our football game days.

Sarah and Sam.

Back to normal yesterday now that everyone has left. Jay and the kids wrestling on a Sunday afternoon.

Henry at the ophthalmologist this morning. Yup. He's going to wear glasses like his big brother. More on that later.

Well? Do you feel like you've been with me this last month? The crazy thing is, I felt like I didn't take as many pictures as I normally do. I'm glad I have these.

I can't believe it's already the middle of April! The rest of the month is busy, although less trip and visitor filled, but time is starting to fly. We move less than three months. Two and a half. I can't believe this year in Utah is almost over.

I hope you enjoyed your beverage and that your wrist is not sore from holding a computer mouse. You can get up and stretch now:)

What Are You Trying To Say?

Wow. I feel a bit like I had a piece of duck tape over my mouth that just got ripped off. I'm gasping...I'm sore - I don't know exactly what to say. There is so much to say. What do I want to say? Hold on a minute...

There is a very funny show called Flight of The Conchords. I can't go into all of the way it makes me laugh here but the main reason is that the entire show is laced with fantastic music videos, but I also can't recommend it because it's not always recommendable. However, during one episode, one of the main characters, Jermaine, decides to move out of the apartment he shares with his friend, Bret. He does it because a girl who dumped him won't date him again until he has his own place, but he doesn't want to admit that to anyone. So all the other characters start asking him why? There are at least five minutes of the show dedicated to different people asking Jermaine, "Is it because...?" while going about different activities.

His landlord E:
"Is it because I left the wires out and you shocked yourself?"
J-"No"
E-"Is it the new paint job is a little too brown? a little too nouveau riche? too recherche?
J-"No"
E-"Is it because I sneak in when you're sleeping, and give you a little kiss on the cheek?"
J-"No"


His roommate Bret:

"Is it because of my mold collection?"
J- "No"
and on and on until finally...

Bret -"Is it something subtle?"
Jermaine -"Yes it's subtle Bret"
Bret -"Is it because I eat too loudly?"
Jermaine -"Yes"
Bret -"Is it?"
Jermaine -"Yes"
Bret -"I knew it"
Jermaine -"I didn't want to say it Bret but there it is, you eat too loudly. It's deafening"
Bret -"It's not that loud."
Jermaine -"It's so deafening."
Bret -"I eat with my mouth shut."
Jermaine -"Well I don't know how you do it."

It's all too funny, but the last few weeks, as I've talked about going private and then deciding to, I feel a bit like Jermaine. You get a little glimpse of the attitudes and thoughts of others just by listening to their "is it because of....?" questions.

About going private:

Is it because you're trying to spend less time blogging?
Is it because you don't want certain people to read?
Is it because you feel unsafe?
Is it because your husband doesn't want you to blog?
Is it because your sidebar is so long?
Is it because you spend too much time living in a cyberworld and not enough time in a real one?
Is it because you want to protect your children?
Is it because you are moving to a small town?
Is it because you are so open and anyone could find you if they wanted to?

Um.....yes?

Thanks for pointing out my freakiness.

No, really, I'm kidding. I was well aware of it already. Yes, these are all reasons for going private, among many more. What I really hope the biggest change will be, besides the obvious increased security, is that there will be no change at all!

I still want to write better than I would write for myself, or even as casually as I might write an email to friends and family. Blogs are great for writing. I think about things differently when I know someone else is going to read about it. That is why I didn't want to give it up all together - because I still want to write about my life. About my family. About my boys. About my callings. About my friends. About my adventures and birthdays and bad habits and fears. But I'm not sure I would if someone else wasn't reading about it too. So, I invite all of you to read so that I will think about what I write - and then actually do it.

So...here's to no big change. Oh...other than the blog facelift. Which I'm still unsure if I love. It's kind of...well...yellow. And reminds me a teensy bit of a bathroom from the 70s with that background swirly print. But, I love the girl dancing. I want to be the girl dancing. That's what caught my eye.

And the brown. I LOVE brown.

So, welcome.

Now, for your enjoyment, and to make sense of my above reference...some of my favorites from Flight of the Conchords.



and this gem...



and, lastly...because everyone should get to do an angry dance every now and then.

Clarity

I'm going private.

For just about forever, I have been against private blogs. Not YOUR private blogs (o.k....maybe a little but a girl can change her mind. Thank goodness). It always seemed a little country club to me.

But ever since my Monday post, I've been thinking. And thinking. And thinking some more. Talking to some people....and some other people....and then thinking about what they said. Then, late Thursday night, I switched over to private. Honestly, I sat there for about five minutes, just waiting for courage. The courage to shut the door and put a sign up that said, "Members Only." I could feel my pulse in my fingertips. I realized early on during this week that I didn't want to completely walk away from blogland. Not right now.

I clicked. And....

it was awesome! I felt safe but more importantly...WAY less obsessed about my blog. My statcounter stayed at zero. For an entire day! I realized that with a private blog, I can just take that bad boy off and never wonder who that person from New York is, or why this other person that seemed to come five times didn't leave a comment, or why another person doesn't appear to visit anymore. NO MORE BLOG OGRE! While this ogre wasn't the only or even main reason (my neurosis is as multi-leveled as amway), it was a big part of it and stabbing that beast in the heart felt so right.

This decision feels really good, so I think it's right. For me. I stand on no soap box here. I adore the public swimming pool and I'm still a big proponent for patio dining. But for me... right now... looking at my family's immediate future... with my open writing style and all the details about our family...and the situation of my future home...this is what I need to do.

I'm going to create another blog for my book reviews. It's called Lucy Likes Literature. Kind of corny and if I can think of something better, I will change it. I'll move all my old reviews over in the next little while.

So, email me if you feel the need to continue to follow my life. I won't be insulted if you don't (well...maybe a little, but this could be your big chance for a clean break), and I can't guarantee that if I have no idea who you are, I'll say o.k. I'll leave this up for one week and then make the switch. If you need longer than a week then I guarantee we both frustrate each other too much for you to need access to my blog. After this week, I think I'll be ready to be back in business. This mini break (and in good faith I thought it'd be longer) has been a great opportunity for introspection. Thanks for your loving comments, encouragement and understanding.

lucyhj4302@msn.com