Help! I am surrounded by Gator Fans!

So, I am in the Las Vegas Airport waiting for my plane to leave which I had already waited for 4 hours since I was switched to another airline after my original plane left late and wouldn't arrive in Denver to meet the only plane going to Tampa from there.

Low and behold, I see so much blue and orange I want to puke! How can your worst nightmare as a Seminole fan come to life...... Well, going to Tampa the day after the Gators win the Tostitos BCS Bowl against Ohio is what happens! I felt so bad for those Ohio State fans even more than I did for myself. I could covertly stay undercover, they (ohio state fans) can't stay undercover, they proudly are wearing their red and grey coats and getting ribbed (nicely sometimes, rudely other times,) by the Gator fans.

Okay, so let me tell you the truth, I admit that I did root for the Gators during the bowl game, only because Urban Myer was the Utah coach and took 5 players with him who started defensively for the Gators, but I did not feel comfortable doing it. I rationalized that it was for those Utah members that I routed. That SteverSpurrier was no longer the coach and that I was not living in Florida anymore and that even though it was Matt's education that has taken us to where we are and yes, that Florida State was he reason for being in the job he is, that I was just supporting the utah players and nothing else. Well, being smacked with all those fans really put me on the Seminole defense again. How could I root for the enemy? What was wrong with me? then wham! "Come on Sandi, it is just a game!"

I ended up talking to this guy who had been waiting as long as I who was wearing only his gators hat. He told me that he and a few buddies flew to Arizona for the game, sat outside the stadium because they didn't have tickets and watch the game on the jumbotron! So I told him congrats on his win, but that I was a Seminole fan and that I was very uncomfortable with all this blue and orange, he laughed. I told him that my husband went to Florida State, and that we were there during the Spurrier era. He said he was from Bradenton, married his high school sweet heart and was a civil engineer for the city he lived in, but didn't go to the University of Florida, but that it was the closet college for him to root for and that he had done so his entire life!

















The only nice gator fan, went and talked to the ohio state fans and they were smiling and laughing with each other. That was a nice thing to observe!
















The funny thing was that I meet this lady that was wearing this t-shirt that fit the attitude that we had encountered during every FSU vs. UF game and I asked her if I could take a picture of her with her t-shirt. She was a really nice person and thought that it was great that I like her t-shirt. So sad, but she thought is was a nice gesture and I wanted it only for this blog....
Matt and I always thought that Gator fans felt entitlement with Spurrier in charge and this ladies shirt proved it... Besides some of the losers that would jeer at the Ohio fans when they walked onto the plane. and then started a match of rudeness between all the fans! Yeah, be proud of your team, but come on, can't we all get along?

Well, as I landed in Tampa I was very happy to get away from the blue and orange. The guy that started out in Las Vegas with me was still there at the carrosel and I told him have a great day, got my luggage and went out into the humidity to met my sweet daddy outside the terminal. AH, FLORIDA! On to my vacation!!!!!

100 things about me

Okay, so I already did this, but the wind is so bad that it shut down the power, which shut down the computer. I am frustrated about it, but will do it again. I hope it is as insightful as the last one was. I had just finished adding pics to the entry....

Diana's friends have been doing this on their blogs and she thought that I should do one to, so here goes;
1. I love being part of my childhood family. They have helped to make me who I am..
2. I love being a mother to my children, Devin, Kyler and Mckenna. They have challenged my mind and my shortcomings.
3. I love that Matt can be so serious, but that he can play and have fun with the kids.
4.


I am not doing this again! The first and second list were awesome, but I know that I can not repeat it again, without losing the reason for doing it so, after having to do this 5 times, this is where I got, this is where it will stop. Sorry, but if the power keeps going off, I guess, I am not meant to do this. Or, I have not learned the art of patience, because I am done!!!

A View from Kennecot Copper

This is a view of the snow peaks while we were driving to Keith and Lynette's house. I thought that the transition from beautiful white on the peaks to the muck from the inversion was interesting.

New Years Eve Fun!

This past weekend we went to Salt Lake to visit Fred, Victor and Keith's family. We were going to visit Diana too, but ran out of time, we left very early New Years day.. so that Matt could recoup from driving before he went back to work early the next day. That was really a bummer!

We spent time with Grandpa Fred while Ice skating with all the K. Brower family and Victor, Mckenna always requests everytime we go to Salt Lake to Ice Skate but we never done it so we thought we would do it this time. We also went out to dinner with everyone and this nasty pizza place. Fred to me is not looking so healthy. Keith thinks that he might now make it another year. He is very jaundiced and it was really a shock the first time we saw him. I am amazed at all that he does for not feeling so well. It is sad to think that he is always in such pain, he is such a caring person.


Matt had such a hard time skating, I was actually surprised that he was going to skate in the first place, but he did learn to move pretty fast and that was great. The reason that he was having a hard time was that he is so bowlegged and skates don't give much ankle or leg support, it was really ruff on him. Poor Guy.

New Years eve was really fun.... Jeff, Debbie and their family came over to Keith's and stayed for 6 hours! That is a feat for Jeff, he really hates being around people for a long time or for a few minutes for that matter. Mckenna had a fun time with Jessica, the boys (alex, kyler and tyler,) had fun playing xbox together and Terra and Devin had fun talking about whatever teenagers talk about. Matt, Keith and Jeff talked about their childhood, that was very insightful.

We (should say the kids,Keith and Matt,) played a lot of games during the New Year weekend. They played xbox, risk (tons of Risk,) and more xbox. I got to read for awhile, I am still reading Anna Karinina, it is a good story.

We toasted the New Year in with sparkling apple cider in Arby's wine glass. But these glasses were not like the ones we had growing up, these were white pines, with snow scenes unlike the red berries and green holly of our childhood glasses. But it was fun to have the Arby glass tradition carried on.

THE YEAR OF YOU!

On Diana's blog is a link to a really sweet girl name Jill, who I feel is very good at making you think about things that you might not think of other wise, or your just too lazy to spend time on...
From a question that she posted on her blog, I decided to touch on a few of my thoughts that she has planted in my brain!

Jill commented on being afraid of Success as much as Failure. I totally understand this feeling, I watch how successful Matt is, I decided that I want to live up to the potential that he is exampling for me and I run with it for a few weeks, I start feeling really great about myself and then BAM, I stop because I don't want to make it to the next level. WHAT IS THAT ALL ABOUT?

Matt is so involved with having to live in the "pedestal group," you know, those people that you think are so much better than you? We tend to do that with people of title, example: President Hinckley (well, he is actually very approachable to me,) Governor Huntsman, President Bush, Michael Jordan, Oprah, people who you think have made it big. That sometimes I don't think that I am good enough to be around him when he is in that environment. I mean who am I to be talking to Governor Huntsman, Senator Hatch? I am just little nobody Sandi Brower.... But then I get this- WHAT THE HECK? from Matt.... - you are incredible with people. So, I think, no, you are Sandra Lynn Field Brower! I think that he says that because I am more social than he is. But really he is right, why am I so afraid of those people whom I think have made it- I mean what have they made it to?

A little touch on resolutions:
We don't do resolutions in our family. Our family does a goal making list 2 times a year, once at the beginning of the summer and then during the school year. We missed this school year and so we are doing this tonight. I have already written my list of "Sandi's New Lease On Life list!" about a week before the end of the year, because I got that feeling that I had "just endured" through the year.
How many of you do resolutions?

My friend Andrea gave the above quote (in picture,) to me as a Christmas present. I love this quote, so I actually picked it out and then she ordered it. I also got a few vinyl quotes for the boys rooms "Don't let the fear of Striking out, keep you from playing the game." It is a quote from the Cinderella Story starring Hillary Duff, but it is a great motivation quote that I wanted the boys to have it in their baseball inspired rooms.
I also got a vinyl made of Yoda's quote; "Do or Do not, there is no try." That one is for me, the eternally challenged non doer. The Yoda quote is going into the hallway near my room with pictures of the things that I actually have done, and loved in my life. I am still looking for the picture frame that is big enough for all those pictures- yeah whatever, maybe 2 pictures will work....

So with all the quotes above and the tile Andrea gave me this is what I am feeling right now;
I think that if we just go through life enduring, we miss out on our eternal potential and then we have gypped ourselves out of what we are put here on earth for! So I guess what we are taught in primary is true always, I am a Children of God, great blessing are in store, if i just learn to do His will... of living to our true potential, we will be even more blessed and happier!

I am going to figure out what my new challenge of the year will be, and then blog on it more later. And then I am going to make sure that this is my year! Can I do it, yes, I can (thanks, bob the builder :>)

May we all do something that makes life more challenging, then we will have grown at least a little in this New Year.

Let's make this THE YEAR OF YOU!

Christmas Gifts Galore!

This is a bench that I got a week before Christmas for our front Porch. I thought that Matt was going to buy this but asked me to go get it instead. Matt thought it would look good in place of the backyard swing that is sitting on the porch. And it will. But I really like it in my bedroom too, I would just have to recover the back pillows because they are the wrong colors.

This is my present from Matt and the kids that was hiding in the side yard in the back. I love this bench and had seen it 2 weeks before at Urban Renewal. Matt had told me that it was too expensive when I called him about it. What a great surprise I received after all the other presents were open. This is going on the front porch also, but on the side of our checker board and whiskey barrel (like Cracker barrel the restaurant has.) It will be really nice to sit on the front porch and play games.

The kids went to bed Christmas Eve in Devin's room and woke up with their beautiful Duvet's keeping them warm. I thought it was a really nice touch to have them wake up to them, (like on the little Princess, when shirley wakes up from her "what a nice dream!")

Devin's room with his great flannel Duvet cover and his "Property of the Redsox" throw, (that he got for Christmas also,) that matches the rest of the Redsox decor that he is going for. The other side of this blanket is Navy Blue.

Kyler's Duvet turned out the best. It could be because his was last or because I really like the colors. The back of Kyler's flannel duvet is also Navy Blue. It has all the Snow Canyon High School Warriors (or his baseball team,) colors that his room has. The Duvet turned out snugger than the other two, which is good since Kyler is the one that really wanted the Down Comforter. Kyler is the only kid in the house that doesn't have a phone in his room. Urban Renewal ( a consignment store,) has a goofy phone that he saw and loved when they bought my rocker and so I am going to pick it up for him since it is only $10! I hope he is surprised.


What little girl doesn't deserve to have the princess treatment? Mckenna's cotton Duvet cover was the hardest to do because it has Lime green fur on the backside and it kept getting stuck in the sewing machine. But eventually it worked out, she loves it and the boys love how soft it is...

Mckenna also got the phone that is sitting in the left hand corner from Santa Claus. She really loves it but says that she now needs caller ID. I love Mckenna's room, she has had lots of great stuff to decorate with like that bulletin board that is sitting on the wall next to her bed that she also got for Christmas and was the first one done when we started changing the colors in the house. Maybe because it was so dark before, but it is really bright and cheery now!

Devin and Kyler picked out their colors in their rooms, even thought Matt didn't want to do the red in Devin's room since it is so bright, but it is so Devin that it is perfect! Kyler's room is a little dark, but it is really what he wanted and I love how Matt added the green and gold stripe.

All these rooms were done right after school started and so I had a lot of fun getting Christmas stuff that goes with the feel of their rooms. Usually they say pick out the bedding and then decorate, I did it the other way around and it worked for us!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

notice the cute little girl asleep in her bed?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Ah, the Night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even me.....

Boy did I have a busy 2 weeks before Christmas, what with Matt's work parties, Mckenna's Beauty and the Beast performance, Devin's Wrestling and Kyler being a true teenager of not communicating where he was going, what he was doing and coming home way to late for his own good. I guess some one has to be the teenager!

But the last week was absolutely trying. I got the brilliant plan of making Duvet covers for the the kids down comforters that they were getting for Christmas. Now, I have never made Duvet covers or anything else that needed a pattern and was very leary about the process. But smart person that I am I decided to make them without a pattern, and eyeballing the Duvet cover that I had on my bed. This entailed fabric purchasing, button buying, and the almighty pinning of all materials together. But after a day for each Duvet cover being sewed (3 days,) and then 2 days to figure out how to do the button holes and buttons, they were finally done! whew!

I have to admit, they turned out great and so on the next blog you will see the final product on the beds of those that received them.


Christmas evening was a joy. We read the Night Before Christmas (read by Mckenna,) the Nativity Story (read in rap by Kyler,) played Carrom (thankyou Finlinson's it is an awesome present!)

We also watched videos of the kids in Christmas' past, which Kyler always loves because according to Devin is because Kyler is a tight (cool,) little kid. He is so funny with his innocent questions and facial expressions that he just makes you smile.

Which he still tends to do.

Here are pictures of What Santa brought before the kids woke up. (and according to Kyler he was going to sleep in and not wake up to early- but he still woke up at 6:30 a.m. Mckenna at 6 a.m. Ouch!)

Some stockings where hung by the Chimney with care (and other's left on the ground because they were too heavy for the stocking holders.)

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

Decorating Gingerbread houses

Today, we went to my friend Andrea's house for Family Home Evening. We had a lot of fun decorating gingerbread houses, talking to good friends; the Hatch's were there too.








Mckenna making a Gingerbread house.








Breanna, Mckenna, Ashley and Kyleigh making Gingerbread houses.











Kyler sitting with the little kids, helping them.









The final product from Mckenna and Kyler.

Christmas Tree design and the Holiday House Trappings

Our Tree after leaving the Forest with all the dressings.










Matt, Kyler, Mckenna and Devin decorating the tree.









Our dining room with the kids art work from over the years.








A mock-up of our house in Georgia.
I did this for one of Kyler's 3rd grade Choir performances.

Toy soliders that the boys made when they were in 2nd grade. It's funny though, because they went to 2 different school in different states and still did the same thing in the same grade.

Plant shelf in entry way.

Entry way view from staircase landing

Our house with the Christmas lights on.

Walking to the Front Door

Another Bit of artwork from the kids; this time Mckenna's reindeer story.

Mckenna's hands

Kyler's hands, and the Gingerbread people the kids made a few years ago
(all of this is in the Dining Room.)

Our Entryway

Our family room.

Our Fireplace mantel.

Matt and I at the age of seven.

The Kids at the age of 6 weeks.

Christmas tree hunting, friends and family love!

We went Christmas tree hunting on Sunday because Matt and I sat down trying to figuare out when we could go and that was the only day we didn't have major scheduling conflicts. Oh, Okay church is a major conflict, but if I had known that it would take an 1 1/2 to drive there and finding the tree, and drive back, we couldv'e gone to Church too, but usually it takes 3 or 4 hours to go find. It was fun because we had Madison with us, she had spent the night after her parents were gone until late Saturday night and she had never been to the Pine Valley mountains and so we were fortunate to be the first to show her the mountains! We love the mountains and so we hope to help her to love them too!

The sad thing is that on our way home we passed Angel for Animals ( the place where Roxey is,) and so Matt pulled over on the road so we could see if she was out in the yard, when we couldn't see her, Devin asked if we could pull into the parking lot. I said absolutley not, and Matt explained to Devin that if Roxey saw us, she would have to readjust to her environment there again. I just started crying because I have so much guilt about not taking care of the dog ourselves. I have nightmares about her getting out of the yard, getting hit by a car or being adopted by some really mean people. But when I hear what the Angel's lady says online about her being able to go out into the main perimeter with all the workers I guess I feel a little better, but I still feel really sad about not having her here at our house. I guess I loved her more than I would give my self permission to when she was with us...

After Lisa came and got Madison we put ourselves into high gear because we had company coming over. Our friends the Warrens have had us over to their house for dinner many times in the last year, they have each been in a play that our family has been and Sarah and Devin have become really good friends. Devin actually had a crush on Sarah about a year ago. He gave her a valentine gift last year, it was really cute, since Sarah is a year older than him. We had a yummy dinner; roasted Chicken, pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, broccoli and delicious drinks. we had two main dishes because there were 11 of us and the chicken was really little, I wanted to make sure that we had enough food. I really worried about them coming over because they have 2 little children that are really rambunctious (they are 8 and 6 years old and yes, dad, I do worry about kids touching our stuff.) Emma and Luke were really good, they didn't touch anything without asking, they played really well with Mckenna and we didn't here from them for the whole evening. Having them over was really nice. We had great conversation, Matt and George watched NFL Football and Maleka, me and the kids laughed and laughed and laughed over the weirdest things. We will definately be doing it again soon!

I hope that you enjoy the pictures, I love the one of Matt giving me reindeer ears!

Christmas Tree hunting
friends
and loving family~ Priceless

Mckenna on stage finally!

Mckenna was so happy that the next day after Kristy's recital was the Dicken's Festival so that she could dance her little heart out, and yet, she said it still wasn't enough!

The cute pink hats the girls are wearing in their hip hop Christmas dance, I made for everyone. I had very sore hands that week since I made 20 hats! But they sure turned out cute for the girls and they loved them....


I was sitting to far back to get really great shots and most because of the movement was very blurry, but this is a look at a few that turned out okay....

Kristy's College Recital or Mckenna aching to dance on stage!

Mckenna attended her Ballet teacher's college dance recital today.
During the middle of the show, Mckenna said, "Mom, I just want to get up there and dance!" This was a performance that a lot of Mckenna's dance team decided to attend and we as mom's went also. It was fun because Kristy is also our neighbor and her sister and brother play the violin with Devin in a quartet that her mom put together as a favor to me, to get Devin to play more....

Kristy is an amazing dancer and we are sad that she will be leaving our studio to attend school at SUU in January. Mckenna is wondering who her new Ballet teacher will be?!
Thanks Kristy for helping Mckenna to have a stronger core and help to realize that she actually likes Ballet!