The GLow FRom the West

Chad bought me indoor soccer shoes for Christmas. They were too big...........well a lot to big, so today while in town I ran them back to the little soccer store to exchange them for a smaller size. I walked into the store and told the worker I needed a smaller size. He let me look at the shoes for a bit and soon after the following exchange took place.

Soccer Dude #1: Which ones do you like?

Kelli: I like the black ones.

Soccer Dude #1: No you don't like the black ones, they don't come in your size.

Kelli: Oh, well lets see..............um..................I could wear the red ones..........I guess. They are a little flashy, but maybe I have some flashy moves up my sleeve. Let me try the red ones.

Soccer Dude gets the red ones in my size, while another Soccer Dude enters the store. We will call him Soccer Dude #2.

Soccer Dude #2: You don't want the red ones.

he yells over his ipod.

Kelli: I don't?

Soccer Dude#2: No. they are not cool.

Kelli: Well, I am an old lady, I passed cool a while ago. If I had my way I would play in moon boots. Does that sound cool to you?

Soccer Dude #1 interrupts: He is right, the red ones don't cook.

Kelli thinks to her self ......cook?? What am supposed to cook in my soccer shoes???

Kelli: Well I am not planning on cooking anything anytime soon. I like the red ones, they will match my red soccer shorts.

They exchange a side glance to each other. Like oh she cares about matching----------she must not be that good.

Soccer Dude #1: Yeah, if you want to look like you know what you are doing, then you need a little Ronaldinho in your blood.

Kelli: Well, it is just old ladies league............no blood involved.

Soccer Dude #2: Yeah. These are the babies you need. These are the latest and the greatest..........they are made with.........................

I suddenly loose focus on what he is saying. And I start wondering what Soccer Dude #1 has been smoking while the customers are perusing his shop. As to the fact that he is holding up for me the brightest, yellow pair of soccer shoes I have ever laid eyes on.

Zach and Carver in the background start chanting and drooling over the bright yellow shoes (They have never been known for the fashion sense). "Can we get some!!" they chant. That chant lasted the entire shopping experience. All the while Tanner was throwing balls and pulling jerseys off their hangers. My resolve and will began to waiver, I could feel the world plotting against me.

Kelli: Well, they might help me by blinding the other team by their sheer brightness. I will try them on. Just to get me out of this store.

I slipped my foot into the lemon shoe.

Soccer Dude#1: Total Dope.

Soccer Dude#2: Something in Spanish.................I didn't understand it, I think he was saying "you look like a fool".

Kelli: Dope? Are you offering me some? I feel like I have two large yellow Lego bricks on my feet (although they were comfy).

Tanner then knocks over the bin of balls, Zach starts whining for a soccer jersey and Carver starts plotting his way to new shoes. I almost begin to loose it. I think...........I have got to get out of this store before I swear in my head (for those of you who don't remember, I quit cold turkey a while ago).

Kelli: Ok. I can live on the edge. I can be dope. I can cook.

Soccer Dude#1: Sweet.

Soccer Dude#2: Good choice. One you won't regret.

Later @ the indoor place I am feeling Dope. I lace up my new lemons w/ cleats and I am feeling sooooo confident. This is my time. This is my chance. I am in the Zone. Cue the Whitney Houston song One Moment in Time...............I even say to myself,"watch out old ladies league, I've got Ronaldinho in my blood." I step out of the car to meet Chad who just pulled up.

Chad: Whoa............................Check out those shoes.

Kelli: Yeah, I am feeling brave. But, really I was thinking that those two guys back at the store had a hidden camera on me and someone is going to jump out of a bush and tell me I just got punk'd.

Chad: Did the kids pick those out.

Kelli: Uh..............yeah.................. yeah ................. they did.

So Here is my advice: Move over big bird. Everyone hide your grandma's lemon merangue. Watch out all you yellow taxis waiting by the curb -Kelli is about to give you a good run for your money. And if you are wondering what that bright glow is coming from the west on Thursday nights, no it is not the northern lights or the second coming It is just me lacing up these sweet babies.

And Last but, not least. If you ever buy a pair of really, bright yellow shoes, my best advice is to blame it on your kids. Then people will still think you are sane. Well, the emotional toll of buyers remorse has made this dope girl extremely tired, Good Night.

Above is a picture of Ronaldinho, for those of you who are wondering who he is.

Fashion Update

Taylor, when he was four, was obsessed with his moon boots. He wore them everywhere..............even in the summer. He wore them with shorts, pants, swimming suits, sweats, underwear, power ranger costumes, etc. I believe they even made the journey to church a time or two. They stunk, but he loved them anyway. It was a match made in heaven. We have home video of him in the hot sweltering sun in July, riding his bike, pulling tricks, all the while pedaling vigorously in his trusty grey moon boots. It is one of my favorite home movies. His boots met their demise that fall outside Taylor's preschool when Zachary threw up on them. I refused to clean their already, what I believed, stinky existence (and I had tried on many unsuccessful attempts to get rid of them). They got thrown out. Chuck in the trash like no body's business. Taylor cried. Well, this memory came flooding back to me today when I slipped on my own new pair of favorite shoes...........................uh actually boots......................uh...............actually moon boots.

I have lived in them this winter. I mean actually lived in them. I wear them in the house, in the car, to the store, out to dinner, in the snow, at parties etc. I even wear them without socks, just like Taylor used to. I haven't worn them to church yet, but to be quite honest I have been tempted on more than one occasion. They are dirty. They stink. They are not in fashion. They don't impress. But, they are dang comfortable. And if Zach decides to throw up on these babies well, lets just say...............I will reach for the Clorox and do nothing short of CPR to revive these bad boys. The guilt of not doing the same for Taylor's boots is consuming. I think Taylor was on to something at age four, that I have learned at age 30 (ouch that hurts to say thirty)- Moon Boots ROCK!!!! They are the bomb. They make you happy. They are always comfortable, your feet are always warm. And if your toes are warm and your heart is happy then who cares what your feet smell like right?.............................Right! So for all of you who keep up with the latest fashion trends put me on the worst dressed list, throw a bar over my face and use me as an example of what not to wear, I don't care. Because, right now I am shopping online for swimsuits that coordinate with my trusty, comfortable, moon boots. See you at the pool!

Move over Mr. Bubbles

Mr Bubbles............................................

Eat YOUR Heart out!!!

Ski Day

Here is our team about to take their assault on the ski resort. Their mission leave no jump or run unskied.
Carver in green, Jake Rounkles in middle, Taylor in the spidey helmet.


Sir Edmund Hillary said, "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." But, what if we are not out to conquer, what if we are just out for the sheer rush of the wind on our face, the glistening snow beneath our skies and all we want to do is be filled with joy as our bodies race down the mountain on a run called Flying Squirrel??

This might be, perhaps, the funnest way to conquer a mountain. Here are some pics from our perfect ski day @ Sun Balley (how Zach says it) 2009 ski trip:


Jake skiing it up. He took one of the hardest crashes. Got right up, got chastised by his grandpa, and a hit another jump within ten seconds.

Taylor putting some wind in his sails.

Chad dropping in for a turn

Extreme skiing 101: Chad and Carver scoping out the prospect.

Carver taking the plunge.

Taylor striking a pose.

Carver striking a tail grab.

Taylor getting ready for a landing. What a day. What a gift.

Naked mystery......................Solved!

Does anyone who grew up in the Valley or North Ogden remember the case of the naked streaker @ Northern Fitness Gym????
Authorities have been trying to solve that case for years. Remember they had video tape of who it was, and then the tape disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
I think I know who it was.
The secret goes to the highest bidder.
Don't get out bid.
This one is good.

P.S
I can be paid in dessert.

OLD FRIENDS

O.K so have you seen the man who hung upside down from the Vail ski lift in his birdday suit? (what my grandma calls it). It is all over the Internet. If you haven't seen it you probably just returned from your trip to the moon. I am not a proponent of porn, so I will not tell you how to find it. I will just say,"go to a site that starts w/ You and ends in the word tube." Rumor has it, and I take my sources very seriously.......have you ever heard anything not reliable reported in the N. Enquirer???........... I didn't think so. Any way rumor has it, this was an accident. But, if there were a group of girls who would dare each other to pull a stunt like this, on purpose, here is what they would look like:

(except for the one in the middle below, she is too pure to dare someone to hang upside down half-naked.)

Don't let their sweet smiles fool you or pull you in to believing they are innocent. I can recall lots of night skiing (and day skiing) with this wild band of outlaws. I can picture these girls jumping from lifts and dropping skis (this was our favorite) among other things. Skiing out of bounds, daring each other to stick their tongue to the metal pole on the chair lift (was it Shelley who lost half her tongue?), eating saltines w/ ketchup (because our parents never gave us any money) and wasn't there a ski video in high school of us........or is my memory fading. There are few skiing memories I have where these girls are not in them. Since this post is a skiing post I won't mention the stolen car and me being grounded for eternity, but I got out eventually and guess who was there waiting for me.................yep you guessed it. They say, "It takes a long time to grow an old friend" and that "it is the friends you can call at 4 am that matter." Fortunately for me I have a couple of old friends (among others) I would love to call at 4 am and tell them for a long time that they matter........................................................And that I have forgiven them for talking me into stealing my parents car (like I said, the one in the middle is pure).

Saturday

Today was the day I was going to pull my life together. Sort the socks. Wipe that dried syrup off the counter top. Possibly clean a toilet or two...................well possibly just one (Hey it's a start). Sweep up the spilled frosted flakes that crunches every time I walk on one. Wash the sheets...................iron them...................well not really but, I did make you think I would do that didn't I? Take down the Christmas tree (I know embarrassing to admit, but ours is still up). Wash the windows, clean the floors, put away the piles of home magazines that are littering every room in my house. That was my plan for this Saturday. Then I decided to check on a couple of blogs.....................just a couple. Then Zach challenged me to a duel in Wii Tennis (he won........but I did return a power serve). Then Tanner wanted to set up his train....................then Tanner wanted to play like he was Godzilla wrecking his train. Then I had to get Carver ready to go skiing for a couple of runs. Then Taylor gave me a lesson in riding the rip stick. Then I made Zachie a couple mayonnaise sandwiches (Zach has a thing for mayonnaise). Then I had this great idea to try to get Tanner to take a nap. So, I got settled down next to him in my bed, to try and help him fall asleep. Then I found out I was the one who had fallen asleep. Carver was home from skiing. Taylor was done riding the rip stick. Zach was ready for more sandwiches. The socks hadn't been sorted. The toilets hadn't been cleaned. The tree was still up and the frosted flakes were still spilled. Then, I decided maybe I will pull myself together on a different day.

Goggles

1 round trip ticket to Maui in January: $350.00
1 boogie board day rental: $20.00
1 picnic basket full of food and sand: $18.00

Being able to see a whale jump through shark eyes: Priceless.

There are some things money can't buy.

Public Service Anouncement

This is an urgent plea to all of those who want to make our world a better place to live. My dad made my mom, my sister and me watch this video often growing up so that we would know how to behave. As you can see how we turn out we followed its advice to a T.To get to the video Please go to my dad's blog tonics and elixirs found in my side bar, scroll down to the bottom of his page and watch the video that is next to the free counter. It will change your life -I know it did mine. AND don't you all want to be a little more like warm fuzzy me???

Already history -2008

2008 was a year for making waves..............

Chad Kayaking on the Middle fork of the Salmon. Frank Church Wilderness of No Return, Idaho 2008.

And a year for discovering them.

Chad & Tanner. Maui, Hawaii (January 2008 even though the date on the pic. says 2007).

It was a year of brotherly love....................

Taylor throwing sand toward an unsuspecting Zach. Maui, HI 2008

And a year of experiencing new loves.

Carver throwing a back flip (during the first snow -those white & black things flying are his slippers). Eden, Utah

It was a year of traveling near....................

The boys, Jackson Hole, Wyo.

And a year of traveling far.Jamie, Linda,Kelli, Kristin. Hong Kong

2008 was a year to work hard....................

Tanner washing windows, Eden UT.

And a year to take time off.

Tanner -master of the tub. Eden, UT 2008

It was the year of the underdog......................

And the year of a new dog.


2008 was a year for building

(We take sand castles seriously). Zach and Luke, Big Beach, Maui, HI.

And a year for teaching.

Tanner and Lu Lu, Big Beach, Maui, HI.

It was a year of self-expression.......................

2008 was a year of self-fulfillment.

Taylor playing soccer, Layton, UT.

It was a year for tubing down rivers..........................

Carver, South Fork River. Huntsville, UT

And diving in pools................................

Taylor & Luke grandma Froerer's pool.

It was a year for mud..................

And a year for sand.
It was a year to look close.............................

Taylor, Snow Basin.

And a year to look far.

(if you look close, across the river you will see Taylor and Zachie sitting on the rocks). Lunch Counter Rapid, Alpine Canyon, WY

2008 was a year for trying new things.........................

And it was a year for taking time to swing.

2008 was a year to play it safe......................

2008 was a year to take a leap.

It was a year for races....................

Chad after he qualified for Boston -3:13!! St. George, Ut 2008

It was a year for races....................that count.

Zach, Tanner, Chad. Zion National Park.

It was a year we said goodbye to loved ones. Grandpa Bob, John Carter, Brenda the dog.

It was a year we said Hello to new loved ones. Baby Dillon.

2008, was a year we laughed................. A year we cried.
A year we loved......................... A year we lived.

It was a year...............

That is now gone.