Today's Field Trip

Before I get into the details of the latest storm, I wanted to tell you all that my photography blog has received a delightful face lift.  Check it out and tell me what you think.

We woke up this morning and decided to go check out the swollen rivers around Hurricane.  It's been raining since last Thursday and I'd been told the river near the Interstate Rock shop was pretty high.  When we got there it was a magnificent sight.  Not that flooding is good, but it was incredible to see that much water.  It flooded like this a couple years ago and some homes in Virgin sustained a lot of damage.  Back in Jan. 2005 there was even more flooding in Southern Utah that destroyed many homes.  Maybe I was too young to care before that, but it seems like before 2005 there hadn't been storms and flooding like this for a LONG time.  For the 11 years before then that my family lived in Southern Utah I just can't remember this kind of stuff.

I snapped a few pictures of what we found.  Most were around the shop below Brentwood and all were taken midday December 21.  This post is taking on the nature of a documentary, but its kind of like a journal entry so let's all enjoy the fact that our posterity might appreciate these details.  :)

 This is similar to what you can find all over town.  Full gutters with a steady flow.

 Usually the river is more like a large creek through here.

 You can see how the road is completely flooded as with much of the yard.

 Notice in the upper left just passed the Jeep and in front of those couple of people standing in the road that the white bar across the road is the gate.  It is still in place.

 I've done photo shoots in this area before and its usually dry as a bone.

 This is the view from the west side now.  This is the sight that was so incredible to me.  The people are standing near where I was pointing out the existing gate.

 But... it's gone now.  Notice how the bank was sloughed off and the beam is sticking up out of the water a little bit.  Within 10 minutes they brought a track hoe up to try and fish it out but it was long gone.

 It's impossible to show the scale of how enormous this tree was that was floating down the river.  It was huge.

 The authorities came by in the morning and downed this power pole because it coming down was inevitable.  You can see the track hoe in the background forging his way through the road/river.

 A close up of the same portion of river.

 This was taken up in Virgin, not even a mile passed the Staples' homes.

This was at Sheep's Bridge in Virgin.  Marshall's favorite part was the handful of waterfalls coming into the river in this area.  He also got a kick out of singing "let it rain, let it rain, let it rain."

I saw a picture earlier of the river in Santa Clara reaching the bottom of the bridge.  We'll all keep praying the destruction is held to a minimum and that everyone can still enjoy a safe and happy Christmas.

For Uncle Chase

 Last week in his letter, Uncle Chase had me feeling all guilty.  He told me he had a chance to check my blog and was hoping to find some new pictures of these little ones but couldn't find any.  That's because I've been slacking.  (P.S.  Marshall's started doing this funny closed mouth smile lately.  It's really only funny because I can't figure out where he's picked it up from because every picture of me has a big toothy grin and Colby doesn't smile like that...)

 So on Sunday as we were frantically running out the door to church I made these kids stop for a picture or two.  They looked so handsome in their sweaters that it took us a few minutes before I was ready to stop.  What I'd really like to do is take them out somewhere fun and have a little photo session with them but it's been raining for the last FIVE days and it's still coming down!  Maybe once the clouds part a bit we'll get something a little nicer looking.

 For now we'll just enjoy some snapshots of them in the glowing light of the Christmas tree.  I love my little handsome men.  They are soooo soooo excited for Christmas and we parents can't wait either.

I hope you got a chance to see this Elder Stratton.  I didn't want to disappoint you for Christmas.

I'd like to talk to Mary.

As I sit down hoping to write down my feelings tonight, I'm overwhelmed.  I'm overwhelmed by tears.  I'm overwhelmed by gratitude.  I'm overwhelmed with a feeling of empathy for a wonderful woman.

I wish I could speak to the blessed Mary.  At least write her a letter of deepest gratitude for the incredible thing she did for this world.  As I wrote that last sentence I realized it was not an incredible power she had that brought the baby Jesus to the earth.  Indeed it was our Heavenly Father's, but she was the sweet woman trusted with the task.  It is an overwhelming thing to relate myself to her.  I think of how it was to be young expecting my first child.  I had a much smaller burden than her.  I only had to bear one of God's many loved spirit children.  I only promised myself I'd do the best I could and hope he'd grow to be a great man.  She was the mother of God's only begotten.  She would be the mother of THE Savior.  How great that responsibility was.  And then you think she gave birth while away from home.  Away from her family and friends that I'm sure she figured would help her through the unknowns (to her) of childbirth.  I love her so much for being so brave.  For being the chosen one.

Since having my own children, I cannot hear certain Christmas songs without being overcome by emotion.  Usually at least once a year Silent Night has me all in tears.  It paints such a picture of the simplicity of that night as it highlights the essential details.  I'm grateful for the simplicity that song possesses in the portrayal of the Savior's birth.  It speaks to me of the pure and simple facts that we believe and celebrate at Christmas.  

This year another song has joined the ranks of a favorite touching Christmas song: "Picture a Christmas."

       Picture a stable in Judea
       Picture a sacred, silent night
       And can you hear the angels near
       And see the star so bright?
       Picture the kind and gentle Joseph
       Picture the mother, Mary, fair
       And can you see so reverently
       The shepherds kneeling there?

       Picture the little baby Jesus.
       Think of his life and words so dear
       Sing praise to Him; Remember Him,
       As you picture Christmas this year

I was just driving along when this song came on and by the end I was a crying mess.  Something about imagining Joseph there in the stable...  How he must have felt.   I'm trying to imagine what it must have felt like to be in the presence of the Christ child.  Having a newborn infant nearby brings an amazing spirit of peace and love.  How strong that must have been as that holy child came into this world in such humble circumstances.  As I ponder the story behind the nativity there are many men that came to worship and praise God that night.  I think about what it takes to get my husband and the other special men in my life to reverently take in a special situation and I know that first Christmas was so much more than that.  Men of great importance came to find the baby Jesus as well as the hardworking laborers in the field.  I'm sure they just sat in awe of the awesome miracle before them.

I'm so grateful for the Christmas season and the many reminders of God's love for us.  I know he sent his son to be our Savior.  I am so thankful.  So very, very thankful.  Merry Christmas.

My Very Favorite

Christmas is my very favorite time of year.  I start looking forward to it in August!  Once my birthday hits I feel like Christmas is right around the corner because you can usually find Halloween decor in the stores beginning in August and right after that is done the Christmas stuff starts to take over.  I love all the holidays of fall, but I think once Halloween is over the Christmas spirit is the best kind of spirit to have thru the rest of the year.  It just enriches Thanksgiving and is the very best way to get people thinking of others.  I really really love it. 

As I decorated the tree this year I got to thinking about some of my favorite little things of Christmas.  Like the fudge my family only makes this time of year and finding the silliest most pointless gift that the kids will get a giant kick out of.  I love the garlands I put up in the kitchen and the excuse to outlaw any and all other types of music.  If its not Christmas music it has no purpose being played during the holidays.  I also really love a few different ornaments on our tree.  I noticed as I decorated this year I was plotting which ornaments are going to go first as I replace them with ones that really mean a lot to me.  Here's a few of my favorites:

I made this ornament our first Christmas.  It's always front and center- where no one can miss it.

This was given to us by some great old friends and I love the message it bears.  Perfect for the season.

This was one of the first vintage ornaments I fell in love with.  

It started the change from bright and colorful Christmas to old fashioned, colorful Christmas at our house.

Some people collect magnets, dolls or shot glasses from all the places they've been but we save Christmas ornaments.  While in Texas this summer I kept an eye out for the perfect ornament and settled on this toy I found in an antique store.  It is made of wire and changes into all kinds of different shapes

These two stuffed animals were the boys' ornaments last year.  It's a tradition that our kids get an ornament every year.  I loved how colorful and playful they were.  The penguin was perfect because Marshall was on the verge of obsessed with the movie Happy Feet during the previous year.

I really had to have this elephant for Tyler's first Christmas because it reminded me of 

his Halloween costume from that year.  I still can't get over what a cute little elephant he was.

This last one is another that I bought because I loved it instead of just to fill space on the tree.  

I'm a big fan of glitter and sparkle at Christmas time.

I hope to one day have my tree filled with all kinds of ornaments that all have a special place in my heart for one reason or another.  I've always had a theme of all colors because I knew one day we'd have a ton of handmade ornaments our kids would make and they wouldn't always fit a rigid color scheme or theme.  This way its all a little random and the eclectic nature will keep everything cohesive.

I hope you're all having a magical Christmas season and find a chance to do something special for someone else.

Do you want one?

I've got a small stack of Christmas cards that still need to be sent out and I'm doing one last call for addresses.  Leave it in a comment.  

I won't let them be public, so don't be shy.

Not Even Close

It's been five years since we tied the knot.  We're so extremely blessed and I couldn't ask for anything better!  We're just a tiny step into our forever together and I know it will just keep getting better.  It's hard to think we're not anywhere near our real potential for happiness.

Love you Colby!  And thanks for that awesome mirror!  You haven't lost your touch with presents after all.  :)

Extreme(ly crazy wife)

I'm a mean wife.  I'm far too selfish for Colby's well being.  And he will rue the day I had a bunch of gal pals over while he wasn't here.  I am further justified in our latest battle of wills.  :)

Let's start with a few weeks ago.  He has decided he wants to put in a fireplace.  He has it all figured out that it will go in the corner of our living room and figures it will be just perfect!  (Enter the crazy wife...)  I think it would be fun to have a fireplace.  I'm not quite sure where it will fit exactly, but if we can find a new home for some of our furniture, we could make it look really nice in the middle of the main wall of our living room.  And that would put us over the edge of our need for a flat screen TV.  Won't Colby be thrilled?!  Nope.  Notice he was thinking corner and I was thinking middle of the wall.  So the debate ensues and wouldn't you know it?  He doesn't want a fireplace at all.  He wants a wood burning stove.  Bah!  Not happening.  I agreed to fireplace.  With a gorgeous, stylish, timeless mantle.  Isn't that what we were talking about anyway?  A fireplace?  Yeah, that's what I thought.

So our debate continued with demands of a corner "stove" versus a centered "fireplace."  And then it hit me.  A stove in the corner would mean a lot more than a hearth and stove installation.  It would knock off the whole groove of our main living space which would mean a vast remodel including but not limited to relocating the window (which means a door also), getting rid of a couch and taking down the curtains.  And we will not be taking down those curtains.

You see, I love home decor.  It is one of my interests that I am a little too passionate about.  So much so that it has prevented me from decorating.  Whatever I can find around "these parts" is nowhere near the awesome vision I have for representing my personal style.  And we can't forget that our checking account could never recoup.  So I have a total of three elements of decor in my home.  A shower curtain I made in the main bath, some shelves I paid too much money for (according to Colby) and my living room curtains.  I had a vision for these curtains and couldn't find anything to satisfy my creative appetite until I walked passed some bedding in TJ Maxx.  That duvet cover was perfectly what I wanted my curtains to be.  And so I brought it home, chopped it up and made myself some curtains!  They are the only real representation of me in our whole house.  And they will not be removed.  I promised Colby if they had to leave, then he'd have to donate an unlimited amount of money to a total overhaul of our house until I was completely satisfied with the statement it made about the family that lived in it.

So it comes to this.  Fireplace = Extreme Home Makeover.  I think the answer is clear.  And tonight it was made even clearer.  Some gals were admiring my home made curtains and I overheard the comment, "...they're so Pottery Barn..."  Well there you go.  I can't get rid of them now.  I made them and they speak that timeless, classic, stylish language of Pottery Barn.  We would have had to pay well over $100 for just one panel of these curtains had I not made them with my own two hands.  How could I ever betray myself and just take them down for that sake of a wood burning stove.  I just couldn't.  Sorry babe.  The girls convinced me.