"I'm a lone lorn creetur'"

"Not only does everythink goes contrairy with me, but that I go contrairy with everybody. Yes, yes, I feel more than other people do, and I show it more. It's my misfortun'"

For some reason, I love Mrs. Gummidge from Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. She drives young David crazy because she's always lamenting (loudly) and going on about how she's a "lone lorn creetur" but she just makes me laugh! She talks about her "troubles" like they are an actual person. Kind of like Mrs. Bennet's "nerves" in Pride and Prejudice. I love crazy nervous emotional wrecks of women in these stories! I think they make me feel quite sane. I probably shouldn't compare myself to fictitious characters, though.

Well, this summer has been kind of nuts! Living with in-laws, looking for employment and housing. It turns out housing has a pre-requisite of employment. But here are some pictures -- but I messed up and posted them in order from most recent to less recent.


After a fun afternoon of swimming in Lindon.



Cranking home-made ice cream with the Wilsons.




Niece and nephew Syd and Kaiser playing in the backyard.





Me with one of my best buddies! I'm not sure why she likes me so much!






The game of the summer: Lasso golf!

4th of July: I got to hold cute baby Wyatt.

Auntie Cindy and my mother at my Grandma Huber's pool for a 4th of July celebration.

Happy girls, Lauren, Natalie, cousin Meranda. I think they're daydreaming of hot red-headed paramedics.

The hidden beauty of Evanston, Wyoming

Look what we found in Wyoming! Who'd a thunk it? A beautiful oak table built around 1929. Last Friday, at about midnight, I was studying to recertify my CPR skills, and Ben was looking on the Internet. He asked, "How do you feel about going to Evanston?"

I, thinking he was talking about a job opening, said, "Let's go."

He immediately said, "It's not for a job."

My heart crushed into a million pieces. Not really. He showed me his latest "discovery" on KSL.com, Ben's love affair. A man was selling his grandmother's dining room table for an outrageously, ridicuously, incomprehensibly low price for what it probably should be worth.

"ROAD TRIP," I said. But to Evanston, Wyoming? Whew. At least I could get a good long nap in. Little did I know what we were in store for.

About 15 miles out of Evanston, 5 of them being dirt road, you suddenly feel like you've left firework-firebeer hickville and have ventured into a quaint hidden mountain valley like in , say, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. Abundant green grasses, yellow wildflowers speckled across the meadows, and old rickety bridges that you can't believe your mother-in-law is about to drive the truck across.

Once you're past the scary bridge and you heart beat slows to normal again, you cross yet another lush meadow and come to the friendly Sexton ranch.

The horses seem to nod a welcome greeting to you, and the cat with greenish-brownish eyes (sorry, no picture of the cat) comes and rubs against your leg. Well, that's where we found the table sitting out in the yard (see top picture) with an old wooden swing and original small cabin in the backgroung. It looked so much like a scene you would find in a country western music video that I had to have Ben take our picture with it.

We bought the table, brought it back to good old Taylorsville, where it has been living in the garage.

Which is the same place, I might add, that Ben has been living ever since we got it. He has been busy working to fix up this table and four chairs that came with it. If I want to see him, I have to go out in the garage. In fact, that is where I am currently sitting as I am typing up this post! Is it bad if I feel jealous of a table? Just kidding.

Ode to my lovely sisters

Ha! I have been so excited to share the beauty...

And elegance ...

and absolute joy of my sisters first thing in the morning.

So sweet ... so darling ...

Any man would be lucky to wake up to any of these sirens in the morning!

We were invited over for a Memorial Day breakfast with my family, and the first glorious words to come out of Lauren's mouth (after we were locked out and Natalie and Emily simply stared at us like were roadkill) to greet us were: "You're late."

Oh lovely, nurturing sisters! What would I do without you?

Congratulations, Graduate

Benjamin M. Wilson, Utah State University, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture.

Way to go Ben! It was a crazy rainy day on Saturday with graduation and moving to SLC. But we were so happy to have family come to Ben's graduation at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.



Grandma and Grandpa Stapley came from the bottom of the state all the way to the top! It felt like we hadn't seen them in a LONG time so we were so thrilled they came!



Lauren and Jeffy. Poor Jeff became my slave while we were moving. He was just always around when I needed someone to do something, and he was so willing to help that I just kept telling him to do everything! Thanks Jeff!

This picture is about perfect! Dad, Mom, Emily (the one with the deer-in-the-headlights face) and Natalie doing something to her eye.

Well, we are done with Logan. Maybe forever! And that is REALLY weird. All my life I never had one thought about Logan, and then I up and moved there right after getting married. We spent three years there going to school -- the school opposite of my dream school, the U. USU's campus is small, surrounded by cows, and nestled in a small little "bowl" bordered by exquisite mountain ranges that are often shrouded with mist and snow. People there kiss random strangers on an "A" statue, sing songs about sage brush and ride couches with skis attached to the bottoms down the very steep Old Main Hill. The Aggie Ice Cream is like nothing you will ever taste, and even when the temperatures are below 0 and the snow has soaked your pant legs and froze your toes, you will still want the Aggie Ice Cream.

And this is the place where we basically started our marriage. We were on our own, away from our families, and learned a lot. Ben taught me the basics of cooking and a lot of things about common sense. I don't think I have taught him anything besides the fact that some women are very crazy. But, hopefully we've grown!

I can't imagine life without school. Even though I've been done with school for a year, Ben's still been doing it. And I've worked for USU, so school has still very much been there. But, not anymore! I wonder if I'll miss it? I think I already feel a strange void. I will miss those pleasant Sunday afternoons of sitting on a blanket at the top of Old Main Hill with Ben overlooking the lovely Cache Valley. It really adds to the pretty view if you block the image of the traffic-jammed Main Street from your mind. Hopefully, someday, at least one of us can go back to school to pursue higher degrees.

I'm proud of you Ben!

Here is Diane (Ben's mom) and Raegan (our niece who spent the night before graduation with us!)

I just may have a new "dream school," because this is the place that Ben and I really began.

Edit to previous post

I just found out that in the video I posted in my last post, David Archuleta is singing at the West Ridge Academy (http://www.westridgeacademy.com/), which offers help and hope to troubled teens.

He is in the chapel where the young women meet. My father-in-law was made the LDS Branch President over the young women just after David sang there! Ben and I have been there and Ben recognized the picture behind the pulpit of Christ teaching young women, and that is how we figured out where David was singing!

Be Still My Soul

I don't know if I know how to post You Tube vidoes, so here's my best try. I hope it works!

This is so beaufiful --

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAQOgzKgxXM

Ever had your face smashed by a bus?

Sometimes I think I may miss this job when we move out of Logan forever in less than two weeks. That's right, we're moving out after Ben graduates. Where to? No idea. Oh, what job offer did Ben get? Does my Dad's offer to let Ben help finish his basement bathroom count? Where is you new apartment? We don't have one. But, yep, we're moving because there is really nothing here in Logan for us anymore. And also, my head began aching slightly, and, as time presses forward, the pain gets more and more raging, keeping me up at night. That is all I'm going to say about that.

Yes, sometimes my stalking people research brings me some big laughs, that actually relieve the aching head for a few amazing moments. Today I came across another Hard News Cafe article that had me just about crying!!

You just have to read this. If you are hurting in some way, laughter can be a very effective medicine, even if it is only for a few magnificient, breathless, tear-inducing moments. Oh, and have you ever tried standing on your head when you have a headache? You should. Trust me. Here's the link for the bus-smashing-face experience:

http://www.hardnewscafe.usu.edu/archive/nov2008/111108_badday.html