Brothers

April is a month of transitions. The seasons are changing which means days of warm sunshine followed by snowstorms, bare trees begin to blossom with new buds, and bulbs break free from under the ground. As anyone who has played the back-and-forth game of heater and air-conditioning can attest, transitions are not always comfortable. We had our share of transitions in April, and like sunny/gloomy springtime itself, they each included beautiful flowers and a sense of remembering the past and looking ahead to what the future will hold.

April began with a happy occasion. Congratulations to my brother Ryan and his new wife Valerie! They were married on April 1 which was a cold but wonderful day. We welcome Valerie and wish them all the best in their new family.

On April 9, we got the shocking news that Rusty's brother Rhett had passed away. It was completely unexpected. Rusty and I immediately planned a trip to Georgia to gather as a family and to say goodbye. It was extremely emotional and difficult, but we came away with peace and a firm knowledge of the eternal nature of families. I have feelings and experiences from this visit that will stay with me forever. I've never been more proud to be a member of the Butler family. Their strength and wisdom inspire me. We will miss Rhett and look forward to being reunited with him in the future.

So in April we gathered two weeks apart for two brothers of the same age for two very different transitions. They were surrounded by flowers and loved ones. We know they are both where they are meant to be with the people who will help them progress to the best they can become. I'm genuinely happy for them both.

Olympic Fever

Winter is cold and flu season, but Rusty and I have been suffering from an ailment that has not been seen in such severity since the strain out of Beijing in 2008. I am speaking, of course, of Olympic fever. Could you be at risk? Look for these warning signs and symptoms:

Loss of sleep- when Olympic coverage goes past bedtime

Seeing spots- of gold, silver, and bronze

Ringing of the ears- which sounds a lot like cow bells

Dizziness- from watching athletes spin, twirl, twist, jump, and flip

Loss of interest- in activities and shows usually enjoyed

Increase in appetite- because those Chicken McNugget commercials are very effective

Moodiness- emotions range from anxiety, hope, disappointment, pride, and patriotism

There is no cure for Olympic fever. It must run its course, but expect your life to return to normal in about a week.

Christmas 2009

I love Christmas! I wait all year for Christmas. I pretty much count down all year long, but that's something I've learned to keep to myself for fear of the Scrooges amongst us--I was literally hit in the arm at work when mentioning the three-month mark this past September. Grinchy, huh!? Anyway, since this was to be my first holiday season with a blog, I imagined myself writing festive posts about my love for all things yuletide and the delightful way that Rusty and I were celebrating and preparing. These posts were to fill the reader with such warmth and magic that they would bring back cherished childhood memories which had long been hibernating deep below the heavy daily responsibility that is being a grown up. Ah, disillusion! I quickly remembered that being a grown up can trump even Christmas sometimes. No, that's not true. But it can certainly trump writing about it on a sporadic blog. While December was filled with the usual treats and music and specials, it also brought along some stresses: changes at work, a new calling at church, and some illness. (And a fire across the street!) I wish this past year had offered me more time to revel in the season with fewer "real life" distractions, but I'm glad to be left with nice memories and happy pictures. One very good thing about Christmas, among so many, is that it always comes back. Eleven months, one week to go... ;)

Each Christmas since we were married, Rusty and I get a new ornament with the year on it. This S'mores Santa and reindeer is the collection's most recent addition.

We bought a gingerbread house kit to make together. It was fun and frustrating! I'm convinced that the people who decorated the example on the box were using more professional tools than those included. I like how our little house turned out, though. One day I came home and a few of the Spree candies out front were missing. Rusty said he felt a need to shovel the driveway a bit. :)

I love Christmas specials! A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my all-time favorites, so I couldn't resist this little tree.

We got matching Mickey Mouse PJs for Christmas. And we must have been on the nice list because Santa was pretty good to us, too! We're very lucky.

This cracked me up. You gotta love Christmas!

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!! I celebrated yesterday, so I have to keep reminding myself that today is the real holiday. The theme this year at work was classic Halloween and I was a witch. Another smashing sewing job from my mom! I got a lot of compliments on my costume and passed them straight on to her. It's just too bad the outfit didn't come with real magic powers! Have a spooky day!

The Ghosts of Halloween Past

It’s that time of year again! I have gotten into the Halloween spirit much more these last few years because it’s a big deal at my work. We choose a theme, decorate like crazy, and do our best with costumes. That’s why I’m so happy that my mom sews and sews well! (I’m sort of a costume snob. The cheapy store-bought ones just won’t do.) She’s been very obliging in helping me put together great outfits each year, so I thought I’d do a quick showcase of her work and visit Halloweens of yesteryear…

This is Halloween of last year. The theme was Old West. Most of my workmates wore cowboy stuff that they already had or bought new to wear in the future, but I’m pretty lacking in that department. What’s the practical alternative to purchasing a western shirt? Saloon girl, of course! ;) This was a lot of fun. I think more clothes should have bustles! The boots, however, were my least favorite. I think the feeling came back into my toes about four days later.

Here is Halloween 2007. Our theme was the movie Hairspray. I was the character Amber. I’ve always wanted a dress with a full skirt and slip like those of that era, so I was crazy about this costume. The most fun was searching the internet for retro patterns. (Fun fact: the style with the full skirt that I love so much is called “rockabilly.”) I could seriously get hooked on shopping for vintage patterns from various decades! I found this early Sixties pattern for a bridesmaid dress that had never been used. I just wish I could have gotten my hair bigger and flippier that day. My dress may have been authentic, but my hair, unfortunately, fell a little flat.

Halloween 2006 was my lucky year. Not only did I get to be Dorothy, the star of the show, but we also won the annual contest between all the departments and $25 each! This is probably my favorite costume, if I absolutely had to choose. People who couldn’t see my feet would ask if I was wearing the ruby slippers. Of course I was! They were very impressed to learn that my mom had made those, too. We took sparkly, red sequined fabric and laid it over plain black dress shoes. The result was perfect! Thanks, Mom, for all the great costumes! :)

Craft or Crap?

I love holidays. I love decorating for the holidays. I'm excited that it's October and time to get out all of my Halloween things. My mom cleaned out her basement this summer and found something for me to add to my collection. I made this wreath years and years ago. I got the idea for it all on my own--it's made using the orange plastic bags that newspapers came in. I even knew at the time it wasn't the classiest of projects; it was more for fun than anything else. I never thought the end result was that bad, but I also realize it's kinda junky. My mom said, "either take it home or I'm getting rid of it." Not my precious art! ;) I rescued it and it now hangs on the door that leads to our garage. I'm not crazy in love with it, but I think it's maybe sorta cute. I asked Rusty, "craft or crap?" He settled on "crappy craft." I tend to agree. Any thoughts?

A Fair Way to Spend a Day

The unofficial start to Fall for me is the Utah State Fair. If you've seen one state fair, you've seen them all, but I would still be disappointed to miss it. This year, my dad, my brother Damon, and I went on opening day. I think my favorite part is the home arts building where they display all of the quilts, sewing and stitching projects, etc. I can only imagine the satisfaction of creating a gorgeous quilt, let alone being awarded a big ribbon for it! I always enjoy the art and photography displays, too, and the 4-H building is one I hate to miss. It reminds me of my good old 4-H days! We also spent about twenty minutes at "Kachunga & the Alligator Show," which was actually pretty entertaining. Of course, we walked through all of the animal buildings, too!

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Every once in a while my job has perks. Because we are a sponsor of Miller Motorsports Park, the marketing department had a few free tickets for the Nascar Camping World Series race last Saturday. I entered the drawing for the tickets and won a pair! My dad and I used them and had a really fun time even though we aren't big race fans. The part we enjoyed most was the fact that we had business club tickets which kind of made us VIPs for the day. We were given lanyards to hold our tickets around our necks and had access to the clubhouse and everywhere else. My dad bought us lunch in the clubhouse restaurant, we took a tour around the facility, and watched some of the action from a nice, grassy spot close to the track. Those cars certainly are fast--and loud!

Pioneer Day

The 24th of July is one of my favorite holidays! It marks the anniversary of the pioneers arriving in the Salt Lake valley in 1847. What a trek! No wonder they began celebrating this date just two years after their arrival! I'll bet I had ancestors participating in some of those early celebrations. My immediate family's history with the annual parade goes back decades. It has been a tradition since long before I was born. We were determined to watch this year even though our usual viewing spot is no longer along the parade route due to road construction. Luck was on our side! We found a fantastic spot. Not only was it close enough to have a good view, there was a nearby tree keeping us out of the sun for the whole thing! It was a great parade, too. It's so neat the way so many people volunteer their time and creativity to put on a grand celebration of heritage and diversity.

A fairly new tradition in our personal Pioneer Day celebration is to enjoy lunch immediately after the parade at the Lion House Pantry. It's so delicious! We ate outside in the garden this year which was pretty and peaceful. (It also brought back nice memories since it was the location of my wedding reception!)

Happy Birthday, Rusty!

I Love Modern Living

Our typical weeknights are usually filled with watching TV or movies. I realize that this is probably not the most rewarding or responsible use of our time, but it makes us happy. Last Monday, we had the opportunity to see what it’s like to go without our favorite pastime. The power went out just after 5 p.m. and didn’t return until almost 10:30 that night. Rusty hates when we are without power; I usually get a kick out of the power being out but this was almost too long of a stretch! We played a game (Chutes and Ladders is a classic—I don’t care how old you are!), chatted a bit, and I read the entire issue of my newest Entertainment Weekly. Rusty was smart enough to remind me to get ready for bed before I was doing it in the dark. By the time the sun went down the novelty had definitely worn off. Without air conditioning or fans the temperature rose. I was amazed (but not surprised) to discover how limited we really are without electricity. I couldn’t run the dishwasher or throw in a batch of laundry while trying to fill the time. I also tried to keep the fridge-opening to a minimum. We finally gave in and began watching Simpsons DVDs on my portable DVD player. After two episodes the power was back on and we could go back to our normal lives, fully dependant on electricity. I am thankful to live in an age of technology and comfort. Considering the entire history of the world that we could have lived in, it’s really a privilege. I am also kind of humbled by the fact that nature still has a way of besting man’s efforts—our five-hour power outage was caused by a flock of birds. ;)

You're a Grand Old Flag

Happy 4th of July! I began the day early so I could celebrate the way I have for most of my life. Rusty is not much of a morning person, so he happily exercised his freedom to sleep in. I enjoyed a nice breakfast with my family, then we went to watch the Tooele parade. I used to be embarassed by how cheesy and small-town it is, now I appreciate the fact that this is what America is all about! People all over the country were celebrating the very same way. I like to see kids waving flags and families participating in traditions. I watched with my brothers, parents, and grandma. This was the first time I ever remember being chilly on the fourth of July. It was cloudy and breezy, but it never rained on our parade! (Oh, and by the way, you know it's a hokey Tooele parade when the grand finale is a Wal-Mart truck!) Now that I've had an afternoon nap and watched "A Capitol Fourth" it's time to go out to the backyard and see if Rusty and I can catch some fireworks--yay! Happy 233rd birthday, America!