Train Ride for Turkey Day

Well, I survived the Amtrak #6 to SLC. It was actually quite nice not having to worry about where I would stop for gas or which book on tape I wanted to listen to AGAIN from the local library. I read, ate, texted, talked and even slept for about four hours before the train dropped me in SLC fifteen minutes early at 3:30 am Thanksgiving morning. The only catch was that my ride wasn't there to get me. I called and the phone was off. I waited patiently until the time I was really supposed to arrive and then called again; the phone was still off. I texted a couple of times. The funny thing is I know tons of people who COULD HAVE come to get me from the train station in SLC, but the only person who was coming had a funky phone that sometimes turns off in the middle of the night, so I was stranded for a while. Around 4:10 I finally called my ride's wife and she told me that he was....just on his way. ( : I crashed on their couch for three more hours and then got ready to go play some football with some of my family and their neigborhood! For those of you who don't know, football is my absolute favorite sport to play! Yes, I love to play it even more than soccer!

When my brother and I got to the field we were a little disappointed with how many people were playing, and how many 'little' people were playing. It looked like 20 on 20. We didn't think the game would provide much action. Shortly after we arrived the powers that be decided to split the game into two games and sent a bunch of the people under five feet to play their own game, although some still ended up scrambling back. This was much better because then the teams were only 13 on 13-ish. ( :

We were playing FLAG football, which always presents an interesting challenge for those who like to wrap up or run through people. There really wasn't much action for the first bit. I did snag a nice catch the QB sent my way but then got pummelled when I caught it. Did I mention that we were playing FLAG football? The tackler did not even try to go for my flag. In fact, she took my leg out, and I have the shin length bruise to prove it. It was nice to have a piece of the action though.

A bit later in the game I was playing defense and this kid got the ball and tried to run THROUGH me. (Remember, this is FLAG football.) I had already let a couple of runners slip by because I was playing by FLAG football rules and didn't wrap up on them. Well since this guy decided that he was going to go straight for me, I decided that he wasn't going to get past me; no matter what. I reached for his flag but bodied up on him and he let me stop his shoulder with my face. Immediately after impact I threw his flag on the snow and then leaned over so I wouldn't get blood on my clothes. Yep, I got a bleeder. That hasn't happened in years! If you have ever been popped on the nose you know that tears come with it. This little drip turned in to this....
And eventually led to this....
I wasn't in any pain, just trying to get my nose to stop bleeding. I tried and tried to pinch off the artery, and after about twenty minutes it finally worked. I left a nice bright patch on the field. ( : After I was certain the dripping had finally stopped, I got back out on the field. I didn't want to miss out on some great game time.

After the game I went to my sister's house to shower and get ready for some serious family time. I can't believe how much bigger my two youngest nieces are since I last saw them! It seems like Piper has doubled in size! We had some amazing food, as well as some great conversation. It was so nice just to be around my family again, it has been far too long.

Little E is so tender...

Bryn and Pipes. This baby is loved so much by her sisters.

Livia had a ball playing with the Thanksgiving day paper!

Piper does not look like a baby here.

The cutest 11 1/2 year old I have ever known.

Ander in his fort on the patio!

Piper being a big girl like her sisters, playing the piano!

Oh Jonah!

Getting the Mail

At the new house we have what one of my landlord's referred to as 'gang mailboxes.' You know, the kind with the key that are all lined up at a central location in a neighborhood.

Well, anyway, we have to walk just down the street to get our mail, and we walk by the side of a few houses and yards. The house across the street from us is one of those houses. Our neighbors who live there have a very boisterous dog who likes to run alongside you while barking and jumping on the wooden fence. I usually whistle at the dog or bark back. Since it is a tall wood fence, I have no idea what type of effect this has on the dog, nor do I know what kind of dog it is.

One day as I was walking to get the mail I was whistling at the dog, and it seemed a little more excitable than usual. When I got to the end of the fence line, the dog popped its head between two fence boards and was trying its hardest to get its shoulders through the hole. It was snapping its jaws at me, growling and barking loudly. I ran the rest of the way to the mailbox and then walked around the block to get back home. It was a good sized pitbull...

I have been careful since that day when I walk to get the mail. In fact, the dog's owners have been more careful as well, keeping the dog indoors more often than not. A few times when I have walked by I have had to step over pieces of fence that the dog has knocked out.

I told one of my roommates about this experience, and then the other after I convinced her to come get the mail with me on a different day. I told her that if the dog got through she just had to run faster than me. We walked by the fence and heard the dog, taking note that a few of the boards on the fence looked very bowed and a few even looked a little loose. As we were walking back the dog jumped on one of the boards and it came off with a breaking sound. We ran our guts out the rest of the way home.

We just got back from yet another venture to the mailbox and realized that the owners have caught on and started screwing the boards up, rather than just putting the nails back in the holes. I wonder how long those will last.

Solution: make the roommates get the mail from now on. ( :

Face Plant Save

One Sunday I was conducting Relief Society. After a particularly spiritual lesson I stood up to close the meeting and didn't realize that one foot was asleep until I put pressure on it, about five feet away from any chairs. I put my weight directly over all of the joints in my leg so I could balance, and then took a step with my 'awake' foot. There was no way I was going to face plant in front of the RS. As I tried to lift the foot that was asleep to take a step it felt like the foot was two feet long and had put on 50 extra pounds. I had the hardest time getting it off the ground, and ended up dragging my toe. There wasn't going to be a chance to put any real weight on it this time, so I simply pivoted on the foot that was awake and leaned against the table. As I turned around and saw many perplexed faces, I had to explain that my foot was asleep. Unfortunately it caused a loud outburst of laughter that wasn't the best end to a great day of church. I tried to do what I could to salvage the Spirit by bearing my testimony about the topic. I literally fell into the front row, luckily no one sits in the front row in our RS, when I was done. What a close call!