Lessons Learned at the Bryant Family Reunion 2008

1) When your brain isn’t letting you organize your thoughts and belongings BEFORE you even go, it’s a sign! Me and my brain seriously struggled just to get out the door! We hosted Mom, Dad and Granny the night before we left, and they were so organized and out the door at 6:30 a.m. Granted, we weren't going as far as they were that first day, but man! Last minute trips to Walmart and losing my packing list put us a bit behind. It wasn't a huge deal, because we were just going to Vegas. Lily and I picked up Sarah and headed on our way (only 2 hours later than planned...)

2) Cozymel’s is definitely the best Mexican restaurant. For the past few years, I have had to go to Vegas for work occasionally - we would always go to this Mexican restaurant - it seriously is the best! If you go, get the fajitas!

3) Two hours of wasted car-seat time for Miss Lily equals a lllooonnggg journey ahead! We were supposed to pick Wow up at the Vegas airport early Thursday morning, then make our way to the park. I tried all night to get a hold of him on his cell phone, but the battery was dead. So we loaded up bright and early and headed to the airport, hoping for the best! We waited and watched, watched and waited. No Wow. Finally we got through to the airline, and confirmed he didn't make the flight. Given my propensity for over-reacting lately, this was about the most tragic turn of events I could have been faced with. Bless Sarah's heart. If she hadn't been with me, I seriously would have turned around and gone back home! After thousands of phone calls to every friend of his that I could find, finally I talked to Wow. He had stayed behind to play in a rugby tournament, had been hanging with friends the night before his flight and crashed in his buddy's garage (a guy thing, I guess???) It took us a few hours to figure out what the plan would be, all this time little Lily is strapped in her carseat, and we hadn't even left town!

Poor kid - that was a LONG day of travelling, although she did pull it together for a cute photo!

4) Someone somewhere out there understands that not all campsites have to have stinky porta-potties! When we finally got to Kings Canyon and found our campsite, it really couldn't have been a more beautiful setting. The gigantic trees abounded, and the most beautiful thing I saw there was a deluxe bathroom with running water, electricty and auto-flushy toilets!!!!!! (Anyone's who as pregnant as I am will completely understand this gal's affection for the ladies' room!)

This is the view upwards from our campsite - look at the size of these trees!!!

5) I have a very real fear of bears! Lily and I camped alone that first night and you wouldn't believe the petitions to heaven that we wouldn't be eaten by bears! We were in serious bear country, so much so that we had to lock up carseats and couldn't leave food of any sort in your cars even. It was a blessing that Lily slept as well as she did - I think I finally did collapse from exhaustion, but was the first one up the next morning. All I can say is that I was just so glad to not have been some bear's midnight snack!

6) It’s not a good idea to tell your husband you’ll pick him up from his later flight into Fresno, and send your mom and Granny to do it for you instead. Wow wasn't exactly pleasantly surprised to see his mother-in-law at the airport. (Personally, I think he was worried what she would do to him for letting me camp with the bears all night!) His irritated mood carried on throughout much of our time there - I think he was mostly bugged that he was missing out on the rest of the tournament (which his team lost in the first game he missed). He did want to come and see the family, but to him the Samoans he left behind were moreso his family than my distant relatives.

7) Try on your baby’s ONLY PAIR of closed-toed shoes before leaving to make sure they fit! Poor Lily kept walking out of her shoes - I tried everything I could think of, stuffing those darn shoes every which way, and bless her heart, they just wouldn't stay on! We double socked and tugged and pulled, and it was a lost cause. That kid ended up in her barefeet and sandals the whole time, which leads me to #8...

8) It is confirmed – my kid is definitely the dirtiest. I know you can't see it well in these pictures, but this kid had dirt from head to toe, even in her hair. Unbelievable!

9) I can make a MEAN Samoan chicken marinade! On our second night there we had a big family barbeque. I made the marinade for Seuao's famous Samoan chicken and it was probably the best ever! I definitely have the touch!

10) Just because one person gets sick before the trip and is “on the mend” when you all arrive, doesn’t mean she’s not going to share the love! The day before we all left, Becca was feeling under the weather. Ok, it was more than just under the weather, it was a nasty stomach flu. When we all got together, she was feeling fine, but we surely underestimated those little parasites feasting on her girl's immune systems, which they shared lovingly with the rest of us! Those poor girls were in rough shape by night two, and sure enough by the next morning, it hit me. (Again, a shout-out to the flushy toilets - they came in handy!) I was so sick that day. That bug spread like wildfire, and within just a few hours that morning, all of the babies and most of the parents were sick. Thanks Becca!

11) Just because your campsite reservation says one thing and a ranger says another, don’t assume everything will be hunky-dory! So, while I'm trying to recover from emptying my guts all morning, I was laying down in Granny's cabin for a few minutes. Wow came back to the cabin and told me that while I was gone, a ranger had come up to everyone (the entire family had gathered for a family breakfast) and told us we had to move our camp. Technically I had reserved the campsite, and although I wasn't the first one there, the ones that were there were told we could take our pick of the two group sites. Long story short, Wow drug me back to camp, and we had to pack everything up and move 100 yards away. Everyone was distraught and stressed out (not to mention sick). At that point, most of my family decided that rather than setting up camp all over again, we would just pack up and head towards home later on that day.

12) More lost car keys = too much stress! So, after being sick, moving camp, trying to regroup everyone and go to the "show-n-tell" for updates on everyone, we decided we were going to head out. But wait, where are the car keys???? Yes, I managed to lose them again. This may sound like an excuse, but given the amount of stress I was feeling, the repeated barfing I was doing, and the heat (not to mention the placenta-suck my brain seriously is suffering from), I think this was just inevitable! Keys were found, and we were on our way. But not after driving for 45 minutes down a CURVY road, and literally hanging out the window barfing because there was no shoulder to pull over on. Good times all around!

Grandmother at the "show-n-tell"

13) 2,000 miles round trip with a one-year-old is a LONG drive. We drove to Barstow that night - both Lily and I were sick. We ended up staying with Seuao's cousin Manu and his darling family. They were so hospitable and sweet. Getting to spend time with his cousin put Seuao in a much happier place, and we left Sunday morning, just grateful to be on the road back home!

14) Family is wonderful! I know this recap has a lot of complaining, and truly I am grateful we got to see some of the most beautiful nature God has created, and some of my dear family that lives so far. I felt so bad for all of the drama I personally caused and inflicted on those around me! I guess all we can say is, after this reunion this year, next time can only get better!

My cute Illinois cousins

California relatives

My little rag-a-muffin

My Granny

This is my sweet Granny, Betty Jean Luna Henderson:

Today is her 77th birthday! (Finally I'm posting about someone on their actual birthday!)

I just adore my Granny. She has the most genuine, loving heart of anyone I know. She loves EVERYONE, and to everyone, she is just Granny. Friends, neighbors, strangers, anyone, she is simply Granny. My Granny is a southern girl. She was born in Tennessee and you can still hear her southern accent, despite the fact she has been in Utah now for nearly 30 years!

Granny is a HARD worker. She raised her children by herself, sometimes working three jobs at a time just to keep food on the table. After years and years of selfless service, she was able to retire (something she never thought she would be able to do), bought a house, and toodles around Logan with my mom. The two of them can get on each others nerves at times, but without each other, they wouldn't know what to do!

Granny cares deeply for others. In her ward she visits all the other little old ladies who can't get out often. She give them rides, runs their errands and shares her sweet smile with them. She has always taken such good care of us grandkids. When we were little, I remember her loading up her "sleigh" at Christmas (her big brown Thunderbird) with presents and coming for the holidays. My mom never liked "Santa" and didn't have anything to do with Santa at our home growing up. Granny wouldn't stand for that - she would wrap every present for us with Santa paper and made sure she shared the Christmas spirit in her own way!

Granny has the funniest sense of humor. She loves to laugh (even during prayers sometimes) and tell her stories. I think she is now regretting the comment that we were "slow on the up-take" on having babies though. All of these little ones wear her out!

I love her gentle brown eyes that never judge, and just listen. Her faith has been tried and tested, but her testimony is pure. I love you, Granny. I hope you have a WONDERFUL day today!

My Grandmother

This is my Grandmother, Loya Louette Bryant Nolan:

Our family reunion in Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Park that we just got home from (don't worry, I'll post details soon - this one was too good to not go down in the books...) was a gathering of her siblings and their families. Grandmother definitely had the most people there (last year's baby boom helped the numbers), and while we were there we got to celebrate her 88th birthday. There is something about the Bryant's that they just keep on going!

Up until only a year or so ago, my Grandmother would pack up her big gold Chevy that is as old as I am (literally) and drive herself from Southern California to her summer home in Circleville, Utah. I remember as a kid when we lived in Panguitch (about 30 miles away from Circleville) going to visit her there quite often. Mom would load up the big electric lawn mower, and if we all were good and played at the elementary school across the street while she mowed Grandmother's lawn for her, we would get a fruit punch for the drive home. We loved playing at that school. It had the BIGGEST twisty slide that we adored. She had tin cans of rocks that we would sort, and always had a gigantic puzzle going.

My Grandmother has courage and grit, but in the most quiet, dignified manner you could imagine. She is named after a rock in Yosemite National Park, and she had an amazing childhood, travelling across the country, touring our nation's parks with her family growing up. She raised her own family amidst challenges, and still faces circumstances which could test anyone's patience or faith, yet she never has a cross or heated word to say. Don't get me wrong, she has opinions and she'll share them, but they are never in the spirit of anger.

I relate to my Grandmother in many ways. My dad is much like her, and I am like him. Each of us is content with alone time. We don't need a lot of socializing - just a good book, movie, crossword puzzle or some beautiful nature and we feel rejuvenated and alive again. She is someone I can look up to as an example of strength. She has endured much, yet her faith keeps her buoyed. At 88 years old now, I can only hope to have her kind of grace and dignity when I get there.

Happy (late) birthday, Grandmother! I love you!

Happy Birthday Sarah!!!!

Yesterday was my sister Sarah's birthday. This may be a day late, but I couldn't let the occasion totally pass without telling her how wonderful she is!!!

This girl just has it together. Rebecca, Mary and I call her "single and fabulous!" When I was 24 and single, I certainly was NEVER as fabulous as this gal is! She graduated from the U about a year ago and is now working for DCFS as a social worker. What a job! She tells me some of the issues she has to deal with, and I know I could never handle the stress and emotions that go along with these poor kids she is helping. To work in a profession that literally changes lives like she does is so amazing to me. But what else could I expect from this girl!

Here are just a few things that I love about Sarah:

• Her understanding and compassionate heart
• Her love for her nieces and nephews
• Her uncanny ability to ALWAYS look amazing in photgraphs
• Her wardrobe & jewelery
• Her laugh
• Her cute shower curtain that she took with her when she moved out :(
• Her courage to stand up for what she knows is right and true
• Her good attitude
• Her ability to move from crush to crush without blinking an eye
• Her example to me in so many ways

I love you Butch! I hope you had a GREAT birthday!

Are you kidding me???

So, another trip to Logan last weekend. After too many phone calls and negotiations, we finally got the beloved wheels installed on Wow's new car...

I looked at them at the shop - after a LONG HOT day of running too many errands and made mental notes about having them "retorked" (why is this never-ending???) and went on my way feeling one step closer to finishing up this project.

I drove the few blocks to my mom's house and a little while later walked around to the passenger side of the car and noticed that the centercap on one of the wheels was missing... ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? Seriously, why can't we be done with this???????? (Note: I realize to some this may seem a little over-reactive, but I'm pregnant and it's July... you've gotta cut me a little slack!)

I have spent WAY too much time and energy on these stupid wheels. After more phone calls, and my mom's willingness to stop by the wheel place, hopefully that darn centercap is on its way.

Aaaahhh... Friday

Can I just say I'm SO HAPPY it's FRIDAY!!!!! This has been a crazy week - it has been a fun week, but I'm so ready for life to settle down. The thing I'm afraid of though is that it's just not going to be settling down anytime soon. I try to remind myself that things are just going to get more and more complicated in the short run. Who am I kidding - the long run is looking just as insane!

This weekend we have another trip to Logan (gotta get those wheels put on)! But I think Wow will get to come. I guess that technically means I don't need to go, but we seriously haven't even seen each other for what feels like weeks because of these insane schedules, I want to spend some time with him, even if it means driving to Logan again!

Next week we are all heading out to California to our big Bryant family reunion. We're driving to Sequoia / Kings Canyon National Parks, and camping there for a few days. I have so much planning, list making and packing to do! I haven't really even started!

When we get back we're hoping to get started finishing our basement. We got it framed last year, and when Lily came everything went on hold. We're getting to crunch time now - out of space and sanity in our house, we MUST get this project done! So, that will be occupying my brain for the most part, I'm sure.

At this point, I'm actually looking forward to my maternity leave in September/October! Hopefully then the craziness will have let up a little (less frequent weekends away from home, hopefully a nearly finished basement, cooler weather, etc), but then the onset of a whole new kind (having TWO kids) begins!

Wheels

File this under the "I just don't get it" file:

I have had cars cars cars and more cars on my brain for the last few weeks. Things still aren't totally resolved, but this really is putting me over the top.

When my car was having issues a few weeks back, and we made the decision to put the money into my car and replace Seuao's car with something newer, but still gas-efficient that would last a long time. When we got his original car, it wasn't exactly what he wanted (it was an automatic and he wants a manual), that's ALL I have heard about! So when we were looking for his replacement car, I told him he better make sure that it is EXACTLY what he wants because I don't want to hear about it!

So, we found a great car, at a good price except it had hubcaps instead of wheels. A total deal-breaker for him. The deal-breaker for me was no power windows or locks, but what do I know?!? He insisted that he didn't mind that, but unless he could get wheels on it, he didn't want the car. Well, we struck a deal with the dealership, and they said they were going to hook us up with wheels for the car.

Determined to let Seuao take care of this annoying detail all on his own, he spent a day last week in Logan getting the wheels ordered. Of course they had to be shipped in, and he had to work, so guess who made the trip to Logan to get the wheels installed... me. Which was fine, really - we had fun sister plans, so I didn't mind, until... I get to the shop. No wheels were ordered. GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Between the sales guy at the dealership, the guy at the shop and my husband, fingers were pointing everywhere, nevertheless, there were no wheels to put on this car. So when I talk to Seuao about what happened, and tell him I have printouts of what the guy at the shop thought Seuao was deciding between he says he wants the black ones. (There was only one set of black ones there that he would have seen, and they were AWFUL! In fact, they only reason I noticed them is because they were so awful!)

"What? You want those ugly black wheels???"

"Rach, YES, just get me the black wheels! I don't want any of the silver ones, just get the black ones!"

To me that is SO ghetto! The ones the guy and I looked at were nice, they would look good, and despite the trouble I had been through already would have been worth it. Not those cheapy stupid black ones!

So, I have to stop myself - Is this my control-freakish side coming out, trying to preserve the dignity of this car, or should I just let Wow have his stupid black wheels? I know if he had succeeded in ordering what he intended, I would have no say whatsoever, and it would be done, but now that I have to fix this mess and order them myself, is it a crime against everything that is non-ghetto to order these dumb wheels???

I know I shouldn't let this bug me. I should just get him his stupid black wheels (which by the way I have to drive BACK to Logan this weekend to have installed) or else I won't hear the end of it as long as we own the car...

I seriously just don't get it.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Wow - I really feel old today. Thirty-three... Nope doesn't feel any better written out than looking at the digits - 33. Holy smokes! Some days I feel 103, but to think that I am firmly in my 30's really isn't my happy thought for the day!

However, I have had a GREAT birthday! We started celebrating last weekend in Logan (yes again... long story, that still has no end, but nevertheless that's where we wound up...) Lily and I went up for the day and Sarah and Mary decided to join us. We roamed around the Farmer's Market - and unfortunately I forgot my camera! I LOVED the Farmer's Market. It was so much more of what I was looking for at Summerfest a few weeks ago. Tons of crafties, lots of yummy farm produce and I even got to visit with a dear college friend, Steph. We picked up lunch from the best sandwich place in town - Papa Kelsey's, and chilled at Beck's house for a little while. Becca made her FANTASTIC choco-banana-licious cake just for me, and we watched a chick flick and played a little Super Mario Cart (is that what it's called???). Whatever it is, I am terrible at that game! I'm pretty sure Ella (the 4year old) can totally beat me at it! Mom joined up with us and all us gals went to get pedicures. It was a lovely lovely day!

Last night Mary and Allen said they wanted to bring us dinner, so Sarah, Dave, Lex & Noah joined in too! We had a great evening enjoying Allen's WONDERFUL food - that guy knows how to cook pork!

Today at work some of the darling girls I work with took me to lunch and brought in flowers and a cake for me. So sweet! Then Wow surprised me at work with a pretty flower and said he wanted to take my car to go get it washed and detailed. When I got home tonight he gave me my gift (and all I thought I would be getting would be new tires for my car!) - a spare tire cover for the back of my car! It really is so thoughtful - bless his heart! (I told my dad that it ranks right up there with the hubcap he got my mom for Christmas one year - and she LOVED it!) Dad was here tonight, and he took us out to dinner. Later on, Wow, Lily and I went out to our dear friends in Herriman who had just had a baby. That little guy was just born yesterday, and they were already home! He is a little angel, and I'll post pictures soon!

So, it has been a great few days. Thanks for all the sweet birthday wishes and thoughtful gifts. I have NEVER been one to enjoy the spotlight and fuss - I so much rather blend into the background, but thank you to all who have really made me feel special today. I love you!

I Couldn't Resist

This also typifies my life at work




(Yes, I really do have a co-worker with an exercise ball in their office...)

A Typical Day

So, this is a typical day in my life here at work....



Poor Wow - this is what he has to deal with all day...

At least Lily is having some fun!

With Dave, Lex and Noah at Hogle Zoo:

Going swimming!

I just love that Lex will do all of these fun things with her. It takes a little of the "abandonment" edge off of leaving my baby all day. She has so much fun with them! Thanks, Lex! You're the BEST!!!!!!

4th of July

So my 4th of July weekend wasn't ALL drama - we did fit in some fun times too!

Granny took us to her stake's Boy Scout breakfast. This is Papa, Ella, Lily and Granny ready for some grub!


We went to the super cute Hyrum City parade. I love small town parades. There were lots of big trucks, princesses, dance teams, and even the Mountain Crest High School Marching Band:

Lily got way into the parade! She loved waving at everybody and clapping. Ella had a great time chasing the candy. Lily and I both were especially grateful for the popsicles and string cheese that they threw at us!



On Sunday night I played with the USU Summer Alumni Band. They meet at 4:30 to rehearse and put on a concert that same evening. The concert this night was out on the Quad on campus. They only do a couple of these concerts each season outdoors. They are so relaxed and laid back. It is so fun to do these concerts and meet up with old friends.


The program that night was a lot of patriotic marches (go figure), which means for French Horn players like myself a LOT of off-beats. Although it wasn't exactly the most stimulating music to play, it was still a lot of fun. The weather cooperated and the fam even came to enjoy the evening.

Well, this is how Wow and Lily spent most of the evening - trying to burn of some of this girl's energy!

Some things that touch me every year for as long as I can remember are the tributes I hear and see to the troops. Even as a little girl, going to the 4th of July parade in Provo, I remember tearing up, saluting the troops as they come by. This year was no different. The sacrifices they make so willingly on my behalf truly humble me. The strength of these brave soldiers and their families is what this nation is built on.

During our concert on Sunday, we played a tribute to each of the branches of the armed services. As we played each anthem, the veterans in the crowd stood and sang along. I was awed by the number of men and women who still proudly stood and paid respect to their country.

We are so blessed to live in the nation we do; to have the freedoms and lifestyles we have. This is something that is so easy for me to take for granted. I love this holiday and the opportunity I have to remember what our nation, our freedoms and our communities mean to me.

God bless America!

Dethroned

Drama Queens? Every family has their share of drama queens, in my own little family, it's obvious who wears the crown. However, in the family I grew up in, I like to think of myself as the least drama-prone sister. My life is pretty predictable and stable. Things usually don't get under my skin, I'm not usually feuding with anybody, and as for the "keeping it together" category - I'm usually pretty ok. I guess I'm saying that generally speaking, I believe I'm pretty low-maintenance. (Wow wouldn't agree lately, but that's another story.)

Well, low-maintenance and drama-free are probably the last phrases anyone would use to describe my weekend!

I was SO looking forward to a relaxing, rejuvenating, lovely holiday weekend. A chance for my brain to relax, to get some good family time in, and just enjoy the holiday. Oh boy oh boy were there other plans in the works!

I think we now have proof positive that I am NOT the low-maintenance, anti-drama queen I proclaim to be. Here are some possible reasons for such dethronement:

• Thinking that eating cold pizza and sour gummy worms at 6:00 a.m. for breakfast wouldn't be a problem No sir! I was totally nauseous the entire drive to Logan Friday morning, and I had to pull over blocks away from my folk's home to barf repeatedly.
  
  
• Taking my darling niece Ella on a trip into the men's restroom at Sam's Club without realizing it (despite the fact I was looking at the urinals). It didn't even dawn on me that I could be in the wrong place until after our business was done and an old man walked by me without a second look, and another stood in the doorway waiting for us to finish.
  
  
• With the help of Lily, spilling nearly an entire bottle of makeup 15 minutes before church on a white shirt that I needed to wear to my concert that night, and enlisting the help of my sister to skip out on Sunday School to work her magic with the Oxy Clean and Clorox Bleach Pen (yes, this is an endorsement - they worked WONDERS).

Each of these incidents in their own right might indicate a little diminished mental capacity, a little unnecessary drama, possibly some motion upward on the low-to-high maintenance scale continuum. That I can live with, but the real clincher that seals the deal is the loss of my car keys after the 4th of July parade.

I had never REALLY lost my keys before. Sure, sometimes I have to hunt a minute or two, but this was for real. We had made the 2-3 block trek back to our cars after the parade, and it hit me - these keys were gone. I had remembered trying to slide them into the cupholder on Lily's stroller, but they kept slipping out, so I thought I just dropped them into my purse that was slung on the handle. I dug and dug, but alas, no keys. Rebecca and Lance went and drove by where we had been sitting and looked around - but no luck. My mom even walked back up the hill and asked everyone she saw if anyone had found the keys, but sure enough, they were gone.

After about an hour in the blazing sun with an over-tired Lily and still no keys, I spent about 20 minutes on the phone with AAA to try to get it taken care of. A police officer showed up and got me into my car, and my mom came back with the report that she ran into someone who had heard someone else say they had found the keys and they were going to turn them into the City Offices (random - my first thought would be to turn them into the police - but she said that's what they said...)

Of course I didn't have a spare key on my car anywhere, but I was hopeful that some good samaritan would turn my keys in at some point, so I got out what I needed and hitched a ride with my brother-in-law home.

Well, no word on Friday from anyone, police or otherwise about my keys, so by Saturday I decided to call AAA back and have the car towed at least to my folk's house so it wasn't so obviously a stranded abandoned vehicle on the side of the road by the cemetery. After literally 8 different phone calls to different AAA agents, not to mention the countless other calls to locksmiths, Honda dealerships and towing companies, building frustrations on all sides, and a few tears, we finally finally finally got into my car.

I think the quote of the day was as Granny was driving me, Mom and Lily around to try to take care of all of this. We had literally been driving in circles, and she just hit the brakes and said, "I have flipped too many U-ies for one day!" Maybe I was just trying to find ANY humor amidst all the frustration, but hearing my Granny keep saying "U-ie" and talking about "flipping U-ies" time and again was cracking me up!

So, to my dear family upon whom I dumped an extraordinary amount of drama and stress this weekend, I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!

And regretfully I must now pass down the title of the low-maintenance, drama-free sister... Who now gets this claim to fame? I'll let them decide amongst themselves! That's one conversation I know better than to get involved in!

Lily's One Year Pictures

I thought I would post some of my favorite one-year-old pictures we had done of Lily.

This one is SO her personality....

This one is my favorite:

My brain...

Do you ever feel like your brain just can't possibly deal with one more thing? I've been feeling like that for the last little while. And they haven't been just little things either. Things that have required pretty major thought, follow-up, worry and prayer. My brain is just tired. Tired of thinking, tired of working things out, tired of trying to remember, just tired.

I am so looking forward to the long weekend ahead, and to hopefully let my brain RELAX!!! That's what Wow always says to me - "Just RELAX!" But then I think "If I relax, who's going to worry about this stuff???"

Well, I'm ready to check out - at least for the weekend and take my hubby's advice - RELAX!!!