Some Goals

It has been proven (somewhere, sometime, I'm sure) that making lists improves your complexion, brightens your physical appearance, helps your love life, satisfies your organizational cravings, and brings good luck. Here we go.

Things to do before I die:

-See Europe

-Backpack the John Muir Trail again, this time, with my kids

-Become a Registered Nurse

-Bike the Pacific Coast

-Spend a week eating pizza in bed and watching T.V. with my husband, like we did in the old days

-Write some really important, exciting, landmark novel and get published

-Have a really important, exciting, landmark idea, sell it, make a lot of money.

-Serve a mission with my love

I like reading these more than writing them! I tag everyone. My hand is reaching out, and literally tagging you on the shoulder. You should have probably run a little faster.

Our Beloved Prophet

Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley passed away last night at his apartment in Salt Lake at 7pm. He was the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I remember a hush coming over whatever group I was with while watching conference. A hush would fall as he would walk to the podium as the first or last speaker of the session. We would all become reverent and listen to his words, only to hear a really funny joke that would get the 21,000 people seated in the conference center all cracking up laughing. He was amazing. A landmark Prophet and a man that I learned so much from.

His wife has been waiting for him since April 2004, so they are probably so happy to be together again.

Names

Here is Grace and Ruby inside on a rainy day...

And here are some of my choices for the new baby girl...

Emma
Scarlett
Mercedes
Clementine
Elsie
Lola
Lucy
Annie
Violet
Sienna
Sadie
Blythe
Charlotte
Savannah
Odette
Cosette

Odessa

It's another Baby Boom

This is a HUGE perk of living in Florida! Every single time I go to Ashley's or Sarah's (my sister in laws), and every time we have a family get together, these two little things show up! Simone is on the left and Oz is on the right. A girl and a boy.. cousins and best friends (as you can see from their joyful expressions). I just think they are so stinkin' cute! They are about two weeks apart. Simone is now 6 weeks and Oz is two months. Oz still sleeps all day, Simone won't stay asleep unless you have her in a vice grip.. Oz eats his binky like it's made of sugar cane and Simone doesn't want anything but mom's milk (and more often then your regular 'every three hours').

And it also doesn't hurt to have a mother in law who takes gorgeous photos!!!

Now.. if you are observant enough to have counted Adelaide in the mix.. that is three babies born in the Smylie family within the last two months.. and I am going to have mine this summer.. We call it "Smylie Baby Boom 07-08".

The Gator Show

Went to a "Gator Show" today... The non-profit 'enviromentalist' doing the show offered $5.00 polaroids with a baby alligator. The guy does "Gator Shows for Jesus" and shouts in a southern accent as everyone is leaving at the end about "fighting evolution being taught in our schools, for Jesus' sake!"

You know you're in The South when you drive up to the Saturday flea market, walk through a karaoke bar/hall/family gathering thing, and into the Gator show going full swing. Smell something funny and realize there is a pen of baby Alligators RIGHT next to where you're sitting...

We had a great time, really. We gave each of the girls a dollar and that took like TWO hours to spend when every other question was, "how much is this", and the answer, "more than a dollar" result: a very audible agonizing screech accompanied by an attemped body flop onto the dirty ground. Which body was caught just in time, inches from the ground, by a clean and loving father. We settled on a pair of toy turtles.

Several hours later, upon exiting the flea market, through the Gator show hall, and into the karaoke bar/hall/family gathering thing, we sat down and listened to a couple of karaoke'ers. Handle bar mustaches, big bellies under bud light T-shirts, many people missing their teeth.. we decided that it was time to go, but not before "wasting away again in Margaritaville" sung by a skinny gray-haired drunk man was forever etched into our memory. At least it was non-smoking.

Adelaide Amelia Smylie

My new neice just born Tuesday night! I think she's gorgeous.

A Third?

The weather can be a bit confusing here in the southeast... But we're managing. Other than that, news is we're HAVING ANOTHER GIRL. That's right, in our ultrasound last week, we found out that the Dr. is 100% sure that it's a girl. That's our third, people. We are really good at girls. My expertise abounds and will apparently thicken as we head into our third attempt at housing emotional wrecks. We are ready for anything now.

Jake is very excited, but is concerned about his health. Apparently Dads worry about their daughters???! Grace thinks we should name her "Emily" or "Ava", and Ruby thinks we should name her "Ruby".

Home

My life has been one giant tornado.. there are remnants of what my life used to be. Like, my Real Estate Agent name tag is in my bathroom drawer. And my car still has Utah plates. A Snowbird sticker on my computer. I have been talking about flying home to Eureka, CA, to see my sister when she's on leave from the Army (she's been in Iraq). Suddenly today it hits me. For the first time. Eureka isn't really home anymore. It's not even really my second home. Granted, it's been 10 years since I moved away for college... but I thought Humboldt County was in my bone marrow. I think it still is, but I had this wave of detachment.. like I am going there as a visitor. WEIRD. I suppose it's all part of "moving on" (that phrase has never meant much to me).

I am so excited, though. Eat some pizza on the arcata plaza, go inside co-op, and realize that half of the shoppers are homeless and living out of their vans. Maybe go longboard the road into Patrick's Point.. Oh wait, lest we forget, I am 16 weeks pregnant (my Dr. said I am a week further along than I thought! Due June 26 or thereabouts). So no longboarding for you, Ms. Smylie. I will probably grab a sandwich at Hole in the Wall in Eureka and sit with Naomi and wonder if I had that much energy at 18. Maybe marvel at the mold that grows EVERYWHERE. Sing several hymns w/ my siblings while playing the piano and then laugh so hard because someone has accidentally spit on the keys while singing a consonant, or crack up because someone exaggerates their vibrato. "Why can't you all just be serious?! You were onto something truly beautiful there", Mom will say. She'll look at Dad, who will stiffen and get very serious like, "Yes, honey, I agree, and there wasn't a hint of a smile on my face, I promise!"
I will spend time with Rachel who I am afraid will be weathered, grown up, hardened, softened, changed, rebirthed, and everything else. She's been in Iraq as an Army Medic since June.

Then the lovely Universe will shout to me: We have created a way for you to see your family all the time. It's called- 10 million dollars. And you can all buy houses in a row on the beach somewhere. And I'll give the universe a high-five and ask for one more favor. Yes Ms. Smylie? Ok, I need a mountain in the backyard with snow on it so Jake can snowboard. And then I'll get a wink and a 'maybe' which all the Medley kids know from our Dad that, "MAYBE MEANS YES!!!!!!"

The Atlantic side.

A little something to cheer us up... We went to the Atlantic side of Florida this weekend. Cocoa Beach. It was a beautiful stormy day and had to keep my camera under my sweatshirt most of the time.. during the "swim", both the girls were down to their underwear, stripped down completely for the shower near the parking lot, and naked by the time we were walking to the car.

Tragic

My dear friend passed away yesterday. I am shocked, stunned and saddened. She was lethally shot yesterday in our church parking lot in Lehi, Utah. I don't live in Utah anymore, so I talked to most ward members over the phone... very sad and tragic for all of us. She was a great friend and a very very special girl. She was killed on her 30th birthday by her estranged (crazy psycho) husband. Jake worked with the husband and is very shocked as well. So so sad. She leaves behind two little boys, ages 18 months and 4 years.

I set up a memorial blog for her:
http://www.kristymemoryblog.blogspot.com/

Click on the site and there are some news report links on the left hand side.

Count your blessings.

Famous Phrases of 2007:
"Ruby, stop teasing her!"
"Sure hope our houses sell."
"Whoever screams next gets to go in the garage!"
"I think two kids is good, two kids is all we ever need."
"Girls just eat, you really need to eat, eating is part of life, please eat."
"Jake, I'll give you $100 dollars if you change this poopy diaper."
"You're really switching jobs again??"
"Maybe we can get a discount for renting a Uhaul 3 times in one year."
"Oh crap, I'm pregnant."
"Sure hope our house sells."
"Maybe if I don't go to the doctor for 7 months my pregnancy will go by faster."
"If neither homeowner's insurance pays for the $12k in damage, then who does??"

Famous Hopeful Phrases of 2008:
"I can't believe we've gone to the temple every month this year!"
"3 kids is EASY!!"
"And I'm looking DANG good in my jeans and it's only been two months since the birth!"
"You girls are getting along so well, and no one has screamed for months."
"Jake, the ward chorister is the perfect calling for you, that is so exciting!"
"Levi and Rebecca just had their baby and they named her Adelaide Jacob Smylie."
"Wow, how did so much money get in our bank account, it's a mystery!?"

This year sounds exciting.