Deep Thoughts

I have a lot going on in my head and I thought I may need to unload.....
- If your husband puts in his two weeks at work and he has no future planned in a rough economy, would I still go to prison for taking his life?
- Should it bother me that my son lovingly refers to his three foot tall stuffed Batman as his little brother? It does. I wish I could give him a real brother. (Or sister!)
- If you are invited to a New Years party, that is being thrown by the "Popular Crowd" in the neighborhood, would you still attend knowing the invite came because the "Cool Family" you usually spend New Years with was invited too and really wants to go?
- Should I be anticipating the new season of The Biggest Loser that conveniently starts NEXT WEEK?
- Is it worth eating all the christmas chocolate and goodies if I have to take numerous shots to cover all the carb intake?
- Since I put up my christmas tree a week before Christmas, can I leave it up until May? I love sitting beneath it at night, reading a book.
- Why have I not had my hair done since March?
- Why do the four wheelers get to park in the garage, but I have to scrape an inch of ice off of my windsheild every morning?
There are many more deep thoughts encircling my mind, but I don't have time right now!

Our 12 Days of Christmas

(By true love, I mean Darrel!)

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- A phone call at work at 7:40 (in the morning.)

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- Complaints of extreme chest pain, shortness of breath and numbness.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- Two phone calls from my office to my MIL and neighbor, Nurse Carrie.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- A visit to the ER on Christmas Eve eve.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- An ultrasound on kidneys, pancreas and liver.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- A seperate two hour test on the gallbladder.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- Yummy lunch in LDS hospital with my Mother In Law

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- Seven hours in the ER with a discharge to go and see a specialist.

On the nineth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- No work for a week, ordered by the doctor.

On the tenth day of Chrismas, my true love gave to me,
- His broken gallbladder that only works at 10%.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- Lots of prescriptions to fill at the pharmacy.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
- A little 4 year old throwing up numerous times on Christmas Day!

I am so glad that the holidays are almost over and can't wait until we get into the specialist to get this Gallbladder problem solved. I hope that all the stress, worry, sickness, headaches and sleepless nights get better from here.

Merry and Bright

Isn't the holiday season supposed to make us feel "Merry and Bright?" Then someone tell me why I am feeling depressed, unmotivated, stressed, irritated, annoyed, pissed off and worn out!

The Unrein Update

It appears that the only time I blog lately is when I have fallen so behind that the only option of catching up is to write an official Unrein Update. I had been documenting my life in pictures, but sadly, when my battery on my camera died last Saturday, it apparently wiped out my memory card. So, here is the "Update," minus a lot of pictures and entertainment.

VINYLITIS - It appears that I have recently come down with a flu type virus called vinylitis. It takes over your holidays,leaves you little time to actually focus on getting Christmas ready for your family and demands all your time crafting vinyl projects for others. So far, in the last two weeks, I have made two signs for my neighbor, christmas gifts for my friend, Young Womens gifts for my aunts ward, ornaments for a christmas party swap and an overwhelmingly huge project for the windows of Steadmans Recreation in Tooele. Don't give up on me yet Kelli, Misty and Brittany. You are all still on my to do list, along with neighbor gifts, family gifts and name plates for our Young Womens program.

NETI POT - A few weeks ago I actually lost my voice. I dont think I have ever lost my voice. I felt horribly awful. I could not breathe, I could not talk and I could not sleep. My wonderful sister and brother-in-law suggested that I use the clever invention called the "Neti Pot." Have you ever heard of this piece of patent pending garbage?

I got the giggles. This is weirdest sensation I have ever felt. In the right nostril I laughed so hard my eyes were watering. (More than likely, it may have been the Neti Pot juice coming out my tear ducts.) The left nostril stung so bad that I could not let the whole thing cycle through. I yanked it out and then took some Ibuprofin for the huge headache it left me with. It did, however, get me breathing enough to get a full nights sleep.

DECKED OUT - After complaining to everyone imaginably possible, I scored myself a new "FREE" prelit christmas tree. I was so excited to get it set up. My mother and father in law bought it at an after Christmas sale a few years ago, set it up twice and decided that it was too large for their family room. So, because I am their favorite (and because Mike and Kelli were offered it once too, but they had already bought a new one) it was given to me. Darrel and I finally pulled it out of the box on Sunday night. This is almost word for word what happened next...

Big D: "Why are there so many cords in this damn thing?"

Traci: "I don't know. Just get the blasted thing up. Stop swearing too."

Big D: "Damn is not a swear word."

Traci: "Then how come you never say it in church or in front of the Bishop?"

Big D: rolls his eyes

Big D: "Dont touch the tree until I get it all put together."

Traci: rolls her eyes

Big D: "I just broke the stupid @$$ tree. I HATE CHRISTMAS."

Traci: picks up the piece to see what happened

Big D: "You don't believe me that it is broken? Its broken, I broke the damn tree."

Traci: throws the broken piece on the floor and goes to bed for the night.

At work the next day, Traci's wonderful mom showed up with another FREE prelit Christmas tree.

I rushed that tree home, left it in the car while I grocery shopped, attended a Christmas party and finished up some vinyl. Finally, at 10:30 that night I got it out and up. ALL BY MYSELF. Behold its marvelous cowboy beauty....

CHOCOLATE PARADISE - My mother planned last Saturday as a Super Sister Saturday. We all met at her house and made a ton of christmas treats. It was like I was in chocolate heaven. We made peanut brittle, peppermint white chocolate bark, peanut butter cups, coconut macaroons, white chocolate covered pretzels, toffee, fudge, mint chocolate ritz crackers (tasted like thin mints) and double chocolate bark. I took pictures of it all. I documented every minute. I was the queen of the camera. My blasted memory card deleted it all. Trust me, it was delicious.

CELEBRATION - Apparently there is a huge celebration in my honor happening soon at the happiest place on earth. I am so thrilled. However, I may not be able to go. Could someone afford to send me and my family to this party and in turn I will pay for your enterance fee. Click HERE for the news program advertising this once in a lifetime experience. Trust me, you will not want to miss it!

Well, there it is. The official run down of the Unrein clan. Maybe next time, it will be short and sweet, probably not, but here's hoping!

Santizing Your Teeth

Last night, while I was getting ready for bed, I told Jax to run to his bathroom and get his teeth brushed. He loves to brush his teeth, so he enthusiastically ran straight there. In the middle of shining my pearly whites/yellows, I heard him gagging and crying. Darrel ran in there and to our amusement, he was trying to sanitize his teeth, He squirt some Bath and Body Works deep cleanser directly onto his toothbrush. I grabbed the bottle and it told us to immdiately call Poison Control. Being the wonderful mom that I am, I didn't. I made him swish water in his mouth for around thirty minutes. It seemed to do the trick. Maybe I scared him so much with all my horrible dentist stories that he is now trying everything he can to make his smile sparkle.

BITE ME!

WARNING: This post was written for the sole purpose of venting. Consider yourself warned!

I have worked my butt off this season preparing for our work Christmas party. Last year, the "MEN" of the business thought it would be nice of them to move the party to Provo, to accommodate the employees in Utah County. So I did. It was a nice party at the Provo Marriott. They served a yummy buffet, we learned the proper way to fold a napkin(I can teach you sometime!) and were even serenaded by a few of the employees, with songs such as "Walking Round In Womens Underwear" and "The Restroom Door Said Gentlemen." Then the company paid for all the employees to stay the night. It was a great time. Everyone agreed that we should do it again this year. When we got to the hotel this year, they required us to put our personal credit card number on file, just in case. You know, in case I spill my Martinellis Sparkling Grape Cider on the carpet, steal a bath robe or rent pornos. I did not see any harm in that. They said there would not be any charges on my card unless I accrued some incidentals on my bill. Fine, I get it. You don't trust me. Whatever.

I got to work this morning, after a nice and relaxing weekend at the Marriott to find out that I had overdrawn on my account, been charged transferring fees and had bills put on my "emergency" credit card that I have stashed/hidden in my home. Some of you who know me, mainly my husband, know that I am anal about my bills and my bank accounts. If you spend money and dont tell me, you are dead meat. If I pay for something, I call ahead and triple check my online bank statement to make sure I have enough to cover the charge. Yeah, anal is the right word. Immediately, I called my MIL who works at the credit union and together we tried to tackle the culprit. After a little research, she informed me that the Provo Marriott had placed a hold on my debit card. WHAT? I didnt steal anything. I did not damage anything. My husband and I even spent the dang night in seperate beds! WHY?
When Darrel and I go to Denver, we rent a car. We always pay with our debit card and we are always told that there will be a $150.00 hold on the card until we return the vehicle. We understand that. However, this time, since I spoke directly to the employee in charge of booking all the rooms in advance, I was personally told, we will not place anything on the cards unless they accrue some incidentals. They did not mention a hold, they did not disclose any sort of hidden charges. GRRRR! Now I have a mess to clean up that could have been avoided by a simple employee stating the simple phrase, "We will be placing a hold on this card until Monday." How hard is that?

Mark my words.....Next year, I will be taking my business to the Best Western.

Deck The Halls

I love sitting beneath a glowing christmas tree in my living room at night, admiring the timeless ornaments from mine, my husbands and my sons past christmases. It brings such a happy, peaceful and somber feeling into our home. I love getting out all two of my rubbermaid storage containers filled/crammed with decorations to display through out my house. I love baking sugar cookies in my oven, delivering neighbor gifts in the cold and listening to the sounds of Christmas on the radio. I love sitting on a bench in the middle of the mall, watching shoppers rush from store to store, making sure to get everything on their list before time runs out. I love feeling the redneck inside of me come out as I replace a few of the broken light bulbs on the strands I left attached to the roof all year long. I love the smell of my moms stove top holiday incense cooking all afternoon. I love taking each piece of my nativity out and and explaining its significance to Jaxon. I love everything about Christmas.............Almost.
I really wish that I could say that I love my Christmas Tree, but to do so, would be a flat out lie. I dread putting it up every year. I love how full and pretty it is when it is finally all put together, but to get to the "Lovin' It" stage, takes a lot of work. My tree comes in millions of parts and pieces. First, I get to assemble the tree stand, using five seperate pieces. Then, I build up the "trunk" of the tree from four other peices. When I have all that together, I then start the long, horrible and deadly process of connecting each branch to the tree according to its color code. I am telling you, this tree requires science. I hate it. It usually takes me around five or six hours total. By the time it is finished, my hands are raw, my legs are cramped, my butt is numb and my hair is coming out in thick blond chunks. I keep telling myself that I will buy a new one but, lets face it, I am too cheap.
Tonight, though, I am going to tackle the tree. Wish me luck. I hope I survive.

The Unrein Update

Not too much to blog about recently, so I will do The Unrein Update and give out little juicy tidbits of useless information. Ready?

- One more appointment and I am officially done with the dentist for this year. As of yesterday, the dentist said all I have left is a cleaning and a cavity fill. Hip Hip Hooray! The dentist and I have a serious love/hate relationship. He loves the cruises and vacations he can afford because of my hefty bill and I hate him (not really him, but the dentist in general)for the torture and pain he induces inside my mouth!

- My neighbors daughter had her little boy last week. I made some vinyl to go on his bedroom wall for her, so I took the opportunity to use that as an excuse to go and get in some much needed baby time. Sometimes I get a craving to hold a baby. Okay, more than sometimes, but sometimes, I get to tackle that craving. It was divine.

- I think that if Vicki is not voted off of The Biggest Loser soon, I may throw my TV out the window. She really irks me. Why didn't Amy vote her out last week? Now, thanks to Vicki, Amy is home. Some people never learn. When I am on the Biggest Loser, I will show them how its done! That's a promise!

- Christmas is in less than a month and I have not even started my shopping yet. Oh wait, I did start. I bought myself a brand new Chi on Ebay for $49.00. Good thing I have myself taken care of because now I can focus on the kid. I just do not have any desire to spend money this year. Maybe it is because I am broke. Maybe it is because I don't care. No, it is probably because I am broke.

- I get to go out to lunch today with the cousins. I love these lunch dates. It started out as Lacie and I going and slowly more people have started joining. Today we are going with Lynndi and Bree, Amanda, Teea, and Britni. These are so therapeutic for me. What makes it even better is that they chose to go to Olive Garden. Oh, these glorious cousins of mine sure know how to please me. I love it!

- I hate anything cold related. Every morning at work, I turn on my space heater. Every morning Ronald gets mad at me because I mess up the heat circulation with my space heater. Every morning I pretend to care, but I don't really. I turn on my heater year round. I don't think I could live without it. My bed has a dual control heating blanket. I asked for it last Christmas because I was freezing at night and my husband thought it felt nice. I crank up my heat now and he complains that he can feel the heat and it makes him sweat. Do I look I care? I really don't. I love the trees outside covered in snow, the streets lined in snow and snow falling outside my window, but I HATE HATE HATE driving in it. I will miss my leather heated seats in my car when I have to turn it back in. I hate getting a cold. My throat has been on fire for the last three days, snot drips out of my nose freely when I look down at my desk and my sinus headache feels like it may burst my head open right down the center at any moment. For my pure enjoyment, let's compare the cold to the dentist. Two of the worst things in creation.

Welp, folks that is all that is on the agenda for today. Sorry no pics or interesting words from yours truly. I am too tired to care. Plus, I am the only one who reads these long novel posts anyway. Till next time.....

Now That's a Cookie!

Jaxon, Karin and I went out for lunch last Friday. Jaxon got to pick where we went and because he loves to play ninjas with the sword that comes in the sandwiches at Great Harvest, that is where we ended up. I got a kick out of how big his cookie was. Either my son is small for his age or that, my friends, is one huge jalopy of baked goodness!In other, more important news, I made this last night for my cousin. I love it.

I am going to make one for myself, but since I am not a huge fan of chocolate, it will list the four food groups as: Potatoes, Popcorn, Cafe Rio and Diet Coke. Oh, be still my heart!

Boo-Ya!

One of the joys of working with my father is that I can capitalize on anything he says. Take for instance last week, when his exact words went like this, "If gas goes below $2.00 a gallon, I will buy you lunch." Well, lookey there Daddio.....

I had huge dreams of Olive Garden, Tepanyaki and/or Texas Roadhouse. The bad news......I didn't put any stipulations on his offer. You know, like someplace other than Costco for pizza or a hot dog.

On our way back to the office today after lunch, he said this, "If gas goes below $1.80 a gallon, I will buy you dinner next time." Easy there fella, don't waste all your money on me! (Don't worry, I am holding him to this one too!)

Looks Like I've Been Tagged...TWICE!

It appears I have been tagged again. I was previously tagged to do the Crazy 8's so if you would like to read that one, click here.

Tagged Lucky 7's and Crazy 8's

7 Things I Can Do...
1-Cry - and for no apparent reason. I don't know when or how it started, but lately I can cry like no one ever has before. Luckily, my eyes dont get too puffy!
2-Dance – Not like "Give Me A Medal" dance, but dance like no one is watching. Jaxon and I do it frequently in the car, the bathroom and on the bed. We just love music!
3-Wrap My Feet Behind My Neck - and no I will not show you.
4-We call it, "Mrs. Traci's O-Piss." Those of you who know what it means, sorry. Those of you who don't, you are not missing out on much. It is just a secret talent I possess.
5- Read - I love to read and I love to waste time doing it. My house will sit amuck for hours and my family will remain unfed. My books hold a special power over me and make it so I can not put them down. My husband hates it. But I hate the gas powered remote control truck that occupies his time. So there.
6- Sing - I can still remember the Utah County Train song and sing it frequently through out the house. I also can sing Yankee Doodle Dandy and a little bit of Nelly. Jax loves it when I sing. Off key and all.
7- Bake - I love to bake. I am not the best at it, but I love finding and trying new recipes. Yum!

7 Things I Cannot Do...
1- Make A Serious Face In A Photo. Once my family did one of those old western pictures. I had the hardest time keeping a straight face. You can tell too.
2- Eat Deer Meat - I did it once or twice. But eversince my husband cut his deer up in front of me, I think it tastes like blood and guts. Yuck, I think I may blow chunks now just writing about it.
3- Overlap My Fingers - You know how people can cross their fingers, all five, at once, over top of each other. I can barely cross two and the only way I really achieve that is to use my other hand and force them to cross. I love my fat fingers. They are elegant.
4- Organize - There is no logical reason for this, but I cannot, no matter how hard I try, keep my house clean and organized. It must be a disease. I can spend all weekend cleaning my house and have every intention to keep it clean from that point on. No such luck though. Without fail, it will be cluttered in less than 48 hours.
5- Memorize - Every week in Young Womens, I forget the lesson that I had been working on all week and end up having to read it word for word out of the manual. I do the same thing with talks, messages and vinyl orders. I have to write everything down before I forget. Most of the time, I still forget!
6- Take Long Showers - I get claustrophobic. When the steam starts to collect in the bathroom that is my cue to get out. I start feeling trapped and rushed.
7- Keep A Secret - Sometimes I think that people tell me things because they want the word to spread fast. I have tried and I can't. Usually when someone will say, "Dont tell anyone, but....," I hear this "Please run to the highest mountain and scream to the world at the top of your lungs that...." I cannot be responsible for it. It is part of my genetic make-up.

7 Things That Attracted me to Darrel
1- Wrangler Butt - None of the Unreins have nice butts, trust me, I've looked, however, I have always had a soft spot for cowboys. Wierd, I know. One day I will get over it.
2- He Cooks - When we were dating, he always cooked. I lived with a couple enormous hippos who stole my food out of the fridge, so we always went to his house and ate. It is true. The way to my heart was through my stomach. Sweet, I know.
3- Children - I always knew from day one that he loved kids and wanted his own.
4- Missionary - I admired that he put aside two years of life to serve the Lord. (Even though it made him think that "done near killed" and "the reason bein'" where normal parts of a sentence.) 5- Career - He had been working in the automotive field since he was fifteen. I loved that he was dedicated to it, even if it wasn't what he had always dreamed of being.
6- That he wanted to take me to the temple
7- Fun - He loved to have fun and wasnt mad if I snuck over to his house at three in the morning and knocked on his window to take him out to breakfast.

7 Things I say Most Often...
1- “Holy Jehosephat." Okay, I don't really, but I thought it would be fun to type.
2- “You're My Favorite."
3- “Want To Go To Lunch?"
4- “Are You kidding Me?"
5- “What doin'?"
6- "You have a credit card, of course you have money!"
7 - "Wranglers are not church appropriate."

7 Favorite Foods...
1- Chicken Fetticine Alfredo
2- Corn on the Cob
3- Potatoes - Made any way. My favorite is fried in butter with sauteed onions and bacon. Ya, thats how I roll.
4- Nacho Cheese
5- Salsa
6- Movie Theater Popscorn
7- Chicken Fried Steak
No wonder I have the hips of a pre-contestant on The Biggest Loser. Look at that list of divine goodness.

I had fun on this tag. I am pretty horrible at tagging others, so if you are on my side bar and you havent done this one yet, do it. Like Now. I dare ya!

JT the Great

Every night when I get home from work, I set my purse down on the kitchen table. Every time Jaxon notices it there, he reaches in and pulls out my camera. I have quite a collection of four year old shots stored on my memory card. I thought I better unload a few.



























______________________________________________________________

Last night, he wanted a funny face shot. Here are mine and his. Please, don't judge.

________________________________________________________________

And finally, here is Mr. Jax and the woman he lovingly refers to as his girlfriend, Halee.

Family Pictures

We finally had a few family photos taken. I think my sister, Lynndi, did a great job. I would have loved a little airbrushing and computer aided tummy tucking like the celebreties get, but maybe I should rely on a gym for that instead. Both Lynndi and Stephanie have taken photography classes and take amazing pictures. Here are a few of our faves....

I just love his pouty face in this picture!

Harley Pride

Straight to you from the RT&S hood, Happy Halloween, dawg!

Trunk or Treat

Last night was our neighborhood trunk or treat. Jaxon was so excited to finally be allowed to wear his costume all night. I took him to the trunk or treat, but because I had to get a wisdom tooth removed earlier in the day, I only stayed there until Darrel got off of work and relieved me of my motherly duties. So, the only pictures I have of the Trunk or Treat were actually taken in my boring white kitchen. Here is Speed Racer.......

And because I am not above a little bribery, here is the one I promised him if he would smile in the first few....

Progress

We are making progress on the whole Primary Program issue. Not real excellent progress, but progress none the less. Here is a little recap of our bedtime conversation last night.....

ME: Jax, what are you going to be thankful for in church?

JT: I am thank you for Deer Hunting.

DARREL(with a huge proud grin): Yea, good job Jaxon.

Jax sits on the bed for a few minutes in deep thought while the news shows football highlights in the background.

JT: I am thank you for BYU.

DARREL (with his infamous scowl): We are not thankful for BYU, we hate* BYU.

JT: Uncle Kevin loves BYU. Grandpa Tye likes BYU.

DARREL: But, we don't. They are not allowed in our home.

(PAUSE)

JT(grinning): I am thank you for BYU.

Darrel groans in disgust and rolls over. TRANSLATION: This conversation is over.

Way to stick to your guns Jax. At least we are headed in the right direction. It seems a little better to mention the Lords football team over the pulpit instead of the killing of helpless animals.

______________________________________________________

*HATE is an uncommon term in our home. I try to teach JT that while we may not care for something, it is not nice or respectful to say that it is hated. However, Darrel finds the word HATE very appropriate when talking about BYU. I think it stems from the time he wore wranglers to Youth Conference at BYU and was asked by someone working on campus to go and change because his pants were too tight. It does not matter how many times I hear him tell the story, I still think it is hilarious!

Primary Program

Last weekend was the deer hunt. I loved it! I actually got the opportunity to stay home while Darrel took Jaxon out to show him the ropes. They had a blast together. I had a blast alone! Jaxon told me that he saw one of the boys in camp gut his deer. Our conversation went something like this...

ME: "Did you see one of the boys take the inside of his deer out?"

JT: "Ya."

ME: "Oooh, was it gross?"

JT: "Nope."

ME: "Was it cool?"

JT: "Nah."

ME: "Was it weird?"

JT: "Uh-huh!"

Darrel said that he took Jaxon out on opening morning to sit on the hillside and scope out the deer. He said that Jax sat still and did not throw rocks, whisper or whine the whole time. I am very impressed, since I struggle every week at church to get him to sit down, be quiet and hold still. Speaking of church...

On my way out of church on Sunday, I got handed a paper from Jaxons primary teacher. It had his part for the primary program. I always love the primary program season because the children are all so cute on the stand. When I was in the presidency, I had a horrible time adjusting to being on the stand instead of admiring with the congregation. Okay, back to the story. His teacher handed me his part for the program. I took it home and read over it. It is a simple one liner and he gets to fill in the blank at the end of it. When I showed it to him on Monday when he returned home from hunting he was ready to fill in the blank. For some peculiar reason, his dad is cheering on his "filler." I think I will try to work on it while his dad is at work. Maybe I can get him to change his mind. Here is the question....

"I am thankful for __________________."

And here is what he is adamant about saying....

"I am thankful for DEER HUNTING!"

WISH ME LUCK. I have two weeks to remind him that he is forever thankful for his MOM.

Cake Wrecks

I just happened to stumble on one of the most hilarious blogs I have ever read. It is called Cake Wrecks and it makes fun of all different kinds of cakes. Intrigued? Even if it sounds lame, try it out. You may become addicted. Here is the post that had me laughing out loud......

Thursday, September 4, 2008
Mmmm, Chest Hair

Janet T. provided the best portrayal I've ever seen of Tom Selleck in icing. (Well, ok, technically it's also the only portrayal of Tom Selleck in icing I've seen.) But that chest hair -- egads! Looks like Emma will be having a very "Hairy" birthday indeed. [shudder](UPDATE: This Wreck has been claimed! Thanks to baker Alicia for being such a good sport.)If you prefer to be shot through the heart, though, you could request the "V-neck special" slice from this Bon Jovi cake:Don't get me wrong; those frosted highlights are totally rad, dude, but, like, where's his nose? And those stars of David - Oy vay! Get me some bad medicine, stat; this cake is giving more than love a bad name*.Hmm. You know, I'm thinking this post just isn't Wrecky enough. [Virtually rifling through submissions] AHA!! Here we go:

The best part? It's called a "Macho Man Cake". [Cue the Village People] That's right: it's not an 8-year old boy; it's a MACHO man. Who waxes. And, er, drools black stuff. And likes to lay in a bed of mustard. And has some serious groin grooming issues. And - oh, you get the idea.

The Second Coming?

Yesterday, against my better judgement, I went back to the dentist to get some work done. While they were doing unruly things to my aching mouth, the dentist pipes up with this, "You know, Jesus is coming into the office today. If we take our time, you could meet him." I got the giggles. When I left the office with a numb left side, I immediately concluded that He is a little smaller and more hispanic than in his pictures.

TAGGED!

8 T.V. shows I LOVE to watch:
The Office
The Biggest Loser - I think I cry every stinkin episode
Beauty and The Geek - Pure Entertainment
News - I am a geek, but I have to see what kind of weather I will commute in the following day!
THS (True Hollywood Story) - I don't even have cable, but I love this show when I happen to catch it!
Law & Order: SVU
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
Americas Next Top Model - Lets face it. Alot of the broads on this show are just plain ugly, but they take some facinating pics! It makes me wonder what they could do with my good looks!


8 Favorite Restaurants:
Olive Garden
Tepanyaki - Yes, it is foreign and No, I will not accompany you to Panda!
Texas Road House - Can we say "Fall Off The Bone Ribs?"
Cafe Rio - I am salivating just typing the name
Morelia - Not so much the food, but the salsa is to die for.
Taco Del Mar - Have you tried their Mondito Burrito in a combo with Queso and Chips? You should. Like Now!
Training Table - I will take a #32 with cheese fries and a medium diet, stat!


8 Things that happened yesterday:
Went to work
Made Potato Bar for Dinner
Worked on a vinyl project for a friend
Went grocery shopping
Watched The Biggest Loser
Went to a Young Womens activity
Rode my bike with Jax
Watched the neighbors kids for an hour

8 Things I look forward to:
Deer Hunt - I am staying home!
Christmas
Watching movies with Jaxon
Spending the weekend at the cabin
Sleeping In
Reading a good book
Thursday nights on NBC
Reading Jax a goodnight story

8 Things I love about Fall:
Sweaters
The leaves changing colors
The cooler weather
HOT CHOCOLATE
Carving Pumpkins
Pumpkin Roll
The Holidays
Eating Soup

8 Things on My Wish list:
To Be A Stay At Home Mom
Cure for Diabetes
No Bills
Home Makeover
Naps during the day
Maid
A Big Bag of Movie Theater Popcorn
A Clear Complexion

8 People that I'm tagging:
I don't know 8 people, so if this looks like fun, I am tagging you!

The Unrein Update

It is that time again. The time when I try to play catch up because I have fallen ridiculously behind. Here we go.....

1.) One Year Older and Wiser Too! Jaxon turned four on Sunday. I can not believe that it has already been four years since little Jax came to our home. He is getting so big! He was spoiled rotten by his family and friends this year.

I had found a cool race track cake on FamilyFun.com that I wanted to make for him. As soon as Darrel found out though, it became his "special" project. What started out as a little 8 track race car cake turned into this:

Jaxon loved it and called it his Speed Racer cake. He said he wants the same cake for his birthday next year! Congrats Darrel, you have found your calling in life!

He also got a card in the mail yesterday from Uncle Kevin. He was so excited when I told him he got mail that I had to walk it back outside and return it to the mailbox so that he could retrieve it and carry it inside. As soon as he got in the door, he tore the little card open. He thought it was hilarious that Uncle Kevin told him, "Eat My Shorts!"

2. I Need To Re-Tally. Apparently when I had previously stated that there were 59 women pregnant in the neighborhood, I should have also included the number of relatives who were also with child. As of today, the number is now at 72 and, unfortunately, I am still not one of them.

3. When The Family Gets Together... We had our family picture retaken last weekend because our last one was missing Matt and little Bree. The current one is missing Elder Tye. Which is the lesser of the two evils? I cannot offer my opinion, however, I can tell you this. I must have slept uncomfortably the night before because I have a horrible kink in my neck and Darrel must have had something shoved up his butt because he looks pissed! Good Times! Thanks for the pic Lynndi!

4. We Are One! My vinyl machine and I are now friends again. It was turning into a love/hate relationship faster than reasonably possible. It appears however that it was not the vinyl machine that I was at odds with. It was the software. The lame/ghetto software that must have been made in the 1970's. My new program makes circles, welds cursive together and prints out vectorized images. I love, love, love it and spend unhealthy amounts of time with it. Darrel does too. His truck now contains such redneck jargon as: "AINT SKEERED," a huge Bronco Head, and a bull rider. I think he has an addiction. In fact, the whole family does. Jax got a little V-Tech laptop for his birthday and as soon as he opened it, he wanted to know what I wanted for my walls! I sense a problem in our home and I LOVE it!

Swear Words On The Sabbath

Jaxon was assigned to give the talk in Primary a few weeks ago. The Primary secretary forgot to inform me of that however, until an hour before church started. I was babysitting my niece and trying to finish up my Young Women lesson at that time, so I told her I would let her know at church if I was able to write a talk for him. I wasn't. I approached her after sacrament, told her I was sorry and that I had ran out of time. She asked if he would like to give a scripture instead. Jax loves to stand in front of everyone and talk in the microphone, so I thought the scripture would work great. Now, I had to find one. I turned to the topical guide and began my search under the word LOVE. I found one in Moroni. Around the middle of scripture it went something like this.....
ME(into Jaxon's ear): "...but, that which is of God..."
JAX(into the microphone): "....bitches of God...."
Yep, into the microphone. I tried so hard to not laugh at the poor 3 year old. It was a good thing he was no longer yelling into the microphone like he was at the beginning of the scripture.

Filtering Our Water

While moving into our house five years ago, my mom asked me if I was pregnant. I told her no, because we had been trying to get pregnant for a year and a half. A week later, I found out that I was. Back then, the saying around town was "There must be something in the water!" I think we had 10 women pregnant just in our neighborhood.

In addition to the current 59 ladies, 23 dogs, 17 cats and 8 field mice lurking past my front door daily, I found out yesterday that two more ladies in the neighborhood are pregnant. This lead me to ponder, "Is there something in the water again?" and "If there is, should I stop drinking the filtered water out of my fridge?" Today and henceforth, I shall drink only the nasty water from the kitchen tap. Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Kynslee!

Domestic Goddess

Yours truly is officially a Domestic Goddess. I have always been aware of this divine calling for myself, however, now it is visible to the world. After three long nights and endless amounts of hard earned money spent, I finally finshed canning two boxes of peaches. Here is my recipe for success:

4 boxes of fresh peaches from Orem

4 cases of different sized Mason Jars from Harmons and Maceys

1 Mother In Law

1 Sister In Law

12 Hours of hard after work labor

14 tons of sugar

5400 tiny strands of fine thin blonde hair being pulled out individually

1 toddler ignored for three days straight

-1 box of peaches given to husbands employer (BRIBE)

-1 box that fruit flies and mold attacked before I could conquer

1 Kids meal from Wendy's

32 Phone calls to mom to ask questions

Follow your Mother In Laws instructions until she leaves for the night, then call your non redneck mother to make sure you are doing it minus the White Trash.

Proceed to pull out the rest of your hair as your poor toddler screams for hours on end looking for some attention from mom.

I haven't tried any of my creations yet. I still am staring at them in awe, reminding myself that I did them. ME, MYSELF and I! (and my MIL)

Optomistic

On a positive note, at least with our business going bankrupt, I shouldn't get any more mail addressed to this company......

I tried to talk him out of naming the business D & T's Tool Shack, but he would not listen!

Super Sister Saturday

My sisters, Mom and I all try to plan one Saturday a month to do a sister get together. We call it our "Super Sister Saturday." We have not had the time to do them as frequently as we had planned, but when we do follow through with the plans, they are a blast.This month, we decided to go on a Fun Run for Intermountain Healing Hearts. My cousin Teea and her husband Ben are members of this group. Their little girl, who Ben affectionately named Kynslee Jean The Fighting Machine, died earlier this year after a hard fight with a "broken" heart. Normally, I would not put Fun and Run in the same sentence, let alone the same breath, but the flyer said that you could run, walk, jog, skip, hop or push a stroller. We thought it would be nice to get out of town, go for a little walk and support a great cause. I successfully made it the full mile without fainting, gasping or vomiting, however, Mrs Orullion (of Riverview Jr High School P.E. fame) would still not be proud of me. I walked the mile in 21 minutes flat. At 28, I still fail the 20 minute mile!

Anyway, I was glad that I got to attend the Fun Run, donate to a great cause and watch the angel tribute each mother paid to her "heart" child.

P.S. I heard someone at the run mention next year it will be a 5K and to that I say, "Boy am I glad I attended this year!"

Fear

One of my biggest fears in life is the dentist. I absolutely cant stand the sound or the feel of the drill. I throw up in my mouth when I think of the water and suck tool. I cringe when I imagine the pointy hook being jammed into one of my cavities. Finally, I break out into cold sweats when I remember that it takes around four or five shots just to numb my mouth.
Despite all of my fears, I have an appointment tomorrow at 11:45. I think I may pass out before. Will someone come and hold my hand?

PLUG

For the last few months (four to be exact), I have only worn my left contact. My right contact ripped sometime ago and we could not afford to go the doctor. I kind of got used to seeing everything far away, but nothing up close.
I finally got to go to the eye doctor yesterday. He was a new one that I hadn't seen before. My mom referred me to him. Included with my new patient paperwork, was a letter that stated a patients contact fitting and placement would be charged in addition to the copay. We were looking at around $75.00 - 125.00. Before I even sat down, I was sick. When I got into the appointment, the doc asked me why I had only one contact in? I told him that my husbands business went down hill fast, we are constantly worried about our next bill and I could not justify a need for myself when I felt my son needed a home and food.
The doctor looked at me and said this, "I will just tell you flat out. Our prices can not compete with Costco on these contacts I am prescribing for you. I will write you a prescription, you take it there." WHAT? Aren't all doctors money hungry? He then proceeded to hand me a bunch of coupons and sent me up to the counter with my paperwork to check out.
At the checkout counter, the receptionist took the paperwork, pulled out her calculator and told me, "Looks like you owe us $20.00." It was at this point that I passed out!
Okay, I didn't really faint, but I could not believe that the doctor was so nice to little old me. I could have been lying. I could have just put it on my credit card. Instead, I used the last twenty dollar bill in my wallet and left the office grateful for a doctor who cares.
Here is my plug. If anyone in Salt Lake is looking for an eye doctor, give this guy a call. He is super nice, fast and has a great heart. His name is Dr. Gayer at the Ungricht Eye Institute.

Weekend Update

This weekend went by too fast. It started out with girls night on Friday. My sister in law, Holly, and I were able to go and see South Pacific at the Sandy Ampitheater. It was a bit too cheesy and over the top for me, but we decided it was a nice get away and think we may get season tickets, just to pamper ourselves occasionally. Maybe the next time we go, we will get to actually see 'The Sound of Music" like we intially thought. Thanks to Holly and Joyce for a night of free food, free plays and free lei's. It turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.
Immediately following the play, I picked Kellie up at my parents house and we headed to Heber. Darrel and Jaxon were already there waiting for us. We got in around 11:15 that night and then watched Penelope. What a cute movie. (I watched it a few more times before we headed home on Sunday.) We also hit the outlet mall. Darrel needed some new sunglasses. Turns out everyone was having back to school sales! I bought Jax three outfits at OshKosh for his birthday and I bought myself two pairs of pants at Old Navy's sale of the century. All of their pants were $12.00. That is cheaper than WalMart people. I was in heaven. After shopping we met my parents for dinner at Don Pedros and headed back to the cabin, to enjoy the swings and birthday cake. That night, we watched 21 and Definately Maybe. That was an awesome show too. Finally on Sunday afternoon we cleaned up and headed home, just in time to invite ourselves over to the neighbors.
We left the neighbors last night around ten and when we pulled up to our house there was some sort of huge bird flying above it. Darrel positioned the car well enough to shine our brights on it and realized that it was a white owl. I ran and grabbed my camera and took a picture of it in our tree seconds before it flew away. It was the prettiest thing I have seen in a long time.

To Mom With Love

Mother,
When I mentioned in the previous post that I was tired of life, I did not mean that I was planning on ending it in any way, shape or form. It was just a way of cleansing my palate.
Yours Truly,
Traci

Too Tired

I am having one of those days where you are tired of everything. Here is my official "tired of" list....
!. I am tired of paying someone else to raise my kid.
2. I am tired of having a broken computer.
3. I am tired of worrying about bills.
4. I am tired of doing laundry and dishes.
5. I am tired of working my butt off for nothing.
6. I am tired of living in Tooele.
7. I am tired of waking up at five in the morning to the annoying buzz of an alarm.
8. I am tired of watching the grasshoppers devour my pretty purple and pink gladiolas.
9. I am tired of being told that my education is far less superior than that of a graduate from the state of Nevada.
10. I am tired of being a grump.
11. I am tired of scrimping and saving everything I have so that I can keep my family in our home only to find out that someone else in the house just purchased a $300.00 toy.
12. I am tired of crying myself to sleep.
13. I am tired of being tired.
14. I am tired of life.
15. I am tired of complaining.
Take that. Ah, I already feel better about some things! I need a nap.

I'm Sick

A few years ago, we had a ward activity. It was a water activity at a church nearby. At the end, some of the kids were trying to dry off. One decided to lay on the warm cement behind a car to help keep cool while still drying off. The driver of the car did not know he was there and ran over his head, accidentally ending his life. We were sick then. I am terribly sick now too.
My friend ran by a few minutes ago to collect some receipts for reimbursement of a church activity. While outside chatting, we saw two police cars and an ambulance drive by. We ran out into the street and noticed an Explorer in the road. It was towing a ski boat. Well, it turns out the families little girl decided to hop on the hitch, without her parents knowing and they pulled away from the house. Our sweet little neighbor fell off. She was run over and has head injuries and chest injuries. We don't know much, however we just saw Life Light land at the hospital. Please pray for the Maxfield family. They could sure use it right now.
I think this neighborhood has some horrible luck. I am ready to move!

Solicitation

Here is a list of facts:
- I did not pack a sack lunch from home today
- I have not packed a sack lunch for myself since 9th grade
- My mom no longer cooks at home anymore (Hence no leftovers)
- Dad, Mom and Karin are at Disneyland right now salivating over their Churros
- Kellie is on a plane to D.C.
- My stomach is rumbling really loud
- My mouth is watering

All of these facts point to one clear equation. I am soliciting a lunch date. Anyone game?

The Unrein Update

- On Saturday, Darrel, Jaxon and I met up with Lynndi, Ryan and Bree and headed to the peaceful town of Morgan to shop. Lynndi made a deal with her husband, she would shop with him on Saturday, if he would let her work on her photography Sunday. So, we all headed to the infamous Browning outlet store. Did anyone else know that they do not sell guns there? Nope, they only sell apparel and camo vinyl for your vehicles. We went for Ryans sake, but left with two shirts for Jaxon and camo vinyl for the rear window of Darrels truck. NICE! - Saturday night we headed to Brigham City for dinner. I had personally heard that Maddox was to die for. So we wanted to try it. I was not impressed. One of my neighbors raves about the chicken fried steak and often drives down there to buy some to store in her freezer. NO.THANKS. Next time I want to eat some steak two hours from home, I am thinking I will head to Tepanyaki, Texas Roadhouse or Ruths Chris. Yep, that is a better idea.

- When there are barricades in the middle of the street, they are mainly to protect your vehicle, I am almost positive. My husband thought he was supposed to turn into the restaurant a little too early. Instead of getting back on the designated road, he decided to drive in between the barriers for about a quarter of a mile. Turns out there are big nails in there and one just happened to inject into our rear left tire. At this point, I would like to give a shout out to Savanna, Dan and family for letting us park in the Hansen Family Motors lot and change over to the spare. I would also like to give a shout out to Jax, Lynndi and Bree for keeping me and camera company on the detour. - I am still recovering from Girls camp. I can not seem to find enough sleep time. I have looked all around the house and have come up empty. I have tried to bribe the babysitters to let Jax stay up all day long so that he will sleep on the way home. It has not worked out too well yet. I need some new options. This weekend we have a big boating trip with the YM/YW from 7:30am-10:30pm on Saturday. Wish me luck. I may fake sick to get out of going!

- In Young Womens this week, our lesson was on Forgiving Ourselves. I decided that I would bring a picture of myself and tape it to the floor. I made up a sin, (I think I went to the Taco Bell drive thru, got my food and drove off without paying for it!) then went through the five steps of repentance. I did not however forgive myself so I took out of one of my insulin needles and used it as dart. I stabbed myself in the forehead with it. I then let the other girls in the class throw darts at my picture too. They made up sins that they could not forgive themselves for. After my face was covered with insulin syringe darts, I peeled back my picture and had a picture of Christ behind it, with the needles still attached, to show that we not only hurt us by not forgiving ourselves, but we also hurt God. Anyway, I just could not believe how much 12 & 13 year old girls love needles. They wanted to take them home. YIKES! I am beginning to really enjoy my calling and all of the nasty object lessons I can justify.

- Lately, our neighbors and good friends have taken us boating. We really enjoying being on the water and I have loved my new "modest" swimsuit. (None of the ones previously pictured!) Who knew that I could actually ski? I used to ski all the time in high school, but since then, I have had trouble pulling myself up. Turns out, I still got it. I just have to ski behind an older boat that doesn't go 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. That seems to rip the rope out of my hands before I even know what is happening. I feel liberated and it is grand. Alright, I think that is all for now. Until next time, suckers!