Saturday, April 26, 2014

Easter

I thought I'd just post a few fun pictures from our Easter egg hunt down at the Bullocks!




Monday, April 21, 2014

Timberlakes Estates

As I have let my mind wander down Memory Lane this past week, I have "seen" a lot of wonderful scenes.  Some of you may be too young to remember the cabin we had in Timberlake Estates, but I have many memories of going there.  It seems to me that we would only ever go in the winter, when there was a lot of snow on the ground.  I can remember attempting to drive up Blue Spruce Drive, which was the road our cabin was on, and inevitably we would get stuck.  Sometimes we would start sliding back down the hill (which I found terrifying!), other times Dad would yell for us all to get out and start pushing.  One time I recall parking the van and driving the snowmobiles in the rest of the way.  There was a generator that Dad would fire up, and we would have a roaring fire inside.  Upstairs, in a game room, were a number of beds.  It was always cold upstairs, but we had a fun time playing.  I think the bulk of our time was spent outdoors.  We could explore the mountain behind our home, which sloped down to the end of our property.  I LOVED taking the four wheelers and snow scoots out to explore.  The more I think about it, I do recall going in the autumn time and seeing all the leaves changing colors.  We would find a lot of different wild animals on our explorations- deer, porcupines, squirrels, birds, etc.  We had a really long table in the kitchen that had bench type seating on both sides.  The kitchen, in my mind, was not very large.  Outside Dad screwed in brushes so we could attempt to clean off our shoes before going inside.  I am sure we took a lot of nature in with us though.  One particular outing on the snowmobiles, Dad took us to Suicide Hill (at least I remember thinking you would have to be suicidal to attempt to drive up it).  The Hill was so steep it curled at the top, and snowmobilers flocked there to attempt to go over it.  I remember watching snowmobiler after snowmobiler driving their fastest, only to be forced to turn their snowmobile back down the way they came.  I felt sick to my stomach that Dad was going to make me try it (because I was very headstrong and would have done it because I could do anything)!  Other times I remember passing the lake and seeing deer or people that had fallen through the ice.  We would sit and watch the rescue efforts from a safe distance.  I recall swinging on the circle swing Dad hooked to a rope in the front yard.  Another memory is of breaking the upstairs door- the girls were on the inside, boys were on the outside.  We were all pushing in opposite directions and it broke.  Dad wanted to know who was responsible and we all denied having a thing to do with it.  Dad was so patient with us as we destroyed a lot of really nice things (he still is!).  The kids weren't the only one causing damage though.  I remember Grandma and Grandpa Milar came with us to the cabin.  Grandma got on the four wheeler and was driving at a snails pace when she hit a tree.  She was bruised for what seems like an eternity.  I don't recall how the four wheeler faired.  I am sure it was a ton of work to plan a trip to the cabin.  We would stop at the grocery store in Heber to stock up on supplies.  I have fond memories of the cabin and am very appreciative of Mom and Dad for investing in it.

*I realize this isn't a story as much as it is a collection of thoughts about the cabin.  Unfortunately, the memories all have blurred together.

The Long Way Home

I think we were coming home from Disneyland.

Emma was a baby, so it must have been about 10 years ago.  We arrived to a stifling John Wayne Airport: the air conditioning was not working and the entire west side of the airport was floor to ceiling windows, the heat beating in.  That should've been the first indication that it would be a rough return.  :)

The whole gang arrived, car seats, strollers, suitcases, and souvenirs in tow: everyone except for Jeffrey, who must have returned early.  I remember that once we all realized how hot it was, we were very accepting of Matt's offers to treat everyone to McDonald's ice cream cones.  It was the first time we'd ever been early for a flight - in the history of all Milar travel - so we counted down until takeoff and licked away.

And then, the tragedy: there was a problem with the airplane and it would be several hours before it would be fixed.  We waited some more until we received word that the plane wouldn't be fixed in time and we'd be put up at the local hotel.

I remember that two people were particularly upset by this event: Mary wanted very much to be home with Jeffrey and Danny was love struck with Mindy-Anne Davis and couldn't wait to get back.  While everyone else left the airport to go to the hotel, Danny stayed at the airport, determined to get home.

We rode the shuttle about a mile to the hotel and were put into various rooms.  Because of the size of our party, our rooms were nowhere near each other.  Everyone was tired, probably dehydrated, and grumpy.  We went to our rooms and there was no air conditioning!  Ha.  I am laughing remembering but it wasn't funny at the time, least of all to Dad.  He called a few of us to see if it was just his room and, finding out that it was across the board, went to make it known (to the hotel?  the airline?  I'm not sure) that this simply wasn't going to work.

At some point  Danny called Papa and told him that he'd found a way to get us home but that we had to get to the airport immediately.  I don't remember if there wasn't a shuttle or if it just couldn't come fast enough, but we left the hotel in a rush, walk/jogging back to the airport. Ben was balancing things on his head and carrying a child.  Others were pulling suitcases while holding hands with the younger ones.  I can only imagine the scene we provided: 14 people walking down the street with luggage, babies, strollers, and the like.  We rushed back as quickly as possible.

Danny, through some sleuth/stalker work, had found a flight leaving.  He knew which specific agent would help us and he got us approval to get on the flight.  There was a very big catch: the airport had a curfew and the flight had to leave within the next half hour or so.  We rushed in and found that the security we had been through earlier was closed, as the airport was shutting down, so we hurried back to the other end of the airport to use the Southwest security.  We threw our tickets at the agents (having been trying to get home now for probably 5-6 hours) and they let most of us through.  They would not let Mary through with Emma because Emma didn't have a ticket and Southwest required one for infants (Delta didn't).  Eventually I think the agents got so frazzled Mary just walked through.  :)

We ran back to the other end of the airport to our airplane.  This is my favorite memory of the story but also demonstrates an epic sibling failure!  Holly had asked Mom if she could throw away her boarding pass when we left the airport originally.  Because the flight was cancelled, Mom said yes. Well, we were using our same boarding passes and Holly didn't have one.  We arrived to the gate and Holly did not have a pass.  She took a small piece of paper and wrote her name on it and when it was her turn to board she handed her pass to the agent and smiled.  That's all.  Just smiled.  The agent told her it was a no go and I boarded without her!  My parting words?  "Don't worry - Dad won't leave you."

Eventually we all made it onto the plane.  We pulled out very quickly, as required by curfew.  As we looked out the windows, pulling away from the gate, someone pointed out, "Oh look - there's all our luggage."  The perfect end to the long way home: it was all still sitting on the tarmac.


I remember I wrote this story down shortly after it happened (I haven't yet found that record...) and, a few months later, read it to the family.  Nobody laughed.  It must have been too recent.

I can't help but chuckle every time I remember this story: it was not our happiest moment, but it was certainly memorable, and demonstrates so many things about our family that have stayed consistent.  It was totally expected that Matt was the one to buy the ice cream, Danny the one fixated on finding a way home, and Dad the one that wouldn't tolerate a hotel without air conditioning.  It is also humorous to imagine the caravan that I was so oblivious to growing up but that I'm sure turned heads.  Traveling was so fundamental to our growing up years: both for the struggles and for the laughs.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

ENGAGED!!!






 

Dusty proposed to me on April 18th, 2014 :)
I will post of video telling the story soon! HOORAY! I honestly feel so incredibly blessed and like the luckiest girl in the world- I couldn't be any happier!! :) :) :)

Thursday, April 17, 2014

The Boy Whose Name I Forgot

This past week on our long drive home from Scottsdale we were almost to Nephi and the kiddos were losing it.  We were all tired and ready to be home and still had an hour and a half drive.  Something my kids love to hear are stories from when I was a little girl so I decided to tell the kids stories from my life.    An hour and a half and many stories later we made it home.  I was amazed how interested they were and how much the enjoyed hearing about my life - which I never would have thought was so interesting.  I will not share with you the hour and a half long story, for obvious reasons, but I will just share a short memory from my life that my children especially enjoyed hearing.

When I went UVSC, now UVU, I was coming off a very devastating break up.  In attempts to deal with my heart break I was taking maximum class load and trying very hard to move on with my life.  Suffice it to say I wanted nothing to do with boys.  I remember telling Julie if a boy was to ask me out I would turn him down.  I needed time to heal.

I was taking a required class, Ethics and Values, and I found it fascinating.  I was solely focused on my education and was oblivious to almost everything else.  About a month into the class I started to notice that a boy in my class, whose name I had been told and almost immediately forgotten, kept walking out of class the same time I did.  He remembered my name.  I found it a bit awkward that I didn't know his name but I didn't really worry about it because I didn't like boys.  After a few weeks of walking out together I decided it was time to do a test to see if it was truly coincidental.  The next day in class I took notes up to the very last second of class.  I slowly piled my books up and carefully reorganized them in my back.  I put my jacket on and zipped it up before I carefully adjusted my backpack on my back.  As I turned to leave sure enough the boy, whose name I had forgotten, was still there.  

I realized that for some strange reason this boy wanted to walk with me.  I was adjusting to the thought that perhaps this kid, who kept calling me by name, was maybe interested. I was trying to figure out a way to let him know I was very uninterested in boys, nothing personal of course.  We were coming to the place where we parted ways, I said goodbye and turned to go into the library when he called after me, "Mary, me and a bunch of friends are going to a Peter Breinholt concert.  I don't know if you have heard of him but I was just wondering if you wanted to go with me?"  My mind was racing, remembering how I said I would turn any boy down that asked me, I was still heartbroken, I was focusing on school, I didn't want to date... And then to my disbelief I could hear my self saying, "Sure I know Peter Breinholt and I would love to go."  I gave him my home phone number and he promised to call that night and give me the details.

As I walked away I wondered what in the world I had done!  I didn't even know his name!  I didn't like boys!  What had I just gotten myself into?  I raced home and begged Julie to be on phone duty, which was no small task with thirteen people in a household.  Anytime the phone rang she faithfully answered it.  If it was for me she would politely ask, "May I ask who is calling?"  Julie was a saint and answered the phone for six hours until finally at about half past nine the phone rang and it was for me and it was Jeff.


  

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

10 Days and Counting!

For our fourth anniversary TJ and I decided to take a week away from work and head to Hawaii.  He has never been and it's been ten years for me: I am delighted to be going back.  We leave next Friday afternoon (10 days!) and will be gone for a full week. 

AND NOW, the conundrum: what books do I take?!  I would bet several of us define vacations the same way: lots of sun, water, and hours and hours of reading.  I can hardly wait.  But I need help - can I get suggestions of what to read?  I find I best like happy books or books that are uplifting.  I do not like rough books: not a fan of lots of swearing, violence, war, intense situations, abusive relationships, murders, etc.  I read for enjoyment, and far prefer to be smiling about the character I'm reading about.

Books I Really Love
The whole Anne of Green Gables
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Hattie Big Sky
Cheaper by the Dozen
Miracles on Maple Hill
Wonder
Out of My Mind
Little House on the Prairie series
I, Juan de Pareja
Dinner: A Love Story
Anything by Marjorie Pay Hinckley :)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
French Kids Eat Everything
I think I love books about food... :)
The Five Love Languages
Heart of a Samurai
Miracle on Maple Hill 

Please send me suggestions!

Friday, April 4, 2014

Virtual tour

http://www.BuyChenal.com

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

"Don't think of introversion as something that needs to be cured."

 Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

I heard about this book some months ago and thought, "As introverted as I am, I probably ought to read that."  I have come to generally accept that I'm introverted but feel mostly inconvenienced by it, especially at work, where I need to be a team player and negotiator.  I hoped this would be an insightful read, and it was.  This was a great book.  Perhaps more than anything else it made me feel empowered as an introvert: reassuring me that there are many others that are also introverts that are highly effective and successful.

The book climbs through different themes, including how we came to be a nation that so highly prizes extroversion, what introverts are naturally good at and how introverts can be more effective at extroverted tasks.

There were a number of times throughout the book that I felt like shouting, "That's me!  That is me!"  One example:

"Introverts, in contrast, may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their pajamas. They prefer to devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in conversation. They tend to dislike conflict. Many have a horror of small talk, but enjoy deep discussions."

I also found a great definition for one of my key characteristics, which Cain describes as "high sensitivity."  This is me to a T:

“The highly sensitive [introverted] tend to be philosophical or spiritual in their orientation, rather than materialistic or hedonistic. They dislike small talk. They often describe themselves as creative or intuitive. They dream vividly, and can often recall their dreams the next day. They love music, nature, art, physical beauty. They feel exceptionally strong emotions--sometimes acute bouts of joy, but also sorrow, melancholy, and fear. Highly sensitive people also process information about their environments--both physical and emotional--unusually deeply. They tend to notice subtleties that others miss--another person's shift in mood, say, or a lightbulb burning a touch too brightly.”

 I just felt so empowered by the whole thing.  As soon as I finished I handed the book to TJ and said, "Read this.  It will teach you all about me."  Overall, it was full of great insight and helpful tips.  I really strongly recommend this to anyone that is an introvert or married to, living with, or raising one.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Seasons

Growing up, my favorite season was always summer.  I loved the long sunny careless days, laying out, playing at the pool/Lake Powell.  Since moving to Arkansas though, my new favorite season is Spring, with Autumn a close second.  It is gorgeous to drive/run/walk around the neighborhoods and truly see "popcorn popping" on all of the trees.  I decided to walk down my street and snap some pictures of trees in bloom.  I tried my best to capture their beauty, but I know I am not doing them justice.  I will truly miss the gorgeous spring in Arkansas.  Have any of you read Anne of Green Gables (if not, you should!)?  I am reminded of her descriptions as she talks to Matthew on her ride into Avonlea.  Unfortunately, I have packed up all my books and cannot quote her as she describes the beauty of the earth around her.  Enjoy the pictures!












1000 Words

Have you heard the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words?"  I took these pictures of the babies today.  Cooper is in orange.  Brock is in blue.  Both babies are smiling, laughing, and rolling over.  They roll from tummy to back and are very close to going from their back to their tummy.  They like to see what is going on, and are aware if left alone in a room.  Brock likes to grasp things with his arms and legs, while Cooper usually likes to kick his legs while using only his hands to grab.  I moved them to their upstairs bedroom this last week.  They still sleep in the same crib, and usually will snuggle up to each other.  I have not started the babies on any solids yet (it is time consuming and I have been busy getting the house ready for the market).  I am nursing them exclusively.  They bring a lot of joy to our family.

   Cooper and Brock


Brock
(I'm not crazy about the lightening in this picture, but I love the emotion captured!)



Cooper


I took Max and Kate to the symphony a few weeks ago.  We went out to dinner beforehand and had a great time.  We spent a total of 30 minutes at the symphony.  Max and Kate both thought it was boring.  When the drums were played, Max would perk up, but Kate kept asking me where the wolf was (she must equate the intensity of the drums to a sneaky scary wolf.).  It was a fun night.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Exercise


As a child with severe asthma, I dreamed of running.  I always thought it looked so exhilarating to run and run and run. I have such vivid memories from my childhood laying on the couch and wishing and wanting so desperately to run and play with my siblings.  As silly as it sounds I remember being so excited to go to heaven so that I could run and Dad's back wouldn't hurt.  As a child I never thought thought my dream could be realized in this life.  

With the determination of two amazing parents - who sacrificed so much time and money,  lots of amazing doctors, biweekly allergy shots, inhalers, and lots of prayers I was able to start exercising and running in high school.  

A day has not gone by since that I have not appreciated what my body can do.  I love to exercise.  It is as exhilarating as I dreamed it would be.  I love to exercise - because I finally can.

I want to always be able to run and I realize in order to do that I need to take good care of my body.  I have found that yoga does wonders.  It is hard to pinpoint exactly what it does but I just feel better when I regularly do yoga.  I started yoga with P90X and have since found a Yoga Center that I love to go to for a more meditative setting - as opposed to children running under my legs and jumping over my head.  


So my challenge to you is to try yoga.  As you can see it has many healthy benefits.  Find a DVD (P90X is great), a class, something online or even an app (I love POPSUGAR) and start experiencing the benefits of yoga.  Love your body everyday for what it does for you!








Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Cleaning Items

With all my house cleaning, I've found a few items that work the best for me and which I really love.


The first one is:

My Shark Lift-away vacuum.  I've loved this for ease of use, quality of suction, price and the 5-year replacement warranty!



















The second one is the Old English spray bottle.  It is so nice and easy to use, and to just spray it and wipe it up is so nice!  I haven't found another product for wood that gives as nice of a gleam and works as well.  This is also awesome for the metal balusters on your handrail.
















I also love the smell (mint) and cleaning power of the Lysol toilet bowl cleaner.
 













I guess I'm a fan of Lysol because I have had great success and ease of use as well with the Lysol all-purpose cleaner for kitchen and bathroom countertops. 
















For window cleaning, I've gotten it down to a science. You must, must, must use a window cleaner!  *Trust me, the first time when I just tried water, FAIL!  Because I clean a lot of windows, I buy a huge bucket, but I've also used this one and it has worked really well.






























Your other essential tools are a scraper, squeegee, and washing brush.

With those tools, cleaning windows goes pretty quickly!

I just wanted to share what I've found that works for me - I've done a lot of experimentation and these have all worked out for me!

Love,

Sara