30 on the 30th

So that won't happen again! I can't help but remember that Dad was given an over-the-hill party at his 30th, and how do I remember that??? I was 12! Thanks mom for scarring us and making 30 old at such a young age!! (JK)

Where do I stand at 30?? I have a 2 year old! Granted, I didn't start nearly as young as my parents, which is great....but I am def not where I thought I would be at 30! I am content with life though, and moving right along. I guess at this point (given my last vacation) I am glad I made it to see 30, haha.

So what's the plan for today? I'll have a house full of kids (as usual), 4 to be exact. It'll be just like any other day, Quince has scouts tonight, so he'll come home, we'll have an early dinner, he'll head out, I'll bathe Cole get him to bed and then work on my school work. EXCITING isn't it?? What happened to the Birthday's we had as kids? Though Quince did say we will do something on Thursday...I'm still not expecting much. He asked me if I had bought a cake mix for myself...yeah right!
And I told him what I wanted, since my choices were limited to Wal_mart (he had a GC from returning an item he wanted to use)...so my guess is I am getting pens for my Cricut machine....ahhh...the element of surprise!

The day I almost died!!

Okay, it's not an exaggeration...but it is def one of the most fun and scariest day of my life all wrapped into one!
Quince had this great idea to go White Water Rafting for my family vacation this year. So he got everyone on board, and we all packed up and headed for Ohio Pyle in PA. There were 16 of us total, if you count the two little ones (Cole and baby Riley). And 12 of us rafted the first day, 11 the second. (not cause we lost anyone or anything, just some whimped out and didn't want to come again, and also My Mom came the 2nd day (she was watching the babies the first day)).
Anyhow...the first day was great!! Lots of fun, no incidents....no fouls! Dad's boat lost some folks into the water at the start, but got them back in with only one lost paddle. Then they flipped again further down the river, but everyone was fine.
So we were raring to go the 2nd day....Piece of cake!!
Well the river dropped 5 inches over night, and what a difference a little less water can make...there were lots more rocks. (In the slide show you can see us stuck on a rock at the very beggining of our trip). But we had a good 'ol time. Laughing so hard we almost pee'd our pants on several occasions.
We stopped at a large rock along the way and most jumped off...it was lots of fun. (All of those pics will come later once the waterproof camera gets developed).
We made it through dimple rock (the most dangerous) without even a minor issue. Then a bit further down the river, we came across another set of rapids (the same secion dad flipped the day before, but he was on the other side). We made it through the day before no problem. but this time...no such luck!! We hit a rock and immediately our boat flipped up....I vaguely remember seeing mom being thrown over the top of the boat (it was standing straight up on it's side), Jackie went out the bottom, I was sort of stuck and remember seeing Ryan's leg. I yelled for Mom, then Ryan (I thought his leg was stuck in the boat) and then the water shot me out of the boat...but not for long...I got hung up in the rocks by my leg, I saw Quince and yelled, just as the rapids completely covered my face. Ever wonder what people think before they die??? I'll tell you..."OH MY GOSH! I'M GONNA DIE!!" atleast that is what I thought...it was completely terrifying, and I am not exaggerating it one bit!! Next thing I know I got loose and I was being shot down the river, I saw Quince standing there holding up the boat (or so I thought, turns out he was really hanging from the boat), I turned around to face down stream and put my toes up (as your told) and saw Jackie climbing out onto shore...My dad's boat was in front of me in the calm of the water...and they were pulling mom in. I banged my butt up a ton as I rafted down the remaining rapids (without a boat!) and became engulfed by the water repeatedly before reaching my dad's boat and being pulled in. I survived! (Just barely). I tell you, my whole life really did flash before my eyes, I don't think I have ever been so scared in all my life. I'm pretty banged up and very sore. But Mom got it really bad....we figure she fell about 5-6ft from the top of the boat, landing on a rock and jacking up her elbow. Dad took her to the hospital (after we finished our raft trip, of course)...but no broken bones...Thank goodness. I won't lie, I started balling like a baby once I got in my dad's boat. My mom's elbow was so swollen, (which is why we thought it was broken) it looked like a thumb was coming out the end of it. It was a very emotional experience, and I just may be suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), b/c all I see when I shut my eyes is water going over me...HORRIBLE!!! Quince isn't one to talk about his emotions or anything, but I know it scared him a bit as well....

Anyhow, by the time I was 'rescued' Quince had gotten back into the boat, and pulled in Ryan and Jacob, and gotten Jackie as well. So we were all found, and alive. Mom and I suffered the most injuries, but it could have been SO MUCH WORSE!

All that said and done, it was still a nice vacation, and we had a lot of fun. I just know we are all so thankful the injuries were not worse, and we can all live to talk about the craziness! And hey...we came out of it only missing ONE paddle!!! We snagged one from another company we found along the way and traded it for one from the company we rented, so all is good! I have also learned that the family can really come together in an emergency, the rescue efforts were pulled through flawlessly, though afterwards, the stress got to everyone and there was a complete mental breakdown of a few members of the group. But atleast, it was after all was said and done. Fear can do some crazy stuff to you!

But as I said, it was a great time, non-the-less. Cole really enjoyed himself and it was great spending time with everyone!!!

Moral of the story...you never know what can happen!! Live today as if it were your last! (It almost was mine, I kid you not!!) It will take some time, but I'll probably get on a raft again one day...but I do know this...Cole will NEVER raft unless Quince is with him....and I won't either.

So....here are the pics of our raft going down the first (or second) set of rapids. It really was a lot of fun!!

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Get your own

Here is dad's boat...

It's him, my brother Joshua, his gf Morgan, my cousin Patrick and my bro Jojo


More pics to follow

I must be crazy!!

Okay, OKay! I know you are thinking, "how can she possibly sell anything else???" But I just couldn't turn it down. I have recently been turned on to Pampered Chef...I am lovin' there stuff!! And they are having this great sign on deal right now. The kit is $155, but if you get $1000 in sales the first month, you get 50% back from the company AND my director will give me the other 50% back as well. So that's $500 in product for free with no other obligation...How could I say now? And I'll make commission on that $1000 as well as a $200+ in PC dollars, for more FREE stuff!!! The show that I hosted this past Wednesday counts as my FIRST show, and the 3 shows that booked off of it are now mine (Surpise Lou, Iola and Carrie!). So, I should be set. That and mom and my friend Kim both said they would do a show too. And who knows, maybe this one will actually take off? We shall see.
Usborne is still my passion though, I just love those books...what kills me is that people would rather spend money on Scrapbooking and Cooking items for themselves than for books for their kids?? What's up with that??!! O well. I won't complain, especially since I am getting $700+ in FREE PC stuff because of it. My kitchen will now be OUTFITTED!! YEAH!

I'll post my website and more info once my kit comes. Wish me luck!!

My little romantic

Cole is a natural born romantic, obviously a trait he did NOT inherit from his father, lol. A few weeks ago, he brought me in some sweat peas (flowers). The following day some daisies...so I finally asked Quince what was up with the flowers and he said it was Cole's idea. He saw the flowers, and kept saying "flowers, mommy", so Quince let him pick them and bring them in to me. Now almost every day I get some...I have a vase by the sink collecting them. Today I was downstairs on the computer when he brought me some more daisies...he gets a big smile and comes over, I get all excited and say "flowers for me, thank you" and he hands them over grinning. I ask for a kiss which he gives, and this time he tells me..."water, flowers water". So up the stairs I went to add them to my collection. He is so proud of himself when he brings me flowers, it's adorable.
By the way, Diasies keep GREAT! They have lasted such a long time, that my little vase is starting to overflow with them!

Family Reunion

We just got back from a 2 week long vacation, a good portion of which was spent with Quince's family out west. It was such a great time and so good to see everyone...
it had been 3 years+ since we had seen most of them, and the first time any of them had meet Cole. It really sucks that we have to live so far away, though I enjoy living close to my family, I wish there was some way we could live close to BOTH families...but since they are on opposite costs, there really is no way to do it.

The vacation started with a few days at my folks house. My brother JoJo graduated high school, and then Mom took us to the airport on Tuesday. The plane ride there was LONG, particularly with an overtired almost 2 year old on our laps. He finally fell into a fitfull sleep, but woke up crying (more like screaming) several times on the way there and back. We rented a minivan in Portland and hit the road, headed south. We stopped in to see Grandma Altman, then checked out some nearby waterfalls, then meet up with Quince's Mom at Crescent Lake where we stayed at a pretty ritzy motel (NOT!), after enjoying the sites there (it was breathtakingly beautiful!) we headed further South to Quince's Mom's house were we met up with the rest of the Family. That Saturday Suezy (his youngest sister) was married, Sunday was Church...and Monday we all headed to the coast. We stayed at a very nice KOA Kampground for two nights and enjoyed some coastal activities, as well as some Redwood forests. Wednesday we headed back to Grandma Altman's, then Thursday we made our trek back to Portland to fly home. Along the way we stopped a riverside park in Salem, and at the Portland Temple. It was a great trip, and we loved seeing everyone and taking a break from life. But, it sure was nice to be in our own beds again. We still haven't adjusted to the time change back, but will be forced too as Monday is quickly apporaching and it's back to work and 'normal' life here in Maryland.

"Fitting"

So we are going through a bit of a hard time right now, some of you know what I am referring too....regardless of it you know the details or not, I thought I would share this scripture verse. Each night Quince and I read the daily verse and thought from President Hinckley's book Stand a Little Taller. This was the one for last night...June 5th. All either one of us could say afterwards was "Fitting".
It may help someone else as well...

"Lifted up at the last day"

"Whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."
-Alma 36:3

"We may know much of loneliness. We may now discouragement and frustration. We may know adversity and trouble and pain. I would hope not. But you know, and I know, that suffering comes to many. Sometimes is is mental. Sometimes it is physical. Soemtimes it may even be spiritual. Ours it he duty to walk by faith, rising above the evils and trials of the world. We are sons and daughters of God. Ours is a divine birthright. Ours is a divine destiny."

Zoo Trip

So we took Cole to the Zoo for the first time on Thursday (May 15th). He LOVES animals, knows the names of most, can sign most of them (though now he is talking more he says most of them), and their noises....even a camel. So we couldn't wait to take him to the zoo to see the animals. We took the train and then the Metro down to DC, and then walked about a block or two to the zoo. Unfortunately, the back half of the zoo closed at noon (where most of the animals are) So we didn't get to hit everything. But the weather was perfect, and Cole was passed out by noon anyhow, so we headed home shortly thereafter.
Cole wasn't as 'excited' as Quince had hoped, but I think he was more mesmorized. He would press up against the glass/gate and just repeat the animal name over and over and stare. It was cute.