This guy...

It's fun to scroll back through the pictures on my phone every now and again.  It really gives a quick overview of what's happening, what's important and what's true.  Texas was just hit by Hurricane Harvey and received over 50 inches of rain in just a few days.  That's the amount of rain we normally receive in 6 months.  Predictably, many homes and streets flooded.  It has been a crazy couple of weeks.  First anticipating the storm, stocking up on water and food and testing our generator in case we lost power.  Then the waiting.  Then the night when we started reading up on the reservoirs near our home and realized that the likelihood of our home flooding was high.  Like most people here we don't have flood insurance because... we don't live in a flood plain.  Turns out this was a 1000 year event (should only happen every 1000 years :O).  So we had a roller coaster couple of days, preparing to receive water.  We took all of our furniture upstairs and worked for hours in our backyard redirecting water that was pouring into our yard from the skies and from our neighbor's downspouts.  Turns out all of hers were pointed straight at our yard and it really looked like water would come in through that side first.  There were 3 separate times where we certain we would flood and all the anxiety and worry that comes with that (stress eating is real people)!

Long story short, we were so blessed to be spared and our home stayed dry.  But at some point during the disaster, I looked over at this guy....

and realized there was no one I would rather go through tough times with.  He is knowledgeable, competent, hard working and intuitive.  And then, if he doesn't know the answer to something, he immediately goes to work finding it.  He's a machine and did SO much work on SO little sleep.

To top it off, literally the hour that we were confident our home would stay dry, he was loading up the truck with Jonah and a group of friends and heading over to a stranger's home to help remove flooded furniture and drywall.  Seriously.

For the next 12 days, he worked all but a few.  Mostly on homes of people he doesn't even know.  He was invaluable at all of those places because he is so competent, hard working (see above) etc... I'm so just thankful for his example.  I love this guy.

Looking back further in my pics, I found a few like this:

After seeing "Wonder Woman" together :)

Saying goodbye before heading to scout camp with Daniel, in the blazing JUNE heat!!

Helping out at the High Adventure for Isaac and Jonah in Austin

Watching Isaac's band preview with Lucy

So much time spent on our kids and working with the youth at church.  Time he could be doing other, more enjoyable activities of his choosing.  And then there are few more pics like these:  This guy!

Building a new fence for us and our neighbor (and teaching Jonah and Isaac to work alongside him)

Putting new brake pads on my car, because he knew that was something he could do and didn't need to pay someone else to do it.  

And then these... just because.  

Celebrating 20 years at Taste of Texas!  

Wearing the Harry Potter shirt I got him and trying out his new church shoes, while being exposed by the kids!  "Boyeee!"  

Love you Curtis Turner

The Story of Ozzy

For my 42nd Birthday, Curtis and the kids managed to keep a big secret from me- for several weeks!  They had made me a lovely dinner with cake and we were opening presents.  My gifts included a chew toy and a leash.  Hmm... Then the doorbell rang and this little guy was sitting on my front porch.  awwww

He was cuddly and we all adored him on the spot.  He was one of the puppies from our friends' recent littler of Golden Retrievers and he was the runt of the litter.  But it gets cooler than that.  His birthday is Thanksgiving Day and he was stillborn.  Our friend, Paul Davis, had delivered many pups but had decided to brush up on a tutorial for dealing with stillborn pups shortly before the birth.  So glad he did.  He actually worked on "Lazarus" (their name for him) for almost 10 minutes!!  Amazingly enough, the puppy came to.  Fast forward 2 months to my birthday and little Ozzy was a Turner.

I've only had one dog before, Goldie.  I sure loved that dog but we only had him for a few years because my mom was so allergic to him.  She sacrificed for as long as she could but eventually we had to find him another home (and we did find him a really sweet older woman with a nice big backyard).

So as an adult, I've never owned a dog and as the years passed I became more certain that I simply didn't have enough love in my heart for what I figured would be a stinkier child that I didn't love as much as my own kiddos.  But for about the last 5 years all of the kids have been begging for a dog.  Curtis and I did a lot of research.  We were trying to find one that Jonah wouldn't be allergic to.  He is dreadfully allergic to cats and some dogs.  Jonah spent a lot of time over at the house where Ozzy was born and didn't seem to have an trouble so that  helped Curtis pulled the trigger.  I was actually leaning towards a smaller dog that didn't shed (maybe a Shishon or Yorkie) but I was definitely torn because there is just something so special about a big dog that you can lay on and wrestle with.

Sooo, the last 6 months have definitely been fuller and sweeter because of our big dog.  He is now pushing 60 lbs, he is shedding right now like crazy and I have to vacuum and swiffer daily.  His poops are huge!  We just got him neutered last week and everything seems to be healing just fine.  Keeping him cooped up inside the house is a bummer though.  Just a couple more days and he will be free to race around the yard without a leash and swim with the kids.  He loves to swim!

Overall it has definitely enriched our lives.  The kids have been great about taking him on lots of walks, brushing him and feeding him.  Ozzy is so smart and we taught him to sit, shake, stay, come and wait to eat a treat that's right in front of him.  The only problem is that he will only do this stuff if you have food in your hand.  He LOVES food.  I think I need to ban him from the kitchen.  My butter has disappeared at least twice in the last week.  We are pretty strict about giving him dog food only.  Curtis is really the only one who feeds him a few bites from his meal but I actually think it's been a good thing because he sits so nice and still and waits patiently for a bite at the end.

Ozzy is a super chill dog.  I kept waiting for that hyper puppy behavior to happen but it really hasn't.  He loves to lay around with us and snuggle.  The only time he's tough to handle is when a squirrel is nearby or when a new person comes to the door.  Working on both.  The gentle leader has been amazing and I can take him for walks now without have my arm pulled off everytime a squirrel runs by.

Oh and the name.  We visited Curt's Dad last summer and they have the best dog ever.  My kids absolutely fell in love with him.  And his name was Ozzie.  So all the kids voted to name him after his cousin so that 's what we did.  It's super annoying because we still have Ollie and the names are just way too similar.  Oh well.  For the record, Ollie doesn't want anything to do with Ozzy but every now and again they will eat Cheerios together.  :)

We're already talking about getting a second dog to be a friend for Ozzy and are also on the lookout for a bunny friend for Ollie.  Stay tuned.

Lucy is 8!

I can't believe my little girl is 8!  Lucy's birthday was earlier this month. She was actually born the day Barack Obama won the election in 2008.  It was lame for me because I had just given birth and the only thing on TV was election coverage and then of course I live in conservative Katy so everyone at the hospital was completely depressed about the outcome.  I was disappointed too- I really wanted Mitt Romney to win.  But snuggling with my sweet Lucy cheered me up a bit.
Anyway, for her birthday I told her she could have a very small party while the boys were at a scout campout so she invited a few girls over and they swam, ate donuts on a string, played pin the tail on the rabbit and ate bean burritos and cupcakes.  Girls are so easy.  I kept waiting for it to devolve to wrestle-mania but it never happened.  Lucy's BFF's at church are quite a bit older than she is.  It's so funny but she is very drawn to older girls so we had a wide range of ages at the party.

I have been looking for a couple of months for a baptism dress for Lucy.  Every search seemed to yield either a super nerdy and painfully expensive option or something that like a mini wedding dress- often even a bit sexy.  Seriously!?  Then I started finding pictures of communion dresses that I loved but all of the links were in Spanish and I never found a single one for sale.  So I finally decided to find a way to sew my own.  I am no seamstress.  I hate following patterns and whenever I sew something new my seam ripper gets a lot of use.  This dress was no exception.  I spent 2 hours at Jo Anns picking out fabric and embellishments (that part I LOVED).  I spent $37.  Then it took 2 full evenings of sewing to get it right.  But I was so happy with the finished product.  Lucy and I took a trip to the temple and snapped a bunch of pics. So fun.  I brought along a Book of Mormon and about 10 minutes into the photo shoot when Lucy became completely bored with smiling, she suddenly became very interested in reading.  I got a few good shots of her that are very Pride and Prejudice like.  :)  Yes!

So we were assigned the date of Nov 19 for her baptism.  I read on a blog somewhere that it is easy to assume a baptism is short and easy and to underplan.  It's worth it to carefully plan all the details.  So I did that this time and was so glad I did.  It helped that I didn't have babies or toddlers at my feet.  :)  We wanted it to be simple and just were hoping that people would feel the spirit there and that Lucy would feel loved.

My brother Jim and his family made the trip from San Antonio, which meant the world to us.  Also my awesome sweet Uncle Bill, Aunt Robin and cousin Jeff came down from Jersey Village.  When I got up to speak and looked over at them I just about choked up.  Curtis and I have been orphans our whole marriage so it is always so special to have some family members come and support us.  Lucy, Isaac and Daniel and the Allen and Hansen younger kids all sang "A Child's Prayer" together.  It was beautiful and just so sweet and really helped to bring the spirit right before Lucy was baptized.  Jonah performed the baptism and he did a great job.  Our awesome home teachers, Shane Jasperson and Greg Sorensen were the witnesses.  We love those guys!  While Lucy changed, Curtis played a couple of short videos.  I'll link them below because they are so well done.  "My Joy is Full" is probably my favorite church video ever.

Lucy was given the gift of the Holy Ghost by Curtis, Jim, Bill and Dale Smith in our bishopric.  It was just sweet.  Then her teacher, Mel Fillerup and our Primary president, Katie Park both gave simple testimonies.  Lucy requested that these two speak- she loves them both and they have done such a wonderful job of teaching and loving her!

We sang "When I am Baptized" and "I'm Trying to be like Jesus" with my dear friend, Jana Rice leading and Mary Tait on piano.  I realized at I looked around at the room that the Katy 2nd Ward has truly become our family and we just love them so much!  We ate muffins and fruit and donut holes afterward and took a few family pictures.  It was a perfect day! :)

The Coat

My Joy Is Full

Baptism of Jesus

DC with Daniel

So Curtis and I are always staying up late or going on long walks and most often the topic of conversation is our kids.  Do they know just how much we love them and want them to be happy?  It's so hard as a parent of teens.  I really felt like I had the answers when they were younger but these teen years are tough to navigate.  I just feel myself losing control and have come to realize that the main thing I can control is my love for them and my example.  Of course we can also work to make our home a safe and healthy place and can provide appropriate boundaries.  But sometimes it just feels overwhelming.

Anyway, we have noticed that our kids fight a lot but one on one they are amazing.  Just really awesome people whose company I truly enjoy.  So we have been trying to enjoy more one on one.  I found an amazing deal on Kayak for tickets to Baltimore and knew Daniel and I had our trip.  Daniel is my museum kid.  He loves space and history so I've known for awhile that DC would be right up his ally.  My sweet nephew and his family live right out side of DC (Michael works at Arlington National Cemetery) and so we asked if we could crash there.  This trip was only going to work if it was almost free.

Anyway, we have noticed that our kids fight a lot but one on one they are amazing.  Just really awesome people whose company I truly enjoy.  So we have been trying to enjoy more one on one.  I found an amazing deal on Kayak for tickets to Baltimore and knew Daniel and I had our trip.  Daniel is my museum kid.  He loves space and history so I've known for awhile that DC would be right up his ally.  My sweet nephew and his family live right out side of DC (Michael works at Arlington National Cemetery) and so we asked if we could crash there.  This trip was only going to work if it was almost free.
So I took Daniel out of school for 3 days in October and we flew to Baltimore.  Then we hopped on a train that went right the Union Station in DC.  It was so fun to be on an adventure together.  We flew spirit airlines so we brought hardly any luggage and what we brought was stowed at Union Station while we walked over to the museum district.  We ate at Steak 'n Shake and then headed to the Air and Space Museum.  The weather was absolutely perfect and there were no crowds at all!  We had views of the Capitol Building as well as the Washington Monument for much of our stroll.  The museum was so interesting.  We especially enjoyed learning about comets and space probes.
We really enjoyed our time with Mike and Shalyn and their darling children.  What a great family!  They were so generous with us and made us so comfortable.  Shalyn made these delicious pumpkin pancakes and a chowder recipe that I'm actually making this week- so good!  Daniel had a lot of fun playing with their children, Naomi, Kaytlin and Charles.
We also visited the Natural Science Museum, Ford Theater, Jefferson Memorial and the Holocaust Museum.  All just incredible and inspiring and interesting.  Ford Theater was actually my favorite.  I did not know all those details about Lincoln's life and assassination.  Boy it looks like opinionated actors are nothing new.

We stayed until Saturday morning, hit Duck Donuts on our way to the Union Station (A.mazing.  Best warm, light, cake donut ever and they frost it right in front of you!) Then Daniel and I took the Amtrak to Baltimore and caught our flight home.  The Amtrak was awesome- super comfy, wifi and plugs, a food car and plenty of restrooms.  I'd love to take a longer trip on one someday.  Ours traveled 60mph but there was another that goes 100mph.  So cool.

Overall this was an excellent trip.  I loved just chatting with Daniel as we walked along.  He is such great company and just a very thoughtful person.  I love to hear the ideas that come out of his head.  He will be a great problem solver one day.  Curtis was so sweet to hold down the fort while I was gone.  And as always, it was nice to be back home.

California & Saturna Island

There's too much to write.  And these pics are out of order but it's a huge pain to move them.  This trip was incredible!  We've been planning it in our minds for over 10 years.  We finally just did it.  It was so wonderful to see so many people we adore.  My BFF Naomie and her sweet family in CA, my aunt Karia in Sequim, WA, my oldest friend from Keith Elementary, Kate Pippinger (aka Cheryl Geelhood) and Curt's Dad Bob and his family.  The scenery was breathtaking.  Reunions were lovely.  There were plenty of tears and fists on the long drives.  Lots of hot tamales and Pringles.  Some scary moments with no GPS.  Traffic and worry.  But right now all I can remember is that it was a beautiful reminder that this earth was created for us to enjoy and God is a great lover of beauty and diversity.  And I love my family more than I can say.  The older I get the more I realize that money spent on time together (especially in nature) is so much more precious than any toy or the gadget.  

Crater Lake.  All I can say is I want to go back!!  We didn't get to do the hike.  It is apparently pretty strenuous and takes a couple of hours.  Also everyone was fighting.  But.  Look at that water.  The only source is rainwater so it is crystal clear.  Definitely need to go back.

Victoria on Vancouver Island.  This whole place is like a postcard.  It was quite crowded but then we were there on a Saturday.  Lots of great places to eat and walk.  

Curtis paddle boarding after a tutorial from his brother, Grayden.  But really look at that water (I took that picture- yes!)

Totem pole in Victoria

One of many ferry rides.  And this pic was taken right after Lucy drank Mountain Dew.  Oh boy

Hiking around on Saturna Island with Errol and Ozzie the dog. Coolest dog ever.

Bob is a kayak guide and we spent an afternoon kayaking around the island.  Lucy and Curtis were partners.  It was not easy going.  Jonah and Isaac each kayaked alone and it was really hard work.  They started complaining towards the end and I got a little annoyed with them.  Then Grayden told me that he leads these sorts of trips all the time and that all our kids did amazingly well. :)  Perspective always helps.  Errol and Grayden later said they couldn't believe how good Jonah in particular was being about the whole visit.  I thought he was being such a grumpy teenager but they thought he did great.  This reminds me that too often I expect too much from my kids and think they will enjoy everything this 40 year old mom does.  Good reminder.  The boys earned their kayak merit badge.  (We did Nature, Pets and Geneology too.  Summer trips are a great time do work on scouting)

These rocks on Saturna Island are some of the most photographed in all of BC.  They were just stunning and we spent hours climbing and playing on them.  A seal was swimming alongside us for a long time.  We also saw wild goats and several different kinds of shellfish.  

The sunset from the ferry pier.

Reunited and it feels so good.  Dang I adore this woman!  We literally became friends the minute we met and were pouring out our hearts to each other within hours.  Naomie taught me so much about taking care of people, attending the temple, serving others, working hard, enjoying art and fashion to name a few.  It was so incredible to catch up and just enjoy her laugh again!!  Time is such a funny thing.  We've seen each other like 4 times in the last 20 years.  Sheesh.  Hoping it's not too long before we can hang out again.  Oh and her house is a.mazing.  She designed every bit of it and in typical Naom fashion it is seriously a masterpiece.  And she fed us so well and just made every one of us feel at home.  My kids were so sad to leave.  

 We tie dyed for hours at Naom's house.  So fun.  And here is Curtis rolling up that sassy Isaac in a blow up mattress.

Redwood National Park bear house

These hydrangeas were in the yard of the house we rented in Trinidad, CA.  Oh I miss these flowers!

Hangin out in the Redwoods

Moonstone Beach in Trinidad, CA.  The water was freezing!  But we had fun and Curtis bribed the kids to get all the way in the water so they did. Not worth a dollar if you ask me!

 Mexican food with the Demartinis.

Oneonta Gorge in Oregon.  Actually we thought we were hiking Oneonta and I'm still not exactly sure where we went but it wasn't what we had planned.  The signs were not particularly clear.  But we ended up climbing up a river bed and got to the end with a waterfall and we had the whole place to ourselves.  We had packed some french bread and lunchmeat and veggies and berries. So yummy! 

The girls hanging out on a rock after our long hike.

A visit to Sequim on the Washington pennisula with my mom's baby sister.  It was so fun to see them and enjoy their neck of the woods.  Sequim (pronounced Squim) is so lush and green but apparently it gets a lot more sunshine than Seattle.  The population is pretty small and it's an hour from Vancouver Island and Seattle.  We loved catching up and visited their Farmer's Market before we left.  My cute cousin, Leah sells soaps and bath bombs and they are THE BEST!  I bought several of them and I need more.  Her scents were so good too: grapefruit, spruce, citrus, lavender.  Hmmmm....

Playing Quiddler on the ferry ride to Saturna Island

An afternoon with my old bestie, Kate.  It was so fun to meet her younger, adopted kids.  Shay and Lucy are the exact same age and had a great time together.  We picked up right where we left off.  She is as bubbly, talented and kind as I remember her.  And she lives in the dreamiest place on Bainbridge Island.  I'm so happy for her!

A visit to Pike's market.  I could have spent a whole day here.  The Dahlias and artwork and food... it was awesome!  And aren't Curt's shoes cute?

My Saturna Island Video
And our trip movie trailer