"I hope his kids are healthy and happy forever," and "Is that a sparkle I see on this dress?"

Yesterday was an amazing day. Eli's fiance, Amanda, invited Shulamith and me to go with her and her mom to shop for a wedding dress. Yeah, we were pretty thrilled. And grateful. So grateful she included us, when she definitely didn't have to. Pretty sure we'll remember this sweet gesture forever.

The day began perfectly, with Matt offering to take some PTO and stay home with their kids. Shulamith and I don't get a lot of "kid free" time, so we were dang excited. But as we headed to Kneader's for a quiet, relaxing breakfast before we met up with Amanda and her mom, a tiny glitch occurred. Behind us were flashing lights; yep, a police car was signaling us to pull over. Seriously? Cuz this was supposed to be our "day."

We knew right away what the problem was: Shulamith's license tags were expired (just barely!). I should probably say right here that most of our prior experiences with cops have not been great. There was this one time that 4-year-old Seth escaped and walked across a busy street all the way to the grocery store because he wanted to buy Skittles. I was home with just Isaiah and frantic beyond belief, scurrying in a combination frenzy of crying, praying, and screaming, when a police officer pulled up to our driveway with Seth in the car. Relief flooded over me, and I crumbed in a pile of tears, but was this "public servant" kind to me? No. He gruffly ordered: "You need to take better care of your kids."

Then there was this other time just over a year ago, days before Christmas. Shulamith was in the car with both her kids, Kennedy screaming as only Kennedy can. Stressed to the max, Shulamith was driving maybe 38 mph on 80th, where the speed limit is just 30. The resident cop, who sits on that street 24/7, pulled her over. Referring to Kennedy: "She doesn't sound too happy." Gee, ya think? "Well, I'll try to be quick as I write you your ticket." Oooooh. Now Shulamith and I react very differently to circumstances such as this. I get sad. I cry. I sob. I blubber. Shulamith doesn't cry. She doesn't get sad. She gets mad. Really mad. Her comment was something to the effect of " What a horrible human being. I hope his kids die. Every last one of them."

Which brings us to yesterday. I'd like to go on record as saying we encountered a very nice cop. He was kind and polite. He was not macho. He was not rude. He was not arrogant. He asked Shulamith to get her car registered right away, and he wished us a nice day. We had plenty of time for delicious Kneader's french toast, without being late at all for Amanda's dress appointment. And Shulamith's line: "I hope his kids are healthy and happy forever."

And then it was time. As Eli would say, "Yeeeeyaw!" We met Amanda and her mom at the bridal shop, and the fun began. The first dress she tried on was positively stunning. Like she looked gorgeous in it. Oh. My. Goodness. How I wish I could include a picture right here on this post, but you see, Eli is a faithful reader of this blog (Hi Eli!). I KNOW he will see this. And he cannot see Amanda in her wedding dress. So no pics. Sorry.

Of course we couldn't let her try on just one dress, lovely though it was. The lady helping us brought out several more, and Amanda looked beautiful in all of them. Let's face it; the girl would look pretty in a paper bag. But then there was this one dress. I should point out that Amanda is not fond of sparkles. At all. The lady was aware of this, but she must have forgotten or something because Amanda's immediate response to the dress she was wearing told the whole story:

"Is that a sparkle I see on this dress?"

Indeed it was. Say no to the dress.

Finally, she decided it was time to try on the first dress once again. And that was it. Her expression said it all. A glow came over her entire face, matched only by the ring on her finger. It just felt right. Comfortable. Elegant. Sophisticated. Feminine. Perfect. Amanda!

Say yes to the dress. Only two more months to wait.

Need me some January love

The poet said, "April is the cruelest month." I disagree. It's January.

I'm whining. I know I am. Sorry. It's just that January is seriously the looooongest month of the year. I know. I know. It has 31 days just like seven other months do, but I mean really, is it still freakin' January?

Why do I hate this month so much? For starters, it's still cold. It's so very cold. Every day. All the time. It's cold. But it's no longer Christmas. Cold + no Christmas = suck. I'm pretty much cold everywhere I am. There's still snow covering the ground, snow that has been around for months. It never goes away; more just falls on top of it. I'm pretty sure it will never go away.

Second, there are no good holidays in January. Okay, I guess technically New Year's is in January, but that was so long ago I barely remember it, and it's really just and extension of Christmas, which is now completely over! Did I mention that Christmas is completely over?

Third, all my T.V. shows are on winter break. When I'm stuck in my house because I can't bear the thought of voluntarily going out in the bitter cold, I don't even have anything new to watch on T.V.

Fourth, I spent all my money in December, so I'm broke, and I can't even eat good food because I gained three pounds during the holidays, and Eli's wedding is just over two months away.

And last, the Utah inversion is kicking my trash. I can't stop coughing.

I'm whining. I know I am. Sorry. I am in dire need of an attitude adjustment. I need me some January love. Can you help? Why do you love January? Tell me, please!

On puppies and boys. On love and loss.

On December 23rd, our wonderful Boxer, Kitty, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. She was only four. Boxers are the sweetest dogs ever, but they are notorious for having health issues, and apparently it's not uncommon for them to die suddenly of heart/lung problems, with no warning. We all loved her. Here is my post and a picture from the day Shulamith got her.

Just two days before Christmas, losing Kitty was a shock to our whole family, but especially Seth. Even though Kitty technically belonged to the Webster-Monsons downstairs, she owned the entire house, and Seth had basically claimed her as his. He cried. I can't remember the last time I saw that. I cried watching him cry. A mother is only ever as happy as her saddest child.

We moved forward. It was still Christmas, and there was still much for which to be joyful. Shortly after, Seth asked about the possibility of getting another puppy. Yes, the thought had already crossed my mind, but I wanted to do what was best. Was it too soon? Should we wait and let the reality of Kitty's passing sink in? On he other hand, Seth is 15-1/2. His current plan is to serve a mission right when he turns 18. If that plan continues, he could conceivably graduate from high school and leave a week later, and all that could happen in just 2-1/2 years.

(Okay, now I'm the one crying, but that's another story.)

I decided we didn't have time to wait to get him another dog to love. Shulamith wanted a new dog too, so she began to research and look for the right one. We visited shelters and looked online, and four days ago, we drove up to Brigham City and brought home an eight-week-old Aussiedoodle (Australian Shepherd/Poodle). Let the fun begin! “Woof” is an adorable little ball of fur, but I honestly forgot how much work a new puppy is. There's the constant in and out, in and out, in and out, as we teach him the only appropriate place to go to the bathroom. This breed is crazy intelligent, so he just about has this figured out already, but it doesn't help that it's January and we have a foot of snow on the ground with more falling. I've been getting up at 2:00 a.m. to let him out. Cold!

Then there's the night-time whining. He misses his mom. Can't blame him for that, but he actually only whined the first two nights. He has settled in well. Hands down the most annoying puppy issue is the relentless chewing. Meine Gute! This guy wants to chew everything: our clothes, our furniture, our blankets, us! We just went to the pet store and bought him three different chew toys. We are praying he likes them.

Meanwhile, Seth is thrilled that Shulamith will share her new pup, and he has been quite helpful caring for him. I am happy to see him happy. Wish us luck in our new puppy adventures.