LIBBYS ROOTS

Oh how I love my valentine

2012-02-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

he's the one in the red shirt

Best kind of mail

2012-02-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

This is a letter from my nephew Bridger who is serving a mission in Des Moines, Ioah. After reading this I couldnt help but share it. He wrote it to a family friend (who sells security systems) and forwarded it on to the family. I hope it brightens your day as it has mine!

Tell C. that i have a product that i would like to offer him. Tell him I will install it for free, and tell him he has an unlimited timeopportunity to try out our product and see if he likes it, but first a little bit about the product, this product is the greatest security system in the world, and it protects the one thing that nothing else can, your spirit. Throughout this life there will be robbers trying toget in. Such as drugs, alcohol, women, and immorality, but if you install this system it will not only keep these things out but it will invite in all things that are virtuous of good report or praise worthy.This Product is called the Armor of God. What is the Armor of God? Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand againstthe wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be ableto withstand in the evil day. …Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and havingon the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” (Eph. 6:11–18.)How do we obtain the Armor of God and what will it cost me? The Amor of God is held within the pages, precepts and teachings of the Book of Mormon.When i was about 8 years old i had an experience that changed my life,the night before I had been up all night with Lincoln and our Cousin Nicole the whole night watching scary movies, and afterwards we were sent off from Aunt Lories, to Cameron and Sarahs to spend the night. That night every one of those scary movies somehow found its way intomy head and i thought for a surety that something was there and that something was going to get me. After about half an hour of crying and wishing that my parents were there then i began to creep up the stairs towards Cameron and Sarahs room, checking around ever corner to make sure it was safe on my way. When i got to Cameron and Sarahs room i was too proud to wake them up and tell them i was scared. So naturally i just went and sat in corner and cried, that had gone on for about 5minutes when something told me to go to the kitchen. I ignored it fora minute because i didnt want to leave my safe little corner of the room but the thought in my head persisted. "Go to the Kitchen" it told me. So slowly and stubbornly i moved towards the kitchen. As i peeked my head around the opening into the kitchen there on the Kitchen table was my Uncle Camerons copy of the Book of Mormon. "Pick it up"something seemed to tell me. And so i did. As i grabbed hold of the Book of Mormon the Spirit washed over me in what i can only describe as the Pure and Perfect love that i knew my father in heaven had for me, and i KNEW without a shadow of a doubt that i would be ok. I then went and layed back down on the couch and went to bed. I have sleptwith my Book of Mormon every night since that day, and because of that i have always known that my father in heaven loves me. The Introductiont to the Book of Mormon States We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the EternalFather, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)So what does it Cost. You have to Pick it up and then you have to read it.What will happen if you do? What will you gain?In the Introduction in then goes on to say. Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah. In other words it will bring you unto your, and i mean YOUR father in heaven who loves you and wants to see you again, and that you can see him again and that you can live with him again someday, in glory and with your family, or in other words it will give you everything! I doso testify in the name of Jesus Christ Amen. Tell Him that if he does not like the product that uninstallation is free of charge, but tell him that i am VERY confident in our product and that like any product, you cant know the true benefits from its use until you have tried it. Tell him i love him and that, his heavenly father does too.Tell the family hello, and tell them that Its all true.
Love Bridger

9 years

2012-01-31T14:45:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe Danny and I have been married for 9 years. We met way back in 1999. It was the summer before my Senior year and I went with my friend Carly to temple square to meet some guy she had talked to on the phone but never actually met in person. We were standing on South Temple when I heard this loud vibrating car drive in front of us. I saw a boy and thought to myself, "that boy is fine" little did I know that boy was Danny.

We met in a grandiose manner, within the first 5 minutes the three of us were doing a huge circle hug dance and inviting strangers to join us. We ended up all getting into my car and cruising down town for a few hours. Not just any few hours but literally some of the funnest hours of my life up to that point. We were doing Chinese fire drills, Danny climbed onto the roof of the car, we were yelling at strangers on State Street and got in a water balloon fight with some random car.

That night I went home and wrote in my journal about the great night. I wrote about how much fun we had had, about how I had never laughed so hard, and then as a young teenage girl would do; I proclaimed my love for this new stranger and stated in my journal that I would marry him.
Intense, I know but apparently The Secret works.

So here we are 9 years later. Who would have thought? Lets hope year 10 we are celebrating somewhere amazing and relaxing on the beach.

But if not I still Love you Danbo, you are way better than Rambo.

Provo

2012-01-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

We have been here for officially 2 weeks...and the verdict is, it's great. It is so different than anywhere we have ever lived but we'll take it. We live smack dab in the center of Provo basically on campus. There are students EVERYWHERE like seriously EVERYWHERE which is so foreign but it helps us feel a little young so we are happy. Our home is very warm and cozy and our kids absolutely love it. We went to Bountiful the other day and when Olive saw us pull up to our old house she started crying and said, "I want to go to my new house." It was so sweet and makes me so happy that they have adjusted so well. For now we are just waiting for some warmer so we can play outside.

Cheers to you!
-Happy Valley

Give Thanks

2011-11-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for people who let me borrow their nice cameras.

THANK YOU!

Pie

2011-11-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday I learned to make pie. Pie is one of those things that you would think is not that hard to make. It's not hard to make a normal pie, but if you want to make an AMAZING pie there are a few tips and important steps to be aware of...and a great recipe helps too. Here is the follow up email my baker friend sent me with the recipe and specific directions. If you want to impress this Holiday season I suggest you try this recipe.

"Some recipes can be magical and transforming. Such is the case with this pie dough. I never really liked pies, didn’t hardly make them, but that was because I just hadn’t eaten really great pie crust. But now, it’s all different- pie is one of my very favorite desserts. And that $25 dollar pie class I took, was worth its weight in gold
Pie Dough:
1 ½ cups flour
½ t. salt
2 T. sugar
4 T. butter and 6 ½ T. butter-flavored shortening (OR you can just do 2/3 cup butter-flavored Crisco)
¼ c. ice cold water (actually put ice in the water)
Mix flour, sugar and salt together and then cut in Crisco and butter with a pastry blender. You don’t want it to be perfectly proportioned. Leave pea-sized balls of fat throughout the flour- you don’t want the fat to be too small and you want to handle it as LITTLE as possible.
Then pour in water and mix with a fork, just until the flour can be gathered into a ball. The dough shouldn’t be too dry or too wet. It is a little drier than sugar cookie dough. All the flour should be “wet”- if that makes sense. Divide into two balls.
Roll out on a pastry cloth with a cloth sleeve over the roller. (You can buy these at cooking stores. ($6-$10) You never wash them- just shake off and roll up. This “seasons” them and they are wonderful to roll dough out on. A pastry cloth is a must have for making pie dough!). Dust the cloth with flour (don’t be too little with the flour) when you are rolling out the dough.
Makes a two crust pie
Bake at 410 degrees for 15 minutes, then at 360 degrees for 30 minutes. Don’t overcook. It will look paler than you think. You cook it at the high heat first, to flake and crisp the dough.
If you are only using a shell, puncture with a fork and put in the oven at 475 degrees for 8 minutes.
Don’t put fruit in pie shell until you are ready to bake (it will make it soggy). Sprinkle sugar over the top crust. Cut bottom crust even with pie pan and then roll the top crust over the bottom crust, then seal with desired edging.
The pie is most heavenly about 45-60 minutes after you take it out of the oven- long enough for the juices to thicken, but still warm. Wow, I’m hungry. Cut it and let sit for just a few minutes if the liquid is still runny/hot, so the cool air can thicken to just rightness.
For fruit pies, 4 cups of berries is about right amount
I think shortening with butter makes a much better pie crust than all butter.
Ohhhhh so good"

The downer side of knowing how to make a great pie is that you just might make one every day. Since Tuesday I have made: an apple pie, a chicken pot pie and a blueberry sour cream pie. They have all been delish, my extra chins can testify. Happy winter baking!

Fall Happenings

2011-10-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Fall is here, thought it leads to winter I have enjoyed it. I have been pretty crappy at updating the happenings in our life as I have been one busy lady. So here are a few snippets of time over the last 2 months. Of course, I will only be posting the fun things to give the illusion that our lives are filled with nothing but ice cream and butterflies, but be not dismayed it's just a blog; and who wants to hear about the other crap anyway, right?

To begin: We enjoyed Boeuf Bourguignon
a production made possible by our friends Dewayne and Weston. When we arrived at 5 there were still 3 hours left on the timer and it was worth the wait. The evening was my favorite kind of get together with great conversation around the kitchen table, a small group of people you care about, and amazing food. I am hoping for a few more nights like of cold weather with more of you people I care about.

We have enjoyed Lagoon to the fullest. Is is our Saturday activity. We will be purchasing passes again next year, its the best money we have ever spent.

Olive had a birthday complete with all the girly necessities she requires, from a purse, to lipstick to a vacuum and a little kitchenette. She truly is the girliest girl I know, she spends most of her days walking around waving her arm like a fan saying; "I'm a princess, I'm a princess!" over and over. She LOVES to sing, dance, and entertain. She will have you sit down, stand on her little step and say, "watch mom, watch." Then she will begin to sing a song made up on the spot that goes something like, "I'm a bad guy, I'm a bad guy, no I'm not, I'm a princess, I'm a pretty princess, baby baby baby oh yeah!" What a treat to hang out with her all day.
We also got one last beach day in September, they are the days that bring me the most joy. There is nothing I would EVER rather do than sit on a beach all day long especially with these babes.

I have been taking biotin and actually seeing results, I don't think my hair has ever been this long, the only bummer part is that it's 3 inches shorter on the sides, yes I am rocking a mullet. Oh yeah, and its brown. Lots of people tell me that they love my hair brown but I don't get it. I use to go brown every fall and within a month I'd be back to blond. Last year I didn't change it, but this year I was swayed and now I am counting down the days until I can lighten it up again. BLAH is all I can say.

Eddy is now only allergic to peanuts and beef! I am so happy, 2 years ago he was living off of rice and chicken, now he can have bread, milk, cheese, eggs, yogurt, mac and cheese, and most other normal kid food. SO GREAT!

We have gone pumpkin crazy. Pats pumpkin patch is our yearly deal, we have already carved 6 pumpkins, Eddy wants to carve a new one every day, he loves Halloween and cannot wait to dress up as Darth Vader. Every day he says, "I want to go to Halloween!" I think we will make a countdown chain tomorrow.

Lastly and most importantly my nephew Bridger went on his mission this week. He is the first Berthold in our family to go on a mish and therefore it's kind of a really big deal. Such a big deal that everyone who has ever known Bridger was there to support him at his farewell. At the luncheon over 500 dinner plates were used, it was crazy chaos but great to see so much support. We will all miss him especially little miss JJ. Our family is going through Bridger withdrawls, but we are so EXCITED for him and this wonderful opportunity. What an amazing experience for us all, the blessings have already begun.

(That Bridg on the far left)

HAPPY FALL!

DDP

2011-09-26T14:30:00.001-07:00

Well Im back on the juice, Diet Dr. Pepper, that is. I took a break from July 4th until about a week ago to try to be healthier.
I got back on the juice for the following reasons:
Number 1: fall came, though it is so beautiful it still depresses me a little and the juice just makes me feel better.
Number 2: I went back to work. I now am a Family Resource Facilitator at Canyon Heights High (school for young mothers) and it keeps me energized throughout the day.
Number 3: I missed my groupies... Drinking Diet is almost like being in a cult following. One feels a sense of belonging with their fellow Diet drinkers. Its like a sisterhood that one can only understand when hooked on the juice.
So here's to you Diet drinks and drinkers! Thanks for the good times.

DL11

2011-08-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

Tahoe 2011

2011-08-21T22:57:00.000-07:00

I tri'd

2011-08-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago we packed up the kids and headed to Idaho for the Spudman. First of all let me thank my husband for being SO incredibly supportive. He helped me pack the car, he drove me the three hour distance, he set his alarm to wake me for the race and he watched the kids throughout the duration of the race.(and this is the 3rd year he has done this all for me) So, shout out to you babe! Thanks!
Back to setting the alarm for me. This year he set it a little too late and my wave started 5 minutes earlier than I thought...ps my wave was the final wave.
Okay let me back up.
When I got to the race that morning they had closed the streets because the race had already started. This meant that not only was I late but I had to run at least a mile to get to the starting point before the race even began. Once I got there I saw that EVERYONE was gone. I grabbed my timing chip and dove in at 7:34. Now at first I was pretty bummed that I missed my wave but all in all I think it was a good thing. It was really motivating to catch up and pass people (rather than being passed) The swim went great, better than ever and the bike was really good too...considering I did not have my IPOD. Rather than Eminem pumping through my veins I watched the scenery, cheered for other racers, and thought in detail about writing my blog post for the race...weird.
Anyway, the race just gets better every year. I had a tip from a friend that said to eat something every 15 minutes throughout the race, it was SO helpful. My training was also a lot different this year. I did a lot of endurance weight training and I have never felt so good throughout a race. My finishing time was 15 minutes less than last year (30 min off the first year)so I was pleased, if not for that, for the fact that I didn't want to pass out when it was over. I just felt really good...which was really good. So if any of you are ever interested in doing the Spudman with me next year, I beckon you to COME!

Ironman

2011-08-01T22:05:00.000-07:00

On Sunday someone asked me if I would ever consider doing an Ironman. This conversation came to my mind....
Please note this video is not for young audiences.

Change is in the air

2011-07-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

It is official.
Danny quit his job! We LOVE his job, just not the 70 mile commute...yeah, that's only one way.
With all he learned there he decided he wanted to learn more.
He is now enroled at WSU with a VERY FULL schedule.
He will be studying Computer Science with an emphasis in Network and Security Administration.
I will be returning to work.
The details are still being fine tuned, but change is in the air.

I feel good about these changes.

Youtube

2011-07-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

I seriously love youtube. Last night I went on a bike ride and my bike was totally sucking. Gears were slipping, the chain was hitting the derailleur, and on and on. I have needed a tune up for quite a while but not willing to spend 50 bones to make it happen.
ENTER youtube
Danny and I watched a few videos and after 3 hours of trial and error, my bike is in perfect condition and Danny and I are now schooled in the ways of the bike.

Let me telly you what else this website has done for me:
1. Showed me how to change the battery in my car key
2. Taught me and Danny how to change the brake pads on our element
3. Showed me how to get Marilyn Monroe curls
4. Showed me how to highlight my hair
5. Showed me how to turn my point and shoot camera into a web cam

and on and on

Moral of the story?
I have a testimony of youtube. I believe it helps me a lot. I like it. It has made my life a little easier, and I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank youtube for all it has done for me. Without it I don't know where I would be today. (I'd be in the same place just a little shorter on cash)
Amen.

I love you summer, always forever.

2011-07-06T08:33:00.001-07:00

Best buds in the water

arts festival

hiking down south

Joans Hole

luckily no giardia was developed

Eddy LOVES to hike

Fish hatchery @ Joans Hole

ward campout @ zarahemla

driving to the Gorge

Summer, please don't ever end.

This morning

2011-06-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 5:45. I know, you might think the end is near but actually it is just summer. I am happy to get up when the sun is up as long as it is warm outside. In a few months Ill be dreaming of days like today where I can walk around outside in my bathing suit at 6 in the morning. Til then Ill just enjoy it. I recently signed up for a masters swim team (I am indeed not a master) at the new-ish rec center. I enjoy it, but nothing compares to an early morning swim in the old outdoor lap pool.
What happened?
Why did they get rid of you?
Watching the sun come up, feeling heat on your back as you stroke through the water.
Ahhh, that's living.
Maybe someday Ill just live here....

Happy Summer Solstice

2011-06-21T23:19:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday

2011-05-24T22:39:00.001-07:00

to the man who:
helped me through my adolescence
taught my dad philosophies of life
made the 60's the 60's
and taught my mom and sister how to do their hair

We salute you.

Good Morning!

2011-05-10T09:26:00.001-07:00

This morning I woke up to Eddy climbing into my bed and over me to get to his side where he watches TV. As he climbed over me he stopped and said, "Mama, where's your boo boo's?" I opened my eyes to see him looking at my flat chest, then he said, "Oh, mama has small boo boo's."
Well good morning to you too Eddy! Gotta love that kid.

y'yo

2011-05-05T22:15:00.001-07:00

What up stranger? Warmth is creeping into the air and though it has been a long and horrible process leaving me hopeless for an actual summer, I rejoice that the sun did shine today!

With that I can finally say, "Happy Easter!" rather than "suck it."

Then Sings My Soul

2011-04-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this...though could do without the guituar solo. If you dont have 5 minutes, start it at 3:00 and watch the last half.

My sis is amaz-a-zing

2011-04-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

My sister Rachel is an artist, I just checked my email and had an invite to her ART blog. So I invite you. www.rachelsbasement.blogspot.com She is amazing.

Goodnight

2011-04-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

1,2,3

2011-04-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Lucky Girl

2011-03-28T21:44:00.001-07:00

Yes I am a lucky girl. I have wonderful friends who love me and treat me like gold. Thank you for a wonderful family/birthday night. You have almost sold me on continuing family night...almost. LOVE YOU GUYS!

I finally found it!

2011-03-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have been in search for the perfect cardigan/sweater/jacket/shrug thingy for about 3 years. So that I can wear these beauties. Drum roll please...

There she is. Isnt she pretty? She is a greyish periwinkle that basically goes with anything. She is linen, light, and also taylored looking. On top of it all she was 15 bucks at Ross. I once found a similar top at Anthropologie and bought it because I knew it was a hard find, but later returned it with buyers remorse...I dont like to spend more than 20 bucks on anything.

Which brings be to this dress. Why did I buy it, you may be asking? I typically dont let my back hang out of my clothing but I got suckered in. It is Diesel with a regular price of 220.00. My price $7.00. I had to buy it and I always hoped I'd be able to wear it, and now...
I CAN! (most likely without jeans)

I can also wear this tank dress
and this and this

and...you get the idea.
So thank you mom for taking me B Day shopping. I dont think I have loved a purchase this much in a long time. (And yes, I did just spend an hour taking pictures of myself in different shirts. I am really bored today.)

Happiness

2011-03-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

I have always been taught that I am responsible for my own happiness. That it is up to me to CHOOSE to be happy. Well I say, screw that. I believe SUMMER is responsible for my happiness. It is. And it does a really good job, it just makes me happy no matter what. Also, these guys make me happy...
I really am addicted to my friends, they are the best. I cant help but be happy with I'm with my buddys.

Free Therapy!

2011-03-17T21:51:00.001-07:00

My dad is a Psychotherapist who does individual and family counseling. Recently he decided that he wants to get his information out into the world to ANYONE who may be in need. As a result he has decided to host a bimonthly Webinar free to anyone who would like to join. The first session will be April 20th@ 8pm. If you are interested you can go to this link and fill out your information with a request for Webinar info. The first session will be, "Intro to Psychotherapy" tell your friends, it's going to be great.

http://www.craigberthold.com/

Spring = New Beginning

2011-03-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

Every time I look at my blog it is a torturous feat beckoning me to fall into fantasy, tempting me to enter depression as I watch the slide show of my California dreams. GOODBYE SLIDE SHOW! You are not my reality. I now am saying goodbye to my cyber-fornia dreams and saying hello to reality, which is not found in blogging, it's found in living...and in watching the Bachelor, right? That's what I'm going to go do now. Tomorrow reality. I'm excited for it! I'm also excited to take a break from it and watch the Bachelor Finale!!! BUT likewise excited for my reality and LIFE!

Super Wee

2011-03-07T21:47:00.001-08:00

Eddy is obsessed with Super Why. To dress up like him he has me put his church tie on backwards so it is hangs off his back like a cape...poor kid. He has done this for almost a year and today I finally told him I would make him a cape...lucky kid. He has not taken it off and wants to fly everywhere he goes. Olive is not so interested in Super Why but wants to be just like her brother.
On a side note, did any of you see the Les Mis anniversary on KUED tonight?

It was unbelievable.

That's all.

2011-02-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

I just placed my first ad with fbook. I have had 8 clicks on the ad and 10 visits to my website. I think it will pay off being that it was 10 bucks for 2 days. I changed tomorrows ad to offer a freebie, hopefully that will get me an actual contact. We shall see.

Do it Anyway

2011-02-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

I dont remember the first time I heard this quote. But I have used it many times throughout the past years as a standard I want to live by. I love what it teaches, and reminds me to do in the chaos and drama of life. I think it goes well with another quote I love And so I share it with you!

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.

Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.

Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.

Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.

Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.

Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, will often be forgotten.

Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.

Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.
-Mother Teresa

If you know me

2011-02-15T21:11:00.001-08:00

then you know how I feel about the Grammys and you know how I feel about Eminem. You would also know how bummed I was about missing his performance on Sunday...but I found a copy on youtube. They are quickly being removed as per Grammy copyright, but hopefully this one will stick around for a day or two. So if you missed it, enjoy.

Are we free or are we dancers?

2011-02-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

Chris Brown

2011-02-13T09:02:00.001-08:00

I have missed you since your Stomp the Yard cameo. Yes I am a fan. I realize that most people in Hollywood, especially the people that I enjoy are super messed. But Im not here to judge your personal life, just to enjoy your dancing.

D

2011-02-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

mis

2011-02-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Olive calls lipstick her "mis." Every morning she wakes up and is on the prowl for her "mis." I think she is trying to say lips, but it comes out as mis. Here are a few shots of her and her mis.

Friday night

2011-01-28T20:22:00.001-08:00

We were bored, and what do we do when we are bored? Make videos. Enjoy. The good stuff starts at 2:30. I guarentee you have never seen anyone play the triangle like this. But some lame editing problems occured after I finalized the project so forgive me.

Guess what came today?

2011-01-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

The J Crew SPRING catalogue.

Which means I need to start saving for this...

And the best part: it also means that summer is on its way!

The Undaunted

2011-01-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

It is not very often that you will find me blogging about a book but this book has been my life for the last few weeks. It took me a while to get into but now I cannot put it down. I have neglected my family for so long and still have 250 pages to go. Yes, the book is 814 pages! Who writes that? Seriously.
I first took interest in this book because I had always heard a story about one of my great ancestors who went through Hole in the Rock and used his red underwear to make a flag to celebrate the 4th of July. So I thought this will be cool to read about a possible ancestor of mine. Little did I know I would be enveloped in the history of this story and then in my own family history.
After staying up til 2 in the morning doing Internet research, I discovered that it was not some distant relative that pioneered the hole in the rock but about 25 pretty close relatives. Including this lady Harriet Emily Decker.

She was my great great grandmother. She was 19 when her and her husband and a new baby were called to go on the San Juan Mission. She was accompanied by 5 of her siblings and their families as well as her father. The story is truly amazing to me and has helped me realize a lot at this time in my life. It is amazing to see the faith that these people had and the longing they had to be obedient to the Lord. Because the entire journey was very difficult, and much harder than anticipated in every single way you can imagine. I mean, can you believe that they brought wagons down this? (add an additional 300 feet to get to the base from the water level) 250 people were in this party with waggons and hundreds of cattle. And this steep grade was not the worse part of the trip. More difficult terrain lay ahead for them. Originally it was thought that this route would be a short cut and only take them 6 weeks, but when they came across this crazy terrain the trip ended up taking 6 months, including a severely bitter winter.
They were not even half way to their destination after going through Hole in the Rock.
I still have a couple of hundred pages of reading to do, but after reading about my ancestors and the other research I found, I am drawn into this story even more. But, mostly I want to go visit Manassa, Colorado and meet my family that still lives there.

So Lynsey I'm ready for an invite!

**Addendum to post: I have finished the book, and I have been thinking a lot about it. The facts are simple. People risked their lives to take this journey, they gave up their homes and more to go where they were called. Once they arrived, they experienced conflict with the Indians and continued difficulties and many people left. It has made me wonder why they were even called. And made me think about my own life and why for example, I felt so strongly about going to California only to come back home. I still haven't figured that out, but I LOVED reading this book and seeing the strength these people had. They received blessings and strengthened their faith regardless of how the story ended.

One more thought: Though there was not much of a reason to stay, many did stay because, when you sacrifices so much and work so hard for something, it becomes what you love. Though my story is definitely not EVEN comparable, It makes sense to me why I did not want to leave California.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

Eddy is 3

2010-12-23T21:48:00.001-08:00

What the heck??? Where did these last 3 years go! I cannot believe that he is starting primary in 1 week! It is seriously depressing, but I'm trying to embrace watching him grow up. This is my favorite age. I love watching him try to figure out how to make me understand what he is saying, he is so smart. His latest obsession is Thomas the Train (the most boring show on the planet). His day revolves around trains and lately he has been watching the Polar Express and about 50 times a day he says, "ALL ABOARD! Ksshhh!(that's the steam)". So of coarse we had a train party and it was a hit, from the tracks, to the treasure hunt to the goodies. We had a great time. Happy birthday baby boy. One day I promise Ill stop calling you that.
Cousin Savannah
All the kids with Thomas
I know I posted about buying his cake but I just couldnt bring myself to pay 25 bucks for flour and sugar. But thanks to my sis I got this bad boy for 6 bucks.
Down the tracks, through the tunnel into the tent to find THOMAS!Family party with another cool cake from my sis. This time she made him a dragon...in about 5 minutes. Who is she?
Happy to you Eddy! (that is how he says it) I love you more than Lake Powell and that's a lot.

Family Head Swap

2010-12-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

How in the world did this (hot, I know.)

and thisbecome this? AMAZING what a computer can do.
But this little lady needs no photoshoppingneither does this guy.The winner is

courtesy of www.eyecandyphotography.net

Boycott Newport News

2010-12-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

You probably don't shop there anyway. But when you check out you will automatically be signed up for "Insider Pass" a company that is free the first 30 days and then you must call and cancel. I however thought the monthly charge was for one of Danny video games. Until he recently canceled all memberships and I saw the charge again I inquired. AND yes I have been charged 13 dollars a month for the past 4 years! I know I may sound like an idiot, but I REALLY thought it was one of his gaming memberships. So $600.oo+ later I am a scam victim along with thousands of other people. I have found numerous websites of complaints of people who called to cancel and were still charged. The cake topper is this...Insider Pass is not even a company associated with Newport News. They are a discount Travel company so they say. They say I should have been receiving emails with regular deals offered to me. Which I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED! I swear the guy on the other end of the line was some Anti-American laughing in my face as he explained that he CANNOT email me a copy of my contract because it is "In the Internet." What the hell does that mean? Long story short, if you have EVER bought anything from Newport News you should check to make sure you are not STILL signed up for Insider Pass, til then I'm calling Gephardt.

Olive

2010-11-29T13:10:00.000-08:00

Olive is walking. It only took her dang near 15 months but shes got it down! Speaking of Olive, I don't think I ever did a post for her birthday. She turned 1 on Sep 1. We had a party and she teethed...bummer. She got a Cabbage Patch kid that looks exactly like her and it is her baby. She is carrying it around right now saying, "baby" over and over. I spent 2 days making her birthday cake and learned my lesson. (Eddys cake has been pre-ordered from WalMart for his birthday this Friday;) I love my babies and cant believe they are growing so fast. Olive is such a good little talker. She says please and thank you 50 times a day. She also laughs at Eddy all the time. Even when she is screaming mad he can change her mood at the drop of a hat. As her tears roll down her cheeks the giggles come out. She will only fall asleep if her blanket is a tied quilt. She rolls the ties through her thumb and pointer finger and sucks her other thumb until she's out. AND if I have the quilt she will fall asleep in my arms. That is a luxury I have never had. Oh how I love her.

Wow.

2010-11-21T15:06:00.000-08:00

It's hard to even start this post, I don't know where to begin. This has been the craziest year of my life and it just keeps coming. Crazy meaning busy, ever changing, fun, chaotic, crazy.

We are back. Officially. In Utah. AND I am very happy to be here. Last night was a the first big snow storm and it is great to be here during the holidays with snow, fire places, hot chocolate, and family. Truly great. That being said, I also really miss California. It was also truly great. The things I loved about it sound very cliche and probably are, but there are other things I loved that had nothing to do with California and only to do with my family, our experiences, and being together.

Though short and sweet I would not trade our time there for anything. The last post I wrote was published with me knowing I was leaving. It was my Ode to California; my farewell. We headed out 2 days later and did not tell a soul.

Except my sister Rachel.

She arranged a family night at her house with my parents and siblings. As she said the blessing on the food she prayed that, "Danny and Libby would be with us tonight." and as the prayer ended there we were. It was a great surprise, everyone was floored.

So here we are back in Utah, Danny was offered a job down south that he is really excited about and I am still adjusting to all of our many adjustments, happy and grateful to be with Danny and my kids. Home really is "wherever I'm with them." And I would know, with my assortment of homes in the last 3 months.

California love

2010-11-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

California knows how to party.California knows how to party..yes she doesIn the Citaaay of L.A.
In the citaaay of good ol' Watts
In the city, city of Compton.We keep it Rockin, We keep it Rockin'Now let me welcome everybody to the wild wild west.
A state thats untouchable like Eliot NessThe track hits your eardrum like a slug to your chest...we got the best for your yada yada yada...
Its all good from Diego to the BAYYour city is tha bomb if your city makin pay
Throw up a finger if ya feel the same way
Dre puttin it down for
Californ-i-a
Now for something extra special watch this!

All Hallows Eve

2010-11-02T21:08:00.001-07:00

Trick or Treat!

Not so sure about this dude.But this girl takes my breath away.Eddy has perfected saying CHEESE!!!And I don't think Olive or Eddy have recovered from their late night of sugar, but they LOVED it! Eddy loved getting scared by all of the houses and costumes. And he loved to say, "that's scary!" I dressed up when I got home, I was afraid if I went out like this people might mistake me for a real gangsta and shoot me.

Scenery

2010-10-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

The scenery out here is pretty amazing. The other day we took a drive out to the coast on a tiny mountain road. I kept feeling like I was in Forks with all the pine trees and high mountains...until I heard my kids screaming in the backseat and realized that Danny was not a super albino vampire sitting next to me. Then like 5 more minutes into the drive I felt like we were in Costa Rica with all the foliage and moisture in the air. It was a very foggy and damp day, but non-the-less; Goregous.

Home

2010-10-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Home is wherever I'm with you.

So much to blog about

2010-10-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

So we are here. Cloverdale, California. AND the verdict so far is...I love it. It is simply breathtakingly beautiful here. I went running the other day and literally laughed out loud because I could not believe the scenery was real and that it was just outside my doorstep. It has been one week, one very busy week and today was the day that I have been looking forward to the most. SUNDAY, a day to go and meet some friends and get a little more connected to this community. Well my excitement was quickly abolished when upon arriving to church I realized how much I missed my home. My ward. My friends. My primary children. My sons friends and on and on. I did so good through sacrament. I listened, stayed alert and tried not to listen too well so that nothing would pull on my already tender heartstrings. I went to walk Eddy to nursery upon finding a room with 1 other child inside and some books. But still I was strong, I dropped him off and did great suppressing my memories of his joy when arriving at the K2 nursery screaming in excitement to see Lincoln, Grahm, and Harrisson. I walked away and headed into the Relief Society room where one of the sister missionaries whom I got to know a week earlier invited me to sit by her and her companion. As I sat down the sister said, "How are you adjusting?" I looked at her, paused, tried to answer, "good" but instead saw her eyes and her knowledge of the lie I was about to tell, and with tears welling up I said, "Not good." AND IT BEGAN. All that I had done so well holding down was now erupting at a steady pace. BUT I persisted. I sat through the meeting, participated and calmed myself down, so I thought. So at the end I decided to introduce myself and when I opened my mouth the cry choke entered rather than words, hormone induced tears ran down my face as I said, " I--i-i a--m Libby Sw-i---tzer" to the 10 women that make up the Relief Society. I told them that I am typically a very happy person, that I am excited to be here...which I am, but that I am just a little homesick and getting use to the adjustments. What is wrong with me? Haven't I learned the cardinal rule? "First, never start a land war in Asia" - but only slightly less well-known is this: Never bear testimony, make a comment, or share thoughts at church when it's your "time" of the month! Wo-sorry too much information as usual. Needless to say, the week was great, today not so great. BUT I still want to talk about this week...

So, I have applied for a bunch of jobs, the one I am most interested in is as a Site Director for the Boys and Girls Club in Cloverdale, but who knows what will come of it.

Danny is learning a lot. Seriously, a lot and when he is not working on a computer he is studying for his Network+. He and I went to see Social Media and I think it inspired him to be more of a computer nerd which I am totally down with.

We all sleep and in one bedroom. It is really cozy but also really fun. We are so happy to all be together. We live in a culdisac with like 15 kids that play everyday when they get home from school. Eddy waits around all day for them to come home and they love him. They all look out for him like he is the little bro.

The other day we drove to the lake which is like 5 minutes away and simply gorgeous. We took the kids to the fish hatchery and let them feed the steel head. It has been a very busy week spent with LOTS of time in the car and me trying to find my way around the city. But yesterday and today were spent my favorite way, just laying in the sun and relaxing in the yard. I'm sure there is more to say that I am forgetting but for now I'm happy. This is going to be hard, it already is hard but as I said in an earlier post, I can do hard things. And really it's not THAT hard. Til next time I miss you all especially you two...

Addendum to Strong Enough

2010-10-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:
for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9

My Free-be

2010-10-04T17:25:00.001-07:00

Jimmy Fallon, why do I love thee? This is why...

Oh, and it's why I love you too JT.

Strong Enough

2010-10-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

We all have hard things to go through. Some people have it easier than others and some people have it dang hard. People always say,

"God wont give you anything you cant handle."

I dont believe that. Bad things happen to people all the time and in many cases people go crazy or suicidal or they just "cant handle it". Sometimes bad things just happen and it JUST SUCKS and that is the only way of looking at it.

I believe time heals all wounds. I believe that the Lord can help us through it all. AND I also believe that we are strong. Who is "we", you might ask? It's you. You're strong. You're stronger than you think. You can do it,

you can actually do it.

And so can I. I am strong. I can do it. What is "it" you might ask? Whatever the hell you want to do. You can do it, whatever you need to do, you can do it. It might seem really hard,

it might seem impossible

but I just want you to know that I believe in you,

you are strong,

I know you can do it. AND I believe in me.

So lets go kick some ass.

-ass being whatever obstacle you are dealing with or would like to overcome ;)

The Coolest Small Towns In America

2010-09-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

I woke up to MSN's homepage,

"Forget San Fran. it's all about Cloverdale"

Now you all will come visit me there, right?

Heading out in less than two weeks. So book your flights!

To see the full article click on the pic.

For Danny

2010-09-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

We miss you daddy.

Sunday Lesson

2010-08-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

I know that some of my posts tend to get very personal. This is one of those posts. I probably should save it as a journal entry, but there are a few of you friends that I want to share this with. You know who you are.

It has been 21 days since my last post and a lot of changes have happened. Right now I am sitting at my sewing machine on a camping chair in an empty house typing a blog for my last night here. I am very relieved to get out of this house tomorrow but only because I subconsciously on purpose have made this home my personal hell for the past 2 weeks. My way of coping with change is by trying to make my circumstances seem crummy so that I will want a change. When the truth is I have never wanted things (most things) to stay the same more in my life, and change is the last thing on my mind. My home is beautiful, my neighbors are truly my best friends (and Eddy's), my yard is my sanctuary, and we love every minute here. But there is more to mine and Danny's future than me being a homemaker. So change is coming.

Today at church one of my good friends gave a lesson on the Holy Ghost (WARNING: time for spirituality) She asked us to think about a time in our life when we have felt the Holy Ghost help us. Here is my experience:

Danny and I had been struggling for a while about whether or not we should sell our house (1 year to be precise) and this summer we were at the end of our rope. EVERYTHING was not working out. When I say everything that is what I mean. Danny was sick all of the time, job interviews that we thought were in the bag were not working out, new job sucked with a capital S, homes were not selling, Eddy got sick again, I was depressed, and the list could go on but it wont. Then we decided to fast and pray whether we should sell. The answer came to both of us that we should...but we had no plan. Where would we go? What would we do? We didn't know, but we knew that we needed to leave our h0me. After 2 weeks of being listed, our home had ZERO calls on it, we lowered the price and still not one. Once again the spirit helped us in deciding that we should put our home up for rent. That weekend we had one family come look at it, they called us 5 minutes after they left and said they wanted it. The next week, Danny got a job offer in California, his job here was finally going better than ever, his endoscopy came back GREAT, and everything has just fallen into place. So when I get sad and lonely thinking about how difficult it is going to be leaving my wonderful friends and family, I just think about the spirit that I felt that day that we rented our house. The weight that was lifted from my shoulders, the peace that I felt after such a long time of chaos, and I know that it will all work out. I don't know how but I know it will. And that feeling of comfort is something that only the Holy Ghost can give to me. I'm going to miss it here that's for dang sure, but I'm confident that I will be just as happy in the years to come.

Still not reality

2010-08-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

A LOT happened this last weekend:
We went to Idaho
I did the Spudman
We took our house off the market
Olive cut a tooth
We rented our house out
And finally decided that we are moving to California.
WHAT? Wait. Im a Berthold and as J.J. puts it, "The tit doesn't stretch that far!" Yes, my family is very close, yes we see eachother almost daily, and yes I will miss my mommy but I am also very excited. It is going to be a great adventure for us.
Here is the plan:
We move out of our house the end of this month
Renters move in September 1
We stay with my rents and Danny heads to California
He will live with his sister while his job gets started
Once settled and more stable we will join him in Sonoma County

Wow. It's still not reality but it becomes more real every day. Im so glad we are keeping our home, I think it will make the transition easier knowing that we are still connected here. I will miss my Kaysville family so much. There is a lot we will miss, I could make a list of 1000 things and more. We will be grateful for the amazing times we have had here and get excited for the new adventure that awaits us.

"Hi, my name is Libby", croud responds, "Hi Libby" "and my husband is a gamer."

2010-07-29T19:09:00.001-07:00

This thing is apparently really cool and makes our computer better. I still can't tell a difference, but Im glad he is happy, and Im glad he knows how to do this...

Flaming G.

2010-07-08T13:39:00.000-07:00

This is the first time that just the 4 of us have gone somewhere all by ourselves. Arent we big? I was a little nearvous about staying entertained without anyone else there, but it was GREAT and we will be doing it more and more. Seriously, we could go camping every dang weekend in this beautiful state. There is so much to see and do and summer is just too short!Greens Lake

Eddys first fishing pole. He caught a Fish at Red Canyon (well actuall Danny caught it and Eddy ran away, but it was with Eddys pole)

The House that Built Me

2010-06-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Going Home. Really? I dont know if I can do it. Im not necessarily going to, but I know that I really dont want to. I love my home, I loved growing up in it. I love the brightness of the kitchen in the morning. I love walking the roads surrounding my home. I love the memories that built me in that home. But I left, I moved on, I've grown since then and learned a lot, but maybe forgotten a lot along the way too.
Anyway, they say you can't go home again, but I may be going back. We are in the midst of figuring things out. It's really hard to figure such big decisions out, but we will do it. Til then, doing the best I can and loving this song. It makes me not hate the idea so much.

Fathers Day Pics

2010-06-17T09:29:00.001-07:00

Today

2010-05-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Today Danny called me to go to lunch. We had to hurry because he didn't have much time so I picked him up and we grabbed subway and ran to a park near his work to eat. Eddy was having the time of his life until he went down a slide and fell into a huge puddle of mud. DANG! He was covere in mud. We took off his clothes, luckily I had a fresh pair of underwear for him and we wrapped him in a sweatshirt...as we were cleaning him up I looked to my left to find Olive.

Du, du, du...

She had taken my Subway sandwich ripped it in two with all the toppings on her lap and is happily enjoying the bread. Now she is covered in mustard, olives, and onions so we took off her clothes and jumped in the car. From lunch I was headed to SLC to pick up flowers and I couldn't go with 2 naked kids. So I made Danny run with me to K Mart. I ran in and grabbed the first 2 outfits I saw and ran Danny back to work. It was a quick lunch but seriously HILARIOUS...well after a minute it was.

Going on a bear hunt

2010-05-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

I come from a family of hunters, I am not a hunter and my husband is not a hunter, but if you have been to my house growing up then you know that the men are hunters. You also know about the Duck Room and you know NOT TO TOUCH THE DUCKS!

Every year throughout my childhood we would go camping at Flaming Gorge for the deer hunt, then to fish, or just to be with good friends, but as time has gone on and we have gotten older the family hunting has ended and we now have a little place there just to get away to. My brother has been consistent in hunting throughout the years, my dad only hunts ducks, but this year of the 6 tags offered at Flaming Gorge for the bear hunt, my family drew 3 of them! My dad, brother and nephew were the lucky 3. Now here is a story that should be saved for the FG Journal but I think its good enough to add to my blog.

For the past month or two, my dad and brother have been preparing for this hunt. What a freaking process... They hike miles to their destination of where they want to set up camp carrying tree stands on their backs.

Then they have to hook slats to the tree so they can climb it with the stand on their backs and then install the dang things

Then they carry in 100's of pounds of nasty stinky food to bait the bears in (or wild turkeys in this case)

then they set up cameras that take pictures of any movement that may occur in this area.

Once they are ready they climb into their tree stands and wait.

in silence.

for hours.

and hours.

They went in Thursday morning and night, Friday morning and night. Went back in Saturday morning then evening, and finally at 6:30 they saw the alpha male and my dad decided to take him. The arrow was a bad shot, it went through his shoulder, the bear got pissed and took of running, he was gone in less than a second. My brother went down to try and locate him but only found a broken arrow with little blood so they know he was not badly wounded. Back in the tree stands they went waiting around to spot another bear, now that the alpha male had taken off they were hoping that the other bears would want to come into the bait. Well they did, all at once 3 bears came into the camp surrounding the tree my brother and dad were in. (let me remind you that "bears climb trees faster than they run"- Dwight Schrutte) And let me also remind you that NEITHER of them have guns, JUST BOWS AND ARROWS. My dad was sitting about 12 feet above the ground as one of the bears started heading up to him he was sniffing and grunting and about 4 feet below my dad. My dad moved and scared him off, but he came back. This time my terrified dad sat still, my brother who was higher up in the tree looked around trying to see where the bear was and he spotted him, they made eye contact and the bear grunted and growled and LUCKILY took off. By now it is pitch dark, they aren't sure where the 3 bears are and they are terrified to get out of the tree. After a while they decided they better go NOW. They did, and they made it out safe. My dad said his heart raced for about 27 hours, he didn't sleep for a couple of nights but had so much fun that they are going back this weekend to find him again.

CRAZY SONS OF B's!

Its getting warmer...

2010-05-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

And I am LOVING it!

Im lucky to get a shower in on such beautiful days.

But who needs one with hair like mine?

(You know you're jealous)

I could do an entire post on my bed head, but thats for another day.

Till then bring on SUMMER!!!

The Zoo doesnt have dragons...sorry Eddy!

2010-04-27T08:40:00.001-07:00

We took our kids to the zoo the other day. I expected it to be warm so my kids in skimpy summer clothes, Danny was the only one with a sweater and we were all jealous. It was FREEZING! Luckily Eddy was so entertained by the animals that he wasnt worried about the goosebumps all over his legs.
The baby elephant was the cutest thing ever. We saw her nursing with her mommy.
Eddy wanted to ride the merry-go-round over and over and he LOVED the giraffes!

Sadly, there were no dragons at the zoo. Eddy really wanted to see a dragon. He kept asking over and over to see one, thanks to the movie, "How to Train Your Dragon."

He loved the train as did Olive. (thanks for the sweater Danny) I think the zoo is the perfect place for a 2 year old. It's so cool for them to see all the animals they read about in books for the first time. I personally have never liked the zoo. Working with the school district for so many years with regular field trips and summer camps to the zoo made me a zoo hater. But going with my own kids was a blast, I've been converted to enjoy watching the caged animals, sorry PETA.

Life Dreams

2010-04-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is so different from anything i have ever done in my life. I am the youngest of 4 children and was rarely around babies. I became an aunt at 7 and enjoyed babysitting occasionally but that was about it. I was a pretty spoiled kid and had selfish tendencies, spending my time doing what I wanted and playing with my friends.

Life is so interesting the way it comes at you. I never had any definet plans of how I wanted my life to turn out. I just knew that I wanted to have fun and I had lots of dreams like...

1. Joining the Air Force (brought on by watching Top Gun)

2. Moving to Hawaii

3. Serving a mission to Jackson Hole

4. Becoming a Geologist, or Oceanologist

5. Living by the Ocean

6. Working summers at Lake Powell

The list goes on, but the point is I really wanted to do all of these things. These were things I dreamt about growing up. I really never dreamt of getting married, I never thought twice or even once about raising a family. But there were very random things that I ALWAYS knew.

I always knew that I would only have white bath towells and white sheets and that I wanted to sleep in a room with light walls and lots of windows. I always knew that my favorite way to spend my free time was to be outside in the hot sun. I knew that I wanted to name my kids Sadie and Paige(but never thought about actually raising them).

Now the point of this post is that those dreams I had, they didn't happen, the things I loved, I still love (save the names), the things that I thought little about like a husband and kids well those are the center of my life now and I LOVE IT! But the interesting thing is, my dreams didn't go away with this wonderful new life. They are still there lurking in the back of my mind. And that's a good thing, but my desire now is to have my dreams be dreams about my family. Easier said than done. I'm a mom and I love being a mom, but I feel like I am ALWAYS trying to get my mom stuff done and out of the way so I can work on ME stuff. This is also not a bad thing, but I want to have the desire to be like a professional mom. I want to have my free time spent thinking of ways I can party with my family, or play with my kids, or what have you. But it's not as easy as it sounds. You would think that since I have the desire I would just DO IT and LOVE IT.

But I'm so distracted.

Instead of doing those great motherly things I sit outside in the sun, dreaming of Hawaii and water skiing and where I can buy 700 thread count white sheets for a good deal. So now my goal for this week is to plan 3 fun things to do with my family. They don't have to cost money they just have to be FUN! I think being a mom can be just as much fun as getting your ear to the water, right? So tell me some ideas of something fun to do besides, going to the park, on a walk, or to the library (I already do those, and the library is NOT fun) I'm ready to be a mom and to be good at it. I'm trying to get rid of my selfish tendencies or at least bridle them for the time being.

My 3 ideas:

1. Go fishing

2. Buy and play Hungry Hippos

3. Fix bike trailer and take kids on a bike ride.

Now tell me your ideas!

adendum

2010-04-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

To the below post. Digital is not acting. Digital is literally digital. Dannys grandpa was a computer scientist for N.A.S.A. or as he liked to say, he was into digital. Sorry I wasnt very clear. But Danny is actually certifying in A+ and some other "digital" programs to be a computer techy guy. Though, your supportive comments are making me want to move to Cali, we will be here.

Digital

2010-04-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

At the end of mine and Danny's honeymoon we stayed a night at his grandparents house so they could drive us to the airport in the morning.

That evening they took us out to dinner to congratulate us as newlyweds. At Dinner Danny's grandma talked to us about Danny's career. She was a drama teacher in Pales Verde's and in touch with many agents. She already had one picked out for Danny, she really thought he would be the next Brad Pitt. She talked to us through dinner and worked to convince us to move to California and try the acting gig. Though she was persistent we explained to her that we wanted to stay in Utah and figure things out for a while before deciding on a career. Throughout dinner Danny's grandpa chimed in to agree with his wife and coxing us into become Hollywood residents but he could tell we weren't too interested.

At the time Danny's grandpa was struggling with dementia and Alzheimer's. Throughout dinner I would look up to see him staring at me intently with one eye closed, his mouth formed in a tight circle slightly opened, his hand close to his face with his pointer finger shaped like a hook. And hook it was, for he was a pirate! What a fun night we had. Though his grandpa was a little out of it, he was hilarious and had a great sense of humor. We would laugh when the pirate would return to our conversation throughout the night, always with one eye closed and the other wide open staring me down.

When we finished dinner and were walking to the car Danny's grandpa stopped in the middle of the parking lot and very seriously explained to Danny that his best career choice would be in "DIGITAL." The conversation went as follows...

"Grandpa, what do you mean digital?"

"You know, Digital!

Up down, on-off, black-white, digital."

"Oh digital.?"

Danny and I looked at each deciding whether we should laugh or agree with him, for he clearly was not all there.

Throughout the drive back to their house his grandpa continued to repeat digital things. We were squeezing each others hands in the back seat trying not to bust out laughing. He continued to tell us that if we wanted to get anywhere in life or make any money then we should get into digital. "up-down, on-off, digital."

Well grandpa Hunter after years of laughing at that conversation we have finally decided that we are going to take your advice, and with that Danny is now pursuing DIGITAL.

Seriously? Come on, Its freaking April.

2010-04-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

A reminder that I needed today

2010-04-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

If fools shall have thee in derision,

If thou art called to pass through tribulation,

if thine enemies fall upon thee,

and if thou shouldst be cast into the pit,

or into the hands of murderers,

and all the elements combine to hedge up the way,

and above all,

if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee,

know thou,

my son,

that

all these things shall give thee experience,

and shall be for thy good.
The Son of Man hath descended below them all.

Art thou greater than he?
Therefore,

hold on thy way,

fear not what man can do,

for God shall be with you forever and ever.

(From Elder Hallstroms Conference talk)

Ah, much better.

2010-04-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

My baby Olive is getting so big. She moved out of her cradle into a mini crib (since a regular crib wont fit in their room) and she LOVES it. She loves her bed just as much as her brother loves his...wait, Eddy doesn't love his bed anymore. Since he can now get out of it, he takes full advantage. The other night I thought I heard a noise in the family room so I walked in there only to find Eddy and my wallet. He had emptied it completely and had a pen and a note and was writing on it, just trying to be like his mom. It was like 11pm and he goes to bed at 8. Who knows what he was doing for the 3 hours in-between. This morning I turned on a little Tim McGraw to work out to and Eddy kept trying to pick up Olive saying, "dance, dance" So I stood her up on her feet and Eddy held her hand and danced with her. They love each other so much.

AND Eddy keeps telling me, "I ana go home." Buddy, we are home. He doesn't get it. Because grandma and grandpa are home, and his cousins are home, he wants to go home too.

Frustrated Incorperated

2010-03-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

I spent last week making this and I HATE the Background color. PLEASE help me pick a new one...
and then help me take this apart and change it. Freak this is going to take long.

Watch and enjoy.

2010-03-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

Oh Eddy!

2010-03-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

I LOVE my chunky monkey!

2010-03-05T13:42:00.001-08:00

Just Another Day in Paradise

2010-03-03T08:35:00.000-08:00

Did any of you catch the premier of Parenthood last night? I loved it.
It wasn't a comedy by any means, but it was funny and sad and just real. It reminded me so much of my family and of my life being a mom. Lately I have been pretty bored with life. Waking up, making breakfast, cleaning house, bathing kids, blogging etc. etc. etc. I know the weather highly affects my blah attitude and winters are always hard for me, but last night this show seriously reminded me that this is the best time of my life. I am fortunate to live close to ALL of my siblings. I love that Eddy gets to play with his cousins and that my brother and sisters are close by. Every day Eddy asks over and over for each one of his cousins.
Eddy: Wheres Incon?
Me: Work
Eddy: Wheres Shefton?
Me: School
Eddy: Wheres Drew
Me: Home
You get the idea but he has like 10 other cousins he goes through. Anyway, I always dream of moving to California and living happily in the sun, and I still think it would be awesome, but right now I'm happy to be here in freezing Utah surrounded by my family. These last 2 years have been hard for us but we have made it through and felt more support from our families than we could imagine. (Man, is this testimony meeting?) What I'm trying to say is that I know I'm lucky that I live by my family, and I know I'm lucky that I get to be home with my kids and I know that my life is basically are just another day in paradise.
Now go watch Parenthood on HULU.

Twilight Hospital Scene

2010-02-25T15:56:00.000-08:00

When people think of California, often they think of the beach, surfing, shopping, and tandem biking on the boardwalk. But when I think of California, I think...HOLLYWOOD! With that being said, here is my latest work made in California, hopefully soon to be premiering in Hollywood.

Do you miss seeing my kids?

2010-02-25T13:54:00.001-08:00

Eddy's cousin Savannah loves to get him dressed up every time she comes over. Witness the moon boots with the red polka-dot skirt. IMPRESSIVE. She may be a designer one day.
Olive got her first swimming suit. In anticipation for warm weather we had a indoor swim party at home, not as fun as an actual swim party but none-the-less still fun.

Boots

2010-02-04T11:59:00.000-08:00

Eddy was given this pair of moon boots from like 1984 from his cousin. They are his favorite thing in the world. Lately Eddy has been waking up very early. I will put him back in bed until I am ready to get up and when I go in his room to get him up he is ALWAYS in bed wearing the boots. I'm pretty sure the reason he is waking up so early is because he is so excited to put them on. Well, he literally wears them EVERY day ALL day long and when they are not on him says, "Where's boots?" over and over. Well the other night he was taking a bath and his boots were sitting by the side of the bath, and suddenly I hear Danny yell, "What the heck are you doing Eddy?" then I hear Danny ringing something out into the bathtub. I ran in to see that Eddy had tried to put his boots on in the bath. So they were in the wash all day and they now smell very mildewy...bummer for Eddy but on the other hand, since the boots have been MIA he has been sleeping better!

Friday Night

2010-01-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Its Friday night, Danny and I were planning on going out for our anniversary tonight but things did not go as planned. So we took the kids to Fuji Sushi and it was delightful. I HIGHLY recommend that place, I liked it more than Happy Sumo. Anyway, my nephew was planning on watching the kids so we could go to a movie but we opted to just stay in. Danny and Eddy ran to get a movie and I am laying in bed typing. Its so nice to be alone in a quiet house. I think this is a great anniversary gift. My life and attitude has definitely changed over the years. I was not happy unless I was out on the town. Tonight will be different but equally enjoyable.

Hormones

2010-01-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

Since having baby number 2 my hormones have been very different, or maybe just missing. But have no fear they came back last night. This morning I woke up feeling great and energized. Eddy woke up with gubers in his eyes that sealed them shut. He must have an eye cold I thought. But I still got him ready and prepared to take him and Olive to lunch for my sisters 32nd birthday! Though Eddy was very ornery, I figured I would just take him anyway and make the best of it. I was feeling pretty good and didn't want to miss out on lunch with my sisters. So we arrived at Cutlers. I set Olive down in her car seat by the table and put Eddy in a chair next to his cousin. I went to order my food and my hormone level quickly changed. I was suddenly very irritated at the menu, being that they would not give me Tuna in my kids meal. Come on! My son is allergic to EVERYTHING. I don't want to give him a sandwich with a piece of ham on it and nothing else. But I did. As I continue ordering I hear Olive start SCREAMING bloody murder. She is starving. Then as I am paying Eddy starts yelling across the room, "MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM!" I try to control my heart rate as my face turns beat red due to embarrassment and anger. I can see the people around wondering who's kid is crying and who's kid is yelling MOM at the top of his lungs. I quickly fill up my drink and head to the table. Grab Olive out of her car seat and attempt to soothe her. I turn to Eddy who is still yelling, "MOM!" over and over and in a quiet stern voice very strictly tell him to "Shut up!" Who tells a 2 year old to shut up? ME. Don't judge. Well he doesn't shut up, he persists now standing on his chair yelling, "MOM! MOM!" My heart is racing, the hormones have changed to very potent anger, not easily being calmed. I take Olive over to Eddy, sit him down in his chair and hand him his sandwich that he then throws. Oh man, I really might freak out. I am losing it, I cant take it anymore. My sister can sense this and asks if she can hold Olive. I say, "No" and continue trying to shove bites of Eddy's sandwich in his mouth. He is not having it. So I decide to walk away. I leave him to sit by his cousins with his puffy infected eyes to eat chips. He does not have one bite of his stupid sandwich that I just spent 5 bucks on and he begins to laugh and play. Meanwhile, I am attempting to give Olive a bottle so I don't have to nurse her in public. She is not having it. My rage is at peak now as I pull up my shirt with no blanket to cover and latch her onto my boob. Who freaking cares at this point. Well, I ate while nursing. Eddy didn't eat. He is looking sicker and sicker and I decide to try to put breast milk in his eyes to see if it will help clear them up. (for those of you who don't know, breast milk works as an antibiotic) Well, I lay Eddy down on my lap and hold him down as I proceed to shake this milk bottle in his eye. Well its not working. He is screaming, there is nasty breast milk all over his face and people are staring at me. Who is this crazy lady with the screaming kids, who told one of them to shut up, nursed the other one around everyone eating their lunch and is now shaking a bottle of breast milk in her sons face??? ME EVERYONE, ITS ME! LIBBY SWITZER! Don't worry, Ill try to get myself together before lunch tomorrow with my girlfriends...to be continued

NEW

2010-01-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

A lot is new...
We sold the truck!

Danny loves his job

Conan may be leaving us

Eddy is in a bed

Eddy, on occasion cleans up his messes without being asked The sun is shining!!!

Eddy and Olive are waking up early. I am not use to it.

Olive is Olive

Danny is playing indoor soccer

I am in the lottery

We have enjoyed winter...so far.

Alarm

2010-01-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

Winter Freaking Sucks

2010-01-06T10:03:00.001-08:00

So, I enjoyed winter all the way up to New Years Day. Now the Holidays are over, the parties have ended, the decorations are down and my house is dim and dreary. The sun is covered by either clouds or dirty air and my desire to do anything at all like shower, or get off the couch have dissipated. I am officially a winter hater. I think I will go tanning, it could give me cancer but it WILL give me happiness.

Sunday Morning

2009-12-30T23:14:00.000-08:00

I finally figured out what was wrong with my movie maker, and now I present to you the latest event in the Switzer house.

Thoughts

2009-12-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

There is a lot going on in life. I have quite a few friends/family/neighbors who are suffering physically/spiritually/financially and in so many other ways. And throughout this time I have felt very somber, able to be positive, but also heart broken at the difficulties so many of us must face.
I was watching the news today and there was a father who shot and killed his wife, two kids and then himself, in the same newscast there was another man who robbed an Apple store. At this time of year, I think so much about my Savior about his love that is unbinding and healing. I pray for these people who have their struggles. I don't know anything about the father that killed his family other than they were going through a divorce and he was not happy about it. I cannot imagine the struggles this man must have been going through to chose to do something so horrible. I also know nothing about the man that robbed the Apple store. I picture him unemployed, unable to find work at this crazy time, and sick and tired of not being able to provide for his wife and kids. I feel for him, it is unbelievable what people cause themselves to stress on, and the actions that that stress can lead to. I pray that when we find ourselves struggling and at our whits end that we will pray to feel the love of our Savior, that we can find peace in our hearts, and if we dont know how to find that peace that we will think of what we can do for others rather than what we can do for ourselves. It is when we serve others, that we feel the best, that our stress is lightened and that we are truly happy.
Somebody sent me an anonymous letter last week with this quote, "The test, then, of our souls greatness is rather to be sought in our ability to comfort and console, our ability to help others, rather than our ability to help ourselves and crowd others down in the struggle of life." Joseph F. Smith.
I know this is not my typical post, but I have just had a lot of thoughts lately. Merry Christmas!

SNL short

2009-12-07T20:36:00.000-08:00

Spaghetti Eddy

2009-12-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

Eddy is officially 2!

In celebration, let me tell some reasons I love him:

He wakes up every morning with a smile on his face and his thumb in his mouth.
He has so much energy he helps me get exercise.
He also helps me sleep. Eddy loves to sleep, he giggles when I lay him in his crib because he is so excited.
He makes great conversation (i ana cah, pees ma?)
He has morning hair like mine (lucky boy)
He tries to use my eyelash curler every morning
When we read books he has one favorite page that he wants to look at the entire time, so rather than reading books we just stare at the page with the cow on it.

We had tons of fun celebrating his birthday with family and friends. His eyes lit up when he saw the house decorated with balloons and crate paper. And he just absorbed all the love and attention he got.

He started to figure the whole birthday thing out. He actually opened his presents and was excited about the gifts. He also tried blowing out the candles and succeded after about 10 blows. I cant believe how fast this motherhood thing is going by. It takes a lot of energy but is totally worth it.

Notice him trying to blow out the 2nd candle, that is some serious concentration!

Struggle...but I got a few good ones!

2009-11-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

I am not a photographer, but I cannot afford a photographer so I borrowed my broski's camera and these are the results. Let me just say that it is VERY difficult to take a picture of Eddy. It is not his favorite thing. I probably took at least 100 pics and these are the few I can handle.
P.S. I really want a nice camera.

This is my favorite one!
Both my kids are thumb suckers now.
Eddy on his horse
Olive hates her blessing dress...Oh yeah we blessed her on Sunday!

I do not recomend a white sheet for your backdrop...or that pink bow.

Love that Buddah Belly!

New Moon

2009-11-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

So I saw it. I drove to Orem with my mom and her two friends with credentials around my neck to get into the 9:30 showing. I LOVE my mom. There were hundreds of people waiting outside in line for hours. Well, my mom just walked right into the theater 5 minutes before the movie started, and as the man told her we had to wait outside she said something that got miraculously got us to be the first ones in with NO waiting. We had the best seats in the house.
It was a fun experience. I have never been to an early showing of any movie and the best part was watching all the little girls go crazy. I have to say, I wanted to LOVE the movie, but I just liked it. It was super cheese which is to be expected, but I still had high hopes. At least I got to see that Pattinson boy, he is fi-ne!

See you in White

2009-11-17T13:52:00.001-08:00

I have been wanting to do a white out party like P Diddy does where everyone MUST wear white...and only white.

Well, I finally got the chance.

But not everyone wore only white...

being that unicorns have black hooves.

In fact 3 rebels chose to wear

ALL BLACK.

But it was still pretty sweet.And Steffy Star (she is the one in the white hat, tutu, and rollerskates) we will miss you like crazy! But, not to worry we will be visiting you in Huntington Beach REGULARLY!

Dinoco Blue

2009-11-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

If you know that Dinoco Blue is Lightning McQueens dream color then you are super hip and definitely in with Eddy, you are also in with me becasue my family room is now Dinoco Blue.

Moving on

2009-11-09T15:01:00.001-08:00

Some changes are being made to my blog to assist with the changes in the forecast outside. I'm accepting winter and going to be happy about it. I'm going to have fun in the cold outdoors and embrace it. I LOVE WINTER! Wow, that was really hard to type.

The Taste of Salt Lake

2009-11-09T14:39:00.001-08:00

or of Utah, as Danny would say. Danny and I are so lucky because we have some freaking amazing friends Matt and Jenny

They live just around the block from us and this past weekend we were invited to go to the "Taste" with them. What is the "Taste", you might ask? It is a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis where the top restaurants around the valley come to feed your face. It is such an amazing event that we have been privileged to attend two times, and this year was fabulous. It was at the Grand America which was so BEAUTIFUL. I had never been there before. Some featured restaurants include..Ruths Chris, La Caille, Faustina, The Melting Pot, etc. most restaurants I had never been to before either, so it was quite a treat. If you ever decide to support a foundation or charity,

I suggest THIS ONE!

Pretty Bird

2009-10-31T22:48:00.001-07:00

Little O was a little bird for Halloween. Planed at a moments notice, she turned out pretty freaking cute. Okay she wasnt just a bird, she was an egg hatching into a chick laying in a nest. Happy Halloweiner!

Elephantitas

2009-10-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

Olive is getting so big, I cannot believe how fast she is growing. Time is going so much faster than it did with Eddy. She is such a wonderful baby. I seriously lucked out with getting such good kids.
Eddy is afraid of his Halloween costume so having Danny wear it has helped Eddy to want to wear it...for about 5 seconds. Hopefully he will keep it on for Trick-or-treating.
Danny decided that he thinks we should give out tricks this year instead of treats. So if you come knocking on our door be prepared to see Danny do a trick for you!

10 years?

2009-10-26T12:21:00.000-07:00

I know you are thinking that we look like we are 10 years old in this picture. This was taken one month after Danny and I decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend. Which was 10 years ago! How am I so old and still have zits? Anyway, Eddy just pulled a picture book off the shelf and these pictures fell out. They make me laugh, so I thought I would share them. They are all from the time when I was 17 and Danny was 20.

Senior Prom 2000

Dannys Mission Farewell

Mueller Park Canyon

Flaming Gorge

WHO KNEW?

2009-10-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

that i would end up with a dark curly haired baby?

Bloody Fall

2009-10-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

Its not that I hate fall, I just hate what comes after fall. In an attempt to not lose my mind with the acceptance of winter coming, I am attempting to keep myself busy and enjoy the fall. Attempting was the key word here. Fall gardening

Hiking in the changing foliage

Doing festive things...

These two have nothing to do with fall but they are stinking cute!