Claustrophobics Anonymous Anyone?

This is the slot canyon that Chris and I went in today. This is the top where you come out and the WIDE part. We needed to get out of the house so we went down to St. George to do some shopping. Since it was GORGEOUS and sunny there, we decided to skip the shopping and do something outside. We went to Pioneer Park where Chris had gone 5 years ago with friends and decided to go up this slot canyon. Well, 5 years ago Chris was 10 pounds lighter and was still freaked out by the tightness of the area. Today, it took us trying three times going up and back before we convinced ourselves to do it. It was so tight on Chris that he could puff out his stomach in some parts and lift his feet off the ground - completely suspended by his back against one wall and stomach against the other. I fit okay but rubbed front and back in a lot of parts too. I was scared to death though and only did it because Chris went first. It's not a place for anyone with any problems with claustrophobia. It's only 50 yards long but narrow the entire way. The kids in front of us were running up, one kid straight ahead. I want to see them come back in twenty years and see how they feel about it.

Momsense

This is very funny: Here's Some Total Momsense

I got it off of a friend's blog so I need to credit Anna with this.

My turn...

Well, I've been tagged by my sister-in-law Erin so here goes:

4 Jobs I've Had:
Business Analyst
Information Specialist
Receptionist
Waitress

4 Movies I Love:
Only You
Pride & Prejudice, the A&E Version
How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days
Good Will Hunting (I have the clean flicks version if someone would like to borrow it)

4 Places I've Lived:
Maryland
Utah (Orem/Provo/Cedar City)
Argentina
Seattle

4 TV Shows I Love:
Grey's Anatomy
Men In Trees
Gilmore Girls
Animal Planet

4 (or more) Things that Make Me Happy:
Chris :)
Having a dog
Murphy and Chuck (dog and horse)
African Gray Parrots that talk
Not having coin-operated laundry
Going back to school for free!

4 Books I Love:
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
All of Dan Brown's (DaVinci Code, etc.)
Autobiographies in general but especially:
In My Hands
Shutterbabe

4 Foods I Love:
Pasta
Jello No Bake Oreo Pie
Dave's Chimichangas
Empanadas

4 Vacations I Love:
The Beach
Visiting Family (especially at the beach - Thailand, NC, Mazatlan - all great!!!)
Historical Sites
Theme Parks with my Family

I'd Rather Be:
Eating a Jello No Bake Oreo Pie and not feeling guilty about it
Training my dog or riding a horse with my dog beside me
At the Beach

4 People to tag:
Beth Amstadt
Kristen or John - you two decide
Jeff & Amy
Rachel Doyle

Murphy's Schedule is Getting Hectic

Murphy's so cute! She started school and sports a couple of weeks ago. She goes to flyball practice Sunday nights and obedience/ agility training on Monday nights. We took her to herding class last night (Wednesday night) but we're going to wait until she's older for that. The sheep aren't dog-broke and sometimes trample or head-butt the dogs and she's too little to get out of the way fast enough. Flyball is a relay race with four dogs and you can find more information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyball. Here is a link for agility info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_agility. She's a natural at all of them - of course :).

Stages

Murphy is losing her teeth. You can see the crooked tooth on the bottom middle.
GROSS!!!!!

Random Ramblings

I have to respond to a few comments. Your stories about your kids are hilarious. You all need to have blogs (if you don't) so I can keep up on your kids. Also, I didn't say much about the house. We're renting since Chris' job is only guaranteed for a year. If Chris ends up staying here then we'll look around and find something to buy. And I start school Aug. 27 so I have plenty of time to blog right now!

Because we're renting, Murphy doesn't come inside much. She's just a puppy so I don't trust her by herself very long since she likes to chew and isn't house trained yet. She comes inside when there isn't any shade in the backyard or when we want to play with her. It's been so hot lately that she's been inside quite a bit. Chris usually lets her in when he gets home from work which is funny because he fought me for so long that the dog would NEVER be allowed inside. Oh, how time changes things.

The comment about a brittany - yes, Chris is still going to get his Brittany Spaniel. He wasn't sure how much time he would have for it right now so he's decided to wait until next year. Besides, by then Murphy will know so many tricks that hopefully it's easier to train the Brittany.

My brother-in-law John G. made the comment that Murphy may be rethinking her position on kids after this last weekend. For those of you who didn't see it, she got mauled by my nieces and nephews in Utah County. It was hilarious. The poor dog had half a dozen (or more) kids shouting at her to sit, shake, fetch, lay down, roll over and everything else. I was worried at first that she may get frustrated with one of them, but she was good with them. I would have left her alone with the kids no problem but I felt like she needed protection from them sometimes, not the other way around. They were really gentle with her though and didn't pull her tail, fur, or ears. One time, Chris was outside with all the kids while they were playing with her and he said she kept running over to him and looking up with these eyes that just said "Help me!" She'd also run behind him and try to hide for a few minutes. The really great part was that she was completely worn out by the end of the day. She also went for her first horseback ride up in the mountains but was so worn out 1/3 of the way through that I carried her the rest of the way. She didn't bother the horses at all though some of them didn't care for her. She got stepped on by my horse and limped for a few minutes but was fine afterwards. Nothing broken. The picture is Murphy with her favorite stuffed animal.

My old work gave me a $250 gift card as a going-away gift and we spent some of it on a set of power tools. We had big plans to build a doghouse but they have yet to come to fruition. I have, however, built nightstands (crude, simple ones) for our bedroom and still plan to build the potting bench my dad built for my mom. My dad sent me the plans in the magazine and it doesn't look too bad but I'll probably have Chris help me on a weekend. The tools are fun but I'm not very good with the circular saw. The edges are always crooked. The next tool we get might have to be a table saw.

Two weeks ago we went hiking with a group from the hospital. We went to a place up the canyon called Ashdown Gorge.

It was amazing. It was about a 9 mile hike but we went off the trail for about a mile to this waterfall. After the hike, we had dutch oven cooking waiting for us at the bottom. We were all very hungry and it was really good food. There were 9 of us that went so Chris got to know some of the doctors and other administators from the area.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

During the sacrament on Sunday, the little girl behind us, in a normal (and therefore Loud voice because it's practically silent in the chapel), says, "It's not that I don't like you Daddy; I just like Mommy best!"

It was all Chris and I could do to not burst out laughing. I would love to hear what your children have said that could go under this headline.