Why you should never agree to a makeover

left to right: Rosemay, Britton, and me. Notice the dramatic color contrast from neck to face.
Okay, this is Fall 1999 in Rexburg, Idaho. I was at the grocery store when this lady from Georgia walks up to me and says, "oh ma gawsh! You have to let me give you a makeover. I'm a Mary Kay consultant and I just love yer face!" I didn't know whether or not to be flattered or insulted by someone wanting to give me a makeover, so I reluctantly consented and told her she could come over to our apartment. Of course, she forces Jamie and Britton to do it with me. Maybe it was the bad lighting in our basement apartment, but she gave us bright red lipstick and really light foundation and we ended up looking like a Geisha. Doesn't even look good for almost 10 years ago. Not even close. So then she wants to take our pictures to enter us into a makeover contest where we could win a cruise and other things like that. This picutre is us politely letting her take our pictures, but we were laughing so hard that our eyes were squinting and our faces hurt. She probably thought we were laughing because we were having so much fun girl bonding. It was hilarious. Good times. I think we have a before shot of us looking "miserable". I'll have to find that. This was on Jamie's blog and I laughed so hard at the memory. We had a good time with this one.

baby shower

Thanks to everyone who attended my baby shower. It was great and I had a really good time. I especially want to thank my sister in law Emily and my friend Suzette for putting everything together for me. Thank you also for allowing me to have a shower without any games, at my request. I really appreciate the wonderful food and the time everyone took out of their day and schedules to come party with me. I am curious to know, if I send this link to everyone who attended, do I still have to write Thank You cards?

Poor, Poor Collin

None of my friends believe the story I am about to tell you. See this poor, sad blonde little boy on the left who looks like his father is shunning him and wants nothing to do with him? That is my sweetie, Collin in kindergarten. This is the story behind the picture. Poor little Collin had cowlicks all over his poor little head. His dad thought that getting a perm would solve little Collin's problems. When the subject of perming Collin's hair was brought up to mom, she flatly refused sensing the emotional damage her youngest son would suffer his whole life. So, while mom was in the hospital having her appendix removed, Collin was at the haridresser's. He can still remember sitting underneath the haridryer on phone books. While in the hospital, mom was greeted by SideShow Bob, aka Collin Webster. At first, she laughed, thinking Collin was wearing a wig, but reality soon set in that this was in fact her child. Poor Collin. He was teased and shunned by his schoolmates. Dad said he would drive by the playground and Collin would be sitting alone in the corner with no peers to play. Every time this story is told, it gets sadder and sadder because Collin suddenly remembers details from those few months he sported a perm. My heart goes out to all those kids whose parents gave them crazy hair. I too have my own tragedy that involves a Gheri curl and a 2nd grade picture. We'll save that for next time.

Family Pics continued

I didn't have room for Grams and Papa Bart so I gave them their own section. They are great in-laws. They are also a very good looking couple

Family Pics

the old ranch



me and collin



emily (collin's oldest sister) and david



rozalynn (collin's second oldest sister) and richard



ben (collin's older brother) and briar


We took some pictures up by the old ranch and at the gardens at BYU Idaho. It was a lot of fun. The pictures turned out great. For your viewing pleasure.....

Bad Thoughts

I had bad thoughts today. While I was in a session with a couple who was trying to decide if they wanted to stay married, I found myself drifting away in my own personal thoughts. I was picturing myself telling them both to grow up and and act like adults. I hate to see couples come in and be so defensive and so spiteful and so mean to each other that they can't resolve any of thier problems. Normally, I would say a prayer while I was listening that heavenly Father would bless me to be able to pick out what in their interaction they need to correct and how to say it in a way that will resonate. Eventually I remembered my purpose, but for a long moment I was thinking about how juvenile and petty and ridiculous they were. I have to admit, I have had some really bad thoughts about people since I have been pregnant. I stopped being nice about 5 months ago and I feel really badly about it. I lost all sense of remorse for things I have said and thoughts I have had. It hasn't been horrible: I don't think I hurt anyones feelings. It has mainly been comments or reactions that are out of character. I don't want to sound like I turned into a witch. In my pregnancy book, it said that you don't necessarily become emotional when pregnant but the hormones that are racing through your body act as a truth serum, possibly resulting in your emotions being expressed much more explicitly. I consider myself a pretty even tempered person, especially as I have gotten older, but now I just let everything out when people get on my nerves....especially people who consistently do dumb things. They are out there and they do exist. I think that some people's earthly challenge is stupidity. Those are the kind of thoughts that go on through my head quite frequently. When I stop myself, I realize that this is not a nice thing to say, and that people are not stupid, they just do things differently than I do and that is okay. That is the therapist part of me. I do feel compassion for people. I know it sounds like I don't have any for my clients, but it's just because I don't talk about those that I pray for every night or that I hug after every session.I am not a mean person..I just like to blog about the things that make me stop and think for a minute. No one ever asks me what is going on in my head, so I have to tell someone. If I have offended anyone over the last seven and a half months, or acted completely insensitive, I apologize. Hopefully I will be back to my old self again sometime soon and you will all forgive me.

This is us in Seattle visiting Chalonn and Heber. Snoqualmie Falls. It was a great trip

Things we like to do

We enjoy doing many things. One of the most things for us to do is listen to a book on tape. I know...we are soooo exciting. It all started about 2 years ago on the drive to Utah for Thanksgiving. We decided we wouldlisten to the DaVinci Code on CD. We absolutely loved it. It made the drive so much more tolerable. I don't know how many of you have taken that horrible, forsaken drive, but it is the pits. I don't think there was very much dialogue between the two of us because we were so enthralled. On the way home, we were suckered into the Godfather. It was great. What a stroy. It was a little scary at times, but for the most part, it was fascinating. There is something to letting your mind wander a little bit and forgetting about the stressors of life for a moment. Another fun thing we love doing is gong to the Paris hotel and casino. THere is a little shop that makes crepes. They make dinner crepes and dessert crepes. After you sift through the smoke and the cocktail waitresses, you can actually find small shops that are just wonderful. One thing I won't miss about Vegas is sifting through the gamblers. I have to admit, we are rarley on the Strip that often. We are usually there when we have company come into town or when friends want to see soemthing in particular. We have also been addicted to some reality shows. American Idol was our favorite for a while, but since it is summer, we have to settle for So You Think You Can dance. That show is pretty darn good. Some people can dance so wonderfully. What a talent. When we are in other parts of the U.S. suitable for walking, we love to go on walks and watch the sunset. One of best places is in Rexburg. The burg has the most beautiful sunsets and the most wonderful summer weather. The nights get perfect temperature and the air is so fresh. We love going to see Emily's boys. They are so much fun to be around and to play with. they have the best sense of humor and they are all so different. Barnes and Noble is one of our favorite places. Red Rock National Park is another favorite. We like to explore our surrounding areas. If we are in a new city, even visiting, we love to explore. We still explore parts of Las Veags even though we have been here for years. These are a few of our favorite things.

Do you tan?

So, last week all the girls in Collin's family went to Sun Valley for a girls' trip. This trip included me, Ben's wife Briar, Rozalynn, and Emily. We had a great time. The weather was perfect and I ended up with two wonderful massages and a pedicure. I have never had a pedicure in my life. My toes are looking so HOT!! Anyway, while I was getting my pedicure, the lady who was going to massage me came in and introduced herself. I didn't know what to think of her...she looked like (my mother in law says it best) the cleaning lady. She was older and frumpy and I knew I was in for a treat.
I walk into the massage room, and as I am sitting there stark naked, she asked me..well, I'll dialogue the conversation for you so you get the picture:

CL: Do you tan?
ME: (in utter confusion) What?
CL: Do you tan?
ME: (Still confused) Well, I was out by the pool the other day...
CL: Because you are really dark.
ME: What?
CL: You are really dark. I lived in Africa for a while and I learned that there are several degrees of dark and I have to say that you are really dark.
ME: Yeah....

Interesting conversation. Does anyone else think this was kinda weird? I was so confused by her line of questioning, that I don't think I knew how to be offended at that moment. I am still confused as I write it. What was her point in telling me how dark I was? Am I really that dark? I like to consider myself a nice brown sort of color. IS there something wrong with being really dark? How does she really know how dark I am if the lights were off in the massage room?

My advice: Don't get a massage from the cleaning lady. i will post a picture of my toes. Adios.