the highlight reel

As Cody says, I am a reaction junkie - so if you watch the video please e-mail me or comment on here to let me know what you thought!

I had been working on this video ALL DAY yesterday. I neglected my kids and brought upon elevated stress to my well-being trying to bring it to you! It took all day to edit it, but it is perfect. Great. Then I try to put it on youtube and something is wrong with the audio. (works perfect in adobe but on youtube the audio is messed up - why?) So I try to fix it then have to upload it again - which takes 10 minutes or more. Same problem. AGHHHH! So I try one more fix and then upload it and WAIT... AGAIN. Finally, the audio works. But then the link to the video won't work. I think it has something to do with copyright crap and due to the fact that there is a licensed song on it. Whatever. Today, luckily the link seems to be working - but you can't play it on a web browser on a mobile phone. Oh well, beggars can't be choosy.

Ultimately, it is on there. And to get to it try: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxq9xAhNEb If that doesn't work, go to www.youtube.com and search for "kooser wedding". It is called the "Ryan & Laci Kooser wedding highlight reel.

I have honestly been having so much fun working on this and the full wedding video (any and all stress aside). We had such a wonderful time that weekend, and every time I watch any of it, it brings me right back.

So, if you were there and want to enjoy the memories of that great wedding, or if you couldn't make it and just want to catch the highlights, I invite you to enjoy it. (and even if you have no idea who Ryan & Laci are, you can watch it anyway just to enjoy my creation - it's only 3 minutes long)

(and sorry if you got multiple notifications of this video, I am facebooking, blogging and e-mailing about it - I'm just that happy about it)

the new toy.

We have lived in our current house for 4 1/2 years now. For 3 out of 4 seasons of every year, Cody is out mowing the grass. In the summer it is usually 2 days a week that he is out there in the hot sun pushing around the 15 year old, on-its-way-out lawn mower. It is supposed to be self-propelled, but is only sporadically, when it feels like it. It is hard, hot, dirty work, and my husband does it (mostly) without complaint. I feel for him, I really do.

But I made a promise to him. It was before we were even married, and living in Layton. The promise was this: I have never, nor do I plan to ever, use a push mower. If & when we get a riding lawn mower - that is when I will cut the grass. And I am a woman of my word.

See, I grew up on an acre and we had our good ol' John Deer 111. I couldn't wait until I was old enough to cut the grass on that thing. The novelty wore off eventually, but I knew my way around that thing, and cutting the lawn was just another one of my chores.

Well today, Cody finally got his shiny, new, red toy. A new Toro tractor. And to my surprise he cut half of the front lawn and then let me cut the other half - what a nice guy. I know that just because we have obtained the beautiful tractor, doesn't mean that it is going to instantly be my job to cut the grass. Quite the opposite. Now Cody wants to cut the grass, of course! Who wouldn't with the new, shiny toy? It even has a cup holder for his beer. What could be better?

Even though I haven't cut a lawn in over 15 years, I was still able to give him a few pointers (like do the perimeter going clockwise, and the rest counter-clockwise, thanks Dad!). And I think I did a damn fine job on my half if I do say so myself.

So I guess now we might be fighting over who gets to mow the lawn. Naw, it is his baby. I'll just wait until the novelty wears off!

this month in pictures

so I haven't posted in over a month. So what. that way you know there was either nothing going on... or so much I didn't have time to write anything! It was actually the latter.

This month we had Finn's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, my parents in to visit, went up to Montana for a fabulous weekend for Laci & Ryan's wedding, we drove through Yellowstone National Park on the way home, saw some geysers (not Old Faithful, we took the short route since we wanted to get home faster), lots of elk and big & baby buffalo.We had the last day of school and the subsequent school program, got the garden in, went for a hike with the kids and got a kiddie pool which the kids absolutely love and want to be in constantly and I went fishing with Finn at the trout farm.
But it's all been leading up to this... see the next post. (ok, here's a hint:)