Wow wha'da trip!

So I'm back from Utah. The kids are off and running in school. I got back and my family and my home were still intact. All is well.
Paul got to reunite with his friend Trouble. He is the cat that when Paul calls and leaves a mess. for his parents, Trouble runs to the phone in hopes to find Paul there. So sweet. This cat LOVES Paul.

We got Paul's boat and went fishing at Strawberry Resv. It was so beautiful there. It was cool out as we started very early that morning. Paul was determined to help me have fun and not be grossed out by the whole fishing thing. I have never really been fishing. So, Paul was wonderful. He would bait my hook (no worries we did not use worms anyway) and then he would cast it out for me. What a life. Just sit back, relax and wait. So I did. Then I got a tug here and there. Maybe I scared them when they tugged and I screamed. lol what can I say. Mostly they ate a lot of my bait. Until......I got the bite that would be his last bite. I hooked the hook and pulled him in. Out of the three we caught, this guy was the middle sized one at almost 4 lbs and the other two were 3 and 4 lbs as well so I did just as good as Paul.

This was a time really that we got to spend some great time with Paul's dad. After surviving a very FAST ride through the mountains to get there with white knuckles the whole way, the time on the lake was so nice. We chatted and we relaxed. Its too bad the men forgot their hats as they were both very sun burnt. Then, as for me, I got a little sun on one side of one leg. Just my luck. lol

See the sweet family of duckies. Awwwww.....

Here is the Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple Main that is just up the hill from Paul's parents home. You can see Moroni from their yard. What that must be like to be reminded each time you leave your home. I just think it is awesome.

We were able to see Paul's kids which is a huge deal. They have grown so much since we seen them last. It was such a good visit and we are already looking forward to next time. It was Dakota's birthday so we were lucky that we could give him his gifts in person and did not have to mail them. It seems so impersonal when we mail everything and are not able to see them for special days. So, we chatted, I took a ton of pictures and we even played some Foosball. It was really a fun day. The hard part of course was leaving them there.

Another fun trip was to Temple Square. This place is simply amazing. If you are ever faltering and have an opportunity to go to Utah, this is the place to be. Just the reverence as you walk the grounds is hard to describe. I walked surrounded by people I have never met in my life but I felt so much peace and so much love, just in the surroundings. The next time I go, Paul and I decided we are going to make sure to schedule time to do a session in the SLC Temple. They do the sessions live there and that is something I really want to see. I always get that song in my head every time I visit SLC and is, "I Love to See the Temple".

To see him as the center of the Universe really says more then words can say. To say it is beautiful is just not enough.

My new favorite quote. I just LOVE Spencer W. Kimbell.

Then back to the lake. Paul's brother Scott stays in this really nice complex where we had access to Utah lake. The weather for the entire week was perfect. In the low 90's and upper 80's and like 10-20% humidity. Yes, it was heavenly. I had great hair all week. I only had to use the straightener once for the entire stay!! We boated. Our nieces Hannah and Megan had been waiting all week to finally get to drive Uncle Paul's boat. They were so excited. I was surely more nervous then they were. They just giggled with excitement! What fun we had. Once it was just Paul and I on the boat, I relaxed and let me hair go. I am not sure why I worry so much. I am working on the whole relaxing thing. This helped a lot! Then to help with the relaxing, we went to the natural spring heated pool and hot tub. The waterfall coming down into the water with relaxing hot water. Check out the sign. The steam and water comes out so hot that they have to warn people not to get into it. It will burn you.

I just found this so fascinating. Letting nature work for us.

So again, thanks to Mom and Dad Harper. You took great care of us as you always do. We had such a great visit and a fun time. I love going out to visit all of you and we miss you greatly when we are not with you. Thanks to Cheri and Scott for also entertaining us. We enjoyed playing with the girls and hanging out with you guys. We need to get you guys out this way now. We totally need to work on getting that beach house to give you another excuse to visit all year round. IT was a blast but there is no place like home. AS messing and crazy as my house can be, it was great getting back. I walked in the door....Keely and Alyssa hugged me up top and Hunter and Anna got me below. Its a good thing I was still holding onto the door. Thanks to everyone for helping out and keeping watch for my kids.

Leaving on an Airplane...

Heading out early in the morning to fly to Utah. Its another day in court. This is one of those baggage deals that I married into. I am not complaining because, I really enjoy traveling. I also know that as long as we keep up the fight, their is a great chance of success. The problem is the timing. It is never when it would work best for us. This is the first week of school for my children and here I am leaving to the other side of the country to help fight for my other children. Of course this is where I will need to be. I am blessed with awesome children who are now totally old enough and responsible enough to handle themselves correctly while I am away. I know that the elders will take care of the younger and they will all three make it to school without a hitch. Dressed modestly and in the correct mind frame to handle whatever comes their way this week. I have been preparing them for this week for a few weeks now and I think they will be fine. Yes I am panicked and a bit nervous but I have to do what I have to do. It does not help that Fay is on the way. My mom's name is Faye and I know how dangerous she can be if challanged so I know the potential of damage a storm named Fay is great! Ok.....its gonna be fine, its gonna be fine.
Besides , we have a backup plan which are my sisters who will be stepping in to sub at my daycare for me while I am away. The babies love them as well and so everyone is in good hands.

OK, this is helping. I am getting it out and relieving the stress for a moment.
So, everyone say a little prayer for us while we are away that my children will do good and that the court case will go in our favor. If it does then we will either get visitation or custody. Either one will be a good thing. What ever happens we will make it work for us. These children, although with their mother, are not in the best hands. There are a lot of issues there and a lot of reason for us to be concerned. We have our hands tied as the court system works in the mothers favor. No matter how many times Paul has won custody before, it is always an uphill battle for a man. Sometimes that is a good thing but not every time and more often then not, it is unfair and unnecessary. So, extra prayers will help and a lot of luck would not be bad either.

We are excited that we will get to see Paul's parents, sister, brother and nieces. That will be a good time. Paul misses his family so much. It is always fun to see them. I will come back with pictures.
I hope everyone has a great week.
Michelle, look out for my kids please.
I will see you all later.
Alona

Blogger World

I have sure enjoyed having this blog in the past few months and the relationships that have strengthened through the blogs. It is kinda cool to be able to see into the world of my friends. Sometimes I only look with one eye but it is interesting to look just the same.
As you all see, my sweet husband joined the blogger world and will more then likely post more often then I do. He is really more into this thing then I am. I think he just loves to be in the loop. Now that he works so freakin much this is how he catches up with what is going on in the world. Or at least in our world. IT should really be a good one. He is actually really smart.

SO, now my sister MK (Marikarine, or otherwise once known as MariCarrot) has joined the blogger world. Now THAT should be an interesting blog. She has always had things float through her mind and out of her mouth that I have to shake my head at in.....amazement- no not the word....maybe confusion is a better word. What would be more interesting is to see what she chooses to share. So she moved to Las Vegas and so she and I am attempting to form a renewed relationship. She and I have always done better when separated by much distance. So, I am very interested to see how this all pans out for her. I do love her just do not always get her. I know she is reading this so......MK it is all good. I do not mean anything bad and I do love you.
So anyway, good luck to all of the new bloggers. Let me know if I can help you conform to the blogger world in anyway and just have fun with it.

Just need to post something

Sometimes I think we all get into a rut where, we want to post something but there is nothing going on that stands out and then we feel that we have nothing to say that anyone wants to hear.
I guess I am there lately. There is stuff going on but nothing that is really blog worthy.

I could talk about how DJ and Keely are working this summer. They are working for my brother in his business and they seem to be really getting a lot out of it. Besides the part of them learning how to work and earn their own money, they are learning to work with others. They are learning how to take constructive criticism and they are learning how to push through when they would rather be laying in the pool. They are making friends with people they would not normally hang out with. Keely even had a cute 20 year old return missionary, flirting with her. Thankfully she is a good kid and told me, its OK mom I can just get to know him in the next two years. Then we can go out. LOL.
My kids have some goals they want to achieve and are earning their own money to do this. For that I am proud of them. I wish I was in a situation that I could continue to just give them what they want. Unfortunately I am not in that situation and it is better for them that I am not. If it were up to me I would just give them everything. In doing that, they will never learn independence. They will never learn to work for things that they want. It is harder to achieve meaningful goals and it is much harder to appreciate that which they receive.
When I was growing up, I was one who was very shy and did not ask for much. I really did not want to bother my mom with my needs because I knew she had so many other children to deal with. When I did ask for something my mom felt guilty because it was very rare so she usually gave me whatever I wanted. Therefore, in my later teen years I ran with that and became spoiled. Then as an adult, when i wanted something if my mom did not give it to me, I would try to get it from my husband. Sometimes the guilt thing worked and sometimes it did not.
Then I entered the world of being a single mom(not for related reasons lol). At this time, my mom helped me a lot. Things changed for me and I was totally embarrassed and ashamed that I had to impose on my mom once again and being that I had a new baby and two small children and had just lost my home due to no support from the ex, I no other option then to move in with my mom once again.
I made a goal for myself that I would not depend on my mom forever and would not let being single be an excuse for me relying on her. I worked and saved and did what I had to do. In two years, with the help of an awesome Realtor who was looking out for me, I bought my house totally on my own. It was a fixer upper. I was able to do the minor repairs and such on my own. A few things I was able to get help from a few of my brothers to fix things that I just could not figure out on my own. Other then that, I got a car and a house and I paid my own bills and I did it all on my own. This was the proudest moment of my life. Although my mom asked if she could continue to help me with my kids since Alyssa was the baby and she was very attached, I did receive that help for a while from her.
The point of my story is that I may not have anything fancy or extravagant. What I do have, I worked hard for and earned it on my own. Therefore, I am much more thankful for what I have now, then I ever was for the nicer stuff that others bought for me along the way. This is the message that I want my children to take with them. I want them to work hard and appreciate the things that they have.
What is it that you worked for that you are the most thankful that you have??