My Grandpa...

My grandpa came home from the hospital yesterday. He is an avid reader of my blog. He has congenitive heart failure. We were worried, and headed out to spend the afternoon with him. We were chopped liver compared to the cute nurses he spent his weekend with, but we tried. All my mom's brothers were there also as well as my cousin Brian. I requested a family picture. They obliged...it was a fun day spent with family. Love you, Grandpa and Grams!

Here they are, the LeGrande Harding Family. Everyone in this family is famous. Seriously. My Gram is a famous artist. My grandpa a famous airplane mechanic. My uncle Kim is known for his incredible park, a member of the school board, craziest YM President to ever have served. John is a teacher at the USU institute. He's a doctor, you know. My mom is a famous world traveler teacher extraordinaire. That leaves Howard - or as they call him in Myton 'hwrd' - apparently there are no vowels and 1 syllable when you pronounce his name in Myton (Myton is a thriving metropolis, in case you were wondering - go ahead, google it). I was once at a store, and someone found out that THE HWRD - from the basin - was my uncle. They were in awe and almost bowed to me. It's true. He's well known ALL OVER the basin...next time you're there, ask anyone you know about 'Hwrd'. Then, there's the matter of Chickety Split cups. 28 years ago(at least), my dad gave my Gram a bunch of Chickety Split cups. 28 years later, she still has them. Gram is also famous for being frugle. Go ahead...just ASK how many rakes she has...you never know when you will need more than 20, right Gram? Here is proof the infamous cups are still in use (although, we almost had to wear protective gloves to handle these)
I took a 5 minute(it was 8 degrees) stroll around the house, and snapped these few photos. I'm not a very good landscape photographer, but I gave it a go.

Robbed...

I was robbed.

I had just finished up with a photoshoot on a Saturday at Wheeler Farm with a super fun family. It was FREEZING...literally, I don't think the temperature got past the teens that day. A lady ran up to us, asking if I owned a Honda Odyssey. I said yes, it's mine (she repeated the license plate) and she got this really sad look on her face. All I could think of on the inside, was please tell me you just totalled my car - it's as old as Kyle - when she said, I'm sorry, someone broke your window. I immediately broke out the phone, and called Troy (who was golfing on this freezing day) and instructed him to call our bank and deactivate my debit card. I got to my car, looked in the window, and saw my wallet sitting on the seat (I had gotten gas on my way to the shoot). I noticed that my cute red purse which I had tucked neatly under the center console, was gone. I thought, the fools, they reached over my wallet and took my purse! It may or may not have had checkbooks in it, but it DID have my Garmin Watch (my satellite watch I use for running) in it. I paid about $200-$300 for it. Trying not to remember the exact amount.

I remember feeling stunned, yet calm. I knew there was nothing that could be done and knew there was no reason to freak out about it. The police officer was kind, and filled out a report. The father of the family I had taken photos of searched the nearby trash cans and then helped another nice man try to 'board' up my broken window with cardboard and plastic for my very cool 25 minute drive on the freeway home.

When I got home, I layed in my bed and cried. I was so cold after shooting in the cold for over an hour, then dealing with the car for so long, and I just felt violated. I felt like I always cause money problems over Christmas. Last year, I wrecked the van on a snowy day into a curb, causing $800 worth of damage to it. I really wished that Troy could be the person to get robbed, not me. The kids wanted to know why I was crying, and Troy being the sensitive person he is, told them it was cause I was a boob.

Sunday morning one of our friends came to our door EARLY and told Kyle not to tell us, but that he was going to vacuum out the glass for us. He had hauled over a huge vacuum in a tiny festiva and got started. Troy was in the shower, and I was still in bed after taking Kristin to the ER in the middle of the night for an asthma attack. I was mortified that someone would come do that. Have you seen my garage? It's not exactly tidy. Troy told me to get over it, and to accept service. I am very grateful that person vacuumed out my car.

The following Monday we got a new window. The cost was $133.00. Not as bad as I thought it would be.

Tuesday, I went to the grocery store, parked my car, then halfway into the store, ran back and moved my car, because I thought it was parked in a bad spot and may get broken into.

Wednesday, I got a new purse, that is COMPLETELY empty. Everytime I pick it up, I am convinced someone has stolen my wallet out of it...

Everyday since...I feel no security...I stay up late, thinking that the robber has my address...I lock the doors, I double check - in the middle of the night...I carry my purse with me EVERYWHERE...

My window wasn't just broken, my purse wasn't just stolen, my Garmin watch isn't just gone...

I was robbed.

Thanksgiving

I know, I know...it' 1 week away from Christmas, and I'm just getting around to what happened at Thanksgiving...this fall season I have been swamped with photo shoots. It's good, but has definitely kept me busy...since I'm at the computer editing photos so often, my kids don't like it when I'm 'blogging'. And neither does Troy...

This Thanksgiving, I had the grand idea of going to Idaho. Troy's grandparents live in Blackfoot. I have only been to Blackfoot twice in my life (once for Thanksgiving 11 years ago, and once for Grandpa Korth's funeral - when I was pregnant with Kyle), and my kids have never gone...this summer I have come to realize the importance of family, extended and immediate and am trying my hardest to strengthen ties...so, going to Idaho seemed the perfect thing to do. I have loved being able to take my kids to MY grandparents farm, and Troy hasn't gotten to do that. It's not that we haven't been invited, we have, we have always just had conflicts that have prevented going up when everyone else has gone up...so, enough with the excuses...I kind of had my mother-in-law invite us for Thanksgiving, and then somehow the rest of the Korth Family decided to follow suit...let's face it, I don't think I was the only one who felt guilty...

We arrived, and the kids went outside to ride Grandpa's Train that he has painstakingly made...it is incredible. The kids were IN HEAVEN! Kinlee wouldn't get out. Literally. Then, grandpa pulled us around on the hood. It's the hood of an old truck that you lay on. THEN...grandpa got out the cherry picker - a rectangular cage that gets lifted up by a tractor. Heaven...bliss...the kids only came in to eat, and then were back outside. Here are some photos... there are a million, but I don't know what ones to leave out...everyone wanted copies, so here they are...I do have a few favorites, they will be last...you can scroll down to see my description of them...
















My favorites...I know what you're thinking, how rude we all are to make grandma do the dishes...don't worry, we all helped (especially Cherice...she gets the award) but I made everyone move when I got my camera out. I love the authenticity of these...

Grandma and Grandpa, thank you for a perfect Thanksgiving, we will not wait another 11 years to visit...Korth Siblings...it was a super fun day with you all...(it is always best when we are only together for a few hours at a time, isn't it?) LOVE YOU ALL!