Busy, Busy!

Wholly crap! I’m so freakin’ tired today. I feel like I’ve been running non-stop for the past week. It started on Saturday when I stayed up until 5am to finish baking cookies for some samples. I made 50 cookies in 8 different designs. I’m still trying to finish decorating them.

So you might be wondering why I’m staying up so late just to make cookies. Well, I own 350 Cookie Lane and I will be displaying my products at a bridal expo in Orange County, CA on June 1st. I wanted to make some more samples for my wedding category, since I have so many cutters that I haven’t used yet. I can’t wait to get them all done!

So far, I’ve finished the Wedding Gowns, Frog Princes, and Monogram Hearts. I’ve completed a new design for the Wedding Cakes (still need to get pictures of it) and I’m almost done with the brand-spankin’-new Sandals. It’s really exciting for me, ’cause I’ve been designing cookies for my business now for two years and I have a total of 46 designs! My goal is to get up 70 designs by the end of this year.

Come check ‘em out!

 

Featured on Tony Hawk’s “Shred or Die”

Dude, this is my cousin (2nd cousin to be precise)! I just wanted to share this with everyone ’cause the kid’s got talent. Check it out:

13…13…13

I was walking past the mental hospital the other day when I looked up at the second story windows where several patients were looking out and shouting, “13…13…13…13…”

The fence was too high to see over, but I saw a little gap in the planks and looked through to see what was going on.

Some brat on the other side poked me in the eye with a stick.

Then they all started shouting, “14…14…14…14…”

Organization 2008 – The List

Here it is, finally! I’ll update later with the dates…

• Master Bedroom
• Shaun’s Room
• Living Room
• Kitchen
• Laundry Area
• Office
• Bathroom
• Basement
• Shed

The office alone is going to kill me. I think the biggest contributor to getting organized is the purchase of shelves and boxes. Because we have so little floor-space in our home (about 900 sq. ft), we really need to make the most of vertical space.

Scanlan Family Mini-Reunion

I was living in Irvine, CA at the time and was about to move to Utah. My brother was getting ready to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Scotland. And this would be the last vacation that I would have with my Grandpa.

(Left to Right: Edward (Grandpa), Patricia (Grandma), Tyler, Me , Patrick & Jennifer (Mom & Dad))

We spent 7 days total in Maui, Hawaii. Of course, two of those days were spent flying there and back. What a long trip that was. I was able to watch two movies just on the flight there.

When we got there, we took a boat ride over to Molokai crater to snorkel with the fishes. We urged my grandma to take something so she wouldn’t get sea-sick, but she absolutely refused. So, she got sick and wasn’t able to go in the water. The water was kinda murky, but I got some great pics of the State fish, Humuhumunukunukuapua’a. Say that ten times fast!

Then we went surfing and got lessons for my grandpa and mom. I think they both had a great time, but my mom was the only one to actually stand up. My dad and brother and I went off to catch our own waves and watch our pupils’ progress from afar. [When you're surfing, you want to give the newbies lots of room, just in case they fly off their board and fling it in your direction. Nothing hurts worse than having the edge of a fiberglass board hit you square in the nose or jaw (except maybe a shark-bite). When I come up from the water, I try to put my arm out first, to make sure there's no boards in my way when I jump up and gasp for air.] We rented our boards from a place across from the beach, but unfortunately, they didn’t sell wax. The one really nice wave I caught planted my chin right on top of the board, when my hands slipped off the sides. Other than that, it was a lot of fun.

We were also able to spend a day driving the Hana Highway. Let me tell you, if you plan on taking that drive, pack a lunch because there is nothing on the other side. At least, nothing that’s open after 5pm. We stopped at a trail head located near a fruit smoothie stand. I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the falls we went to…but Ohhh My Goshhh! It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. My dad and I went swimming right underneath it and it was just so magical. Everything was green, the sky was overcast and raining, but the sun suddenly started pouring in through the thick trees above the falls. It took us a couple hours, at least, to make it there and back but it was well worth the effort.  We stopped at another pool right off the side of the highway and took another dip. For how wet it was, the air was surprisingly hot. We also made another stop to watch the local kids jump off some tall rocks into the stream.

It was a wonderful trip that I’ll never forget. I hope one day to take my husband there on a second honeymoon

The Ward Family Reunion

(Back Row: Dennis, Nathan, Ron (FIL), Ken)

(Middle Row: Kathryn, Shelly, Terrie)

(Front Row: Dean and Barbara Ward, or Grandma & Grandpa)

I get really excited about this, even though most people dread reunions. Every year, my husband’s father’s side of the family all gets together and does something during one of the summer holidays. Since we’re in Utah, we get July 4th and the 24th (Pioneer Day) for holidays.

My first year into the family, we went camping in Green River, Utah. Shaun was only a month old and I was still exhausted, but it was such a great opportunity for me to get to know everyone a little bit better, especially the other young wives and mothers. The in-laws brought a friend’s trailer, so baby Shaun was able to sleep with them, while Aaron and I slept in a one-room tent. It was loads of fun. I genuinely enjoy camping and I wish we got to do more of it.

For my second year, we drove down to St. George, Utah. We were able to stay in a friend’s condo and sleep comfortably on a queen-sized bed, while Shaun slept peacefully in his own crib in a separate room. You never realize how precious sleep in until you don’t have it!

Last year was an exciting experience. We were able to drive into Zion’s National Park and enjoy all the beauty that Mother Nature had to offer…until my car died in the middle of the tunnel. We were honked at by everyone behind us. “There’s no stopping in the tunnel!” they shouted. Obviously we had stopped to take pictures, because what other reason would we have suddenly stopped on a one lane road going up hill in the dark? No one even bothered to help. Fortunately, one of Aaron’s cousins was behind us in a van, so they pushed us all the way out and onto the first turn-off. We popped the hood and it hadn’t overheated. There was plenty of fluid and nothing was steaming. Maybe the alternator? No. Nothing was wrong with my car. We got it started and managed to coast back down into civilization. Because it was a holiday, all the mechanics were closed. So, we took my in-law’s car back to our house in Payson and waited to hear what the mechanic would say the next day. Turns out, someone syphoned the gas tank. Because my car has electrical problems, the electronic gas-gauge doesn’t work, so we just fill it up when we get to about 300 miles on the odometer. We had only gone about 150 miles since our last fill-up, so we didn’t even think that that could be the problem. Well, at least it was a cheap fix…after we attempted to replace another part in hopes of getting the car started. That was only about $60. At least we weren’t the only ones with car trouble that day. It’s funny now, but it wasn’t at the time. Two other families had their van overheat, but everyone was ok and able to get home safely. That’s what really matters, right?

So, this year we’re heading up to Idaho. Somewhere north of Pocatello is what I’ve been hearing, but it’s a little early to be for sure. Now, I’ll tell you why I love these trips so much. I don’t have any family within 700 miles of where I live. My parent’s are in California with one of my aunts and my grandma. My other aunts, uncles and cousins, live in Washington, Tennessee, and now Rhode Island. It was different when I was younger because everyone lived within a couple hours of each other. Now we’re all split up. I love my whole family and think it’s so important to be close, because you never know when they’ll be gone.

Our First Home

In August 2006, we found our first home in Payson, UT. We moved in on the 21st. In about thirty years, we will own it free and clear!

The house was built in 1916, only about 20 years after Utah officially became a state. Our Bungalow-style Craftsman has three bedrooms (actually two and an office) and only one bath. It’s similar in a lot of ways to the house that I grew up in…small. We will have to wait several years before we are able to do anything drastic to expand. At least we have a decent sized “galley” kitchen, about 12′ x 13′.

There were some updates made to the home in the 40’s, although were not sure exactly what changed. There was a coal-burning stove that still resides in the basement. Also, there are two chimney stacks on top of the roof, but none inside the house. Weird.

18 Month Milestones

This is what our son was up to the day before he turned 18 months.

He says so many cool words, like:

• Up
• Bubble
• Nose
• Mouth
• Eye
• No!
• Don’t
• Woof
• Dog
• Book
• Fish

He has a total of 7 teeth, with one shortly on it’s way.
He weighs about 30lbs and is about 3ft tall.
His hair is still blond and kinky, so who knows when it will straighten out and turn dark like Mommy and Daddy’s.
He loves to read his Dr. Suese books, like One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

Dear Diary (25 Dec 92 – 10 Aug 94)

Well, here we go. Please, keep in mind that some of this stuff is actually rather embarrassing for me to write about and I have honestly included everything that I have written. Look for the [ ] brackets at the end of each entry for my “Post-Notes”. Here I will add any addition details or insight into my life at that point. Lastly, I have changed the names of specific individuals who are involved in more sensitive parts of my life. Thanks for reading!

December 25, 1992

Today was the worst day of my life. But on the other hand it was wonderful. I got $25 and a purple turtleneck. Plus I got to go to both sides of my family. I had brunch at my mom’s mom’s house. And then later on I went to my Aunt Angie’s house.

[Notes: I grew up in Palm Springs, CA. My dad's parents lived (still live) in Anaheim and my mom's mom lived in Santa Ana. We would all drive out there in my parent's little red Hyundai Excel]

December 27, 1992

Right now we are driving to my aunt’s house again. First we stopped at the bank. Then we are on our way. We BBQ-ed outside. It was nice. We saw rabbits out in the back. We also had a wonderful time and dinner.

January 3, 1993 (Sunday)

Today is the day we go to the mountains. It’s really fun. It’s a long drive but it’s worth it. We are going to Idylwild were it is really snowy. We brought lids of the trash cans for sleds. It was really fun! I hope that some day I will go there again.

January 25, 1993 (Monday)

Today I am writing about yesterday. The first day I learned to control my temper. It was very hard but I did it. Right now in my Pink Panda Bank I have $8.75. I am waiting for the grand total, but I guess I will never get to it.

[Notes: Pink Panda was a club that I started with some friends in elementary school. We sold lemonade once, that we made ourselves from the lemons in my backyard. We also sold Kool-aid.]

(August or September) 13, 1993 Friday

Today is bad luck day, and the bad luck started already. This Thursday me, my mom, my dad, brother and my grandma and grandpa are going to the resort for a whole week. James got a bath and his ears cut so now they are really short and round. My mom got him to lay down while she gave him a hair cut (of course, I would never get him to do that. I would have to put a cloth over his eyes so he couldn’t see what I was doing). My mom accidentally cut him on the side of his ear. My mom also got on the radio for Domino’s Subs Trivia, but she had the wrong answer. Me, Leslie and Amber started a pet-sitting business, but so far we haven’t got any calls from anybody.

[Notes: Every year since, my family and I have been to Dana Point, CA to stay at the Riviera Beach & Spa Resort to vacation for a week sometime around the first of September. James was our Beddlington terrier. We adopted him against my mom's will when he was 7 years old, after the owners (an elderly couple) passed away. Because he had fur and not hair, we would have to shave him with hair trimmers. It was really expensive to have him professionally groomed. It's funny looking back now...I was always an entrepreneur at heart.]

October 21, 1993 (Thursday)

I’m writing my idea down so I don’t forget. This will be my secret until I am all ready to tell everyone. My idea is: saving oldies tapes and record the good songs off of the radio (103.0), (they can’t be too oldie) dance to them, tape them, and make a movie out of them. I’m not too sure what I will call the video but I’ll let you know. I might call it the “Jackson Five Jr.” and maybe my video might have something to do with M.C. Hammer or Shirley Temple. Hopefully my tapes will go on television and me and whoever is going to be in my video will be famous. Let’s end the idea and go to the present, or past, or whatever. A few days ago, on a Saturday morning, my dad went to work with my dog. Later on I went to my friend Sarah’s house and played for about 6 to 8 hours. We played Play-Dough inside and handball and kickball outside. We kicked the ball over the small back wall of the neighbors about 3 or 4 times. My mom called and said I had to go home about 3 to 10 minutes later. So I went home and then I went through the gate, and there was a thin but weird looking creature. It was my dog James. I forgot my dad took him to the groomers. He looked so weird compared to the old James, the untrimmed looking little dog.

[Notes: HaHa! Ah, the days before CDs. I had so many mixed tapes of songs recorded from the radio. I still remember the day that I came home to find my fluffy dog totally sheared like a spring sheep!]

July 7, 1994

Today I am writing to catch up and get back to date. I went into the 5th grade and met a really nice guy named Stephen. When I had no one to play with, he would ask if I wanted to play “pass” with him. Of course, I would always play with him because it’s not everyday a boy asks you to play w/ him. I mean not for me anyways because they think that I am the ugliest thing that ever came to school. Later on, Tyler got into baseball and he met Jason. Well, they became friends and I met Jason’s sister Crystal, [and younger brothers] Cory and Shawn. Crystal and I became friends. Shawn had a crush on me and I got a crush on Jason. I feel sorry for Cory ’cause he is being sort of left out of the picture. Later on I started a club called the “Bermuda Triangle” club ’cause me, Sarah and Leslie all spent the night at my house and our pillows made a triangle. So that is where we got the name. Before I started the club, me and all of my friends (even enemies) graduated on June 14th 1994. Now the club has $21.53. I donated $10 that my grandma gave me for graduation, we are planning to go to Laguna but Sarah’s stupid mother is trying to get everyone to do something else just because she feels uncomfortable about going when she doesn’t even have to go. Well, here is where we are now in the right time. I will probably write tomorrow. Good-bye!

[Note: This is just the start, but I had a lot of "crushes" growing up. Tyler is my brother.]

July 8, 1994

I hate my mom! She is telling all my friends that we are going next week. I would kill her if I could. Man, she makes me mad!

[Notes: Wow! I sure had a temper back then. It's kind of funny because I get it from my mom. In my diary, I actually crossed out the word "kill" just in case she ever read it. Who was I kidding?]

August 10, 1994

Today is a special day today. I got to have my hair cut (along w/ my neck). And in exactly one month I will be 11 years old. My hair was cut just below my ears. I got to go to Camelot Park and I got 55 tickets and my brother gave me 11. Bye!

[Notes: Camelot Park was a miniature golf course with bumper boats, go-carts and arcade. Now it's called Boomers, but it's still the same place located in Cathedral City on Hwy 111.]

Let’s do the Math – Gas Tax Holiday

Some say the suspension of the gas tax for the summer holiday is just a gimmick. Others think it’s a great relief. Prices on everything from gas to rice has significantly increased over the past few months, and this could be a nice break…right? I want to see just how much my family would be saving between Memorial Day (May 26th) and Labor Day (Sept 1st), and get an idea of what all this really means.

• Current Federal Gas Tax (per gal.): $ .183
• Days during proposed “Tax Holiday”: 100 (approx.)

OK, so let’s use my husband as an example, since he’s the one who does most of the driving. His car holds 15 gallons of gas. With normal use, he fills up about every 5 days. So….

• 100 days ÷ 5 = 20 fill-ups over the course of the tax holiday
• 15 gal/tank × 20 fill-ups = 300 gals used from Memorial Day to Labor Day
• 300 gals × $ .183 tax = $54.90 Total Savings
• $54.90 ÷ 100 days = $ .54/day Total Savings

WOW! You’d have to give up your daily gum chewing habit to save that kind of money! Well, if that hasn’t convinced you that something more drastic is needed, I’ll even add in our yearly trip to California and see if we can save a little bit more.

Now, we’re using my car…a gas guzzling Cadillac. On the plus-side, it does have a 20 gallon tank, so I still only need to fill up 6 times to complete a round-trip from Utah to California and back. So…

• 20 gal/tank × 6 fill-ups = 120 gals
• 120 gals × $ .183 tax = $21.96 Total Savings
• $54.90 + $21.96 = $76.86 Grand Total in Savings from Proposed Tax Holiday

Perhaps, having an extra three quarters jingling in your pocket every day is enough to get you excited, but not me. I’m looking for someone to step up and take control over these rising gas prices before we’re forced to ride our bikes to the beach for the summer. I’m not looking forward to trekking some 650 miles with a two-year-old on my back.