The Tale of a Snoop

My name is Della Marie and I am a snoopaholic.

As you may already know, I am NO GOOD at surprises. With me, there is no keeping, or hiding surprises...

One fateful day, I was involved in a snooping incident in which the police were almost called when our neighbors saw the door to our fifth wheel trailer hanging open and knew that my family was supposed to be at church. Meanwhile, I was inside said fifth wheel trailer drooling over all of the Christmas presents that my mom had hidden.

I changed my life that day. I would no longer be a snoop. But you've heard the phrase

"Once a snoopaholic, always a snoopaholic."

Well it goes something like that anyway.

Now that you know my dirty little secret, you will fully appreciate the horror I felt last week when Jesse texted me and told me that he had purchased a surprise for me for Christmas. Immediately my mind began to reel, thinking of all of the hiding places he might find in our little apartment and how soon I could get to them to see what the surprise could be. I felt so guilty, and decided I would not give in.

When I got home that day I was greeted by a very serious Jesse. He had taken his surprise, wrapped it in a pair of old pants, put it in a plastic bag, and showed it to me so that when I went on one of my cleaning frenzies I wouldn't open it up or throw it out. Then he went to hide it...

I closed my eyes, covered my ears, and hummed my favorite hymn all in hopes that I would be completely unaware as to the location of the parcel. It worked........until yesterday.

I saw that oh-so-ridiculously packaged piece of temptation in the top of the closet and before I knew what was happening, my hand had almost reached it with the intent to pull it down. At this realization, I turned myself around and walked away.

I have come so far.

The Story of Jesse's Life Part III

Today I came home from work, sat down at the computer and noticed something strange...a measuring cup which had so obviously been used as a tomato soup dispenser.

"Why would he do that?" I thought.

So when he came home, I asked him about it.

Della "Sir, do you know anything about a measuring cup used for tomato soup?"

Jesse, "Yeah..."

Della, "So...?"

Jesse, "Well...it's better than a bowl because our bowls get so hot in the microwave and the measuring cup has a handle so I don't burn my fingers...and plus, there's a pour spout so I don't even need a spoon..."

One thing I can be grateful for: Our kids will be very creative. I can see it now...

Della, "Little Jesse, why is the blender in the bathroom?"

Little Jesse, "I figured it out mom! All I have to do is put in a little water and soap and it lathers up nicely...then I just pour it over my head and BAM! I'm clean."

Rainy Days and Mondays

Lately I've been a little down:

"What I've got they used to call the blues. Nothing is really wrong,
feeling like I don't belong..."

However, here are some things that helped me to feel a little bit of sunshine on this rainy Monday:

A loving Husband...

New barrettes for my hair...

The Semester Survival Kit that came in the mail from Best Friend Annie...

*and her sweet coworker Cheryse

A phone call with each of these lovely ladies

And a simple reminder that everything is fine...

The New Woman

There is a new woman in Jesse's life.

He's begun spending all of his spare time with her.

I think he might love her...






...but I'm not jealous.

Today I Feel...

OVERWHELMED

Let's Get Rollin!

These ingredients...

In these shells...

Fry'em up we're having egg rolls!

They were so good! Thanks girls!

To make this delectable dish:

1 package egg roll wraps
1 very small head of cabbage, chopped
1 (8 oz) package mushrooms, diced (nickel sized)
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and minced
1 (7 oz) package bean sprouts
1 lb hot sausage

Brown sausage, add vegetables. Heat through. Roll into egg roll wraps and fry.

(Thanks Bea!)

Maintenance Please!

This was our maintenance request for the evening....thought I'd share:

"Men's toilets are clogged due to the fact that the boys don't know how to flush yet...we have tried plunging. In the future we will have a talk with them about how to finalize their business, but until then...PLEASE HELP! Thank You!"

Can you believe this would even be a problem with almost-adults?

We Made It!

Today marks the end of a very long week for us here at Anderson Hall.

Thus far, we have already had to call police dispatch, kick out some guests without proper authorization to stay overnight, and remind all the new residents to flush toilets when they have finished their business in the loo...(THAT'S RIGHT YIKES!)

We had training all day for four days in a row. We learned how to be peer mentors and all about on-campus housing policy. We participated in many long drawn out conversations pertaining to TV privileges, curfews,overnight guests, spent endless hours decorating...and then there was that horrific stint in the housing office involving keys. However it was all very worth it because free food for every meal was involved, and we had great company...for the most part.

And so we made it to CHECK IN DAY. That was yesterday. We spent a lot of time in the lobby, meeting a lot of people that I don't remember.

The funniest moms:

"Where's the ironing board?...BUT WHAT IS HE SUPPOSED TO DO ON SUNDAY?"

"Are you good babysitters...He needs a lot of instruction...and eye contact."

Maybe it's time to cut some apron strings?

However long and drawn out our week was, we are very grateful to our fellow Anderson RA's and ARA's for their terrific senses of humor, and for their stupendous attitudes. We really feel like we can trust them to do their part and it helps us want to do ours. We look forward to a great year!

Of the Fitness Sort

This morning while I was still lounging in bed, Moses got up, got himself ready and then said something I have never heard him say in the time that I have known him...

"I'm going for a quick run."

said he.

For a few seconds I wondered about his sanity, but then decided that this could only be a good thing. Maybe this will be the start of a 'new leaf' for us...you know, of the fitness sort.

"Don't forget to stretch!"

said I

Who knows? Maybe I'll be out there taking a quick run tomorrow morning....it could happen.

Last weekend, Jesse and I chose to celebrate our anniversary by taking a trip to the ZOO! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and took lots of pictures...these were some of the highlights of the trip:

We went to visit the elephant...she was doing her potty dance, which we thought was priceless. It was also near this exhibit that they have a scale set up to measure your weight and then compare that to an elephant's weight...I now weigh as much as a baby elephant. This new discovery was not exactly my favorite, but I suppose it could always be worse.

In the gift shop, Jesse made a new friend...a rather large black widow spider...

...We had some fun with the animal hats...

...and I learned that my pet giraffe has not yet learned to stay off the furniture.

I took a ride on an elephants trunk. That elephant was so fun! It would sneeze on you!

And we saw the main attraction. This is the new baby giraffe! He was so sleepy, but that didn't stop us from spending much of our time gawking at his adorable-ness.

I bet you want to go to the zoo now too...Don'tcha!

*P.S. I don't think that you can see it in any of the pictures, but there was a beautiful french braid in my hair holding my bangs back. I want everyone to know that it was all thanks to Ashley Beatrice who just learned to french braid and decided to grace my boring hair with her new talents. You should ask her to braid your hair...

Pillow Talk

There are many in this world who believe that pillow talk is one of the best ways that a couple can maintain open communication with each other...i.e. Doris Day when she sang

"When it's all said and done two heads are better than one."

Pillow talk is often described as a true form of self disclosure between two partners in a relationship...and a lot of times it is. But I also think that pillow talk can sometimes just be a fun, uninterrupted conversation about anything...like this morning:

7:00
Della (rolls over in bed): "They've been mowing their lawn for over an HOUR!"

Jesse: "They have a big lawn."

Twenty minutes later...

Jesse: 'Now they are weed-eating. Well, actually it's more like weed-whacking because they aren't really eating weeds, they are just cutting them down. Are you a weed-eater or a weed-whacker...because this is important."

Della: "Actually, I'm a weed-hacker, because you're not really eating the weeds, but if you were only whacking them, you would just be hitting the weeds...whacking doesn't cut off appendages like hacking does. You hack at those weeds until they can't stand it any more and fall over in shame. When you're dealing with weeds it's OK to use strong, words like 'hack' and even 'slash.'"

Jesse: "Well I guess it's safe to say that we will never be a weed-eating family..."

Della: "Right. It's settled: We will never eat weeds."

Reflections on my Anniversary

A year ago today I woke up early...too early, but I couldn't help it you see. It was a big day!

I walked aimlessly around the house a few times...maybe more than a few.

Grandma Cox told me to eat breakfast, so I had a little...a very little.

Then it was finally time to go. I sat in front of the bathroom mirror while Colleen did my hair, and Mom watched. I couldn't tell if Mom's face was happy or sad...I think it was a little of both.

Miss Ashley drove my mom and me to the Manti, Utah temple, a place that will forever hold my heart.

That's where I saw Jesse walking towards the steps...Now, I know I should have thought about how he took my breath away, or how this day was the most important day in my whole existence....I should have, but instead I thought to myself:

"I could just say, 'Let's just drive home now, we don't really need to stop here today.' and I know they would be more than happy to turn the car around for me."

Really. That's what I thought.

But I got my brave self out of the car, entered the House of the Lord, put on my beautiful white dress, and was married for time and all eternity.

The past year has brought Jesse and I such happiness and success. We have learned a great deal. We have gathered many memories, established new traditions, and look forward to the chance to create many more in our years to come.

Aunt-ness

This adorable picture was colored especially for me by my niece Nicole. It is a picture of us together. Notice the beautiful flower on the side, as I was instructed to do when I was given the picture. The best part is that if I am willing to sit and color with her, I am given more of these lovely hand colored pictures than I could ever ask for.

It is one of the many reasons that I love being an aunt.

The Debate

Just before we left on our trip, Jesse, Heather, Mom and I went the store to get some treats for the road. Jesse didn't see a need for treats so we had somewhat of a debate as to whether treats are necessary on a road trip or not. The most convincing argument was given by Heather when she successfully alluded to Jesse the potential for a great road trip without the help of treats, thus making the realization of such an atrocity, and the decision to purchase said treats, completely up to Moses. (You know, make him think the treats were his idea...Haha)

Heather: (pointing to herself)

"Some get more and more silly the longer they sit in a car..."

(pointing to Della) "...Others do not."

And it came to pass that treats were purchased.

Moses-Cation

Last weekend I had my very first visit to Idaho for "Moses-cation." The trip was originally scheduled for that weekend as "mancation" until a wedding invitation sparked a new idea. Instead of sending the boys off to have all the fun, lets all go and have fun together! In the end, we were short quite a few Mosai but we made the trip anyway. It was a great vacation full of fun and adventure! Jesse and I really enjoyed ourselves!

First we drove to Salt Lake City to spend the night at my parent's house and enjoy a little bit of Childs time. We made some time for dollar movies, visited alpacas at the library, and saw some familiar faces while we prepared ourselves for the upcoming trip.

Then we parked our car in the drive way, were picked up by the Moses van, and headed to Ogden, Utah to stay with Uncle Mark and Aunt Linda. They took us out on their boat the next day...

In the van and ready to go boating!

Seth showing off his Wake Boarding skills...I would like all to know that I was very brave and tried to do this. Unfortunately, I do not have any arm strength and I couldn't pull myself up.

Our little fish. Whenever the boat stopped she jumped in the water. She was so patient with all the big kids.

Sun Bathing Beauties

(I didn't get a sunburn at all this day! That could have been because I made best friends with the sunscreen bottle and my t-shirt)

The very fetching Jesse Moses

(You can't tell, but he is very slowly catching all of the sun's rays. Needless to say, he got all of the sunburn that I didn't get. Poor Guy!)

What's a vacation without a little sibling rivalry? This game is called Tube Wars...the object: get the other guy off his tube while the boat pulls you along. Nathan (yellow tube) was the champ! Jesse didn't stand a chance. I did not play this game. The boys were wild and I was too afraid of Becca and Emma...

The little fish finally got a turn to be pulled by the boat.

After seven and a half hours at Willard Bay, we finally had to get a move on. We finished our drive to Sweet, Idaho and stayed with family there.

Our Saturday activity consisted of the Mosai "floating" the Payette River. "Floating" is the word that my sister in law used to describe the activity a month ago. I was fine with that. In my head I was thinking of getting in at the top, sitting in my little inner tube and having a leisurely float on down to the end of the river route

....I was MISTAKEN, but I didn't know it yet...

Two weeks later, Jesse threw in the word "Rafting" and I chose to ignore it...Let's just say, I was in DENIAL. All I heard for the next two weeks was horror story after horror story about river rafting. Annie found leeches, Cami got hit in the face and knocked unconscious, and so on and so forth. The tales of terror hit a climax as we discussed the recent death of a man on the very river that I was about to set sail on over breakfast...I was mortified.

Later, as I stood on the shore, one of the cousins gave some safety instructions. He did NOTHING to ease my fears while he made statements like, "If you get stuck under the raft..." and "If you fall out, don't drop your paddle or we won't let you back in..." YIKES! By the time I got into the raft and sat down (in the very middle, there was no straddling the side of the raft and paddling for me!) I was hysterical. I was crying, asking Jesse and Becca, "What am I doing here?" and accidentally rubbing sunscreen into my eyes.

It felt like an eternity floating down the river...that could have something to with the fact that I couldn't see a thing (remember the sunscreen), and every little rapid had me preparing myself for a watery grave. Mike was the closest to me and every so often he would put his hand on my arm and remind me that it was all ok. Thank heaven for dads and dad in laws. They have a way of bringing comfort just when you need it.

Here is a photo of Jesse and me before the madness began.

After our rafting adventure, a bunch of the Moses clan, including my awesome mother in law, headed over to the bridge where they enjoyed jumping into the water below. I was not about to allow this sort activity for Jesse or I...when the government pays for your medical expenses, you shouldn't go doing risky activities that increase the potential for them to have to pay anything.

The next day while the others went to a wedding luncheon, Becca, Emma, and I headed up to the Lazy R Ranch to ride some horses. This was my first time on a horse by myself, and I was nervous again, but Becca was a great teacher and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Since I seemed to be the only photographer on the trip I had to make do with what I had...This is a picture of my shadow on Sunny the horse.

Later that night there was a reception at the ranch where there was a lot of candy, cake, and dancing. It marked a wonderful end to a great vacation with my Moses family.

Dancer of the Year ~ Kolob Canyons

While in Ceder City over the Independence Day weekend, my family and I visited Kolob Canyons in Zion's National Park. Sweet Heather allowed me to take this lovely photo of her in a special Dancer of the year pose in front of the sign even though there were cars driving by. She was so brave.