Ever seen a grown man naked?

What I am about to share with you might make you uncomfortable but there is some true logic to the madness with which I live. 

Fact#1 Hotstuff has a machete

   We do not have guns in our house. Instead, Hotstuff has machete that can be found on his side of the bed. This is our only line of defense against bad guys who may break in or... want to date our daughter. 

Fact #2 Hotstuff sleeps naked

   Over the last year, Hotstuff has taken to sleeping naked. Though he has always preferred sleeping naked, this is something that has become the norm for him. 

 I know that this is something that you could have lived without but bear with me, there is a correlation between his nakedness and the machete. Now you know the facts we can proceed. 

Knowing that he is my hero and the man who defeats all scary monsters, I was worried about him sleeping naked. I mentioned to him that maybe he should not be sleeping naked. He simply shrugged his shoulders and asked: "Why not?" 

 

To which I responded: "Well, what if someone breaks into the house? You are not going to have anytime to put on any pants before the robbers kill us in our beds." 

And being the amazing husband that he is, he simply smiled and said, "Tell me something, if you wanted to break into someone's house you wouldn't want to be greeted by a naked man with a machete. Would you?" 

I cannot argue with that. 

An Evening with the Palmers

It's a beautiful spring evening.
The lawn is green and freshly mowed.
It's Friday with a three day weekend.
Dinner time has finally arrived.

So off I send my Hotstuff to the House of Caesars to fetch dinner. He returns home triumphant with to large pies of pizza and Beer made from root. As we all gather in the kitchen for a Moo Cow dinner, Bubba Jones begins grace. Remembering to ask God to keep us all safe... including the blonde Swiss Miss next door.

Translation: It's Friday and I am too damn tired to cook. So Hotstuff goes to Little Caesars  returns with two $5 pizzas and root beer. We all stand around the kitchen, like cows that are grazing, to eat our dinner. Bubba Jones says grace. You with me so far???

Even though we had completely thrown all manners... well most of them anyways, out the door the kids wanted to eat their pizza outside. I don't blame them, it is a nice evening. We, Hotstuff and I, tell them no and  to just eat their dinner here. When they are done they can go outside.

Bubba Jones is not happy about this. He begins to be a serious punk about the whole situation.

"Bubba Jones," my amazing Hotstuff says. "Do you want to be grounded?"

Then the sweet little voice from my beautiful 9 year old Miss May speaks from the corner speaks ever so softly: "Yeah, I'd be okay with that."

Bubba Jones, who doesn't back down from a fight, then threatens to throw his pizza in my face. This earns him and automatic five for fighting- off to time out he goes. With his face, somewhat facing the wall, Bubba Jones begins he ritual time out chant.

"Can I come out now?"
*Pause
"Can I come out now?"
*Pause
"Can I come out now?"
*Pause

"Well," Hotstuff comments. "You should give him credit for his determination.

Running for Ron

He had a heart attack one night that should have killed him.

That was thirty-eight years ago.

A few months ago, I agreed to run my first half marathon, the Canyonlands Half Marathon in Moab, Utah,  with my friend Willis Van Gogh. With a hard winter and bad health, I wasn't able to train as well as I could have. Never the less, the only way out of this half marathon was: if I was bleeding ( I mean hemorrhaging) , broken (bones to be more specific) or I was on fire. Come hell or high water, I was going to do this. I didn't care what time I got, how good or how bad I did; I wanted to start the run and finish it.

Willis Van Gogh and I drove to Moab last night; Moab is a good 250 miles from where I live. As we were trying to get to her friends house where we stayed for the night, my phone rang.

It was the phone call I have expected but didn't expect.

"Dad's in the hospital and he isn't coming home this time," RD explained to me. "I am on my way home."

I have known Ron for 18 years now. He and his family have always been good family friends. RD and I dated in high school. Ron and his wife Pat, have taken care of us and they took care of my mother. Through no fault of theirs, the were given a difficult task... I can't share what but I will cherish that moment that Ron, Pat and I held each other as we cried with one another. They bore my burdens with me. The only way I can describe them is simple: they are angels sent by God, for me.

As RD and I talked last night on the phone, I told him what I was running a half marathon the next day.

His reply: "What in the hell are you doing?"

"I don't know," I answered. "I have been asking myself that same question for the last couple of months."

"Well, run it for Dad," he said.

And that is what I did.

I ran it for Ron... one of my angels who showed me that we can overcome; how to truly bear one anothers burdens; how to have a sense of humor and how to laugh. He showed me how one major heart attack, the loss of a leg, being on dialysis for the last 6 years and many doctors trusting facts and numbers telling them that he should be dead, doesn't mean that you cannot live a full and meaningful life. That thirty eight years later... the doctors were wrong.

I ran it for me... I ran this half marathon to overcome. I have a laundry list of health issues (fibromyalgia, asthma, etc) and I just ran 13.1 miles! (My time was 3:12:38) No matter what obstacles I have, I can overcome them. And I can have a wonderful life. I could not have run this without a great running partner and friend by my side; and I could not have made it through some of the darkest times of my life without Ron and Pat by my side.

As I got ready for my run, I wrote on my leg: For RON

Today I ran for Ron.

  Today I ran for me.

    Today I ran for life.

Hearing Her Heart Beat

This Bright and beautiful face will be turning 9 this week!

It is hard to imagine that 9 years ago, this beautiful, wonderful, smart and sassy little girl came into my life. 

I always imagined that I would be thrilled when that special day came when I found out I was pregnant. Due to some "Lady Issues", I wasn't sure if I would have children. When I did get pregnant with Miss May, well.... I wasn't excited. In fact, I was angry. Ironic, I know! I had suffered a miscarriage a few months before and I was still dealing it. It took me a while to let go of the anger but I made peace with my God and myself. 

As many of you know, my own sweet Mother passed away in my 27th week of pregnancy with Miss May. Just three days later, my biological father assaulted me. I was slammed into a plate glass window with ten grown men on top of me. I was taken by ambulance to the Hospital and admitted to the ER, then immediately Labor and Delivery Triage. I was with my sister and my Uncle (my mothers twin). My mothers viewing was that night and I forced my sister to go because that is where she needed to be. My Uncle never left my side. 

Finally, Hotstuff arrived and stayed with me. Due to the trauma, I needed to monitored. I had the belly straps on and Miss Mays heart beat swished away for all to hear.  

Then something unexpected happened.... 

Her heart beat was gone. 

It was no where to be found. 

I don't remembered if I prayed. 

All I felt was faith and peace. 

I don't know how much time passed.... seconds... minutes... 

Then the most beautiful sound filled the room. 

It was her Heart. 

It was beating and it was stronger than ever. 

It was the most cherished sound I had ever witnessed. I can still hear it today. 

Then 21 minutes after midnight, on Super Bowl Sunday, Miss May was born into this great big world! She gave me purpose and rescued me from my grief. 

Nine years later, she still gives me purpose and with each passing day, her Heart gets stronger. 

Good Brothers and Mean Sisters

When the Sunday occasion calls for it, I will run down to the local convenient store and get myself a very large soda to get me through the rest of my weekend. Today after church, Bubba Jones was having a very hard time. Since Hotstuff and I went to Vegas this weekend, we had spent very little time with the kids.  I decided to take Bubba Jones and go get a soda together.

On the way to the store, I talked with Bubba Jones and got thing sorted out between us. He was feeling a lot better. We got to the store, got out of the car and Bubba Jones gave me a big hug. We went in and as usual I went for the soda machine. Bubba Jones didn't follow but instead went to the cooler. I found him getting a juice from the cooler but he had two of them in his hand.

"Mom, I am getting this one for me and this one for sister," he told me.

"You don't need to get her one. This is a special treat just for you," I said.

"I know but I don't want her to be sad that I got a something and she didn't," he replied. I gave in and let him get her a juice too.

"That is really nice of you to get something for your sister," I told him.

"Well, I am trying to be proactive. She is a mean sister but I am good brother,"  he said.

All I could think was: Yes, yes you are a good brother. Even when faced with a mean sister, you can still be a good brother.

Mawwwrige is what brings us togetha today!

My awesome Hotstuff and I will be celebrating 11 years of marriage this year. I am in awe. I am speechless. I am humbled.

Most marriages don't last as long as they are supposed to anymore. People just give up and don't try. They destroy what is great and joyful. Everyone deserves to be happy and every marriage deserves happiness.

Don't get me wrong there are some marriages that need to end. I have encountered a few of those along the way in my life. Those are the marriages that are destructive to (more than just) the husband and wife.

This week, Hotstuff and I had the opportunity to attend the wedding of Mr and Mrs Orgn Crushr; Hotstuffs younger brother. This was not the first marriage for either of them. In getting to know Mrs. Crushr I have learned a lot about her and things she has learned from her first marriage.

Watching this happy couple over the last month and even this weekend;  I discovered that there is so much more I could learn from my Hotstuff. I remembered the good there is in my marriage and the many things that are right about it. Just because we have been married for "a long time" doesn't mean we have reached a point where we have nothing else to learn, give or receive from one another. It means that we are just starting out in our journey of our lives. There are still conversations to be had, dates to still go on, discussions needed to be resolved and lots of cuddling to be done. Eleven years later, we are still newlyweds.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!

From our Family to yours:

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Years

 

We hope that 2012 has been a great year and that 2013 will be even better!

Love,
Honey   Hotstuff   Miss May   Bubba Jones

This Tooth Fairy is fired!

Bubba Jones is one awesome little boy. 

Yes, I am saying that because I am his mother and I did birth him. But he really is an awesome little boy.

A little over a week ago, Bubba Jones came in excited to tell us that he had a new wiggly tooth. Lets jump back to earlier this year when he lost his first tooth. He was at the Fabulous Miss K's house and he wiggled that tooth till it popped out. Instead of telling anyone that he lost the tooth, he tossed it on the floor (which was vacuumed shortly after he tossed it.).

No tooth= No tooth fairy.

His second tooth, he pulled out on his own, at home. Which was promptly lost in the garbage.

No tooth= No tooth fairy.

So last night, Bubba Jones comes to me really excited with another tooth. He waited and wiggled that tooth till it just popped out. With every tooth that he has lost, he has never cried. He was so excited that he had lost his tooth and the Tooth Fairy could finally come.

The kids got ready and crawled into bed. We said our good nights, complete with hugs and kisses and placed the tooth under his pillow. I was on the phone with my sister in law for a couple of hours and totally spaced my Tooth Fairy duties.

This morning, as I was getting ready for work, Bubba Jones was so excited!

"Mom! Mom! Guess what! The Tooth Fairy came last night because my tooth is gone!"

(Insert expletives I muttered here!)

Even with his tooth this time, this Tooth Fairy failed.

Dear Tooth Fairy,
You are FIRED!
Sincerly, Honey

This is Halloween

Happy Halloween

From Honey and Hotstuff

A dead pirate and Hulk

 The Incredible Bubba Jones

Honey and Miss May

Hotstuff and I celebrating The day of the Dead

We honored our Mexican ancestors because we all know that we have sooooo many of them! (haha)

Welcome Back!

For the last couple of years, I have wanted to get Miss May into a charter school. I haven't been impressed with public schools here in Utah and have been working for a better alternative. Bubba Jones just started Kindergarten this year and we were blessed to be able to get him into a charter school but Miss May didn't get in. So Hotstuff and I prepared the kids and ourselves for two seperate schools.

Miss May started school and on the second day of school, we got a phone call that a spot had opened up for Miss May to go to the same charter school as her brother. We moved her to a new school.

We are now almost two months into the school year and both kids are doing great. Bubba Jones being in this school is just what he needed for his brain. His teacher has been in contact with me on a weekly basis working with him and us on his delays.

Miss May on the other hand has struggled. I was upset to find out her reading level was so low but then I realized that she was being tested and scored differently than in public school. I also realized that she had been taught to sight read and that was the reason why she has struggled so much with reading comprehension. The level of learning is so much higher than what she was recieving at the public school that she is struggling. But I am not worried because she is being challenged and in a good way.

Family Night

Once a week, our family gets together on a Sunday night for Family Night. We come together for family business (where we go over the calender and talk about anything we need to) and a spiritual lesson. Everyone participates, taking turns teaching a message.  It is a night that anything can happen!


So for example, from last nights family night:

 

Miss May: Speaking of Satan.... at school, there are boys in my class.

Mothers Advice

This afternoon I picked up the kids from Daycare. I asked how their day went and Miss May told me about her day and how the kids didn't get to go in the Pool because everyone of them were being naughty.

Miss May: I wasn't being loud. I was being quiet but because everyone else was being loud we couldn't go in the Pool. And I was being quiet but Bubba Jones was being loud.

Bubba Jones: Nu-huh! I was being quiet!

(Cue the sibling arugement!)

I told the both of them, that it didn't matter whether or not you were being good or bad. We shouldn't point fingers at who was good and who was bad. Sometimes it's about working together as a group to get what you want.

MOM points: 1000!!!!! DING DING DING!

Then Miss May told me all about how her friend J was being bossy and how she didn't like it.

Me: Miss May, she isn't the boss. You don't have to let her boss you, you know that? So what should you do when it happens?

Miss May: Go tell an adult.

Me: Well that is one thing but don't be a tattletale. Just Walk Away! You don't have to sit there and let her be mean to you. If she follows you then you can find an adult. God gave you legs so that you can walk away.

Shortly after I said this to her, I patted myself on the back for not only teaching my children twice in five short minutes but I had scored some MAJOR MOM Points. Then I realized what I said to my daughter: "God gave you legs so that you can walk away."

I have a feeling like this is something that will come back to haunt me.

love+marriage= baby

Honey and Hotstuff sitting in a tree!

K-i-s-s-i-n-g

First comes love

then comes marriage

then comes a baby in the baby carriage!

Family is the most important thing in our life. Hotstuff and I are LDS (mormon) and getting married and having children has always been what the two of us have wanted. LDS families are famous for being large but being LDS and having only two children, kinda makes us Black Sheep. When you consider a "small LDS family" is about 4 kids and a "large LDS family" is 8 kids or more, having only two kids really makes you the odd man out.

(I must remind you that this blog belongs to me, Honey and not the LDS (mormon) Church. Thanks!)

Hotstuff comes from a family of four but has 50 first cousins and the amount of great grandbabies has far surpassed that number. I came from a family of three kids and didn't have any cousins on my fathers side of the family until I was 15. I have first cousins that are younger than my kids. On my mother side of the family, there are only ten grandkids. I have always loved the idea of having a large family and with Hotstuff coming from a large family already it just seemed natural to have a large family of our own.
But for personal/health issues, Hotstuff and I closed up baby shop. We have two of the most amazing people as our children and I still have days where I am still in awe that I was even able to have them. It wasn't an easy decision to come to but we knew it was for the best. We both have moments of baby hunger but then I come home to the choas of the two amazing children we already have and think this is enough choas.

This was supposed to be a humorous post to begin with but when I started typing it, it got kinda serious. Sorry!
Hotstuff and I work everyday on teaching our children good principles. A few months ago, Hotstuff and I were on our way home from work and we picked up Bubba Jones from daycare. I don't remember how the conversations started (I think Hotstuff and I were talking about going on a date that weekend) but it went a little something like this:

Bubba Jones: You guys should go a date because I want you guys to get married so you can have another baby.

Hotstuff: Bubba Jones, we are already married.

Bubba Jones: Yeah, but I want you guys to get married every weekend so that you can stay together and have another baby.

Then a couple of weeks ago, Hotstuff, Bubba Jones and I went to Costco. On our way out to the car, I took a moment to tell Bubba Jones that I think his dad is pretty awesome.

Me: I think your dad is pretty awesome! Don't you?

Bubba Jones: yeah.

Me: I am so glad that I married him.

Bubba Jones: Well, I want you guys to get married again so you guys can have another baby.

Remember how I just wrote that Hotstuff and I are teaching our children good principles? Well, I can't tell if I have suceeded or failed as a parent. Bubba Jones understands that you can't have children unless you are married.  10 Parenting Points!!!! but on the flip side... we aren't having anymore babies so that means that my husband of ten years and I have been living in sin?

So I asked Hotstuff: do you want to get married again?

His reply: Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

Happy 4th of July

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
~Ronald Regan

Welcome Back!

I know you all feel a lot like this:

Me too!

I know...
I've been gone...
I'm sorry....

Truth: When Hotstuff and I got our new laptop computer in 2010, for some strang and crappy reason, I couldn't post my blog from it. I could create the blog but I couldn't post it. I could only post from the ancient Totally Awesome Computer that we owned. Then one dark and stormy night as we all sat around the campfire... (you heard this one yet)... our Totally Awesome Computer became A Totally Awesome piece of Modern Art! I still couldn't post from the laptop.
Then magically one day, our laptop decided to be a problem child and a neighbor came to fix it and magically I CAN POST FROM MY LAPTOP!!!! YEAH!!!

 Insert awesome happy dance here:

It should look something like this:

                                                                       Or like this:

And if it doesn't look like either of those then you are doing it wrong!

Won't my mommy be so proud of me!

Bubba Jones, every day has chores. It's a simple chore of cleaning up the bathroom. He cleans up the floor, takes care of the garbage and wipes the sink and toilet. As I was doing something (cough* cough* pintrest cough* cough*), Bubba Jones comes out the of the bathroom with something in his hand. A single square of toilet paper.

Bubba Jones: Mom! Mom! Look what was on the bathroom floor!

(He is now holding the square of tissue with hornet pinched between his fingers, butt end out!)

Me: Is that a hornet?

Bubba Jones: Yeah.

Me: Is is dead?

Bubba Jones: No and I am squishing it.

Me: *SIGH

Boys will be boys I guess.

Sculptor Slaps and State Fairs

I married an artist ya'll!

(Read that and weep!! )


And this year, Hotstuff competed in two art competitons. The first is the Helper Arts festival's sculptor slap. (Don't know where Helper is? Google it- it's on your way to Moab) and the other is the Utah State fair.

So Hotstuff took Georgia, our bearded dragon, to the sculptor slap and decided to make her a model. Here is what he did:

The second competition he did was for the Utah State fair and this is the piece he took:

Hotstuff took 4th place (Amature div.) and won $15!!!

I am proud of my Hotstuff and the awesome talent that he has.

I know... your jealous but what can I say?? I have one awesome Hotstuff!

Sculpture Slap!

Cash, Diamonds and Harry Connick Jr.

For the last few years, when my birthday rolls around I ask for three things.

CASH DIAMONDS and HARRY CONNICK jr.

This year I got all three.

At work, we do birthday exchange. Each of puts $15 into the birthday pot and we pick a name randomly of another employee that we are in charge of celebrating their birthday. We plan their birthday lunch, decorate their desk and get them a gift.

My boss had picked my name for the year and at the begining of the month asked me what I wanted. I told my boss, that I was accepting gifts in the form of cash, diamonds and Harry Connick Jr. I also requested that she make her famous lemon.

Earlier this week, her huband was admitted to the hospital for some complications with this health. I told her not to worry about my birthday because she had a lot on her plate.

Thursday, on my birthday day I came into work. We have two doors to our office; a back door (for doctors) and a front door (used more for the public). As I approached the back door I noticed a sign. When I got up to the sign, on it was a picture of Harry Connick jr. with: It's Honeys Birthday today! When you see her wish her a Happy Birthday. On the front door of our office was another sign with Harry Connick Jr. on it with the same message.

At my desk, my boss had put a happy birthday sign and below was another picture of Harry saying Happy Birthday. I had one more Harry picture with more birthday wishes of: I wish I could be here in person to wish you a happy birthday. In total, I ended up with for different pictures of Harry.

On my desk, were small diamonds. They weren't real but they are the kind that are used for embellishing scrapbook pages. She had also gotten me a few other small gifts and a card. When I had opened it up, inside was some cash.

She had also made me her famous lemon cake. As I mentioned, her husband had been in the hospital and she also had her family coming in from out of town for the Fourth of July weekend. Her plate was incredibly full, she still managed to celebrate me. I couldn't ask for a better boss... and that mean more to me than cash, diamonds or Harry Connick Jr.

"Dear Honey,

I know that this isn't the kind of diamonds you would like or the amount of money- nor could I get you Harry Connick Jr but I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

~CW"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

She's HOME!

After 18 (and a half) months, serving a mission for the LDS Church (for more info go to lds.org) my baby sister returned home. She packed away all of her belongings, taking only what she needed and spent the last year and a half preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in the California Arcadia mission (East LA area).

She was sent on a spanish speaking mission and ended up learning and speaking 5 different languages. Spanish, Korean, Armenian, Samoan and English!!

She returned home to all of us last week!!! It is so good to have her home. Even my Momma C, came all the way from Seattle to be here for her.

Me, Momma C and Sister AwesomeSauce

Sister AwesomeSauce and her best friend CJ

CJ and her main man JP!

Me and My Momma C

Me and Sister AwesomeSauce

When she finally got off the plane!!!