My biggest weekness besides chips and dips

I have been dreading the day but knew it would be here soon. But all summer I could feel it coming. First is started with a weakening around the knees and then a soft thin spot on my boney but. I tried to ignore it but in the back of my mind I knew that all good things must come to an end and then it happened. I knelt down to pick up my car keys and "RIP"! A slight hole in the knee! Another favorite pair of jeans gone. These aren't just any jeans either. They are the pair that you know you look good in. The kind that fit your curves just right and in my case make me look like I actually have hips and a but. The kind that are broken in and meet your every need that you ever had from a good pair of jeans. I don't know who came up with the low rise boot cut with the two tone thread color but whoever did was sent by angels. Yes some say that diamonds are a girls best friend but I beg to differ. I think it is a magical pair of jeans.

You women know what I am talking about. You search store after store after store. Trying on the skinny jean, the flare jean, the distressed jean, the blue jean, the washed jean, the dark navy jean. You look for hipster, boot cut, low rise, boyfriend, straight leg. The pockets with white thread, blue thread, buttons, rhinestones, and stitching patterns. The long, the short, the regular. You ask yourself, "Will I wear these jeans with heels? Will I wear these jeans with flip flops?" They must be so versatile. Will they look great with a hoodie and sneakers but then when I don't have time to wash them can I dress them up with heels and a cute classy top? THERE IS SO MUCH PRESSURE!!

And so you keep on searching the mall, checking for color first, then cut, then price tag. You try on the cheap ones the expensive ones and the in between ones, praying that the expensive ones aren't it. You continue trying one pair after another, after anotherand with every pair you try on you must readjust and tuck the garments back down to your knees and zip them up and fix your shirt and then your hair and prepare yourself for the mirror as if you had been in them all day. You check the length, and then the side shot and then the deciding factor shot, the biggest dressing room moment.... the but check. You akwardly turn your torso backwards to the mirror while keeping your hips pointed forward and during this crisis that would appear to men to be a Yoga exercise routine, you try and check out your rear and see what everyone else looks at when your back is turned. Somehow we think that by turning at this weird angle our rear will look perfectly normal and that this is how it will always be looked at. You hit every store, even the ones for young 14 year old girls and irronically the only ones you like are the ones with the highest price tag and you ask yourself, "What in the H--- does the $88.00 jeans have that the $19.99 ones on the clearance rack don't!? Are they not the same material with the same similar fabric layout"? Do they not both have functioning pockets in the front and the back? Are they not both blue and the right size and then you decide, No! No, they aren't the same jeans and you need the $88.00 jeans and it takes all your will power to walk out of the store because the one pair that fits you right and makes your but look cute and your legs look slim and your man turn his head when you walk by him are too much for your checkbook and so you are so proud of yourself and how strong you were.

So you go home that night and you can't quit thinking about those jeans and you begin to justify spending the $88.00 because the right pair of jeans do so much more than cover you up and keep you modest. They must be a great quality to endure all that you put them through and they must make you feel attractive, youthful, sexy and beautiful with an instant boost of confidence in each step because you know that whatever magic the mass producing Tailor who sewed them did was worth every penny. And if any of you even pretend for a minute you don't think about this, you are lying to yourselves and I know deep down that you really understand why I did the unthinkable today.

Yes I didn't just buy one pair of ridiculously expensive, unrealistically priced and loaded with little fraying distressed marks all over them, which made them looked used pair of jeans but I bought TWO OF THEM! AAAAAAhhhhhh! What was I thinking? Not one but two!

Yes, I got the coupon this morning and printed it at work with toner that isn't even for my personal use. I saw the buy one pair and get one half off. And I totally had control over that but then the e-mail coupon gave me $25.00 off my next purchase which was just too much. I turned to my little ten key calculator and ran some quick numbers and I decided that this was a bargain. It was a deal that overall was still too overpriced for a pair of jeans. But I broke down, I gave in and I spent my lunch break speeding to the mall and saw this moment as the high lite of my week. The moment in which I would make the big purchase and all this emotion is triggered by this so called fabric called "denim" that if correctly cut and tailored can make a girl feel so good, so irresistible and so confident all at the same time. Would I do it again? I would tell you no, but then I would be lying through my teeth. Yes! Yes, I would and it was so worth it. Every dime and I will wear them for the next week straight. So until my boney but and knees wear holes in these pair I am safe and I will have one more year of sanity because there is no greater comfort from something so materialistic then the perfect pair of jeans!

Los Ninos Playing Monkeys on the bed.

Elsmore/Boyakin Family Reunion

Since we don't have our own little ones we thought we would share the ones that our important to us. Here are all our nieces and nephews, or as Jake calls them, "los ninos".

Grandma Lucy Irene Garner Mortenson

Today is one year since Grandma’s funeral. Jake and Brodi are gone on a dirt bike riding trip so it is just Cleo and me here alone. Last night I prayed before I went to bed that God would give me comfort and protection while they were away. I feel that he might have sent Grandma to do that. So here I am at 5:00 AM on Friday morning putting this down as a journal entry because I feel it is important to record this occasion.
I woke up this morning after a dream that I had. I don’t remember all the details but it was a holiday and I had seen everyone but Grandma Irene. In the dream I wasn’t expecting her and had doubts that she would come. Maybe this is because she had passed away. I’m not sure and dreams don’t make sense so I won’t try and figure it out. However, she did come and I saw her and ran upstairs because I had no gifts for her. I did however find something and scrambled to wrap this gift. The item I was wrapping were the scriptures she had given me the day I got baptized when I was eight years old, 20 years ago. Now this was interesting because I have another set of scriptures that I use more often than these but these were the ones that Grandma gave me. Well she caught me wrapping her gift before it was done and I begged for her apologies because I didn’t know she was coming. She took me in her arms and embraced me and just held me why I sobbed and let her know how much I missed her. I was so sorry and I loved her. This was uncontrollable sobbing in the dream and the first time that I have cried like that since her death. The emotion I was feeling in the dream caused me to wake up. I laid in bed staring into the dark after the dream. I felt her presence with me. I felt her around me and I said a silent prayer in my heart to her that I was grateful that she lived her life so that I can see her again. I will be able to expect her to come and we will be able to embrace each other again. This is so comforting to me.
This week I found a picture taken of Grandma Irene, Mom and myself all at the Ogden Temple the day I got received my own endowment. This picture is so important to me because it is my glimpse into the eternities. Some may remember the words I spoke at her funeral. I felt they were beautiful. I studied and prayed and prepared that talk more than any other time in my life. I had many compliments on the talk and many people requested for me to speak at his/her own funeral. I didn’t know how to respond to that. Although this was flattering, I am telling you that it was not me speaking at the funeral that day. I was filled with the Spirit of God and guided in my words by my Grandmother. I bore testimony of His Gospel, the resurrection, the plan of salvation and that I was sure that Grandma would be awarded the gift of eternal life. The peace I felt was because of her righteous life. I know where she will be. I know where she is now. Families are eternal and so is the relationship I have with Grandma.

Pickup Sticks

This weekend we are helping my parents build a deck off the back door. So far we have only done the demolition stage and we threw the boards into a pile on the grass below. The pile was just temporary because we needed to move the boards to a better location and stack them up too. So as I peered over the deck I saw this....What does this picure remind you of? I thought to myself, this reminds me of the a game that I played as a kid (yes, I have always loved games). It was a giant game of pick-up sticks! How cool was this going to be? So as my Dad and I completed the moving task, we took turns picking up 2x4's while trying not to move any others. It was great and hilarious. I learned that 2x4's are much more difficult than little plastic rainbow colored sticks.

To all you Dads out there...(Like Dads really read these blog things anyway)

Yes, these wacky pictures are my Dad. The thing that he has taught me best is to never grow up and don't forget how to be a kid again. He teaches this by straight example too. I love that about him. He is so young at heart and care free. He always has a good tease up his sleeve and a great sense of adventure. He is my hero and I love him. Although we don't say these three words to each other very much, he shows me by his simple yet meaningful acts. I just want to share a few things he has done these past few months that said to me, "I love you Winzo".

1. Helping me me rip apart and tile my kitchen. I know that it was a lot of hard work and that he was in a lot of pain yet somehow he manages to still stay goofy and pleasant the whole time. (It also could have been the beers but I will give him the benefit, JK). But he made working on such a big project a great time.

2. Calling me on Thursdays and saying,

"LYNDZI!, Do you know what day it is? That's right, its Thursday and you haven't talked to your dad alllll week. You should be ashamed of yourself." And really I should because I get so busy and forget the great people that I miss.

3. Watching him with my husband. There is no greater expression of love than to get teased and ganged up on by the two best men in your life. Boy do they love sharing this past time. I don't think there is anything they enjoy more.

4. When he makes me homemade raspberry ice cream because he knows it's my favorite.

Yes, he is a sweet kid for sure.

The Kitchen

The Kitchen is almost complet and pics will be coming soon..... We just have a couple more coats of paint and a little mudding and we will be finished. Oh and we need to lay the carpet for the stairs. But I like to keep you in suspense.

The Kitchen Remodel

We knocked out this part of the wall and moved the electrical panel to the storage room in the basement.







This is the wall from the living room.


Where did our stairs go? Jake moved the stairs forward 3 feet to give us more space in the dining area.







Here is the new tile after it was laid. That was a workout for sure.









Before the tile was laid and after all the old tile was torn up. It was a mess!




We sold our stove, microwave, and kitchen sink on KSL.com and then replaced them all with new ones that we also purchased from KSL.com. I love KSL.com.

Spring Time

I just want to say that I am loving this weather. Everything is so green and lush and it just gets me all excited to start planting and digging in the dirt. As for our garden, things are starting to spring up. So far we have planted Raddishes, onions, peas and cabbage and they are popping up and Jake makes fun of me because I ask him to come take a walk out to the garden so we can see the plants progress. We also planted grapes and raspberries. MMMmmmm, raspberries! they are my absolute favorite. Thanks for the starts Mom and Dad.

Somthing Smellys Going On.

There are times that I just have to sit back and laugh at my crazy ideas and be grateful that I have a husband that is so willing to go along with them. This weekend I somehow talked Jake into filling the back of his truck with "crap" literally. We have mentioned before that we are planting a garden and what do gardens need? That right, manure. No garden could be complete without it. So we ventured off to a guy's house in Sandy and I watched Jake nervously watch this unknown man with a tractor load three big scoops of poop into our truck. It was super gross and steam was coming out of it. This was fresh stuff and you could smell it the whole way home. But the really good part was jumping in the back of the truck and shoveling it out into the garden. I had to put on a mask just to make it through the whole ordeal. Man, am I a nut or what? Hopefully the smell will go away soon!

The Family

This week for our Young Women's activity we discussed "The Family, a Proclamation to the World". As I sat and discussed what my divine role as a woman was with them and that God has a plan for me and a purpose for my existence, I can't help but be humbled. I am so grateful for my family and to have the opportunity to start my own. It may be taking longer than some wish, but I promise, that it will happen. Never in my life have I felt such an important role in Heavenly Father's kingdom and never have I felt that being a virtuous woman can be so powerful. So thank you Midvale East 6th Ward for helping my testimony grow as hopefully I help yours.

This aint Mayberry!

Tomorrow is the big day when Jake tries to get out of a ticket that was issued to him for driving an ATV inside city limits when Jake wasn't even driving! Ugggh. Then the officers reply was "this ain't Mayberry". Did I mention the ticket was cited in Midway! The next best place for the Andy Griffin show? Good luck babe. You'll need it.

25 random reasons why I love Jake!

1. He has great hair

2. He makes me laugh every day. Even when I am too ornery.

3. He skips around naked.

4. His smile

5. The way he poses like a nerd in any photo.

6. That he builds stuff.

7. When he hears a door squeak and he has to fix it so it fits right. Even if it is at someone elses house.

8. That he hates Dandylions in our yard.

9. That he plays games with me even when he doesn't want to.

10. The cute look he gives that says I love you without saying it.

11. The way he yells for Cleo by saying, Beeeast, where are you?

12. The cute grin he gets when he starts his truck and hears the motor go vrooom.

13. When he calls me on his lunch just to tell me he loves me.

14. How all the young men in the ward love him.

15. How all the young women in the ward love him.

16. Don't tell him this, but I do like it when he teases me.

17. When he pretends to be mad and stomps down the hall, trying not to laugh the whole way.

18. His beautiful eyes! Whew!

19. When I am stressed and he knows to ask, "Are you ok?"

20. When I get mad at him and he forgives me anyway.

21. I love that he looks at dirt bikes on KSL everyday but won't ask to buy one until he sells his other two.

22. I love when I ask him to let Cleo outside and he always tries to get her to go out even though he knows she won't go for him and only for me.

23. His sense of humor.

24. His testimony.

25. That he has a nickname for everyone.

Good by Yota

This week we sold our little Toyota and it was a sad goodbye. It was the first car we bought when we got married and it has been an old faithful. Despite the mismatched shell, paint chips, cut out rims with black rust preventing paint and the fancy gray racing stripe, it was a true beauty. May its new owner love it as much as we did.