The McKnight Family

2011-09-02T09:49:00.001-06:00

This place is just perfect for us. Everything about it. I especially love hearing Brayden express how he KNOWS that we are supposed to be here. He feels very close to his friends and is doing so well. He is already quite protective of his friends. He is quite in awe of them and their situations. None of his friends have parents who are married, and most have had physical abuse. I think he respects them because they are very active in the church in spite of their home life. His best friend was abused by his father and has had many tough experiences. He is quick to reprimand the kids when they complain about rules or situations in the home. Jacob will say things like "At least you have a dad" or "Don't say bad things about your brothers, I wish I had little brothers to play with, I wish I had a family like this". He keeps the kids humble and their perspectives in check. He's adopted into our family and already calls me mom. He keeps me humble as well.

We were able to attend Logan's first home football game. Just as it was getting good, it started sprinkling, then raining, then whipping rain and wind, then the monsoon hit and literally everyone within 2 minutes were completely soaked and running for cover. Jason and I were having flashbacks of Guatemala. Riker and Chad were quite scared and begging to go home. We finally had to comply because it wasn't letting up. Apparently it finally did and Logan finished his game without anyone watching. They did win and Logan did great. Jason even left work early to come and within 5 minutes the storm hit. Good memories!

I got a church calling...I'm assistant Webelos leader. CJ is a webelo and super excited that I will get to be with him. It's exactly what he needs. I needed a way to spend some quality time with just him and this is it. I'm grateful for that. Granted, it's not my favorite calling, but it is what CJ needs right now and that is more important.

The only real stress in my life right now is our Heber house. My dad is killing himself to clean and fix it up and try to sell it. We keep getting told by our realtor to sell it for so cheap that it wouldn't even pay off our loan. Very frustrating when I was hoping to get out of debt from the sell of the house. But the market, as we all know, stinks and all we can do is hope and pray. It may need to be rented out first and then try to sell it later. I just hate putting my parents into that predicament.

Jason and I went to the Gila Valley Temple last weekend with another couple. We stayed at the Marriott down the street for $35 and played games with our friends and went to the temple in the morning and went out to lunch before we went home. I loved it. It was so nice having a little getaway weekend. I just love the perks of being in the Marriott family again. I don't mind letting temple attendance being an excuse for a quick weekend getaway. The temple is a small one but beautiful inside. A local widow was dripping with money and decided to donate millions to make sure the inside was as beautiful as it should be...from murals to crystal chandeliers to beautiful vases in the celestial room. Wonderful.

I just found out that kindergarten here is full day!!! I feel like someone just took a year off my sentence! Chad starts next year and I will finally have the day to myself. I'm so excited, I hope that doesn't sound bad, but I am really looking forward to having the house to myself and being able to do my errands without car seats and naps to worry about. Chad is ready for preschool but lack of funds make that impossible.

Tyler is doing good and will hopefully be getting visits from my parents soon. He needs that and I hope will feel loved and supported by the visits. I miss him so much it breaks my heart, I want him here but I know he needs to be where he is, getting the help he needs to be healthy and ready to be a part of society again. It doesn't change the fact that my son isn't here with me and I'm missing some of the best parts of his youth and growing up. I hate that he is missing school here, sports, dances, youth conferences and family home evenings, family dinner, chore charts, sacrament meetings, baptisms for the dead and all the other wonderful experiences he should be having at his age. We pray so hard for him and I am so heartbroken every family prayer when I hear the kids pray for him and pray that he feels our love for him, begging Heavenly Father to help him so that he can come home soon. One day we will be together again and it will be such a day of joy and happiness that we won't know what to do with ourselves except laugh and cry. I look forward to that day!

We are Here!

2011-08-14T09:40:00.002-06:00

Well, we have been here for almost 2 weeks now and we are loving it. I love living in a small house, I feel that I can reach out my hand and smack anyone getting out of line! It's a good feeling having more control like that, ha ha. We have unpacked a lot but not all...there isn't enough room for everything. I have met a great lady who is my walking partner and a nertz player. They invited us for dinner and found out a lot of similar interests. They have only been here a month.

The boys are doing well, on the day of unpacking CJ spotted some boys riding bikes down the street and they quickly went down there to join in the playing. Now those boys come here to play and jump on the trampoline. Brayden took a little while longer to find friends. High School is just that way, but he found a group of men who get together at 5:30am to play basketball MWF. He has been attending the youth activities and went to a dance last night and was already texting people he met when he got home. He's loving that all the cool kids he met are in our ward. Looks promising.

Jason is loving his job, loves being back where he should be and using the talents and abilities he has for a greater cause. He is in his element. He's already getting compliments from bosses on a job well done. A happy husband is a great thing. And the fact that his work is literally a 1 min drive helps tremendously. He even comes home for lunch periodically. A far cry from the night shifts and never seeing my husband in Heber.

This is a great move for us and I know these people here will be wonderful blessings. I will miss being able to get together for family parties and celebrations, it was great while it lasted.

We are Moving!!!

2011-06-12T15:17:00.002-06:00

Well, it's official as of last week. From applying to hiring it was 5 days. Jason applied for a job in Arizona and within 5 days he'd had phone interviews and face to face interviews and they immediately offered him the job. The shock finally wore off and moving mode kicked in. He has to be there on June 22, while to rest of us stay here to try and sell a house in a buyer's market. We need serious prayers for this to go through. The kids' school starts on August 8th. That doesn't give us much time to get all this done. The kids will be a little late to school because of a movie they've been cast in. It will be a feature film, meaning it will, yes, be in movie theaters. Tyler will have a main part and Logan, C.J., Riker and myself will have small extra type roles. It will be called, "Electrick Children" about a girl in a polygamist family. Tyler will be her older brother. Brayden has decided to go straight to school instead of being in the movie. He's quite more level-headed than most teenagers. I would have easily skipped school to be in a movie, but starting a new high school is difficult anyway, it would only be harder starting 2 weeks in. It's the best decision for him. We will be filming in the Vegas area.
We had our last performance of "Oliver!" last night and had a great time. It was so sad to know that we won't be working with our theater family anymore. We have come to love them all so much. I just hope there will be a great theater company in Sierra Vista as well.
That is the town we are moving to...Sierra Vista. It is about an hour south of Tucson. It is in the southeast part of the state. It is a military town. It is surrounded by mountains and is known for temps in the 90's and down to the 50's. I'm very happy to be in a place where there is prominently sunshine. I am a California girl after all. All the kids are excited except for Brayden, which is expected. He was really hoping to graduate here. But at least he will have 2 years at this high school instead of just one. Good news about Brayden is that he has finished his eagle project!!! He built an outhouse at the Provo Pioneer village. It is a replica of the kind they used back in the day. He did a great job with the help of my dad!
I can't find the cord that connects my camera to my computer to load on some pictures, so I will keep looking.

It sure has been a while...

2011-05-23T11:35:00.004-06:00

Man, it is amazing how some things go on hold when your world falls apart. When things go bad or difficult I find I pull myself into my own world and close the rest of the world out. This had been the hardest two years of my life! And it isn't the sort of things you can just blurt out in casual conversations. Family, marriage, jobs, money...etc. The Lord must really want me back by asking me to endure and go through these things so that I may prove that I really want to live with Him again. I pray everyday that I can manage it. I've been working so much during the past 10 months that it has left little or no time to myself. But, fortunately I was fired from Ruby Tuesday. I say fortunately because my kids really needed me back home and I feel very blessed to not have to work there anymore. My mom told me that the Lord made the decision for me because I would never quit when I knew my family had a financial need. True. My work here is needed more and I love being home and getting things back in order. I forgot how to be a housewife and am re-learning, thanks to flylady.net.
I am now working for Michael McLean. Yes, THE Michael McLean. Dream come true, I only wish it had to do with music. Beggars can't be choosers right? I am putting all their negative, photos, documents on the computer. This includes Lynne's Father's slides as well. They are such wonderful people. I have had the wonderful benefit of becoming friends with their daughter, Meggan. I just love her to pieces! We have fun talking, beading and letting our kids play together. I also get to see a small percentage of the thank you notes they have received due to Michael's impact his music has had on people. What a blessing.
Jason is also about to get a job working for the Hyatt, next to the Canyons, in Park City...(I hope I haven't jinxed it by saying that) It will bring us out of the poverty level and hopefully on a normal schedule again. Having Jason work the night shift has been hard on us. It will be nice to sleep at the same time once again.
Brayden has also finished his eagle project!!!!! What a wonderful accomplishment. He built a replica of an outhouse for the Provo Pioneer Village. I hope to get some pictures on soon. We are so proud of him.
Logan is back in baseball and loving it as well. CJ and Riker both just ran their first race, a 1.2 mile race. Riker came in 5th in his race and CJ came in 7th in his. Jason stayed up to race with them and cheer them on. It was like 4 in the morning to him. A walking zombie but a great dad!
That is a quick mini update on our family, sorry it has taken so long, but I hope to be more regular with this again and have some pictures to share. Love to you all!

Good News!

2010-06-02T09:38:00.002-06:00

My good news for the day is that Brayden found my phone in the car. So I guess Chad really did flush the toy phone down the toilet. I feel much better about that!

My count of books read for the year is now 46. I'm currently reading "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. My goal for the year was 50, but I'm glad to see I will surpass that and I can raise my goal to 75. I read "Sarah, women of Genesis" by Orson Scott Card. I really love these books. It gives us a great interest and insight to the women of the Bible and what their lives may have been like. It is in novel form, but whatever it is, it does give an insight to these amazing women. I highly recommend them. Another great book is "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin. Very small but very enlightening. It is about a man who colors his skin from white to black and goes to the southern states during the 1960's to really see what it is like to be black in that day. It was a true eye opener! Even though I am obviously not racist, it does help you realize that regardless of skin color outward appearance we all decide what we think this person is like or at least make an educated guess. I always try not to judge people, and this book helps me want to try even harder. I was amazed at how he was treated from one day of being white and the next black, by the same people. First, respect and friendly and the next with contempt and disgust. He changed nothing about the way he talked or dressed or even his name...just his skin color. Read it. And tell me what you think.

The beginning of a ? day

2010-05-29T11:15:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm still trying to figure out what kind of a day this will be. Jason got home a 7:30am and I had to get up cuz Chad was up. I fed my boys and settled down on my favorite chair in the living room to read for a while. In the meantime Chad went on a rampage. I heard the toilet flush and had a bad feeling...Chad came in and said,"Mom, I flushed my phone down the toilet." What? I seriously hoped that he meant the Incredibles toy phone. I ran to the toilet only to find that whatever he flushed was long gone. I looked all over for my cell phone and have yet to find any clues as to where it might be except for the ending water rushing noises we hear as the toilet refills. I even called it to see if I could find it. No noises whatsoever. A little later I hear CJ yelling and Riker yelling and I got up and out on the back deck to find that Chad is chasing the chickens with a stick and CJ crying as he tried to save a chicken. I think this chicken is losing his battle and will be the second chicken to succumb to a two year old with serious misunderstanding of live chicken targets and cartoon chicken targets. I hope this day doesn't end with more bloodshed or loss of electronic devices. At least Jason gets to sleep through it.

Jason's race results

2010-05-27T09:10:00.002-06:00

Jason did very well. He didn't quite make the time he wanted but out of 150 people he came in 9th and 1st in his age group. He received a medal and was very happy. He has registered for another race for the July 5th which is in Provo along the parade route. He is loving running and feeling so good. I am proud of him. Kudos Jason!!!

Jason's first race

2010-05-21T22:53:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is an exciting day for Jason. He is going to participate in a 5k in Salt Lake City. He has been training for a month now. He's lost 20 pounds and running 3 times a week. He knew he loved cross-country in high school but figured that part of his life was over. But, he is doing so well. I'm excited for him and hope he does well. This is a great thing for Jason since his family is known for heart problems. Having him do this hopefully keeps his heart healthy and with me longer! Good Luck Jason!

2010-05-05T11:30:00.002-06:00

We got some new baby chicks this year since last year's crop were either roosters or taken by hawks for food. We plan to keep these girls a little safer than our last ones. Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to have a dozen little chicken feet walk all over your back? C.J. would be able to tell you!
The chicks were feeling a little scared by the boys playing with them. They know where to go to be safe. Maybe they think Jason is their mommy.
Chad loves playing with them! They are much bigger now and are finally out in the coop which is a mansion compared to the guinea pig cage they had to be in to keep warm until their real feathers grew in to protect them.

2010-05-05T11:12:00.003-06:00

One of the year's highlights for me was taking Logan to the Fablehaven kickoff for the last book. It was such a blast to see so many kids and their parents to come celebrate this new book release. Logan now loves reading thanks to this series. What an opportunity for him to be a part of this. ( And me of course!)
This is Brandon Mull's mother. (Brandon Mull is the author) She is dressed up as one of the characters from his story...Muriel the witch who can only be released if you blow on the knots that keep her trapped. Logan is out of his mind blowing on that knot. The world as we know it is now in peril. (Typical boy...putting the world in danger with a single blow)
We brought all our Brandon Mull books to get signed. We had to wait a long time, but it was worth it!
We broke the rules by taking a picture with him, he was supposed to keep signing and not stop for pictures. He claimed as long as he kept writing he wouldn't get in trouble. What a great guy! Thanks Brandon for getting my awesome Logan into reading!!! He has now read the whole Percy Jackson series and plans to read a lot more. We have a list that he wants to read. He even has his own account on goodreads.com. It's where we keep track of the books we've read and want to read and can give reviews of them if we want. We rate each book from 1 to 5 stars. I have done a great "mom" thing with this kid:)

Book Club Meeting

2010-02-03T13:10:00.002-07:00

Well, we had our book club meeting last night. We had 5 of us there with the promise of 2 more at the next one. Only 2 of us read the book and we both loved "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale and were so excited to find out that it was the first book in a series of 4. So, Tara and I are planning to continue reading the saga. Also, it was fun to find out that Shannon Hale is a member of the church and served a mission in Paraguay. She lives in SLC and is married with 2 kids. I found a great website called swaptree.com where you can actually trade the books you own for ones that you want to read. I already have swapped two for two books on my book club list. One which is the book next on our list. Perfect timing. If you have books that you know you won't be reading again, trade them for ones you will.

Filming is going great. I always thought it would be fun to be in a movie, and I was right. It is so cool. I have to admit I was super scared during the first scene that I would freeze up when the camaras were pointed at me, but I have to admit it was much easier than I thought. I did make a few for the blooper reel, when I couldn't help but laugh at one of the other actors. Even though the movie will only be about 15-20 minutes, BYU will have a premiere night of all the senior projects where they rent out a movie theater and invite all the friends and family of those involved in the movies. So fun!

Just a funny tidbit...Chad loves Mr. Bean. He always says to me, "Mom, I wanna watch Missure Bean. Missure Bean!" I guess he loves physical comedy.

2010-01-14T10:44:00.003-07:00

Jason will be doing a shuttling service Friday and Saturday nights. I hope this works out for him and helps bring in the extra money needed. I'm just glad he has agreed to stick with Hotel Park City too so he can keep his foot in the door and hopefully get promoted. I just got our ward's 2010 Book Club list done and I am really excited for it. It was hard to keep it to just 1o books. We skipped January because of my procrastination and December we have a dinner. Let me know if you've read any of these. I've only read The Hunger Games (loved it!) Anyways, here is the list:

1) The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
2) The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiavernini
3) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4) Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks
5) Sarah: Women of Genesis by Orson Scott Card
6) Grace Works by Robert L. Millet
7) An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis
8) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
9) The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
10) The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Not a bad lineup eh? I always try to get a little bit of everything from easy read, self-help, religious, non-fiction, classic...etc. I've read most of these authors and love their work and trust them. The others I was told by close friends that they were good, so I feel good about this year. I just miss all my book clubbers from Washington and California. Our group here is pretty small. Maybe this year it will get bigger. I plan on reading lots more books but these are the ones that are set for the book club. If you have come across any great books, I'd love to get referrals.
I just finished the second book of the Lightning Thief series. Logan used to HATE reading and by starting to read to him Fablehaven (great book bytheway) he has caught the bug. He only liked it when I read to him...but after the 4 fable haven books, and the first lightning thief book he now reads on his own. He took #2 to school and would read ahead, he would go in my reading chair in the living room and read on his own. I haven't wanted to do a cart wheel and scream YAHOO for a long time. But seeing him do that is such a "Awesome Mom" moment! I got Tyler reading and Logan and now onto CJ. I missed my window with Brayden. He doesn't like reading but he will do it for school and he has enjoyed a few books. So maybe there is still hope.
I'm reading David Copperfield right now and love it. I love how the classics are so proper. Seriously, they can be ripping someone to pieces verbally but they do it so eloquently. So great! Well, I encourage you all to find a few good books to read this year and let me know if they are good or not. If you need a few suggestions let me know! I got lots of great ideas. If you'd like to be on a cyber book club...go to goodreads.com. It's a great website with tons of people. It's like Facebook for readers. Great place to keep track of what you've read and what you want to read. It makes you feel smarter as you add on all the books you've read. We all like to feel smart once in a while:)
Peace, love and joy in January and GET A LIBRARY CARD:)

Movies, movies, movies

2010-01-09T10:19:00.002-07:00

Thursday night I was called back for the BYU movie tryouts. I was the only one doing auditions for my role. I was happy to find out that I have been casted as the main character. The movie is a film student's project. It is called "Jackie O". It is about a parole officer who thinks the system isn't tough enough on the criminals. She thinks the worst about everyone and is mean and a real downer. She gets one latin patrolee and through him and her boss she learns that people can change regardless of mistakes they have made. I've always wanted to be in a movie and I get paid for it too. The director Jordan Harker is a great guy, very nice. Jason and I also have been hired by a shuttle service in Park City, so we can both be earning a little extra hopefully in tips. We hope that starts next week if we pass our taxi driver's test. We also have to be background checks by the airport. Let's hope we can pull ourselves out of the hole we got into in 2009. I think this will be a good year.

Applying for jobs

2010-01-05T14:17:00.003-07:00

I haven't been in the "real" work place since I was about to give birth to Brayden 15 years ago. I have been applying to jobs all over the place. Mainly clerical work. I just had an interview at the Silver King Park City Resort to be a scheduler/reservationist. I felt the interview went well, but he showed me the work area. Understand that this resort is amazing and beautiful and makes you cozy and you want to move in immediately. Then he opens the door to the cubicle area and there are no windows and you feel like you've walked into a white trash trailer. (Pardon the expression) I'm not sure if I could handle being in that place for too long. We desperately need the money so I don't have much choice. I am also applying at restaurants to be a server. Jason is speaking with a man who has a shuttle service in Park City. If he accepts women, I would rather do that. I'd get to be in the sunshine, talk to real people and get tips$. I never wanted to leave the home to work but necessity has taken our circumstances over. Anyways, life is always changing and bringing on challenges...Bring it ON! Our family can handle it. It is a new year and I want to be stronger and better. I just hope my kids can handle only seeing one parent at a time. *SIGH*

Finally!!! A Job for Jason

2009-12-28T19:29:00.002-07:00

Jason and I went to Park City today and were applying to different restaurants to be servers. A good friend and owner of the Hotel Park City (where Jason worked for a couple months when we first moved here) called and told Jason about a job at the Hotel Park City. We went over there quickly and he was offered the job of night auditor/security immediately starting tonight. Even though the hours are not too desirable we are thrilled that he has a job. He will be working 11pm-7am. I also applied at the restaurant there. It isn't ideal but he has his foot in the door, knows the staff and likes working with them and hopefully will be able to move up the corporate ladder eventually. I have been applying to tons of places too, but I've been out of the workplace for so long. I'm a little nervous about it but dang, we gotta pay the freakin' bills. Anyways, that is the update and we are happy!~

2009-12-23T16:59:00.002-07:00

Well, 2 more days until Christmas and today is our 1 year anniversary of moving into our house. Leaves a moment for reflection and all this year has been for our family. I can't say it has been our favorite year, it has been one of the hardest yet still good. I love our home and our new friends and being close to family. Financially it has definitely been the worst, but all trials come with blessings. Our ward family and my parents have truly come to our rescue. I know we are in the right place at the right time, I just hope I am passing this test. I doubt I am passing with flying colors, maybe a C+. But I am grateful that we are being looked after. I don't know what 2010 will bring but whatever it does bring at least we will have family and friends to support us with love and a listening ear...Merry Christmas and give all your loved ones great big hugs and love words in their ears!

Las Vegas and Movie Making

2009-12-03T17:56:00.003-07:00

Aside from the "Wo is me" deal in the last blog, last weekend was really cool. Tyler and Brayden were invited by Becca Thomas to make a "Short" (short film) Thanksgiving weekend. Let me explain. Last year my oldest 4 kids were in a BYU film student's final project. Tyler was casted as the main character. It was so fun and exciting for them to be a part of it. So, just recently Becca (BYU film student) called from NYC (she is studying at Colombia) to create a short film...basically 10 minute excerpt of a movie she wants to do. She will send the film to festivals and try and get funding to do the whole feature film. She loved working with my boys so much that she called them up to shoot this "short" over Thanksgiving. We shot part of it in Toquerville, UT and then some in Las Vegas. It is about 2 brothers who are kicked out of a polygamist colony. One goes back (Brayden) and the other sneaks into a woman's car and she discovers him and gives him a ride into Las Vegas. It is a lot of waiting around for just the right moment and camara set ups. Saturday was a 17 hour shoot day. We had to be shooting before sunrise to get a shot of him sleeping under a bush. It was tedious at times...especially with a German camaraman. He was cool to listen to and watch. I did read 1 1/2 books. That's how much time we had to wait. Plus, it was freezing. You wouldn't think it would be that cold in southern Utah but oh my, it was! They did get paid and we are hoping and crossing our fingers that they will get to do the feature film.
It is so great seeing my boys making a movie. Tyler is enjoying it so much that he wants to keep doing it. He has caught the acting bug!

I also had so much fun with "Annie Get Your Gun" that I didn't want to stop acting, so I auditioned for a BYU film and I have been called back. It should be before Christmas really begins and the shoooting will be in January. I would love it because it is actually a paying job. 2 birds, one stone. Fun with talent and money to go with it:) I'll keep you updated.

2009-12-03T10:50:00.002-07:00

So the Christmas season begins...now what. I am usually so prepared for this season and have 90% of gifts bought and the rest planned out. This year has really thrown me off course. From Jason being unemployed since April and difficulties in the family life and the play and regular life...need I go on, I'm just not even ready. I don't even have any great ideas. This was supposed to be our trip year. If any of you don't know what that is, we take Christmas trips every other year instead of gifts from Santa. There is just too much drama going on in the house to get that ready, plus we don't have the discount to Marriott as we have had in the past. It's frustrating not having any money to buy gifts for your family as I assume many of you are experiencing as well. My creative streak is not so creative. I'd be happy for any suggestions. Jason is still actively trying to sell insurance. He puts in so much time and has yet to make a sale which means...no cash since it's commision only. We hope and pray and that is about all we can do. This is such a downer post, being sick doesn't help I suppose. It's hard to be optimistic when your body hurts and doesn't function properly and has a lack of energy. At least Jason keeps it going. Thank goodness for wonderful husbands.

Opening Night a success!

2009-11-07T10:30:00.003-07:00

Wow! It's amazing how the energy from the audience can enhance your performing ability. It was so great only messing up once! The second night didn't feel as electric but the audience was still great! I'm excited for tonight because our best friends are coming! I was late getting on stage once last night because my duck call got caught in my wig coming off and tangled around my neck. By the last scene I've got two wigs on and I feel like I can't lean over to far in either direction or I will fall over. But the play is great and the whole cast is so amazing. I love all these people!
Also, good news for Brayden and Tyler...their director from their last movie called and wants them to do another one over Thanksgiving break. We are so excited for this. Becca Thomas is such a great director and a sweetheart too! What a great opportunity for the boys! It's a movie about 2 brothers escaping from a polygamist compound. Too cool!

Opening Night tomorrow!

2009-11-04T23:26:00.002-07:00

You can only guess how I am feeling right now! Opening night is tomorrow and our first run through tonight sucked big time...costumes were a big problem and trying to get used to the lighting and trying to find people to help me change clothes was a pill. But at least all the mistakes happened tonight and hopefully they will be all better by tomorrow. I just need to remember that this is all fun and not stressful...right! They had me go in and have acrylic nails put on. I've never done that before. Weird. All I know is that I need a massage to relax and calm down and smile. Oh, Jason made an appointment with a company for tomorrow. If it goes well it has potential of making some good money. It would be so nice to get a paycheck again...I've almost forgot what it feels like to get one. Good luck honey! Hope to see lots of you at the play and I ask forgiveness in advance for any lame mistakes I make. I pray for forgiving audiences!

A little better...

2009-10-09T22:10:00.002-06:00

Man oh man, it has been a horrible week. I don't remember feeling that sick in a long time. It is possible it was the swine flu, but all I know is it wasn't a regular cold. It was for sure some form of the flu. My friend had the swine flu a couple months ago and she and her family had it. She said it attacks whatever part of you is the weakest. My head must be my weakest part since I've been dizzy for a week and feeling like the world was spinning and not letting me get my footing. So, I've missed 2 practices and knowing that we open in 4 weeks is not good. At least I'm sick now and not later...knock on wood... Jason, Brayden, Chad and Riker and myself have all been sick. Logan woke up sick and miserable this morning. Hopefully C.J and Tyler have dodged the flu bullet. Logan and I just received a blessing today. I'm not all better but the heaviness in my head isn't as heavy as it has been. So, it looks like I'm going to make it. For a while there it was ify.

New business

2009-10-02T12:57:00.003-06:00

Well, I've decided to go gung ho with this new business thing. I hope I can pull this off. Along with this new group...the best mini mall, I started my own business blog. My business name is one I've always wanted to start...it's called The Candee Shoppe. Cute huh? My blog is www.thecandeeshoppe.blogspot.com. I haven't got pictures up yet. my friend will have to help me with the pictures like he did with our family. We have our boutique with the mall November 19-21 in 3 different locations. One will be in Heber, one in Salt Lake and I'm not sure where the other one will be. I'll let you all know later. I'm getting excited though. I've done the craft business before but I've never had a website before or been connected with other successful women like this. I am really looking forward to this.

Jewelry show

2009-10-01T13:08:00.002-06:00

Well, last night went well. We didn't have very many people stop by, but the people that did come bought quite a bit. I made $233. I have to make a lot more to cover all the supplies a bought. But I feel it was a success. Plus, one woman wants to have a party at her house in 3 weeks. So, I am excited. It's nice to see people enjoy what I made.
Jason and Brayden are sick and feeling lousy. Brayden has been home for 4 days now and can't quite shake the cold. He did do a dumb thing...you know teenagers...(and some adults:) once he started to feel better yesterday he went out and played football with his brothers and is now worse than he was before. I'm guilty of the same thing. When I'm sick and feel a small amount of energy come back I do some chores and kick myself back to feeling lousy again. Lame I know. I also have joined a group of women who all have their own business. It's called the best mini mall. Everything from MaryKay to ties to purses to books to of course now...jewelry. We are having a boutique in SLC and Heber this November. I'm hoping that will do well too. They've been doing it for a few years now...so there must be something to it:)
Annie get Your Gun is going well and the directors are happy with my performances which is great for the self-esteem. I love having this outlet. You all know how much I love to sing and be the center of attention at times, so this is keeping me happy and mentally healthy. Something I always need. The best mini mall has a website. I'm not on it yet but will be soon...it's thebestminimall.com. So if you want to check it out feel free. Oh, great...I can hear Chad coughing the same way Brayden has been. Add one more to the list of the sickies. Health and Happiness to All!!! And WASH YOUR HANDS!

2009-09-21T21:41:00.003-06:00

We just got our pictures taken by a good friend of ours who is starting up his photography business. If you are looking for a great photographer call Josh Spray!!! His website is http://www.tophatmedia.yolasite.com/. Check out some of our new photos on the side here! Now my kids look as good as they really are! Man, I've got some handsome boys!

I started my own stuff

2009-09-12T19:54:00.002-06:00

I decided to start selling jewelry. My friend showed me how a couple weeks ago and it is really fun and easy. So, I invested in supplies and another friend has candle parties once a month during normal months and then once a week during the holiday months coming up. I hope this works out. My mom also said she'd invite the girls from her BYU ward for a jewelry party. So, this might work out. I've been selling crafts since we were married so I thought I'd give this a try. It seems to be quite popular lately and since the holidays are upon us I hope the time is right to start this. We shall see!

Still looking and holding out

2009-09-09T19:55:00.002-06:00

Jason went out today to 5 hotels and gave them his resume. I'm glad now that he is going to more than one place. All the eggs in one basket is a recipe for heartache. We all need our Plan B's. I've been tempted to get a job as a waitress with my friend. She says they are hiring. I don't want to get a job and then quit when Jason gets one. Plus I know I need to be home with the kids. I don't know. I'm sort of putting off making a decision. I know it's bad to do that but I guess I am hoping that if I wait long enough Jason will have a job and the decision will be made for me. I just don't want to make the wrong decision and put other people out. BLah...I don't like this situation...Logan is calling for help with homework. We just keep praying and hoping.

Bad News

2009-09-04T14:02:00.002-06:00

Jason just found out that he didn't get the job and we've already lost unemployment. Life is getting pretty scary and stressful. I know there is a lesson to be learned and that trials are to make us stronger. It's the meantime that I'm worried about. Jason is pretty upset (understandable). I guess we've been fasting and praying for the wrong things. Now it's time to find out what the Lord's will is. I have to keep reminding ourselves..bad things happen to good people right?! Wow...sometimes life is just hard.

2009-09-03T13:40:00.003-06:00

I picked a box full of peaches this morning from our peach trees. Riker and Chad helped me peel them and we blended them up and put them in the fruit dryer for some homemade fruit roll-ups. I'm going to make peach jam too and some kind of peach dessert for CJ's baptism this Saturday. He just got his new suit and is very excited for it. It will be close on Saturday because Jason, Tyler and I will be in a Parade Saturday morning in Midway to advertise for the show and then run and get ready for the baptism.
We still haven't heard back from Jason's "job" but he just left to go to LDS motion picture studio to audition for a New Testament project to be filmed next year. He is auditioning to be one of Christ's apostles. Good Luck Jason!
Brayden's football games will sometimes be at 4pm and so I'll be able to make some of them...yea!

Still Waiting...

2009-09-02T16:13:00.002-06:00

Jason has been through 5 interviews including one in Indiana for a full day analysis. We are just waiting for the call to find out if he will be the next General Manager for the Courtyard by Marriott next to the Salt Lake City Airport. We are biting our nails.
On a lighter note...Brayden is home from Washington and had a marvelous time. And school has started and I only have Riker and Chad at home. Tyler and C.J. decided to go back to school instead of being homeschooled. I ok with that. I love homeschooling but the thought of all that free time is also appealing. I figured since I have the play I had better let them go to school. Brayden also decided to join the football team. He wasn't planning on it because of his recent injury to his knee at the reunion but in Washington he played pretty hard with his friends and his knee isn't bothering him at all. I only decided to audition for the play because he wasn't going to be in football because I wanted to be able to go to all his games. My rehearsals are every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. His games are Thursday evenings. I'm really frustrated now because watching Brayden play is so great and I want him to feel supported. Jason has rehearsals most of those days too including Thursdays. Well, hopefully there will be a few Thursdays where we are off the hook. We started blocking for scenes yesterday and Jason and I were the only ones with our lines memorized. We were supposed to be all memorized by Sept. 1. I felt pretty good that Jason and I were totally prepared. It was really fun practicing. It keeps my mind off our other problems.

Brayden's gone

2009-08-17T14:32:00.002-06:00

We have one less in the house now. Brayden decided he wanted to go to Vancouver, WA for his birthday present. He gathered up all his money from grandparents and us and change from the couches and got himself a plane ticket. He will be there for 12 days. Almost 15 and almost on his own. That kid really is mature for his age. I just wish I was going with him so I could go and play with all my friends. He is going to try to visit our old house and see how it has changed with the new tenants. That should be fun to see.
Since I have been practicing my lines for the play I'm having a hard time letting go of the accent and speaking normally...like sayin' ain't and y'all and git..and all that. I am becomin' a real hick. But it sure is fun messin' with my kids and talkin' like that...it shore is!
Jason is going to Indiana next week for his 5th and final job interview. They are so worried about this property that they are taking extreme measures to make sure they put the right man in the position. They told him the job is his if all pans out. It's just the waiting and watching the bills pile up and pass the due dates. There is a light at the end of the tunnel...it's just that the path is bumpy and will mess with our credit score...blah. But all in good time and we know the Lord still loves us and all will be well in the end.

Guess What???

2009-08-11T11:15:00.002-06:00

I was just casted as "Annie" in the play "Annie Get your Gun". I can't believe they gave me the lead. I've been in tons of plays but I've never been the lead in anything. It took me 39 years but I finally got there. Tonight we get our scripts and meet everyone in the cast. I hope I can pull this off. The performance will be the first couple weeks in November. This is a huge thing. Here in Heber we have what is called Cowboy Poetry. I know it sounds weird but here it really a fun thing. That's why they chose "Annie Get your Gun" to keep with the theme. I am a little overwhelmed. The part I am excited about is that Annie is very un-cultured and I feel I play that part quite well in my own life...so that part will be easy to "pretend". The songs are really fun too. Pray for me so that my mind will be able to memorize and hold it all.

My Favorite Person In the Whole World

2009-07-29T15:10:00.001-06:00

Isn't he the most beautiful thing this side of the Mississippi? Mmmmm.....I love this man! And to think...I get him for eternity. God must really love me!

Happy 8th Birthday C.J.

2009-07-29T14:53:00.007-06:00

It says HB 8 CJ...translation Happy Birthday 8th C.J. He wanted a cake with skittles on it.

Mmmmm....so good!

CJ decided to have his birthday party at the skate park. All his friends brought bikes and I just sat back and let them entertain themselves. Thanks CJ for making it easy on Mom.

CJ loves Bakugan. I don't get it, but it is the "cool" thing to play with for little boys.

Tyler and Chad being spectators of all the biker boys. Chad had fun sliding down the ramps.

CJ and his new bike...a perfect place to try it out! Too bad both tires were popped and we had to transfer his two tires from his old bike to this one so he wouldn't miss out on the fun at his own party. Lame. We'll take it back and trade for a better one later.

It was a great success! Thanks to Brayden, Logan, and Tyler for being bully look outs (because it was a public park) and making sure everyone got turns and played fair. I love having older boys. Happy Birthday CJ!!!

2009-07-28T21:10:00.002-06:00

We had a ward party for the 24th of July. We performed in the Talent Show. Jason and I sang "From this Moment On" by Shania Twain and Tyler and CJ both played the piano. Most of you don't know that we have a mormon celebrity in our ward that performed also. Michael McClean the songwriter lives in our ward. He played the guitar and sang one of his new songs about depression. It was very comical. So since he performed after us we can now say we were the opening act for Michael McClean:) Ha Ha...next time we'll take pictures.

2009-07-25T22:31:00.003-06:00

Brayden is teaching him well. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!EEEEEEHHHHHHH!!!!

EWWWEWWWWW!!!

UMMMMMM!!!

AAAAAAYYYYYYYYHHHHH!!!

AAAWWWWWW!!!

OOOOOOHHHHHH

HHHEEEEYYYYY!!!!

Chad can mimick quite well. I love that he has so much personality!

2009-07-25T00:31:00.002-06:00

The boys found a wonderful skate park where 2 days a week it is only for bikes. It is now their favorite hot spot. Everyday they ask if I'll take them there. Amazingly they are willing to bungee-cord their bikes on top of the suburban. They are getting pretty good!

Oops! Riker didn't quite make it up the ramp and fell over. He came up with smiles though.

Tyler just caught some air and had landed quite nicely. I could never quite get the camara to catch him in the air...always after he'd landed...dangit!

At least while I wait for them I've got beautiful scenery around me!

Ready for some serious boy play!

CJ loves this place so much that he has decided to have his birthday party here next week! That makes it easy for mom. All they will want to do is ride their bikes and do tricks. Brayden is enjoying himself even though he should take it easy on his leg.

2009-07-25T00:28:00.003-06:00

It's pictures like these that make you wish they would stay this age forever! I told Chad to smile and this is how he does it! Don't you just want to squish his cheeks. I love my baby!

2009-07-24T16:04:00.002-06:00

We feel like we have had more visitors since we moved to Utah then ever before. I guess all people eventually come to Utah to visit someone. We are loving this. We have some dear friends from Fresno, CA that we haven't seen in over 6 years. They come to Utah each summer to visit their family. How wonderful it was to see them...the Andersons! We used to have a standing date for our families to get together and play games like Pass, Mah-jong, Uno, basically a little bit of everything. So, we played Mah-jong for old times sake until really late...um...I'm embarrassed to say that I could hardly keep my eyes open at 11:30pm. Man, you know you are getting old when...11:30pm is considered really late:) It was well worth it.

We also went to the Heber Farmers Market they hold every Thursday. It was really a neat place. We saw friends and had snow cones, free concert and jump houses. Aside from the near huge fight between a couple of men (that were taken away in hand-cuffs) near the playground and a man with a mohawk with a large snake around his neck and CJ disappearing for a while, it was a nice family afternoon.

2009-07-20T11:55:00.002-06:00

What a great Saturday night! Jason and I went out with the Crosbys and the Sprays to Olive Garden and see the new Harry Potter movie. It is so refreshing to spend time with other couples without kids. It helps you feel like yourself again. Marriage is great too. I love always having a date for the weekend:0)

2009-07-15T13:37:00.009-06:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Chad!!!!!

Presents...Presents...Presents!!!

Time to get practicing for his driver's license.

2009-07-15T10:23:00.030-06:00

Last year we went to a Clegg family reunion (my mom's side) in Seattle, WA. We all went canoing.

Rob Clegg (my cousin) is always a hit with my boys. He can do a wonderful impression of Tyler. We found out this talent playing a game at an earlier get together. It was his requirement to win the game.

We got pretty close to some wildlife. You can see a crane on Jason's right shoulder. It just looks that way. The crane was really about 10 feet away.

The ride took us under the freeway. That was a different experience.

2009-07-13T13:16:00.003-06:00

We were wondering how we were going to buy more hay for our horse. Jason's job is still in the training mode and we ran out of hay. A family in our ward (the Wildes) needed help moving a huge stack of wood and asked if our boys could help in exchange for hay that they raise. Wow, it sure is great when you feel looked after. Thank goodness the boys were willing to do it to. Living out here in Heber is really helping the boys learn to work. I love it! Maybe it isn't housework, but at least it is work.
I love looking out the window and seeing Brayden on our horse in the backyard. This is such a wonderful place to live.

2009-07-12T23:36:00.021-06:00

After we moved to Utah Tyler, Brayden, Logan and C.J. were casted in a movie that was directed by a BYU student. It was her final project. It is called "Some Opposites of Good". It will be shown on the BYU channel. We don't know when yet but we are excited about it. It was even a paying job. This other boy next to Tyler was the other lead. Tyler had the lead. It was so great seeing him act and develop a love for film.

We loved being behind the scenes of a movie and seeing how the whole thing worked. Hearing them say "Quiet on set" and "Action" was so cool!

Here is Logan kicking a rock around like kids back in that era just like our kids play soccer nowadays. All the boys were in this scene.

The boys are receiving instruction on the filming of the next scene. C.J. is the typical 7 year old having a hard time paying attention to direction.

On the right we see Brayden walking up. He has to come face to face with the mean teacher who is bullying a kid and Brayden tells him to pick on someone his own size.

All the filming was at the LDS motion picture studio.

Please ignore the dates on the pictures. The camara was off by 3 1/2 years. It was filmed in the fall of 2008.

Lunch Break!!!

2009-07-12T22:53:00.005-06:00

We came out to Utah with a cast from "With Mine Own Hand" a musical account of Nephi. We performed it in Portland and then went to Provo to perform it at Education Week at BYU. It was the first musical performed at Education Week that was brought in from outside of Utah. Jason was casted at Sam. It was a beautiful musical written by Ramona Zabriskie. It was 15 years in the making. It was a spiritual experience being a part of this production and will always be a blessed memory for our family. Tyler, Logan and C.J. were also casted in the play and they loved it. We recently lost one of our family members. Gabe was one of the male dancers and only 18 years old and was in a car accident a couple weeks ago. We were so heart sick and send our love and prayers to our extended Nephi family. We will always remember you Gabe for you loving smile and amazing talent. We hope more of you will be able to see this production performed somewhere. The songs are so amazing and spirit stirring. Here are a few pictures below of SOME of our favorite people. I wish we had more pictures.

2009-07-12T08:51:00.001-06:00

Well, I took Brayden in yesterday to get his stitches out and not 2 hours later was I back in to put more stitches in for another son...Chad! He was getting off the trampoline and apparently landed wrong. He got 3 stitches in his chin. He is now a true McKnight:)

I also was able to go to a wedding shower for my cousin's fiance. It was so nice to be able to go to these get togethers. We have always been so far away and now I get to be there since we are now in Utah. I love family!!!

2009-07-10T16:44:00.001-06:00

Here we are in Heber City, Utah. We moved in Dec. 23, 2008 . We are loving this valley. It's mountains are all around us and gorgeous scenery. We now have a horse, 12 chickens, 2 guinea pigs and 1 dog.

We just had a Warthen family reunion here a couple of weeks ago and had a wonderful time. Having family around is really the best feeling in the world. Having the famiy here made us feel like being better people and remembering the most important things in life. Barbara McKnight (the best mother-in-law in the world and her sister Connie Oberly put it all together. What a wonderful job they did! I especially loved how the kids got along so well. The only downfall of the reunion was Brayden's accident, where he slipped on the motorcycle and the foot brake scraped up his leg and dug in to the bone. He received a blessing and we went to the clinic. He had 28 stitches. 16 stitches inside and 12 stitches on the outside. He is doing well and actually was able to go to scout camp. He just wasn't able to do the water sports due to his stitches. He put pictures of his injury on his facebook account. It is hardly stomachable. No mother should have to see their child injured like that. But all is well and stitches come out tomorrow.

Jason just got hired on with AFLAC and is really excited to begin training. Out of 20 people they only hired 2. It's great for the self-esteem when they start raving at how amazing you are in the interview. We have been fasting and praying for this and feel very blessed.

Chandler and Casey Pearce and their kids came and visited us. We went to Kamas water park and also watched the kids ride Tee-boss (our horse) and ride the little motorcycle the Pearces brought. It was great having them here. Awesome family!!!

We also have been visited by our best friends from Vancouver, WA. The Mikkelsons came and we finally got to meet the most recent addition to their family. Beautiful baby girl #4!!! It was so great seeing them again and realizing how much we miss our friends in Vancouver. The bad thing about moving is that you don't get to take your favorite people with you and you add on another 100 people to your Christmas card list from your ward. Oh, well...at least we have lots of people we love!