An Idaho 4th

We headed to Idaho for the 4th. We spent almost an entire week there. Ben's entire family was there and all 18 of us stayed together. It was a great time. I have been seriously blessed with great in-laws. Everyone gets along and we all just have a good time.

Emily made all of the kids these shirts. They were all so so cute. We all went down to the parade together.


Avery just froze when the tanks went by.

We had family portraits taken Thursday night in the gardens. It was 8pm and we were all STILL roasting!


Our sad, sad attempt at taking a picture of ourselves. Maybe someday. . .


The last two days of the trip, us girls took off to Sun Valley for some shopping and relaxing (pictures to follow). The boys were great and took care of the kids. So off they went to the Demolition Derby. They did great. The kids were alive. Dirty, but alive. When we got back, I just wanted a bowl of cereal. There was no milk in the fridge so I put the cereal box back and Ben said, "No no. There's milk right there." It was a can of watered down evaporated milk. So, as I said, the kids were dirty but alive. . . and apparently well fed.

Hobble Creek

We got together for my dad's 60th birthday up at my grandparent's cabin in Hobble Creek. Did we have a dance floor brought in and a professional sound system set up for a dance in the woods??
Yes, yes we did.

CUATES (Twins)

The car was running, seat belts on, and we are all waiting for Ben -who's still in the house - getting his swimsuit on.
Téa says:
"I think Dad and I are cuates. We are both allergic to Rocco and we are both slow-pokes."
I think she's right.

Birthday Weekend

My family came into town for the weekend. It was so great to see everybody.
Everyone stayed in a house in Midway. We thought there'd be stuff to do up there. There was nothing. We found a deserted carosel and some 16 year old kid in lederhosen to turn it on. That was it.
Good thing the kids love jacuzzis and each other's company!
I was able to line up a babysitter to watch all the kids so we could take our mom out for her birthday. Saturday we all headed up to Hobble Creek to celebrate my dad's 60th.(pictures to follow.) I love love love my family. It kills me none of us live near eachother!
(photo credits: jake)

All of my sisters and brother are coming up for the weekend. None of us live near one another, making this a rare occasion. We've got 10 kids between the 5 of us now. It's a zoo, but I love love love it.

Wait a minute!

My little Avery is Four!

N'YORK

We are back. It seems like all we ever talk about is "When we get back from New York, then . . ." whatever. It's like everything hinges on the show and then suddenly. . .we're back. And life goes on. The difference is that Ben is home right now, not at the studio.
We had a great time, who wouldn't. 7 days in New York with no kids never hurt anyone. Ben worked the whole time and Jake apparently followed me around with a camera. But I am grateful he did. We would have NOTHING without him. Plus, he is fun to hang around with. . .



We all followed Ben around Soho for well over an hour looking for his favorite restaurant. It was so good that he couldn't remember the name of the place or the street it was on. I'm impressed, he found it AND I kept my cool.










Ok. I realize it is so weird to post a picture of us in bed, but c'mon, would you please look at that view!! Holy Cow.

Truth Be Told

It's official. We are taking Jake with us to New York!
He came last year (via shuttle from D.C. which dumped him in Chinatown at 4am, landing him in a sleeping bag on the floor of the apartment by the time we woke up).

Why is Jake the lucky winner?, you might ask.
Is it because he comes donning complimentary "drugs" for the redeye flight? Uh, No?
Is it because we need someone who can hail taxis quickly? Convienent, but no.
Is it because he can get me a "rockin deal" on my purses on Canal Street with his fluent Chinese? Pleeease. (Ok, maybe a little)
Is it because we need a personal photographer?
Is it because his 6'5 frame will fit PERFECTLY on the 5 foot couch?
Is it becuase we love him? Close, but actually that is not the reason.
It's because he's a cop.

You tell me. . .

Scenario #1
The other day I opened the door to a solicitor. He smiled and said,
"Well hello. Is your mom or dad home?"
"UM...I'M MOM."

Was he wearing dark glasses and carrying a white cane? NO.
Did one of my kids answer the door? NO.
Were they anywhere around? NO.
Did he act embarrased at the mistake? Totally.

So ok. As I walked upstairs, I had to smile and think, "Am I offended?"
IS THIS A COMPLIMENT OR A TOTAL SLAM?
You tell me.

Scenario #2
My girls fight over who gets to "shnuggle mom" when we are on the couch.
They argue why they think I am more comfortable.
Avery's argument: Mom is as soft as a cloud.
Téa's argument: Mom is as soft as bunny.
Is this a compliment or a slam?
You tell me.

Sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying.
Seriously.

I've Met My Match

Yesterday was my birthday. I got some gifts, spent the morning with some friends, and ate delicious, delicious food.
Does a girl need more??
This girl does.
And no, you are not thinking what I am thinking.

It was late, LOST was over. Kate and Juliette had duked it out. I was tired and did NOT want to sit up to see what Ben was trying to show me on his laptop.
Yeah, no. I was NOT moving.
Oooh, but I am glad that I did. Who would have thought that a simple 4-line email from a stranger named Anthony would MAKE my birthday dreams come true? It was the owner of a dog training school telling us he is ready for us to DROP OFF Rocco for A MONTH of in-house training!!!!!!

Do you hear it?? I can hear it. Yah, it’s the Hallelujah Chorus, again.

Now, don't get me wrong. . .I have lived with some difficult people, in - let's just say - some very difficult circumstances:
I've had roommates steal my undies (and yes, wear them). I've had others smash pictures of me down in the couch cushions. I've found a girl hiding in the closet with a gallon of Mint Chip ice cream (true). I’ve also had my mail chucked at me (hard) because I got a letter from my boyfriend and she didn’t. I've had a roommate "turn me in" for being out late on a date – forcing me to have to clean dumpsters all afternoon. I’ve lived with a bulimic clogger who DID NOT OWN a toothbrush! I’ve had a roommate un-affectionately known as “MOM” because she would DAILY ask me how my shower was or tell me I couldn’t go out with Ben because I hadn’t studied enough for my physics test. I've had a male neighbor strip-down and stand in front of the eye-level window whenever I walked by. He also got his mail in nothing more than his boxers and cowboy boots (again, true) insisting that I loved it. I've had a creepy apartment neighbor who would try to talk to me through our thin walls while I was showering saying, "Hellooooo, I know you are in there..." I've had a roommate in Israel leave me a goat's hoof on my desk with a note that said "For all you do, this hoof's for you." I've had a mission companion fuming-mad at me because I was "breaking mission rules by not eating 2-3 servings of meat a day" (if you lived where I did, you would be vegetarian too). I've had another one tell me I'm not allowed to laugh "because that is being idle." I've been force-fed all parts of a pig and/or cow (ALL parts). I’ve been greeted by half of a cat placed on our porch, followed by a bullet, and than a knife. I’ve lived next door to cock-fight trainers who would tie their roosters to the top of chain-link fences to make them mean. We would sneek out late at night and untie the (understandably) mean roosters. I've been woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of our ceiling crashing to the floor. I've lived in shacks made of plywood infested with huge flying cockroaches and rats the size of pregnant cats who literally ATE through the wood trap forcing us to build one out of metal and bait it with chicken (we named him Nicodemus). I've been bitten by an octopus (yes, they have beaks), a squirrel, and a snake. I have recently found more than one snake in my home. I've spent the night outside being dive-bombed by bats trying to get our hair. I've backpacked Europe for a week with no shower and - when finally given the chance - spent 45 minutes filling an ancient tub with water from various ancient tea kettles, only to have THE LAST KETTLE dump green SCRAMBLED EGGS into my bath (I cried).
I've been peed on, thrown-up on, and lied to.

I can continue.

These stories bring me nothing other than smiles. Lots of smiles. I love them.
Neighbors can be weird.
Roommates are suppose to be neurotic.
And animals, well, animals bite.

But Rocco. Wow. I can’t do Rocco. I have never seen a dog like Rocco. He is a 60 pound chunk of lead that will run-down even the most innocent civilian. We’ve tried everything. And other than putting him up for sale on Ebay, I have not known what to do.

I'VE MET MY MATCH.

Until last night.
Anthony, the dog trainer, gave me the Birthday Gift of all Birthday Gifts. I’ve never met him, but I already love him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

The Master Cleanse

Tomorrow is my 10th and final day of my cleanse. Yes I, Briar, have gone 9 days without putting a piece of food in my mouth. Not a grain of rice nor a Cheerio. (I did have to smell the girls' Nilla Wafers and Beth's Cafe Rio taco. That somehow made me feel better.)
Friends have been really cute/funny about it. Almost everyday I will get a call from someone and they will just slowly ask "Soooo, how. are. you???" I know it seems crazy but I have been doing great.
But let me just tell you. . .I feel so so much better!
I decided to do this because I am so dang tired ALL OF THE TIME! I'd get headaches and be irritable at night. I wanted a Diet Coke to just fix it for me.
Well- I decided I was done with that.
I feel great. My head is clear, my stomach doesn't hurt, I get out of bed much quicker, etc. It has been well worth it.
I do have to say, I am nervous coming off it. It will take 3 days to assimilate my body back to the world of food.
Oh, but I am excited. . .just to CHEW something, for crying out loud!
Oh - and - that picture is not of me, nor did I take it. I just love it. Much nicer than a photo of lemons or cayenne pepper - 2 things of which I have consumed mass amounts of for over a week.

Too bad they are so shy. . .

Seriously - my kids. I took this photo about 2 weeks ago. They were so so so loving the outfits they chose for themselves. The layered shirts and added shrug "are so fashion." And Avery's "Sparkle Boots" that will flatten any living thing (plants included) within a 5 mile radius of their smell (they have since taken-up residence in the ba-a-a-ack of her closet until she "unfortunately" ourgrows them).
They fought over who got to have their photo taken first. So - they got it taken together.

OK. So I am not a natural blogger. I will go weeks without thinking about it. Well, I am here to say that I am thinking about it and I am blogging here and now.
I have been busy for awhile. Here is the lowdown on moi. You are sooo stoked right now.

A) Valentine's Day: We did nothing. Nada. BUT - the night before, in honor of it, we decided to treat ourselves to a Ben Kweller concert. Oh wow. He jumped up on stage and my head hurt for a second. . .I SWEAR he is 15. Not a DAY over 16. But he started singing and I knew it was really him, and that is all I cared about. If you refer to a November 2nd entry I made, I was OBSESSED with a song called Sundress. He sang it. I sang it. I was able to "call it good." Happy Valentine's Day to me.
Oh, one note. . .The place was standing room only, way too tight. So I was leaning up against Ben. This guy in front of me kept looking back at me. Like weird staring. So I would just smile back. Like 10 minutes would go by and he would look back again. It kept happening. Driving me nuts! Well. I finally CAUGHT Ben pinching the poor guy's butt. He had been doing it all night LOVING watching me and this guy's weird interaction. Ben stopped, the guy looked back, and I gave him the "wink and head nod." That sealed it. He never looked back again. I would rather him think I was doing it than my husband.

B) Ben turned 30. (Thank you to all who helped with the book!) I had a hard time with him being 30. I can no longer live vicariously through his 20ness.

C) Josie and Charlie came to visit for a week. We loved it. We even took Charlie to Cabela's and the shooting range. Nothing like a mountain filled with taxidermied/dead animals on a cold snowy day. (Utah is a little limited in the winter.) They were up for a wedding, and Jake and I got to go. It was a traditional Samoan wedding. LOVED IT. Honest. It was great. Other people would dance for the couple. Their bodies all greased up and people sticking money to their sticky bodies. (don't ask) We loved it the first 14 times, but when the 15th person got up, Jake and I had to leave.

D) I got snowed in this morning. As of this afternoon, we are living in the Arctic Tundra.

I'M IN LOVE

I can't get enough of Avery. She is Jazmiss (Jasmine) and DEAD serious.