A Tribute to Fabulous Fathers

RUN A 10K. CHECK!

Ok, so maybe I walked a 10K, but I still got the free T-shirt!

And come to think of it, that t-shirt was ugly! It was baby poo yellow with a really ugly logo that didn't even make mention of a 10K. Hopefully some lucky shopper at Goodwill will like it!
(Dry! This prime rib is dry, dry, dry! It's so dry I can barely swallow it!)

Mackinac Island Lilac Festival and 10K Run

Brittni Jo, Natalie Jo, Ian Jo
(notice Ian's number is 223 Jones!)

Mackinaw Island was made popular from the movie
"Somewhere In Time"
starring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymore.
THE GRAND HOTEL
We biked the Island in the opposite direction that we ran the 10K. Only bikes and horses are allowed on the Island, so our weekend was filled with wonderful scents of lilacs and horse sh...

...to be continued.

RUN A 5K. CHECK!

I can check one thing off my "list of things to do before I'm 32". I ran my first race tonight with Ian and Brett. It was only a 5K around the capital building area in Lansing Michigan. I was glad I participated, but it pales in comparison to the mini tri-athlon Coby and Tiffany (standing to the L and R of me) ran just the week previous in Utah, and the numerous marathons Brett has run! I have to give a huge THANK YOU to Val and the guys, Luke and Isaac, for cheering me on! It's encouraging to know I have a fan club! And that was so nice of Coby, Tiffany, and Corbin to come to see me walk...I mean RUN! Luke and Isaac also participated in a short race after the 5K was over. All the kids were issued a number. The same number. Number One. And they all were awarded a medal, a poster, and a bag of goodies at the end. The video we captured of the two guys running was hilarious! And, I'm sure the video of me running was just as funny, if not more. WE ARE ALL WINNERS!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

Our Ward had a BBQ picnic on Saturday to celebrate Memorial Day. Ian and Lance were the self proclaimed "Master BBQ Grillers" for the afternoon. And I, of course, was the self proclaimed "Nagging Know It All on the How To's of Successful BBQing." Ian has learned to ignore my "helpful suggestions", but Lance had finally had enough and pulled out his weapons of war and chased me away! I don't know how they did it, but despite the absence of my constant supervision, the burgers and dogs turned out just fine.

After lunch we all joined together in a friendly game of softball. Our star pitcher, Luke, got thrown out of the game for doctoring up the ball with an emery board and vaseline! Luke has a reputation amoung the fans as being the rebelious one on the team! He likes to show off his defiance by wearing his signature fishermans hat instead of the team issued baseball cap!
Ian Service, number 29, traded two years ago to the Capital Ward Team, is now batting 4th. He's already doubled, tripled, and had two homers this game! He's known for his long ball and his long...bat.
Manager for the Capital Ward Team is Isaac Robinson, famous for his years spent with Joe Torre as batting coach. As always, Robinson is seen eating a mid game snack. He says he's not supersticious, but claims a 5th inning cookie can really bring the team together. (also pictured is the third base coach, Braum Thompson)
Shoeless Brett Robinson was one of the most talented members on the team until he got caught throwing the game with about 7 other members on his team! He is now banned from church softball for life.

STOP THE THREATS!

MY LIFE: I didn't realize how popular I was until I started getting hate mail about not keeping up friendships by IMing on an hourly basis, making personal phone calls on a daily basis, updating my blog on a weekly basis, and making sweet love on a monthly basis. Goodness people! There is only one of me to go around. And right now, I'm going through the prosses of getting my priorities back in order. Blogging is trying to work it's way back up to the top!

So, Here we go -

MY BROTHER: Right before taking a job with the BSA, I went to Gahannah, Ohio to visit my brother Miles. We had a great time...and I even got to stay an extra day. I love hanging out with Miles and especially love it when we can't stop laughing together. Some times Tom just looks at us like were crazy...and we know we are! We did a bit of painting around the house, we went to the gym and pumped some iron, we went to the movies, and we went shopping for new clothes, and had a fashion show/photo shoot/laugh attack. All the while Tom sat around taking a skin care survey. (HA HA, J/K atw, Tom!) Actually, Tom made one of the most fabulous dinners I have eatten at home. I wish Ian could cook like that. Actually, I bet Ian wishes I could cook like that! And the biggest adventure of that weekend was the Greyhound Bus ride back to Lansing Michigan. What should have taken a mere 4 hours took just over 8. If you're ever looking for a fun place to hang out...try a Grayhound Depot. WOW...there are some gems of people out there, that's for sure, and for 8 hours, I fit in with them!

We painted Miles' powder room with stripes - which turned out fabulous! (I can hear Whitney right now, "It's not a Powder Room, it's called a Crapper!") Well, not when it looks this good!

And I have to brag on my brother Miles, again. He added this BBQ patio and the flowers to his house this spring. His design and his own two hands! I love it - it looks awesome!



MY JOB: I really enjoy my job with the Boy Scouts of America. I am the manager of the Scout Shop. I will sell you anything from yur merit badge patches to yur pine wood derby cars to yur green scout pants. Monday thru Friday, 9:00 to 5:00. I finally have my weekends back and couldn't be happier! Ian and I have some great plans for the summer and I will be needing those weekends! Plus, I now have health insurance! Yippie!

Jamies Wedding: I used to work at LoveSac with my good friend Jamie. She now lives in California where her husband is stationed with the Military. Jamie and Jim reaffirmed their wedding vows in April after he returned home from Iraq. They had a wonderful cerimony, and the reception afterwards was a lot of fun.














I'm finding that I can't take myself anywhere. I accidentally put my napkin over one of the centerpiece candles. Well, only one thing can become of that! Oops!















SALON de SERVICE: Some of you may not know this about my husband...but he is a Beauty School Dropout (like some other people I know). I guess in a way, we all like to think we naturally have the skills of those who have paid for year of training in their respective schools. Our friend Dan had a mishap with some bleach...two or three times in a row...within a days time. The only answer to restore the dark locks of Dan was Salon de Service.

Don't worry. Dan recovered. Only, I'm blogger retarded and can't figure out how to rotate this picture.












OUR 6th ANNIVERSARY:
I've been together with my best friend now for 6 years! I have to admit, we are the cutiest couple ever!














NO, not THAT best friend. My OTHER Best Friend!














There we go! Ian and I have had so much fun together in our six short years of marriage. But I will always remember the classic remark from our "Mexican Mama" a couple years ago when talking to Ian about how long we'd been married.
She asked, "How long have you been married?"
Ian answered, "Three years."
She replied, "I bet it feels like three days...abajo la aqua!"
I think thats when she and Ian really made a connection!
Well, now it's been a whole 6 years...and it only feels like 5 days under the water!
Ahhhh, love and marriage! I'm just glad mine is forever!


MY MOTHERS DAY: I had a wonderful Mothers Day this year! My two favorite guys, Luke and Isaac, came over to wish me a Happy Mothers Day, and brought me a beautiful California Callas plant! I just love 'my boys' and absolutly love that they (with the help of their awesome parents) thought of me on Mothers Day. My heart just melted when I heard Isaac wish me a happy mothers day in his cute little voice. I'm so blessed!

GUAC

Ian made the best guacamole the other day. It was so good, we had to photograph it! See! So yummy!

My BFF and Son

Brittni Jo, Natalie, Gage

BE PREPARED

I am now employed with the Boy Scouts of America! Next time you see me, I'll be sporting green pants, a neckerchif, and a khaki shirt...with patches all over! I have a feeling I will be able to add "build and start a fire WITHOUT matchs" to my resume!
And, I'm excited to have access to all the Thin Mints cookies I want!
Oh, wait.
Cookies are the Girl Scouts!
Dang! I'm working for the wrong team!

Tyler and Teresa Service

"T'n'T"
Ian's younger brother Tyler married Teresa
in the Mesa Arizona Temple on March 31st, 2006.

Monty and Maddie

Maddie and Monty are my sisters "kids". They are quite amusing and seemed to be entertained by my slippers with tails. I'm in AZ, staying with my sister Lindsay who is recovering from open heart surgery. We are having a good time and are busy teaching Maddie and Monty new tricks. Although Monty has yet to understand and comprehend the simple "sit" trick, he can spin around in circles in hopes for a treat! Maddie, on the otherhand is quite a smartie. She can sit, lay down, and spin around...and bark...and bite. But if she does the last two - then she doesnt get a treat !

THE JOURNEY

The Luncheon: three hours of food, laughter, and tears. Totally worth it!

THE HEAD TABLE - I think they are laughing because Uncle Reed stood up with the microphone to introduce himself and said he didn't know anyone, but thought the food smelled good so decided to join the festivities. Wait, actually, I think they are laughing because the whole time Martin was giving his speech, his zipper was down. (No it wasn't Martin! If it was really down, someone would have told you to zip it up long before they told you to spit out your gum. By the way, thanks for spitting out your gum.) Oh, I remember, they are laughing because Joan Bowe, Julies Grandma, stood up to wish the newlyweds all the love and luck in the world and started it off by saying, "We love you Julie and . . . what's his name!" with perfect comedic timing. Only, I think for that moment, she really did forget his name! She had the room filled with laugher!
The centerpieces were items collected from the many travels of Todd and Julie. Ian and I sat with (L to R) Stephanie and Scott Dunkley, Spencer and Susie McAllister, Aunt Lora and Uncle David, John and Savannah Anderson. Unka and Teener pictured in the backgroud. A delicous lunch was served with the most fabulous dinner rolls and whipped honeybutter. Pictured below are John and Ian, consulting the rule book to see if it was appropriate to ask for more rolls.

Even after consulting the rule book, both of them were still too chicken to ask for another basket of rolls. Thankfully, I'm not watching my carb intake, and the server dude was delighted that I asked for another basket. He brought it promptly to our table. I had no problem eating as many as I could...especially knowing I would not have to give a list of things was I thankful for when I was finished.