YIPEEE! I am so excited. With a little help from my dear friend, VISA, I am now the proud owner of two tickets to WICKED!!! Yes that's right...dirt poor little me! It is amazing what you can do with a credit limit and I just could not resist. For those of you who don't know anything about Wicked..... shame shame! No really I am just tickled green that I get to go. (Oh PS Did I mention how excited I am?)

My first experience with Wicked occured a few years ago when I read the book by Gregory Maguire. I was super disappointed because I had been hoping for a relationship between the two of us that would blossom into something wonderful. However there were certain (cough cough )graphic details about how the Green Witch came into exsistence. It was a hard day when I finally finished the book but I walked away with my head held high convinced I would never hear or see anything more about Wicked. But my parents and all my sisters had seen Wicked and informed me that there was still hope because there was no such nastiness in the play. So I hopped aboard the Renee Train (I wish you could come with me) for a trip to Wicked. So here's a choo-choo to me. I am going to enjoy this ride!!

My Story

I discovered this amazing artist last summer when I went to Kalispell with my parents and little sister Katie (Gray had to work) Anyway we went to a little town called Big Fork and in one of the shops I found these amazing prints by Brian Andreas. His collection is called Story People and while the art could have been drawn by my students, his words always seem to say the perfect thing. This picture caught my attention because it perfectly describes how I feel.... Just today I was a cook, driver, teacher, playdough monitor, mess cleaner, book reader, tear wiper, best friend and wife. It gets a little overwhelming at times (and I don't even have kids yet) so I love the time when I just wake up and I have a few minutes of me time to remember who the really me is.

Check out the website- www.storypeople.com

All things Gray

We have had a few eventful days over here at our house and the star has been Grayson. First he surprised me on Valentine's Day with breakfast in bed (except I got up before he was finished and sat in front of the TV instead) and flowers.....

I always take pictures of my food too for some reason and I was going to snap a few of my heart shaped pancakes but they disappeared before my eyes so you will just have to imagine perfectly shaped hearts with whipped cream and strawberries (my fave!!)

We then got in the car for my surprise weekend getaway.... I know..... I told him we were totally broke but he seems to have some extra source of income. We went into Washington and I guessed we were going to Seattle or Victoria. After an hour we were back in Oregon (I was so confused!) and I saw a sign for Astoria and guessed we were headed there. It was so much fun to have a little adventure away from the city. Astoria is beautiful with Victorian style houses and great views of the Pacific Ocean.

We went out for a special Valentine's Dinner and were lucky.... we only had to wait an hour and a half for our food!! Some people didn't even get theirs because the restaurant ran out of what they ordered.

The area is so full of history too! Astoria is where Lewis and Clark "ended" their journey and where the Pacific Ocean meets the Columbia River. There have been hundreds of shipwrecks due to the crazy storms and rough waters.



We went and visited the Astoria Column which is a huge old thing with pictures of Astoria history carved into it. It is 125 feet tall and has over 500ft of artwork all around it. There is even a little observatory area at the top if you want to climb the 124 stairs to get there (it was closed when we went)

The coolest thing we learned about Astoria is that it was where one of our all time favorite movies was filmed.....


Overall we had a great weekend and I loved being able to spend time with the man I love.


Grayson also celebrated the big 2-9 last Thursday. Of course I forgot to take pictures but we just had a nice evening to ourselves with Gray's favorite home cooked meal and some prizes. He got a Whirly Pop Popcorn machine....


AND a ping pong paddle. I guess Ping Pong is mad wild at the school and the boys spend a lot of time doing playing. I got Gray his own paddle so he can practice anywhere he wants to. He even has little moves and twists that he learned after watching all the 12 quarter students play. After all the time they spend at the school some of these guys are quite professional when it comes to table tennis.

I have kind of been sick again with wicked headaches and allergies so I haven't been out a whole lot but we have enjoyed our past few days together. Grayson is so patient with me and my complaints and is even getting better at doing a few chores around here. Now if only I could find him for dinner.....

Need I say more?

Sara Danger Smart and the big 2-2

HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY
Sara Wynne Smart

February 11, 1987

Today is my sister Sara's 22nd birthday and to commemorate this special day I want you to all go check out her new blog... www.girluntitled-pomo.blogspot.com/. When you view this masterpiece you will understand why I describe her as a fashionable and funny chick. She is just a hoot and she has such potential (if we can just get over the weird things she sometimes says).

I recall fondly the day that she was born and how I was almost too busy playing with my magnadoodle to care. Oh and then there was the time I nailed her straight in the noggin with an aluminum baseball bat (accident of course...or was it?) And while I shouldn't get carried away with that story I can't help but think that some of my funniness and pure beauty were transferred to Sara that day from me through the bat (hence why you will all love her blog more and forget I exist.) In all fairness I will take full credit for the person she is today (ok ok I guess the parents and other holy beings helped too) but in all seriousness now I wish my sis the best 22nd birthday any 22 year old sister of mine could have! Eat lots of cake and ice cream and deal with the repercussions of the dairy intolerance later. You deserve it!! (the goodness of ice cream I mean!)She is sooo camera shy

I mean look at the tortured face

Two shades too cool

I.HATE. CAMPING!!

Ok so some of you know that I hate camping...like a lot! I don't think I have ever had one good experience camping. I have either been attacked by a squad of ADHD mosquitos or bitten by ovedrzealous bees. I have been soaking wet with mud in unimaginable places or burned to a crisp by a powerful sunbeam. It is just not for me. People always tell me I am being silly and that I just need to be one with nature. However I firmly believe that nature would be and is just fine without me.
I can't really pinpoint when my hate/hate relationship with camping developed but I clearly remember the stench of the outhouse and the barely there soap tied in a nylon. I remember the early waking hours and the undercooked food. Rain has also always been present when I insert myself in camping locations and I am pretty sure I spent one full night with a hyper grasshoppper in my panties. You laugh and say that it would be easy to remove the bug but I was too scared to get out of the tent for fear of being eaten by a bear (the bear I heard actually knocked down my sister Sara's tent...I was so close to being a meal!)
Don't get me wrong. I like being outdoors for the most part but my idea of camping is indoor plumbing (aka flushing toilets and a jacuzzi tub preferably located in a master suite at the best hotel money could buy) and nearby shopping.
Why this rant you ask? Well in my eagerness to be a part of my new ward I told the Bishop that I was in Young Womens before and had learned to love the girls and the fun. I even spent about 18 hours at camp last year (after I tried and tried to get my boss to let me work on Canada Day) but was awake most of the night because of the yellow eyes I saw when I went to the potty and when I finally did fall asleep I dreamed that ailens were kidnapping my Beehives and the only way to save them was to bite off the ailen toes. I woke up two hours later with a sore jaw! NO JOKE! Anyhow in my endeavor to be an intregal part of my ward I was called to Young Womens and promptly given the job of Ward Camp Director. Just my freaking luck!!! I will of course keep you posted of my current plan on how to break an arm or leg the first week of July so I will be a no go for camp!