time flies whether you're having fun or not

So 17 years ago on Cinco de Mayo I was at my dad's funeral. He had been dead for 3 days by this point, and it still felt surreal and impossible. Brad and I were talking the other day about my dad and how I've never even really told someone everything I felt about it and what was going on in my little world during all of it. I think the only person that's heard about it was my 12th grade English teacher, Mrs. Catani because we had to write a paper on an experience with death. That was the first time I'd ever actually gone back over every detail of that week and it was not really fun to think about - so maybe that's why I've never really talked about it. When I saw my dad fall from the cherry picker thing and land on the sidewalk I was so worried of course, but my first thought was- we just have to have faith and he'll be okay. They hurried and put my little sister and brother and I in our car and took us down the street so that we didn't have to see him like that and see when the ambulance came. I kept telling Amy and Andy we just needed to have faith and he'd be okay. And I started a fast as soon as it happened and said I wasn't ever going to eat again until I knew he'd be okay. That was the worst few hours of my life.... Just that time of uncertainty and not knowing what was going to happen. My older brothers came over to the house where we were and my brother Ammon called my dad's parents and told them dad had fallen and been hurt and to come up to Idaho. Then we knelt down as little brothers and sisters and said a prayer. I wish that was still my brothers first place to turn- was to God. We went to the hospital and went into a room with a table where my mom was and Anneke and her friend Mindy were there and my Uncle Ron and a couple of other people. My mom told us dad died and I don't really remember anything else after that until we got to the car and I asked my brother Aaron who was going to call me Bugsy now (that was my dads nickname for me). Aaron said he would always call me Bugsy- which by the way he never does. The rest of the week is blurry. I just remember lots of people coming over and hugging us, and I remember food not sounding good. I went to my aunt and uncles house the night he died because I didn't like to be home. It felt SO wierd to be in my house and know my dad wasn't coming back there. Friends of my aunt and uncles brought food to their house for them as a sign of sympathy and I remember standing on their stairs and they were telling someone what had happened and they didn't get the details right and I felt so angry that they weren't saying it right. Like they weren't doing justice to my dad or something. That was wierd of me. But anyway. It was really wierd having my cousins all around for the funeral because I was so confused. I would be playing with them and then remember why they were there. It was such a bad confusing unhappy feeling. But we did have a lot of good people around us and tons of support.

It's crazy to me that it's been so long. 17 years! I was only 10- I barely knew him. But I'm so grateful for the hope we can have for a better world and for eternity because of the Savior. I'm grateful for angels. Everyone should read or reread the talk by Elder Holland from the Oct 08 General Conference..Ministry of Angels. It always seems wierd to think about there actually being angels that are aware of us and help us, and when I hear other people's experiences where they've felt angels around them it's kind of strange for me. But I don't know why- because I've had my own experiences and KNOW that they are real. I'm grateful that even when people die they are aware of us and can help us and protect us and be a part of our lives.

I know it's been a long time since I've posted and this maybe isn't the most enjoyable post for most people and may bore some- but I am just thankful for my dad and wanted to share how much I miss him, but also how thankful I am that I know he is near.

the finished product

its so artsy fartsy in here

So FHE tonight in the frandsen household was quite the art extravaganza.  Im going to display a couple pictures right about now and you shall guess which one i did and which one brad did.  okay GO

So clearly mine is the flowers. and if you didn't guess correctly then you're absolutely retarded and should be tied to a cactus. (i was going to say thrown off a cliff or be shot, but that was just a bit harsh)   but yeah- so mine was the flowers that are like unto something that you might find in a toilet.  But I do have to say I was so proud of myself.  I am like the worlds worst drawer slash painter- it is just so not in my genetic makeup...AT. ALL.  But it was fun to watercolor for the first time in my life.   Brad used to watercolor alot and then after his mission he switched to oil painting.   we had a really fun time and his tree isn't quite yet finished.  it will be rad school when its done.  i wish he had done it really big rather than on a half sheet of paper so that we could put it on our wall.  

my signature.  amazing.   

ok in all honestly- as fun as it was to just play around and try watercoloring- it was so frustrating because i had this vision of how i wanted it to come out.  and yeah- need i say more.  it looks like a 7 month old painted it.  i totally love art and am so incredibly in love and sucked in by colors and the amazingness of art and i wish i could do it.  and i am even more amazed now than i was before at people who can draw and paint- its absolutely incredible to me.  they make it look so easy- and its so not easy. 

k time for 24.  

such is life

I'm having quite the dilemma today. I am going to Young Womens directly after work and we have to dress up tonight and so I wore a skirt and tights and well this is my dilemma: I really have to go to the bathroom. I have had a bunch of water and a can of soda. But I don't want to have to deal with the skirt and the tights. Do we think I can just hold it for another ooohhh 5 hours?

curses.

thoughts from the gym

So just got back from the gym. these are my thoughts.

first of all- they put little tvs on every other treadmill - pretty sweet right? not so much. i found out i get motion sick from watching tv so close while walking.

secondly- - - its so interesting...nay...wierd what some people wear to the gym. why do girls that are large in stature- okay FAT- (im fat so i can say that) wear small clothes. short clothes. sleeveless clothes. its not pretty. there was a girl on the treadmill directly in front of me wearing short shorts. oh my. well maybe they started out as decent lengthed shorts- but the more she walked the more daisy duke-ish they became. heaven help me was all i kept thinking.

there was a guy next to me that came to the gym directly from his job as school custodian im guessing. he was wearing a light blue denim-y shirt and wrangler jeans (not tight ones) and custodian-esque shoes. so interesting.

there was a kid there with his dad- he was probably 14, and he was using one of the bikes and was doing a rumikub (or rubix cube- take your pick). that was a first. never seen that one before.

a guy came walking towards me that looked just like jordan knight from new kids on the block!!! but as he got closer the less he looked him. it was so exciting for a second.

then there was one of those muscle head guys that thinks hes Gods gift to earth and as he walks down the aisle he knows all the girls are looking at him so he for no reason other than because he's so into himself- he lifted his shirt a little to expose his abs. GET. OVER YOURSELF. gag

one time there was clearly a temple worker at the gym on the treadmill by me. he had left his long sleeve white shirt on, but had changed from his thick white polyester pants into white sweatpants and had white shoes on. it was hilarious. cute little old man.

okay those are my thoughts. the end.

super duper (said with a lisp)

so I never posted pictures of the quilt I made for brad for christmas. so here it is. its so coziness i love it. i try to share with brad as it IS his blanket- but its just so soft. i used the really soft stuff thats used on baby blankets for the back. well anyway- here it is. its just basic squares..nothing fancy.

here are the new cute shoes I got at our stop at the Vans outlet store in Barstow.

LOVING THEM*

oh the holidays

So it's not a great idea to go to a sunny snowless place during the winter if you hate snow. because then you have to come back to the snow. I realized today I was feeling really down and depressed. I couldn't put my finger on it until I went and looked out the window and I almost started crying- then I realized where my depression was coming from. the snow. I knew I didn't like it. But I honestly didn't know I cared THAT much for it to affect me like this. We just got back from California last night and I was okay with getting back to life and such- but man, its hard coming back to slushy roads and slick sidewalks and boots and big coats and freezing cold cars that you have to warm up and the likes. It was like suffocating to watch the snow come down nonstop and to know it wasn't about to stop anytime soon. DEPRESSING*


but anyhow our Christmas with my family was a blast and a half. it was so fun to be with everyone and just talk and laugh and play games and eat and stuff. it was so great and i thoroughly enjoyed it. we went clay pigeon shooting as the sun was setting the day after christmas and it was in the 20's, maybe the 30's - not sure. our faces were so frozen they were numb and our fingers hurt. but it was so fun. my brother aaron even got his car stuck in about 2 feet of snow. it was just great times. it actually made me feel panicky, but my brother in law tom came prepared with his big truck and a chain. so it was just a minor glitch in the master plan. My nieces put on a talent show of sorts for us. it was hilarious. there was tricks with little pet toy things, singing, dancing, and gymnastics. it was so great. then my sister anneke was trying to take some self portraits of herself with my little sister amy's camera and she didn't know it but it was on video mode and so it took a video of her doing all kinds of different faces and poses. it was hilarious. then the real picture of her after she realized was her laughing hysterically. it was hideous in a very hilarious way. and so then amy took a picture of my oldest brother ammon and he did this ridiculous face and it was so funny. so then amy went around taking pictures of us all pulling ugly faces. we laughed so hard i almost peed my pants. oh man we're retarded.

our new Years was enjoyable. we woke up at 5am on New years Eve and drove 10 hours to California. We got to Brads moms house and were there for about 2 hrs and then went to meet our friends Brody and Ann so we could all go to disneyland for new years- (courtesy of them..how cool is that!?) brad and I were sooooooo sooooo tired but i was really looking forward to going to disneyland for a few hours, since i haven't been in like 12 years or so. we had SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!! it was so crazy packed and it was really foggy so we didn't even get to see the fireworks go off at midnight- but that was okay. it was still really awesome. then after midnight tons of people left the park so we took advantage of the fact that the park was going to be open until 2am to go on more rides. we went over to California Adventure and went on the tower of terror- where they take you up and drop you over and over. I was a little hesitant- but ann insisted that it was really just a tower of FUN and not terror. YEAH RIGHT! NEVER TRUST ANN! so they take you up in this cage thing and its supposed to be like this old elevator in a hotel that just drops out of nowhere- so they take you up a few floors and then open the elevator doors and you see these little ghosts in the halls of the hotel and then you drop a couple of floors and then they take you up a couple more and drop you and then they take you up to the top and open the elevator doors and its just the outside- so youre looking out over disneyland and they take your picture- well it was sooo foggy you couldnt really see anything (thank heavens i say) but the fog just still made it all very eery and creepy cuz it was such a thick fog- so then they drop you again and that one is a little freaky. so Im thinking from what ann had previously told me that after that drop the ride is over, and i was okay with that- so far so good. well that wasn't true. it does all the drops over again but faster so you are like not even sitting on your seat for like 30 seconds it felt like. the only thing holding you in is your seatbelt. it was so freaking scary. all i could do was grab onto brad and the bar in front of me, close my eyes and scream my face off. it was so crazy. because of my extreme terror i didn't notice that the entire time brody and brad were laughing at me because of how scared i was. pffff. whatever. it was scary. i do have to say that despite the scariness- it was really fun and i could maybe go again someday. but it was freakiness. but i was WIDE AWAKE after that ride. so then we went on monsters inc to calm my nerves and then we went back to disneyland and went on thunder mountain- that was soooooo fun! it was so freezing cold because it goes so fast, but it was awesome. we wanted to go again but it made me a little motion sick so we didn't go again. then we just went on a few more rides and then we left at 2. so by the time brad and I got back to his moms and got in bed- we had been up for 24 hours. holy cow.

so the next morning i got up at 11- CA time and brad slept in until 1 because he was soo sick. so he didn't even leave the house at all that day- and I only left to go get him some medicine. the next day we only left to go to a movie (well kim scott jake and brad went- I went shopping instead). and then saturday we only left to go to jakes bball game and brodys soccer game. other than that we just stayed at kims and hung out. it was nice and relaxing and we had so much fun- as always.

the drive home was lame. it felt like it was never going to end. i was going stir crazy. but we got home around 1130pm and it was around 5 degrees outside. it was shockingly cold. but it was great to be home in our own bed.

so anyway- thats how our holidays went. they were great. now i just wish the snow would melt and never come back.

my niece anna got baptized today. yay for anna! i took some pictures of the family and my neices. they are so cute. here's just a couple that i've played around with so far. i have the cutest nieces ever! i love them all

stupid walmart

did you all know that one time i went to walmart and bought a big tupperware bin and after the cashier handed me my receipt i put my gum in it and threw it in a trash then headed to the door. the "cute little old man greeter" (pshhh....more like little old jerk) asked me for my receipt. "oh i just threw it in the garbage over there". "oh well i'll need to see it." "um, but i put my gum in it and i threw it away." "well i need to see it." you have to be kidding. then i went and dug it out. can you believe i even found it.

totes awes weekend (totally awesome weekend)

So this weekend was fab. My favorite little sister was in town- I love her lots. Amy flew in from Mesa to go to the New Kids on the Block concert with me and my old...I mean oldER sister Anneke. :) We had soo much fun. It was fun to see Amy since I haven't seen her forever and also be able to spend time with my mom and also meet my brothers fiance Natalie this weekend as well.

So we got to the concert at 8 and Lady Gaga was opening and so we listened to her- she was fine- I liked some of her music, she was a good entertainer- just a little wierd.


Then Natasha Bedingfield was on- she sounded AAAAMAAAZZING!!! She was so so so great in person. I love her.



Then came the New Kids themselves. It was awesomeness. I couldn't believe I was seeing them in person. They came out to the middle of the floor and sang a couple of songs and we were 12 rows up in the seats so they were fairly close- it was awesome. We did a lot of screaming and alot of dancing and alot of laughing- just cuz me and my sisters are funny. So it started at 8 and ended around 1115. We parked right by the exit so we were out of there and on our way home in like 5 mins- it was perfect. Oh and our seats were up in the top balcony at the E Center and since there were so many people NOT there, they moved everyone that had seats up there down to the lower level! that was sweetness!!! (it was sad though because there were sooooo many empty seats. but i guess it is the new kids on the block..and they haven't been popular in like 15 years)

anyway all and all. way awesome weekend.

ARENT THEY CUTE?!

this is brads cute mom kim and step dad scott and little brother jakey. i love them. they are the best. and like i said...ARENT THEY CUTE?!?!?! brad went to california a couple weeks ago to spend some time with his family and to help with the prop 8 stuff (well to feel like he was involved) and he took some family pictures. he did a fabulous job and i wish i could have been there!

my latest quilt.

it's fun. i just loved the 40's style fabrics and the easy pattern. brad just loves actually having one that we are going to keep!

JKP

We were invited to a karaoke party on Halloween- we were all supposed to dress up as our favorite rocker or just a rocker in general. i dressed up as janice kapp perry. apparently some don't consider her a traditional "rocker" - but to those people i say, take a look at this and then you tell me she's NOT a rocker.

and yes that says "Janice kapp Perry's Parallel Universe"

so anyway-we had a fabulous halloween. how could you not dressed in a hot pink dressed with embroidered dragon flies on it!

my sick day

WRWJ. no- not WWJD....WRWJ...walter ray williams jr.

for some unknown reason brad and i watched bowling on tv today. i think it was because we had a slumber party with 3 of my cute little neices friday and we played alot of wii bowling. my 5 year old niece started off bowling a 144 then a 183 then a 197 and ended up a couple games later at 258!!! it was awesome. i was so shocked! go abbie! so anyway. when we saw bowling on tv we were strangely drawn to it.

oh crap. it was hilarious. i'm not compleeetely knocking serious bowlers- cuz good for them. and because i love bowling and i wish i was better. but still! they were soooo intense and serious. we were like PEOPLE! ITS BOWLING! and the funniest thing is that the sponsors were dennys and super 8. hiiiigh class!! we just couldn't stop laughing. it was so funny.

so my advice is: if you see bowling on tv- do yourself a favor and watch it. it will be worth your time.

Just in case you didn't see this on my husbands blog....heres a little cartoon that i think is hilarious. and just in case you did already see it on brads blog- well...heres a little cartoon that i think is hilarious.

(in case you are either blind like me- or old like my mom- and cant read the small print in the bottom picture- the little blonde guy is saying " Wow! First the water park, and now this!? You weren't kidding This IS a good time!" and then the big guy says: "Did you know you're the first person to call?"

see. now wasnt that hilarious, just like i said it was?

i went through the drive thru at hogi yogi yesterday to get a sandwich. the chick gave me 13 napkins. i counted them. because i was in shock. thats more than people take when they go to cafe rio and take tons so they'll have extra for their car and/or home. (cafe rio has the big nice ones ya know)

thirteen.

i think i used one. the remaining 12 have cozied into their new home in my glove box.

stressed spelled backwards is desserts. just learned that.

so i just finished watching the seasons of arrested development AGAIN. i cant get enough. i love that show. i dont know of anything funnier.

so i got waaay too invested into this byu football season- and had to cry myself to sleep when they lost to TCU on thursday. WHO THE CRAP LOSES TO A TEAM WHOSE MASCOT IS A HORNED FROG!?!?!?!?! everytime one of the announcers said horned frog - i got a disgusted look on my face up and said out loud..."horned frogs??? really???" i just couldnt get over it. its such an ugly mascot. i'd rather my mascot be a mosquito or something ultra pointless like that. or maybe like a pile of doo doo thats now being used as fertilizer. now theres a mascot.



seriously. are we kidding??? lame.


oh well. and actually i didnt have to cry myself to sleep- because i watched the rest of the red sox/rays game and was screaming my head off in excitement from their amazing comeback. but then they lost game 7 tonight. oh well. i just dont know who to cheer for now in the world series. cuz i dont really care about the rays or the phillies. any suggestions anyone. thats one thing about me- i can get easily attached to a team- so i just need to choose one. i think the rays are going to win- so i'll go for the phillies. also- i'd rather live in pennsylvania than florida- so that does it- the decision's been made. unless anyone has a better argument.

okay. its 130am. im supposed to be up to go the gym at 545. what are the odds of that happening? slim to none im thinking.

OH brad and i went with bart and meriel and meriels family to the middle of absolute nowhere on a mountain yesterday. we watched meriels dad and uncle and bart cut down a tree for fire wood, roasted hot dogs and smores and the best part....WENT SHOOTING! we shot clay pigeons. well everyone else shot clay pigeons. i just shot the gun and missed the clay pigeons by about 3.76 miles. i was terrible at it. but it was so fun. i want to go again. and then on the way back down the mountain we played our own version of cash cab and then somehow started saying every word we could think of that started with the letter 'f' (we did NOT say the actual 'f' word- so no need to judge) it was so funny - especially when we started trying to name every body part that started with 'f' and ran out after about 3 - feet, fingers, fingernails, fallopian tubes..so we just started adding an 'f' to the front of the other body parts- i.e. fungs, fair, fnees, etc. it got pretty hilarious- but i'll leave the hilarious ones up to you to figure out. oh and we were pretty tired so it made it funnier- we laughed so hard. it was a fun day.



i think i need to go get a flu shot.

GREAT NEWS WORLD!

so i got a speeding ticket in las vegas when brad and i were coming home from california in july. i was going 93 in a 70 mph zone. woops. but LUCKILY, and i mean LUH-KUH-LEE the cop was generous and since my record was clean he wrote on the ticket that i was going 80 so that A. it wouldnt affect my insurance and B. so the fine would be less. so i noticed days later on the ticket that it didn't have the amount i had to pay and i read on the back that if there was no total amount due written on the ticket that i would need to appear in traffic court on October 29 and the cop had highlighted the date. i've been freaking out. because really- i dont want to have to go to las vegas to traffic court. no shpank you. and i didnt want to not pay it and have a warrant out for my arrest- BEEN THERE DONE THAT! ( i had a warrant out for my arrest for about 3 years and when i went to the court house to see how much my ticket was i was apprehended by security/cops and told that i had to the pay the fine in full right then or go to jail. luckily i had money that people had given us for our wedding in my purse. dodged that bullet!)

so anyway- just called to see what i needed to do. the ticket because of the nice cop (not to be confused with one of the hot cops from arrested development) was reduced from 190 to 90 dollars. so i paid it and dont have to go to court after all!

praise be.

HOW EMBARRASSING CAN I BE!?!?!

my phone wouldnt let me make or receive calls or texts and it said SOS in red in the top corner by the signal bar.

so i called tmobile support and all i needed to do was restart my phone. how embarrassing.

all of a sudden in one little phone call i became one of THOSE people that call support for the lamest things.

im hiding my head in shame.