Just a Thought

In our main lobby at work we have a huge beautiful fish tank. All the guests that come to our office always marvel at it while they are waiting to be attended to. They always ask me questions about the fish, rocks, and whatever else is living in the tank that I can never answer.
While I was sitting at the front desk at work today one of the Attorney's wife and child came in to the office to visit. The little boy rushed straight over to the huge fish tank. He was mesmerized by it and just thought that it was the coolest thing. A few minutes later his dad walked out of his office and came to the lobby to greet his visitors. The little boy didn't even notice that his dad had entered the room because he was too busy looking at the fish. The dad came over and tapped the boy on the shoulder and said, "It's pretty cool, huh? Alright... now let's go." The little boy turned and looked at his dad and said, "Dad, this is awesome!! Do you just stare at this every time you walk past it?" The dad then replied, "No, I see it everyday so it's nothing special to me."
I know this may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but for some reason it really made me think. I have taken this beautiful fish tank for granted. Just because I look at it everyday doesn't make the fish tank any less "special".
I've been complaining to Jake a lot lately. The situation today made me realize that I just need to chill out and be grateful for the little things that I am passing up everyday. I need to realize that just because I see something or do something everyday it still has a purpose. I need to be grateful for the beautiful fish tank at our office. I need to be happy I have the opportunity to work and go to school. I need to appreciate the wonderful basement that we live in. I need to thank those around me for the kind things they do for me everyday. I need to have a positive attitude about the future, no matter what it may hold. I have a lot to work on!

Manly Vehicle

 I used to think that my little brother Caden was spoiled.. until he got his "new" car.

When my sister turned 16, she was given a new PT Cruiser. When I turned 16, I received a Jeep Liberty. Caden is almost 16 and his lucky car (by choice) ... a '91 rusted, beat up, missing parts, needing fixing, Frod Bronco!

Although, Caden often points out to me that his car is not ghetto because it has a sick lift, two huge subwoofers (spelling??) that make your heart skip a beat, lockers... (which apparently stop the wheels from spinning when you get stuck in mud and stuff, not to be confused with school lockers - this is what I thought he meant by lockers)...  and it sounds tough when you drive it.

However, the steering wheel and hood of the car shake until you reach over 40 mph, the something-or-other-I-can't-remember-the-name leaks all the time which makes it so the car doesn't pass inspection, the side paneling in the car is missing, there is rust all over, the floors are permanently stained with dust, the doors don't open very well from the inside, the cup holder falls out on several occasions, there are three mysterious buttons that no one knows what they do, the car shakes so much from the subwoofers that CDs skip and the radio is on the verge of dying.

I started to feel bad for the kid until I realized just how happy this car makes him. It's a project! Him and Dad get to work on the car constantly because there is so much to fix. He feels like a big tough guy when he drives it because it is so huge! When he fixes something, he feels a sense of accomplishment and ownership over his car. If he gets in an accident and messes up his car, it doesn't really matter too much. Not to mention how cheap it was. (It probably won't be so cheap after they put all the money into fixing it...) Even if I think this thing is pretty ghetto, I'm glad it makes him so happy!

 



Oregon

Oregon was so beautiful this year! It was great to spend time with the whole entire Mitchell family!

First, we camped...

Then we hiked... (We saw 10 waterfalls on our hike! It was so so gorgeous!)

Don't let this next picture gross you out, it's just a waterfall in the background.

Next, we picked tons of berries!! Strawberries, blueberries, marionberries... you name it, they had it! Marionberries are my new favorite! They are specific to Marion County Oregon. They are a mix between a blackberry and a raspberry. They taste so amazing! We had berries shakes right after picking with our freshly picked berries and they were delicious! I came home and made berry shakes the next day with our frozen berries again, they were that good.

 It was a gorgeous day too!

Last but not least, we went to the beach!! We hiked all over the beach, had a fire, talked, and played with the kids. It was so wonderful! I miss Oregon already!

I can't wait to go back! Thanks Mitchell family for a wonderful trip! We love and miss you!



The Mitchell "Thing"

For anyone that knows the Mitchell family, you know the "thing" that they do. Jake said people have referred to it as the "Squirrel Thing." I caught Jake in the act the other day and just had to post some pictures! I don't really know how to explain what it is or why they all do it, so maybe I will save that post for Jake. Either way, I think it is hilarious and in a weird way cute. It's one of Jake's endearing qualities for me. We are going out to Oregon tomorrow until Sunday and I am looking forward to lots of the "thing" from all the Mitchell boys. See you next week!

Rope Swing Videos

Now that I know how to upload videos, here are the somewhat outdated rope swing videos.

Flaming Gorge

This weekend was a blast! So much fun to be had!

 Caden is a stud and growing up too fast!

 Dave is a stud and gets super great air!

Jake is a stud and I love him!

 My dad and brother are studs and too funny! (They would have spitting wars while they were both knee boarding! It was so funny to watch!)

 Jake's first time scuba diving. He did so great! We are happy Dave took him!

 This rope swing used to be super super high but now that the water levels are so high your feet would drag in the water as you were swinging. The boys still got some pretty sweet air!

 I have the coolest Dad.

 While Dad was out kneeboarding, he let the boys shoot Roman Candle firworks at him. He got hit a few times but nothing really happened. It was definitely fun to watch though!

A 360 in the air! It was epic!!

Thank you to Dani's help, I have learned how to upload some videos, so here they are!

Roman Candle Shooting

And more...