Sometimes you just have to laugh...

one... When you have to evacuate a 25 story building at work because our floor thank goodness we were only on the eighth floor didn't get the memo that they were only testing the fire alarms.  This wouldn't have been so bad if Brad and I hadn't had an extra good workout at the gym the night before.  My legs were burning before I began the 8 floor decent.

two... My third calling that I have been blessed with is Scouts.  I get to work with the bears.  While we were outside playing games the boys showed me the almost perfect shell of a robins egg.  Of course I was thinking about all the diseases on this egg shell and avoided holding it for them.  Low and behold what did I find in my purse the next day?  That's right a now crushed robins egg. 

three... being sick. It started with Brad and now it's gotten to me.

four... Our wonderful old duplex that we live in has a few small problems.  The most recent has come along with the wonderful rainstorms and humidity of Iowa.  Water has been seeping into our basement.  I've done some creative rearranging to keep things dry.

Wilderness vs. Civlization

Brad wonders how it is that I lived in the wilderness... 

went weeks without showering, 

no candy, 

no junk food, 

no toothpaste,

rocks for a bed, 

drank cow tank water,

wore dirty grimy sweaty clothes, 

slept with cochroaches in my sleeping bag, 

rattle snakes threatening me while checking my traps, (aka using the bathroom) 

tarantulas, 

being eaten by chiggers, 

living off the land, 

being rolled over by boulders, 

surviving off crawdads and prickly pears, 

crawling through catclaw, 

lovin' up dried tomatoes, 

encounters with cactus

and so many other things I dare not mention.  

AND I FREAK OUT WITH A FEW ANTS IN THE KITCHEN.

a LOT of growing up to do!!!

Since Brad is in the young mens presidency we had the great privilege of making the trip to Omaha for the youth temple trip.

The wonderful spiritual experience of being at the temple was shortly followed by...

A soft bean burrito contest at Taco Bell.

ZACH GOING FOR THE WIN

ZACH'S BURRITO COMING BACK UP

I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE BRAD'S VICTORY

Duplicates

Some people receive multiple toasters and others multiple blenders as wedding gifts.  We were lucky enough to receive multiple skookies.  

We enjoyed our skookies as part of a Sunday afternoon snack with the Monsons.  A peanut butter skookie with ice cream and chocolate syrup quickly followed by an orange julius.  

BUONISSSIMO!!!!

NICK GETTING READY TO PARTAKE, BUON APPETITO

MICHELLE BEGGING NICK TO SHARE, 

OR MAYBE THIS WAS THE SEXY FACE?

I'm Hungry!

The Mohawk

Brad is going for a new look...

That's how I came home

It's hard to believe I've been home from my mission one year.  I struggled coming home from the mission.  I loved everything about being in Italy and all the incredible experiences I had.  So when it came to the end of my mission and naturally my mom was quite excited I avoided her questions and pretended like I wasn't coming home.  I didn't want trunky emails from family and friends.  I believe the letters went something like this.

Mom: I know you don't want to talk about it but I just got a letter from the mission office saying you weren't coming home until MAY 22 are you sure it's not suppose to be March?

My Reply: I'm not coming home in March.

More Background:  Completing an 18 month mission would have meant I'd be home in March however I was lucky enough to be able to stay until April and May would have just been amazing.  I still think sisters get jipped 6 months.  

What I didn't realize is how upset my mom was about me not coming home until May she complained to everyone about how they were keeping me longer.  I just kept going on with my mission until to my great surprise I received my first email from my dad.  

Dad:  Remember the joke Bill played on you when you got your mission call?  If it's ok with you I want to get Bill back and surprise your mom.  She thinks you're coming home in May.  I guess that was a typo or something.  I just got your flight plans and your coming home April 11.  I'm not going to tell anyone and I'm going to smuggle you home from the airport.  Let's get creative.

My Reply:  Sounds great.  Do whatever you want.

This was the most dangerous trick we had ever played and if anything were to go wrong it could be deadly.

So it's April 11 and I was on my way home.

6:00a.m. Italy/10:p.m. Idaho: Boarding the plan in Milano

7:00a.m./11:00p.m: Still sitting on the plane in Milano

8:00a.m./Midnight: STILL SITTING ON THE PLANE IN MILANO

9:00a.m./1:00a.m.: Still in Milano, connecting flight in Frankfurt LEAVING

10:00a.m/2:00a.m.: Finally leaving Milano

12:00p.m/4:00a.m.: Frantically running from line to line in the Frankfurt airport trying to find a flight home.  We were redirected through Denver Colorado instead of San Francisco.

6:00p.m: Finally in the USA.  Going through customs in Denver.

7:00: Still going through customs in Denver and missing connecting flight to Salt Lake.

7:30: Trying to find another flight.  Waiting in stand-by for last flight out of Denver.  Trying to get through to my dad to give him the new flight plans.  Now the joke is on him.

Meanwhile:  My dad is waiting at the Salt Lake airport he sees my flight come in.  I'm not on it. He waits.  Still nothing.  He finally goes to the ticket counter.  

Nice lady at the ticket counter:  She never boarded the plane in Frankfurt she will most likely be flying in at this time tomorrow.

Dad panicking is trying to think of more excuses to stay in Salt Lake until tomorrow.  Hoping the mission home doesn't call the house and blow his cover.  Dad starts to leave the airport when he sees an Italian missionary.  By this time all the missionaries had been separated and reconnected on different flights.  Dad decides to wait a little longer.  Still no Sister Geddes. More Italian missionaries, no Sister Geddes.

I come out of the terminal hoping my dad had gotten my message.  I can't find my dad.  I walk down to baggage claim.  Still no dad.  I found another missionary who my dad had already talked to while trying to find me.  In all the confusion I finally here CHARLIE.

My dad grabs my luggage we quickly hug and run out the door.  I have no clue what is going on at this point.  We jump in a truck with my dad's cousin from Salt Lake then we transfer vehicles my limo home... a semi truck.  This was my dads decoy.  A new trailer for the semi that he had to pick up in Salt Lake on April 11. 

10:30 my mom calls my dad to see when he will get home.  

Dad: "We'll be home in about an hour"

Mom: "Who's we?"

Dad: "Me and the truck.  Is Bill still there to see it?"

You know we are rednecks when my brother keeps his wife and two kids awake at midnight to see a semi trailer.

11:30:  we pull into Banida my dad tells everyone to look out the window so they can see the lights.  We get to the house.  My dad jumps out to wake up my other brother and sister.  I hide in the cabin of the truck.  When I thought everyone was out I started honking the horn. Confusion.  I jump out of the truck.  

MOM'S THOUGHTS "WHAT'S COUSIN JENNY DOING HERE?"

"THAT'S NOT JENNY."

"WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"I'M STILL CONFUSED"

MARY CRYING SHE IS SO EXCITED TO SEE HER SISTER

SURPRISING GRANDPARENTS

We pulled it off and my mom forgave us.  Hopefully people don't think I got sent home early or something.

Being Crafty

I've had a lot of time on my hand so I've decided to learn how to sew.  While in Idaho for spring break my mom and grandma sent me home with a sewing machine.  Only problem is it's a german machine without any instructions.  This might not be a challenge for all you brilliant seamstresses.  But trying to thread the stinking sewing machine was very complicated.  Nothing like any sewing machine I've ever used.  (I'm pretty sure I've only touched one other machine.) It was hour upon hour of trial and error.  But I got it.  Once again thank goodness I have a lot of time on my hands these days.  

So after I managed to sew several straight lines working on some baby burp rags.  I decided to move onto bigger and better things.  I made a pillow.  First I went for a smaller more simple pillow 27 x36, but that wasn't big enough for us.  So I went for a mega pillow.  Final results 4.5 feet x 4.5 x 1 and filled with shredded foam. They aren't perfect but definitely a great addition to our small living quarters.

Have I mentioned that shredded foam is very messy and remnants of it may be found among our stuff for the remainder of our lives.  It took longer to clean the mess then it did to make the pillow.

So if anyone wants to watch a movie on a not quite love sack but very soft giant shredded foam pillow they are more than welcome to come on over.  We even have some popcorn...but no movies so stop at the redbox on your way.