Canyoneering Slideshow

Okay, now if you have not read the MASSIVE update I promised you all, you need to scroll down a bit & catch up! There is the massive update w/ pictures, there is a post about our day @ Zion and a slideshow of Zion pics and now the canyoneering day story and slide show (top slideshow)

Justin took the girls a few weeks ago to Provo and took them to Hansen Mountaineering and played on the rock walls. They learned how to rappel...they LOVED it! Justin got them each a harness, so now they are all ready for any adventure!

Justin & Jon were going to take the girls for the day on Saturday (Carsy's Birthday) Justin's other friend Kyle also tagged along with his two kids. They went to a place in Southern Utah called Yankee Doodle. I don't do well with this kind of stuff. So, since it was Justin's weekend, I just made him promise to take lots and lots of pictures! and he did:)

The girls had a great time, and said they only got scared a little bit! :) I am just happy to look at the pictures! I think if I'd have been there I would have had a heart attack!

I didn't even put a quarter of the pictures Justin took in the slideshow...if you want to see more, check out Jon's website. There's a link to it under my "fun blogs to visit: Jon's adventures" Once your'e on his mainpage, on the left hand side under "canyons" it says "echo/ yankee doodle - sept 08" His slideshow puts mine to shame. He has music and an explanation with each picture. He even put who took the picture! (time on his hands? yeah... he's a bachelor!) Enjoy...and now you are all pretty much caught up on what's going on in my life!! Hopefully I can keep up with it now....(we can hope, right?)

Zion Slideshow

Okay, I am tired tonight, but not as tired as I was last night! I am usually pretty emotionally drained on therapy days. The girls had counseling today. And I have not been sleeping well since all of this hit the fan! I sleep really good from about 9:00pm to about midnight and then I am usually WIDE awake until about 4:00am. So for those of oyu who have DirectTV I want you to know that you are paying your hard earned money for info-mercials for at least 3 hours of the night...there's NOTHING on!! Anyway, that's not supposed to be the reason for this post!

I am telling everyone about the slideshow...(above: bottom slideshow) On Friday (the 12th) we spent the day in Zion. We hiked up Echo Canyon. It is a slot canyon that was absolutely beautiful. Jon is a very avid hiker and knows Zion like the back of his hand. We went through a pool of boob-deep muck that smelled like cow-crap. It was kind of black and thick. It stunk so bad. (yes I was gagging...) Jon calls it a sess-pool. Anyway , it was super cold too! I could not believe how COLD it was! you know how when you go to the lake and you think the cold water is going to feel oh-so good and you plop yourself in and it about takes your breath away? Well the sess-pool muck was so cold it knocked the wind out of me, made me have to pee super bad and I felt like I wanted to scream and cry at the same time. (but maybe not in that order!!) Justin was shocked that I had the guts to go through it! It was something I'll probably never get the chance to do again - I had to do it! And besides, Justin didn't think that he would be able to carry me on his shoulders like he did for the girls! It was such a fun day and the weather was perfect! After our hike we went to the Zion Pizza Noodle. mmmmmmmmm.......BBQ Chicken pizza was to die for! We all stunk so bad I'm sure people all around us were either hurling their meals or loosing their appetites pretty quick! After dinner we went back to the hotel to swim. Justin jumped in fully clothed...why you ask? I have no clue. But then he had an asthma attack (or something to that effect) and we literally thought we were going to have to make a mad dash to the hospital. He ended up being okay in the end. It was a lovely day.

What you all have been waiting for.....

Okee - Dokee everyone! I am super tired and I must be honest...I had to fight the urge to just lay down on my bed and watch the news. Then I realized that updating everyone is so much more important...right? And so it begins!

(now would be the time to grab a drink or go pee if you need to!)

After the girls & I got back home from Moab on my birthday, things just didn't feel right at home. There was so much tension between me & Justin. We weren't talking and when we did it would just turn into a yelling match or an arguement. My best friend Tara had mentioned that she was headed to Mesquite the weekend after my birthday and invited the girls & I to tag along for one final excursion before school started. When I talked to Justin it was almost like he couldn't say yes fast enough! After Tika's orchestra "concert in the park" we were on our way!

It was cool and raining when we left and when we got to Mesquite the 106 degree heat was a nice change (yeah right...I seriously thought I was going to DIE!) The next day we loaded up and headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. What an AMAZING place! And you know, it was'nt as long of a drive as I thought it would be! We LOVED IT!
The next day we just relaxed in Mesquite and swam all day. Now when I say all day, I mean ALL DAY! Tara & I figured that we were IN the pool 8 1/2 hours! Too bad we weren't getting paid! That's more than a days work! And it was like pulling teeth with no novicaine to get the girls out to eat pizza for lunch! They're like fish!

When we got back home, the tension was still high...you could have cut through it with a dull knife! Justin told me he was going to move to the basement. That was weird. The following weekend almost had a mental breakdown. We were 10 days from celebrating our 12 year anniversary and Justin had announced that he was no longer happy in our marriage.

My Dad had a bagpipe competition in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and I decided I needed the support of my parents and that I was going to join them for the weekend. (Justin thought that this might be a good oppertunity to let them know what was going on with our relationship.) I left the girls at home with Justin and went to beautiful Jackson Hole.

The day after I got back, school started and we decided we would sit the girls down and tell them about the divorce over the following weekend. Tika is now going to the middle school and Carsy is in 2nd grade. They are growing way too fast! On the first day of school I had a meltdown. That was not too fun!

Then it was the world famous swiss days. (world famous? Can I say I have lived here for over 12 years and this year was my FIRST time? I am no longer a swiss days virgin!!) Melinda & Rod came up and ran the 10K and did an amazing job...and of course we had our boy!! :)

Justin & I sat the girls down and told them about the divorce. That was one of the hardest (well, probably the hardest) things I have ever had to do. I think the hardest part was that I did not want to get a divorce and I was sitting there explaining it to my babies. Justin and I sat down and split up the weekends throughout the rest of the year and let the girls just talk to us and ask questions. They are so amazing. I think that Justin and I are truly lucky to have been blessed with such strong daughters. I am so impressed witht their strength.

The next weekend it was "my" weekend. So I decided I wanted to take them to do something that we might not get to do very often, but something they would enjoy and remember. I took them to get a PEDICURE! Now for you adult women out there who LOVE pedicures like me...let me give you a bit of advice. Don't waste the money on little children feet. Save it for YOU! Just pay $7 for them to get a polish change! That was so much fun though!! I wish I would have had my camera to capture their priceless faces when the people were cleaning out their toenails!! Hilarious!

Need a snack or a refill on your drink? Okay, to continue...

A couple months ago Carsun asked if we could go to Zion for her birthday. At the time she asked, we were having issues, but not to the extent of a divorce. So we pretty much told her that she could plan on that for her 8th birthday. So it has been just sitting in the back of our minds for a while. I kind of thought that she'd change her mind because of the divorce, but no! She just wanted a "family weekend". What a sweet kid! Little did we know at the time that we would have gone to the mediator the day before and it would be such a hard thing to do! But thats when you bite the bullett and have a good time for your kids! And, I think for the most part we all had a good time. Since Carsun's B-Day fell on a Saturday, it was technically Justin's weekend to have the girls. So I spent the day alone (which was pretty nice & relaxing) and Justin & Jon took the girls canyoneering. We took Carsy wherever she wanted for her birthday dinner (Olive Garden) and guess what we did after dinner?? You guessed it- we went SWIMMING!

So- there is the Epps Girls update! ( I really want to say thanks to everyone that has supported the girls & I ...Justin too ... in this very difficult time! I love & appreciate ALL of you!!)

(okay I am having trouble with my blog & Photo bucket. I have typed this post 3 times and now my pictures won't rotate to make the slideshow. I am quickly becoming PISSY and I am tired. So- goodnight...I will do the slideshow of B-Day pictures tomorrow!!!)

alright, alright...

I know, I know!!! I said I'd do a MASSIVE update I know...but here's the thing. When we were in St. George Justin & I each had a camera. Since it was "technically" HIS weekend, he took the kids out on an adventure I would NEVER have been able to handle. So, I was waiting to get the pictures from him! So there! Now I have the pictures and at bedtime tonight, I will be blogging. (I promise!!)

We'll keep the blog!

Well everyone, the votes are in...
And the majority of the votes cast suggested we continue the blog where we left off 5 (now 6 ) weeks ago!
I am glad, cause what would I do if I got all the votes back & you'd suggested to delete it? I probably would have ignored you all!!
The point of having the poll was to kind of get the "word out" in a way that way that was easier than running into everyone at the store, having them ask how "we" were and me opening a huge can of worms about divorce and then the tears would start to flow and so on and so on...
So - - once the girls are in bed tonight I am planning on doing a MASSIVE blog update that will consist of 6 weeks. In addition to all of the stress in my life, I have managed to do a few fun things with the kids. I hope you can all find a few minutes throughout the week to catch up on all that the "Epps Girls" have been up to!

what's YOUR opinian???

Hey all!

I know it's been a while, but I need some help.

Take a look at my poll question to the right and VOTE!

I'll update the blog soon, depending on the majority vote!

and the winner is...

Well everyone, we are related to a sweepstakes WINNER! HOORAY JUSTIN!! This year the girls and I entered nothing into the fair. Justin on the other hand entered 3 things and got 2 blue ribbons and ONE SWEEPSTAKES! It was for a thimble he had made out of wood. Good job Justin! After looking around at all of the fair stuff, Justin had to go back to work, so the girls and I went and walked around the fair. All I did was let them get a treat. NO rides...mean momma huh? Tika got a sno-cone, Carsy got an italian ice, and I got one of those yummy Texas Twister drinks. Anyway, I just thought everyone should know that Justin won a purple ribbon at the 2008 Wasatch County Fair!!

Completing the Update...

Okay back to the update. Justin was out of town doing a job and was gone from Wednesday to Monday (2nd year in a row without him here for my b-day :( sad huh?) He thought it was a great idea for us to go and have fun. So since my sister & her family was going to be in Moab, I thought it would be well worth the 3 1/2 hr. drive to hang out with them since we don't usually see them 2 times in a month! I invited Tara to go with us since Justin was gone. She said she was up for anything!! Sunday morning (after we cleaned the house...) we headed to Moab. We ended up not going the "normal" way. We went the scenic route, and based on the amount of time we were in the car on the way home, it was no different in time, and it was really pretty. When we got down there we checked into the hotel, let the girls swim and then we all went out to dinner. If you're ever in Moab, I recommend the Moab Brewery. The food was great and it was well priced. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and got ready for bed. I was going to call Justin and let him know our plan, but I decided to wait until morning since he didn't have good reception anyway. The next morning we got up & ate and I called Justin's phone, he answered singing "happy birthday". He had gotten done early and got home @ 2:00 am! Then we all headed to do the Delicate Arch Hike. Thank the Lord for the cloud cover on my birthday...that was present enough! When we started the hike it was 96 degrees at the end of the hike it was 104! I'm glad we went when we did! For a minute, Tara Janine & I thought we were dying, and then we see this womanhiking with a backpack that was probably as heavy as she was. Right then & there we decided to STOP complaining! So if you don't recognize a woman in the slideshow, just know, she was our motivation! We had so much fun together. Tara & I figured out that the last time either of us had been to Arches was in 8th grade for Outdoor Ed....like 17 years ago! Wow, saying 17 years ago makes me feel REALLY OLD! After our hike we went our seperate ways. The Moses Family headed to their reunion and we headed home to meet Justin for dinner. On our way, we stopped in Green River and bought melons....mmmm! Overall I had a stupendous birthday! Thank you to everyone who helped make it awesome! And thank you Justin for buying the software for your wife who decided to be an airhead and DELETE all of the pictures that she had taken. Yes, you read it right...I DELETED ALL OF THE 188 PICTURES I TOOK IN ARCHES!!! But thanks to technology and my sweet hubber, they were recovered for me to put on the blog!! Thank you Justin! :) Enjoy the arches slideshow (above)


Here are a couple pictures of Justin's weekend.(It's actually his best friend Jon in the pic...I'm sure someone got a picture of him!)

Justin had to go to the hospital on my birthday...while working, a grinder he was using kicked back and sliced his arm. He thought he might have broken it, thank heaven he didn't, he does have ligament damage though. Not fun! So there's the wrap up of our weekend! I'll try to be better at posting at least once a week!

Catchin' Up! (its been a while!)

So much has gone on so I figured I better take a few minutes and catch everyone up!!

The girls and I went with Melinda's Family to the Utah Valley Llama Fest. What an event that is! If you are interested, it is held the 3rd weekend in July in Spanish Fork at the Lotus Temple. (It was a really beautiful temple. We even got to go inside a look around) They had a Llama rodeo, a petting zoo, food and music. It was a ton of fun! Here are a few pictures...

Then on Pioneer Day, Melinda & Rod marched with their Army Unit in the Day's of 47' Parade. We had Reid sleep over and we went to SLC and watched the parade. It was fun! I enjoy stuff like that. It did start to get pretty hot - then it was not so much fun! Here are a few pictures from the parade...
I LOVE THIS PICTURE OF MELINDA WAVING!!!
After the parade, we went and met up with Richard & KayeDawn @ Fort Douglas for "family day". It was fun. There was games and food and prizes. Reid was not feel ing too well, so I brought him home while Melinda & Rod finished working.

Fair Days in Heber always starts off with a derby, and for the last 6 years we have made it a bit of a tradtion. The first year it was on my birthday. Part of the fun is getting together, having dinner, cake& ice cream and then heading to the Derby. This year was by far one of my favorites! The rain made it so fun! At first it was a bit discouraging, but it let up and cooled down the hot evening. Melinda & Rod came up for it and they ended up leaving early. Shortly after they left, the rain stopped! (too bad they didn't stay!) At one point, we noticed all of the people's hair around us was standing UP!! Straight UP! (the lighting was a tad-bit scary) But over all I think we all had a great time! I don't know what it is about cars & trucks crashing that is so fun! I LOVE IT! Someday I think I'll drive my Honda in the Herby Derby! now that would be an AWESOME birthday!!

So there's a bit of an update...there will be more to come!

LOVED Nauvoo

Okay you fellow bloggers that have been waiting for an update on the Nauvoo trip….here we go. I think I’m going to need to explain myself after 5 hours of sitting at the computer. Over 5 days I took 388 pictures! That would take forever to download all of those! So what I did was I tried to go through important/fun/exciting things that I thought you’d want to hear about. (I left some of the boring ones out, but if you are interested, let me know and I’ll give you a private showing!) Kick back, grab a cold drink, a bucket of popcorn and scroll on down through our trip to Nauvoo, Illinois. I did a post and a slide show to go along with each post. What I did was tried to go from the time we got there to when we left...So I hope its not too horribly confusing…if so give me a call and I’ll do my best to clarify! Enjoy! :)

Off to Nauvoo, Illinois

The flight to St. Louis was lovely. The girls love flying and it just makes my ears plug! We got a rental car and for $3/day more we got to upgrade from a chevy cobalt to a ford fusion. Totally fun to drive. (horrible lower back support & uncomfortable seats…I don’t recommend buying one!) The girls posed for a picture by it. We had a 3 hour drive to get to Nauvoo from St. Louis. I had TBS by the time we arrived. (tired butt syndrome) We stopped in Troy, Missouri for dinner at a Carl’s Jr. As we were pulling out of the parking lot there was a semi-truck with a ramp coming out of the back. Upon further inspection…it was a pizza place. So funny! I've never seen anything like that before!

Once we got to the house we hung out with my sister& her family. It was awesome! Lots of late nights & early mornings!

Nauvoo Quilt Festival

Little did I know that the Nauvoo Quilt Festival would be in town when I was! Janine, Mom & I went over to the school that was on the same block as the house and walked through the quilt show. They had classes and prize drawings(none of us won) There were a lot of quilts from Utah, but none from our quilt guild in Heber. There were a lot of antique quilts and one looked like a photograph. One of them was made by a mother for her daughter, using all of the fabrics from all of her clothing from her first year. Way cool idea! There was one that a man made for his wife for Christmas but needed her to quilt it before he could give it to her. (sweet huh?) Anyway, that was a fun addition to our trip. (or at least I thought so)