Last summer blast and missing Jade already

It has been a Great Summer ! We just got back from visiting the Grand Canyon with Jade and a her cousin Ashley, who is a great, easy kid. I hiked just about everything "ouch" and the girls had a blast in their matching pink bandanas. We were in heaven, I remember thinking as I watched the full moon, the canyon and the lightening storm while the girls giggled nearby, it can't get better than this. It had been a looooong time since I felt that good though I make an effort to be happy most of the time. We had dinner in the beautiful lodge restaurant at sunset and Dar was grinning ear to ear. He really needed this break! We stayed at our ranch a couple hours away in the new home our parents built for us kids when we visit. it's plenty big for us and friends but still cannot imagine having that kind of money so it is quite a blessing. We watched phelps win his eighth gold medal in our new living room, spent time with my parents and cousins and everyone went on Dad's pontoon boat and rode tubes behind it. My mom liked my new fossil sunglasses I got for dirt cheap so I gave them to her, I only have one mom after all. For several days before Jade was in a lot of pain with a new tooth and after four appointments and seven opinions and me hunting down through primary children's hospital, the best pediatric dentist Jade had her first root canal. I had to hear the word Rare for the third time in our lives, what are the odds? I burst into tears thinking Jade had autoimmune disease because mine also started in my teeth. It turns out it SHOULD be unrelated, she has a tooth within a tooth and no roots. It is right up front, if she loses it she loses the bone and she has a lot of difficult procedures ahead of her including an implant and moving teeth and they cannot do the implant til she is twenty. I need to be here to help her. She was a trooper until it was over and then she collapsed in my arms and I picked her up. I don't know where I got the strength to hold her but I did not even lose my breath, tender mercy. I took her home, she finally got an appetite and then she slowly started acting like herself again. We hurried and packed thinking the trip was cancelled til then and left the next morning. We went home through zion's nearby and we took the kids to big rock candy mountain. Last night I peeked at Jade sleeping, we never made it to more swimming lessons but we had a great summer. I cried again. I will lose her on Monday. Even after school she will be in her own world of friends, homework, tennis, insecurities about fifth grade politics and her boo bear. Once in a while she will seek me out and tell me she misses me a lot and I will get to see her for an hour or two. She is my best girl friend in the world but she has her own life and that is how it is supposed to be, so I better quit blogging because today is a gift, that is why they call it the present, and Monday will come all too soon.

Many Blessings in Our Family! New Baby, A Wedding, Sister's Night Out

Wow! It has been a big month for our family! My brother Jeff and his wife Rhiannon just welcomed Zari into their lives! She is so cute. Dar has to send the pics to me from his blackberry. We had a big family bar-b-que at their new home in the Avenues, Jeff can really cook. We brought a Pie from Marie Calendar's, Yum, can life get any better?

My Sister Laura and Paul got married yesterday on Catalina Island. I am so happy for her! I knew he was it from the minute I met him. We had a girl's night before she left a Bucca Di Beppo with our other sisters. Laur wore a tiara-veil I made her and Kel arrived in her new Lexis red hard top convertible with the license plate fast-pas. That is so Kel she loves Disney like me. I brought party favors. It was national sister day so I made them books and found Wicked flip flops for us all. Kel bought us tickets for April in Salt Lake. It will be fun to see it again.

Girls Night Out

We will now be having a monthly girl's night out and I didn't even have to bring it up. Kel is hosting first.

Our Vinyl Fence is finished! It only took us a dozen years in our home. Wow, I cannot believe it.

We sold the trooper, that is how I got sick today. At nine the guy showed up and I climbed in it one more time. The dust hit my lungs and it has been a rough day. I will be more careful. KSL.COM is AWESOME!

Fair Time, oh ya, bring it on Davis Scrappers!

Jade and I entered our scrapbooks and jewelry in the fair again. We did not enter our sewing projects, because I am sick today and Dar had to carry everything so I thought I would give the guy a break. I entered a pop-up Disney scrapbook. Jade came home so excited that they liked it so much (the ladies that take the entries) she thought I was nuts at first and hid the pop up photo album I planned to convert, oh brother. She said in shock, "Mom, they thought it was sooo cute, it really is Mom, I am glad you didn't listen to me." Jade's Scrapbook is titled "My Wonderful Childhood" I was glad she still thinks that, it isn't very easy having a sick Mom. The bracelet she entered was remade by the bead shop and is on display at Treasure Beads. It is pretty cute. Dar was sooo nice to take everything and put up with the mess I made in my new studio and go without home made dinners all week while we finished up! Thanks, Honey!

My Day Tripper Post didn't work, Dang ! Quick Update

Quick Update, really! Ok I have to redo the Daytripper post but we have been to Park City, Bear Lake, Eagle Mountain City, Provo-Sundance, Antelope Island, Tracy Aviary, Utah's Ghost Towns. Tons of fun, gas was worth it! Jade went to Day Camp and loved it. We leave with my parents for the Grand Canyon next Wednesday!

Jade's First Fish!

Jade Colleen Marchant whose ancestors were mighty fisherman in the streams and rivers surrounding peoa finally caught her first fish no where near there as we were hiking and testing the waters at Mirror Lake, in "The Uinta's" our favorite summer outdoor place to be! Her mom of course was finally exhausted, collapsed in the car and was no where near the scene for the only time since Jade learned to hold the rod and that is the time mother nature picked to knight Jade with her first fish! Dad was on hand to see the spectacle, capture the moment and capture the glory on film! No Fair! The first thing she shouted though was "Mom" and I heard her so all was not lost. The fish had been released, contrary to my specific instructions to keep it long enough for me to see it so I did what I always do in these situations I started to tear up. I quickly realized though, I was ruining the moment, so I wiped my eyes and congratulated the little sprite! Way to go Jade! It's about time!!! In other, less important news yet it also made us very happy, Jude hiked the 2.5 miles around Mirror Lake earlier that day in good time. Dar and Jade plan to award Jude with the "Mom made it around Mirror Lake Medal or MMAMLM!

We had a great fourth the days before with old fashioned games of badmitten a puzzle a flag cake a trip to get snow cones hot dogs grilled for lunch and a traditional movie during the hottest part of the day! We went to see Hancock, Jade and I love Will Smith and it was a pretty cute show over all albeit a little strange. We then had italian for dinner at Fizoli's "I ask, what is more American" and took Boo to the fireworks. It was great to see Jade happily playing with Boo instead of missing her cousins or watching other siblings and wishing she had some.

In still other news The Marchant Girls now have a studio! I went on to my friend Megan's site to see what was up and I noticed under her "currently stalking" that she had a link for crafty storage. This blog was all I needed to get motivated to finally transform our spare room into a studio. It was pretty difficult because I was determined to do it that day and everyone who could help was gone. Dar could not believe the amounts of stuff I bagged and tagged for storage and donation. In design remix they use mainly what they can grab from other places. I did this and was able to build a full wall of storage with one new Ikea cute "wall thing" one white shelf, two telephone tables with a shelf each a white wicker chest of drawers , a four drawer wicker and wood smallish storage chest my sister gave us one year and ten open square storage cubes I picked up Monday at the dollar store. On the other side is my nice desk that the shelf unit holds three fabric lined wicker baskets I took from my bedroom and on the closet door announces the name "J and J Studio" in colorful wall words I also found at the dollar store. We placed colored pencils, markers, and all our scissors in classy matching office supply metal mesh cups on top of the shelf and bought a two dollar big white J which sits above the shelf. Then on Thursday when we were in Salt Lake I picked up a five dollar funky pink desk lamp at IKEA (love that place!) for the desk. We then began to gather "our stuff" from the areas in our home we used to work and organized everything we had just sitting in boxes so bonus, the rest of the house is basically free of most clutter. There is still more to do but I am very excited about this, between the hike and being able to tackel this room signals we will be able to do what we set our minds to as a family, I am ready to ride Wicked at Lagoon, Bring it on! pics of studio up soon!

Tagged- Thanks Heid.

Before I begin I will echo my friend Megan's sentiments when I say sometimes we are not permitted to know why. Today I was at Barnes & Noble picking up a book I had ordered and trying to be patient because my little family was home on our sectional, cuddled up together watching t.v. our trip to the Uinta's postponed til tomorrow, when, I got terrible news. A young Mom in our ward has been diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. My heart aches for her and the battle she has ahead. I know what some of her thoughts are, I've been there. My lung fibrosis is rare and aggressive. I lost 70% of my lung capacity in just a few months. I am currently taking a powerful chemotherapy six pills a day to stave it off. But it's working, I have lung transplant to fall back on and I know that my prayer's and that of my family, friends and even Doctor's have a lot to do with it. So, please pray for her, she has three little kids, a young husband and a lot to do still.

Ten Years Ago- 1998
Jade was six months old. She said WoW as her first word, she was doing stuff 18 month olds were doing. We had these cards of animals. We would line them up three at a time and she would point out the cow the bird, she loved mary poppins and said mommy when she saw Lara Croft on the computer. She could do puzzles. Heid and I took our kids to the park in strollers together. I discovered scrapbooking, Dar still worked for AT&T. I still drove my mx6, I was planning a trip to Canada the next month, one of our homes away from home.

Five Years Ago- One of the sweetest times of my life. Jade was five. About to start kindergarten. We went to Lagoon every Wednesday we could with our passes. I worked part time at David's Bridal. We went to Mesa Verde on Vacation, we had a great time.

Five Months Ago- We were about to go to Disneyworld. I was still in grief that had finally come over the change my lungs had brought to our lives. Dar and Jade went Skiing and Snowboarding without me, a very tough time. Disneyworld was great for the most part. I turned 39. Things were about to get much better. I came home and prayed I could go without o2 like I had in Florida. My prayer was answered. Miracles do happen.

Five Bad Habits- I need to think before I talk. I resist change. I can be impulsive. I procrastinate. I am sometimes too optimistic.

Five Places I have lived -

Salt Lake East Bench
Denver, Colorado
Phoeniz, Arizona
Central California
Salt Lake West Side

Five things People don't know about Me-

I was nominated five different times for homecoming queen
I am considering getting my master's degree
Last July I was very near death, I live on chemotherapy, miracles do happen
I really, really love my family too much, did I jinx myself?
I can sew, I just made a handbag while my daughter sewed a dress.