New Income

So, I just became a Mary Kay consultant. I am super excited for the opportunity to meet new people, get sweet deals on products and make some extra money. I've always been a Clinique girl, so I was a little nervous to switch to a new product. I was pleasantly surprised when I switched. I think Mary Kay has products that are comparable and some are even better than Clinique plus the price tag is more friendly.So, I don't want to be the crazy Mary Kay lady that stalks all of her friends. But, if you want a free facial or to try any of the products for free, give me a call. Also, if you are interested in getting free products- I've got some tricks up my sleeve! You can also shop on my website for products. www.marykay.com/heatherfrancis.

The dilemma

So, recently I have been starting to want a dog. Andy loves seeing and playing with dogs. Tonight we were at Scott & Megan's house. Andy loved playing with their dog Bella. He just sat under the table with her and pet her head. Bella gave him tons of kisses, but Andy seemed to love it. We looked under the table at one point and Andy was trying to put a dog toy in Bella's mouth. I was surprised how fearless Andy was. He pretty much had his hand in Bella's mouth. It was so fun to watch them play together.

Now, my dilemma is.... I don't want to be stuck with finding a babysitter for a dog anytime we want to leave town. It seems like we are gone a ton during the summer, so this would be a pain. I also don't want to deal with poo and pee on our lawn. I know you can train them to go in a certain area, but still, I don't want to deal with that stuff. Another problem is we would have to fence off our backyard. Fortunately the dog I want (a Labradoodle or a goldendoodle) doesn't shed, so that gives the pro side of getting a dog one point. What should I do? I know everything I just said would point to not getting a dog, but I also think it would be fun to have a good family dog to take camping, on river trips, running etc. Plus, how could I pass up having a cute dog like these?

Books

On my way home from work yesterday I realized why I don't read anymore. I don't pick fun, captivating books. Heres a little back ground on why. I think I have a phobia of wasting time. It drives Charles crazy. I can't sit and talk to him, I have to be folding laundry, doing dishes or some other task while we talk. I don't watch TV or do anything relaxing during the day. I am always thinking of things that need to be done. So, when I read I want that time to be productive too. So, I choose books that will improve an area of my life or give me some applicable knowledge for my career, church etc. For instance, the last book I read was Money Mastery. Don't get me wrong, it was a really good book and gave me ideas on how to manage our money better. But, it wasn't one of those books I was just dying to read if I had a spare second. I kind of read it out of duty. Charles is always telling me to take time to relax, so I think I want to get back into reading. Do any of you have some suggestions? I'm not a fantasy fan and I don't want anything depressing or scary. Hold off on the crazy long books too, sorry ladies, no Gone With the Wind for me!

Oh no, its already begun!

We had been home from the store for about 2 minutes, I walked into the livingroom and this is what I found. Andy loves to just hold a controller and watch Charles play games. I thought I would have a little more time to persuade Andy to think video games weren't that cool, but it looks like he is hooked.

Death of a family member

Please join us as we mourn the loss of a very special family member. Suba was 24 years old when she kicked the bucket. She has been a member of the Francis family since 2003, Zeke bought her for $400. She had 312,000 miles on her odometer. Only a select few people were tricky enough to open her doors. In the time that we have known her, her defrost hasn't worked, therefore in the winter, Charles had to bend cardboard under the heater vents to deflect the warm air toward the windshield. Suba has filled us with laughter throughout our marriage. One summer she decided to randomly turn the windshield wipers on periodically. There was no pattern to help us figure out when it would happen next. Usually it would be at an awkward time like at a stop light, so everyone around us would stare trying to figure out why the wipers were going. She got sick of that joke and just stopped doing it one day. She has been a faithful friend on some adventures. Her last big adventure was to take us to the San Juan River for a rafting trip. She looked a little ridiculous with the frame on top, but we loved her for making it back home. We will miss our old friend and family member.

Moab Turkey Trot

This past weekend we headed to Moab to see the musical Maralee was putting on and to participate in the Annual Turkey Trot. The musical was great. It was so funny and well done. Sarah had a part, in which she did a great job. As always, Maralee directed a great performance.

The 5k "trot" was Saturday morning. Maralee, Geneava and I walked with Andy in the stroller. I had a great time hearing all of the mushy details of Geneava's love life. The 3 of us weren't there to win any prizes, so we just had a good time chatting and walking. Charles, Sarah and Jacob ran. This run is so much fun because it is just locals. There was about 150 people. (compared with 3000 for the half marathon). Some people come dressed up, as you can see Pooh bear was ready to run, beard and all. There were also some women wearing tutu's and one lady had an awesome turkey hat. I love it because it is all just for fun, super laid back.

What do you know...... I won a prize! I got a turkey for the mom and tot stroller division. Charles took first in his age group so he got a candy bar. Jacob also took first in his age group, he got a turkey. ( I don't understand why Charles only got a candy bar, but thats ok, we couldn't take 2 turkeys home anyway). Now that you are thinking I am awesome, I have to let you in on a secret....... I was the only one there with a stroller, so by default I won the Turkey. But hey, winning is winning right???

Andy loves his aunt Geneava.

Nap Time

So, I walked in to check on Andy today and found him like this. I can't imagine being flexible enough to sit like that, let alone comfortable enough to fall asleep! Don't worry, I'm not a mean mom, after some pictures I laid him back down.

A few weeks ago we took Andy on a fall hike. It was surprisingly cold, so we bundled him up in his winter bunting and cute hat. Andy loved it! Charles handed some big yellow leaves to him to play with while we hiked-he loved it. This picture is at the end of the hike, you can tell Andy is ready for nap time.

Let the training begin! Andy isn't walking, but that doesn't stop his daddy from holding his hands and chasing the soccer ball around the living room. Andy thinks its pretty fun. He gets a big smile on his face every time he kicks the ball.