Massage Blues

Robb got me a great gift for Christmas. . . a massage. I love to get massages, pedicures, etc. Its good to pamper yourself a little. Plus, I deserve it, right?

So, yesterday I had the day off and decided to take advantage of my gift. Well, today I feel like I've been ran over by a truck. I could barely get out of bed and I hurt physically. But its affecting me emotionally as well. I am depressed, anxious and cranky. I don't really remember ever feeling like this when I've received massages before. Why is something so wonderful making me feel so horrible? Well, I googled it and I found out that this is quite a normal experience.Its called "massage blues".

I pulled this info from an article in the June 2007 issue of Healthy Living.

A classic Swedish massage is like 7 miles of hiking to the circulatory system because of all the stuff that gets all loosened up during the massage. Later on, all that released lactic acid, waste products, chemicals and "other" just get processed out of the body the next day.

(That's why I was told to drink a gallon of water. To get all that waste out of my system.)

I find the most common "emotional" stuff that comes up after a massage is just irritability and sadness for no reason. This is totally natural. Its just the combination of the chemicals and hormones that were sitting in your tissue that have been released to be cleaned out AND the emotions that may have been "stored" in places that were released and relaxed during the massage.

She does say to not let the downside of a massage keep you from getting one. The freedom from pain, pattern and holding is far worth the 24 to 36 hours of slight discomfort that comes after a massage.

As of right now, I think it will be quite some time before I get another massage. It is good to know that the feelings, both physically and emotionally I am feeling are normal, though.

22

Today marks 22 years of marriage to Robb.

I have listed 22 reason why I've loved being married to this remarkable human being.

1) His laugh

2) His hands

3) His butt

4) His kind heart

5) His sense of humor

6) His work ethic

7) His love of the gospel

8) Our "Sunday" drives

9) Singing with him

10) That life in the bedroom is still hot

11) That he's not afraid to get dirty (he's a manly man)

12) But. . . he's not afraid to cry

13) His athletic ability

14) That we can agree to disagree on politics

15) That he refuses to grow old gracefully

16) How we tease people

17) That he's first in line to help someone in need

18) Kymbre

19) Hope

20) Jasmine

21) Bobby

22) That he truly is my best friend

This literally took me two minutes to do. I think I could have easily put down 22 more. I love you, babe!!

(Sorry about number 10 everyone, but it is true.)

Believe

(I stole this amazing picture from a friend's blog)

I have many decorations in my home right now that say "Believe", but I think this picture says it all.

"Loy" to the World

Ive said it a million times. . . I am not crafty. I was trying to think of a clever Christmas card this year and I saw a cute idea online. This is my attempt at trying to be even a smidgen crafty or creative:

Besides the fact that Robb looks like he REALLY does not want to be participating, I am making an L instead of a J. (I actually printed 30 of these at Walmart and brought them home before I realized the J flaw.) Oh well.

Needless to say, no one will be receiving cards from the Pulvers this year. So, from our family to yours. . . An online very Merry Christmas!

And Robb. . . .

We've started a new Thanksgiving tradition of going to Ernstroms, as they are the closest thing to family we have down here. Its a great tradition.
This is Amy "Crocker".

We ate. . . .

And Robb watched football.
We talked. . .

And Robb watched football...

We played games. . .

And Robb watched football.

Then, Jazz, Bobby and I went to Harry Potter and Robb. . . .
Just kidding, of course he went.

Its been a good Thanksgiving weekend so far. We are going to put up decorations and tree tonight. And, I will be listening to Christmas music the whole time. Jazz wont allow me to until the day after Thanksgiving. So, Jazz. . . FA LA LA LA LA, LA, LA, LA, LA!!

4 Things. . .

The 4 things I learned while helping out in Bobbys classroom today:

1) Bobby has an awesome teacher. She has a great energy, she's positive yet firm with the kids and you can tell she loves her job.

2)I can barely do 5th grade math.

3)Lovells school lunches are the creme de la creme of school lunches.

4)My son is still not embarrassed to show me affection in public. Even in front of all his friends. He wanted me to sit by them at lunch and he hugged me and told me he loved me when I left. I truly hope this is something he never grows out of.

Valley of Fire

Last weekend, Jazz, Bobby and I, at the last minute, decided to go to the Valley of Fire State Park. We pass it every time we go to Vegas and decided we finally should stop and see what all the hype was about.

There were petroglyphs everywhere. We were all trying to decipher them and Bobby had some good ones. We did finally come to a spot where they explained what they thought each picture meant. Hand meant "death", so every time we saw a hand print, Jazz would freak out. She just knew that the Indian spirits were floating around us and that we were walking all over dead Indian bodies.This is a small arch. You cant really see it in this picture.I am convinced that an Indian spirit possessed Bobby that day. His name was "Jumping Squirrel". He couldn't hold still. We were doing everything in fast motion, though, because we didn't even leave until 2:30 and it gets dark around 4.We hiked 1/2 mile to see this amazing thing. Talk about disappointment. It was said that the natives would drink out of this as it would hold water for months after it rained. It was full of algae and I'm sure millions of bacteria floating in it. I am so very very thankful that I live in the 21st century.I love all the red rock.Nature is amazing. How in the world did this plant grow out of rocks?And this was the gorgeous sunset we were able to witness as we were leaving.It was a fun 3 hours. Ive decided that spur of the moment trips are pretty fun. I need to suck it up and not be so anal sometimes.

Honoring our Veterans. . .

I am a crybaby. Weddings, babies being born, sappy movies, etc. But nothing moves me more than honoring our country and our soldiers. I love Veterans Day. I am so proud to live in this amazing country.

Bobbys class made this tree for the "Festival of Trees." It was my favorite. Every ring on the chain around the tree has a soldiers name who has died in our "Terrorism War." It took them a long time to finish it. How touching it was to look at every name on there and know that they died fighting for us, for our freedoms, for our liberties.
Jazz sang at the Festival of Trees.

Here is a poem I found on the internet. I couldnt find who wrote it.

Eulogy for a Veteran
Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the mornings hush.

I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there, I did not die.

Busy Weekend

This weekend was very busy. We had a Veterans parade and a regional football game, both of which I didnt post pictures of because Im way too impatient.

We also met Vandenbooms in Vegas. I talked to my dad last night. So far, this year, I have seen Vandenbooms more often than Ive seen my mom and dad. (twice) That is way too depressing. Hopefully they will be coming down for Christmas. (My mom and dad, that is.) That would be the best present ever.
I still think we look really good for being a bunch of old farts.

On Sunday, my wonderful husband blessed Bentley. What an extraordinary experience. Did I cry. . . . Of course. I am so very proud of Robb. He really is my rock. He is such a great example. I am so glad that he honors his priesthood and is worthy to use this amazing power. I fall more in love with him everyday.

Booo!

This Halloween goes down for being the biggest bust in my book. Jazz, Bobby and I dressed as zombies and headed to the Funeral Home to hand out candy on Saturday. Not one person showed. Luckily we got some good pics.

Sunday, we didnt have one trick or treater either. We live in a gated, mostly retirement community. Booo! At least we were able to watch some good scary movies on tv.

The setting on the camera must have gotten tinkered with because these pics turned out very spooky. I like it though.

Reality Check

Wouldnt it be great if blogs emulated real life? If we had only happy wonderful times? Baby announcements, extravagant vacations, joyous birthday parties, rainbows and butterflies, sugar and spice and everything nice? Well, reality isnt like a blog as Robb and I were blatantly reminded of last weekend.

It was Jasmines 14th birthday and the day started off perfect.

She got her first pedicure. . .

Instead of doing birthday cakes, we do birthday dinners. She picked tacos. . . Her best friend, Erika, from Vegas came up. . . She went riding with some friends. . . After that, we planned on going to St George to watch the UFC fights with some friends. She asked if she could stay and go to a friend from the wards house until we came back. She has never gave us any problems, so we didnt even hesitate to say yes.

Well, halfway through the fights, Robb gets a call on his phone. "This is Officer Gonzalez with the Mesquite Police Department, is Jasmine Pulver your daughter?" Robb looks at me, "Yes?" "Well, we have picked her and some friends up in your car. Does she have permission to be driving?" "Umm, no." (Remember, she just turned 14 that morning) "Well, you need to get someone down here to pick up your vehicle or we're going to have it towed."

So, Robb called his receptionist and her and her husband went and picked up our daughter and our car and held them at their house until we got back home.

Look, Jazz even took a pic of her night. How special. At least she has her seat belt on.Luckily, she wasnt driving when they picked them up so she didnt get a ticket. She did get in VERY big trouble.

I love my kids and want them to be happy. Ive seen my two older daughters choose the most difficult paths and I dont want Jasmine to stray in that same direction. Hopefully she learned a lesson and we can laugh at this story in a few years.

Phoenix

Last weekend, Robb, Bobby and I went to Phoenix to watch Robbs nephew Dustin play baseball. I didnt realize Phoenix was only 5 hours away. I also didnt realize that besides spending the night in Vegas, I hadnt been anywhere since we moved to Mesquite 6 months ago. Can you say "Cabin Fever"?

This is the new 900 foot bridge over the Hoover Dam. We were lucky enough to be some of the last people to drive on the old highway. It was packed, though. It took us over an hour to drive 4 miles. If you ever have the chance to see the dam at night, do it. It looks like a town from a science fiction movie.

Me, Deb and Robb.

Dustin

Robb and Bud huggin on a saguaro.
We thought we might as well do a little touring while we were there. We went to Chase Stadium where the Diamondbacks play.

We also went to US Airways Stadium where the Suns play.

It was a great little mini-vacation. Jazz didnt go because she had volleyball. Im very proud of her for that. I gave her the choice and she took the responsible route. We are lucky enough to have Hope live 30 miles away. Her and Bentley came and stayed with Jazz while we were gone.

On a side note, Bobby was chosen "Citizen of the Month" at school. Im not sure what it is, but if it has anything to do with someone being kind and caring, then it is perfect for my son.

And I just threw this picture in because its so dang cute!!

Day Off

There are many things I love about my job and one of them is getting pretty much every holiday off, so, today I took advantage and went and saw Bentley. Hope wasn't feeling good so Bentley and I took a walk to the temple grounds.

It was so relaxing. The weather was perfect and we just laid there, listened to the music from the visitor center and hung out. I feel so lucky to have a place to go where you can forget all your troubles, even for a short time and just relax and rejuvenate.

Thanks for the great day Double B!

"Plig-a-Vision"

Move over Gosslins and Duggars, the Browns have officially taken over the TLC reality shows.

I love this show! I dont know if its because I feel a personal connection because I went to school with Kody or just because the show is very real.

Having lived 40 miles from a huge polygamist community for the last 3 years, I find this family to be totally opposite from the families I see in Walmart or Smiths. These women arent cowering, submissive or uneducated and they arent afraid to speak their minds. They dont dress like pioneers or have their hair so swoopey that a good hard wind will blow them away. The kids dress like "normal" kids, they have a Wii and they really seem like your everyday mainstream society kid, despite having 3 moms. The Browns have raised these 12 children to make their own choices, even if it involves marrying out of the "sect," which also deflects the typical "plig" stereotypes.

I find it refreshing how they answer the questions honestly and how raw their emotions are. It totally drew me in. I found myself thinking about how it would feel to "share" my husband and it literally made me sick and insanely jealous and that was just a hypothetical question for me. This is real life for these women. These are human emotions, that of course these woman are going to feel. I also understand that this was their choice and that they werent forced into it. They truly embrace this lifestyle even when you can see that its sometimes difficult. I also appreciate how they make it clear that they are not associated with the LDS church.

The way they live is different and I cant help but be curious. I have to say, though, that they must be doing something right, because they have been doing this for almost 17 years. How many of the rest of society can say that?

Firehouse

I love "firsts." Last weekend, Robb and I took Bobby to his first concert, Firehouse. It was at the Dixie Sunbowl. This is an outside venue. The weather was perfect and we all had the best time. Bobby wiggled his little body through the crowd and ended up in the front row right at the stage. Robb and I stayed back a little. It was great hearing those old songs. When they played "Love of a Lifetime," Robb hugged on me and it felt like we were back in high school. The next day, I took Bobby to look at Firehouse's "That Was All She Wrote" video on youtube. They filmed it in St George at Tuachan, our gorgeous outside amphitheater. He giggled and giggled at their hair styles.

I think they rocked just as hard now as they did 20 years ago.

Fatty Fatty Two By Four. . .

Since we moved to Mesquite, a short 3 months ago, I have gained 14 pounds. 14 pounds in 3 months!! It has been a complete mystery to me how this has happened. Is it the water? The elevation? The heat? The complete lack of exercise or motivation because of the heat?
Well it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I finally figured it out.

This is what is sitting around at my work almost everyday. And this is only the front counter. I don't know why people feel the need to bring us food. Do they think we will slip them an extra 20.00 in their deposit for freshly baked cookies, erase their overdraft fees for warm brownies or defer a loan payment for them in lieu of a dozen cupcakes?
Since I have solved the mystery, it takes every single bit of will power I have to walk past these plates and plates of yummies everyday, but I am a pudgy woman on a mission. I have promised myself that in the next three months I will lose the 14 pounds plus 6 more. By Christmas I will look fantastic. So today I say goodbye to goodies and hello to Goddess!

"Morning Scare"

Robb and I woke up to a scare this morning. Bobby was not in bed or even in the house anywhere. He likes to sometimes sleep behind the couches, so we checked behind every couch, under every bed and in every nook and cranny. We checked in the cars and the bathtubs with no luck. This is where I started getting very very worried. It was my turn to carpool so I picked up the neighbor kids and dropped them and Jazz off at school. I searched for him on the way and back from school, but still nothing. When I got home, and started looking closer, I realized that the clothes he sat out for school were gone as well as his rip stick and backpack. His school is 5 miles away and I wondered if he might have decided to ride his rip stick to school and wanted an early start. As I was getting ready to head off to his school, he walks in the door with a very scared look on his face.
What I was feeling at that moment were a barrage of feelings; angry, relieved, confused, joyous. He walked up to me and hugged me with tears in his eyes. I asked him where he was and he said when he woke up, his clock said it was 8:10 and his bus leaves at 8:15 so he hurried and got dressed and ran to the bus. What he didn't realize was that his clock was an hour ahead and the bus he got on was the bus to the high school. He rode the bus quietly with the big kids to the high school and when the bus driver realized she had an extra small child on board, she brought him back to his bus stop.
What a scary morning for all involved. I cant imagine in my worst nightmares ever losing a child. Bobby adds so much sunshine and happiness to my life. I don't know what I would do without his fifty hugs and kisses a day, his silly jokes and his kind, sweet heart. I am so blessed to have him in my life.

LONGEST SUMMER EVER. .

Goodbye late nights, sleeping in and long days of doing nil,

Welcomed are bed times, a schedule and expectations to fulfill.

So long boredom, loneliness and a general sense of despair,

Hello sports, friends, homework and excitement in the air.

We have never been so happy to see this nightmare end,

So we bid a grand farewell to summer 2010!!

"2-fer"

4th of July, Robb and Bobby were able to go to Wyoming for a much needed vacation. Robb was able to go to his "favorite place on earth" - Devils Canyon. These pics are backwards, sorry.

On the way home, they stopped at the Logan Temple. This is where my parents were married.

He was able to do some golfing.
He went to Colstrip, MT and saw some old friends. That is where he grew up.
Devils Canyon

Moss Ranch

Can you see that truck going up the mountain. My baby was in there. I try not to think about it too much.

The gang - Robb and Bobby, Brook and Larissa and Macey and James and Evan.

Look at all that green and the hoodie. Obsolete images living in the desert.

Evan and Bobby with supper.

Are they not the sweetest things you've ever seen??? I was alone while they were gone and I went crazy. Ill admit, it was great for the first three days but then I just wanted them home. Im so glad that they were able to go, though. They fit a lot into the week they were gone. They were able to go through Yellowstone Park on their way home. Great bonding experience for father and son and like I said, a much needed vacation for Robb.

Now, if you havent heard yet, Robb and I are grandparents!! I was very apprehensive when I first found out I was going to be one. First of all, Hope is so young and second, I am just not old enough to be a grandma, right? For a while, I thought of many alternative names; Nammy, Gangy, Mama Jem but when it came right down to it,

grandma it was. I wouldnt have it any other way. Bentley Paul Bravo - Born July 21st, 2010. 6 lbs 13 oz, 19 1/2 inches long.

Perfect in everyway.

Proud papa and mama. Jhofer did excellent. We each held a leg and I didnt once see him get faint or gray or have to step away.

What an amazing experience. Hope did awesome, with a little help from her best friend, epideral. Robb was also able to give her a blessing. I am so thankful that he is able to do that now. I laughed and cried and cried some more. I am so glad that they live close. There will be many many miles traveled on the road from Mesquite to St George. I am so very blessed.