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?