Who in the world...

I've been looking at our Map Loco. (See the very bottom of my blog.) It tracks locations of people checking your blog. And boy did it baffle me. Please enlighten me. Don't be shy.

I get on average 20-35 views a day here from about 15 different cities. There aren't a ton of people coming, but it is more than I would have thought would have even been interested. True, I've got like 36 links to people on my blog. But more than half of those people are inactive bloggers who I doubt even stop by anymore. And I only get a handful of comments from the same people in the same places. I love that people are reading my blog. I am actually very flattered by it. But I am puzzled by who the heck is out there? Could you be one of my long lost friends? I've seen some pretty obscure places on my Map Loco. For example: Japan.
Wang, is that you?

Also, I might add that it would be nice if people would leave me more comments. It is like the equivalent of 30 people going into a gas station. 25 of those people are only using the bathroom and not buying anything. That's how I feel - like a gas station that's only good for its' bathroom. I don't do that to all your blogs. I comment on every blog I visit. Beat that! If you've got a blog you know the delight it brings to see those comments. And of course I live to please. (If you want to know how to have your computer automatically check all your blogs for you and send the updates to your email server, ask Steve to help you. It's a great time saving tool.)

Back to the issue at hand.
As a little incentive to make yourselves known, I am going to offer a little prize. Every person who comments on this post will be entered into a drawing. The winner will get a gift certificate to Amazon. Think of all you could buy on Amazon. Seriously! So come on people, comment away! In your comments be sure to tell me who you are - for real. The following is just a little sample of the things you could buy with your gift certificate.





And one of my favorite books...All things that many of us use every day or at least one week a month!

To add a little flare to this contest, I am going to start the gift certificate value at $10. For every comment I get past #10 (of real people), I will add .50 cents to the value of the gift certificate up to $18. That would cover each of the treasures above and then some. That is also how much my curiosity being satisfied is worth to me. You all know what a curious person I am by now. However, you may only comment once! Contest ends July 3rd. The giftcard will be emailed to the winner.

My new pastime

Steve just introduced me to this great group of people. And now I am headed off to buy my first Harley. Awesome!!! Finally an excuse to buy one. I'll have to get a nice one that can fit my temple bag.

http://templeriders.com/

Old Friends

Ok. So the other day this guy called. (See below. Many of you will recognize him from my past.)And it was nice getting to hear about his family and what is happening with him. I was excited to hear that he is doing well. He has a beautiful wife and 3 adorable kids now. Nice guy. It got me thinking a lot of old friends. We've all got them; those people you loved and were going to be BFF (Best Friends Forever!) What happened to all those people???? So I decided to make a post about it. Anyone seen the following people and know what they are up to? If so, let me know!

First there's Liz (Hakes) Cannon and Kristen Lawson. Where the heck are they and what are they up to? Liz and Kristen were my BFF for years and I can't even begin to tell you all the great times we shared. This photo evidence of one of them.

The next person is Ruby Hanes. I haven't spoken to her in about 10 years. This girl was probably the most fun person to hang out with at dance. This was a shot of her on a little drive we took ditching ballet class one day. Up a runaway truck ramp with my first car that I totalled at age 17/18.

Grant Adams. You all read about him on my "First Kiss" post a while back. Here he is. It seemed like he did everything and was good at it too. Best of all he made me laugh like nobody's business. He came to meet Steve and my first two babies about 8 years back while he was going to BYU Provo. I wonder what he's up to now too. Trust me, I am 1000% over him. I just thought he was so much fun and am curious. Is that wrong?

Jill (Putnam) Lyman. I actually got to see her a couple years back. She was pregnant with #4 I think? She was another great high school buddy. Lots of fun times with her.

Carla (Davis) Henrie. I haven't seen her since I got married. She was one of my bridesmaids. This is us at her baptism. Is she still in the Church? I met her along with Dana in Philly when I was there as a dance teacher and nanny. Dana and I introduced her to the Church and she was baptised. It was like she dropped off the face of the earth 9 years ago! Some thanks for being my bridesmaid!

Paul Abeg. This guy lived at the Living Center in Lansing when I was there for College. He was 29 at the time I think and single. I remember thinking that was SOOO old. Like 90 in Mormon years. (Keep in mind I was 17 then. I'm 29 now and I don't think it sounds that old anymore.) My roommate Rachel had the most painful of crushes on him. It was very sad. Everyone wondered why he wasn't married yet and speculated amongst themselves. Did he ever get married? Did my roommate? Did they marry each other? That would have been awesome. I am SO curious!

So if anyone has any information on these people, I'd love to hear it!

For Jennifer who was "morbidly curious"

So my very sweet and humble husband deleted the last post I made about him. He was slightly abashed by it all. If you haven't checked in on my blog in a few days, you may have missed it. It was "Too much information" for some. But who am I to be private - ever? Anyhow...

My friend Jennifer did a post on her blog asking the following questions. Here's my answers Jennifer!

If I could sing like anyone who would it be?
Carrie Underwood - non country style. Does that even make sense? I think her voice is amazing, but I'm not a huge country music fan. I wouldn't mind looking like her too.
If I could have any super power what would it be?
That's a really tough one. Flying, super strength, and super speed all came to mind. But I finally settled on being invisible. Go ahead and psychoanalyze that one if you dare.

What's the first thing I would buy for myself if I won a million dollars?

Without hesitation it would have to be new couches. Our couches are disgusting! We've had them for about 8 years and they have been through the ringer. I wont tell you all that's happened to them, or nobody would ever sit down in my living room again. (I don't want this couch below, but I wanted an image and it gives you an idea. I will be extra picky next time around.)

If I woke up to find that I was 6 years old again, what' the first thing I would do? Let someone else worry about what's for dinner and how the house is going to be cleaned and just play play play! Games like "Invention" with Andy. Or "Ditch-em" with my sibs and Morgan Cousins.

What did I REALLY want to be when I grew up.

A wife, mother, doctor and professional dancer. Not ambitious at all is it? I scored two of those though didn't I! And in being a mother, I often find myself dealing with medical conditions too.

However, if it were up to me today to have a career, I have new wishes. I would like to be either a personal trainer, a psychiatrist, a nutritionist or a counselor. You could try and psychoanalyze that one too. Hmmm....would Amanda like to have a free personal trainer, psychiatrist, nutritionist and counselor? That thought didn't occur to me until after I read back through this post. Those things do interest me a lot though and I would enjoy being very knowledgeable in those areas.

So there you go. If any of you need an idea of something to post about, here's one for you. Be my guest. I'd enjoy reading your responses.

Side note

Thanks for calling me today J.W. It meant a lot to me! Good luck with everything.

Have your kids ever gotten a hold of your camera?

Mine have, and this is just a little taste of the close to 50 photos I recently found on my camera. I had no idea that there was this little fashion show going on upstairs.

Notice how the "Princess" outfit fits a turtle, dog, cat and even dolphin.Do I laugh or punish them? I think I'll just laugh. You have to admit, the photography isn't that bad for little people.
Celeste, Jonah, Eden and Becca, you delight me.

Girls Camp

Well, it was AWESOME!!!!! I had such a great time with the girls and the other Young Women leaders, I was actually a little sad to see it end. Only about half of our girls were able to make it up to camp, and so that was a bummer. But on the other hand, it made things easier for us to handle, and we had some more time to bond with the ones that were there. I adore them all. The following are some notes I found in my mailbox.

They surprised me but made me feel so good. I was very touched and grateful.

They know I prefer to be called "Amanda" over "Sister Bishop".

"Sister Bishop" makes me feel old and it sounds too formal. Very fun girls! NO fights, tears and friendship breakups the entire time. It was a miracle.
Our group below.

My two counselors were there the entire time, and one of our advisers.

These ladies are a BLAST! We stayed up too late every night in our tent gabbing.

One girl went home sick before we took this :( Poor girl.

The last night we had my secretary and Laurel adviser come up along with our Bishop.

Our Bishop is so much fun! He stayed up with us until 11pm the last night playing this game with us in which you sing a song and dance your heart out. Borderline inappropriate, but pee your pants funny. It made me laugh so hard it was painful. Great man.

I also suckered my best friend Megan into coming up with us the whole week. She hasn't been active in the Church since she was a teenager, so it was great to have her there participating with us. She was a great help too.

The testimony meeting was nice. I gave the girls each a birthday candle and they had till the flame was run down to share their testimonies. (About 6 minutes.) With that and the little talk about what a testimony should be before we began, it went well. No long-drawn-out sob stories about family and friends drama or medical issues and so forth. Real testimonies.

The Spirit was strong and I really grew from it.
I feel relieved it's over though. It was a lot of work. But worth it all the way!

Eden

Today is Eden's Birthday!
She has brought us intense joy,
laughter,

and gratitude.For 7 wonderful years.

We love you Eden!

Happy Birthday to Emily P. Waite and Mark too!

Love you both a lot as well. Have a great day!

What our munchkins have been up to...

I just had to include this very strange photo I found on the camera. I am guessing this is Eden's foot. She is seeing just how far she can stretch that space where toe jam can accumulate. Weird.... So during the school year, I don't really like putting my kids in extra-curricular activities. I don't like sending them off to school for 8 hours, then just when they are getting back, sending them off to something else. I found my solution a few years ago. Each Summer I let them choose 2 activities they want to do during the Summer and support them in those activities then. As they get older, I might change and let them do things during the school year, but for now, this has worked. They have all chosen swim lessons the past 3 Summers. You'd think they'd be awesome swimmers now, but not so awesome yet. They like the lessons though. They have also chosen other activities like dance and sports before. This Summer here's what they chose:

Eden chose to do an art camp through Meridian Parks and Rec. The teacher was great! It was Mon-Fri for 3 hours each day last week. She learned a lot and had a blast. She loves art. She also chose to do swim lessons at Roaring Springs.
Eden at her art camp. She lost her first tooth last week!
Becca chose to take gymnastics lessons. She'll go every Monday afternoon for 45 minutes the whole Summer. Her first lesson was last week and it was SO cute to watch! I love seeing little girls in leotards. She will be taking swim lessons too.
Celeste chose "Tumble Time" Day Camp. I signed her up for a week. It was this past week. They did gymnastics each day, and a field trip. They also had Spanish, karate, dance, crafts, science experiments, and more. It was awesome! She also chose swimming lessons at Roaring Springs.
Jonah chose to do exactly what Celeste did. He really enjoyed the camp last week too. Swim lessons for all the kids start next week and go for 2 weeks.

I leave for Girls Camp tomorrow morning.
I will miss my kids! I'll especially miss Steve. I don't like being away from him the most. But I'll be back Friday nice and filthy and with lots of fun memories. I do enjoy being with the Young Women. I don't think I am the best example for them. I tend to turn into a teenager myself when I'm around them. But I think they know I love them and enjoy serving them.
Thanks Amy for taking my kids for a couple of days!!! That is so incredibly nice of you. You are amazing. Thanks Steve for taking a couple of days off too and for being a great Dad. You do a wonderful job supporting me in my calling.
See the rest of you in the blogging world later.

Father's Day

I want to give a little tribute to three very important men in my life.
First. My Dad. This photo was taken of him over 10 years ago. It's a classic Dad expression. I loved when he would make these faces! Still do. I love my Dad. His humor is probably my favorite thing about him. He also tells great stories. He did so much for me growing up and still does a great deal for me. I remember him doing my hair in the morning before I went off to elementary school. I remember him telling me to pretend to cry while he pretended to spank me. And I probably deserved that good spanking. I remember when he would wake me up for seminary early in the morning acting like he was a cheerleader and cheering some familiar Bakersfield High School cheers. He's a great man. I want to echo what Grandpa Waite would say. "Love ya. Appreciate ya. Grateful for ya." Now to my father in-law. I really think I could not have a more perfect father in-law. He's the greatest. He is a really kind and happy man. He has always treated me with such tenderness and has a way of making you feel so good and so loved. I love him like I love my own father. And I have thanked my lucky stars many times for such wonderful in-laws. He also raised the most important man in my life. He did a fantastic job of it too.

Finally there's Steve. Having children with Steve is a dream come true! I am so madly in love with this guy. I love the wonderful friend he is to me. I love the righteous man he is. I love the kind of father he is. I love everything about him. I am extremely blessed to have him as my husband.

Happy Fathers Day Dad Waite, Dad Bishop, Steve, Grandpas, and all you wonderful fathers out there!

Fixing the family photos

So I thought I'd add Riley into the photos. We all missed having him there with us. He was on a little trip with his other Grandparents. Wingardium Leviosa!

Seriously, Sherod and Emily, if you want to send me a photo of him, I will do a real photo shop job and our family will be complete.

The reception

I'll start by including this picture of Jonah. It says a million words. Some of those including the fact that for the past few weeks Jonah has been swinging between two extremes. 1- Way too hyper and 2- Way too grumpy. Very rare you'll see him somewhere in-between. We are hoping he will be feeling better soon. He's driving us nuts. Now to the reception. It was in my parents back yard. The weather was perfection and the decor was even better. Everything was over-the-top gorgeous. And stupid me didn't get the pictures to prove it. All I got was this one of the dinner tables. They had more tables and hoers derv's set up by the pool with Lily pads in the water. Very pretty. The yard was all decked out. There was a very scrumptious dinner served in courses. And some dancing and videos. A few people sang songs with their guitars. We really enjoyed the evening.

Molly with her big beautiful grin and her unnaturally long lashes. Those are real lashes people; no fakies.

We took a bunch of family photos before the reception started. And boy is it hard to get everyone to look at the camera with a smile! You wouldn't believe all the photo shopping I had to do. I think I had to change out about 10 heads and a few bodies on the following pictures. It was nuts. And even then there were a few kiddos that never got a great shot. Oh well. I just went through all the photos and took the best head or body from each one. Don't go looking for it though, I get all paranoid about my sloppy photo shopping.

My parents, siblings, their spouses and children. There are 8 children in the Waite gang. 4 boys and 4 girls. The 8th child is Sam and he's 17. My siblings in age order: Anna, Tim, Sherod, Emily, Me, Andy, Molly, Sam.

My parents with 18 of their 19 grandchildren. Numbers 20 and 21 are baking in the oven. Riley is missing. More on Riley later.

Our happy little family.