One score and five years ago...

I just had to share a momentous occasion with everyone! TWENTY FIVE years ago, on this very March 16th, I met and began to love, for the first day of the rest of my existence, you guessed it, this cute (and hairy legged, wow) guy named "Danny". Our first interaction was snowmobiling in a field, less than five miles from our home now. Little did I know what that first meeting would blossom into. I definitely had hope it would though.

It was love at first sight for me, to the relief of my parents, (see my life history, page 45) and once I was hooked, I have never been the same.

In my journal the next day, I wrote this:

"I'm excited. All I've done is thought about him.

 Weird, since we didn't even talk that much."

I love you so much Dan! Those dreams I had as a little almost- sixteen-year-old have been far surpassed.

Slow going?...

Remember that line from The Princess Bride?  It always makes me laugh, but I thought it was fitting for us right now even though we are definitely not laughing.

We met with Brig's dad and the others this week, for the second time since he's been out of jail (he got out on Christmas Eve) and it looks like he has ninety days from that meeting, which I figure as May 11, to be ready to be a dad.  He has to have a job, which for anyone is tough, and an apartment by then.  It looks like we will be starting visits before too long, most likely in the next week or two, even though Brigham's therapist, and pretty much everyone else at the meeting, is telling his dad how hard this is going to be on him and how much damage it will do.  He doesn't care at all.  He outright showed us where he stands at the end of the meeting, after Dan's emotional pleadings, when he was asked, "So if the visits don't go well and Kree still doesn't want to be with you at all, will you still take him?"  He said, "yes".

So... we are just hanging in there.  The visits were  hard on me with his mom, almost two years ago, so I'm really gearing up for some emotions.  Except after hearing his attitude, I think the emotion of symphathy for parents who want their child back might be missing this time.  I can't imagine being a parent and putting your child through such a nightmare because of your own choices.  We do have CASA in our court (I would be insane without them, I just know it) and they will ask the judge to stop hearings if it's really going bad. I know I will look back on this and it will just be a memory someday--We really think he will be ours eventually, but this is a scary hoop to jump through.  The hardest part will be not being able to totally comfort him as we do these visits. He asked me last week, out of the blue, "Mom, when I'm five can I stay forever?"  I told him I hoped he wasn't worrying and he said, "I am."   I don't have an answer that will totally calm his fears, because we aren't to that point yet.  He is a tough little guy, and I know the atonement is there even for things like this, so we'll make it through.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and thoughts.  There's always someone worse off--like my friend who just lost her husband in an accident, but I do appreciate knowing you're all there and supporting us through these YEARS for Brigham.

Ballroom Competition

Just yesterday I was able to go to a Ballroom competition in Utah! It was really fun, and here are a few pictures.

Before picture with good friend Emmeli. (pretty hideous I know)

All ready to go.

Not too great of picture, but my team dancing Steppin' Out.

We got 3rd in our dance "Crazy Love" woot!

A really good recipe!

I just had to share this delicious recipe!  Holy cow!  It's from one of my favorite blogs.    http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/search/label/Pizza   It may just go to the pizza recipes, so the one I made is Garlic-Ranch Chicken Pizza.  Keaton even took a picture of it:

And of me with it:  (he got a camera for Christmas, enough said.)

Let me know what you think!

Okay, back to it!

I just read Rebecca's blog entry about furniture, and it made me wish I could send off my husband to help her for a week or two. Because he just discovered an unknown talent: refinishing furniture. He's been wanting a desk for a while, all of his own, but $500 for a new one?!? So he remembered an old desk, that his mom used to stand on while painting (scary, considering how rickety it was), and dug it out of the barn at his old house. Here it is, or rather, was:

















 And......here it is now!! Is that impressive or what? He has been so excited about it, rightly so, and it only took him a day or two and a couple of sheets of oak. He also had a cabinet guy do the front facing of the drawer, which you can see in the last picture. I love it! I am definitely going to have to keep an eye at D.I. for possible additions to our furniture!

Good job, honey!

"Wade in the Water" by Redge

Here is a rather cruddy copy of, but nevertheless an awesome solo, by Redge. At this concert, they had the orchestra in front of the choir, and it was beautiful when they sang and played together, but not a real good view of him. (I'm pretty sure that girl right in our view would love to know she's posted on our blog.) We also passed the camera to a friend who had a little better view and missed the first....Oh well--at least you can hear him. I for one had no idea he could belt it out like this!

Moody Meadows

Don't you just miss Moody Meadows? (Well, those of you who've been there...the Bratsman clan mostly) I am not sure why we have waited for the last year or so to revisit such an awesome place. Last fall when Scott was here we went, and there is just something about it. So we gathered up some friends and headed up there on Memorial Day. The weather was beautiful, and snow was still around. It's just amazing to be in a place with so many good memories. Boy we had an awesome childhood, huh? (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) The older I get I realize how much I've always taken for granted that blessing.


















Getting there is part of the fun--The younger kids enjoying the "roller coaster roads" that Austin and Redge used to squeal over


















Shandee and her friend Adeline in a game of Uno

















We always seem to find just what we need to make some very cool bow and arrows!



















Redge and his friend Maddie




















Fireside whittling

Dan made the best ever pork ribs, and his famous dutch oven potatoes. YUM!!! And although we forgot the cache cooker, we decided around the fire was even better.

So.... next time you're in Idaho, look us up and we'll take you with us!!