This is the beef I have........

  

  VS.

Living in Salt Lake for a year and half now, I feel like I have a good grasp on things.  I know my way around,  I know it's a must to pick up after your dog, and I know that every week in church BYU will be mentioned with a negative connotation.  I've handled it under my breath for too long, I can't take it anymore! I understand rivalries, I do but in church, really?  Must we bring up "the school down south" as it is so lovingly referred to as, over the pulpit or in Sunday school?  Get off it already.  People HATE BYU up here, fine so be it I don't care, but when you are constantly bringing it up in church I want to scream "hey, it's a church school, your tithing money is going to it and if you forgot we are the same religion."  

If I used the term "I have a theory about this" I would use it right now: When I was attending the Y I RARELY heard anyone refer to the U ever, whether it be positively or negatively, it just wasn't talked about.  Not once did I hear the term, "the school up North" I don't think many people really cared.  I think the lack of caring comes from most of the students at the Y not being from Utah, they don't know about the U so why talk about it.  I didn't feel like anyone was there to prove their feelings for BYU or lack of feelings for the U, especially at church. Here in Salt Lake it's a whole different ball game, I hesitate to mention that I have a degree from BYU because of the flack I KNOW I will get.  Why so much hate? It makes me want to steal a line from the classy people who go on Maury "you don't know me, you don't even know me."  When people tell me they go to the U or graduated from the U I don't give them a hard time, share the love people.  That's all I ask, for a little less hate and a little more love.  

Holla if you hear me!!

Slump-Bustin'

Have any of ya'll ever been in a slump? A drought? A dry spell? A funk? A shortage? A recession? A stagnation? A deficiency? 

For an undisclosed amount of time (don't pry, I'll never tell), I have been involved in a shortage. A shortage of one particular need. A need that might be considered essential at this point in my life. In fact, I'm told it's quite abnormal that I'm NOT participating in this activity, especially during college. Whoo! College! It's crazy!! (Seriously though, it's not.  Not if you're sober)

Are you picking up what I'm putting down? Those of you who have experienced this kind of stagnation know what I'm going through. And you are the people that I want to talk to. Those of you who don't know what I'm going through, you can just keep your busy mouths shut. I don't want to hear it. You married people, well, I don't have much to say to you either. 

I'm not saying I need a boyfriend (although, I am a little low on cash and could use somebody paying for my meals). I'm saying that I need a slump-buster. A good old-fashioned slump bustin' night 'o fun. At this point I'm even considering "slaying a dragon", although that's not really my style. But still, I'm thinking about it. 

The fact is, I think I need some help. Professional or otherwise. How's a girl supposed to break out of a funk all by herself? I don't know... Maybe I'll just do what my Grandma Mary always said, go join a Nunnery and forget about boys. At this point, that idea isn't looking too bad. 

ZZZZZZZZZ.............

I love my twoladiesandnobaby, but this is how I feel about their blog lately. Can I get an "Amen?"

Love, Ally

Dear Christmas,

Dear Christmas,

I am in love with you. If you were a person I would marry you-Kate would fight me over this, but I'd win because I'm a scrappier fighter, holla! Our life together would be filled with so much goodness: presents, delicious food, the cabin, gingerbread house contests, Christmas with the cousins at Paradise Bakery, service, snow (okay this would get old), sledding, tubing, cross country skiing, sleeping in, Texas Roadhouse, movies, scrapbooking, 1 hour of church the Sunday before Christmas (whoever thought of that was genius), Jazz games, Christmas carols, and spending time with the people I care about most (although some could not make an appearance).

I could go on and on.

Lovingly yours, Becca

Although I'm currently going through a Christmas withdrawal, I'm so grateful that Christmas continues to come every year and never disappoints.

Here's a picture re-cap:

The following picture happens when you are the only two siblings home for Christmas. One night we stayed up late trying different ways to carry each other around. Seriously? Ya seriously.

Two ladies and no baby
The Mimi on Christmas Eve
Rrrosa freaking loves ChristmasThe Food Network would be so proud

Ruby hammering
Kate trying out my new camera

Christmas

Rubes dancing the night awayScott looking very festive

HenryChristmas in Paradise with the cousinsCassie-hot to trot. Kate looks like the happiest girl aliveI heart WillCross Country skiing

Tetons from the cabinHenry and PoshRuby and I created the diversity gingerbread house.She's bringing pregnant backMoose

This Month is NOT Such a Special Month...

And neither are the next two really. I'll be honest, when Christmas is over, I get a little depressed. Not the I-want-to-go-in-my-room-and-never-come-out kind of depressed. But the man-this-weather-sucks depressed. Or the where-did-my-Christmas-break-go? depressed. Or why-do-I-live-in-such-a-freezing-tundra? depressed. Or I'm-still-in-school? depressed. Or where-is-my-boyfriend? depressed. And do you want to know what's the most depressing thing of all? That we still have another 3 months of this nonsense. 

January is lame. February is even lamer. And March! Don't even get me started on March. Sheesh! If I could I'd stay in my bed for the entire month of March. Every year. All month. In. My. Bed. 

Although I should be looking on the bright side this year. March won't be so bad, at least not for a day or two. I will be getting a new nephew during that dreadful month. Which equals most likely missing school, which equals me smiling more and scowling less. Plus, I'll have a new baby nephew to mold into someone awesome(Becca isn't the only mind-molder). But seriously, January is 31 frigid days. February is 28, but throw Valentine's Day in there and the fact that you don't have a boyfriend, makes this month even worse than January. Then March comes and people are like, it's not so bad, there's St. Patrick's day and maybe a Spring Break and a new baby... What good does St. Patrick's day do for me? It's some weird Irish holiday that's not important enough to get work or school off. Also, if I'm not wearing a lousy piece of green something on my person then I get pinched by people who think they're being clever and funny. We're adults now people! Stop pinching me. In fact, I've made it a point NOT to wear green on St. Patrick's day just to show that I'm not supporting it. And then there's my Spring Break. Okay, that's nice, a break from school. But in recent years it has dwindled down to a measly 2 DAYS! It used to be a WEEK!!! I don't know how that happened. I think the evil dictators of the school board set up a plan to slowly start removing days from our spring break in an attempt to make it so we wouldn't really notice, but they haven't fooled me! I miss my week long spring break. And on top of that, what's with it being in March? March isn't Spring! It's the dead of winter! What am I going to do in the dead of winter on my "Spring Break"? Yeah, great, maybe I'll go lay out and try to get a tan while sporting boots, ski gloves and a hat. SPRING BREAK '09!!!!!!!!

But then April comes, and it's still not real warm, but you can tell that winter is thinking about going away finally. And then the light at the end of the tunnel continues to become brighter and brighter with each passing day. The end of the semester is nearing and summer is closing in. Ahh joyous, beautiful, lovely, flower-filled May! AND my Golden 22 Birfday. 

I guess I'll just keep my mind on the glorious month of May and hope that I can survive the next three dreary, gray, white-skinned months which lie ahead. 

Fraughton Family Fun

Fraughton background: Father Cody and Father Hal met on missions in England and have been best friends since. Brother Cody is named after Father Cody.

Dad: Cody 

Mom: Charli

Children: 

Jodanna--Tanner

Kyle--Ashlee (Kyle is Cody's best friend)

Mal--Nate

Seth

Sennett

Ryker

1. One Christmas Seth asked for an original Civil War bayonet.

2. Once Sennett didn't change his socks for three weeks, he'd shower and put the dirty ones back on.

3. Seth also went through a hygiene challenged phase and Kate told him that if he didn't start showering she wouldn't play with him anymore. We were all grateful to Kate when Seth changed his ways.

4. Cody had a similar talk with Kyle. 

5. While tubing at the cabin Seth punched Mal in the face, she was wearing ski goggles and they broke with the force of the punch and gave her an immediate black eye. Mal's attitude infused response, "That didn't hurt."

6. Mal's "gravity defying miracle ride" snowmobiling through the treetops.

7. Jodanna and Mal's cat fight almost caught on tape. Hint: it involved a brand new CJH cheerleading uniform, a bowler hat, and music.

8. Tanner always bribing us with chicken strip baskets and blizzards from Dairy Queen. IE: 1000 jumping jacks=1 medium blizzard. Why you ask? purely for his entertainment.  One particular incident, Tanner talked Mal into running for as long as she could for a chicken strip basket AND blizzard.  We followed her in the car, yelling discouraging remarks out the windows. Unfortunately for Mal, when she was done she was too sick to eat it so we reaped the benefits of her fun run.

9. "Geez Mal."

10. Kate and Seth rolling Sennett up in a big slap of heavy carpet and leaving him in the gym to scream until a responsible adult got home.

11. Plays.

12. Duck hunting. Only success: when Seth finally caught the uncatchable white duck.

13. The Summer of Pogo.

14. Father Cody got very festive for Lake Powell one year, when he tried to Nair his chest while on Ambien.  The result: a perfectly shaped V in the center of his chest. What does V stand for you ask? Victory

15. Kyle jumping off the houseboat onto his pregnant mother's air mattress to see if it could withstand the impact, two words.....duct tape.....and another four....what were you thinking?

16. Charli's themed birthday parties.

17. Tanner sometimes referring to older women as old battle axes.

18. Sennett...cheetos and a grape soda mustache.

19. Seth and Kate dressed Sennett up as a homeless person (he was 9) complete with drawn on beard, cutup clothes, and a sign reading "Homeless, God Bless" and had him stand outside of Albertson's begging for money so they could buy candy. A cop rained on their parade and sent the homeless boy home.

20. Mal trying to teach Sennett how to rollerblade down the enormous Somerset hill.  Her words of advice before she hauled down the hill backwards? "If you crouch down, you go slower." Oh how naive. As she started nearing the bottom at a very high speed she realized she had two choices one: chance the main street intersection or two: road rash. She chose the latter.  Did that deter us from our final destination...lunch at Spanky's? No my friends, we just sent her to the bathroom to clean herself up while we enjoyed our delicious sub sandwiches.

21. I don't know how we got away with watching Dumb and Dumber as children but it quickly became our favorite movie.  One day at the Bountiful Bubble, we talked Sennett into walking up to Ashlee (Kyle's then girlfriend and now wife) and saying "Nice set of hooters you got there." When she exclaimed, "What?" He replied with, "the owls, their beautiful." Her face was priceless.

22. One time Cody and Charli got into an argument about which side of the family Seth got his talent from.  It ended with Cody walking out of the room and Seth and Kate hysterical on the floor.  Kate later claimed he got all of his talent from her.

23. Seth faking a broken arm on April Fools Day. 

24. In the Fraughton house every Christmas and birthday the boys get one thing: 

"Hi Seth what did you get for Christmas?"

"A Gun."

"Again?"

"Ya, but it's not just any gun, it's a blah blah blah blah blah."

"Oh, cool. Well I can't wait to see you shoot it, Scott would be so proud."

25. One year, which we like to refer to as "Dream Big Christmas" all of the Fraughton's got animals: a cat, a bird, and a snake.  Well within weeks the cat killed the bird, the snake disappeared and a while later the cat ran off.  Well it was a valiant effort. 

26. In our movie making stage we really capitalized on having a new baby around. Brand new baby Ryker became the star of our next film.  Mal was the hysterical mom, Sennett was the caring husband dabbing her brow, Seth was the crazy doctor, and Kate was the nurse.  Mal successfully delivered a 16 pound naked baby Ryker who refused to cry no matter how many times Seth slapped his butt, Kate saved the performance with stifled fake baby crying.  The video went on to win many awards.

Thanks Fraughton Family for all the good memories, we could go on and on.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Mr. C

Good things happened today in Miss C's 2nd grade class.  For weeks we've been working on brainstorming and writing, the problem is getting them motivated about it; we've written letters to Santa, we've written about what they want to be when they grow up, what they're thankful for, blah blah blah.  Today I decided that we were going to compile a list of what Mr. C needs to have in order for Miss C. to marry him (they don't realize I will have his last name, unless it totally sucks, like Balls or Butt, count me out of Mrs. Balls). This was a good time people, here are the best ones:

He has to own a Viper (car)

He has to want to wrestle when he gets home from work (ummmmm...)

Not too hairy

Some facial hair

Not too tall or too short

Rich

Likes Dr. Pepper

Nice--after someone said this, a boy piped in and said, "ya you don't want someone grumpy like my dad, he just comes home from work and drinks Pepsi."

I love 2nd grade it is so hilarious, they think George Clooney is President for heaven's sake. 

I'll drink to that!