Memory Lane Monday: Sod & Rocks

It's been a while since I've wandered down memory lane but I wanted to get back in the habit...so here it goes.

This memory came to mind after a lesson in church today.  It was all about the importance of work.  As others in the room shared funny/heartwarming experiences my mind wandered back to my younger years.  My parents definitely taught us the value of work.  I remember when we re-did the backyard at our house in Pleasant View.  My dad tilled up the current backyard grass (I don't remember why...maybe we put in a sprinkler system?  Maybe it wasn't even?  Maybe my dad just wanted to?)  and we as kids were responsible for picking up rocks out of the dirt.  The land where our house was built was on foothills of a major mountain and so the ground was naturally rocky.  Each day we EACH had to fill up a 5 gallon bucket with rocks.  There were four of us and this was our job for a few weeks.  Do the math...that's A LOT of rocks.  (Although in the last couple years I learned that my brothers sometimes CHEATED.  They would go behind my dad's shop and scoop up gravel from there, fill their buckets and then show dad they were done.) 

After the back yard dirt patch was sufficiently de-rocked we went about the task of getting the grass.  Now there is something you must know about my dad.  He is cheap.  Ok, not cheap...frugal.  VERY frugal.  He heard that his Alma Mater was tearing up their football field and somehow got the deal that if he cut the sod himself he could take the grass for free.  So one Saturday morning he loaded up the four of us, a couple of family friends and one of his brothers and hauled us to the field to cut and load the sod.  I should mention that he used one of these (because it was cheaper to rent than a motorized one...but I shouldn't complain.  It was better than using shovels...which we also tried) to cut the sod:

We would roll the strips as they were cut and then put them on the trailer.  Ya.  It was like a labor camp (did I mention I was a teenager?).  At the same time these strips were being cut other people were chopping out hunks of sod with shovels.  Once we had enough cut we headed back up to the house and the real fun began.  The rolls were easy...we just stuck them in place and rolled them back out.  The hacked up pieces were trickier...it was like a giant sod jigsaw puzzle.

At the time I was mad at having seemingly the ONLY parents in the WORLD who made their kids do slave labor(doesn't every kid think that?).  But now that I'm grown I see the value in the work we did.  When Nathan and I owned our house in Logan and put down some sod there...I knew what to do because of my previous sod laying experience.  It's also nice to sit around with my brothers now and joke about picking up rocks.  Work really brought our family closer.

Memory Lane Monday: Laughter

After yesterday, I got to thinking about things and I remembered the following story...and I knew I had pictures, and let's face it, a story with pictures is way better than a story with no pictures!  I should preface this story with telling you that when we got engaged Nathan promised to make me laugh everyday.  Some days I'm sure it has been easier on him than others (I am a stubborn, moody individual sometimes) but I am grateful for him and his carefree spirit...it's kept me young. 

A couple years back (2008 maybe?) we went to Nathan's mother's family reunion.  We hung out with family for dinner and games, etc.  After dinner we retired to our tent and couldn't fall asleep.  I blame it on the massive amounts of caffeine we had to consume on the long drive to the reunion location.  I'm not even sure what started it, but we started giggling...and it wouldn't stop.  We giggled and laughed for at least an hour (much to the annoyance of those whose tents were close to ours, I'm sure).  We thought it was so funny to take nerdy pictures of ourselves in the dark...the flash leaving bright bulbs of color drifting across our field of vision.  We snapped these beauties that night:

The funny thing is that we wasted the battery of the camera taking these pics and so they are the only pictures we have of that family reunion...but it is a memory that we'll never forget!

Memory Lane Monday: Tears over Glasses

When I was in fourth grade I went to the eye doctor for a check-up.  I was SO excited because I was SURE I was going to need glasses.  You see, I really wanted glasses and I planned on cheating a bit to make sure I had "bad enough" vision so I could get them.  Turns out I didn't cheat bad enough...or good enough??  After the exam when the doctor told me I wouldn't need glasses I cried.   My mom, being the good mom she is, took me to Claire's and bought me some fake glasses for me to wear. 
Even now, I really only need glasses when I drive or watch TV or need to see a blackboard, etc.  But I wear them 99% of the time because I just LOVE glasses.

Memory Lane Monday: Fish CPR

When I was younger (like 7 or 8?) I went on a camping trip with my family.   I feel like I should mention that my family is an outdoorsy family.  Three seasons of the year we would be camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, etc.  I believe we were camping in Logan canyon on this particular trip and I was fishing on a bridge over the Logan River.  Somehow I never connected that if you caught a fish it died.  Not sure how I missed that tiny detail.  Anywhoo..I caught a fish and watched as it stopped breathing and I freaked out.  So I tried to give the fish CPR.  I think there is a picture somewhere in my mom's house of me bent over the fish, and then a family photo of me teary eyes holding the fish who didn't make it.  (Mom...you should find that pic and email it to me)
 
No one can say I don't have a soft spot for animals.

Memory Lane Monday: Mmmmm...Sundae

In my first and second years at college, my roommate Becky (today happens to be her birthday - Happy Birthday Beck!!) and I shared a lot of the same classes.  We usually ate lunch together too...and when we did we always had to get some sort of sweet to top off the meal.   Most of the time we would pick up a couple pieces of candy, but occasionally we'd splurge and split a hot fudge sundae in The Hub.  On one such occasion we waited patiently in line and we ordered our Aggie Ice Cream Hot Fudge Sundae.  We got our dish of yumminess and made our way to a table in the crowded cafeteria.  We started eating the sundae and something just -wasn't-quite-right-.  A few more spoonfuls and some careful pallet discerning and we discovered the error.  The super friendly food court worker had topped our wonderful sundae with barbeque sauce instead of hot fudge.  We took it back and she was so embarrassed.  To this day, I cannot get an ice cream sundae without thinking of our BBQ Sundae.

Memory Lane Monday: Sing a Little, Run a Little

I used to run.  A lot.  In junior high, high school and most of college it was my stress outlet.  I ran until I started having problems with ovarian cysts.  When I had surgery in May 2001 I didn't run during my recovery, and I got out of the habit.  Then I met Nathan, we got married we moved 2600 miles away and I dealt with other demons....anywhoo...

Today's memory.

There was this trail up the mountain from my parent's house.  It ran along a canal and I used to love to run it.  Everything down the mountain from the trail was developed, but everything moving up was just empty fields.  It was so peaceful.  About a mile or so down the trail you could cut through a field to a large rock outcropping.  On a clear day from atop that rock you could see for miles...all of Ogden.  I used to run that trail almost every day.  I mostly ran it alone, but occasionally I would run with with my friend Aimee...and we used to sing the most random songs the whole way. (while running!  crazy girls!)  Then we'd get to the rocks and sing some more.  We would try hymns, pop songs, musicals...singing together or in harmony.

Memory Lane Monday

I am a product of the relationships and experiences I've had throughout my life...I think we all are.  I find that while doing the most random of tasks I am reminded of moments shared with friends, family and others.  I don't want to forget these random memories so I've decided that every other Monday I'm going to share a story from my past...some memory that has come to mind over the past week.  It may be happy or sad or funny...or none of the above.  It may be long or short and may or may not have a photo to go with it.