INVASION!

I am very tired of typing in the address for this lovely blog only to see the SAME picture of the lovely North Dakota sunset, so I'm taking things into my own hands. Also, I'm trying to keep from falling asleep on this nice Sunday afternoon (I know, unbelievable).

I saw most of you at Christmas, so I suppose I could throw in some fun facts in the 2 months that have passed.


This is actually from before the break, right as I was switching rooms. You can see my birthday quilt (thanks Mom and Dad :D), and my belongings, which are much more organized now.



I WENT TO MY FIRST EVER CONCERT..in the Wilk. It was Matt Costa (Don't worry, I'd never heard of him before either), and it was a fun little experience with some friends.



This is my roomate, Mariah. Living with her has been such a joy. She is one of the most kindhearted and accommodating people I've known, so living with her is just easy, and lots of fun. On Valentine's Day, we knew, along with our friend Sarah, that we weren't gonna have Valentines, so we were eachother's Valentines. I am also holding my nerf-gun-turned-cupid-arrows (thanks Suzie!). I wrote little messages on the darts ("just kiss her" "this doesn't happen every day" etc) and then shot random couples. However, most people didn't read the darts and got offended by being shot at; I'll wear wings next year, so maybe it will be clearer.

And I did end up having a fun date that night with my friend Skyler. We got frozen yogurt (of course) and talked for a long time. Relaxed and fun.



We had a day off for President's day, so a bunch of us decided to go on a hike to Stewart Falls. In the middle of winter--we're freshmen, give us a break :D. But we weren't adequately dressed so some of us thought we would be smart and hike Timp instead. KIDDING. We just hung out and pretended to make a fire and laughed and stuff.


And just this last weekend we went and played broomball at the 7 peaks ice arena. I had a serious advantage with 3 years of practice from high school gym class (one of the few head-starts Bismarck Public Schools gave me). I have lots of bruises, but no pictures, so you will just have to imagine me running all over the ice. I did score 2 goals and ran into people a lot, so it was a good use of time.

So this post is a random selection of things I've done, but I mostly picked the pictures from what was available on facebook. Speaking of which, that is a pretty accurate depiction of how I'm doing. I love being able to stay in touch with you guys that way. (Also, it was great seeing the COXES this week--thanks for making the time in your busyness, Ben and Em! It meant a lot). I love being so close to the Adamzes.

AND I LOVE YOU, FAMILY.

Ok, permission to Blog returned to Yomamma. Signing out.

A nearly perfect Autumn

OKAY. A perfect Autumn is unobtainable, like any other perfection. But, aside from the obvious objections I would voice myself - not seeing all the families whenever I want to, adjusting to the loneliness that goes with a busier-than-ever husband and only one independent teen at home, not having a teleporter (I guess that's the same thing as the family issue)... It has been a splendid Fall. I'm happy to share my Fall with you - via these few photos and some minimalist narration...


I took Melanie to BYU and, while I couldn't avoid the tears, she couldn't contain her excitement. I think she is happier than even SHE expected...



Suzie turned into a diver and loved it (not discernible from my photos, but true nevertheless).


Weather that was, in a word, idyllic. This is OCTOBER. Yes, our backyard in October was as green and inviting as Spring - enhanced by the colors of Fall. Lots of rain and the bliss of moderate temps until mid-November (and let us not forget tender mercies) made this a gift I gloried in daily.


I saw a long-time favorite singer in concert. That blur is Amy Grant. She sure is a nice person. A very warm & fuzzy evening.


I finally got that shorter hairdo I've been daring myself to get.




Suzie and I took a quick trip to CO to see our Frakes family. As bonus, we saw Ane and Ben Paulsen, moose bugling, gorgeous Fall scenery and still more gorgeous weather. Late October and 70 degrees. I could get used to that.
(P.S. I have rather fascinating footage of the moose bugling. It won't load. Sorry.)


Finally, to preserve this nearly perfect Autumn as long as possible, and to utilize the tree Tim put up a little too early for my tastes, I decorated my first ever Thanksgiving Tree. If he puts it up the first part of November again, I will do it again. I would probably find more ways to make it more Thanks-themed next time...If there is a next time.
Happy Autumn! Happy Thanksgiving! So much to be thankful for. But that would be a really, really, really long post...

Summer, don't go! We didn't have enough fun yet!

Hogwarts, compliments of Disney World and Mel's early-summer senior adventure

On occasion I've heard someone say, "Summer is just too long and boring. I wish it was shorter." I had to shoot them. Or hurt them (both verbally, of course). I never have enough summer; this one whizzed by, overloaded and overwhelming, with the paradox of so much fun but not nearly enough - or as a couple of the Burton boys said it, we didn't have enough fun yet...
Because feeling overwhelmed makes me forget to pull out my camera, some key events have little or no photographic coverage - like Minot flooding (but that's easy to find online),youth conference, the weekend Tim was made stake president, or Mel saying goodbye to Bismarck and heading for the grand adventure of college life. So, as usual, I'm merely sharing a few highlights of a summer that was, as usual, not enough. Way awesome in every way that counts, but just not enough...


Mel and besties at Epcot Ctr.
Farewell night w/ some favorite missionaries
Flippin' Suze
Glenn's sugar-overload b-day cake at our family gathering
Comparing poundage, by any chance??
A favorite pastime at the "cabin"
A loving attack...
A last "family photo" for the ND Coxes as we've been for 7 years...! (Thanks, Ems, for this and all the other awesome family pics!)
Hot tubbin' for the kid crew
A likely [family friendly] argument...
...And the Red Shirt Coxes at the Bench Branches Reunion, at Nancy & Nelson's place
Mel as Luna Lovegood for her Harry Potter Marathon

The basic reasoning behind national parks...

...and a little bit of ND worth conserving - taken on a hike with a friend, in Teddy Roosevelt National Park
Some Arizona pool time
So tired after one of the many trips to muck out flooded houses in Minot
Oh, look! We did shoot the new stake president (I think he was still shell-shocked when we took some requisite photos to send to church headquarters)
The new Utah residents!

Mel in her new home, the dorms at BYU

One of John Pinette's entries (I think) and Chrys Sandor's sampler quilt, at the Springville UT Quilt show. Impressive to have family members participating in such an amazing show!

Mama Cox with the organizers and a few of those who came to their 35-year class reunion! Oy!

Did I miss anything? Most certainly. And even with all the times I forgot to shoot family history in the making, there are still so, so many fun pictures of family this summer; so minimizing was the only safe way to go...
I would happily take on another three months of summer to do more of what I've been doing for the past three... But structure and duty call, so return to them I must. But thanks, y'all, for the memories!

Easter in AZ, AMI, Visit from the Adamzes; Mel graduated, Bismarck is flooding; The sun also rises...

This is why blogging more often is important: catchup is not effective. So I will just give you some highlights of the past couple of months, and hope this shares "the smallest part of what I feel..."
Emphasis on feel, not what I have to say. I'll let the images do the talking. And I can't pretend I achieved any balance, so know that there are lots of people and moments I had to leave out. Sigh. This is why blogging more often is important...


Mesa Temple Easter Pageant, entire cast




I've never seen a Hummingbird at rest. I had to include it...



















Because the authorities are asking people not to drive around looking and taking pictures, mine are from the bridges as I drive, and not very good. But you can see the mess in detail by going to www.ndfloods.com, or on Facebook at North Dakota Flood Info Center. There are lots of pictures and information from the local media. Great coverage of a sad circumstance. I would go into more detail here, but it's a lengthy telling. Suffice it to say, we will have a destructively high river, more than four feet above flood stage, all summer. We're grateful to be high and dry. And praying for people up and down the river, and all over the country. And all over the world.
The sun will rise, and troubles will ease. But it may be a very long time. This is a time for faith.