my favorite valentine...

How long have you been married? 17 years at the end of March...how is it possible that we are so old?

How long did you date? We had our first date on Friday, August 24, 1990; we got married on Saturday, March 30, 1991...so 7 months from start to finish. Pretty much from the get-go it was a done-deal...

How old is he? He turns 39 in 5 days.

Who eats more? Me...hands down. Food is not important to him ~ he can actually "forget" to eat.

Who said "I love you" first? He did. And it totally caught me off-guard. I responded with, "oh. um. will you be, um, mad or disappointed if I can't say it back?" His reply, "Nope. You'll say it. You love me." And I didn't say it back right away...it took me a couple of days...

Who is taller? He is...by a lot more than I ever would have thought. I only dated one other "tall" guy, and he was only 6'.

Who sings better? I do. But he had the guts to take the lead singer with Rock Star ~ and get a good score!

Who is smarter? He is. More education for starters, but he has an amazing ability to retain almost everything he hears, sees and reads. But that doesn't mean I'm NOT smart...

Who does the laundry? I do. He used to sometimes do our laundry, but I am fairly certain that he has never folded any of the kids' clothes...


Who does the dishes? Me. But sometimes he loads the dishwasher...especially if we have company for dinner...how do I schedule guests every night of the week?


Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do. And, as an interesting historical note, the left side of the bed has ALWAYS (in all 7 of our bedrooms) been closest to the bedroom door. I figure he took the left side so he can escape if he had second thoughts. ;)


Who pays the bills? It's almost always been him. But about 6 months ago I took over (except for mortgage). I like it. But I feel way poorer than I ever have in the past. We probably should have made this switch years ago...


Who mows the lawn? Usually him. But I have mowed the lawn way more than he's ever cleaned a toilet (since he's never done that).


Who cooks dinner? Me. He told me once that he could make London Broil and Mac & Cheese, but I've yet to see the combo (mac & cheese on occassion).


Who is more stubborn? dead tie. but I am more willing to give up. so actually, I guess it's not a tie. He is. Take this picture, for instance...it was taken just after our first anniversary. Once we were married he decided that he wanted to grow a beard and have long hair. This is the result after one year. If you look closely, you can see that, indeed, there is hair on his chin, but it's not exactly a full-on "beard" that he was striving for. Nor is his hair exactly flowing down his back. But this didn't deter him from his goal. Fortunately, 2 days after this picture, our friends convinced him to get a haircut (they paid for it and made the appointment for him). I was quite pleased with the results...after all, I had married a pretty handsome guy, and a year later I was living with "Shaggy."

Who kissed who first? I think he made the first move, but I wasn't far behind.

Who asked who out? He did. There was a 4 hour conversation that finally ended in him asking me out. We must have been pretty anxious for that date, though, since we ended up seeing each other the next 2 nights before our first date. At that point I think we had spent close to 24-hours together (not in a row...but over the course of 4 days).



Who proposed? He did. I was beginning to wonder if he would ever make it "official" ~ we talked about it but he hadn't asked...I wear his mom's engagement ring.

Who has more friends? He's much more outgoing and gregarious. And he can remember the most minute details about someone and have near-total recall the next time he meets them (even years later out of context).


Who has more siblings? I do...I have 6 sisters and 1 brother; he has 1 brother and 3 sisters.

Who are you tagging? I tag Jaime, Libby, Lisa, Kerry and JoLynn!

i took them 3 times because I didn't believe it...

first this one:

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

and then this one:

You Are a Banana

You are mellow, easy going, and a total softie on the inside. People find it really easy to get along with you. You suit most tastes. And while you're very sweet, you're not boring or ordinary. You have an attraction to the exotic, and you could show up anywhere... doing almost anything! You are spirited, energetic, and a total kick to be around. You're also quite funny. Your sense of humor is on the goofy side, and it fits you well.

What Type of Fruit Are You?

word of the year

My friend Melanie lead me to "Tip Junkie." It has a lot of fun give aways and other cute ideas. This latest give away appealed to me:

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2008?

My word may seem odd, but it reminds me of my old boss, George. He could sometimes be a tough man to work for ~ very high expectations of himself and his employees. I was hired before he got to meet me (I was to work for him and 2 other men). He pulled me into his office the day before I started. His desk was piled high with newspapers, memos and more pencils and pens than I'd seen in one place. He was smoking a cigarette, and his reading specs had slipped down on his nose. He peered over the top of them, waving his cigarette in one hand, and said, "Two things you need to know. 1) I can't stand incompetence; and 2) Don't ever tell me, 'It's not my job.' Any questions?" I silently wondered if I'd made a BIG mistake taking this new job...

George was very willing to teach me about writing ads, creating logos and brochures, and liked to call me his "Man on the Street" ~ it took me a while to learn that meant he thought I didn't know anything. ;) He eventually started calling me his "Media Maven" which was a high compliment because he thought I knew a lot about my job.

I sat at a desk outside of his office at the end of a long hallway. He had the office just before the corner. He would holler some kind of order out to me, and I'd holler back. There were some days that we hollered a lot. So much so, that the accounting bullpen (just around the corner from me) started referring to us as the "Old Married Couple."

But at the end of every day, George would come out of his office, briefcase in hand, and say, "Well, Dillon, should we go? Tomorrow is another day to excel. Onward and upward." And we'd cheerfully chat on the way out to our cars.

And so, my word for 2008 is ONWARD.

on·ward
Pronunciation: \ŏn-wərd, ˈän-\
Function: adverb
: toward or at a point lying ahead in space or time : forward

As I think of this word and implement it in my life this year, I'll also take the chance to remember my Georgie, and how much fun it was to be his Man on the Street & his Media Maven. Onward & Upward...

President Gordon B. Hinckley

While we were having dinner at the Campbell's tonight, we received a phone call telling us that President Hinckley, our Prophet, had died. It was startling and hard to comprehend...I knew that he would die some day (he was 97, after all), I just didn't expect it to ever come.


As I put the kids to bed tonight I shared my testimony of a living Prophet. Each of them took it in different ways...Aubrey was a bit teary, but smiled from ear to ear when I told her we would have a new Prophet soon. Malcolm cried as I bore my testimony and then asked me to read him a "BE Statement" from President Hinckley; we cried together as I read it to him; Laurel and I both cried as I bore my testimony to her ~ she has really developed a love for him over the last couple of years and especially loved hearing him speak at General Conference.


In November, our family chose one thing each day for which we are grateful. One day, early in the month, we chose, "The Dillons are grateful for a living Prophet: Gordon B. Hinckley. Let's write him a letter." And so we did. Laurel wrote him a card; Malcolm drew him a picture and wrote a note; and Aubrey drew him a picture (with words by Laurel). The kids were THRILLED when Brother Stahley (President Hinckley's Secretary) wrote back and (on behalf of President Hinckley) expressed the Prophet's love for them, as well as the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I am grateful that our Father in Heaven has given us a Prophet to lead us and guide us through these latter-days. President Hinckley was a vibrant, caring, loving and FUNNY man. I will miss his quick wit, his no-nonsense Conference Addresses, and the love that he had for each and every one of us. It touched me that even with his strong faith he missed his wife after she died. And I'm glad that he and Sister Hinckley have been reunited.


We will miss President Hinckley.

holly and matty

After FanFest we headed up to Lake Stevens to visit Hottie and Matty...they had a housewarming party and it's been way too long since we saw them! The kids had a lot of fun and even got to play ROCK BAND on their xbox 360! After the kids took their turns (and as the party was winding down) Doug even took a stab at being Lead Singer...his results weren't too bad! ;)

The Aprecio home is so pretty ~ I wish our first home had been half as nice! Beautiful curb appeal (even in the dark). And Matt and Holly have done an amazing job of decorating it. All of the artwork (with a few IKEA prints thrown in for good measure) was painted by Hottie. I can't wait for her to paint something for US! I don't know how, but I managed to take NO pictures of our Hosts at all...how is that possible?!

Maybe it will be this painting...it STILL isn't finished. She brought it to New York with her in 2002 and it's still waiting for her final touches...c'mon, Hottie...what are you waiting for?! ;)

After we left (way later than we intended), we took a quick jog to the "other side" of the lake. Doug served part of his mission in Lake Stevens (his first area, I think, back in 1988) and he was hoping to find one of his apartments. When we pulled into the parking lot, he told the kids:

"Well, this is where Daddy lived on his mission."

Laurel's reply: "Wow! I can't believe it's still HERE!"

Now if that doesn't make someone feel old, I don't know what will... (for future reference, the apartments are located next door to the Post Office).


We were happy to spend a fun evening ~ playing fun games, visiting, and eating YUMMY food ~ with our Hottie & Matty. We consider them to be part of our family and we love them!!

fanfest 2008

On Saturday the Seattle Mariners welcomed fans from all over the Northwest to Safeco Field for their first glimpse of the 2008 Seattle Mariners team at the 10th Annual Mariners FanFest. Doug and I wanted to surprise the kids and take them, so we didn't tell them where we were headed...as we were approaching the exit on I-5, Malcolm said, "Hey ~ that's Safeco field! Can we go there?!" Doug and I had to laugh as we said, "Sure...why not?!" The kids couldn't believe it when we got off the freeway...

We had told our favorite Mariner fan (cousin Preston and his folks) and we met them as soon as we walked into the Safe. He had already been there for several hours as they arrived shortly the gates opened at 10am...

We all had the chance to play lots of great interactive games, win prizes, get ID cards, run the bases, sit in the dugout and bullpen, hit and pitch on the field, visit the Moose Lodge (sadly, no Moose in sight), tour the Clubhouse, and "shoot" a segment for FSN with Brian Davis. The kids won t-shirts, posters, backpacks, and lots of keychains, balloon swords and face painting! We toured several of the "luxury suites" and thought that would be a fun way to see a game some day (when we have an extra $3k or so).

Toward the end of the day Dana was sad when she realized that all of the other kids received a backpack and she didn't...add that to the fact that it was C-O-L-D-Y and it was the beginning of a sad cry-fest. Which was eventually solved by the heroine of the day ~ a nice gal working with the FSN crew. She took Dana from me (tears and all) and walked her to a treasure trove of prizes (lunchboxes/thermoses, posters, t-shirts, keychains, etc.). When she asked Dana what she wanted, Dana told her, "Ba-pak!" You should have seen her happy face when she came back over to us!

PLUS, since we waited in line for so long (over 90 minutes) to do the FSN segment, we were still in the stadium when the "Season Ticketholder FanFest"started...for the record, they get a lot of perks that that rest of us schlubs didn't get ~ complimentary cookies, chips, hotdogs, soda, water and Cracker Jacks (we guess there were other things, too, but we left before finding out).

We had a great time and we've marked it on our calendar for next year. (notes to selves for next year: wear warm clothes, hats, and gloves, and bring a sack lunch and water bottles. We don't want another sad repeat of Dana's meltdown.)


one last highlight...running into Poppa Gil (our friend's grandpa) who works at the Safe. You would have thought he was a celebrity the way the kids ran up to him! (if you remember, he was the Man who upgraded our seats when Laurel, Malcolm and I attended a game in October.)

she's a fighter

to follow up with the last post...I am still not sure if she's just sick or tired, but I do know that she's not herself. We're going to stay home from Church tomorrow (which is sad because Daddy is speaking and we'll miss it). Dana tends to be like her brother in that when she does get sick, it goes straight to her chest...we've been running the humidifier at night and that's helping. But in the meantime, we'll keep her away from the other sick-o kiddos so she doesn't really get sick. (and now I'm knocking on wood)

sick or tired?

I'm afraid to find out...I'm hoping for tired, but leaning toward sick...

This was taken after Laurel brought her downstairs this morning...usually she's more than ready for breakfast and a walk to the bus with her buddy. But today she lay right down on the floor and stayed there for over 2 hours...

She's now awake...no signs of fever, just lethargic and quiet...definitely not what we expect from our Dana-doo.

a day off

The kids had the day off from school today (MLK Day), so we headed over to visit Aunt Lisa and Grandpa and Grandma Sandii. Preston bought her a Webkinz and the kids were very excited to teach Aunt Lisa how to care for her. Grandma Sandii made macaroni salad, Grandpa and Malcolm grilled the hot dogs. After lunch we took a short c-h-i-l-l-y walk to a BIG hole in the ground. The road behind their home had been washed away during a big storm recently and the kids were fascinated by the big empty space. While Grandpa and Malcolm chopped wood (for Malcolm to take to Ohanapecosh), the girls played inside. And then (finally) we were able to visit Webkinz world. Aunt Lisa is up for the challenge of caring for her cute Chihuahua and the kids are excited to send her puppy gifts.

After we got home and had dinner, we watched American Gladiators together. The kids think it's a lot of fun. Doug and I think the original series (and Gladiators) was better. Not a bad day off...

sonics game

Last Friday Daddy took Laurel to see the Sonics play the Dallas Mavericks. The Sonics got their cans kicked, but Laurel had a great time anyway. Her favorite part of the game was the Dunking Ushers ~ the Ushers put on a slam dunk show using little trampolines and matts. She was mighty impressed with their skills. Laurel even caught a t-shirt...it must have been launched from a cannon, because their seats were just rows away from the tippy-top of Key Arena.

I stand corrected: Laurel just informed me that the Sonics' cheerleaders actually came up into the crowd so that the nosebleed seats had a shot at feeling like winners.

Photos in this post were borrowed without permission from Hottie's blog. Thanks for being our photojournalist (as always!), Hottie!!

the last box

we moved in to our new home over 4 years ago...but it wasn't until last week that I finally unpacked the Last Box. It had been sitting at the bottom of Aubrey's bedroom closet and for some reason (after 4 years) she decided it was in her way. I'm glad because unpacking it felt sooooo good! Most of what was in there actually went to the garbage. I realized that if we hadn't "needed" the stuff for 4 years, we wouldn't need them ever again. The exceptions were Doug's favorite animals from when he was growing up. And a Tiffany's baby cup that was given to Malcolm when he was born.

I've made a huge effort over the last year and a half (give or take a few months) to "simplify" or declutter or toss-it-all-out. I was born and raised to be a horder. My grandparents couldn't throw anything away. My parents couldn't throw anything away. And I started to notice that a couple of my own kids were beginning to show classic Horder tendencies. So I made a life-change. Sometimes it's still a struggle but I feel like I've improved and made tons of progress.

just don't look inside the dining room armoire...or under my bed...or in the dresser that I don't use for clothes... ;)

aunt lisa came to visit

We had a fun visit with Aunt Lisa this weekend. She went to church with us. Played more than her fair-share of Clue! with Laurel (and Aubrey). And read stories to Dana every time she was asked. We hope to go see her on Monday when the kids are out of school.

yup ~ $1.23!!

That's how much this beauty cost me last week at the WalMart Christmas Clearance sale.

Henry was so overjoyed that he actually didn't touch it for 4 days...I think he kept thinking he was dreaming and that if he touched it he'd wake up and it would be gone...

la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la dana's world...

Dana loves Melmo. No two ways about it. I'm not sure what sparked the melmo-love...it could have been the catchy theme song. It could have been the cute toy Davie gave her for Christmas (last year). It could be the stuffed Melmo that Preston gave her. But whatever it was, the Melmo obsession is in full-swing.

This is her wearing her Melmo pjs and slippers. She is accompanied by Up-up Melmo, giant Melmo and her favorite Melmo.

Surely she is the cutest Melmo-lover on the planet!

freeze-dried love

When I was in 8th grade (Sacajawea Jr. High ~ Spokane, WA) I was able to take a Class Trip to Washington, D.C. I have no idea how my parents managed to pay for it, but I went. None of my friends went, so I roomed with 3 other girls who were best friends. I spent a lot of time with one of the Mom Chaperones (whose name I no longer remember, and whose daughter was not my friend).

There are lots of things about that trip that are very vivid in my memory. But I have already done a whole scrapbook on it, so I won't tell you about that stuff now. This is what I will tell you...

My parents gave me $40 to buy things for myself like postcards and souvenirs and treats. At every gift shop I thought long and hard about what I wanted to buy. I finally decided that I really wanted to take something home for my 5 sisters (Victoria wasn't born yet) and for my little brother.

I remember buying Cyndie a penny in a bottle (a little, teensy, tiny bottle ~ just the kind of thing Aubrey would love now). I may have given Karen the same thing. I bought my mom a Spoon for her Spoon Collection. At the Air & Space Museum I bought some freeze-dried ice cream to share with them. I can't remember all of the other things...but I was eventually able to find something for everyone in my family.

At one of the stores (the gift shop at the base of the Washington Monument) I gave the cashier a TWENTY (for the penny in a bottle) ~ he gave me change for a TEN, but I didn't realize it until I was almost to the front door. I went back and explained what happened and he told me I was wrong. I knew I wasn't wrong...I was very careful with my money and I knew that the $20 I gave him was the last of it. I felt myself starting to cry and I didn't want to cry in front of my classmates (even though I didn't really know any of them), so I went back and sat on the bus. When my Chaperone friend saw me she asked what was wrong, and as I explained, I started to cry. She marched me off the bus and took me back up to the cashier, but he gave her the same answer and refused to give me the correct change. She gave him our hotel phone number (and her home number) so he could call if his till came up wrong ~ but he never did.

Because of that error, I only had a few dollars to get something for myself. Which made me very sad because I had wanted to buy a charm, a t-shirt and some other things that I thought were cool. I ended up with enough money to buy a small bag of shredded money at the US Mint...and probably a soda and a few treats for the return airplane ride.

I was very happy to give everyone a souvenir when I got home. It made me feel very grown-up. My dad always brought us something (even if it was the airline knife, fork and spoon he stole from first class) when he came home from a trip, and I wanted to do the same thing.

I wasn't sure if any of my sisters remembered that trip (I knew Scott didn't because he was too young) or the souveniers. But Sheila took a business trip to Washington, D.C. this week, and when she got home she said she had a surprise for me. I asked if it was shredded money...not thinking she'd remember. She said it was better, and this is what she gave me (I think technically it was for the kids):




Sheila probably doesn't know how much this little bag of freeze-dried love meant to me. But she remembered that I was nice to her! And hopefully that means that she knows that I have always loved her.

splish-splash it was fun in the bath...

Aubrey has been against baths for a while...they're too babyi'sh. Dana, on the other hand, loves them. She swims, plays with the bubbles, and she CLIMBS. Drives me nuts...I get worried that she's going to slip and crack her head open...

Aubrey would put her Santa beard on and Dana would scream "HoHoHo!" and then swipe the bubbles from Baub's face...both of them giggling the whole time.

It was nice to see that the two of them could have a fun time together.

(until Dana was possessed by her "other" side, that is...)

my living room

This is my living room. I like call it my "free" living room. We have been very fortunate, and with the exception of the bookcases, all the furniture in our living room and dining room was given to us ~ for F-R-E-E (my favorite word). The sofa and love seat were the final addition about 2 weeks ago. They came from our friends/ neighbors down the street.


Since we have moved here, this room has always been a struggle for me to keep clean and clear of "stuff." But miraculously, since the sofa and love seat arrived, it has become more of a sanctuary than a wrestling arena. Before I took this picture I didn't have to go and pick up any toys, remove "fort blankets" or clean up "magic food" that appeared out of nowhere. I simply took the picture. To you this may not seem like a big deal ~ but to me it's a HUGE deal.


Don't get me wrong ~ I don't want to have a formal "Home/Visiting Teaching Room" that is only used for "special" occassions. But I do like the idea of it being different from the rest of the house.


Laurel is practicing her piano again. Malcolm likes to sit on the couch and read. Aubrey still likes to play in there, but she (usually) takes her stuff out when she leaves. And Dana ~ well, she's the exception to every rule...she's simply a hurricane to be reckoned with.


And now I can give CraigsList a rest. That is, unless YOU'RE looking for something... in which case, I'm your gal...