Stephen and Jodi Parker Family
We can do hard things!
Alexis, Bajio, Color, Date Night, Email, Friends, Grandparents, Health, Ice (crushed if you are wondering), JT, Kitchen appliances, Lily, Mason, Nieces & Nephews, Olivia, Parents, Quilts, Reading, Stephen!!!!, Temple, Underwear, Vision, Water (especially on a hot day) and with my ice), Xrays, Years that have been good to me, Zits to keep me humble
stephen begged and pleaded with me to ascend up teewinot with him for his birthday. i had many reservations, but none of them seemed like good enough excuses. alas, the day dawned and we started the long steep journey. others invited to the party were: bruce, mason, and paul. also climbing was hayden (a boy from bruce’s neighborhood) when we were about 10 steps up the trail, i realized that i was in for a hard day. as we finally got out of the tree line the rock boulders faced us out past the snow glacier. this is where i found out that i am not adventurous in anyway. i was scared to shaking! eveyone else seemed thirlled and up for a new challenge. I knew the only way to get it over with was to do it, then something bad happened when we were 30 minutes from the top …a handhold that I thought was good came loose – the rock (about the size of my head) came loose and bounced off of my other hand. "Shoot" is what I said as I shook my hand as it bulked up 3xs its normal size. after realizing i couldn’t bend it, i decided it would be too dangerous to try to make it to the top. bruce graciously offered to help me start back down the mountain, so that mason could make it to the top with stephen.
i was happy to be going back down, but scared out of my mind to have to cross the glacier again. it isn’t something i every hope to do again. with every step, i thought about how my 10 year old son would have to descend this as well
Yummy avacado salsa – addictive! (Jodi, Alana, and Jaden- Alana’s son)
This past weekend I went to my first ever Mom Camp. My friend invited a few ladies up to her amazing cabin for a girl retreat. We were up by Green Canyon in the middle of no where.
My children had just gotten home from their camps Thursday, when I approached them with the fact that I would be leaving for a night. They were put out a little bit until I pointed out it was my turn for "camp". I am grateful for the way in which I camped – easy and breezy with all conveniences accessible.
It was so beautiful, peaceful and serene. Once I got past the initial shock of the dead mice in the mice traps, I was committed to 24 hours of girl time. We chatted, ate delicious food, did projects, had great conversation, and relaxed. All without any interruptions! Definitely have to do that again (preferably sooner than later).
Try this yummy salsa, you won’t be disappointed…
Avocado Salsa
1 pkg. (16 oz) frozen corn, thawed
2 cans (2 1/4 oz) sliced olives, drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced – I use less
1/3 C olive or vegetable oil
1/4 C lemon juice
3 Tbsp white or cider vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 ripe avocados
In a large bowl, combine corn, olives, red pepper, and onion. In a small bowl, combine garlic, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper, mix well. Pour over corn mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate over night. Just before serving, chop avocados and stir into salsa. Serve with tortilla chips. (duh) Servings: A Lot
 Holly and baby Sarah – perfect angel baby |
 fiesta foods |
 quilting mamma |
 Diana finished the quilt that has been on her shelf for over a year – what a happy day! |
 some sewing and digital scrapbooking |
 scapbooking production – such cuteness produced |
 boy oh boy what a fun weekend with another quilt finished for Diana |
 beautiful scenery |
Fun mom time! Looks like some fun projects too. I’m glad you had a little time to fill your bucket for all the good you do.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 3:19:03 PM
That makes me want to do a girls retreat. I love the finished quilts.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 10:32:19 PM
Object #1
Last Monday, I purchased two items that became pivotal pieces to my coercing thoughts. Object #1 a new rug for my entry way…I have been waiting for this rug to come into my life for a least over 1 year. I found it at Ross for $9.99 and picked it up fast! I was sooo happy to come home and put it in place, it was like magic.
A few minutes later as I sat in bed, I noticed my bag from the quilt shop. I went on a field trip with my Relief Society and had found some fun fabric – Object #2. I had plans of making an apron, but then my wheels started turning and I ran to the piano room and threw it over the top of a cushion on my couch. That sealed the deal – it was time to do some serious damage. I decided that my entry room and entry way were begging me to give them a little love.
I listened to my rooms and drove to Columbia paint for the color deck. I spent all day Tuesday dreaming and scheming of colors – I really wanted a happy orange color, but Stephen wasn’t feeling as happy about it, so we compromised with "dark marmalade". I actually really love how it turned out! It is amazing what two gallons of paint can do, it feels like a completely different place – a place I want to be now. We took out our couch and settled with just keeping the love seat (we’ll sell the couch on Craig’s list to hopefully cover the cost of the paint).
Onto the entry…I actually wanted these pillars when we were building our house 3 years ago, but was just too tired to add one more thing to try and finish. I think it helps separate the living area from the entry very nicely while still having an "open" feeling. Fun stuff…I love it when Stephen gets as excited about a project as I! He had those pillars built in a flash and he even painted them – leaving behind some of his custom artwork on my front yard. One of my other favs is our new coat shelf. We took our former bench thing that was too small for the entry and cut the top off to get this shelf. We then took the bench and place it into our newly cleaned garage to stow away balls, bats, jump ropes, etc. in the garage. I mentioned to Olivia (when wondering why we would cut our bench up) that we are recycling. She was proud to tell all of her siblings that the rest of the day. It was also fun to grab decor and pictures from other places around the house to make things seem new.
I think my years of obsessive TLC makeover show watching paid off this weekend!
 Object #2 |
 “New” bench in garage – just need to paint te trim piece on top black! |
 Honey Do |
 Lawn art |
 The man behind the pillars! |
 New cut up shelf. |
 This is what it looks like when you open the front door now. |
 Happy in my new room. |
 |
I think you guys are inspirational-what a nice change for your home. Its amazing what a little change can do for the soul. You do beautiful work.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 1:03:36 PM
Love it!!!! Love the marmalade, love the bench reconfiguration, and love the pillars (one day I hope to have pillars in my home), also think Stephen is so cute to paint his affections in the lawn for ya! Enjoy it after your hard work!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009 6:45:19 PM
Dreaming big gets you big results! I love how it all turned out, it’s very YOU!
Sunday, July 19, 2009 1:28:39 PM
Have you ever done something and thought "I really needed that," even when you had no idea that that is what you needed? Hope that makes sense? Well Saturday night that happened to me. Stephen and I decided to go on an evening bike ride and the weather couldn’t have been more lovely. As I pedaled up the hill to the temple I recognized a feeling inside of me that I haven’t felt since I was pretty much 19. I was CAREFREE. Now there’s a word you won’t see next to my name very often. It was a good feeling of freedom and peace. It really made me feel young again. I could get used to that. Wish we could bottle it up and pull it out when the details of life get in the way again. The next beautiful thing that happened that night is upon arriving home the carefree feeling lingered because guess what? The dishes were done, the floor was swept, the children were bathed and happy, and my salad was made for dinner the next day. Ahhh – just the thought of this night makes me smile!
Speaking of smiles – these beautful roses were begging me to come and cut them today. I know, I should leave them in their natural habitat, but I couldn’t resist their charm, fragrance, and beauty. The petals were layinng in perfect formation and I really can’t help myself from feeling admiration for them even still.
test
There isn’t much to say other than I think my children are THE luckiest kids on earth.
Okay I WILL say more…They have an amazing father who loves and adores them very much. He makes and takes time for them, teaches them with modern day parables, serves them in countless ways, works along with them as they realize the value of work, encourages them when they are feeling down, gives them an extra smile when they are sad, and is full of tenderness and compassion when they are in trouble. He supports each child in what is important to him or her. He also makes us laugh A LOT. He is pretty funny and he know how to have a good time. He also inspires us with his optimistic attitude and endless energy. He is STRONG, physically, mentally, and spiritually. He presides, protects, and provides in our home. He guides us as we aim for eternity and we want to follow him – none of us want to be without him. He is our rock.
About 15 years ago I decided to marry the man that would be the father of my children. He has built our dreams with his two hands, and given me more out of life than I could have ever hoped for. He has shown me a way to live simply and in this we’ve found what can bring true happiness. He quotes things like, "what we need is what we have". He listens to a song by Zac Brown called "Free" it says "we don’t need a lot of money all we need is LOVE." Although he provides well for us he knows that all we need in our family is a bunch of love and we are stinking billionaires when it comes to love from the Father at our house.
I am dedicating my new favorite song to him, " The Way That I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson. I am also going to add a link to the song I mentioned above…you can call it the Stephen Song. Because it is seriously HIS song. ENJOY….
Happy Father’s Day to all of the Father’s who make a difference in the lives of their children and families.
 Lily tip toed in my room this morning and whispered in my ear “when are we going to make breakfast in bed for dad?” I didn’t know we were, but I hopped up and we poured him a bowl of his favorite “Life” cereal. She knew just how to show her dad she loves him! |
 |
 |
It was a long morning!
We did it! We finished the race – it was a successful delivery. The weather was perfect – not too hot or cold and it didn’t rain. That was a miracle (it has rained solid for the past 2 weeks – it waited to rain until right after the run) I modified my sister-in-law’s matra to make it my own: I CAN, AND I WILL! I used this as I started getting overwhelmed and then I smiled (just like she told me – thanks Anne!) There was one complication though- our friend Diana’s knee starting having trouble at about mile 18, but she is a TOUGH girl and pushed through the pain. We are soo proud of her for finishing strong and with a smile even though we knew she was hurting like crazy.
Stephen was a maniac with a super surge of energy the ENTIRE time (There is no exaggeration on that word). He is living proof that insulin dependent diabetes does not have to slow you down. He wore his pump and took good care of himself. He seriously is amazing and we think has a super power that he isn’t telling us about. I kept telling our friends, just wait until you meet his dad and then you’ll know where he gets it from.
Do I have any regrets? Only one – Stephen talked me into wearing my spandex bike pants (without the padded bum). I already regretting it when I see the photos, but I will admit that they kept me warm and cool at the appropriate times and made my varicose veins feel good. So I am crossing over into the functional clothing category as opposed to the fashion forward one. You can nominate me for Not What to Wear.
It was very exciting to run this and be challenged and to learn more about myself. Today was great, but what I will take from this experience as a whole is all of the training that enabled me to be able to accomplish this goal. You can’t get something for nothing and I got a whole lot more out of this last 6 months than merely saying "I’ve run a marathon."
 Stephen, Me, Diana, and Diana’s Brother in Law |
 The lovely spandex couple! |
 Our supportive little family |
Those pants are tight! Can I borrow em for the next marathon?
Saturday, June 13, 2009 8:48:30 PM
Nice job! Congrats to both of you. It really was a family effort, so everybody profited from the experience. The whole family looked happier at the finish line. There might be another analogy there.
Saturday, June 13, 2009 11:41:06 PM
Great job jodi-It was fun to see you guys do this huge thing. Thanks for your example. The pants looked great… no regrets!
Sunday, June 14, 2009 3:33:18 PM
Thanks for sticking with me! I think that it is great when your running partner turns into your sister!
Monday, June 15, 2009 8:53:00 AM
I’m loving the tight pants, You are amazing and get me fired up and thinking about things that I can do. Good job and congratulations on a goal finished.
Monday, June 15, 2009 1:10:18 PM
You look great in the spandex, wear it with pride sister you just ran a marathon!!!!
Monday, June 15, 2009 4:18:02 PM
It has been 6 months in incubation. The Teton Dam Marathon, for which I've been training, is about to be delivered: THIS SATURDAY MORNING! I've been committing myself (body and soul) to 4 days of running and 1 day of cross training a week. One of those runs usually ranging from 10 – 20 miles in distance. Some days I have been optimistic, and others full of despair – this trail has been filled with many feelings while I've finally approached delivery, much like the birth of a baby. While I don't want to overshadow the fact that having a real baby is much more miraculous and life changing, I would like to try to relate how training for this marathon has been like being pregnant. Maybe some of the mother's out there can relate a little.
Excitement vs. Reality: When you find out you are preganant you are really excited, you can't wait to hold that baby (or medal if you are running). Then reality sets in and you get morning sickness and are extremely tired ALL of the time. Running those first long distances can make one really tired! And I hate to get personal, but on one of the runs I was pretty sick to my stomach and had to make a quick getaway on my friend's husband's bike – that was utterly embarrassing!
Body limitations: When I'm prego, I get many aches and pains that I never knew could exist in my body – same as running at this level of intensity. Just like when I'm pregnant I have felt the bulge in my right ankle which feels like a bruise. I am also hoping to hang on to the two toenails that have turned black.
Emotional: Sometimes you just want to cry! Whether it be out of joy or feeling overwhelmed.
Sacrifice: Sometimes you have to miss out on life events/parties/meetings all for the sake of running a long distance. It is quite the orchestration to fit 3 peoples' schedules together once a week and then hold your breath that the weather will cooperate! When you are pregnant you seem to have to miss out on hikes, rides at Lagoon or Disneyland, jet skiing, sledding, or riding bikes with your kids.
Neglect: I don't know about other moms, but when I'm pregnant I feel like a terrible mom. Mostly because I feel crappy and tired…I don't feel up to doing much or throwing a party. Running has been a little different – I don't feel crappy, I just have to be gone a lot, and with Stephen coming with me I have felt the sacrifice of leaving my children to fend for themselves week after week. They are amazing and have been a huge support. I know they are well taken care of by Alexis (thanks!!!!), I just have hated to expect that from her and to miss out on the fun things they are doing.
Moral Support: Friends are the best when you are getting ready to have a child baby and even when you are getting ready to deliver a dam baby. I have been encouraged by many friends and it is very nice, because I really need a lot of positive vibes going out on my behalf – every bit helps. My dear friend, Diana, has been running this trail with me and it has been wonderful to have a girl to vent to and have relate to what I'm going through. She has been trying to juggle family time, deal with aches and pains, keep up with all the school events, and have the desire to face one more 5:15 a.m. morning – just like me. I'm here to say, if it weren't for her, I would have bailed on many of those mornings. But knowing that she was there waiting made me be able to push the alarm button and hop out of bed, instead of push snooze and think "I'll do it later today." Which you and I know would never happen.
Duration: lucky for me this big dam baby has only taken 6 months of my life as opposed to 9 months. BUT I do need to add that none of my babies were 26.2 pounds! It is a monster baby.
Gratitude: Just like when I have delivered my real babies, I have complete gratitude and amazement at the ability of the human body – My body! It can do hard things when I allow my mind to think positively. My sister-in-law picks mantra's to live by and this year's is: "If you think you can, you can." She passed me a necklace with this inscribed on it this past weekend. It meant a lot coming from a fellow marathoner and It is true! When I have to run up Summer's Hill on Saturday you can bet I'll be chanting that mantra in my head – o.k. maybe outloud.
My Man: Stephen. He encouraged me to do this because he believes in me, and he has been running right by my side throughout all of these crazy days. He has helped me stay focused on the grand prize and has also given me drinks of ice water – just like any of my other babies. What would I do without him? Just like being pregnant – he has gotten me through this long 6 months because he keeps believing in me when I'm ready to give up. He is why I have done this and I will be thanking him Saturday with a big smile – I might even have to give him a kiss. He knew I could do something that I just didn't have the heart to think about. How many girls can say they've run a martathon with their hubby? I don't know, but now I can add my name to the list.
I will be in labor Saturday morning from 6:30 – 10:30 or 11 am (no epidural). After that I can say I've delivered my Dam Baby once and for all!
I loved every word of that. Great analogy! You could say that you & Stephen will be delivering twins! I am excited to have been on this journey with you!
Thursday, June 11, 2009 7:43:57 AM
Hi Jodi, I was just thinking of you this morning! I can relate to a lot of your feelings. For me…all the good was HUGE! I was amazed how much people told me I was crazy and how much more nervous it made me, ugh! So… yippee skippy…way to go…I am SO proud of you…I KNOW you will do great…a step at a time…If you think you can, You Can…smile every time someone cheers and every time you get tired (it really helps me)…you CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, June 11, 2009 9:58:27 AM
See you Saturday at the Park. You will do great, you’ve prepared well.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 1:04:05 PM
Too bad we can’t be there. One good thing. After getting the medal, it won’t cry and keep you up for months. Run like the wind!
Thursday, June 11, 2009 2:59:02 PM
you can do it!! I am super proud of you and wish I had half the heart you’ve got..good luck in the delivery!
Thursday, June 11, 2009 4:43:18 PM
This past weekend the family drove to Logan, Utah to support me on my Little Red Riding Hood Ride. It was an adventure – like always!
We ended up having to drive through Alta, WY so that Stephen could help a co-worker with his laptop. It was a beautiful drive, but had lots of winding roads. By the time we got to Alpine, JTdecided to loose his lunch! We had some serious pukage happening – luckily that little town had a car wash with a carpet shampoo. We were diligent to clean well so we wouldn’t have to be stuck in the car with that smell all weekend. Got back in the car drove some more winding roads and bam – he let her blow again! This time it wasn’t so bad and Stephen was determined to get to Logan before we all went stir crazy from the long drive. We cleaned up as well as possible. I have to say, I LOVE anti-bacerial hand sanitizer more and more everyday. I guess we have a little boy that might get car sick, because he was fine the rest of the night.
Friday night we picked up our packets and Olivia got to see the big bad wolf. She was disturbed and very afraid of him despite my reassurace that it was a man dressed in a costume. I took her closer to check it out for herself, but she was convinced the plastic gloves had real claws. Lily posed in the picture as Olivia shuddered. Later that night as I was laying in bed and the lights were out she crept up to me and asked if I showed Mason and Alexis the picture of the wolf. I said "no" do you want to get the camera and show them? She ran back to her bed and said "NO". Funny little girl.The Little Red Riding Hood people really know how to throw a great event. There were plenty of aide stations stocked to the hilt of anything you need. They even make p.b sandwiches for ya. At the finish line we received a lai and a beverage with an umbrella and fancy straw. There was also a chocolate fountain and huge spread of delicious food. I hope I have convinced a few of you ladies to join us next year.
Logan has some beautfiful scenery. I love visiting there and it was a pleasure to bask in its beauty on a long Saturday bike ride. I think if you have to ride 46 miles you should do it in good company. I was more than happy to get to chat with my sister/friend Anne. She is one of the greatest people I know and I really admire her. I have learned a lot from her, especially the way she embraces a challenge with her positive attitude/talk. How many ladies attempt to go on a 46 miles bike ride when they have a 5 month old baby and haven’t had the time to do any riding? Plus, she is getting ready to do the Ragnar Relay in 2 weeks and run the St.George Marathon this fall! Simply amazing and truly inspiring! I hope to have many more runs and rides with Anne.
Of course a trip to Logan isn’t complete without a visit to Gossner’s cheese factory for cheese curds and swiss cheese. That seems like a good place to end.
Good job on the bike ride. It’s a good thing Olivia can see the wolf in people. There are a few of them out there, even some in sheep’s clothes. You and Anne are go getters with lots of courage.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 12:53:35 AM
What a fun weekend. You have to love winding roads and kids. That is the worst! Good job on the race and good luck this weekend. It will be fun to watch you run your marathon!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 8:44:22 AM
Jodi, it was so fun! I will look forward to next year, thanks for a fun day!
Thursday, June 11, 2009 9:56:55 AM