Halloween Pictures '09

Connor wanted to wear Zach's storm trooper armor to a party that he was going to which included trick-or-treating. Zach had to train him how to take the armor on and off (it actually is quite the process, especially if done alone) and made him walk about the neighborhood this morning to get a feel for walking outside in it. Unfortunately, the added element of the dark when the trick-or-treating actually happened caused him to take a spill. On someone's lawn, thankfully.


Emmy wanted to be Alice in Wonderland, only with a bit of a modern twist. We found out quickly that all the cute girls costumes in the stores these days are a bit trashy because the skirts are so short! So we found a longer skirt to put on underneath and made it work.


Simon is channeling "Max" from "Where the Wild Things Are" these days. He can quote the few lines from the book quite well ("I'll eat you up!" and "Be still!") and is quite the wild thing himself. So this costume was perfect, especially since we saw the movie a few weeks ago and he is still talking about it.

Bird Rescuer

The other day while coming out of my friend Natalie's house, I noticed a rather large bird just sitting in the middle of her circle. I thought it was pretty strange since it looked a lot like the peregrine falcon that nests in the freeway light above our neighborhood. We've see it flying majestically around the area for years, occasionally sky-diving toward some unsuspecting small bird or creature on the ground, but never just sitting in the middle of the road. I wasn't sure this was the same bird. It looked like it might be one of its chicks. Even stranger, however, was a neighborhood cat crouching just a few feet away ready to pounce. So I walked out into the circle which made the cat take off. The bird just sat there until I got even closer which made it try to fly away. Then I realized it had a broken wing. Oh crap. A stupid cat has just injured a peregrine falcon which was just taken off the endangered list just a few years ago! I googled pictures of peregrine falcons on my phone and the markings looked the same. I knew there was a whole community of bird watchers who take a lot of interest in the peregrine falcons that nest in the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg. So I was pretty sure someone would want to come get this bird. Problem was the cat was still hanging around waiting to get another shot at it. I called the Tracy Aviary who referred me to some number that was a dead end. I called the Humane Society who referred me to the Dept. of Wildlife. I called them and was told they would pass the information on to some department, but an hour went by and I didn't hear from anyone. So I started googling "peregrine falcon, salt lake city, rescue" and came up with a newspaper article quoting a guy named Bob Walters who is with the Dept. of Wildlife Rescue and is head of the Peregrine Falcon Watchpost Rescue Team. Luckily there was contact information for him in the article and I called him. Half an hour later, he was there to rescue the bird. Turns out that it wasn't a peregrine falcon (oops!) but a sharp-shinned hawk. He showed me in his handy dandy bird book the difference between falcons and hawks.

Isn't it a pretty bird? He said the broken wing could be a death sentence, but he was really appreciative that I took the time to call and give it a fighting chance. So I can now add "bird of prey rescuer" to my ever growing list of accomplishments, which I can assure you already includes many great and awe-inspiring things :)

Turkey Anyone?

Want this cute turkey? Go to this blog and post a comment by Monday, Oct. 26th and you may get it!

Happy Halloween from the Sharples Family

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Day at the Zoo

We were able to squeeze in a trip to the zoo this weekend since the weather was so nice. No, not nice.. PERFECT. Right around 70. That is zoo weather if there is such a thing. I was hoping to see the baby elephant but she was zonked out in the corner so I didn't get to see much. This giraffe had us laughing pretty hard though. Zach teased Emmy by saying that is what she looks like when she tries to do the splits (totally true sadly)...

We saw a fossa (pronounced "foosa") from Madagascar. I thought it was pretty cute.

Simon was all about the train and the carousel so we did both of those, twice :)




Connor was there but wasn't happy about it in the least because he is 15 "for crying out loud" and 15-year-olds don't like going to the zoo, so no pictures of him!

Snapshot (copied from Brynner B!)

Where I am: At home in my basement office/junk room that has become the depository for all of Zach's many hobbies/collections. I am surrounded by airplanes of every size, WWII scenes collecting dust, Star Wars storm trooper armor and all of his plane painting supplies.

What I am wearing: Work out clothes. Since I missed my alarm this morning and missed my workout with the girls from the 'hood, I broke down and did a silly Caribbean workout video that I gave up on after 5 minutes of not being able to keep up with their manic movements. So I did my own workout of hand weights, floor leg & butt exercises and exercise ball ab exercises.

Where I am going after this: I don't have to leave the house until 3:00ish when I go pick up Connor and his friends from school. They have to stay late to rehearse for the percussion ensemble concert tomorrow night. (Family members - don't be hurt that I haven't mentioned this. No one is invited as per Connor's request. Apparently they REALLY aren't ready to perform.)

Stuff I want right now:
-A hug and kiss from Simon, but he's fast asleep so that can wait.
-For Zach's work to become fun again for him. He had to lay someone off today due to lack of work and he is really down about it. This past year has been more about drumming up and keeping existing business and less time designing. No fun!
-To lose 25 lbs. Working on it!
-An incredible family vacation in Europe...or Hawaii...or anywhere.
-PIZZA! About 6 pieces to be exact... but only in my dreams these days sadly :(
-For all of my friends and family to be healthy! Too many health scares these days for my taste.

Currently reading: Last chapter of Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. What an education on the Masons that has been! Really entertaining but I am ready to get on to something else. Next on my list: "The Next Thing on my List" (ironically enough) by Jill Smolinski for book club. After that, I really want to dive into the Outlander series that my mom and sister are reading and loving.

Currently watching: I need to get caught up on So You Think You Can Dance and Glee. Haven't decided if I'm a fan of Glee or not but I keep giving it a chance.

What I did yesterday:
-Ate a fabulous breakfast cooked by Zach. He makes the best french toast and he added bacon and sausage so we were pretty full. Top that with my father-in-law's soon to be famous elderberry syrup, I was in heaven.
-Dinner at the inlaws to celebrate my bro-in-laws 29th birthday
-Took pie to Jennica's house as my part of taking dinner to Lisa Lindsay due to her heart surgery last week. Confusing? We were supposed to take dinner to Lisa's house but somehow it ended up being at Jennica's and since I had already eaten at my in-laws, we just hung out.
-Watched the first Matrix movie again with Zach. He wants to re-watch that series so I guess I will, too. It totally brought back memories of the year that Zach and I were Neo and Trinity for halloween. I looked gooooood in that shiny black patent leather if I do say so myself!
-Blog

What I am doing tonight: Taking Emmy to her dance class, cleaning Zach's office, taking kids through the "tunnel of terror" carwash that we saw advertised up on Foothill this weekend. I have no idea what it entails, but we are going to find out tonight. Something about glowing soap...

What I am doing tomorrow: Taking Emmy to her performing class at 4:00, somehow simultaneously picking her up at 7:00 and being at Connor's percussion ensemble concert at the exact same time. I guess I will have to call upon my Supermom powers.

The background on my phone is:

The background on my laptop is: A vividly bright orange rose in full bloom. Something Apple offers. Usually I have my kids pictures but I went to something generic when I needed my computer for a Jewel Kade party and I wanted something beautiful on the screen.

Who I miss: My dad. Once a year is just not enough!

How I feel right now: Pressured to get this done before Simon wakes up. Uh oh...I hear the pitter patter of little feet coming down the stairs. Hurry!

What I am thinking about: What to make for lunch. Turkey sandwich is the most likely candidate because it is all I have!

Halloween Bonko '09

What are you scared of?

1. What gives you the heeby jeeby's? Spiders. I have had a full on panic attack recently when I had a black widow infestation of my car and rightfully so.

2. Who or what would you not want to meet in a dark alley? Anyone with the intention of doing me physical harm. Duh.

3. What movie did you think was the scariest movie when you were a kid? I was pretty protected from super scary movies when I was a kid, so we only saw the PG scary ones. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was the freakiest I can remember. I would love to see that one again. "Audrey Rose" made an impression on me, too, about a girl who dies in a car fire and is reincarnated.

4. What do you think is the scariest movie now? "Paranormal Activity", and I have no intention whatsoever of seeing it. Ever. "28 Days Later" was incredibly jump-out-of-your-seat scary.

5. What scary movie character creeps you out the most? Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.

6. What scares you after the sun goes down? My in-laws playing a practical joke on me. A few years ago, my brother-in-law Aaron crouched inside of a big black garbage sack on our front porch, had someone ring our doorbell for him then run away. Poor 5-year-old Emmy was the unfortunate soul to open the door with me right behind her when he jumped ... no, EXPLODED out of the bag and roared at the top of his lungs. Oh, the hysterics that followed.... She has been a little hesitant to open the door at night ever since during the month of October when things like this are more likely to happen. The Sharples love their Halloween pranks! (to be fair, Aaron's target was actually me or Zach, not the kids.)

7. What was your biggest fear when you were a kid? Getting kidnapped.

8. What is your biggest fear now? One my kids getting kidnapped.

9. Has anyone or anything scared you so bad that you peed your pants? No, but ironically I coughed so hard tonight that I did. Wow, did I really need to admit that here?

10. What was the scariest prank someone has ever pulled on you? Luckily I haven't been the victim of anything too horrible. Again, Aaron scared the grandkids (and some of us adults, me included) pretty bad one night when he snuck outside wearing this horrible clown mask and came up to the window that we were all sitting in and pounded on it.

Blue Man Group et al...

We just took the kids and my mom on a quick trip to Las Vegas this weekend to go see the Blue Man Group. Zach saw their show several years ago and has been talking about taking the family to see it ever since. He especially thought Connor would dig it being a percussionist and all and he was totally correct. Much of their show involves them playing these cool percussion instruments made out of PVC pipe twisted in all sorts of directions.

We were on the fourth row in the "poncho" section with complimentary ponchos to save us from some of their more messy antics involving drums and paint.We never did get wet, much to the kids' disappointment. The show is a mixture of music, comedy (silent as they never talk or even crack a smile) and art. There were some super funny audience participation moments and a lot of completely bizarre moments. I found myself thinking "who would think up something like that?" But it worked - we were totally entertained and Connor was brimming with excitement the rest of the night. I think my mom probably wondered what we were all on to rave about something so totally crazy but I think deep down she enjoyed herself, too. Right, mom? Simon didn't go which is a good thing because I think he would have been scared by the creepy blue guys. He and Zach went to Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay instead. Oh yeah - Zach didn't go either since he has been already and someone had to stay with the little man.

After the show, the blue men and their band members were in the lobby for pictures. Connor was lovin' life standing amongst these performers...Is it just me, or could this not be Buck Taylor? Working at homeland security, Buck? I don't think so....



We also took a drive 20 minutes south to see Hoover Dam. I've driven over this dam a few times but never stopped to get out. Not only did we get out, but we paid to take the power plant tour. We couldn't do the full dam tour because Simon was too young and it cost an arm and a leg. But the power plant tour was really interesting. They first have you watch a 10 minute movie telling you all about the history of the dam. My mom was testing Emmy on the facts the rest of the day just to make sure she remembered them like when it was built, how many people died, etc. After the movie, they had us crowd into a huge elevator like sardines in a can and go down, down, down for about 75 seconds which seems like a LONG time in such tight quarters. Next we were inside the mountain in a little room that is built right over a 30 foot diameter pipe with thousands of gallons of rushing water going through each second. You couldn't see the water but you could feel it rumbling the room we were standing in which was a little disconcerting to feel that much power just below you. This place reminded me of a scene from the movie "City of Ember" when the two main characters found the only way out of Ember through the underground river. After this, we went back up the elevator into the room with seven extremely large turbine generators.
Then we went outside to walk across the dam. They are building a new bridge that is simply massive. I think they said it will be the largest suspension bridge in this side of the hemisphere.
Connor thought the dam looked like a pretty gnarly place to go sledding. Um yeah...
Some interesting facts for you about the dam:

*It contains more rock than the pyramid of Giza.
*To make the dam, they had to divert the Colorado river by building two huge tunnels in the mountains on either side until its completion 5 years later.
*It provides power for parts of 3 different states to 750,000 people.
*It is one of the top 5 targets for terrorists so security is really high.
*It is considered as one of the seven modern engineering wonders by the American Society of Civil Engineers and is visited by 4,000 visitors every day.

According to Emmy, a vacation isn't a vacation without swimming so we squeezed in an hour of swimming this morning before heading back home. It was a balmy 65 degrees at 9:00 in the morning which was just perfect for us adults not swimming, but a little chilly for the kids in the water. They had a great time anyway.

Obviously I have been in a blogging funk lately. I never thought it would happen to me! I've seen so many friends fall by the blogging wayside and eventually just give up completely, but I was pretty sure it wouldn't happen to me because I have SO MUCH to say.

Well, apparently I don't. I can't think of a thing that is blogworthy enough for it's own post. I can do all sorts of random tidbit posts telling every detail of my life, but I just don't want to do that. So I promise - I am just waiting for something interesting to write about. If you have any requests or subject suggestions, please pass them along and I will write about it right away.

I am going to see Blue Man Group this weekend so that should make for a great post. I'll bet you are on the edge of your chair now, aren't you?

Lesson Learned

Yesterday when I got out from doing some grocery shopping, I unloaded my groceries and off I went on some other errands. As I was driving, I noticed a piece of paper flapping underneath my windshield wiper. I could see just a few of the words "Learn how to..." As I was driving, I was thinking of what the rest of it probably said. Learn how to work from home (already have that skill, thanks!), learn how to make money on the stock market, etc. The funny thing about this note that had my mind occupied was the fact that it was handwritten, and on a torn piece of plain white paper. I thought, "How funny that there is this person who is so hard up for money that they are spending their days slipping their advertisements onto people windshields, and they must be SO hard up for money that they can't even print their own advertisement on a real computer?" It just didn't make sense to me until I got home, unloaded the groceries and remembered to go grab the paper off my windshield. Zach had just pulled into the driveway when I looked at the paper and it said:

LEARN HOW TO PARK, DUMBA**! (in female hand-writing but no asterisks on my lovenote, though).

I think I instinctively stuck my bottom lip out a little like when you get yelled at by someone. Zach asked me what was wrong and because he already gives me a hard enough time about my parking in our garage, I made up a little white lie so as not to give him more ammunition.

But back up to the parking situation at Harmons. For some reason, the whole parking lot was full except for a few choice spots, and the one I chose was a tight squeeze but it was all that was available. Emmy had to very carefully inch out of her passenger side door in order to not door ding the car on our right. When I came out, the car on my left was gone so it looked like I had all the room in the world to park but chose to give the person on my right almost no space to get into her car.