The Camera Saga

Decisions, decisions! Sometimes they're so hard!

Thursday night, Becky and the kids came to spend the weekend so we could drive 4 1/2 hours to Bozeman, Montana to test 2 pricey cameras Becky has been drooling over. Either way she was going to be spending tons of money, so it had to be the right decision! I left her in the camera shop while I went on a 5 hour shopping spree, while she took pictures, enlarged them for detail, and asked every question she could think of. When I came back to pick her up, I had a really cute knee-length brown tweed skirt with a kick-pleat and a great pair of brown earrings (that Becky later stole from me on our trip home!). My total for the day was just under $30. Becky's total was.....well, let's just say that it was a wee bit more!

I thought Bozeman was so cute, and it was such a pretty drive. On the way home, I told Becky, "You know, it's too bad I'll never be here again! Bozeman is really nice." Little did I know that I would see it again....really, really soon!


The next morning, I started to realize there was a problem when I got out of bed and saw Becky pacing the living room with hideously dark circles under her eyes (It was bad!). She'd been stressing all night about how she'd made the wrong decision. I tried to calm her down by saying, "Well, we can always drive back to Bozeman!" I was mostly kidding, of course, as any sane person would certainly know, but Becky jumped on it like a lifeline, and by 2:00 that afternoon, we were headed back to Bozeman, embarking on another 9 hour drive! Oh, well, that's what sisters are for, right? That's what Becky tells me, anyway!



We had a fun drive, and after we started to run out of things to say (which is completely amazing considering we are both talkers!) we sang in perfect harmony to Abba and some favorite disco hits! By the end of the 18 hours of driving, I was feeling a little hoarse, but we still belted out Dancing Queen in a way that would make those Swedes proud! Singing is my very favorite part about traveling. The acoustics are great in a minivan! I always make Del sing in the car with me, but he's not quite as good as Becky! He doesn't know all the words to the silly 80's hits, and he doesn't do a really good Queen falsetto. You should hear Becky's!



Well, now the long road trip is over and Becky is the proud owner of a new Nikon D700. Hopefully, she won't be back this Friday to make me exchange a lens or a neckstrap with her. My numb butt cheeks are still trying to recover from all of that driving. Still, it was fun spending 18 uninterrupted hours with my wacky sister!

Benita Likes...

While we were in Island Park last weekend, the women watched THE EDITED VERSION of the popular French film, Amelie. I highly recommend it, but ONLY if you can get it edited. I bought mine from Cleanflicks online. In the intro of the movie, as every character is introduced, there is a montage of what unique things each one likes and dislikes. After the show was over, we sat around discussing ourselves and coming up with fun lists.

Here's a candid look at our quirky mother. I liked these pictures of her best. Cute, huh! Becky just took them for their Christmas cards.


BENITA LIKES:

Washing and reusing disposable dishes (she really does! We can't just throw them away!)

Using toothpicks to clean her teeth

When dogs lick between her fingers (eeew!)

Taking candid pictures of people eating (most of the worst pictures I have of myself were taken by my mother while I had food heading into my mouth)

Drinking the leftover "juice" after we eat all of the pickles, green beans, etc. out of a jar

Impromptu speaking assignments (She LOVES to talk!)

Leading music vigorously while listening to the radio (I wish I could include a video here of her doing it!)

Making instant friends with strangers everywhere (There ARE NO strangers to mom--just potential friends whose life histories she doesn't know, yet)

Sleeping in

Going for long walks



BENITA DISLIKES:

Bras that pinch

Bangs in her eyes

Being unjustly accused of things by her daughters (I can't remember exactly what made her say this one so heatedly! I think it had something to do with accusations about her toothpick usage)

War movies (This is where genetics finally comes in. I can't even watch the battle scene in Mulan. It's just too intense and violent for me!)

When people turn their children loose in her house

Mom is so easygoing! It was hard getting her to think of things that she dislikes, while the rest of us were saying them so fast that I couldn't write it all down. I guess we know that in order to get along with her we should never visit until noon, leave our kids in the car, make her walk all the way home when we go shopping, and happily smile for the camera with food in our mouths. Even though I love her, though, I could never bring myself to encourage Olive, my dog, in her bad habit of licking between mom's fingers! That's so gross! Mom's a fun person!

Guess We Know Who Mom Likes Best!

In the past few weeks we celebrated Devin's and Maren's birthdays, and after looking at the pictures, Devin is kind of feeling like the red-headed step-child in the Symons family. Here is a picture of his party.

Now here are the pictures of Maren's party. She invited friends over to make bracelets, homemade pretzels and cheese, and have cake and ice cream.

They had lots of fun playing dodgeball on the trampoline, too!

Devin wants more blog time, so let's look at his picture again.

Poor Devin, look at me stepping all over him to give Maren the juicy bug!

Ok, in all fairness to me, we do birthday parties with friends on even years---Maren is 12 and Devin is 17--- AND I made him a super delicious homemade 3-layer sour cream chocolate cake with homemade cream cheese and chocolate frosting! Super delicious, I tell you!!!! Devin says his neck still hurts from me stepping on his head.

First Date....Finally!

Here's some breaking news! Devin has finally asked a girl out on a date! The lucky girl was Cammi George, a girl he knows from his carpool, and she's really cute and sweet! He asked her to the Homecoming Dance at Century. Hurray Devin! You did it!

Here's how he asked her: First he made a giant Chinese take out box out of a sheet of poster board and a the wire from a hanger, and a tag that said Devin's Delivery Service. It was so cute, but I completely forgot to take a picture! Then we made homemade fortune cookies with fun predictions inside like "A tall dark young man is in your future," "You'll have a great time at Homecoming if you say yes," etc.

Here's how she answered him: She left a delivery on the doorstep with two eggrolls and a note that said "I'd love to roll with you to Homecoming!" Very cute!

Here's how the night went: First they had dinner at Andrew's house. Andrew spent last school year in Italy and became quite a cook, so he made them spaghetti with a steak and pepper marinara, cheesy french bread, and a caesar salad and cheesecake for dessert. Devin was in charge of appetizers, so we made stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta and artichoke dip. He said they were a big hit. I made sure he took a pack of gum to share with everyone, since we put plenty of garlic in the food we made. That's Italian!

Here's how the dance went: Believe it or not (I personally find it very hard to believe) Devin and Cammi danced all but two dances! I asked Devin if they still play fun songs like Rock Lobster, but he said no. Apparently, I'm getting old.

Here's the final tally: All in all, it was a fun night. He said he had a great time and might even try dating again sometime! Yeah!

An Island Park Getaway

Last week we took off to Island Park for one last mini-vacation before school started. Del was leveling a floor and installing a sump pump toilet for some friends who own a cabin there (notice the name of the owners!), and the rest of us (including Grandpa and Grandma) were just there to have a great time. Before we left, Devin bought a recurve bow that he's been saving up for, so he took that to try out. We all had lots of fun trying to shoot it, especially Grandma! Look at that expression on her face!

Our cabin was right on the river, so we got to do some canoeing, and we could have fished right off the dock if we had remembered to get fishing licenses. We had plenty to do, though, without fishing! The kids went for a walk with their grandparents and caught frogs (strictly catch and release!) and tried to catch the jackrabbits hopping around everywhere, too, but no luck.

We also found a great little bay by the Island Park Dam where we picnicked and played. Mom found a couple of awesome pieces of driftwood for my garden! Now I just need her to come help me figure out what to do with it! By the way, do you notice mom's cute new haircut? It looks fabulous on her, doesn't it?!

We also went to Big Springs to see the fish. There was one that was the fattest fish any of us have ever seen! It was probably as big around the middle as my thigh and it was only about 15 inches long! Apparently, there's no shortage of tourists to feed them off of the bridge!

When we drove home, we decided to take the Mesa Falls Scenic Route, and that was beautiful! Mesa Falls is huge, powerful, and you are standing right next to it! The fenced walkway is so close! Of course, Dad pointed out many geographical items of interest---that's why it's so fun to go with Dad! We'll probably go up there with them again in a few weeks when Del goes back to install carpet! This time, maybe we'll do some fishing and watch less TV (the Olympics were on, and they have been awesome)!

Getting Old: My 20 Year Reunion

I don't know why it is, but there is nothing that makes you feel more nervous than a class reunion. I guess it's because we temporarily revert back to our high school selves, awkward and insecure, sure that everyone notices every dumb thing we do! Isn't it nice to grow up and realize that everybody else is focused on themselves and the dumb things they do! Anyway, despite some nerves about what to wear, how to do my hair, and remembering everybody's names, I enjoyed my 20 year reunion. It was fun to catch up with old friends and see how their lives are going. There weren't a lot of people there, considering how many I know still live here in Pocatello, but I was really excited to see the ones who came. One that I really missed was my best friend and sister Becky who refused to come! It's funny that we were such good friends in high school considering how much we fought in our younger years! That should give all parents hope! Here are some pictures:

This picture is actually not from my class reunion, but Martie never made it because of a family reunion, so I included our mini-reunion picture from last year. Samee Barney (Beck) and Martie Bunderson (Hill) were two of my very best friends in high school. We managed to have lots of fun without getting into too much trouble. My favorite memory of Samee and Martie was going to Seattle when we were 17 (Becky was just 16). Samee's parents had given her a brand new, cherry red Nissan Pulsar (cool sports car)! I don't know what any of our parents were thinking, but we drove to Seattle on our own and stayed there for over a week, seeing the sights (the sights were mostly good-looking guys!) and having a great time! Every time I hear the song "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake, I remember that trip because I had just bought the tape and we played it over and over again as we drove along in Sam's hot red car! We thought we were something else! Maybe some of the guys did too, because we had a couple of them come to Pocatello to visit us! Oh, to be young and silly again!

This is my favorite guy friend, Don Eriksen and his son Weston (he looks like a Don-clone)! I was so excited to see Don because I'd lost him! Becky and I unofficially adopted him as a brother in high school and we probably would have gladly traded him for one or both of our own brothers, depending on the day! He's doing well as an Allstate Insurance agent in Salt Lake and comes to Blackfoot every month to spend time with his son. Some of my favorite memories of Don involve off-roading (otherwise known as "digging" in the 80's) in his yellow truck. It was scary sometimes---I was sure we were going to roll his truck---but we all loved it! He's a great guy and it was so good to see him again.

This is at our picnic. Left to Right: Don Eriksen, Rachelle Wilson, Me, Brady Belnap, Samee Barney, and Julie Stucki

The evening event wasn't quite what I had hoped. It ended up that most of the crowd I hung around with ("The Seminary Group") came the night before, and I had been out of town. It was mostly "The Drinking Crowd" who came, but it was fun to visit with them, too, although we left at about 10:30 when everyone was going on their second or third drink! We should have stayed

to see how much livelier it got!

Here we are again, this time with J'Dee Wilson from the class of 89 who joined us. J'Dee was one of my favorite dates ever! He asked me to a dance with a tape that was like a Mission Impossible assignment. He was so sweet and smart. I don't know if I would have made it through Algebra II with Mr. Dolkhani without him explaining it all in English! I really liked J'Dee! The picture on the right reminds me of how much fun high school was. Brady Belnap is one of the funniest people I know. He always kept us laughing! Thanks, Brady!

Becky and Martie,

I included this picture just for you. I thought you might want to see some of our other classmates. I must say they've aged well. That's Kim Noble, Paula Parkinson, Ruth Fowler, Sherri Reddish, Linda Harris, Carrie Wyatt, Ivy North, Don, and Me. I'm sad that you both missed it, but Samee and I had fun! See you at the 25!

I'm Finally a Blogger! WhooHoo!

Ok, Becky did a fabulous job of designing a Blog for me, so the least I could do is use it, right?! I love the header she gave me! That's a picture of my family's feet hanging off of the bridge at Catherine Creek park in Union, OR. We wanted our latest family picture to be unique, and I think we got it! Becky's pretty good, huh! Many families are photogenic enough to display their faces, but it takes real charisma and charm to display your feet!

Here are some pictures and highlights of my very exciting month!

Woops!

This is a picture I took of Del to remind me what my hubby's cute rear end looks like! A few weeks ago, I went to visit him on a job site and when I got to the home they were building, I saw him bent over in the doorway laying tile. Because I just can't resist teasing him, I tiptoed up and grabbed his butt! Imagine my surprise when he stood up and it wasn't Del! The other guy, Jeremy, was wearing the same kind of jeans, same ugly gray T-shirt, and baseball hat! We just stood there staring at each other for a while (which of us was more in shock?) and then I started to giggle and said, "I'm so sorry! I thought you were my husband!" He didn't even laugh! I was so embarrassed. He just kept staring at me and finally said, "Del's in the kitchen." I ran to the kitchen, gave Del his lunch, and got out of there! Unfortunately, one of our good friends is the contractor, and so he told everyone about it, and apparently after he got over his shock, Jeremy also thought it was hilarious, and he told lots of people, too! You can imagine that I've been teased a lot about men not being safe around me!

Twin Falls with the Phillips

Two weeks ago, we went with Becky's family to the Twin Falls Temple open house, and we had a great time. The temple was beautiful and it was a neat experience for the kids to be able to go through. We have great pictures, I'm sure, but they're all on Becky's camera!

After the open house, we took the kids to Shoshone Falls and Dierk's Lake. We had so much fun! I had no idea that Dierk's Lake even existed, and it's great! For only $3.00 a carload, you get to see the falls and play in a lake that has a lifeguard, diving board, wading area for small children and cliff diving for older ones. It's a great park! My pictures make it look like they were doing some really impressive (and dangerous) cliff diving off of the falls, but it wasn't too high. Just high enough that they were pretty nervous (except Devin), and it took some encouragement and peer pressure to get them to jump. I was so proud of them all! You'd never catch me doing that! I'm way too chicken!

Girl's Camp

I am the 1st counselor in the Young Women's presidency, which means I got to go to camp this year! Yeah! I always loved girl's camp, both as a leader and as a girl. It's so fun to get away from all responsibility and worry and just enjoy a good time with friends. Next year, Maren will get to go, and I'm so excited for her! I could only go for 2 days, so I picked the first two because I hate the clean-up part! Packing up tents and cleaning up greasy dutch ovens is not fun! We had just set up all of our tents and sleeping bags when a HUGE hailstorm hit! We went running for the

cabin, being pelted with hard marble-sized hail the whole time. It stormed for about 2 1/2 hours, and then the flooding started! One ward had 2 tents with all of their sleeping stuff inside start to float away down the path. They were able to salvage them, but most of the stake slept in the cabins that night. It was pretty exciting! You always want to have a good story to tell back home, and we got it! I took lots of pictures at camp, but I forgot to have any taken with me in them, so the only picture of me at camp is this one of my muddy foot that I took. Gross, huh! The girls thought it was pretty impressive! The only bad part for me about girls camp was going home. I don't know why, but I was born with the unfortunate inability to navigate. I think it's some kind of genetic defect or something. When it comes to directions, I become a complete idiot! I was coming home by myself and took the wrong road out of Victor, ID and ended up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming! As I pulled into the city, I thought, "Dang, this isn't Idaho Falls!" I asked someone in a grocery store if there was a shortcut to Pocatello, and he told me he was sorry, but I would have to cross the pass again and go back the way I had come. An hour and a half later, I pull into Victor, right where I had started! By this time it was 8:30, and Del told me just to go back to camp and sleep for the night because it's about a 2 1/2 hour drive, but there was NO way I was going back there to admit how stupid I'd been! I just kept driving! I still haven't told them!

Enrichment: Sniper Training

In our ward, we take our talents seriously! In the quest to better ourselves, we have taken up shooting! It's been fun! So far we only have 5 women in our group, but I'm sure that when they see how much fun we're having, they'll be lining up in hoards! After all, what woman is complete without her sniper training?! We had a policeman and a competitive shooter take us out to the police range. They brought us lots of different guns to try out, including an AK-47! I'd blog my terrorist pose picture (that's the kind of gun terrorists like to use) but I looked really stupid, and not scary at all. Bummer! Even though I was a lot more accurate with a rifle with a scope, my favorite was this Luger! I love handguns! I shot a golf ball with it and sent it flying! That was fun! It did take me 7 tries to hit the golf ball, though. The trainer told me my shooting was excellent and I had "tight clusters"! Sounds good, right? I think I upheld the honor of all of the Nielson girls! You'd be proud! I know the picture is small, so you'll have to take my word for it that my "cluster" was "tight"!