**Tag You're It***

I've been tagged!

10 years ago I was:
1. 19 years old
2. single
3. dating eveyone I could get my hands on
4. starting my first year at UVSC
5. driving a white Dodge Colt

5 things on today’s to do list:
1. throw up
2. watch t.v.
3. go to the bathroom at least 100 times
4. throw up again
5. count down the minutes til my first tri-mester is over. (2 weeks)

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire
1. Build my dream house
2. set aside for college tuition
3. buy a new computer (maybe a laptop or something fancy like that)
4. travel everywhere
5. hire a surrogate mother to carry my baby (just kidding)

5 places I have lived:
1. Hayden Lake, Idaho
2. Wrightwood, CA
3. Phelan, CA
4. Provo, UT
5. Dublan, Mexico

5 places I have worked:
1. Target
2. County Seat
3.Victoria's Secret
4. American Eagle
5. Escuela Manuel Dublan

Alrighty, I tag . . . Windy, Meghan, and Cambria

***A Final Thank You***

I'm so thankful for Mercedes. She makes me smile everyday. I love her laugh. It was a deep, hearty laugh from the first time it came out. So cute it made me cry. I love her willingness to help me. Such a pleaser. I love her love for friends. Something I cherish too. I love her blonde hair, even when it's messy and all over the place. I love that for 3 years she suffered through a constant runny nose that mom and dad always treated with cold medicines and 50 nose wipes a day (not exaggerating) until finally we took her to the allergy specialist who informed us that she was allergic to most all plant life and dust. (haha, oops) Poor girl. I love that she loves me. She's my Sadie Sunshine.

I won't go into as much detail in order to not get too mushy. And I already expressed my gratitude for Rusty when he went to Italy, so I won't bore you. But I am most grateful for him, he's my greatest blessing.

HAVE A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

***My Secret***

Thank You!

(sorry about the blur)

~ I admit it, I know I'm crazy cat lady! ~

It's like looking at a photo album of someone who's had no kids and treats her animals like they're human and they go on and on about how "fido did this yesterday" and "patches made me laugh so hard this morning." I am that person sometimes. I'll admit. It's not that I think Leonard is any different than other cats (other than his horrifying terror of what lays beyond the front door) he's just my special fluffy friend. So today, I'm thankful for Leonard the cat. Thanks for being there for me when times are rough buddy!!

Thankfully Optimistic!!

In order to truly be grateful, we can't just be grateful for what we have but also for the opportunities given to us. Yesterday Americans all over the world voiced their opinion and although the outcome didn't turn out the way many of us wanted it to, what a great blessing it is that we have the opportunity to speak our minds. So today, I'm thankful to be an American. . . . (living in Mexico -- haha!)

Daily Thanks!

So here we are, starting the countdown to Thanksgiving, when any ideas of dieting go flying out the window. More importantly though, we try to be aware of the things we are grateful for. This week, I am grateful for a motivated husband. I'm blessed to have a hardworking, get it done guy and to show my appreciation, here is a picture of his latest endeavor.

Now, I know what you're thinking "Yikes!" and "Is that a whole instead of a window?" "Yes." But it's going to be fabulous. We're finally redoing the fireplace with brick instead of bathroom tile (no offense Tom and Charli), new windows are in, a half wall seperating the front door, from the livingroom, and we'll have new flooring in there too. We also have all the tile for new counter tops and backsplash -- no more pink formica!! (once again, no offense Tom and Charli.) So, thank you Rusty for making our home pretty.

Who Says Halloween Is Just For Kids?!

Evan and Muffy

Justin and Jenae

Bert and Kara

Cade and Jeni

Christian and Rachelle

Garrett and BJ

Jared and Meghan

Tyson and Deana

Eric and Michele (sorry about the blur.)

Danny and Kristy

Greg and Cambria

Meredith and Rusty

Thanks Danny and Kristy for throwing such a fun party!!

Mom of the Year Award and Much Much More

Yesterday I threw a "Halloween Party" for Mercedes and her 3 and 4 year old friends. It was a lot of fun but when it was over I was exhausted. For those of you who don't know my sleeping habits, . . . I don't. I don't go to bed until at least midnight and I never, Never, NEVER nap. But after this party I took a long 1 1/2 hour nap. It was all worth it though. Here are a few more pics of the cute big kid babies.

Alan Memmott and Reuben Whetton!

Maggie Robinson a.k.a. High School Musical Cheerleader!

What?! One of Jared and Meghan's kids dressed like Spiderman?! No Way!

Olivia, just cuteness

The gang (left to right) Kaylee Memmott, Madelyn Jones, Alan Memmott, Mercedes Jones, Maggie Robinson, Reuben Whetten, Peyton Jones, Bella Vizcaino and Ryder . . . Ryder? Ryder? Oh yea he wanted to watch Dora instead.

~ oh . . . the pressure!! ~

Tonight I had the honor of filling in for Kristy at choir practice playing the piano. As many of you know, our ward choir is led by Brother Maurice Bowman. A man learned in the arts of music and feared by many (only when it comes to music.) I received the music earlier in the day and sat at my piano trembling at the idea of facing him. But when duty calls . . . . So I arrived at the chapel and sat down on the bench. Bro. Bowman of course was there with other members of the choir still sauntering in. He cues me to begin the intro to the first song and immediatly gives me a look like, " I don't know what you think that was, but it wasn't music." And so goes the remainder of the practice. The best part came afterwards when (and I'm not even exaggerating) every member of the choir stopped me on the way out to tell me not to feel bad, and that even the best piano players in the ward are nervous to play for the infamous Brother Bowman. Thanks guys, thanks for making me feel better! And Kristy, if you ever read this . . . . NEVER LEAVE TOWN AGAIN!!

P.S. Brother Bowman is one of the nicest men I've ever met. This was just a funny experience that made me appreciate those who also love music like I do.

Rancho Dublan Fall Ad Campaign

Rancho Dublan has been searching for a company spokesmodel. So I jumped on the chance to get Mercedes into the spotlight. I called up our agent, Aunt Rachelle, and got her to take these glam shots of her. Doesn't she look glorious?
p.s. the above story is a farce. Aunt Rachelle took these pictures because she wanted to. Thanks Aunt Rachelle, Mercedes sure had fun!!

Success!!

Thanks to the help of my dearest best friend, Rachelle, my blog is back up to standard (at least mine I suppose.) I hope you all have a frightful Halloween with lots of tricks and treats (yummy!)

Computer Illiteracy!!

My background for my computer is on the fritz! I know it looks ridiculous, so if anyone can help please give some advice. I'm big on Halloween and I was trying to add a spooooooky background and got this horrific result (I guess I got what I was looking for.) Anyway, I give up tonight. Let me know if you've got any answers. Love, Meredith

Ode To Rusty

It's been 1 week since I set Rusty off to see the beauty that I can only imagine is Italy, and I miss him like crazy. And since I let him take my camera with him, I have no new pictures this week. So I've decided to make a tribute to him with my favorite pictures of him that make me smile. I hope you enjoy them too.

Happy Fourth of July '08!! He loves himself a good BBQ!!

Enjoying his first (of hopefully many) trips the Seattle with my family

He's not afraid to take house work seriously.

I love you so much, Rusty. Please come home soon!!

BUT WHAT ABOUT MY DREAMS!!??

For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of traveling the world. I would love to see every corner of it. But if I had to choose one country to visit it would be without a doubt Italy. I would go to Venice and ride the gondolas, Rome and see the colliseum and museums, I'd go to the Vatican and Sicily and on an on and on. So when Rusty came home about a month and a half ago and said, "Hey remember when I went to Spain to see the peach orchards and get some new innovative ideas on farming? Well guess what? They're sending us to Italy this time." I've never been so jealous in my life. I even cried. So Yeseterday sent Rusty off to realize my dreams. I guess life isn't fair after all.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUSTY (a.k.a. Papa, Popper, Poppy, Pops, and daddy!)

Wednesday was Rusty's 32nd birthday! So Sadie helped me make his birthday cake. (Really she just licked the spoon and bowl, and yes that is evidence that I let my child eat cake batter with raw eggs in it, don't judge too harshly, my mom let me do it too!!) Anyway, we sure love that man and all he provides for us. We are so blessed and so grateful to have him. I don't know how or why, but he got through the whole day without me taking one picture of him. So here's yet another picture of Mercedes.

Viva la Mexico!!

Last Friday, at Pre-School, Mercedes class was learning about Mexico's Independence. They had the traditional Mexican meal for snack time and they all shared something that they learned at home (with their parents, yes that means I had homework) and the kids even got to dress up. Well I didn't have anything for Mercedes to wear so I sent her in regular clothes. Then at about 10:30 the teacher's aid, Mary, called up to ask if it was ok for her to wear one of her old dresses from when her girls were little. Of course it was!! So here is a picture of Mercedes posing (yes, she chose the pose) in Mary's Mexican girl dress after school. She had so much fun!

Anyone who knows me pretty well, knows that I am very patriotic and sentimental when it comes to the U.S. So today, 9/11/08, 7 years later, I am paying a small tribute to those we lost. Do we remember them? Will we remember them in November when it's time to vote? Which candidate will keep their deaths from becoming in vain?

A few quotes, that I thought were inspirational that reflect on what happened September 11, 2001

"What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed. Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together... So I ask again: what was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn." ~~ Leonard Pitts, Jr., 12 Sep 2001 in Miami Herald

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." Ronald Reagan

"Let those who say that we must understand the reasons for terrorism come with me to the thousands of funerals we are having in New York City and explain those insane, maniacal reasons to the children who will grow up without fathers and mothers, to the parents who have had their children ripped from them for no reason at all.

Remember British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, who - armed only with good intentions - negotiated with the Nazis and emerged hopeful that he had achieved peace in his time. Hitler's wave of terror was only encouraged by these attempts at appeasement. At the cost of millions of lives, we learned that words - though important - are not enough to guarantee peace. It is action alone that counts." -- Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Apples To Apples

Last Monday, for Family Home Evening, the 3 of us walked over to Bishop Hatch's house to pick apples. This was something that I know Mercedes will never forget. She's still talking about it. Papa let her climb up the ladder and pick some of her own and drop them down to mama. This was a great, great, great evening topped off with popcorn and a movie. Later, Mercedes asked me, "mom, what will you do with all the apples I picked?" I explained to her that we would bottle them and add them to our food storage. She thought that was a good enough answer and set off to her room to create her own food storage, by setting up rows of mom's kitchen supplies (anything she could get out of cupboards her height) in her room. She's her papa's little girl. So organized.

The Year that could have been

To be a farmer of any kind you have to invest in a lot of planning and hard work. Hours and hours of labor and intensive thought on how much time to invest in this project and that. But in the end, after you've done all you can, what's meant to be will be. This year, at Rancho Dublan, was looking to be epic. The chile was growing beautifully, many people even stopped to comment on what a beautiful job the men had done. On top of it all the early spring frosts had not seemed to affect the peach trees much, so we were reaping those benefits as well.

Then the rains came. and came. and came. The year that was to be epic became the year we all hope to forget. Oh well. There's always next year.

She's 3. She's 3. She's 3. Mercedes has made the big leap from home all day with mommy to being a big girl at Pre-School. I struggled with this all summer, "Do I send her to school, and if I do . . . where?" After checking out a Montessori school at the other end of town, we decided to just send her to our little grade school here in town and let her do Pre-School for 2 years. I know, like I said, she's only 3 and she won't turn 4 until February, but the poor little thing is an only child and in desperate need of interaction with people who aren't 7 times her age. So, here she is. Off to her first day of school, and guess what . . . . . she loves every minute of it!!

My First Blog

Okay So I'm finally going to try and do a blog. My friends have been pressuring me for months to do this and, like with Facebook, I have decided to join the 21st century (only a little later than everyone else.) I'm not sure what this is going to end up looking like, but maybe with a little time getting used to this I can make it look cute. Anyway, this is me. I am married to the most handsome, Rusty, and we have the most beautiful daughter, Mercedes. We are happily living in Colonia Dublan, Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua, living the farm life and loving it. I hope you enjoy Meredith Jones' Blog!!