Homecoming 2022

(September 24th, 2022)

We haven't really had Homecoming pictures before. It is the one dance that June never went to, and Robyn lost all her dances to Covid. Naturally, Ivory had a built in date with Isaac, so we all assumed she would go with him, but she decided to hold off on any serious relationships for this year (which is a wise choice) and he didn't ask her in respect of her decision. No one else asked her either since everyone still assumed she was going with Isaac, so Ivory set up a date with some of her friends and they decided to go stag. 

Ivory was actually super excited to go with friends. She hasn't hung out with the girls as much in the last couple of years, so she has some girl time to catch up on. They planned the dance just like normal. They chose a fun day date, they exchanged corsages, they got pretty dresses, they went out to dinner, and they went to the dance. Sounds magical and was probably better planned than many of the guys' evenings. :)

They decided to go to The Wick Lab, which is a candle making shop. I've made my own soap before and I think this was similar. Ivory said they could choose a scent and glitter if they wanted. Ivory named her candle. It looked pretty fun. They couldn't pick them up until later since I think they have to set.

After candle making, Ivory came home and got all dressed up. She originally looked for dresses online, but to get them here in time, shipping was going to be astronomical. So she ordered a couple with regular shipping and we went out looking for a different dress. Amazingly, we found a great one right away. I think it was the shortest shopping trip I've ever been on. And I love her dress. So cute and comfy. Then I did her hair. I chose an up do, which Ivory said is not usually her favorite, but she liked this one and I think it kept her cool on the dance floor. Ivory also volunteered me to take pictures. Sounds good to me. I just used my cell phone since that is the best camera I have and I think pictures turned out great. 

All the girls looked so beautiful. And I loved that they got corsages for each other. Sarah didn't exchange because she made hers in her floral class, but the other three did. Ivory had a good time picking flowers for Annika. She chose fake ones so the corsage would last forever. 

Then the girls were off to dinner at Olive Garden. I think they had a really good time, and I'm really happy Ivory was able to go with friends. There will be more dances and boys will come and go, but good gal pals are important. 

The Last Carnival Cake

(September 20th, 2021)

I'm not going to lie. This year, someone mentioned the school carnival and I was SO EXCITED that we didn't have to go. I am more than ecstatic to put those years behind me. I have lots of fun blog posts to remind me that we did a lot of work and didn't have much to show for it. But we still need to visit the carnival from last year.

Tyler and I had just gotten back from the cruise and I immediately had to help Pearl make a cake. It was a bit intense, although not nearly as bad as the octopus cake. (Which ironically, we threw together right after a cruise as well.) Pearl was able to help a bit more with this cake. I made the edible cookie dough center and the peanut butter frosting, but Pearl used the frosting bag and tip to make the fur. 

Can you tell who it is?

Then we had Robyn make a batch of her world famous cookies and we filled his mouth. I know he is a happy monster because those cookies are the bomb.

Then we packed him up and took him to school. We showed up for the carnival and guess what?? We still didn't win. It just isn't meant to be. Is it rigged? I don't think so, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it was. We now have a perfect record of never placing in the cake contest. Good riddance Carnival. But check out some of the other cakes. There were some fun ones.

I checked out the face painting booth, and they were still doing acrylic paint. Why? Just buy some real stuff. Seriously, it almost makes me laugh, but instead it makes me angry. (That's an Ivory saying.)

And then Ivory had her face painted anyway. I guess she is old enough to make her own poor choices. 

We bid on stuff in the auction and mostly lost. I think we got a couple things. Not that I need to spend more money at the carnival. I think I was just savoring that this was our last dog and pony show.

Pearl saved some tickets to use in the bounce house. She went with a friend and they did the bungee cord. It actually looked pretty fun. You run forward and the cord pulls you back. This isn't my type of fun, but I can see why kids would enjoy it.

And then we came home and ate cookie monster. Who knew he was so delicious on the inside? But after eating pure sugar his whole life, he ought to be.

Quick Trip to the Evergreen State

(September 15-18th, 2022)

I am ashamed. I went to Washington to hang out with my family and I took basically zero pictures. The only pictures I really took were of bugs, because Daisy is working on her bug collection. (Because she really despises bugs the teacher allowed her to do a photo collection.)

I had a really great time. I watched a lot of Gilmore Girls with Miranda. I was kind of down on that show, but after watching some, it's kind of cute. I told her not to worry about my watching without her because I have no free time to watch TV. Maybe when I get caught up on the blog. (hysterical laughter)

I got to play some games with Mom and Tim. I destroyed them at Talisman and Mom got her revenge in Tales of the Arabian Nights. That was actually a really fun game that Tim and I tanked at, but we had a lot of laughs watching our characters gather more and more awful cards. I actually looked for it online later and they don't make it anymore. That's a shame. It was a party. 

We had friends over for dinner on two nights and I met a neighbor, Katie, who is a stellar human who used to do makeup for the Opera here in Utah. Epic. I also met Jim and Toby, who are constantly taking care of my family. They are also wonderful people and I counted meeting them as a bonus. You can see some of the projects Jim has done. He built a bridge across to Miranda's abode so Mom can get there more easily. 

And he also built the storage shed to house all the extra Dargan stuff. (Look at how nicely the shed matches. It looks like it was already there.) I'm actually fairly impressed that Mom and Dad don't have a storage unit anymore. That means all their stuff was whittled down to fit in the new space. I don't think you can properly appreciate how amazing that is.

I was sad that I could only stay a few days, but it was a really good time. I took a picture of myself as I left. (To be fair, my family doesn't love me taking pictures of them.)

Coming home on Sunday, Mom took me to the airport a little earlier. She was worried about traffic that didn't end up materializing. But boy was I glad I got there early when I saw the line for Security. I promise, you have never seen anything like it. It was so long and I kept trying to find the end. I eventually left the building and went across the sky bridge to the parking lot. The parking lot!! The line wound around the parking lot all over the place. People were taking pictures because none of us had ever seen the like. I heard later that several cruise ships disembarked at the same time, so the airport was overcrowded. (To say the least)

The line actually moved fairly steadily. After an hour I was already back across the bridge and in the original area, although it was still seven lanes across and packed to the brim, but I made it to my plane with time to spare. Thanks again for taking me early Mom.

It was so nice to come home to the kids and Tyler. You can tell they missed me too. They even decorated the house while I was gone. Just what I love to see when I come inside. A super creepy spider.

But wait, it's a whole army. And that is how I know I'm loved. My children were obviously thinking of me. 

I'll miss you Dargans and I hope to visit again soon. The evergreen state will always hold a piece of my heart.

Fête Day Con Salsa Verde

(September 9th, 2022)

Fete day is the best! We had a bit of a struggle getting it on the calendar this year since Ivory has been super busy. This made-up holiday has been such a joy throughout the years. Even June took the holiday all the way to the DR. 

I wanted to do PJs, but I was outvoted and we drew again and picked Green! That is great, since the last time we did Green, Ivory wasn't even a year old. So, fifteen years ago. It seemed fitting to give Green a chance again. We also opted to paint. We didn't invite another family this year but instead, everyone invited a friend. (Except me and Dad...we just took each other.)

As we waited for Shannon to arrive (she got lost) we played some Scream. The Cazier's did well, with Pearl and Ivory getting a win. 

Then when everyone arrived, we gave the specifics for the evening. Each person would paint with their buddy. Each pair would draw to see what type of pottery they would paint. And green had to be one of the colors you used. Also, you couldn't spend over a certain amount, so you would have to choose who would get the item after it was fired. 

We made a reservation at Color Me Mine and they saved us a big table. It was perfect. Let's introduce the pairs. This is Daisy and her friend Norah (who she met at FSY). They drew 'plate', but they had enough in the budget to each do one. You can see green is nicely featured on their dishes. 

Shannon and Robyn drew 'bowl' and likewise, they got two. They also used green to their advantage and decided to paint germs on their bowls. Awesome.

Ivory and Annika picked 'mug/cup' and they chose an awesome skeleton mug. They also decided Ivory would keep it, since Annika didn't have any room for it.

Brooklyn and Pearl drew 'miscellaneous'. They had a lot of options and chose a salt and pepper set. They each did one and drew flowers to get their green on there.

Me and Tyler drew 'seasonal'. We got a skull as well, and he had green although it wasn't the dominant color.

We had a really fun time painting together.

There were even some messages written to each other. 

All done. Let's see how they look. 

Daisy and Norah did a tribute on the back to their buds in their FSY company. 

Then it was back home to open gifts. I got to open first with green cupcakes from Annika. We all got some great green swag.

The ice cream cake made 9 nice slices, so I had a cupcake for dessert. Handy. I gave it a thumbs up.

And I just have to throw in here that Shannon was wearing spectacular shoes.

Fete day was a blast. Even though I forgot to get a group picture. I also forgot to get pictures of the finished products, but Tyler got them for me. I think everything turned out great. 

Happy Fete Day. See you again next year.