KReidhead

Brave or stupid

2010-09-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

One of my friends was coming to pick me up the other night so we could attend a meeting. I decided that I would start walking down the road to meet her. I was walking down my driveway just taking in all the green and beauty around us this summer, causually waving to the neighbor and rather enjoying the pleasant evening when all of a sudden I heard the unmistakeable buzz. I stepped dead in my tracks and looked down. About 4 feet in front of me slithering across the road was a huge rattlesnake. I spun and headed back to my house for a shovel. In the meantime I look up to see my neighbor coming down the road. I know he likes the dumb things so I wave him over. He gets out of his truck, grabs a shovel and proceeds to roll the shovel handle up the snakes back. He pins its head down and then reaches with his bare hands and picks the thing up with his young son and myself watching on. I about fainted.

Later I was sharing the event with dad. In classic Doy fashion with one line or less, he sums up the entire situation. "I always thought those guys who played with snakes were not showing how brave they are but how ignorant they are." Nothing else needs to be said. A man of few words but take heed when he speaks :)

Vacation

2010-08-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

I just back from vacation! We saw all but 2 temples in Utah, 3 in Idaho, 1 in Billings MT, and 1 in Nevada. We went to Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Cheyenne Frontier Days, we also saw Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley in concert. We saw a lot of beautiful country and had an absolute blast!

St. George Temple

Look for seven windows (directions to Buffi's house)

Kelly rolling down the hill at Manti.

Ogden Temple

Logan Temple

Idaho Falls

Idaho Falls Temple

The moon sitting on the temple

The Yellowstone

Lower Yellowstone Falls

A Buffalo that was right outside our cabin door

A nice little buck right next to our cabin

This looks like nothing but there is actually a grizzly and her cubs :)

This is the reason I live in AZ :) Elevation 12,000+

Billings, MT temple

Las Vegas NV temple

Graduation

2010-05-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

My 3 minute speech :)

Receiving the "hood"

My study crew...we finally made it!!!!

The graduation support crew!!! Cowbelles and all!

My ever supporting mother!

Cats are good

2010-03-29T23:03:00.001-07:00

Cats can be quite useful. I glanced over to see what the cats were doing. They were both staring at the ceiling. Upon closer examination...I discovered what they were looking at...

I called mom...her response...don't call your dad he wouldn't be much help and for that matter neither am I! What a lot of help she was! :) It is trapped in my 5 ft by 2 ft light fixture. I am sad to say that it is going to have to leave this world in this very light fixture.

Chillin with the Ferrin's

2010-03-29T22:56:00.000-07:00

Pictures from my Oklahoma trip. I really enjoyed spending some quality time with a wonderful family! It made for an awesome spring break!

You Rock Emilie :)

My shoulder must have been soft...

Loved the faces :)

Tis Good

2010-03-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Days like today make life worth living. Dad called after church and said he and mom were going on a drive and asked if I wanted to go along. I told him to come pick me up. He lost one of his oldest and dearest friends this week and was having a hard time. He felt a drive would help. We drove towards Heber and then turned back towards Snowflake. When we turned towards Claysprings dad started telling stories. He talked about deer hunting, hauling hay, and just the places around that area. We went to visit Jefer and Jamie but did not overstay our visit. Dad is not one to wear out his welcome. We decided to take the Burton Road back across. He told of the time that Uncle Rog had roped a deer and tied it to a tree and how they got out of that predicament. He then talked about his job herding turkey's. His mom looked out and he was eating his lunch at 8:00. We had a good laugh. We then stopped at the Carlisle residence and visited for a spell. It was a good day for reminiscing. Dad pointed out many of the places he lived. I treasure these times I get to spend with him. He is such a good man and I love him for the wonderful person he is.

Lincoln Logs

2010-03-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

Kallee wanted to have a party at my house the other night so she invited her friends and we had a "Farmopoly" party. We just got in the truck when Kamron came out carrying Diesel. He wanted to come and we were not leaving withut him. When we got to my house he pulled out the Lincoln Logs. I got down on the floor to play with him. He had me building and he was watching. It was too cute to pass up a photo opportunity. I sure love this little guy.

Good company

2010-02-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

I went to visit mom and dad yesterday. I looked to the left...mom was asleep. I looked to my right...dad was asleep. I decided I could be much more productive at my house. I let myself out and left them to sleep in peace :)

Night out

2010-01-28T22:25:00.000-08:00

I decided that I needed a night on the town. So...I called Tracy and asked if Hesston could go to the movie. I then called Abbie to ask if Riley could go to the movie. Off we went. Hesston and I slid off the road while going to get Riley. Good thing for 4-wheel drive. We were back on the road in no time. We got the movie and Riley busted out her money that she had earned to go to the movie. She wanted to pay her own way. She brought two five dollar bills but she gave one to Hesston so he could pay his way. She bought the movie and he bought the snacks. They are too cute. On the way home I learned that summer is a girl and winter is a boy and that we need to go home and tell our parents. They just made me laugh. What a great way to end the day!

Spontaneous

2010-01-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

I am often accused of being a bit on the spontaneous side of things so I thought I would outline me day. I returned home from church and decided that I would check the Internet to see some pictures of the snow in Flagstaff. I went to one site and saw some scenery pictures of the areas surrounding Flag. One of those pictures being the Grand Falls. I didn't think much of it. That lead me to looking at Kodi's blog. No pictures of the snow there. I then moved to Jim's blog. (Nice pictures there by the way!) Anyways... I determined that it has been some time since I have posted to my blog. I started thinking...what would make a good post...hmmmm. The wheels started movin. I thought maybe the Grand Falls would be running with all this moisture. Then I thought, there might be snow on them. That lead to wow that would be a nice drive. I then had to think of who to take...Lelia's mom wanted to go once upon a time. So...call Lelia. 30 minutes later we were on the road headed to the falls. They were running and it was a beautiful day for a drive. The best part was all the mud puddles along the way. Lelia would scream and her girls would laugh. It was the best!!!! My poor truck is covered in mud but what a great day. On the way home we decided to stop in Joseph City so Lelia could give her brother-in-law a haircut. That lead to Lelia getting her eyebrows waxed. The first thing I knew...I was in the chair getting mine waxed as well. Now that is a first! How is that for a spontaneous day? :) I tell you...what we won't do for a blog post!!!

Hot again!

2009-11-29T20:49:00.000-08:00

I was informed that it has been several months since my last post. Sorry for those who follow me! My last post was during the summer...well here is my winter post! I went up to dad's house the other night and stepped out of my truck. I heard a funny noise coming from the east side of the house. I thought...that sounds like the air conditioner. I went in the house and wandered over to the thermostat. Sure enough...the air was on! The thermostat was set at 88 degrees. The air was blowing full blast and Doy was putting wood in the fire!!! I told him that I finally understood why he has started going to church again. The devil had to leave and go back where he came from...Doy's house is hotter than hell!!! Needless to say...we are having a Hawaiian themed Christmas party!!!!

I bought him a thermometer for his birthday. He keeps the house at a toasty 80.5 degrees!!!!

Arizona

2009-07-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite poem. Very fitting for this time of year. Especially since I am sitting in the 3rd floor of the health professions building with no AC and then go to my friends apartment to study...no AC!!! I love the drive to Kodi's...AC in the truck!!!!

Ah, Arizona!
By Judy Hedding

The devil wanted a place on earth Sort of a summer home A place to spend his vacation Whenever he wanted to roam.

So he picked out Arizona A place both wretched and rough Where the climate was to his liking And the cowboys hardened and tough.

He dried up the streams in the canyons And ordered no rain to fall He dried up the lakes in the valleys Then baked and scorched it all.

Then over his barren country He transplanted shrubs from hell. The cactus, thistle and prickly pear The climate suited them well.

Now the home was much to his liking But animal life, he had none. So he created crawling creatures That all mankind would shun.

First he made the rattlesnake With it's forked poisonous tongue. Taught it to strike and rattle And how to swallow it's young.

Then he made scorpions and lizards And the ugly old horned toad. He placed spiders of every description Under rocks by the side of the road.

Then he ordered the sun to shine hotter, Hotter and hotter still. Until even the cactus wilted And the old horned lizard took ill.

Then he gazed on his earthly kingdom As any creator would He chuckled a little up his sleeve And admitted that it was good.

Twas summer now and Satan lay By a prickly pear to rest. The sweat rolled off his swarthy brow So he took off his coat and vest.

"By Golly, " he finally panted, "I did my job too well, I'm going back to where I came from, Arizona is hotter than Hell. "

College pictures

2009-07-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

So...I am in my last summer at NAU. Funny how fast it has gone and how much I have learned. It has been fantastic. Last week we were able to practice passing the scope on our professor. Here are a few pictures. Pretty trusting professor:) He let the whole class take turns. It was way cool.

This is a picture of my summer family! They are a fun crew!

My Colorado trip

2009-07-09T10:26:00.001-07:00

I took Buffi's horses up to her over Memorial Day weekend. I know this is late but hey...at least it is finally a post!

My traveling crew! They were fantastic travelers!

Hesston would fall asleep, wake up and say I didn't go to sleep. It was dang funny. Kallee is so smart and had me quizing her the entire way!

This picture was taken standing on Buffi's back porch.

This one was also taken on her back porch! The Sawtooth Mountain Range.

A huge mansion a few miles from Buffi's house

The lake that wraps around the Mesa that Buffi lives on.

Just some deer that we saw driving on the mesa.

Embarrassment strikes again!

2009-06-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

So, I just completely embarrassed myself again! We were on break during my voice class. There was a chair that looked very comfortable in the front so I sat down. I was experimenting with how far I could lean back. Now, I know that I have been taught to never lean back but some of us have to learn the hard way. It might be at this point that I need to remind you that I am not a small person. So, in my zest to see how far I could lean back...I gave it a good push...the weight of my body and the force combined. The chair continued past the normal stopping point! I did a complete somersault off the chair right there in front of my classmates! The base was sitting on the ground and the chair portion was laying on the floor! All I could do was lay there and laugh! What an idiot!

Dear Child

2009-02-01T00:42:00.000-08:00

It would seem that moving into the house and getting settled is so peaceful that I do not have much to write about and no pictures to post. I just prepared a young women's lesson about our devine potentional and found a wonderful letter that Heavenly Father could very well send to each of us. I thought I would include it. Never hurts to remember who we are!

Dear Child,

I remember well the day you left my side, wandered through the veil and ventured forth to fulfill your earthly mission. I had a tear in my eye each time I clothed your spirit in a cloak of love and sent you off to school. Be assured that my thoughts are with you, now as always. I love you with all my heart. I know your life, the good and the bad, your grief, your disappointment, your unrewarded efforts, and your frustrations. But always remember, all that I have is yours if you will only come home again.

Child, realize that in you I placed a bit of heaven. I love you. You have some blessed gifts, some talents, and some small part of me in you. Search for them, develop them, use them, and most importantly, share them with others. If you really love me, then help others find themselves and lead them to me. Show your love by serving others. Repent of your failings and be humble. Make yourself ever teachable and continually strive to improve. I gave you weaknesses to help you be humble. Don’t let discouragement engulf you. I’ll come if you need me.

My child, cease your idle contentions, be a peacemaker, for it breaks my heart to see so many of my children fighting. If they could only see what I have hoped, planned, and desired for them. But you, my faithful child, are my hope. It is through you that my work must proceed. You haven’t much time and there is so much to be done. I beg you to get started. Be diligent in my work and my kingdom shall be yours. Accomplish the mission I gave you.

I’m nearer to you always than you might suspect. I have so much I’d like to tell you. Come to me often in prayer. I love to talk to you, my beloved child. I’d love to take you in my arms, but I too, must wait patiently. That time will come. Until then, I leave you with my peace, my blessings, and my love. Never forget, I am near by if you need me. I love you and miss you so very much and oh, how I am looking forward to your return again to your mother and me.

All my love,
Your Heavenly Father

Moved in!

2009-01-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

I am officially living in my new house. I moved in on December 23rd with the help of Molli's family, mom, dad, Sandy, Buffi's family, the Christensen family, The Massey/Turly family, and the Shumway family. It was quite the adventure as it was snowing sideways and was extremely cold. I could not have done it without the great help! Here are some pictures that show the finishing up of the construction and getting settled into the beautiful home.

Kitchen sink with a great view.

Master bedroom closet

Master Bathroom

Front door

The drilling rig

The entry wall all decorated.

One wall in the living room.

The "entertainment center".

The guest room.

The guest bathroom.

The kitchen and dining room.

The dining/card playing room:)

I finally have a place for my collection of horses.

Another wall in the living room.

Of course the saddle has to be on display. The rope hanging on the horn is one that Clay O'Brien Cooper used on the day he came to try out the Blue mare. He gave it to me when he was done. I was anxious to display it in my new home.

My bedroom.

Ole Gus finally parked in out of the weather. The garage is so nice.

The best picture of all...I was not feeling well so mom had dad bring the vacuum down. To our suprize, he vacuumed my whole house. He did comment that this is the first housekeeping task he has ever done. I could not pass up taking a picture. I am so thankful for such wonderful parents. They are my champions!

Leaping forward

2008-12-11T18:16:00.001-08:00

Chelsi's birthday

2008-12-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

Molli decided that we needed to have a party to celebrate Chelsi turning the big 18! Here are a few pictures from the party. Chelsi is an awesome niece. She is good about calling and checking in. She always has a lot going on in her life and she consistently sets a good example. She loves the family. Especially Ryan, Kari, and Kamron's family. She loves to help serve her papa Doy and thinks that he is the funniest man ever. (Note...I must agree with her) She loves all and is such a bright spot to have in our family. Thanks for being you Chelsi!

Papa Doy and Kelton

A few steps further

2008-12-04T20:42:00.000-08:00

They spray textured the walls.

One should never mention to Molli that they are painting their baseboards white...
They will soon be stained.
I absolutely love them and am so happy that we stained them.
It was a little longer Thanksgiving craft project but probably never more appreciated.
Thank you my wise and all knowing sister:)

All taped and ready for the painting.

I really branched out on my paint...white! It is really Rosewood blossom but technically...white

I love the stained baseboard. It makes the house.

Let the tiling begin!

They are finishing up with the tile. It is amazing that they were able to lay it all in two days!

The stucco is on

2008-11-23T20:17:00.001-08:00

The walls are all taped.
I decided to go with tapioca for the color of my stucco. It looks great with the green roof.

These are about the last shots that show progress from the outside. All that is lacking is the garage door. It is all going so fast.

This is a picture of the front porch.

We have sheet rock!

2008-11-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

Konnie's wedding pictures

2008-11-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

Kallee and Maggi look on from the loft.

Our wonderful aunts. They make it to almost every occassion. It is a treat to have such wonderful people who have set such a legacy for us to follow.

The new brother-in-law Billy, Konnie, Dad and Mom

Dad and mom in comfortable seats for the ceremony.

The sisters line up for their pose. Maybe the legacy that our aunts set forth will continue.

Funny

2008-11-13T20:32:00.001-08:00

I figured we were way past due for a good story. Tuesday morning I awoke to do a service project of cleaning yards. Is this the reason for the picture? I mean, rakes, shovels, youth, fire, all could be very possible reasons. Nope. How about going home and roping. Thumbs manage to frequently get in the way during roping. Nope. This all came about due to a cake. Yes...a cake. You see, Konnie asked for a carrot wedding cake. Carrot cake is easy enough you would think. My landlord has a wonderful grater and I decided to just run by her house to grate the carrots and then head out and bake them. Her daughter came in the kitchen to assist me with my task. She was going great guns when she all of a sudden started jumping around and saying that she had pinched her finger. I so boldly stepped forward and said, "Oh here, let me show you how to do it". I was holding with my left hand and rapidly turning with my right when all of a sudden my thumb was sucked into the grater. I showed her alright! It took off a little piece of my fingernail and laid the skin back a little. Please notice that I used the word "little" twice. Nothing major you would think. I got my thumb rinsed off. They bandaged me all up and then gave me a nice cold drink of water. I went and sat in the comfy chair to just relax a bit because it did hurt. It was at this moment that the Reidhead cropped out in me. I had that nauseous feeling and said, "Pam, I think I am going to pass out". I came to a few seconds later soaking wet and asking the important questions of life. Who are you? Where am I? What am I supposed to be doing here? Poor Pam was not quite sure what to do with me. I assured her that this is a very common occurrence in my life:) Needless to say, It is fine and trust me is so not worth fainting over but I did.

Mom

2008-11-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

We had an activity at the church tonight and they asked me to bring my dummy. Mom has always told me exactly what I need to do to improve my roping so I let her put her advice into action. It is one of those "do as I say not as I do moments":) One thing is for sure...mom is such an example to all. She willingly accepts a calling as enrichment leader at age 75 even though she has trouble getting around. She is involved and has a smile on her face. She still seeks to be positive each day no matter her trial. She was out on her walker this last Saturday cleaning up the weeds because she cannot stand things to look trashy. She is a go getter and someone that I want to be like more and more each day. I count it a treasure to be her daughter.

More house progress

2008-11-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

It has been interesting to see the plumbing go in. There is a lot to it!

This is the styrofoam under the page wire for better insulation. It has made a difference already.

This is the outside with the first layer of stucco on it. I should be moving in before Christmas. It is so exciting!

They hung the sheet rock today:) It looks like a house now. I still have to pinch myself.

More progress

2008-10-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

This is the cement pad in front of the garage. Will be nice for washing the ole truck:)

Can we say jacuzzi time. This is a little on the frivolous side but hey...

Well, the shingles are in place. The foam is around the outside edge getting ready for stucco. The heating and cooling is almost set to go. The electrical wiring is ran on the inside. The windows are in along with a few doors. It is going so fast and I am getting very excited. It is fun to watch it go up.

A lot can happen in a few weeks

2008-10-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest pictures from the house project. The first here is the rock ditch for the electric line. I am thankful for Mike, Ryan R, Kenny, and Lisa for all that they have done to get it ready. It was a huge undertaking but it is in!

Everything is just about set here to lay concrete.

The foundation is poured!

The framing begins.

And now...we have shape!
These are the pillars on the porch.
Mom coming for an inspection...
The wrap goes on.
Ready for the roof.

Roof almost complete. Porches framed. Just about ready for shingles.

House is under way!

2008-09-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

We finally broke ground on the house!
I have been taking pictures each day and have been shamed into posting...thanks Tamra. Don't worry, I will include more pictures of the cats as well.

I have to put the chief in charge first. Ryan is the best! He has been down here almost every weekend and has helped me so much. I can't believe how much he does for everyone. Thanks to him and Mike for making this house a reality with all of the ground breaking stuff. I treasure the family and am so thankful for them.

The septic tank...first thing to go in, one of the last things to work.

I could not help but take this picture. The septic tank works fine. As Laren put it, tis a little breezy but works fine as long as you close your eyes:)

This is the start of the trench from you know where. It is in solid rock and has been a pain but we are getting there.

The Girls

2008-08-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

I need to introduce my girls. My cats sure are a lot of fun and are enjoyable to have around. They are my watch cats. When I was gone to school this summer, my friend was taking care of them. They would growl at her when she would come into the house and even try to claw her. I had to laugh. They are loyal and provide good company to an otherwise lonely house. Right now my house is so small that they have to start on their cat tree, jump on the bed, and run into the bathroom just to get some exercise.

Smokey Mouse only likes me and is so cuddly but disappears when anyone else walks in.

This is Jazz. She is such a nut and loves to take her paw to wake me up in the morning. Who needs a better alarm clock than that. She also likes to jump in the sink and just lay there.

Back to School

2008-08-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

School is off to a great start. I love my job and actually look forward to going to work each day. I am trying new things from summer school and am loving the results.

I had one very embarrassing moment so far this year. I was going to our yearly sexual harassment training when my boss walked by. I could not resist taking a lanyard and whacked him on the butt. I immediately realized what a stupid mistake I had made and went about 5 shades of red. All the teachers commented on my sexual harassment and my boss backs up and says, "It's only harassment if it is unwanted." I had to leave as quickly as possible before my red face was completely noticed. The phrase...think twice before acting...I really should do that more often:)

Red hat purple shirt society

2008-07-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Sandy and I often joke that when we grow up we are going to be members of the red hat, purple shirt society. For now, we belong to the pink hat lavender shirt society. (I think we are the only members!)

My Main Man

2008-07-31T12:26:00.001-07:00

This is my main man! Red River is the best horse ever. Of course, he has several names: Captain, Bubba, Socks, and old sorrelly. He is 21 years old and has been my partner for 16 years. He hates posing for pictures but I did manage to get a good shot of him.

Branding

2008-07-31T11:40:00.001-07:00

I am so thankful for friends. The Howell family have been great by allowing me to keep my horses at their place and rope with them all summer. It has been fantastic. This is a picture of Todd, Michael John, and myself branding "Oreo". Cody is in the background.

Latest in embarrassing moments

2008-07-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I would start my blogging experience in a typical Karalyn manner...

So, I got out of my truck on Tuesday morning and began the process of unloading my books to head into class. I set the computer bag on the ground and reached in to grab the other book bag and a drink. As I reached down to grab my computer bag and move it in order to close the truck door...you guessed it, the bag did not move as desired and there I was in the middle of the NAU parking lot sitting on my fanny. I quickly surveyed the area to make sure no one I knew had seen this unfortunate event. On the brighter note, I did not spill the drink! I laughed out loud, gathered my composure, and headed into the building. I am sure that whomever the people were that drove by had a very good laugh throughout the remainder of the day!