Miss Veenker 2009

Well I'm off to Ohio tomorrow, but I wanted to post about "The Miss Veenker Pageant" we had this past weekend. I've always loved doing sleepovers for my nieces and nephews. (Sorry to the nephews, I've neglected you for the past few years, but getting that many boys in a small confined space is enough to kill anyone).

Anyway, last year I thought it would be fun to have a Miss Veenker pageant and a sleepover (inspired by the Miss Pleasant Grove Pageant we had attended a few weeks prior). The girls LOVED the Miss Veenker pageant, so of course they wanted to have another one before I leave.

Now this is not your ordinary"show" that the girls put on 5 minutes before the "performance" is to begin. It's a HUGE ordeal that requires weeks of planning. Not so much planning for me, although I still have lots to do, but the girls "stress" about what they're going to do for their talent, and what they think will win the judges heart with their evening gown, swimming suit, and pajamas wear. (It's really cute to witness).

Katie, (sister-in-law) said that her two girls were so nervous about it. They wanted to do really good on their talent and make sure their "walk" was the best. My niece Brooklynn even choreographed her and her sister's dance, which was REALLY good. McKinsey made these fabulous signs with each girl's picture on them and Libby, Brooklynn and Cricket made this huge Miss Veenker poster. Everything turned out so great this year!

Last year I had the pageant at my small little townhome, but this year I asked my mom if we could do it at her house in case we had someone who wanted to come look at the house. (But it was mostly because I wanted some place with more space). We started off the evening (well it was more like day, we had to start at 3:00 p.m. because the evening would be full of lots of things to do) with hair and make-up.

I was so lucky to have so much help this year. My sister-in-law Cricket and sister Wendy helped with the hair and make-up, which was a huge help. It was kind of funny, while we were doing the hair and make-up, my sister Lori (who was in Indiana last year so Lexi couldn't come) asked "what time does this whole thing start?" I just laughed at her and told her that it has started and that the hair and make-up was part of the fun.

After everyone was gorgeoused (one of my new words) up, we started the competition with pajama wear. The girls looked so cute and the 5 judges (me, my mom, Cricket, Wendy and KyLee) knew already that it was going to be a hard bunch of girls to judge. After PJ's we did the talent portion, then swimwear, and ended off with Evening wear. It was SO fun and worth every minute of stress and preparation.

Now we didn't actually "judge" the girls, instead we took each girl and came up with a word or phrase that went along well with them. After everyone got their crown, flowers and sash, we had dinner and then headed off to Lexi's dance recital. All the girls had fun watching her dance and I'd have to say, she was one of the best in her class.

We ended the night with treats and a movie on the Big Screen (well it was actually just a movie projected on the wall, but it might as well have been). We watched the newer Parent Trap movie and the girls LOVED it. Mya wasn't so sure about watching the movie, she wanted to watch Tinkerbell (she's very picky about her movies and they can't be scary) but after I MADE her watch Parent Trap, I'd probably be safe to say that it's her new favorite movie. We all slept in the basement and everyone did really well through the night.

The next morning we had breakfast casserole and cinnamon rolls and that was the end, although Lexi wanted more. While I was fixing breakfast Lexi asked me "So what fun are we going to have today?" I had to break her heart and tell her that the fun was over.

Next year they want to have the pageant at the Cabin and the year after that in Hawaii. I told them I'd be willing to fly home for the Hawaii trip :). Then again, it's the girls' request on Hawaii, so we know how that will go.

I just wanted to thank my mom, Wendy, Cricket and KyLee for all their help this year. I also wanted to thank the moms for putting up with the girls demands on what to wear and what talent they want to do and helping them get ready. It was so easy with all the help I got. Before we had the pageant my mom asked me if I really like doing this or if I feel like I have to do the pageant. I think she answered her own question when she saw how much the girls enjoyed it and how fun it is to see the girls perform. I have the BEST family!

The girls in their evening gowns.

Striking a pose. They are all really good at that. No drama queens in this bunch (hear the sarcasam?)

Miss Lexi - "Sweetest curves and wave"

Miss Mya - "Perfectly Poised"

Miss Lexi - "Fashionably Fancy"

Miss Afton - "Prettiest Poser"

Miss Brooklynn - "Shiningly Chic"

Miss McKinsey - "Sensationally Spunky"

Miss Hailey - "Best Shimmer and Shake"

The clan with their crowns, flowers and sashes, what a cute group.

Seattle is Not the Place for Me

So I have decided that it's a good thing we will not be moving to Seattle or some other Pacific Northwest area (please tell me Akron Ohio isn't like Seattle!). I'm getting really tired of not seeing the sun! It's been cloudy here in Utah for the past week or so, and I don't know how much more I can take. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the cooler weather and the moisture, but then again, I haven't really noticed THAT much moisture. It seems like it will rain for a few minutes, then stop for a long time, and then rain a little more, and stop again. But during the stopping stages, I'm not seeing ANY sun and I'm starting to get a little claustrophobic!

I got really depressed when I pulled up the weather and noticed that for the next 10 days it's going to be about the same. Now I'm praying that it's wrong (most likely my prayers will come true because the weather people are never right), but if for some reason it's right, I may just have to exchange my ticket to Ohio for the Bahamas.

There are so many things that I would like to do, but can't because of the "rain". My windows need some major TLC, and what's the point in cleaning them one night if the next day it's going to rain? So I just have to stare out water stained windows till the sun decides to come out and stay. I did get brave and clean my sliding glass door (because it's under an eve and I figured the rain wouldn't do too much damage to it) and boy did it make a difference! Every time I look at it, I ask myself why it took me so long to give it a good scrubbing, HUGE difference.

I would also like to drive over to the other side of Utah Lake to take pictures of the mountains I have taken advantage of for the past 28 years. I could take pictures with all the clouds, but wouldn't it be so much prettier if their was a beautiful blue sky in the background? I agree. Plus as you can see in the pictures above, the clouds are cutting off the top of Timp, and we wouldn't want to remember the mountains that way, now would we?

So for now the pictures and windows will have to wait. I really hope that by the time I get around to taking pictures the mountains won't be completely brown like they get every year. And hopefully when the rain stops I'll still have the motivation to clean the windows.

Anyway, on a happier note, we did get an offer on our house a week ago, unfortunately the bank has the final say. We FINALLY got ahold of the bank today and they are saying it could take 30-45 days till we hear back on approval. So please pray that the couple that put the offer in will still be interested by then. I really hate that we are having to sell in this dumb stupid market, but remember, have a positive attitude that everything will work out.