Thanks for the great time in Utah

I just returned to Spokane from 11 days in Utah with the family. It was so good to see everyone again and just hang out. Thanks guys for making time for me in your busy schedule. I enjoyed seeing you all manage your lives so well. As Dad and I make this transistion into being "Empty Nesters" (BTW, I HATE that word--I think it is soooooo lame!) it is fun to be around you all as you carry on. I will admit, however, that I'm glad to be in my own house right now! Give me a few weeks and I will be ready to visit again. Thanksgiving will be here before we know it.


So, to Jace, keep studying, clean your room occasionally, get some sleep, and don't break too many hearts on your "Friday Night Dating Marathon." Thanks for letting me go to your Mission Prep Class. In only a few short months you will be an awesome full time missionary!

To Camille, enjoy your last semester, work on your "things to do in Utah before I leave" list, study if you must (after all, as you said, you do already have a job!), and be kind to all those guys you know. Go with the flow. . . Mr. Perfect is out there waiting for you!

To Brittney and Stuart, the house looks great! Thanks for letting me help a big with your bedroom. It has come a long way already. Good luck to Stuart as today is "day 8" of the "cleanse!" I'm praying for you! You guys have incredible will power! I missed not seeing the band play--maybe next time. You guys are doing an incredible job with everything!

I miss you all already. . . this house is very quiet sometimes!

Love you,
Mom

Looking forward to conference

I can't wait for this weekend because Mom and Dad are coming and that is always such a great treat. I'm also really really looking forward to General Conference.

Amidst the financial and political turmoil going on in our country right now, I just keep waiting for someone to come down and tell us what to do and how to proceed. I know that the prophet and general authorities aren't going to spell it out for us, but how lucky we are to have men who we trust and have faith in, in these uncertain times, to share with us truth and understanding. I can't hardly believe one thing that comes out of the mouths of any politician, senator, or congressman at this time. They only find enough breath to blame everyone but themselves, argue, or mislead. It's very confusing and disheartening.

I am very grateful to belong to a church where we have men of God who deliver the word of God to those who are willing to listen. Now, more than ever before, am I ready to listen and finally hear something of comfort that makes sense.

I just can't wait...

this blog stinks...

seriously people...

Vote for GMM

Hey guy - vote for the band here. You can do it once a day...don't be shy.

VOTE HERE

And finally some pictures

I finally got around to taking and posting pictures of our crazy summer. Enjoy - mostly because you'll be glad you weren't there...

Bedroom #1...

Living room...not conducive to actually livingCloset #1...

Closet #2...
And Finally - our new bathroom...
And my tile work...I did it myself

AND...A REAL LIVING ROOM...AND EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS!

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes

Just a quick note to let you all know that I really appreciate your kind birthday wishes. Even though getting older in years is not that much fun, it is necessary if we are still a part of this life! I still feel like a young mother in many ways, but at other times as I watch and reflect upon the accomplishments of my kids, I realize that I have indeed "grown up."

I so enjoyed seeing Brittney, Stuart and Camille last weekend in SLC. Yes, Brittney, I do admit that your place was a bit dusty, but I'm so proud of you guys for the work you have done and especially for your patience. I know I'm a bit anal about order and cleanliness, and I think Brittney has reluctantly inherited that trait. I totally understand your eagerness and excitement to clean!!! Really, guys, the world needs people like us! I'm glad you can take a break and enjoy a weekend with the band. I wish we could meet you in McCall, but with Dad being gone so much, and getting ready for his High Adventure week with Jace and the Priests, time has run out. . . again. Hopefully when he returns we can finish the kitchen and I can post pictures of it.

We miss you Camille, but I love hearing about your adventures in San Fran. I'm glad your summer is full of adventure. I'm sad that it is already the end of July. . . this is my favorite time of year.

Jace has been working a lot this week--getting in extra hours since he is taking next week off. I bought him some twin x-long sheets today for his bed at Helaman Halls! Oh boy, will that be a fun day when I drive away from Provo with all of you waving in the rear view mirror! Really, though, it is all VERY GOOD. Dad and I couldn't be more proud (in a good way, not a bad way!!)

Again, thanks for the birthday gifts, wishes and love. It is always nice to be remembered. . .

Love, Mom

random musings

Nothing much to post - but wanted to make my presence known.

So I think we sufficiently mortified mother when she saw our house last weekend - she knew it was bad, but I don't think she knew it was THAT bad. Anyway, I'm glad to report progress since last weekend. We have finished the bulk of the painting and are finally cleaning things up! I am so so so excited about this. I can't wait to scrub and vacuum and wipe, and do all things cleaning oriented. I'll finally feel at peace. Did I mentioned that this makes me excited!!

We are headed out tonight to go to Stu's concert in McCall Idaho with a bunch of hippies. It should be interesting - I'll certainly take my camera and post pictures appropriately. I can't wait to see the band on a big stage where they are truly meant to perform. They are getting so good - it's amazing to see and hear progress in the music. I never get sick of it - seriously, I know that seems hard to imagine, but I don't.

All in all, life is moving along too fast - I can't believe it's almost August. Where does it go?

Love and miss you all - always.

B

Summer Activities

So I just wanted to say that I had a really fun weekend! I'm glad I got to see you guys... and am very sad Jacey couldn't be there (I REALLY DID MISS YOU JACE... like A LOT)! These weekends always go by so fast. But luckily since it's summer we will be seeing each other in a few weeks or so. And I am lucky and get to see Daddio tonight! Yay for business trips!

On another note, I went to a Giants game at AT&T park last night with PwC. We had a tailgate party before (where everyone got sufficiently drunk), and then went to the game. I had a lot of fun... but I'll be honest, it was mostly because of my friends and the giant foam finger my coach let me borrow. Mom and Jace will be mortified to know that someone of their own blood even asked "so, when is halftime?" (I also wrote about this on my own blog... y'all [see that Jace? Y'ALL] should check it out). I also just kept thinking, "man, that concert Dave had here a few years ago was probably AWESOME! Too bad it's the Giants vs. the Nationals and not DMB." Oh well, some people just weren't born sports fans.

C

I Wanna Be a Cowboy

So before ya'll (thats right, ya'll) freak out about me wantin' to be a cowboy, lemme just explain myself here alright?

So thursday nite, miss nugget (Sydnie) took me to a rodeo! a real life bona fide rodeo in cheney, the official rodeo hick town of liberal washington. It was amazing! And when she told me we were going I got real excited and decided to just go all out and live the full, rodeo experience. So i wore my cowboy lookin, red plaid button up shirt, my skinniest dark jeans, brown shoes (because we obviously have never even thought of buying cowboy boots) and my austrailian cowboy hat made out of kangaroo that dad bought me from down under. I even tucked in my shirt! And when mom and syd saw me they both just laughed it was great.

So we get to the ranch and stadium where the rodeo's at and basically it was like driving into a whole different world. People are riding horses everywhere in the parking lot to warm them up, there are cowboys (REAL cowboys) everywhere with their huge belt buckles, wranglers, and boots, and everyone was super nice and polite, which is another reason why I wanna be a cowboy. As we enter the stadium, we give them our tickets (which Syd bought at Big R, haha no surprise there) and then the greatest event of the whole night happened...this guy asked me where something was! He asked me! I don't remember what he was asking for but he obviously thought me to be a genuine cowboy and asked me! it was great, a real ego booster, which is probably something I don't really need but oh well.

So how the rodeo started really made me smile. Sponsored by Wranglers, Ford Trucks, and Coral West Ranch Wear, (haha i love it) it all started by everyone standing up and 4 veterans from foreign wars entered the middle. The announcer praised the veterans, and condemned all those who don't honor our country or our military men. Then there was a prayer, yes, a prayer, without any lawsuits from liberal lawyers, and then the star spangled banner. It was great...the most conservative and traditional begginning to an organized, non-religious event i have ever seen!I would've bet my life that 99.9% of those people hated Hilary Clinton.

Anyways, to shorten this up, the rodeo consisted of barrell racing, bare-back horseriding, bull riding, calf herding, team calf herding, and amazing things like that. Bare-back horseriding was my favorite because it was alot easier for them to stay on then bulls. I was constantly asking Syd about the rules and such because she's been to a ton, but after a while I was getting the hand of it and it was great.

So basically...I wanna be a cowboy! It was one of the best nights ever and I absolutely loved the atmosphere and the way everyone treated each other. So if the next time you see me I'm wearing wranglers and a lasso don't be surpised.

Later partners...

Wake Up Call

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's posts this week! This is fun. . . even though we talk often enough, when things are written down it is just different some how.

This week has been quiet because Dad is traveling on the east coast. It is amazing how much busier the house is with him here. . . the pacing and talking on the phone are missed! I've gotten a lot of little projects done while I'm waiting for the counter tops to arrive and for Dad to come home and finish the things I can't do. I decided we needed to paint the hall and entryway too--afater all it's been 13 years and they say you need to paint every 10 or so. It definitely looks better, but I can't climb the super tall ladder to do the entryway--I need Dad again. I think we are also going to change the light fixtures. . .they definitely look dated. It always happens--once you start one home improvement project it leads into another and another. . . it hard to stop.

Anyway, the weather has been beautiful this week. . . mid 80's and sunny. Yesterday, however, it was REALLY windy all day--gusty and strong. At about 3 pm, a fire started out in the valley off of Dishman-Mica road. They had to evacuate a huge block of people--from Sprague all the way up to 32nd, and from east of Argonne to Pines. Basically all of the U-High area. Within a couple of hours, because of the winds, 13 people lost their homes--beautiful homes on the ridges in the Dishman area! I was watching TV today and they interviewed a nice couple who lost EVERYTHING, and they commented how they had just remodeled. . . how devastating! Here I am doing the same thing, and in reality it could be gone in an instant. A house is a house. . . it's family that makes a home. I just wanted to tell you all how much I love you guys and that its true that things are temporary. . .

So, now back to hanging up my pictures again and finishing up the details. Can't wait to see Brittney and Stu's duplex and her fabulous mudding job, and to see Camille and hear the details of Belize, etc. Jace and I spent most of today helping Sheri spread bark and plant flowers in her back yard. It is looking nice. Only a week until Lindsay's wedding--she is excited. Jennifer and her baby are here now--she is darling.

Again, LOVE YOU ALL!!!

A myriad of things, really

Camille here...

Here is a pic from the daytrip to the redwoods and Santa Cruz last weekend with the G-rents. More pictures are to come!

Today is Friday, and that means it's the weekend. I am EXHAUSTED. I have been getting up at 6:15 every day at the latest, and man, that really starts to wear on you. I feel like I'm in seminary again... which reminds me, the McLaws family is officially done with early-morning seminary!! That is, unless you get called to teach again mom :) haha... just kidding, that's a mean joke.

What are my plans for the weekend? Oh, thanks for asking. I'm not really sure actually. I have some friends from work that want to hang out, but it's just that we all live SO far away. One friend lives north of San Fran, another lives in Pleasonton... etc etc. They wanted to meet up in the city, since it's kind of a central location, but I have NO desire to come down here again on my day off! I think tomorrow one friend (named Jessica) is going to come swimming in G-ma's neighborhood tomorrow with me... and then we may go shopping or something. But tonight I really would not mind going to bed at like 10.

So this is what life has come to? Going to work Mon-Fri, and wanting to go to bed at 10 on a Friday night?!?!? Really? That's it?!

Last night I did get to go rock climbing with some friends, which was fun as always. I really love rock climbing. It's a good workout, and then while you wait for other people to climb you get to just sit and enjoy nature; I saw the most amazing sunset where the rocks turned practically RED from the sun. I felt like I was in a postcard. Although, on the other hand, it was also really frustrating, because I had to fight the traffic and I knew people were waiting for me, and then, of course the inevitable, I got lost again. There are like a gagillion freeways/highways here, it's really frustrating. I feel like I have been on the verge of tears for like a week and a half. (WHEN I READ YOUR BLOG BRITTNEY, I LAUGHED, BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE FEELING! Maybe in just a different way...) Everytime I get lost (which is almost every day) it's like they well up a little more.

And then this morning happened!! I thought I would try a different route to the BART station (which was a mistake -- I guess Grandpa was right on this one...) and I had to RUN to the station in my heels. People literally laughed out loud when I passed them full sprint... thanks, that feels nice. Then I go to put my ticket through and IT DOESN'T WORK!!! It got demagnetized or some stupid excuse. Either way, I had to wait as the attendent took her own sweet time to fill me out a new temporary ticket and watch as my 7:36 train drove off into the distance. The tears almost flowed freely, but I held them back. I am just dreading when they actually come, hopefully I won't be meeting prince charming or anything...

Sleeping in the bus...and so much more

Hi digital family/world.

I will post something for the masses. I will try to get some pictures up here of my life. This is actually a really good thing because a goal of mine has been to take more pictures, so now I have a reason to do so.

This has been an interesting summer so far. I say interesting because I've basically been homeless now for about 6 weeks - luckily some of that was spent on a super awesome cruise and some at our friend's grandma's house (which smelled like old people...not the good kind). The rest of the time, I have been sleeping in Dennis...the bus. Yes...the bus. (for those who may not know, Stuart owns a short bus - yes, like for special kids - that he uses to transport his band and their instruments. Early this summer, he converted it so that it has fold-down seats that turn into beds - you know - the ultimate rock n'roll touring vehicle for poor musicians).

While my stuff has been officially moved into our new house - I have not. My life is boxed away and strewn around my 1955 duplex accept for a small bag I carry to and from the gym when I have to shower (which I found is actually really good motivation to go to the gym). I also have a small suitcase of clothes, which is getting a bit old. I think once I finally move in, I'll feel like I inherited a whole new wardrobe because I haven't seen those clothes in forever.

Good news is that we were able to shower in our house for the first time yesterday - what a luxury.

Here is a list of the things I've found myself doing this summer:
--Sleeping in a bus
--Showering at 24 Hour Fitness
--Eating out too too much
--Becoming an expert mudder/sander/vacuumer/mudder/sander/vacummer/mudder/sander
(if you've mudded before, you know what I mean - right Jace? Before we even started, I told Stuart that I bet I would be good at mudding because I'm really good at frosting sugar cookies - sure enough. I'm pretty much the best I know...besides Dad of course. I blame it on being super detail oriented and kind of anal)
--Tiling a bathroom all by myself- which involved using a tile cutter, grouting, cleaning, etc...
--sheet rocking
--painting
--texturing
--using my front lawn as a parking lot during the Miley Cyrus concert at the BYU Stadium and making $120.
--and much much more.

It's not so bad. The only real repercussion is crying. I find myself breaking down at the very littlest things. Other than that, as long as you can keep the end in sight, ignore the mess (for now), and put on a happy face, it's actually a good..eh, interesting..experience.

I'll try to get some pictures up to illustrate our handiwork.

Love you all!

My Cyberspacial Debut

Why hello!

So I can't say i've ever written on a blog before...i mean i can't even say i've ever looked at a blog before a few weeks ago. So to say i have no idea what i'm doing is probably an understatement. I mean is it like a diary entry where i pour out my deep, dark, hidden feelings about the world? Or more like a travel journal where i just tell you all what's going on in my extremely exciting life? I don't know! Nobody's told me. So i guess i'm just not going to think about it and speak from the heart, as the old saying goes... "speak from the heart."

I'm not really sure if that's a saying but i bet somebody has said it sometime. And sorry ahead of time for not capitalizing some of my proper nouns, I don't know i guess it's just a habit i've gained from texting when i don't really care about grammar and such.

Ok. So my name's Jace Garrett McLaws, i'm the baby of this amazing family, but I am proudly the tallest, and arguably (I only say arguably because father thinks hes strong) the most enhanced in my physique, except for probably brittney because she's really strong and has premium stamina. We would probably say in this family that Brittney is near her "optimum." I'm 6" 3' and 3/4 inches and weigh approximately 185 pounds, depending on the time of day. I'm almost 18 and a half, and I just graduated from Mead High School, and I'm planning to attend BYU with my seesters and brother. I tell my friends it's like Hogwarts, because my name has been down at BYU since i was born because my entire family has/is attended/ing BYU. I'm looking into studying either Finance, Economics, or International Relations, and I'm also thinking about law school afterwards. I LOVE to do stuff...like physical get up and go stuff. I've been playing basketball since i was very little and played on my high school varsity team for two years. I ran over and sometimes through hurdles for Track, and I love waterskiing, wakeboarding, snowmobiling, skiing, hiking, biking, and pretty much anything outside. I also love music and have been playing the piano since 3rd grade. I'm not as good as my incredible sisters but I try to add my own eltonish duke ellington type flair. I LOVE my family so much! They're my favorite people in the whole wide world and i'm always trying to be like them. I LOVE the gospel and i love studying the scriptures and giving talks and i can't wait to go on a mission in a year! AND that's pretty much it. Yep.

I don't think i was supposed to give you my whole life story but i did so oh well. Now you know me and i can start talking about stuff without people wondering my entire backround, haha because it's right here.

Oh and Camilley said i should put in a picture so here's me, it's my senior pic...

Big gulps huh? Alright...Welp cya later!

Mom and her kitchen. . .

Hi Everyone!

Yes, the kitchen is coming along. The cabinets were installed on Tuesday. They look great. I'm happy with the color, style, etc. I put all the food and my dishes back in and it's amazing how much more room I have--expecially in the pantry! It makes me want to go grocery shopping now. We still have a lot of little things to do, however. We have to put on the baseboards, put in the appliances, and do the backsplash. First, though, we have to wait for the countertops to be made. They won't be done for 3-4 weeks, so I guess it will be late July before we are done. Oh well, nothing we can do about that one. . .

The funeral went well. Dad did a nice job on his Bishop talk--he sounded especially "bishopy!" No funeral is ever good, but there is something uplifting about an LDS funeral. They really are a meeting about the Plan of Salvation.

Tomorrow it's supposed to be 95 degrees here in Spokane! We haven't even seen the boat yet, but I think Larry is getting it ready. Maybe we will go out on July 4th. Jace has been busy this week working. Those darn jobs--they really cut into your play time!

Have fun in Belize Camille. The rest of us will work on house projects (B & Stu and Dad and I!!!) Get a little sun for us. Let us know what's up. . .

Love you all!!

Mom

Blogging... It's fun, I promise!

Alright guys, so here's the deal. This whole blogging thing? Yeah, you actually have to DO it.

For being a pretty technologically-savvy family, we aren't doin so well on this blog everyone was so jazzed about starting. I want to hear what everyone is up to! Really, your lives can't be THAT boring...

Mom, how does the kitchen look!? You should post some pictures on the blog of your new cabinets. Just put the pics on your computer, and use the little picture icon on top of the window you type in to upload the picture onto the blog. Also, how was the funeral? I bet it was nice, probably kind of sad (as most funerals are...)

Jacey, congrats on figuring out how to get on to blogspot. I really am proud of you. I knew you could do it. I was pullin for ya. I want to hear how your new job at the golf course is!! Been able to go yet? What are you doing w/your life in Spokane?

Daddio, you traveling anywhere cool lately? Busy? Oh wait, that's a silly question. Of COURSE you are busy. Tell us about it.

Brittney, I want to see pictures of your new house! That's a ginormous thing in a person's life... oh, and good job about the lettuce thing at Fazolis (yeah, who eats there?) You are braver than me. I am a whimp sometimes.

Stu, how is the band? Any names yet?

Welp, hope all is well with everyone. I miss y'all. I leave for Belize tomorrow morning, so I am pretty stoked. Living with grandma and grandpa has been great, interesting sometimes, but fun for the most part. I think they are loving having someone younger than 65 in the house... it's pretty funny. They get all sad when I tell them I will be gone so much this summer, so at least I know I am not a burden. I am learning a lot, and am actually really grateful I get to spend a summer with one of the coolest ladies ever. Anyway, love you all!

WOW! We are a blogging family. . . very cool. Thanks Brittney for getting us officially signed up to join the world of cyberspace. I'm taking a break from sweeping up dust in our kitchen as we are in the process of installing new cabinets and counter tops. Brent and I are the demo crew, and Home Depot will install. Brent wanted to do the whole project (he LOVES this stuff) but I didn't want to be without a kitchen/water/food/etc. for months on end! He doesn't even have time to clean his desk, let alone do a whole kitchen remodel himself! Jace helped us mud and tape today--a skill every 18 year old male needs to know. Now he can add that to his list of "What I did this summer. . ."

I enjoyed reading your blog, Camille. That's my girl. . . off to conquer big ol' San Fran by herself. We are excited to hear all about your adventures.

Well, got to go for now. More dust to sweep. . . Love to all!

First Post!

This officially constitutes the beginning of the McLaws Blog! It's going to be fun. To add a new post, just go to the "new post" link in the top right hand corner after you have signed in. Pictures and other details are soon to come. :)

Keep in touch!!