November 2019

My mom got us lovely house-warming gifts -- pendant lights and a chandelier! I love them so much!

Anastasia! 

Sydney brought this home from school. It didn't last long in the heat, then the rain.

Dallin's second cross country season! He was made for this sport. Here he is at the championships.

Third place. :)

Justin at the temple and priesthood preview. This is such a great group of kids!

I have a lot of clients right now. My desk is a mess and so is my chalkboard.

Brynn keeps asking Grandma to read to her.

First time making Mom's recipe for lemon meringue pie. Mmmmm yummy.

Another temple trip for Dallin!



Quotable Sniders:

"You know, out here in the casual west." -- Southern lady I interviewed for a story

Is that what the rest of the country thinks of us? Casual?

Medical Person: OMG your medical history is so boring.

Me: I’m LDS and have four kids. I don’t have time.

When you stay up late while your teenager finishes a school project, then you gotta go get poster board at Walmart... it's finally done and you can move on with your life. Then the next morning (today) the teen forgets to grab the poster! And he's in the carpool. So there's this policy about not bringing forgotten items to the school, but you as a parent can't NOT bring it. So despite lack of good hygiene and not following rules, the school let me bring the poster in and now I am the parent who saved the day. The end.


I was interviewing a business-y guy on the phone today for an article I'm writing. For about 30 minutes we talked about business-y things. Then I asked him about himself. And that's when he started telling me that when he's not working, he's speaking at parent support groups, rehab centers, schools, etc. Because several years ago, his adult son died from an opioid overdose. He kept apologizing for being so personal and sharing so much about this. "But you seem like it's ok to share this with you." I told him that my dad died a few months ago. So we talked about grief, and how you find ways to remember the loved one you never thought you'd lose. A few weeks ago, this man had a bench installed near a river with his son's name on it and an inspiring inscription. Two days after that, someone contacted him out of the blue, saying that their own son had died similarly, and they were losing hope in life, but this bench helped them know they weren't alone. Isn't it amazing, how if we just open up and talk about things, we can make these kinds of connections? This man sent me photos of the bench and his family. "I know you're not going to use this for the article, so I don't know why I'm telling you." I told him I was glad he told me. Grief doesn't have to be taboo or weird. It's healing to talk about loss. And it's amazing if you find a way to keep memories of a loved one alive.


So we’re sitting there, waiting for the school play to begin, listening to the music playing over the speakers.... when What is Love comes on and immediately half the audiences’ heads start boppin.

What are your favorite 20 films of the last decade?
Here are mine in no particular order:

Ready Player One
Murder on the Orient Express
Inception
X-Men: Apocolypse
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Rogue One
Bridge of Spies
Sherlock Holmes
Prince of Persia
Dr. Strange
Split
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Crazy Stupid Love
Larry Crowne
Up
Toy Story 3
Inside Out
Moana
Monsters University
Coco

Tonight at dinner.... my foodie 11-year-old voices his delight.

Justin: MOM what did you do to make this pork chop taste SO AMAZING??

Me: Literally salt, pepper, and don't overcook or undercook. Let it rest. Pork is magic and doesn't need much.

Justin: Well, it's good. Thank you for cooking it. *HUG*

Monarch butterfly the size of an eagle. Scary or awesome? (Trying to interpret my dream from last night....)