Stubs Pubs

Eagle Eye

2010-01-10T15:35:00.004-07:00

I was driving a back road to Payson and spotted a bald eagle on top of a telephone pole. I had to pull over and snap a picture. A nice couple pulled up to me and asked if I needed help. I said, "No, I'm just taking a picture of that bald eagle." Then they drove off without even turning their heads to look at it...! How do you not turn your head to look at an eagle??? Is it me? Am I just a bird freak?

I saw the eagle three days in a row on Arrow Head Trail Road in Payson. I didn't have my camera with me the first day, I snapped the above photos on the second day and I went back a third day and he was there again! So I snapped some more pics! I'm happy to report that a young man pulled over to see if I needed help on the third day.When I pointed out the eagle, he got out of his car to admire the bird with me. My faith in humanity has been restored!!

So after the third day of pulling over, getting out of my car and staring at this beautiful bird...he finally stared back at me. Then he flew away. I've been back four times since then, and I haven't seen him again. I guess I annoyed him. Sorry bird.

Merry Merry!!

2009-12-29T22:27:00.005-07:00

Happy Holidays from the Schneblys (and a Boyce)

Becca holding Binky, Grandma Helen, Karen holding P.J., Michael with Boyd on his shoulder, and Jared holding Buddy.

Some of you received this photo with my Christmas card and I wrote in the margin.."Can you see the bird?" My friend Jane wrote back and said that her husband had to point out the "real" bird as she was scrutinizing our fingers.... I thought that was hilarious and I apologize if anyone else misunderstood me.

Sacrifice and silliness

2009-11-20T19:17:00.015-07:00

When I started graduate school in August, I was told that I would be sacrificing things over the next three years in order to juggle my new responsibilities. I've discovered that my blog is on the altar. Why not Farmville or Bejeweled Blitz, you ask? Because those games don't take mental energy. I don't have to think...I just get to milk virtual cows and make three pretty gemstones line up and explode. Blogging is different. Blogging uses brain cells. And using brain cells takes energy which I seem to be lacking. But here I sit in class, with a video of an example of Constructivist therapy playing on the screen in front of me...and I've decided to blog. Aren't you lucky? You must be living right!

First I want to share two funny quotes I've heard recently. One of them is from a T-shirt that I've ordered... it says, "And then Buffy staked Edward. The end." Hee Hee. Hilarious.

The other quote is "Blogging, Never before have so many had so much to say to so few." Too true.

Now I'm going to attach some pictures from the last three months. Have a great day!

Jared found this tame cockateil near a creek in town. She went right to him and has become a fun part of the family. Michael calls her Boyd. Jared calls her Polly Wolly and I call her the pooping master cage disaster.

This is my best attempt to be Martha Stewart and make a homemade cake for Jared's birthday. I know...I'm incredible. Hold the applause please.

This is my mother in law with curlers in her hair playing the Nintendo Wii. I thought it was great. And there sits
Michael on the couch. With a bun in the oven. When we were dating he said he wanted more children. I didn't know that he was going to have them himself. (Just kidding honey...you know I love ya!)

Here's Jared with his friend Dallas who is a Taylor Lautner look-a-like. He actually had some girls and ladies ask to take their picture with him at the New Moon premiere last night. So funny...and so odd...

This was the wedding party that followed my niece's wedding at the Bountiful Temple in October. I don't know this lady...but this just seems wrong to me. She's the photographer and apparently she had to stand in the fountain to get the best angle. I know I'm going to hell for wishing she would have biffed it...I was standing by with my camera to catch the whole thing...but alas...she had a stunning sense of balance. (and great calves.)

A shot of Jared and his excitement of having a little sister.
(I had the same look on my face when she showed up with her new do-it-yourself bangs trim.) (And where in the world, did they ever get the name bangs? Seriously, why?)

This is my cute niece Kailee and her new husband Dallin. AND A GIANT HAND! Wow...that is some seriously great photography skill, isn't it? (at least I know better than to stand in the temple fountains.)

Some fun birthday gifts from my friends. I love the T-shirt...and it speaks a very important truth. (And this is the new way I've decided to be photographed because it hides my multiple chins.)

Another swine flu fatality

2009-10-19T23:59:00.002-06:00

Fall...my favorite time of year! Football and Foliage

2009-09-27T21:25:00.007-06:00

Jared is #37. He's pulled that guy down for a big loss. It was awesome. Two plays later he recovered a fumble. What a stud!!

These are some shots on the hike up to Stewart Falls in Provo Canyon. Don't we live in a beautiful world?

Is a llama your mama?

2009-09-09T18:05:00.002-06:00

This is my sweet sister Katie feeding her baby to the llamas. Actually she's just introducing baby Zoe to her older siblings. I have no doubt that Zoe will be an animal lover like her mother. Check out my link to Katie's blog to read more.

My nephew Kyle

2009-09-06T18:32:00.004-06:00

This is my handsome nephew Kyle. He leaves for his mission in just a few days. I'm willing to bet that he'll be able to convert a handful of young ladies just by smiling at them.

He's just one of four cute kids.

And one of of six beautiful people!

My newest niece...Zoe Marie Zsembery

2009-09-01T23:57:00.002-06:00

Her initials are ZMZ so I'm gonna call her Zoomz. It'll be perfect when she runs super speedy around the bases after hitting a home run.

She's looks so teeny. I love it!!

Some of my favorite pictures from the Alaska cruise

2009-08-23T19:58:00.003-06:00

Mom's version

2009-08-21T18:42:00.004-06:00

Make sure you watch the video below first. My mom is telling my brother Todd about our grand surprise. (He already knew about it...I can't be expected to keep a secret this good from everybody can I?)

Hee Hee...stalking my mother all the way to Alaska

2009-08-21T17:57:00.003-06:00

This is for my friends and family who aren't on Facebook. It's a little snippet of Mom's reaction to me and Diane showing up at her cruise ship cabin. This was her first cruise and she was pretty anxious. Now, I cannot allow people to have the most fun ever without being there to also partake...so I invited myself on Mom's and Auntie Jo's cruise and didn't tell them until we all sailed away.

The difference between men and women

2009-08-02T20:15:00.006-06:00

I love my son. He cracks me up. The past 6 months or so have been quite a wild ride, but I love him none the less. I've been neglecting my Blogging duties for a while now. I'd intended to write down an unforgettable interaction with Jared back in May.

We were sitting in the kitchen together working on a packet of homework that he needed to have done and turned in the next day. Like a lot of teenagers, he had procrastinated the homework and now was up late trying to get it done.

From the kitchen we overheard his step father on the phone in the bedroom. We heard him say, "he's one of the smartest kids I've ever known, he's incredibly bright!" Jared's eyes lit up and he turned to me and said, "Is Michael talking about me?" I nodded that he was. The gratification didn't last long because the next thing we heard from the bedroom was, "but he's really lazy. He's a big slug wasting time on the computer and video games and neglecting the things he supposed to be doing." Jared's smile instantly turned into a frown and his eyes darkened and filled up with tears. He turned to me and said, "I hate his guts!" I marched into the bedroom and Michael looked at me and indicated that he was on the phone. I angrily said, "I know...we can hear you in the kitchen and now you have a crying stepson who hates you!" Then back into the kitchen to do damage control. Due to circumstances beyond Jared's control he has some issues with fathers and father figures. I worry about him and want more than anything else for his deep wounds to heal. I encouraged him to think about the complement Michael had paid him and lovingly pointed out that he did have room for improving the way he spends his time but admitted Michael could have said that in a nicer way. Jared got really quiet and continued working on his homework. I had a lot of things going through my head. Did I need to schedule a therapy appointment for him? How could I mend this fragile relationship between my new husband and my son? Should we get family counseling? What is my role? I had a lot of thoughts bombarding me and wasn't sure what to do. It had been so obvious that Jared had been truly hurt by his stepfather's remarks. I looked at Jared again and he seemed to look normal.
I said, "Hey, are you OK?"
He seemed surprised. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
I said, "Aren't you upset at Michael?"
He replied, "No. Not anymore."
Stunned, I inquired, "You were really hurt, how did you let go of your feelings so quickly?"
He just looked at me and said, "Helloooooo....I'm not a woman."

It still makes me laugh.

Happy Father's Day Daddie-o

2009-06-22T00:24:00.003-06:00

He came to my ball games faithfully
and loudly cheered "How to Go!!"
I'd roll my eyes, and jog by to correct him
"It's way to go! Dad, Way to go!"

He was raised by a man with a potty mouth
And Dad didn't like it one bit
In my whole life, I've never heard him cuss
I don't count " Great Gobs of Blue Geese!"
(what did you think I was going to say there?)

He taught me to love music, I love to sing with him
My favorite memories involve his guitar
Singing old country westerns, yodeling for us
We didn't have to search far for our star

As expressive as he was with his music
And as supportive as he was with my sports
The "I love you"s were a little too seldom
And the hugs were a little too short.

Mom counseled him to try a bit harder
So as he walked by he squeezed my big toe
And I knew all along that he loved me
And I thought "How to Go Dad. How to go!"

Don't let the bed bugs bite!

2009-06-20T23:54:00.016-06:00

Check out this video about bedbugs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfKCcSPCOQo

This is a nymph before it has "eaten".

This is the very same nymph after it had "eaten".

And here it is again, only you get an idea of it's real size.

And this is what happened to me after I stayed up all night sitting on a couch that was infested with bedbugs.

I'd had a sofa cover over my couch, and had no idea what was lurking underneath until they tried to eat me alive!

I was able to get brand new couches out of the whole terrifyingly itchy experience. And I have a new appreciation for sleeping tight!

Pictures from Cailin's wedding!

2009-06-13T18:34:00.011-06:00

Waiting for the happy couple to come out of the temple, Susan finds a way to keep the sun off baby Jacob's head.

Jared and his handsome cousin, Kyle. Eat your hearts out ladies, he's leaving for his mission to Brazil in September.

Here they come! Morgan and Caitlin Sheffer! With Grandma Dee giggling in the back ground.

The mother of the bride and the missionary. My beautiful sister-in-law Nancy Tyree.

It looks like a bunch of models in some fashion magazine, and then there's me in the background. Really, I am related to these gorgeous people!

The father of the bride and my big brother, Todd.

Pucker up!

Kyle and Devin looking sharp!

Glam girl Alli.

Kyle and Jared sharing a tender and hilarious moment. These two boys are a laugh riot.

Hey, you know what would be funny? Have Caitlin hold Jacob like it's her baby and have Todd strangle Morgan. Yup, that's funny! Too bad we didn't have a shotgun too.

Wicked comes to SLC!

2009-05-29T23:40:00.007-06:00

I know this will come as a giant shock to some of you, but I am a fan of Wicked. (the musical, NOT the book.) I have traveled the world to partake of the delicious fruit and I have labored to bring others to the tree that they might also partake. (Don't worry, I'm sitting under a lightening rod should God decide to smite me.) But I do love Wicked and I wish everyone could experience it. I was able to see it twice when it came to Salt Lake City last month and was able be on the front row at one of the performances. What a thrill! I was right there, they were singing to me. I felt like I was part of the play, maybe a Munchkin. This first picture is a picture I sneaked at the end of the show. You aren't supposed to take pictures at all. My friend Dave took a picture of his family sitting in their seats before the show started and an usher came up and told him that it wasn't allowed. He quickly responded, "Hey, I have the copyright on my family." I thought it was pretty funny.

This is my fun friend Krissy who was my date for the front row performance. I let her borrow my Wicked umbrella because if she gets wet, she melts.

This is the understudy who played Glinda. She did a great job, but I preferred the Glinda from the first show. The first one was Katie Rose Clarke and she portrays Glinda as a spaz hyped up on Ritalin or something. She's freaking hilarious!! I'm pretty sure Katie Rose Clarke is the same lady we saw in Rochester NY when I went with my family last year. I'll have to double check my program.

This is Donna Vivino who did a fantastic job as Elphaba. She was probably the best Elphaba I've seen next to Idina Menzel.

This was the guy who played Fiyero. It looks like I just grabbed his butt or something. He's keeping a close eye on my hands to make sure that I don't squeeze the Charmin.

A Memorial Hike in Muddy Bryce Canyon

2009-05-27T23:07:00.003-06:00

We took Michelle to Bryce Canyon for another adventure before she returns to Taiwan next month. She nearly lost her sneakers on the muddy trail, but we managed to make it out alive with our newly cream-cicle colored mud covered shoes. Utah is gorgeous, don't you think???

Caitlin

2009-05-11T22:47:00.004-06:00

Yes ladies (and a couple of gentlemen)...I am related to this gorgeous girl. This is my niece Caitlin. Her father and I share my mother's genes. I'm thinking, however, that I don't share enough of them. Isn't she absolutely stunning??

I love Moab

2009-04-27T22:22:00.005-06:00

My impression of Balanced Rock.

My boys.

Jared may be lots shorter than Michael, but he can climb lots higher.

Yup. That's us under that there arch. This was Michael's and Michelle's first trip to Arches National Park. Michelle is a foreign exchange student living with my BFF Diane. She goes back to Taiwan in June so we're making sure she gets the Utah experience.

Why am I craving a Big Mac?

The gang enjoying the view of Delicate Arch and catching our delicate breath.

My kind of Barbie

2009-04-22T20:29:00.000-06:00

What I've done

2009-04-20T10:02:00.004-06:00

I took this from Heidi's blog...I've got a few more things to do on this list.

**I've done the items in bold**
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Been to the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on a train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Learned another language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Mt Rushmore
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Visited Ground zero
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - oops!
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Tied a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Visited the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

A Sanitary Solution for Cyndi

2009-04-18T00:07:00.007-06:00

Once upon a time I had a dear friend named Cyndi. When we first became friends we discovered that we were alike in many ways. We loved to laugh and to make other people laugh. We exhibited odd behavior when we laughed hard. Her tongue wiggled and I threw my head back to send a throaty laugh straight to the heavens. We took life a little less seriously than some of our relief society sisters and for that reason we were nearly shunned when we made cat litter casserole and snot on a stick for a homemaking taster's table. (see me for the recipes)
Despite our similar personalities, there were some differences. Near the start of our friendship nearly 12 years ago, I invited Cyndi to go bowling. She declined and said that she had recently read a study that analyzed places where fecal matter could possibly be found. To my dismay and her disgust, the holes of bowling balls was number 2 on the list. She then asked me if I could guess where the number one place was? Where? I wondered. "On the handles of shopping carts!" came her informed reply. I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "so what, you can't bowl and you can't shop? What a germ-o-phobe! It's not like it's gonna kill you!" A few days later, we happened to be at Reams together and couldn't stop myself. I grabbed a shopping cart and before I really thought it through I said, "Hey Cyndi!" When she turned to look at me, I licked the shopping cart handle. "Now we'll wait and see if I get sick and die." It turns out that licking shopping cart handles makes everyone else around you sick.
Clean up on Aisle 10!

April Fools

2009-04-01T15:55:00.004-06:00

All right, all right you got me. This was my favorite ultrasound picture I found online. Can you see the image of Jesus? Hilarious!!

One of my co-workers got me good today. Apparently they put a motorcycle for sale on KSL.com at a great price and listed my name and cell phone number. I'm at a conference in SLC and accidentally forgot my phone at home. Much to the chagrin of my mother-in-law. She counted 60 phone calls before she called Michael to let him know something was going on. He called Diane, who called Jennie who is with me at the conference. I used Jennie's phone to check my voice mail. My box was filled to the limit. I had 43 messages, each one from a man who had high hopes of buying a motorcycle from me. One guy called twice and said he was in Star Valley WY and wanted to me to call him ASAP. He saidow he could drive down this afternoon to get the bike. Isn't that nuts? I feel so bad that I dashed their dreams.
How hilarious are my friends?!?!?!

The Leprechaun Queens

2009-03-22T18:26:00.000-06:00

Sarah, Heidi and Heidi, Nancy and Michelle. Looking good ladies.

Christine, Michelle, and Vicky. Do I live in the greatest ward or what?

This is my mother in law, Helen. She's great! She's wearing my goofy shirt and another of my St. Patty's Day hats. I've never had anybody want to borrow my clothes. (My friends tease me that they are going to submit my name to the TV show, What not to Wear.)

Tour of the State Capitol

2009-03-04T23:44:00.000-07:00

I thought this painting was spectacular. It's on the ceiling in the Utah State Senate Chamber.

The Utah Supreme Court used to meet in this room. During the tour it was explained where the phrase, "pass the bar" came from. Here's photographic evidence that I passed the bar myself!

Judge not that ye be not judged! But it's OK to pretend you're a judge and sneak a picture when the tour guide leaves you unattended.

Ladies and gentlemen...this is what we Utahns call an Inversion. A layer of smog and crap gets trapped directly above us. And then right above that is clear blue sky. Or in this case, a patch of blue sky, mountains and clouds. Click on this picture and take a good look at that layer of smog. But don't breathe in too deep.