So Sick..4 days of misery

Throat so sore it felt like I was trying to swallow razorblades
Head felt like I was in cloud and wieghed about 50 lbs.
Dayquil and Nyquil were my best friends although I didn't feel like they helped all that much
I even got desperate one night and popped a Vicodin!
Sleeping at night was a joke.  Every hour I would wake when I had to swallow...Horrible
My kids kept asking, "Mom, do you feel better yet?"
Postponed my sons 9th birthday
I hate being sick...especially when I have to conquer it alone while Darin is in California. I was a mess trying to say goodbye...the tears came.

I don't know how single parents do it.

4 days later...doing better...thank goodness!

Ohio Church History/Debbie Trip

One free round trip ticket + two kids in all day school + an independant, selfless husband = a getaway trip to see my good friend, Debbie Thompson. November 1st-6th, 2010.  We have know each other from our BSU newlywed days.  Those days are a once in a lifetime! Darin and I have know Jake and Debbie for 10 years now.  So many memories to think about...including our trip together in Mexico!

I haven't seen Debbie since they moved from Idaho a few years ago.  They have been all over the map so I thought it would be fun to go east (my very first time) and pay her a visit in Ohio.  It was challenge leaving my family especailly when all three of my kids came down with nasty colds the day before my flight left.  Lovely. So I took my fevered Davis and boarded my flight, out for 5 days.  My apologies to everyone on that Southwest flight! 

I was great to see Debbie and her family after so many years.  Her boys are all grown up, her twins now 5 years old and Jabren in 2nd grade reading and doing math homework. Wow, how the time really flies! I love her boys.  Jabren is my little man with his cute freckles and his shy glances toward me. It only took a few days to warm up to me.  When Debbie was pregnant with her twins she moved back up to Meridian to be close to family and happened to live down the street from me.  I spent a lot of time helping her while on bed rest and then I got lucky enough to spend a few evenings with Debbie downtown at St. Lukes NICU in the month after the boys were born.  Those were special days.  

So it was special to be able to make Joshua and Jamesen a birthday cake.  They picked out a theme of a racecar cake and we started creating.  It somehow turned out halfway decent considering a interupption of a 3 hour Dr. appt for Davis and neighbors showing up for a birthday party at 6:00 P.m. which I didn't know about.  (I thought it was a family party, oops!) left me about 1 hr. to decorate.  Ha, ha!  No pressure.  I was freaking out trying to bust out a cake in that amount of time.  But I guess the neighbors enjoyed watching me for 1/2 hr. around the table finishing it off.  Oh well, the twins loved there cake.

We had a great time doing what we do best: late night chats, cooking up new recipes (eggs rolls & grapefruit pomegranate salad) along with trying to juggle time for 5 boys.  That was a little tricky! 

Its amazing how years pass but a friendship continues where it left off.  It was as if we hadn't missed a beat. 

A few days later we headed off to Kirtland!  More to come about the history of the church... 

Harbour Pointe Building Destroyed



Our beloved church building was destroyed this morning starting at around 2-3:00 a.m. I was first alerted by a voice message saying "Did you hear about the church." I was instantly concerned and after hearing the story ran out the door with my sweats on to see for myself. It was heartbreaking. I couldn't keep the tears from pouring down my cheeks when I saw our church...gone..smoldering after being engulfed in flames earlier while we all peacefully slept. This is like my second home. I felt as though something that I've always believed in was taken and ripped from from life. My kids all started sobbing then I had to dry off my cheeks and be the example. I told myself and my three crying children. "Just because our church is gone, that doesn't mean our testimony is damaged! It burns within each of us and we will still have church meetings. This is just a building...not our religion as a whole. It doesn't stop the work." Life will move forward!

Refinished...Done

This was my mom's old sewing desk.  I can remember her sitting here at this desk while sewing my baptism dresses and various other clothes.  She always wanted to be better at sewing clothes and thought she wasn't very good at it.  I guess that why she turns to quilting later on.  When my dad asked if I wanted the sewing desk, I jumped on it immediately and knew that I could refinish it. 

Before

                 After

I think it turned out pretty good.  It took a little motivation to get it all done but now I enjoy sewing with my mother's sewing maching on her old desk.  I somehow feel like I'm her doing what she used to do.  Funny huh?  But it's very comforting to me to have the classic purple scissors around my neck trying to do what my mother loved!

30th Birthday Surprise

Dreading the 30 year mark as my Birthday approaches
Wondering what Darin has up his sleeve knowing that he had talk to my sister
Heard a sound that can only come from Melanie my younger, goofy sister
Knew instantly that she was at my house, somewhere, somehow
Ran outside to find her...found her car and some giggles but no Melanie
Saw a blur of another image. Could it be Kim too?
Almost wetting my pants with excitement, we hugged and laughed at the thrill of the surprise!

Three sisters reunite for a celebration for my 30 year birthday

We accomplished a lot!

-a complete makeover to my master bedroom (goodbye rose pink walls)
-a trip to IKEA, fun but exhausting
-Bento Time Teriyaki
-Baja Fresh
-1 hour massage courtesy of my awesome sister





I love, love, love my new bedroom! Now I'm on the prowl for something to go above my bed and dresser. Thanks you guys for a awesome weekend filled with laughing, McDonalds jokes, Greek Mediterrean Pizza and crazy fun pictures! I love you guys, I honestly don't know what I would do without you to keep me sane. We may not have Mom with us anymore but we have eachother to keep us going.

Thank you again for EVERYTHING!

Just for Laughs!

FYI**Don't try to pick up a 30 yr old!

Inspiring Hope 5K FINISHER!

The 8th day of May was a clear, gorgeous day in Mukilteo. I felt the warm sun beat down on me instead of the misty rain as early as 8:00 am that morning. That is rare around these parts! It was a perfect day for my first 5K race! I was nervous, anxious, worried, pretty much a case now that I'm looking back at myself. I didn't know if I should wear my lucky, red fleece that I'm used to training in or not. The sun was great but because its never around I'm used to dressing warmer in the early hours of the day.

After some stretching exercises and getting rid of the fleece I was set to go. I wasn't really worried too much about my time but still wanted to run it in less than 30 minutes although my main goal was just doing it and finishing without stopping that mattered the most. Running 3 miles to me without stopping is HUGE in my little mind!

As we set off I was actually surprised at the people I was slowly passing. I figured people would be passing me up left and right. Wow, I was better that I thought! I kept looking for my family at about the 2nd mile hoping they would be there with their sign that said "You've Conquered Your Fear, Go Mom!" But I didn't see them but thought of the words on the sign to keep me going. As I got closer to the finish line I thought of my mother and how proud she would've been and I thought of the hard work that I put in and that I accomplished a HUGE goal. As I sprinted around the last corner and saw my husband and my 3 kids cheering me on I got quite emotional as I saw myself a 5K finisher. It felt great to do something that I never believed I could do.

The only thing that was stopping me was me. It was my confidence that was lacking and so instead of making excuses for not being able to run I faced it head on and learned a lot about myself. I can do anything that I really want to do!

Later after looking at my time I found an amazing 30:08 staring back at me. I was proud of that. I was 37th out of 85ish. I did exactly how I wanted to. Not first and the best, but not last either.

Now what, another race? Maybe a 10K perhaps? Or a triathlon. Maybe someday!

Tulip Festival

Going Back in Time to April 1st

We had heard so much about the Tulip Festival that goes on every year from April 1st-April 30th in Mt. Vernon that we had to pay a visit! Its a short 40-45 min drive north but well worth it! I was obsessed about tulips when I got home and couldn't quit dreaming about my 1/2 acre and which types of tulips I wanted to order. It was a bit cold (a lot cold)that day but so beautiful. Next year we will hit it when there are blue skies and some sunshine! The kids absolutely loved it! Especially after we spoiled them with some Kettle Korn!

So Proud!

So today, I finally did it!! I've wanted this for a long time and I've finally reached part of my goal...to run a 5K. Back in January this goal seemed so out of reach because I had never ran before and couldn't even make it 1/4 mile without having a side ache or jello-y legs. But now...we ran 3.1 miles this morning and I couldn't feel better. The second part of my goal is to run it in less than 30 minutes! I've got a month to accomplish that! I need to shave off 5 minutes to reach that goal.
My run this morning actually wasn't one of my good runs but I will take it! I've been training with a lady in my ward who is great! She just signed up for a 1/2 marathon and is in her late 40's to 50's Im guessing. So I think to myself, if she can do it so can I!
Im running the Inspiring Hope run right here in Mukilteo on May 8th. I'm not only running for myself but also in memory of my mother, as Mother's Day is on the 9th. She motivates me to keep going and not take my healthy body for granted.

This will be my first race and I'm excited!

...4 weeks to go!

Trying to Overcome

A traumatic experience at school
Anxiety for 4-5 days involving hugs and lots of tears
Clinging to mom
Fearing School
Overcoming and getting better

...Controling Substitute
Relapsing and Fear creeping in again
Scared to have another "accident"
Severe anxiety

A understanding and worthy husband
A little boys quiet prayer
Humble priesthood blessing
A boy telling his little 3 yr old brother
"I'm okay now, I had a priesthood blessing"

"Mom, I feel a lot better. I think I will be okay now,
Will you come see me at lunch?"

Chelsea 6th Bday

Instead of a big party this year we decided to have Ashley (Chelsea's best friend) over for a fun filled day. Her birthday fell on Spring Break this year so we had a lot of time to

*go to Build-a-Bear Workshop
*went swimming at the YMCA
*eat the Barbie cake that Chelsea loved

She wanted Corinne from Barbie and the Three Muskateers. She has been in love with this since before Christmas so I tried my best to pull it off. She's a little off center but oh, well!

5 Things we love about chelsea are:

*She is always willing to share her favorite toy when
*We love the pretend shows she puts on for our family on a daily basis.
*She protects her little brother and is always sweet to him (except when she has a friend over)
*She loves school and loves her teacher Mrs. Murhy
*She has a sweet disposition about her and loves to go to church and be with her friends.
*And she still loves pink, and all things sparkly!

Eva Lee Frederiksen 1933-2010

Our Sweet Grandma Frederiksen passed away on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010.

She has been an inspiration to our family and has raised a man whom I love very much. Grandma has been dealing with Alzheimer's disease for 3-4 years now. Its a bittersweet moment for all of us but is still hard to say goodbye to a wonderful grandma, mother, sister, wife, and friend. All of us will miss her presence and have been better because of her teachings.
We will miss her unique laugh and the Frederiksen chocolate chip cookies but know that she is in a better place visiting with her beloved Darvy who was 18 months old when she died. What a reunion they must be having and the stories they are telling.
We will always love you...you will stay in our hearts forever.



Grandma Frederiksen holding newborn Davis in the Hospital --2007



Grandma holding Chelsea at the Boise Temple after Andi's wedding.


Proud Parents supporting Darin after graduating from BSU with his BA in Engineering!

Dedication race to mom

I've dreaded turning 30 and I thought "what could be better than completed a 5K and conquering my fear. I'm also running in memory of my sweet mother. Oh, how I miss her so much. The day following my race is Mother's day and I want to run it for her. She told me as she was very sick, "Sherri, take care of your body and don't take it for granted. I wish I could have my strength back and be strong again. She is my inspriation and I can do anything if I put my mind to it!

Say! I like green eggs and Ham.

"I do not like green
eggs and ham! I do not
like them, Sam-I-am. You do not
like them. So you say. Try them!
Try them! And you may. Try them and
you may, I say. Sam! If you let me be
I will try them. You will see.

Say!
I like green eggs and ham!
I do! I like them, Sam-I-am!
And I would eat them in a boat.
And I would eat them with a goat.
And I will eat them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good, so good, you see!


It's really happening...I am learning that running isn't so bad. I'm actually liking it. I feel like I can relate to Dr. Suess's Green Eggs and Ham.

I really can relate to this story because I've always told myself that I can't run and that I don't like to. Running used to be a punishment for me in playing sports growing up. When we lost, we ran! When we screwed up, we ran! To condition for the new season, we ran! Friends were puking, then back to running. It just didn't make sense to me and I learned to HATE it and just couldn't see how people could jog/run for fun on the beach, on a sunny day, etc. It has been my fear far to long and I'm conquering now with a 5K run just before my 30 birthday.
But... I wasn't trying it with the right mindset. Being consistant and running 3-4 times per week really pays off and allows your body to gradually improve.

It feels great to be actually doing something that I've feared my whole life. Bring on the 3 mile run. I can take it!

Say! I like green eggs and Ham. I do like them, Sam-I-am!

A Fabulous Cake!

Ok, so I'm pretty sure that my cake turned out "AWESOME!" I am seriously so proud of it! I didn't have a ton of time to do a 3D Lightning McQueen Car like I wanted to so I decided to do a scene from the "Cars" movie instead.

This cake was a Triple Chocolate Fudge with Cream Cheese Filling.

This time I wanted to try to stay away from the buttercream frosting that uses Crisco (I hate Crisco) so I frosted with butter frosting with a hint of cream cheese. Im going to save my buttercream for decorating because of the stiffness you need and see how that works. I was suprised at how well it turned out. HINT: I always freeze my cakes cause they are way easier to frost that way. I used fondant (which I've never made before) for the road and the checkered side border. Fondant is really cool and it felt like I was putting playdo on my cake!

I used graham crackers for the dirt and molded the Piston cup out of fondant as well. It turned out so great that I didn't want to cut it up!
I enjoy doing fun cakes for my kids birthdays. I guess its kinda my present to them. What kid wouldn't want a cool cake for their birthday! Now Chelsea is already putting in the orders for her Barbie cake ;) That will be interesting...

Davis Turns 3

A big year for my sweet Davis. I can't believe he is 3 years old already! He is in love with a few different things lately. Just to name a few:

*Lightning McQueen aka "Car Queen" around here

*Little Einsteins

*Dadddys' iphone or "spone" as Davis calls it.

*Mom's homemade pizza

*Playing with his buddy Ben

*When Daddy comes home from work.

*Sunny days...they are sparse here.

For his birthday he really wanted a "Car Queen" cake so I had to put my thinkin cap on. I didn't have a lot of time or energy (just getting over a cold) so this is what I pulled off! Pretty stinkin' good if you ask me! Uncle Luke came over (we call him Uncle around here cause he's the only family around and my kids don't know what else to call him. Davis's friend Ben came over as well to help us celebrate. We had a good time and Davis was thrilled with the abundance of "Car Queen"!