Brent and Suzie and Whoever's Home Now

Sister Wives

2011-10-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Girls night. My favorite 2 nights of the year! This year, my mom wanted to go to "Rod Works'. While we stood in line, I recognized a lady who walked in.
"Mom, don't we know her?" I whispered.
"Nope. I don't recognize her." was her response that blew me away.
"You sure? I definetly recognize her." Then, two other "sister wives" came in. "Nevermind!" I told her.

Once we left, I explained to her who they were. Turns out they like that store. My friend once ran into one there. If you like that show, hang out at "Rod Works"!

We're thankful for cellphones!

2011-08-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

My dad asked my brother to say the prayer on dinner. Seth started the prayer, and then my dad's cellphone went off in the middle. Seth then added to the prayer, "We're thankful for cellphones!" We are chuckled a bit, and when the prayer was over, we all bursted out laughing!

My Girls camp Journal day one and two

2011-08-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Edited so no one will get offended, and so it makes sense. (I will change names when needed.)

Happy Birthday Lauren A.!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Camp again already? Time flies. Yesterday, we were greeted by a "bridge" of YCL's with pom-poms and whistle things (It was like new years!). I was hugged by the YCL's I know. (Kristina, Ashley, "mom", Amelia, Ann-Marie etc.) And by the stake YW presidency.
This year is...................
LEVEL CAMPING!
I camp with the second years at campsites 5&6. I share a tent with _____ (I'm her secret sister),______, and ISABEL!!!!!!!!!!! And maybe the chipmunk that broke in and ate Isabel's M&M's! haha
(Illustration)
So... we ate our sack lunches, then did rotations after hearing the Stake leaders speak.
Rotations: 1) a lady talked about our relationship with our self
2) Sister ______ did a lesson on our relationship with our fellowmen
3) Sister__________ did a lesson on our relationship with God
4) Sister__________ and ____ family talked about our relationship with our family.

After, we went to flag (which I hung at the 1st flag of the day) and ate soup.
The YCL's have 4 pieces of paper: Virtuous, lovely, good report, and praiseworthy. Only 8 YCL's have the words, and only 1 word each! you had to get to know the YCL's/ be quizzed before you could get the word.
And RIBBONS!!!!!!!!!! If you do a good deed, you get a ribbon. I didn't know about them until Sister ________ walked up and told me how fun I am and that she loves me then she tied a gold ribbon on my lanyard. She is SO cool! The YCL's and leaders had little purses that had ribbons and words in them. Each YCL had one.
All night, I went around to the YCL's and said
"Hi! My name is Sydnee!"
them: Hi. My name is...
Me: I like your satchel. Does your satchel like me?
I would almost always get a ribbon.

Then we went to our campsite and started a fire and played games.
I have done:
flag
Kitchen duty
Latrine aka "Honey Bucket" duty

__________ and ___________ brought phones and I pods. :( GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
(I drew a regular frown face, not a sideways.)

They snuck out last night to hang a bra on the flagpole.

TODAY:
Woke up at like 5. It was a WINDY night. Got dressed etc. At 6 I was ready- same with Lauren and Isabel. We took pics and stuff, then went to kitchen duty after making our lunch.
After lunch, we went on a hike.

I HATE HIKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(That is not near as large as it is in my journal.)

We got back and sat around. Then, grove time.

Fun facts:
-Theme of camp: Steady the course. each level, (1-4) gets either Fam, God, self, or fellowmen to work on.
-Level 3 theme: Camp care-a-lot. I'm in tent LOVE!
-We have a camp pet. "swiper"
he is a fox that came last night

I've got my dad's quick wit

2011-08-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, my dad got home from church at like 5:30. He walked into the house, and noticed the TV was off. He said, "Turn on something I like."
My mom shouted from the front room, "TV!"
I shouted, "Microwave!"
No. We didn't turn on the TV. Or the microwave.

Random Stuff at the Hinrichsen's house

2011-08-07T18:33:00.000-07:00

-Seth got his licence on Friday! Caution: STAY OFF THE ROAD!!!!!!!!!! haha
-Hannah and LJ are coming down tomorrow! Hip! Hip!.....HOORAY!
-My birthday is this month!
-Hannah is graduating college in December! Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-I went to girls camp last month (What do you think, should I post my camp journal?)
-Seth finished all 6 seasons of LOST
-Our ward is slowly but surely shrinking
-I am NOT excited or ready for school. I have done ZERO school shopping. YIKES! And, I forgot how to do all the "fancy " (high school) math. Algebra One Honors should be...... adventurous
-I miss NO ONE from school. And when I say no one, I mean I text who I want to keep in contact with. Otherwise, I don't miss you :) (evil, right?!)
-I have the biggest feet ever! I'm going to end up special ordering shoes!
-I know what it is like to live with hoarders (thanks to girls camp)
-My mom's surgery went well, and she is doing great
-Today's fast Sunday was easy- not painful-easy!
-I found the funniest video called "Little Miss Primary"
-I have to do dishes:) Goodbye!
-Sydnee

Weather warnings

2011-07-07T16:42:00.000-07:00

I am sitting on my couch blog surfing (I know- I am an old lady trapped in a 12 year old's body haha) (NO COMMENTS ISABEL!!!!!) and every few seconds I hear this loud beeping noise coming from the T.V.! It is driving me nuts! Can't I watch the weather channel in peace? I think I'd know if there is going to be a thunderstorm/flash flood if I am watching the weather channel! (Thanks to local on the 8's)

Skeleton Creek

2011-06-25T11:17:00.000-07:00

Have any of you ever heard of or read Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman ? It is AMAZING!!!! What is really cool, is that it has videos that go with it, so it seems so real! I finished the first book in the series. I had to search online to find out the names of the other books in the series.
The order of the series goes:
Skeleton Creek
Ghost in the Machine
The Crossbones
The Raven

The book is a quick, easy read, but it is a really good story! I would reccomend it to ANYONE.

My first time driving!

2011-06-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

On Thursdays, I have violin/piano lessons from 5-6 pm. Then, I am in my violin teacher's stake orchestra, which rehearses from 7-9 pm. My violin teacher (Amber) takes me to and back from orchestra. Usually, to fill the 6-7 hour, I teach her son a piano lesson, and we go early to orchestra. Well, her son wasn't home. So we went to McDonald's and got smoothies. One of the topics that came up while we were going to the church for orchestra was driving. I said that I had never driven a car. She told me "I'll have to take you sometime."
I TOTALLY thought she was joking
Then, we got to the church, and she didn't park. She unbuckled and said "Trade me spots"
I did, but I was in shock! She directed me, and I took a lap around the church, then laps around an empty section of the parking lot. The only real error was that I ran over a curb once.
She even told me to park the car. It took me 3 tries, and it wasn't straight, but I got it in between the lines!
I thought it was really cool! I am still kinda in shock, but I had a blast!
She told me "I loved people who let me drive when I was your age."
She also told me "Don't tell your parents; they might kill me!"
I will always remember the first time I drove a car!

24 years and 1 day ago......

2011-06-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

My parents got married in the Los Angeles Temple. 24 years is as long time! hahaha
My mom was 23 and my dad was 31. They had dated for 2 years. The first time my dad was going to meet my moms family was when they invited him over for dinner. He was 1 hour late! My dad is silly! Though sometimes I wonder what he's thinking!
No, I haven't done anything special for them (terrible daughter!) and they didn't do anything big and special except for going out to dinner! My dad bought my mom an Edible Arrangement that was really yummy, (Yes, I learned for myself. Shame on me!)
Just thought I'd post about that, even if I am a day late :)

What is going on at the Hinrichsen house

2011-04-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

Things that have happened
(in random order) :

Hannah Sang in General Conference
I went to Disneyland with my orchestra
My orchestra got straight ones at festival and Disneyland- we got 3 first place trophies at Disneyland
Seth turned 16
My 2 year record of not vomiting was ruined when I barfed on Wednesday night
Hannah and LJ came to town
I slept for 16 hours straight - 3pm till 7am
I got the most painful shot ever! I cried so badly
I got straight A's on my report card- but at the assembly they called me for A honor roll and A B honor roll
Mom had a birthday
I was asked to make cupcakes for my orchestra teachers rehearsal dinner the night before her wedding

-Sydnee

Piano cake

2011-03-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

My violin/piano teacher's birthday is on Monday. My lessons are on Thursday, so that is when I took her her present.
I also got her flowers, and made her a piano cake!
The cake is SUPER easy to make (as long as you flour the pan). I went to bettycrocker.com and search cake decorating. The piano cake showed up! It was so cute, that I had to make it.
Later, somebody closed the tab and I could not find how to make it anywhere! I am not the brightest person, and in the end, I searched piano cake on bettycrocker.com. I should have done that in the first place.
Here is the cake:

The black key to the right started sliding down. :)

This is me, my violin teacher, and her son:

I am glad that she liked her cake-and I am very proud of myself!

Happy birthday, Amber!

Isabel and I

2011-03-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have gotten really close to a girl named Isabel. She is in my ward. We have known each other for 6 years, but never really talked. Now, she is one of my best friends!
We carpool to Young Women's, and this week, her dad drove us home.
Isabel was searching through music stations, and I said, "Let's blast Mexican music!"
We found a Spanish station, blasted it, and her dad drove in a zig-zag. It was SO much fun!
Isabel's dad said, "We need sombreros!"
I said, "And broken beer bottles!"

Then, we talked about Nacho Libre. They like that movie, too.

I have never had so much fun driving!

The Book of Mormon Challenge

2011-03-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

In my Beehive class we are doing a Book of Mormon challenge. Everyday, we have to read 2 pages, and if the class is all caught up, we get a treat at the end of this month. Ex: Cinnamon roll, Ice cream party, Movie night and more.
This month was a Picnic. On Sunday, they went outside, ate and had a lesson. My leader brought over my hand out and my lunch, since I was in Utah, and she said only like five girls were there! We have like 10 in our Beehive class!
Anyway, the lunch had grapes, string cheese, chips, a juice, gummys, and carrots. The lesson hand out was Reese's and Rollo's. Attached to them was a bag that had a story about a man who was on the beach and found some clay balls. He started throwing them into the ocean. He dropped one and realized there were valuable gems inside. He had thrown like 60 into the ocean, and had only 20 remaining. He cracked open the rest and took out the gems. He realized he had thrown thousands of dollars into the ocean.
In the end, it was about seeing people for what is valuable inside.
What to Rollo's and Reese's have in common with this? They both have valuable gems inside! (peanut butter and caramel)
While I am posting on this blog, I am 12 pages behind on the challenge. Tisk, Tisk, Sydnee!

Utah

2011-03-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

While I was in Idaho, we got the sad news that our Mom's cousin died. (She was Hannah's age, so we consider her our cousin.)We went to Utah for the funeral.
Well, while we were there, I gave Hannah and LJ a plunger!
I did not take pictures of me with my mom's cousins kids, who are some of my best friends. We hung out on Saturday, after the funeral, and decided I will spend some of summer with them!

Here are some pictures from my trip to IDAHO:

The flowers Mom and Dad sent her for her performance.

In front of the black light mini-golf place.

Sister love! Irreplaceable.

The greatest couple at BYU-I.

My first time at CRAIGO'S. Endless Pizza, Pasta, and Salad bar for only $8. It is really good, too!

In front of CRAIGO'S.

At the BYU-I bookstore.

Now, here are pictures of the snow outside of Hannah's apartment. (I got stuck in some snow. I was outside alone, It was funny.) :

Right when you walk outside of their apartment.

Outside of her apartment. You can kinda see her little blue car on the right.

These are the same model apartments as Hannah's. This is what you could see from Hannah's house.

In front of her apartment.

Walking in the snow.

Getting my leg stuck in the snow. When I got it out, I fell over. haha

Hannah's apartment building. Hers is the one with the wreath, on the top left.

Here is a picture on the way home from UTAH. Seth and I were desperate for a game.

We had to move that from our eye to our cheek without using our hands.

As you can tell, I had a great time in Idaho. Utah was fun, but sad. I am so car sick from traveling today. It was a blast, though.

-Sydnee

P.S. I recommend the movie Sherlock Holmes.

Idaho; and my first time seeing a toilet overflow

2011-03-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I went to Idaho alone. Hannah was in opera scenes, so I went up. The original plan was for me and my mom to go up, but they changed testing so my mom did not go.
On Friday, my flight left at 10:30. I arrived in Idaho at 2:30. Hannah took me to her apartment, and we ate lunch and watched a movie. My mom wanted to get Hannah some flowers. You had to order 24 hours in advanced, or Hannah would have to pick up her flowers from the shop. I dug through some mail and texted my mom the address. Long story short, LJ texted my mom the wrong address. My mom called the place, they got to her apartment the next day safely.
Anyways, I watched Heavyweights and Hannah did my hair. Then, she did her hair and we were off to the performance. (LJ was in Seattle for school purposes, so he did not make it to either of the performance. He got in at 8 pm and met us at the performance building.)
Hannah did AMAZING!!!!! She was so good! My sister is so talented.
After her performance, some friends took us out to dinner. Thanks, Joe and Shannon!
We finished dinner at around 10, so when we went home, we went straight to bed!

On Saturday, Hannah made breakfast pizza. YUMMY! (I gained like 3 pounds on this vacation.) Then, Hannah drove me around town, and we ate at MillHollow, a delicious sandwich shop. Then, we went to DI to buy her conference outfit. (Hannah is singing at conference.) Her outfit was cheap, and is UGLY!!!!! She knows that it is-I am not just being rude. Then, we went to a SUPER SUPER cute store, and I bought jewelry. After that, we went back to Hannah's apartment, picked up LJ (he had barely finished homework) and we went black light mini golfing. It was FUN! I lost. Then, we went to the BYU Idaho campus. They showed me some really cool things.

When we were done, we went to the bookstore.
We drove to their house, and watched the cartoon ANASTASIA. In the middle of the movie, we left for dinner at CRAIGO'S, a all you can eat pizza, pasta, and salad bar. HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That food was good. Then, we went to see Tangled at the dollar theatre. When the movie was over, we went home and finished ANASTASIA. Then, we went to bed.

On Sunday, we went to church, and I watched 3 movies.

On Monday, Hannah and LJ had work, which starts at 4 am, so they get up at 3 am. I woke up at 5:30, and plugged in ELF. I did the dishes, and ate breakfast.

Here is a HILARIOUS story, one that will make your day, and yes. It mentions poop.
I went "potty" in Hannah's bathroom. She has the crappiest toilet. When I flushed, it clogged. Her toilet sometimes has a problem where it keeps filling up. It kept filling up this time. Great. They don't own a plunger. I called Hannah freaking out, and water started shooting out of the toilet. I was praying that it would stop. Hannah was laughing SO hard; I am almost in tears. I have never seen a toilet overflow in my life, and, of course, it happens in a no plunger, not at home,bathroom. After about 10 seconds of overflowing, it stopped. Hannah could not control herself she was laughing so hard. I had a tummy ache. Then, I joined in on the laughing. I cleaned it up, and washed the towels I used to dry the floor. I mopped the bathroom, too. That was the last time I used her toilet the whole trip. Seriously, it was. Her toilet was okay in the end. Lesson learned : Don't crap in a crappy toilet.
When Hannah and LJ came home, they did homework till 8:45, and then Hannah had class at 9. On our way to class, Hannah realized she did not do all of her homework, so we went back home and stayed until 10. Then, we took LJ to class and we went to class. After that, we met LJ for lunch in the cafeteria, and then went to the bookstore. Hannah had some rehearsals for a performance, so we did that, and then listened to the orchestra for a few minutes. Hannah had a class of 12 students from 2-4. They are going to Utah to perform, and President Uchtdorf will be there! Then, Hannah had another class from 4:30-5:30. Hannah performed in it. I met her voice teacher in that class, and Hannah told her that I am very talented. I also met a really funny friend of Hannah's, who told me I am gorgeous. (I could not disagree.) LJ picked us up from class, and we stopped at Wendy's. Then, we went to the airport. The Idaho Falls airport is so small, there are only 2 gates, and 2 security lines in the whole place. It is TINY! Hannah and LJ got the free 20 minute parking. We got in line, checked in my bag, and said goodbye. I cried, and Hannah told me, "Don't cry or I will cry!" We both hugged and cried. Then, they rushed out so they still got their free parking. Hannah felt really bad, because they announced my flight was going to be 1 hour delayed. I went through security alone. When I got up, I read the Book of Mormon (got caught up on my challenge to read it), and then talked with the people next to me. I met them on the ride there, and turns out, they know my dads family!
My flight came in, 30 minutes late, and I was just fine. My flight was supposed to be 1 hour and 14 minutes long, and there was the time change. My flight was supposed to leave at 7:50 Idaho time, and arrive at 8:15 Vegas time. My flight left at 8:20 Idaho time, and arrived at 10 Vegas time. I slept some of the bumpy way here. I have no idea how our flight took so long!
In the end, I got home at 11:02 Vegas time, and went to bed at 11:45. I got 6 hours of sleep on a test night!
I cried myself to sleep because I miss my sister so much! I love you sis, and sorry about your toilet. I plan to buy you a plunger.

Helping Mongolia

2011-02-21T20:56:00.000-08:00

My friend, Isabel, and I are doing a Personal Progress project for Mongolia.
In Mongolia, there are MANY homeless people, especially children. (Parents can not afford children and kick them out.)
Well, Isabel and I have been emailing a very inspirational person who is going to help us out big time. She is SO sweet, and even though I don't really know her, she is my hero. She is super super kind, and helps out children all over the world. She is going to Mongolia in the summer, and invited Isabel and I to go with her! (Probably not happening, but really cool!)
I think that our project is going to turn out really great thanks to this lady!

-Sydnee

Merry Christmas/ What's up with the Hinrichsens

2010-12-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all had great days.

Well......
This may be our last Christmas with Hannah at our house! Last year she and LJ spent Christmas with us, and because of LJ's uncle going to the temple for the first time the day after Thanksgiving, we got them for Christmas again this year!
Anyway, next year they will spend Christmas with his family, and the year after that, they could have a newborn baby! (That is a while away.....)

We handed out lunches to the homeless yesturday. Before we went, I prayed that a miracle would happen and that there would be enough food for everyone. We went to a street which had already had recieved hygene kits. I thought there were at least 150 homeless people on that street. We only made 100 lunches. In the end, everyone was fed and we had about 15 lunches left. My aunt took those and delivered them with her family somewhere else.
I ate Sushi and a Pomegranate for the first time this week. I bought a pomegranate for fun, and for $2! Just for one piece of fruit!
Today, Seth got a sushi making kit, seaweed, and special rice. We happened to have frozen raw talapia and Seth went to work! In the end, his sushi was delicious and I had raw fish sushi for the first time!
I finally got to see my viola! The case, ugly. The viola, gourgeous! I am so lucky to have 2 employed parents who love me so much!
I made my mom jewelry, which in the end was not so cheap. (Good thing I teach piano lessons!) I got dad a picture frame with pressed flowers from his aunt's funeral, and a cell phone. (I had an upgrade for $1.00 waiting to come in, I planned on giving it to him, his phone broke, worked perfectly!) I got my sister and her husband a flashlight and a panini maker. And I got Seth good headphones in green, his favorite color.

I love Christmas time, and this year has been one of my favorite Christmas's because I remembered the true meaning more than usual. The Saviors birth was so simple.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

Sydnee

Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Its such a fun day to gather with family and friends. Today, I helped prepare a turkey for the first time. (It's not super gross, but still gross.) We are having 10 people over- us (4), Tomom and Papa (2), and the Sterling family from our ward (4).

Even though we are having a small Thanksgiving, we are having 2 turkeys, stuffing, more stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes and gravy, and around 3 different desserts! I hope there is enough room for the leftovers!

Have a Great day, and that you eat till you fall asleep.

It says "Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving." (Sorry it is blurry)

-Sydnee

A little thing to make you smile

2010-11-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

My violin/piano teacher has 4 kids. 3 boys, and one girl. The little girl is 4 years old. My violin teacher's facebook reads

It is genetically impossible that I created a Disney princess. But my little girl: "Mom, lets have a picnic, when it's sunny outside, and there are beautiful trees and grass, and sparkling rainbows around us." Then, she bursts into song.

Babysitting

2010-11-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

Last night I was babysitting for my mom's friend. Her kids are so cute and well behaved! The little boy said some funny things. Here are a few conversations that happened.

(By the way, he called me Julie because that is the Babysitters name on Cailou.)

On the way there:

The little boy was mumbling to himself.

His mom: "Are you weird?"

Him:"I'm not.....HEY! We don't say weird because it's mean!" (He was COMPLETELY flipping out.)

While I'm there

Him: "Julie, would you like to come to my house?"

Me: "I am at your house."

Him: "No. You are at my mom's house. Do you want to come to my house?"

His mom: "When they are done with dinner there is a 3 musketeer's they can share."

Him: "My three musketeers. Because I'm three."

Him: "Can we watch my Toy Story 3?"

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

2010-11-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

So, in Mongolia, there is an Orphanage. The Orphanage take homeless children off the street. Many children in Mongolia are abandoned. Because of the Orphanage, these kids have a home.

BUT........a missionary couple went to the Orphanage. The children get worms from eating the food there. It is run down, and it will probably have to close down with in the next year.

That is why my wonderful sister and brother-in-law are starting a charity. I don't know exactly what will happen with it, or what I am doing to help. I am going to try and help raise money for this Orphanage.

It is AMAZING how much we are blessed. It is AMAZING how we don't realize what we take for granted. It is AMAZING that we don't know about these horrible living conditions. It is AMAZING how you can help. It is AMAZING what a difference you can make. It is AMAZING how you can touch and save lives. It is AMAZING to have the feeling that you are helping people have better lives.

-Sydnee

To excited....

2010-10-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

for Christmas. I played a Christmas piece in orchestra today, and I am CRAZY excited for Christmas. I was talking nonstop about Christmas after we played the Nutcracker. Christmas is "so soon" but I am already nuts thinking about it! Christmas spirit and all the decoration make me happy. (A dead word, but I mean it with feeling.) Christmas is just.....just... beautiful!

3 weeks left!

2010-10-16T19:28:00.000-07:00

Three weeks till Hannah and LJ come back from Mongolia! They went for his internship at a bank. It's already been eight weeks since they arrived there!
Sadly, about 2 weeks ago, their computer broke. We have no communication except for the rare we end up on facebook at the same time. (She goes to the mission office and borrows a friends laptop.)
She lives off of cookies. It is sad. She hates their food (sheep, sheep, sheep, and a jar of peanut butter for $9.00) They do have a few good resturants, like one with American food called BBQ chicken. In Mongolia, they are really cheap. We saw Hannah in a picture with a name brand purse. She said it was $10 in American money. They also bought 10 DVDs for $15 also American money. And they were good movies like The Princess and the Frog.
I am excited to see them again! Hannah asked what I want from Mongolia. I said,"Something you can only get there." So, well see what I get!

Sydnee

Happy Birthday!!

2010-08-28T21:32:00.000-07:00

Twelve years ago today, I scared my parents when I was born at 12:30 am. There were 7 doctors in the room. In the end, we only needed one. I was 5 weeks early. My mother went into labor while ironing. Dad and Seth were at a football game. When Dad and Seth got home, Mom and Dad drove to Mountain View hospital. They could not deliver me. They stopped mom's labor and they drove to Valley. I was born after a crazy night of canceling family camping trips, getting lost in the hospital, and sleeping at friends houses.

Today I did Baptisms for the dead. It was really cool! I am thankful that I am okay, and that we were being watched over on August 28,1998.

WARNING: May cause hunger :D

2010-08-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Mom said that we had some meat that had to be cooked. I REALLY like meatballs. Regular, BBQ, Sweet and sour. Well, I decided to create a recipe for BBQ meatballs. This is the best recipe out of these BY FAR!!

       Part one             -3 tbs. Sweet baby rays hickory brown sugar BBQ sauce
                             -2 tbs. Ketchup
                             -1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
                             -1 1/2 tsp. WILLIAM-SONOMA Jalapeno Peach BBQ sauce (is NOT spicy. My mom even likes it, and she is VERY sensitive to spicy food)
                            -1 1/2 cups Ground meat

Mix together everything but meat. Add in meat. Stir. Shape into balls. Cook in a pan. The pan does NOT need to be oiled.

       When meatballs are almost done cooking, add in:

   -3 tbs. BBQ sauce (same as above)                                 PART TWO
   -2 tbs. ketchup
-1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  -1 tbs. WILLIAM-SONOMA Jalapeno peach BBQ sauce
-1 tsp mustard

Mix. Add in pan with meatballs. Cook till meatballs are done. Serve. Makes 14 meatballs

Sadly, no pics of that recipe, but is very easy.

Recipe 2: BBQ meatballs

-3 tbs. Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce                            PART ONE
-2 tbs. Ketchup
-1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 tsp. Mustard
-Dash of Hot sauce
-Pinch of Brown sugar
-1 1/2 cups ground meat

Mix everything but meat in a bowl. Add in meat. Stir. Shape into balls. Cook in a not oiled pan.

When meatballs are almost fully cooked, add in:

-3 tbs. Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce                    PART TWO
-2 tbs. Ketchup
-1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-1 tsp Mustard
-Dash of Hot sauce
-1 tsp. brown sugar

Stir, then pour over meatballs. When meatballs are fully cooked, serve.   Makes 14 meatballs.

Pictures will later be posted.

Recipe 3

Sloppy Joe meat

For this recipe, first, do the same things as Recipe 2, part one, except for add 2 1/2 cups meat, and do not make into balls.

Cook all meat at once. When fully cooked add in everything in Recipe 2 part two. Stir. Add in 1/2 cup chopped carrots, and 1/2 cup chopped onions. Stir. Add in 3-4 tbs ketchup. Mix. Add in 1 8 oz can tomato sauce and 1 tbs BBQ sauce. When fully cooked and heated, serve.

CAUTION: DO NOT USE FAMOUS DAVE'S BBQ SAUCE!!! (too spicy)

I will try to post pictures within the next 48 hours.

                 REVIEWS
on Sloppy Joes

Dad: "Mmm! Mmmmm! YUM! The best"
Mom; "Delicious"
Seth: "Needs more meat. Yum! Can you make this again? You should use Sweet Baby rays instead of Famous Dave's."
Me: "Needs more meat. Yummy! Too spicy, but that is because I used Dave's sauce. TOTALLY going to make it again."

p.s. I only used 1 1/2 cups meat when I made it, so I added extra in the recipe. Only recipe 3 needed more, and that is the one I added more meat to on the blog. So Just follow the Blog recipes.

If you make any, Tell me what you think! If you want, you can serve the sloppy joe meat plain or on a bun.

                                       -Sydnee

Jewelery making

2010-07-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

At girls camp, (which I will later post about), we made jewelery. Each girl hammered in a saying to a dog tag, and then decorated another with scrapbook paper, stickers etc. We also made two bead charm things that hang on our necklaces. One was a pearl, which we all made, and the other was a charm thing with beads of our choice.

Around the camp, there were ten hidden pictures of liahonnas. If you found all ten, you got a key ring, but on it was a pink bead and a charm that said things like "trust, love, live, true". Mine says trust. I went to a leader with a group of my friends who found all ten. I lied and said I found all ten, and got a charm. The lady who gave out the charms is in our ward. Later that night, she came to our campsite and gave each of us one. I didn't take one since I already have one, but the other girls took one even if that made their second charm.   Since she did that, I just say that it is from when she gave everyone a charm.

Our ward color was red, and we each tied a red ribbon to our necklace. So simple, but yet it adds so much to the necklace and is really cute!

The seventh thing on my necklace is a bottle cap with a center covered with scrapbook paper, on it, it says TRUE.

So if you are confused, here are the things on my necklace:

-hand hammered-stamped dog tag that says "Prepare for battle"
-scrapbook paper covered dog tag
-bead charm that I made
-pearl charm that I made
-red ribbon
-TRUST keyring charm
-TRUE bottlecap

                                            -Sydnee

Yikes!!!

2010-07-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Long story short, the password on our account didn't work. Now, it does!!!! I am going to post a lot to make up for the delay.

-Sydnee

Eating out

2010-07-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

In the past four days, we have eaten our three times. We have had Olive Garden, Cafe Rio, and Macayo. At Olive Garden, I had the Ravioli Di Portebello. It is six or nine cooked portebello mushrooms in ravioli, and is covered in a cheesy sun dried tomato sauce. At Cafe Rio, I had a mild chicken burrito. Delicious! And tonight at Macayo, I had the free chips and salsa, five glasses of water (still have only gone to the bathroom once, and I am fine, strange huh?), and the sampler tray. I only had a toquito, salad, mini burrito, (MINI. Like half the lenght of a greeting card), and rice. I was STUFFED from those 5 glasses of water. Before bed last night, I drank 2 bottles.
But anyways, we have eaten out a lot, and it is bugging me. I like home cooked meals. At least I have the skill of cooking.

- -Sydnee
P.S. if something is spelled wrong, forgive me. The spell check sucks.

Please, will you autograph my HAIRSPRAY bottle?

2010-06-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

I was watching 18 kids and counting today, and a lady walked up to the dad, and said, "My daughter is a huge fan. Would you autograph my hairspray bottle?" I would expect something more normal.

-Sydnee

News 3 at 11pm: Family attacked by bees

2010-06-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

That's right. I was part of that family that was attacked by bees. As I said before, a truck driver was taking bees from California to South Dakota. He lives here and decided to take a stop and visit his family. The semi truck was not fully closed, but covered in a tarp material. He parked the truck next to a public park. The wax in the hives literally started to melt, and the bees escaped from the truck, or else they would have died.

So, fast forward to 12:30 on Wednesday. I was at Subway, getting sandwiches for me, My friend Madylynn, my friend Emilee, and Emilee's mom, Dee. (This story has a lot of names in it, so try to keep up. :) ) So Dee was so hungry that we ended up eating at their house, instead of having a picnic. After lunch, Dee, Madylynn, Emilee, Emilee's brother, Sam, Sam's friend, Cooper, Cooper's little sister Adi, and I went to the community park and set up a homemade slip n' slide. We used baby shampoo. During the slip n' slide, Cooper stepped on a bee. There were tons of bees, but they were landing on the grass, and making it so we couldn't see them, and could get stung by them. Then, Madylynn got stung on the foot. So we packed up the slip n' slide and went to Dee's house to do the slip n' slide. Only Emilee, Madylynn, and I did the slip n' slide, with Dee watching us. Bees kept comingand Emilee got stung on the foot like Madylynn earlier was.We thought that they were attracted to the scent of  the baby shampoo. Dee used like a whole bottle of bug spray trying to get rid of them. She sprayed us, her flowers, the perimeter of the slip n' slide, and the towels. When they kept coming, we decided to jump in the pool, and get under the waterfall. "We jumped in the pool, and when we came up there were like, a ton of bees." -Emilee said that on channel 3 at 11pm. I was using a pool board to whack and kill the bees. Dee had to swing the hose in circles while the us three girls ran inside. Dee ran inside after us. Dee had to go pick up their truck later in the day. She took Garret, a boy who was doing work for them. While "we three girls" were in Emilee's room, Sam ran in, saying Dee had found the location of the bees. Sam was disappointed that after hours of searching, he still wasn't the one who found the bees.

That is when I saw the semi truck covered in bees. After we saw it, Dee took us back home. When Dee came home, she wanted a Sonic drink, and took me, Madylynn, and Emilee with her. As we drove past it, we turned off the air and rolled up the windows. While in the line for Sonic, Dee called channel 3. On our way back, we saw a news helecopter over the bees. That was on at 4. At 4:30 Mr. Steve from channel 3 called and said that he wanted to interview us in a hour. When Dee called her daughter Mary, She immediatly rushed to their house with her friends Mille, Regan, and Quicy. Garret and his friend Lim were also at Dee's house. The first interview was in front of the house and was at 11. Everyone but Regan and I was interviewed, even though I was one of the only people there. At 6:00 pm we did a live interview, where Dee was asked 1 question, and that was that.

We all considered ourselves famous, and said we were going to have a "cast party" at 11:00 pm. Everyone was busy, except for me, Dee, and Emilee. So, there wasn't a party. Dee, Emilee, and Mary's interviews showed up on TV.

But anyway, I was on TV!!!! Thank you, thank you. I love you all! I would like to thank my mom, and my dad for every thing they do and for never letting me get stung by a bee............   Kiss Kiss, and off I go. Ta-ta for now!

                           -Sydnee

Destroying the myth that old people don't blog?

2010-06-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

Really? Then why am I the poster of this blog? I am not old. Mom just wanted to say that she blogs, and didn't think that I am smart enough to take the credit for posting. ha ha. Just kidding. But anyway, that whole "Destroying the myth that old people don't blog" is fake. Old people don't blog. (Did I make some of you blogging moms feel good?) So really, all I am trying to do is take credit for this blog, and tell you that old people do not blog. Thank you. I think I have made my point.

-Sydnee

Yummy food?............. I'M SO IN!

2010-06-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today is national chocolate pudding day. I got to call my parents to ask them to get the stuff for some pudding. Is there a national Salad day? Or perhaps a national DOVE chocolate day? (the square kind with caramel in the middle.) If so, that is all I am eating on those days. =) Well, Mom and Dad are home now, so I am going to have some pudding. Chocolate pudding, to be exact.

-Sydnee

Long Story short, I DO have an excuse for not posting lately

2010-06-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

I really do have an excuse for not posting lately. Two weeks ago, Mom's computer just didn't suddenly work. People thought I had ruined it, since I was the "last person" on it. It wouldnt turn on, or load. It was fixed about a week after it broke, aka, a week ago. Once it was fixed, I finally addimited, Seth was really the last one on it. I just didn't want him to get in trouble. So Just a quick update to say what has gone on for the last 2 weeks of no posting.
1. Mom went to Idaho to visit Hannah, who got one of the 8 lead roles in her school opera! While she was there, Hannah and Mom were going to have a baby shower for Hannah's friend Bre. Mom had bought everything, and the shower was going to be sooo cute. The day of the shower, Bre had her baby, Abby.
2. I became the best little sister ever when I got 7 free doughnuts at Krispy Kreme, and shared them with my family.
3. I was on channel 3 news on Tuesday. While at my friends house, we were going to do a slip and slide, but there were too many bees outside. We discovered a semi truck covered with THOUSANDS of bees. We called channel 3 news and they asked to interview us.Turns out the truck triver was taking bees from California to South Dakota, and lives here. He decided to take a break and go visit his family. The wax in the hives started to melt, and the bees escaped from the truck, since it was not a closed vehicle, but just covered in tarp. My 2 friends, Friend's mom, and I were the only people there, but we told the news reporter that 4 other girls were there. I wasn't interviewed, and all but one of the girls that wasn't there were interviewed. A boy was actually stund 4 times! He didn't want to be interviewed. So we ended up not doing a slip and slide, but running from bees.
4.I saw Toy Story 3. It was hysterical! I recommend it. I LOVE it! Barbie and Ken are crack ups!
5.I became quite the little maid. I clean the house and saved the money I earned for some fun things.

Well, I hope you will forgive me for all the problems. Sorry!

-Sydnee

Lonely.........I was so lonely

2010-06-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

So today, I went to work with my mom, to see a play that was going to be preformed today. Then, I went home with my friend who was helping. Then, since Mom had a dentist appointment, she had me come back when work was over, and I was going to go to the dentist with her. So when it was time go back, I did. Mom was not in her classroom, and it was locked. I was thinking that she maybe just went to the office, or to make copies. So first, I checked to make sure her car was at work, and it was. She wasn't in the office, so I went to check and she if now she was in her class room. She wasn't. So I went to the office to call and see where she was, and on my way I checked to see if her car was still there. It was not in the parking lot, nor anywhere in sight. When I called her, She was on her way to the dentist! She said she would call Dad, and ask him to come get me. Thankfully, he came to the rescue. That is only the second time I have been forgotten by Mom. It was that, and when Seth got the priesthood, they didn't pull me out of class. I missed that. But any way, I lived.

-Sydnee

Oh, my creative mind!

2010-06-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

While I was at a Graduation luau, a boy had a lot of leis on. I said to my friend, "He looks like a Hawaiian Christmas tree!"

-Sydnee

Tech Woman

2010-06-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Tech Woman was my computer literacy teacher this year. (No, that is not her real name, but I don't want to put her name without permission.I hope you know who you are)She is the person who "inspired" me to start posting on this blog. In her class, I learned how to type without looking at my hands. I was so proud when I learned how, and decided to share my skills in a way that would help...... if that is what it is called. Tech Woman's class was so much fun, and I loved her class. That is pretty weird. I liked a class.I loved the work. I loved saving my work on the computer the most. Sometimes, I would make new folders, and get organized. When I walked in her door for the first time, I only knew that instead of pressing caps lock, typing a letter, and then pressing caps lock again, you can press shift as you type the letter you want capitalized. Now, I volunteer to help my parents with the computer. They grew up when computers were being invented. Ha ha. I think I am going to get it for that one. But anyways, I just wanted Tech Woman to know how much I appreciate her, and let her know that her class is "the bomb!" Thanks, Tech Woman!
-Sydnee

What I did today

2010-06-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Today

*Chores
*Watch THE SPY NEXT DOOR
*Swim

I am so lazy. I guess that can be bad.I hear it is national chocolate ice cream day.

-Sydnee

SUMMER!

2010-06-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

It is summer already! I have recently read a blog that I love, and will now post like. (There is a new post like every other day at least. The post are maybe only a paragraph long, but I LOVE having something new to read every day.) Well, Summer is actually boring. I have no transportation, except for my bike, and I have a HUGE new sunburn. Post for Ya' later! Posted by SYDNEE at 6:06 pm

Pool Problems (and pool party)

2010-05-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, this week, our pool became nasty nasty nasty! It was sooooooo gross. And we did what every person who cares about their pool does. We drained it. Dad went out and got a special sucky thing, and within 5 hours, there was nothing in our pool except for my mom, and her special acid wash. We filled up the jacuzzi, and I got in the pool when the deep part wasn't even filled up a foot high. I was in my clothes and just swam. I jumped in the jacuzzi, and would run up and down the pool. I was scared of slipping, but I didn't. Our pool was such a pretty color of green, and when I saw it full of blue water, I said to myself, BLUE AT LAST!!!!!!!! Here are some pictures of the process. If they get too gross, just turn your head.

It is finally blue! In just a few days, I will be in it ALL THE TIME!!!!!!!!! If you see me and I look like a raisin, you will know why.

Post for ya later!

This post was posted by SYDNEE at 5:13 pm

Disneyland

2010-04-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

This week, I am going to Disneyland with my orchestra. I am so excited!!! My mom isn't even going with me. I hear that they have the best chocolate covered strawberries. Yummy! Have any of you had Golden Horseshoe's Mile cake? The name is something like that. It is a four large layer chocolate cake, and it is only like $5.00 . That makes like 10 things under $10 at Disneyland. It is that, their fruit and veggies stand, which I am getting one of their huge honker pickles from, their rings, and chip and dale pretzels. Those are the best pretzels ever : ) Well, I volunteered to make dinner. Post for ya' later!

This post was posted by SYDNEE at 4:38

Promised I would Post! ( I stuck to it )

2010-04-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

This week is busy for us! Tuesday was Mom, Friday Uncle Drew, and Saturday Seth birthday. On Monday, we went to ~~Famous Daves~~ Tony Romas. The other place took forever, so we left. Well, I realized that we didnt put pics of The Nielsens wedding, so here it is!

This is from the night before the wedding. AKA, my 11th birthday.

This is my wonderful cake! (Thank you, Sister Barber)

These are the tables. The center pieces are balloon coconut trees. Cheezy but cute!

Sorry! I don't know how to rotate the pictures. This is me and my best friend, Emilee.

Oh were going to the houkilou.

Oh were going, to the Temple Now!

Jack was there and had a ball!

Those Nihipali girls have talent!

Now, The reception.

This is the center piece.

Yes, that is zebra print.

This is the cake table and the cake.

What the kids wents ga-ga for, the candy buffet.

This is my favorite picture of the night.

Thanks for the great poses, Hannah, and especially LJ.

This is the cake cutting and eating.

Or should I say, the cake cutting and eating, and Kainoa.

Hope you enjoyed the wedding photos. Post for you later!

Posted by SYDNEE April 9, 2010 5:34 p.m.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

2010-04-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Sydnee......... AGAIN!!!!! Today we listened to 4 hours of conference. I took 6 pages of notes. Then we had a wonderful dinner. (Thanks Aunt Lisa and Uncle Jeff.) We got home and 4:15 and off me and my mother went to girls night out. They had free food. It was chips and dip, a peanut butter chocolate bar, a cookie, cheese potato soup, and water. Then we went to the dollar store and I bought something for Seths birthday. Then we came home and dyed Easter eggs. Just me and my mom. I loved them so much, that I am going to share them with you. Here they are:

So cute!

I could just eat them up!! haha

My mom made this for Dad.

The dye.

Mom created these ones.

Introducing, the Hinrichsen family member's look-alike eggs.

Our family.

The pink one is me, and the green one is Seth.

The blue one is my dad and the pink one is my mom.

This is Cousin Joe.

Just Kidding. I don't have a Cousin Joe.

Now this is cousin One Eye Jack. This time, it's real. I have a cousin named Jack with one eye. He lives in Kansas. He showed us a dead armidillo laying on the side of the road. Everyone calls him One Eye Jack. This is him!

Now, I hoped you liked our Easter eggs, but here are some pictures of our Conference baskets.

Mine.

And Seths.

They have candy, snacks, gum, a notebook, pens, and pencils.

Here is what I got everyone.

A pack of gum, with 5 sticks.

Well, I need to go look at all the eggs my mom did while I posted. (I am getting good, arent I?)

One quick thing. Under the post, it will say "Posted by Suzie at." but really, It was posted by Sydnee. Well, school starts soon, but I will really try to post for you every Sunday. Post for ya' later!

A Post just to say we posted

2010-04-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Sydnee, again. Bakerella posts on her blog like every other day, and us, every other month. I thought that was not good enough so I told my mom, "I am posting on our blog today. How do I do that?" (I learned how to type without looking, so I can post easily.) I just checked for comments, and I did not check them early enough. The only trick I played yesturday was when I texted my friend that I got a puppy. A diffrent friend of mine told me she was moving to reno. My favorite trick I heared was to super glue coins to the ground somewhere. People try to pick them up,and can't. Spring break is too short. It's Friday already and I feel like break was 1 day only. Well, even though posting on the family blog is a good excuse to not do your chores, it wont get me out of doing them. Post for ya' later!

April '

2010-03-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post! (this is Sydnee, by the way) I am exited for General Confrence. That is really weird because it is just sitting in my house. ( did I mention that we are not going to Utah?) I am so exited for girls night! I love the free food haha. .After girls night last year, ( when we won the grand prize of a picture of the Las Vegas Temple) we tried to go to Baskin Robins, which is my absolute favorite ice cream place, but the line was long and we had some hungry "men" at our house to feed dessert. Since tomorrow is April Fools day, does anyone have a good prank? Even if your comment is late, I will use it next year. We dont have a little hand squirter that stretches on our sink, so don't leave the comment of taping the handle "on" switch to the squirter so the next person to turn on the sink gets soaked. Did that make any sense? I once heard the prank of squirting shower gel in a persons bed. Or unscrewing the lid to the salt so when somebody goes to salt their food, it is covered in all the salt there was in the salt shaker. My mom's birthday is on Tuesday, and Seth's is next Saturday. Well, it is bedtime. Good-bye to the 6 or 7 people who read this post (or blog).

A Quick Update so that darned "Posted 1 month ago" will go off my blog!

2010-02-14T23:56:00.000-08:00

Fun things in our lives:
     1. High School Basketball season ended (not that going to 3 basketball games a week wasn't fun, but.....)
      2. Sydnee received a "1" - superior rating at the district wide Solo/Ensemble....and it wasn't her best performance. (She is truly amazing! Maybe it's a good thing she didn't do her very best, the judge wouldn't have know what to do with her:) )
     3. My mom came to town to watch my borther's kids. It was good to see her, if only for a few hours.
     4. Seth and Sydnee got really good report cards! (I was a little nervous for a few weeks)
     5. 18 more SCHOOL days until I go on track break!
     6. The weather here is over 65!  Yea for the sunshine! Bring on SUMMER   (I am NOT a winter person!)
     7. Brent was able to confirm Carly. He loves helping people progress in the gospel!
     8. The Olympics. I REALLY like to watch them. However, I only truly care about the results of the US athletes. I wonder why NBC shows them sooo late in the evening. How come my parents(who are in Texas today) know the results way before I do? (I don't want to stay up until 11 pm to see the results...but I will)
     9. Warren and Mary Lou Harward stopped by for a visit. How we love those 2. They have had a great influence on us.
     10. Hannah is coming down for Becca's wedding.

And Then There Were Four....

2010-01-02T21:22:00.000-08:00

     Well, time flies when you're having fun they say. We had a great Christmas and enjoyed having Hannah and LJ here for nearly two weeks. We loved getting to know LJ better. We played lots and lots of games and watched lots and lots of movies and ate lots and lots of food. And then this morning at 4:30 Brent and Syd took them to the airport...and then the Christmas decorations started to come down and the house seems unusually empty......sigh.
       We went to a beautiful wedding reception tonight and it brought back wonderful memories of LJ's and Hannah's wedding and reception. (the pictures should be online for a little while longer. Go to jeannahayes.com then click on proofing the password is: JHSLJHANNAH and you can see most of the pictures fromt he wedding and reception. But be forewarned there are nearly 500 online - and another 1,000 on the disk we received!). Jenny and Craig are going to BYUI, too. We hope they will be good friends with Hannah and LJ!

Home for Christmas

2009-12-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

So, I'm going to try to hook up to http://www.southernhospitalityblog.com/ for her holiday home tours. But if I don't get linked, it's ok. I still want my friends and especially my family to be able to come home for Christmas. I am excited because Hannah and LJ and my mom and dad will all be here for Christmas, but I am missing having them home earlier. So here we go!

We have our fake Christmas tree in the living room right in front of the window (I think it is partly so I don't feel guilty for not having lights outside YET)

Doesn't EVERYTHING look better with white lights? (Hey, maybe I need to wrap myself in white lights?!?!?) We don't have a star on the tree, the one we've had since the kids were little is too tall for this room, so last year we went to HAVEN a great store in Victorville, CA and saw this idea. I like it...but I need a star. (Syd did the loverly drape arrangement)

OK...we are surely lacking in the gift department. I have done a lot of shopping, but I am WAY behind on my wrapping. (Thanks Mom, for embedding in me that presentation is as important as what is inside the box- a philosophy that, at this point in my life, I refuse to give up!)

The Dixon's made that cute manger scene on the wall. I love that it reminds us of the simple beauty of what Christmas is really a celebration of-the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. (Hey, and Jana is OCD about gift wrap, too. Right, Jana?)

I have since filled the jars with gold balls and added some candy canes to the white mints. (What's a girl to do with 10 cool glass jars left over from the candy buffet at her daughter's wedding?)

The ceramic nativity in the music room. (Can you believe I MADE this myself...ok with a lot of help)

One of the Christmas trees in the alcove between the living room and the music room (notice the guitar in the background)

Mmmmmmmm...I love me some gingerbread men!!!!

Kitchen curtains and something new...a gingerbread tree!!!

Let's go to the family room. A gentle reminder that gingerbread are cute (REALLY cute),, but that Christ is the true reason we celebrate!

well, that should whet your appetite!!! I am off to the eye doctor, but I'll be sure to add more pictures later!

The Wedding,The New School Year, and All That Jazz

2009-09-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Wow...what an amazing summer! August brought about a LOT of changes for our family. Hannah and LJ were married in the Las Vegas Temple, Seth started high school and Sydnee started middle school (leaving me the only one in elementary school)! Minor details first:
Can I just say I have an AMAZING class? I could not have pulled off a wedding, nay, THE wedding, if my class weren't so good (and if Heavenly Father weren't so good to me - only 1 true breakdown 35 days before THE day). Plus Syd is in middle school. I remember when I was in middle school. Now, my baby is there! She is in advanced orchestra (duh!), all advanced classes and has early morning chamber orchestra. I miss eating lunch with her everyday. Seth is in HIGH school. That means in less than 5 years he'll be on a mission and never be "my boy" again. Sounds depressing, huh? It is hard to see your kids grow up and leave...sob. Seth is on student council and taking all honors classes. He leads his seminary class in scripture mastery. My kids make me look like a good mom, but don't be deceived! They are just good and smart and talented on their own...seriously, they came that way. Seth is working out with the basketball team (well the wanna-be team since tryouts aren't till later in the year). And finally, THE wedding. First, thank you to my WONDERFUL friends. Seriously, it would have been plastic tablecloths and Costco cream puffs if it weren't for you!!! I am amazed at what good women can work to achieve. You all truly made my burdens light Hannah and LJ are happy in their new apartment. Time sure flies. We think about bringing her home from the hospital and looking at eachother and wondering, "What do we do now?" She is a kid that never stumbled or had to learn something, she just did it. (We used to joke that she stayed up all night practicing in her crib because one day she just walked. Another day she talked - full sentences at 18 months - and she really never stopped talking, did she? jk) She has been an amazing girl from the get go...a 30 year old in a 10 year old's body friends used to say. It has been a privilege to be her mom and all I can say is, "LJ, you are one lucky guy!" We are glad to have him in our family. He and Hannah enjoy so much of the same thing and he is soooo good for her. I have always said that I love how he loves her for who she is.

I Am The Winner!

2009-04-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

Sydnee and I went to Girls' Night Out at Deseret Book Saturday night. This is definitely a Hinrichsen girl tradition, but this year Hannah was in Utah and so Sydnee and I went alone. Here, Sydnee is going to tell the story! Hi! So we went to Deseret Book. My mom was one of the first 100 ladies 18 and older. So when we checked out, we got a free frame. But ALL girls 18 and older got to enter a contest. They did little door prizes and drew names. If you wern't there you didn't get the door prize, but even if you wern't there during the drawing of the grand prize, ( A brand new $350 picture of the Las Vegas temple for free!) you would still win it. My mom and I left about a hour before priesthood session ended, but didn't win a door prize. ( our family NEVER wins anything but the little prizes.) So then we left we went to get some ingredients for a delicious snicker salad we ate at ladies night out. When we got home we had a message. My mom played it and it was from a lady, who worked at Deseret Book. It said that WE WON THE GRAND PRIZE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : 0 : ) : ) Yes so now The Hinrichsen family has a new Gourgeous picture of the Las Vegas Temple at their house!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're going every year now!

I Really DID Rule the world

2009-03-13T09:43:00.000-07:00

Every time this song (Viva la vida) comes on my "cool" cd I tell Seth, "I really did rule the world when I was young". Remember when you thought you had life all figured out? Well, what I have figured out now is that (one)- the world does NOT revolve around me and (two)- make goals not plans. Now I barely rule my own house and as my kiddos get oh so old, I don't even rule them anymore. Instead I have had to trust Joseph Smith's philosophy (a good, safe bet there) and teach them correct principles and let them choose for themselves. Fortunately, they are making great choices. The third thing I am still trying to learn is that I only rule me (and sometimes I get way out of control)!!! I just realized the other day that honestly and truly I am only responsible for the choices I make. I can teach, and lead and guide my children but in the long run, they make their own choices. So, right now I'd better choose to go make my bed (so unlike me not to make my bed first thing in the morning, but hey, I'm on track break)!

Idaho - March 2009

2009-03-12T23:57:00.001-07:00

I'M BACK!

2009-03-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been a long, long while since I've blogged. I've checked in occasionally to see if anyone has posted anything new FOR me....to no avail. It seems like I've forgotten how to post pictures, create slide shows and change my music (all at the same time). Seriously, the lights are on but rarely am I home.
Anyhow...I'm back from my weekend trip to Idaho. Sydnee and I went to visit Hannah. It turned out she had a concert and a new boy...well, er, man (that's his nomenclature of choice - lol). The concert was GREAT, the weather was good (for Idaho), and the boyfriend???? Well, it's only been a few weeks but he treats her really well (FINALLY) and they get along so well (We say he's her brand of weird).
Hannah is such a great girl. She's more like my best friend than my daughter. I miss her a lot, but she is having the time of her life and all of those wonderful living on your own, being the center of your own world experiences that are so important.
I realized a few things: 1 - I am NOT 20 (or even 30 for that matter): I don't look it or act it (although I probably should try to act my age sometime) 2 - I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the heat. Las Vegas is not ugly it is the beautiful brown that comes from years and years of living in the blissful warm sunshine. I love to be warm. 3- The future of the Church is looking better than ever! Hannah has an amazing group of friends. The kids in her ward are doing a FABULOUS job of living the Gospel in an increasingly crazy world.
Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to post pictures in the morning (between loads of laundry).

Party With the Girls!!

2008-10-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Are you interested in renting a theater on Friday, Nov 21 to see TWILIGHT? Email me and I will forward you the details!!! It should cost $10 per person and that includes one of those snazzy kid "meals".

A few thoughts before the election

2008-09-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

In just two years. Remember the election in 2006? Thought you might like to be aware of the following:
A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%.

Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we have seen:
1) Consumer confidence plummet;
2) The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.95 a gallon;
3) Unemployment is up to 5.5% (a 25% increase);
4) American households have seen $2.7 trillion in equity value evaporate
(stock and mutual fund losses);
5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.5 trillion dollars;
6) 3% of American homes are in foreclosure.
America voted for change in 2006, and BOY did we get it!

Remember it's Congress that makes law not the President. He has to work
with what's handed to him.
Quote of the Day........'My friends, we live in the greatest nation in
the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to
change it. ' -- Barack Obama

A Few Interesting Facts

2008-09-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

So, for those of you who don't know me really well, I am VERY conservative - politically speaking (and probably most other ways, too). However, as right winged as I think I am (or as right-winged as my husband says I am) I find I am on the far left compared to my family. We can't quite figure out where this conservative-ism came from (after all for the first 13 years of my life my dad was a card totin' union labor member - but Mom, well, that's a different story...her first national election had her voting for Nixon over Kennedy)...But I guess when the govenrment taxes the heck out of you things gotta change. Anyhow, my brothers, sister and I are proud of saying that we've voted in every national election and just about every local election, too. Harry Reid knows my email address (and probably deletes any message with my name on it). I even did some work for the Republican Party, receive Christmas cards from George and Laura, AND I have the "6" and "0" candles from Mitt Romney's birthday cake (he celebrated his 60th birthday at a fundraiser here in the valley. How I got them is a long story and involves my stake president - kind of- but I guess they're not worth much since he dropped out of the presidential primaries). OK, long blog short...here's some interesting facts to think about (especially if you're not sure who you're voting for in November)
What do the top ten cities with the highest poverty rate all have in common?
*Democrat leadership.

*Detroit**, MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1961;
Buffalo, NY** (2nd) hasn't elected one since 1954;
Cincinnati**, OH** (3rd) ... since 1984
Cleveland**, OH** (4th) ... since 1989;
Miami**, FL** (5th) has never had a Republican Mayor;
St. Louis**, MO** (6th) ... since 1949;
El Paso**, TX** (7th) has never had a Republican Mayor;
*Milwaukee**, WI** (8th) ... since 1908;
Philadelphia**, PA** (9th) ... since 1952;
Newark**, NJ** (10th) ... since 1907.
Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing>the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
*It is the disadvantaged who habitually elect Democrats - yet remained disadvantaged
What makes America Great is NOT government, it is the hard working people and the constitution.

2008-09-05T13:35:00.001-07:00

Summer in a Nut Shell

2008-09-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Where does the time go? It seems as though summer came and went in less than a week. Some things that happened since my last post: Seth went to scout camp. Hannah and I went to girls' camp for a day to do service projects with the entire stake. The kids and I went camping at the beach with my parents and my sister and her 2 kids. Hannah and I drove back to Idaho. I stayed with Hannah for a couple of days and met 2 of her latest boyfriends (old news now, of course. She's starting her own reality show called "Next" - lol). Sydnee performed in 2 violin recitals (one was a hoe-down and the other her "trophy recital"). Brent and I went with the YW from our ward to St. George to do tours, temple baptisms and see Les Mis. Seth and Sydnee started school again.
The trip to the beach was one of those never to be forgotten experiences. Not only was it the first time my kids have camped with my parents, but also there were TOO many hilarious stories. Security guards in the middle of the night, children beaten by waves, Marley's first experience with s'mores and phones in the ocean are things we'll always remember and laugh about. Oh, I LOVE summer and family!
A few weeks later my mom and sister and her kids came to Vegas to watch my brother's kids while he and his wife went to Alaska for a week. We swam and played every day. We went to Little Pastry Chefs and decorated cookies and cupcakes. What a mess!!! Sydnee went back 2 weeks later with our wonderful friend, Amy. When she got home Sydnee said, "Mom, I think it's my cousins who are messy. I only got a tiny spot of frosting on my apron this time." When we went with our cousins we were COVERED with frosting. (How do you get frosting under your arm?) More great memories!!!
OK - violin recital- Syd is AMAZING! I can't wait to see what the future holds for her. We are so lucky to have found the world's greatest violin and piano teacher.
Seth recently told me I don't have a sense of humor. That's so sad, because I think I'm very funny. It's good to hear what your kids think - sometimes. I know I get too caught up in the little details and sometimes forget to enjoy the moment. Sadly, my response was, "Well, if everyone would help me, maybe I'd have time to laugh." not really- I didn't say that. What I wanted to say is that I've already heard those same jokes a million times (he called LVA LV Gay- come on, that's pretty old). But this was a gentle reminder to me to LIVE and LOVE THE MOMENT! I guess that's the secret to life...but of course, I have to learn that lesson again and again and again!!!
So, enjoy today. Go out and laugh with your kids. Tickle them, laugh at their old, silly jokes and revel in their discoveries (did you know that you overeat when you're tired? I've learned that and a million other brain facts from Seth's excitement over his science class this week).

Breaking Dawn "Party"

2008-08-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Hannah, Syd and I went to B & N for the BD release party. I had put my name on 2 different lists (B & N and Borders) so we got the red bracelets. What an adventure. We felt like we were at the circus or something. Poor Hannah, who has been living in Idaho for 9 weeks, forgot the wide aray of unusual personalities we have in our metropolis (wow - multi-syllabic word choice). If you want a good laugh, ask one of us about our experience.
Friday morning I flew to Idaho and then Hannah and I drove the nearly 10 hours to get home, brush our teeth and make it in time to get our books. We LOVED the final book....what about you?

Where's the Party?

2008-07-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

I am TOO excited about BD this Friday!!!! I talked with Lisa R. about plans for a big celebration. She's doing a vampire prom theme (what does an overweight 40+ year old wear to a vampire prom?) - and hitting both borders and B&N. Deseret Book cancelled their midnight opening, sad, sad. Hannah and I will be driving down from Rexburg but we won't miss the midnight release.

On a side note, I am really going to try to add a few more 2 and 3 syllable words to my vocabulary. My one syllable 100 words can only go so far. So, if you have any big, important sounding words, let me know so I can sound educated (hey, for the record, I did go to BYU on an academic scholarship). Jori has already contributed "useless" so I'm up to 101!

2008-07-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

I Love My Husband

2008-07-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

I was looking through old pictures (since Syd and I are scrapbooking today). It is a GREAT thing to look back and see the changes that have come in 21 years of marriage. We were so (relatively) young back in 1987!!! Anyway, short post, but I LOVE my husband. That is definitely something he doesn't hear enough. We get so busy in running our daily life - and this year has been the busiest for him- that we don't always take time to sit and stare into each other's eyes like we used to.
O.k. so I had to post this picture with the $250 football he bought at our ward auction. Brent is so generous with those he loves that rarely does he do something nice for himself. It was good to finally get him something that he really wanted (and as you can tell, he was thrilled to receive it). so, honey, just a quick note to say I love you and I'm thankful everyday for all you do!!!

An Almost Empty Nest

2008-07-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Seth left for 8 days of scout camp this morning at 5 a.m. (How did I EVER survive four years of early morning seminary???). Hannah is staying in Idaho to work all summer, so that leaves Sydnee all to her lonesome. We have some fun girly things planned for this week - lunch at Mimi's, watching the Nancy Drew movie and going to see the American Girl movie "Kit". We also want to do some scrapbooking and hopefully begin to redecorate her room. It is so quiet at our house!!!!

Oh, and Cedar City was FABULOUS! Sydnee had a wonderful time. She got to see Taming of the Shrew, go on a backstage tour, shop and, of course, perform. Brent and I had a lot of fun, too. I LOVE the flowers in Utah. Darn this hot climate!!!! I can barely keep my grass and palm trees alive - I guess the tradeoff is our pretty mild winters. I'll take the lack of flowers to the snow anytime!!!

And finally, Hannah, what is this about blue darts? I thought those only existed in junior high school novels???? Is this what our money is paying for?? LOL. I'm glad you're having fun.

Shakespeare by Elementary Students?????

2008-07-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

Sydnee just finished the second performance of Twelfth Night at our elementary school. The drama teacher has proven again that she deserves a raise. Next week the children will be performing at the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. Sydnee has some serious talent!!! One of my greatest joys is watching my children discover things they are passionate about; Sydnee is passionate about acting and violin. Hannah is passionate about music (especially singing, of course). Seth is 13 - are teenagers passionate about anything? Well, he is probably most passionate about school work. He is a perfectionist when it comes to grades (although he did miss a couple of assignments this year- for the FIRST time in his life- really, that makes me happy- I want him to enjoy school more and worry less). Now that makes me wonder, WHAT am I passionate about?????

OK, OK, I Give IN!!!!

2008-07-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

I LOVE to look at blogs!! I spend way too much time on the computer reading blogs of people I don't even know. Of course, most of them leave me depressed - "I should do that with my kids" I think to myself. I think this will be a good blog for normal people - not supermoms!!!- a place where people can stop by and visit and then leave feeling happy. They'll smile and say, "Hey, her kids are AMAZING and she's no super woman. I can do that!" So yep, ladies (and gentlemen) you don't have to be super woman to have great kids (heck, your house doesn't even have to be clean and you don't even have to make beautiful homemade cards or yummy cupcakes - all 3 things I desperately want); you just gotta love those cute kiddos-because they don't stay little for long (weeps heavily as she thinks of her growing kids!).