Last Years Ripley News

I'm going to put our last years newsletter on here because it is SO stinkin funny! you laugh, you cry, and everything in between! (ps my mom wrote it). Please forgive any typos, i had to copy it all down because it wasn't saved into our computer. Here it is:

RIPLEY NEWS 2007

Three-year-old rescuer

This summer josh (8) kept finding snakes in the field behind our house and much to the amazement/horror of the other neighborhood moms-- I let him keep them. (there has to be some perks for being surrounded by sisters.) One snake only lasted a night and then passed on to greener pastures. Another he kept a couple of nights and brent brought home a tiny pinky mouse to feed it. Josh placed the mouse in the cage but the snake wasn't interested. After a couple of hours Josh checked again and the mouse was gone. He ran around the house ecstatic that the snake had eaten. Several hours later, megan (4) played a game of 'guess what i have in my hand' with her mom and revealed the allegedly eaten mouse. (Yes, shock and screaming were involved.) She tearfully confessed to sneaking into Josh's room and rescuing the mouse, hiding it in her dress-up box. The snake never did eat the mouse and was set free.


Son mortified at Bus Stop

Karen made the mistake of hollering to josh while he stood at the bus stop, "josh, do you have clean socks on?" The poor boy turned pale and looked around at his friends and mumbled "yes." Unfortunately, Karen couldn't let it be but had to repeat the question adding, "are you sure?" Poor josh almost passed out. Upon asking karen about her irrational behavior she replied, "Well he was going bowling during school and i didn't want him to be embarrassed." Joshua, when asked about the incident replied, "Mom? What mom? I've never seen that lady before in my life."



Up and Coming Actress

Besides eating worms and growing 6 inches this last year, Amanda (11) has found a passion for acting. She's performed in several plays and has been to drama camp. This year she couldn't wait for summer to be over because "when school starts, so does acting." One problem with a child actress is when she calls from school -- "you have to come get me right now. I'm going to throw up all over the secretary's desk." --her parents always wonder- is it real or is she acting?


Life at the Locker

in august, Sara (13) said good-bye to recess and little kids, packed up her backpack and headed to junior high. in typical teenage fashion she summarized 7th grade in one word-boring. Luckily eavesdropping while driving carpool you can find out the latest school news: such as how some kid barfed after the health teacher made them watch a gruesome video on the consequences of drunk driving. When Sara isn't going to boring school she spices up her life with soccer, volleyball, motorcycles, friends, and making photo collages.


We were expecting a baby but got an angel instead

On September 5th our baby girl Emily was delivered stillborn. She lived to the gestational age of 6 months and i was induced after we found out that she had passed on. Brent and i spend a sweet couple of hours holding her body and saying a brief hello and goodbye. Two days later we held a graveside service with our children. Losing her has been painful beyond words. And yet the tender care we've received from our friends and family overwhelming. Our comfort lies in knowing families are eternal and we will get to be with her someday. In the meantimes, she is our angel Emily--daughter and sister.


A few little Snippets

On our vacation in oceanside, CA Josh wrote in the sand--josh rocks-- then went out to dive under waves. Sara snuck over (in typical pesky sister fashion) and changed a letter and a half making it - josh sucks. Karen made her change it back but she only did so halfway and it ended up - josh socks.

(also on the beach) megan said, "i need my boogie board, so i can boogie."

Megan dressing up like a pirate and saying, "aye aye crappin"

Megan stepping on the bathroom scale saying, "mom look, it says one megan."

Meggy running back and forth in the backyard. her hair flying in and out of her face, yelling, "I'm going to race the wind."

Megan replying while looking at her toes, "mom, i need to put on socks. My feet are dirty."

Too...much....popcorn!!

i just ate a huge bowl of popcorn...i think i'm going to be sick! :(

So much for posting a lot of comments...

wow i suck at this. Maybe i'll get better at this if i get people to actually read my blog besides ali and janell!! lol! jk... i know you guys read it because you tell me that you do at school!

I'm sorry that i have had really bad grammar and use abbreviations (Ex: LOL, JK) in my posts. Please forgive me if it is a little hard to read. I will try harder.

I'm going to tell you guys a funny story...

Once upon a time there was a girl who got really lazy after her soccer season started. She got so lazy that she started bullying her siblings a lot and got very grumpy. This girl (we will call her Fredrika) started to wory about her health. She didn't like to be grumpy. Fredrika had always gotten a lot of exercise before because she was always SO busy in soccer (4 times a week or more if there are games) . Soccer really took over her life.

So fredrika wanted to exercise more. She didn't want to go on a run because she was really sick of running, but couldn't think of any good exercise besides running that would give her that awesome feeling you get when you exercise really hard. THE END.

ok so that wasn't really a funny story, but (believe it or not) this story was actually about me!

I know it's pretty lame not to know any good exercises to do, but i just can't think of anything that doesn't involve having a team (like basketball) or involve running up and down the canyon. (that gets BORING!!)

Does anyone want to help out Fredrika??

THANKS I LOVE YOU ALL!!! YOU ARE MY IDOLS!!

Life is Good.... Ü

Well... i am just loving life right now! it has been so much fun and i am really happy all of the time. I just switched into Mia Maids, i'm in volleyball with a lot of my friends, and i don't feel stressed out all the time because the term just ended. My piano is going good, i'm really happy with it, my friends and family are finally all healthy (well, really close, especially because it's been really bad lately.) And it's getting so so so pretty here in utah. The leaves are all changing and the weather is very good.

I'm so happy right now, i can't think of anything bad right now. I'm just really happy!

I LOVE YOU ALL TO DEATH!!!!! YOU ROCK MY SOCKS!!! HA HA!!!!

14 YEARS OLD!!

guess what? i have the most amazingly wonderful friends EVER!!! yesterday my friends threw me a surprise birthday. here's what happened:

So i went over to my friends house at about 6 30. I went upstairs to help her clean up her room, then the doorbell rang. My friend ran down the stairs as fast as she could yelling " I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT I GOT IT"

I followed her and when she opened the door all of my friends were there. i hadn't quite grasped what was going on so i replied "hey guys, so uh, whatcha doin?"

(ha ha)

So then i figured out what was going on, and we went downstairs. there was a christmas tree that was decorated with happy birthday signs. Well, i had a christmas in october party and opened up my presents under the tree. i got christmas pjs, christmas soaps, christmas cards, christmas blankets, and even footie pajamas!

it was awesome i had a blast! thanks you guys who threw it because i know you are reading my blog!! it was awesome! i love you all!!!

Summer Pics

We had a LOT of apricots this summer. we tried to freeze like all of them but it didn't work. i don't think i can eat another apricot in my life.
This was in jackson hole. we went to this gross store with all these animal furs. this is megan and her friend playing with them. it was really quite funny! The little boy (travis) stuck his finger in the bears nose and said "you have a booger!"

This is all the girls that went to jackson hold this summer.

This is right before river rafting. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!

This is me and my soccer team eating at subway after a victory!

Girls Camp Pics!

I'm Back.....

So i really don't even know if anyone read this, but if you do, i'm back!!

Go Janell for coming back from your surgery!! wahoo!! i hope your hearing comes back soon....

so it's just been crazy around here. Here's an update:


I got my blog template to work (tee hee)

Amanda's in YW now! she is 12! yay!

Soccer has been great! we have had a couple rough times though. We lost our game yesterday and we really shouldn't have. i'm really mad about it. the stupid ref didn't call anything! DUMB! I freakin hurt my knee and had to sit out because a girl came and fouled me in the BOX!! that should have been a PK. oh well, life goes on.

I finished Breaking Dawn. That's a very action filled book. it answered a lot of unsolved questions. (it's part of the Twilight series)

I'm in school and all is well. it's MID TERM!

I joined cross country and am staying very busy with that, soccer, school, young womens, and piano.

The Fiddler On The Roof play at SJHS is coming out in 1 week! A LOT of my friends are in that play. i'm SO excited for them!!!

Im really sorry that i haven't really been writing in this. i got really busy and kind of forgot (Ü).
I'll try to post some pictures of the summer up soon!

POST COMMENTS!!

UGHHH I AM SO FRUSTRATED!!

UGH I CAN'T GET THIS STUPID THING TO WORK!!

okay so i am trying to get this adorable FREE template off of the cutest blog on the block. i'm doing everything it is telling me to do and it WON'T WORK!! does anyone use that website? if so please give me some advice!!!

Busy as a bee

hey everyone i am so so sorry! I haven't posted anything for ever. It has been just CRAZY!!
Here's what's been going on:

1. I started off having a week of soccer practices. we had a tournament that weekend and we had to prepare.

2. then I had the soccer tournament. (by the way we did FABULOUS!!).

3. I left my phone in park city and had a lady call me and told me that she would send it to me.

4. the day i got back from my tournament my parents left to go to California for a wedding, so lucky me i got to babysit!

5. The next day i was leaving for girls camp

So i just had a week of girls camp and here I am! Tomorrow i am leaving to go to Jackson Hole. When i get back from Jackson Hole i will have 2 days to go school shopping (including going to the open house to see what supplies i will need this year.)

This summer has been SO crazy!! we went to lake powell, BYU soccer camp, lots and lots of soccer practices, i have planned a surprise birthday party, etc.

Once again i am really sorry about not posting anything. keep reading cuz i will try to post more!

More Lake Powell Pics

This is my brother josh. we did LOTS of fishing!! but i don't think anyone did as much as josh did.

This is my and ari tubing. it was SO much fun!

This is my amazingly wonderful supertastic uncle who let us go to lake powell with him. he is wonderfully great.

Yes that is one of arby's curly fries in her nose. that is all i can say. Ü



my computer is being dumb and will only let me put four pics on at a time, sorry!!

Some Lake Powell Pictures

This is me and my friend (Ari). She came with us to lake powell. (we having fun posing for the camera)

That's my uncles houseboat with me jumping off the top of it. it was a long way down and hurt your toes if you didn't point them.

This is my sister amanda. She is 2 years younger than me but already 5 inches taller. She has my dad's genes and i have my moms!

This if my 4 year old sister megan. She's a cutie pie!



More pictures are coming... i just can't figure out how to put them on!!

Soccer Tournament! WAHOOSERS!

As most of you know i am on the AAA division 2 hcstorm soccer team. it is WAY stinkin' fun! well we have a soccer tournament coming up. it's the USA tournament (i think) in park city. well i just got a email from my coach telling us to start eating lots of pasta and to stock up on carbs. Well i really don't want to eat pasta every for the next week, so i have a question what other foods have lots of carbs??

thanks guys! sorry i haven't posted much lately. i will do better!

Book Suggestions?

hey guys,

my family really likes to read. actually, we're kindof freaks because we read so much! :)
for example:

my sister has read the harry potter series 14 times
my mom is writing her own book
we have bookshelves of books, and I have read them all.

so... i need some advice! what are you're favorite books? i need something to read or i will go crazy!!!!!

Funniest joke... i laughed my head off!

I was at the doctors office getting my leg checked out, and i read this joke in readers digest, it is hilarious!!

"I love to use the do it yourself check out machines at walmart. except when i hold the item on the scanner a little too long and the machine starts saying in a monotone voice 'move your whole milk (or whatever i am checking out) into the bagging area.' I usually just ignore it. Well one day as i was shopping for our sunday pork dinner i didn't hesitate to move that pork into the bagging area as soon as it started yelling "move your pork butt".

ha ha! i think this is just HILARIOUS!!

School Lunch Stories...

Hey everone! My sister and I were talking about school lunch stories today. Here's are a couple of really funny ones i have to tell!

My sister told me this one--

at lunch at her school, they gave out these new potatoes. they were called "sunshine potatoes"
they were mashed potatoes with a glob of cheese on the top. So my sister picked it up by the cheese, and the whole clump of potatoes came up with it. the Janitor came by and said "ewwwww what do they feed these kids today?".

They rolled up their "sunshine potatoes" into round balls and bounced them in the cafeteria like bouncy balls. and guess what? it worked too.

This one happened to me last year-- (chaylee you will know this one)
I was telling my friends at lunch how i went up to my other friend in English (who has these cute buns in her hair all the time) and told her how i liked her buns. except this is how it came out:

" Oh taylor i just LOVE your buns! they are SO cute! "

well it sounded like i meant something else (Ü). anyways as i was telling this to my friends we were all laughing so hard. i then took a drink of milk, and just as i did, my friend went up to this girl and said "oh i just LOVE your buns!". i started laughing SO hard that my milk came out of my nose and went everywhere! it was so embarrassing!!!! i had to go to the counter and get like 20 napkins to wipe it all up! i am just glad it was milk and not snot!

that's all that i can think of right now...
PLEASE tell me some of your funny cafeteria stories! i am excited to hear them!

Good Way to Earn Money!! ha ha!!

Here is my me and my mom's conversation the other day:


Me: hey mom, so for young women's we're doing a charity fund. Would you like to donate?

Mom: well, ya sure i guess. how much do you need?

Me: oh i don't know.... 20 or so dollars.

Mom: ok, well what's the fund called?

Me: the S.N.C.

Mom: what does that stand for?

Me: uh....sara needs cash.

Mom: what? speak louder.

Me: Sara Needs Cash.

(Sly smile)

Mom: ha ha nice try.

Try it. maybe it'll work with your mom!! ha ha.

please help! i am VERY confused!

Please help me... i am so confused on how to run this blog... all of your guyses blogs are like amazing and cool and personalized. they are WAY cool! how do you personalize a template? do you have to download something? how do you do it??????

Why Blog? Why Now?

Hey everybody... I know not very many people will be reading this... yet... but i just want to say
thank you Janell, Mechelle, and Julie for writing in the Grandma Effie blog. That was AMAZING!!! I absolutely loved reading about my great grandma. Wow, she sure sounds like 1 in a million.

My mom is always telling me about how I will absolutely love my Grandma Effie when I meet her in heaven. She is told me about how she had 3 different wigs. A blonde, a red, and a brunette, and how she would wear different wigs every time she saw her.

anyways... i had started reading Janell's blog a couple weeks ago, just for the heck of it. then one day i was scrolling down her blog and started looking at her contacts. i saw the grandma effie blog. i thought "hey i wonder what that's about". So i clicked on it and started reading all about my great grandma. like i said i just LOVED it! it was so much fun to read! well i looked at the grandma effies blog links and started reading Kallies blog. Then i started thinking, "Wow, i can't believe she has a blog! that would be so much fun to have!"

So here i am. opening my new blog. i have no idea how this works, so if you have any tips on how to work this thing that would be great.