Pattio's Place

Surprise, I am still alive and posting

2011-03-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

Amber is so funny. Just because she flew the coop and started her own blog she doesn't think I will continue on without her, Ha look at this!!!! I had a fabulous little trip to see landon and erica and tanner and marissa in Wisconsin last month. While there I got the card bug and made about 20. It stayed with me when I came home and i made 20 more. I felt so guilty (cause I didn't do much of anything else) but it was so fun. That creative bug just comes and goes and you gotta just run with it when it comes. Amber made me take pictures. Course I had a little help from Erica and Marissa. Fun times.

I put a little money pocket inside since most of my wedding cards hold money. Kinda fun.

Leaving the blog nest.

2011-02-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

I've finally done it! i've finally created my OWN blog! I'm not longer piggy-backing off of my mother's blog. Lets face it...Pattio's place doesn't really sound very...amber jo ish. So if you want to see my blog you can go here goodbye. it's been fun. (since my mom hasn't posted on this thing for years, and i'm pretty sure she never will, this is good bye from pattio's place. :)

Sound of Music

2010-12-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

Our school play, the sound of music, finished last month and it was a blast. Maria has always been one of my dream roles. I love Julie Andrews, and to be acting the same part as her has been SO fun. It was just a high school play, so there were some people who haven't really done plays before. Lets just put it this way: some songs/scenes were definitely funner/better than others. ha ha Here are some pictures.

"The hills are alive with the sound of music"

Being sent away to be a governess

meeting the children

"Doe a deer a female deer" (in the play they sing this right after meeting the children)

"i forgot the other boy. what's his name?...Well, God bless whats-his-name"

In the play, "my favorite things" is sung in Reverend Mother's office before maria leaves the Abbey. In this bedroom scene I sing "the Lonely Goatherd"
"One little girl in a pale, pink coat heard laydee-oo...."

Our curtain clothes
Telling the captain off for being a crappy father. This was a really fun part to do. It was fun to yell and someone and snap back. he he

"you're right, I don't know my own children" then we sing together, he gives me the whistle (symbolic, how tender!!) and we gaze into each others eyes for a bit. Precious!!

Dancing the LandlerThere were always cast members in the wings making faces at us to get us to break character or start laughing during our dance. It was good though, because it got the captain to smile a bit. lost in each others eyes. "i don't remember any more" abridged version: "he likes you" -"oh no! then i should go back to the Abbey" - "sweet! she's gone and i have him all to myself"
Climb every mountain. Our Mother Abbess was WAY better then the one on the movie. She gave me the chills almost every night!
I come back and they hear me singing from a far off. This part gave me chills every time. How romantic. :/I loved this dress! I felt so pretty in it."you are 16 going on 17" home from the honeymoon.
Captain's telegram that tells him he has to join the Nazi'screating a plan to escape. Dang i'm a genius!!

To be continued...

Life as a Senior!

2010-10-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

I've always heard that Senior year is so much fun, but i never really thought much of it. I always thought that the year i was in was fun. Jr. year was so fun...how could one year make such a difference?
Well, i'm here to testify that IT DOES!! Just in the few months we've been in school it's been a blast. It's so fun to be the top of the school and know that people are looking up to you to be an example. I swear when I was a sophomore, the seniors were so old, they were basically adults. Now that I am one, I don't feel old enough to be one. Weird how that is.
Here is what has been happening since i last posted:

Of course the beginning of school means Homecoming. Sorry, if you get sick of only hearing about my dances every time, but it really is the only thing that breaks up the monotony of my life! They are always so much fun.
Kenrik Lopez, the kid who asked me, is one of my really good friends. He is an awesome person. (and it doesn't hurt that he is half hawaiian from his mom and his dad is from the Philippines, so he has very nice, dark skin. he he) He came to my house the day before school started with a beautiful yellow Gerber daisy (my favorite flower) and said something along the lines of: "Daisies are white, but sometimes are yellow. Homecoming would be great if you went with this fellow." It was so simple and cute! Plus, i didn't have to worry about answering him in a clever way, because i just said yes on the spot.

Amanda, the one who usually does my hair, was busy so I had to do my hair by myself. There wasn't much i could do with it, because it was so short.

Our group was so fun. All of us are good friends and we have so much fun with each other. I laughed so much that day!

I auditioned for the school play this year. I usually don't do school plays, for many reasons, but i couldn't resist with this one. It's the Sound of Music and I've always wanted to be Maria. I figured i'd at least try out and see if i could make it.

I was so pleasantly surprised when i made my dream role as Maria! The songs are so fun to sing, the Vonn trapp family kids are so fun to work with (one of them being one of my best friends), and the acting seems to come more naturally then any of the other parts i've played. Maybe because it's similar to how I really am. True, i have to memorize pretty much the whole play (because i'm in almost ever scene) and I sing almost every song, but i love it!!

I took the ACT in December last year and got a 24. the categories were: Science-25 math-24 English-24 reading-24. Which isn't bad, but I really wanted at least a 26. Last year i was enrolled in really hard classes. I was in 2 AP classes that were very difficult: English 1010 and American History. I learned SO much from them. Not just the subjects, but better study habits, how to take good notes, how to read with better understanding and comprehension, and how to test fast yet efficient. When i took the ACT last month I could tell the things i learned last year were being put to good use. When i got my scores back this year i was so nervous i couldn't find my composite score. My eyes first saw the categories: English-27 math-26 reading-33 science-26. i figured i had to have done better than last time. Then i found my composite score: 28!!

(sorry it's so blurry. i figured i'd add picture proof)

I was so happy. i was amazed at how much challenging myself and pushing myself paid off. I am a firm believer of doing difficult things and working hard to accomplish your goals. I love learning, and i appreciate hard work. Who would have thought that looking back on my crazy stressful, hard year last year i would be grateful?! but i really am. I grew so much from those hard times.

For UEA, we had our annual girl's week in park city. I always look forward to a weekend of hot tubbing, chick-flicks, and shopping with just me, ma, and Erin. We always have such a fun time.

Hair cut

2010-08-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since my last hair cut. My highlights are barley noticeable and my ends are so dead. So, i decided to try something totally new for my hair this year. Instead of the A-line and blond highlights that i usually do, I did a more level cut with more layers. Then I added caramel, blond, and dark brown highlights to make my hair look more warm. I love it!!! I don't know why i didn't do it like this earlier. Look out Senior year...Here I Come!

Here's before...

Here's after!

I love all the layers. It makes my hair look like it has so much more body.

Here we go April recap

2010-08-06T15:04:00.001-07:00

I know I say this everytime but it's been a while since i last posted. Sorry everyone, but our blog is the neglected-forever-then-eventually-caught-up type of blog. So, here we go.

APRILThe highlight of April was the birth of my first baby niece. Kyla is so dang cute. They came to visit and we all loved seeing them and meeting cute little Gus Gus. Here is Grandma in heaven, snuggling with Kyla Ann. I love seeing Landon with her. I just know she is going to grow up being a tom-boy-daddy's-girl, and Erica is such a good momma. cute little family!
Near the end of school we always have a talent show assembly. I didn't do it my Sophomore year so i figured I'd try out this year, and made it! I was singing and playing on the piano the song by A Fine Frenzy called "Almost Lover". The day of the assembly I was pretty nervous because i've never played the piano in front of people before and I play by memory. When I'm playing the piano and get nervous my mind goes blank and the keys look like random white and black squares. so i hoped i would remember all the piano parts. If i was just singing i wouldn't have been scared at all, because I've been doing that all my life. The the public pianoing was a totally new experience. By the time I got 3/4ths done I was shaking pretty bad. Luckily my voice didn't shake with it. But my foot on the pedal was going ballistic! I was so happy when i got through the whole song without any mess ups! It was fun sharing my talent to the school. I was shocked at how many people congratulated me and said they didn't even know i sang (which i think is funny, because I'm always singing. I even hum in the halls). I have it on the camcorder but I don't know how to put it on here. sorry.

Tanner and Marissa graduated from BYU-Idaho in april and moved back home for the summer. they brought home a fish tank from their apartment with a few fish in it that they keep in the basement. it's a pretty big tank. the dimensions are 20 ft by 10ft. they were in washington d.c. for a wedding in her family, so they left us in charge fo the fish. one sunday i was going out the door to our garage and i heard a weird sound coming from the basement. it was a hissing noise that sounded like high pressured air or something like that. i asked dad what that weird noise was and he said he opened the vents and that it was nothing to worry about. 3 hours later we cmoe home from chruch and i still hear it when i pass the basement door, but i figure dad has everything under control. a few minutes later dad comes rushing up from the basement and tells me in a panicked voice to go get towels and the Shop-vak vacuum. I went downstairs and saw the fish tank was about 4/5th empty. but where was all the water? one step into the room and my question was answered. water pooled up around my foot where the pressure sunk the carpet in. it felt like i was stepping on a giant, wet sponge. the tank had been draining gallons and gallons of water for hours. i vacuumed, by hand, the completely drenched area that was about 10 feet by 6 feet. no lasting damage was done but it was sure a pain, and i bet the fishies will never like cramped places ever agian. they were probably feeling pretty claustrophobic.

Tann

I got asked to Senior Cotillion (it's like Senior Prom, just a different name). My friend asked me in our choir class that has about 130 kids in it. He was the president and i was the secretary so i was always in front of the class taking roll. He got everyone quieted, his friends 'dimmed' the lights, and he started playing his Ukulele and singing a goofy song he made up. I wasn't even expecting him to ask me, so when he said my name halfway through the song and his friends spotlighted my face with flashlights, my jaw literally dropped and i just stared at him thinking i heard him wrong. 130 faces turned right to me in the front of the class. I was blushing and I had such bad butterflies I was slightly shaking. It was fun. :) I answered him back by putting two potted plants in a diaper, then sprinkled frozen peas on them. This is how it looked.

It was way fun. He is an awesome kid, and i loved my dress. It was so comfortable.

We added all the black accents, and I borrowed the jacket from my friend. After all, Modest is Hottest.My hair looked so pretty. Amanda in my ward did it. She is so good and so cute. I just told her to surprise me and i loved it.

This is a picture of a picture, so sorry that the quality is pretty bad.

EASTER

We had a peeps contest to see how many peeps we could shove in our mouths.

We were laughing SO hard. It was hard to laugh and not choke to death. it took a lot of concentration to not gag.
wow tanner that is a lot...
BUT NOT ENOUGH! MUAH HA! TOTAL ANNIHILATION! Right after this picture was taken I closed my mouth over the peeps. Kind of sad when the younger sister's mouth is bigger than her older brother's.
It may look like I'm crying in this one and that is because i am. I was laughing so hard. The sugar coating on the peeps sticks to your mouth and down your throat, so your mouth felt like sandpaper. it was awesome. It was a way fun tradition. I have a feeling we'll be doing this in future years.

Jr. Prom (condensed version)

2010-04-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

I was surprised when I found out I was nominated as a Jr. Prom Candidate. This picture is at the Prom assembly. It was fun to feel like a princess in front of the school.

Notice all the modesty? All the candidates but two were in my group of friends. They were all such great girls.
The day activity was way fun. We went to Speed Street and Go-karted it up. I wasn't in it for burning rubber and glory so i just had fun going my speed. :)

It was snowing when he came to pick me up, but then it was gone so fast. It was weird, but it made the picture awfully cute!

He was a fun kid. I had the best time. I think it was the funnest dance yet. And i loved my dress!

My young women adviser did my hair for me. I loved it so much.

This was our group. It was such a great group. There were a couple people that we know from school but don't regularly hang out with us outside of school. It was tons of fun getting to know them better.

We had dinner at Prairie Schooner. It's a pioneer theme restaurant and every table is decorated to look like a covered wagon. So we sat in our covered wagon in our formal gowns and ate barbecue chicken and country fried steak. It was so cool.

We danced the night out (but got home at our curfew, don't worry). It was such a fun time. The entire day was great.

My Crazy Life

2010-03-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

Between school, work, homework, and the life sustaining necessites, I don't have much time to blog. So, sorry our blog is so ancient. Here is my traditional picture and sentence update.

Papa got a new look (finally). He looks great. It was weird to get used to at first, but now i don't see why we didn't do it years ago. It makes him look younger, less neglected, and more dashing.

Thanksgiving was great. Tanner, Marissa, and Erin came home. Erin loved dinner so much she decided to make a portrait of herself with it. You would think her mother would have taught her not to play with her food.

Christmas was good, but oddly quiet and laid back. It was the off year with the married folk, so it was only Ma, Pa, Erin, and me. it was still fun.

In January Logan, Ashley, and Gavin came for a visit. it was the first time i met Gavin so i was in heaven. It was great to spend time with everyone. All we needed was Landon and Erica and our family would have been complete.

I can't get enough of this adorable child.

His eyes are so gorgeously blue. I have no idea where they come from, both log and ash have green eyes. oh well, i'm not complaining.

This is him all the time. he is the happiest baby i have ever seen. He is so easily entertained. man, i love this little boy.

In Feb. I went to the Mr. Royal dance (a girls choice dance like Sadies) with my group of friends. Instead of having a group of a lot of specific couples we decided to try doing a big group with the same number of girls as guys. That way you weren't obligated to spend the entire time with one guy. It was the best idea ever. It was a blast, i totally recommend it. The theme was Neon, so we tie-dyed tee shirts into these sweet colors.

My friend Tyley being funny. We were kind of nervous the shirts wouldn't turn out so great. thank goodness they did. because 24 people had to wear them all night long! (okay just till 12:00)
The orange is what the shirts looked like while they were drying, the green is the finished product. my camera washed them out a little, the colors are more bright and we also did bright blue.

The whole month of March Logan, Ashley, and Gavin stayed with us while Logan had a rotation here in Roy. It was such a fun month. One of the weekends i went on choir tour with my school. A few of my close friends are in choir so it was so dang fun, even if we did only go to Boise, Idaho.

The first night me and my friends broke in our bed with some recreational activity. i know it was naughty but we didn't break anything and it was so dang fun.

One of my guy friends body surfing up us all while we were standing some stairs getting our picture taken in Boise. that's got to feel weird, surfing upwards like a demented escalator.

We toured the old state penitentiary. It was so morbidly cool! it was creepy and interesting to think that olden days prisoners were stand right were i was. they had some cool stories on the tour too. it was one of the highlights.

One of my friends posing in a penitentiary cell. creepy, and cold! (for some reason we weren't thinking and I took all the pictures of my friends and my friends took all the pictures of me, so there won't be very many pictures of me. Just pretend :))

We also had a tour of the Basque Square. it's a culture that settled here in the late 1800's. They are kind of like Switzerland/Italian people (or something like that). There were some guys playing a Basque game. it was a lot like racket ball, but the paddle is that small wooden thing and the ball hardly bounces at all. it is a lot harder. there was a guy there playing hand ball. it basically racket ball without a racket, you just use your hand. the ball is literally as hard as a rock, so each time you hit the ball it feels like you are volleyball spiking a rock. OUCH. it was really interesting though.

Well, that's all i have time for right now. I will post about my recent excitement soon. (hopefully) Bye, Love, Amber jo Rencher

Bishop Youth Challenge

2009-08-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Every year our Bishop sets up a Bishop Youth Challenge. Basically it is a list of things for us to do throughout the year. Some of the requirements this last year were: Read the Book of Mormon, invite a friend to church or a church activity with you 3 times, memorize the scripture theme (1 Tim. 4:12), memorize the young women/men theme, speak in sacrament meeting 3 times, share your testimony in sacrament meeting 3 times, etc. Bishop usually gives us the list at the beginning of the school year and the dead-line is the end of may.

The best part is, if we complete all the requirements we are able to go to the activity that follows. He doesn't tell us what the activity is until the dead-line is past. The first two years we went to Moab for the weekend and rode the Colorado river. Last year we got an all day pass at snowbird (which is a mini alpine slide/zip line) and he bought us breakfast and dinner at Braza Grill. This year we went to Park City and had an all day pass to everything at the alpine slides. It was tons of fun!

Out of our entire youth these are the only people who did it: Sterling, my mom, the young woman's president Christine, the young men's president Jepp, and me. So out of our 5 YW, and about 10 YM, only two youth did it. Pretty sad. That morning when we met at the church we found out that Christine and Jepp couldn't come. So it ended up only being Bishop, momma, sterling, and me.

We had breakfast at village inn. I had the most delicious strawberry crepes! i would definitely recommend it to everyone. Obviously this isn't the real picture of it, (there were hash browns, eggs, and sausage with it) but you get the point.

First we went on the zip line. It took us an hour and 15 minutes from when we first got on the chair lift to when we landed at the bottom. The line was so long and slow. but it was almost worth it. (this is Sterling. Me and mom went at the same time so we didn't get a picture of each other)

We went on the coaster a couple times next, then decided we'd better go in the slide for old time's sake. I was amazed at how lame it was. The track was awful and boring. It was quite ghetto compared to the new coaster. but fun non-the-less.
The coaster seats are so much more comfortable. They have a back you can lean up against. Plus they are attached to the track, so you don't feel like you are going to flip and kill yourself.

going up to the top on the coaster. Twas way fun.

After we had had our fun Bishop treated us to the famous Carmel apples. I got a Butterfingers Carmel apple. It was so dang good.

We went to dinner at Braza Grill. It's a Brazilian restaurant. They bring around different meat on huge skuers. They are like giant shish-ka-bobs . You can eat as much as you want. I kind of felt like i was breaking the Word of Wisdom (eat meat sparingly), but i did have a ton of fruit. It was great! I love that place.

It was a great day. All the hard work was definitely worth it.

New Bathroom...Finally

2009-08-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

We finally got Erin and my bathroom done. Mom has been wanting to redo it for about a year. I stripped the wallpaper months ago, Tanner sanded the walls months ago too, so all we were waiting for was mom to paint and decorate. We finally did that this last week and this is how it turned out. Unfortunately i didn't get a before shot...but at least you get an after. The colors are chocolate brown, tan, sage green, and a mix between cinnamon orange and tangerine orange. (in case you couldn't tell from the pictures)

Just pretend the shower certain isn't hanging in the middle of the shower. That is the only thing we need to do. And imagine there are sage green hand towels in the middle of the orange towels. (we haven't bought them yet)
Again, ignore the shower tile. The curtain will cover it.

The lighting is weird, but the brown wall is more chocolate and warm in real life. This picture makes it look weird.

Probably my favorite part of the whole bathroom. I love it!!

This is Amber jo by the way. I have three posts in the process at the moment...so look for those. bye.

Wedding clothes

2009-07-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

These are the colors and clothes that Marissa has chosen for her reception. It's an orange red color, white, and tan. They are really pretty together. Here are the shoes that we got from Old Navy.

Here is the outfit both me and Erin will be wearing. It's dang cute. I'm going to cuff up the sweater sleeves. I'm excited

Answers to questions

2009-06-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

They met by way of tanner's long legs! Marissa and her mom were sitting in front of Tanner and his friend (they were at a concert or something) and latter he apologized for accidentally bumping into her mom's chair with his long legs. They started talking a bit and right when tanner was wondering how he was going to get Marissa's number, his friend Nikki that he was with asked for her number because she wanted to be friends. So tanner said, "i want to be friends too!" Nikki totally helped him out with that one.

The first time tanner asked her on a date she actually turned him down. It was because she really had something already planned, but tanner still felt a little bad. :) ha ha sucker!

They mainly had fun when they were together. they would go laser tagging and different fun things. When tanner had to study really hard for his finals they would still find time to spend with each other. They would make dinner together. Tanner would often call home and ask for different receipts. I personally think this was so cool! they would cook dinner and sometimes dessert.

I hear wedding bells!!

2009-06-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

For all of you who don't know...Tanner is now officially engaged. Her name is Marissa Hansen and she is such a doll! She lives in Rupert, Idaho. Tanner and Marissa met at BYU-Idaho around December-ish. But i don't want this to be a novel...so I will only tell you about the actual engagement excitement. If you have any questions about further details please ask in a comment! i would love to answer them!

Tanner and Marissa happen to share the same birthday, May 29th. (different years of course). So Tanner decided to make this birthday really special and propose. I will now tell the story in two different points of view: tanner and marissa's and mine/my family's.

Tanner and Marissa: That morning they had a nice breakfast then Tanner took her to Fat Cats to ride on the Flow Rider. It is an indoor surfing thing. I hear it's really fun. (they were going to go to Lagoon, but it happend to be closed that day). After they surfed for a while they came back home then went to The Roof in Salt Lake. It's a way nice resturaunt at the top of the Joseph Smith building. They were at a table overlooking the SLC Temple. Then when they got back to Roy they went on a night hike to waterfall canyon. They used head lamps and finally got to the top. They then went to a spot where there was blankets, a place for a fire, firewood, sparkling cyder, champaigne glasses, and a georgous view of the whole valley. Then latter after they talked for a while tanner pulled out the binoculars and started asking her if she could find things like Best Buy, the temple, RC Willeys, etc. Then he positioned the binoculars to focus on a soccer field that had the words "Marry me Marissa?" written in white christmas lights. He then acted like there was something interesting and said "wow, look at this!" Then she looked at it, then looked at Tanner, then looked at the lights again, then said "oh, my gosh. Yes tanner, yes!" Then she hugged him and he said, "Wait, I've got to give you the ring." Then he pulled out a red velvet ring box in the shape of a grand piano. (she is an amazing pianist, she's majoring in music). She put the ring on and then asked, "Is this for real?" then tanner said, "pinch me." (oohh! tender)

This is where Tanner preposed. That is the view from where they sat. isn't beautiful!

Mine/Erin's/Momma's/Poppa's: I came home from the last day of school and was asked (forecefully) to go on a hike with erin, momma, and poppa. I hate hikes, so i asked why? Because we are setting up for Tanner to propose. And that was the first i heard about it. (nice way to find out huh? (sarcastic)) Anywho, we hiked up the mountain while they were at Flow Rider (in the hottest part of the day) and set up everything for them. Then i went to the drive in with my friends, so the rest erin, momma and poppa did. Tanner asked mom about a week before to collect the christmas lights. They then went to the soccer field to set up the lights while Tanner and Marissa were hiking. Mom said it was really hard settin them up in the dark. They used white forks to keep the letters where they were. They hoped it would work. They then sat there for about an hour before Tanner finally text Erin to tell them they could go home.

This is at Lagoon the next day. This is on the swings.

So now i'm about to have a new sister-in-law. She is so cute! She is funny, nice, tall, beautiful, and so fun to be around. Tanner and her are so cute together. They are always laughing and joking and having fun. I love it!! Well, they are going to be Married in the Twin Falls temple on August 22nd. I can't wait!!! well, as i said, feel free to ask any questions if you have any. I'll write soon about our Ohio trip. bye!

~Idaho~

2009-06-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Over memorial weekend we went to Idaho to spend time with our awsome Harker family there. We went to our cousin's homecoming, moved pipe, shot guns, hung out with g-ma Harker, and had a great time with Pam and Layne's family. One of the highlights was going to a cave there in Idaho. It was so cool. I know pictures are worth a thousand words... so i'll just put some pictures on.

this is the opening of the cave. it's so random. if you didn't know where it was you would never find it. It's the weirdest spot for a cave, it's in the middle of a flat, sagebrushy place.

This is our little lizard friend. My aunt's brother pulled this out of his pocket! ha ha

The cave was about a mile long. It was really fun. It was the first cave i've ever been in.

From the left to the right: Me (amber jo), Marissa Hansen (tanner's fiance), Tanner, Amanda (Marissa's friend).

There were two ladders you could climb throughout the cave. Erin's on the ladder, Marissa is in the red, Amanda is on the left, i'm on the right.

this is my model of a cousin going thourgh a crawl space.

My hillarious cousin, Jordan going through the same crawl space. thankfully there were place matts already there.

Strutting our stuff, yeah that's right! there was some graffette on the walls. One was dated back to the 1940's! it was pretty cool.

This was just our immediate family, there was more there.

There were some parts where it was a bit small, but other parts where huge openings. I felt like i was in Lord of the Rings 1 in the caves. Good thing we didn't see any Orcs

After the cave hiking we built a fire and roasted got dogs and marshmallows. It was so good.

The only problem was our car. To get to the cave we had drive on a muddy, nasty road. The next day me and mom went to clean off the bottom of the car and the area by the tires. There was SO much mud. It took forever! there was mud EVERYWHERE!! nasty.

They day before we went to Pam and Layne's farm we stopped by at g-ma's. She drove us around Shelley, where she first met Raymond and where they lived for a while after they were married. We saw her house, their farm, their first appartment and this picture above is where my grandpa was living when they met. It was so cool! it was interesting to see proof that g-ma was young at one time. I was amazed at how much she remembered.

This week was so much fun. It was nice to catch up with my family. they are so much fun. Next week i'll tell you all about our visit to Ohio. Then the week after that i will tell you all about Tanner's engagement to Marissa Hansen. So, look for that! Untill next time. bye! ~Amber jo

Chior tour!

2009-03-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

This long awaited choir/band tour post is going to take a long time, i have feeling. So maybe I'll just have to do it in two separate posts, or I'll just condense it like crazy!! For your benefit, I'll do the latter. We went to Provo the first day and St. George the rest of the days. thus-Sun. here we go! PS- this whole time i had a cold and without medication 24-7 i would've died!

Day 1

we loaded the bus at 7:00 am and set off for Provo. a couple of my friends went, but they were mainly Jr.'s that i knew. One of my really close friends went though (shaundra). I'll do the activities in bullet form, so you can just quickly scan through them.

improve clinic at BYU, taught by a hilarious man.

the BYU choir conducter (a professional) listened to us sing and helped us.

wandered the campus, then checked into our hotel.

me and my friend watched a funny movie in our room

got dressed up for dinner at sizzlers

Went straight to Hale Theatre where we saw the play "Cash on Delivery". it was a way funny play with a crazy confusing plot. the kids i was sitting with were fun too.

went to hotel and went to bed.

Day 2-Friday

woke up early and drove to St. George.

went to a high school there, where we each heard each other sing/play a few songs. then mingled for about 15 minutes.

checked into hotels
at 5:00 we had dinner at golden corral then went back to the high school.
at the school we met up with the choir and band kids there and had a party. there was a live band playing old rock music, and everyone was dancing. in another room rockband, wii, and other games were set up. in another room "enchanted" was playing. we just kind of wandered between the two fun rooms. IT WAS A BLAST!
went to hotel and went to bed.

day 3-Saturday

woke up and toured the outdoor Tuacahn theatre. It was really cool. we got to see backstage and costume rooms and all the secret things. Since there is no backdrop to run behind, you can't get from one side of the stage to the other without being seen. So there is an underground tunnel that gets you to the opposite side of the stage. It reminded me of the Phantom of the opera tunnel. it was very interesting.
Then we went to a red rock park and were free to do whatever. there were red rocks all over that we were climbing on. it was really cool, but my friends were a little too hard-core for me, so i stayed behind with another Friend of mine who wore the wrong shoes. We talked and caught up on each other's lives. it was really fun.
then we had all you can eat pizza.
we went to a place where you could play miniature golfing, bumper boats, batting cages, arcade and go kart racing. that was really fun. We just go karted and did the arcade the whole time. it was a blast. Me and my friend laughed so hard we nearly wet ourselves. it was awesome.
then we went back to our hotels and went to bed.

Day 4-Sunday

we woke up and drove home.
The only problem was that one of my friends got really bad sick on the way home. She was SUPER cold, even though we had every single one of our coats on her. She was dizzy and had a horrible tummy-ache. she was basically writhing in pain. While we were at a lunch stop she got a blessing and a few minutes after she went straight to sleep and slept the whole time.

It was way fun but I was so glad to be home. I learned that obnoxious choir kids mixed with weird band geeks makes interesting company. I saw some sides of friends that i never saw before. Two boys in particular turned out to be a lot more dirty minded and immature than i thought. But then we (shaundra and i) met two other boys who turned out to be way fun.

So with fun activities, super hyper nights in the hotel, and funny movies on the bus, there was never a dull moment. It was really fun! other than the choir kids singing CONSTANTLY and usually only 3 different songs: "I want to start a fight", "Hot and cold", and another that i didn't know. oh, and perverted boys. but other than that it was a great experience.

sorry it was so long. i could've gone one forever. Sorry there were no pictures. bye!

Play pictures

2009-03-04T17:04:00.000-08:00

I'm too lazy to write about chior tour now, so i'll just put on lots of pictures. There are a lot to choose from, so bear with me if there are tons.

The first scene i'm in, Iowa stubborn. I'm usually pestering a girl who stands next to me, but she wasn't there that day.

This is in the trouble song while Harold Hill is telling us our kids are in trouble.
This is me and my "boyfriend" Tommy.

This is us dancing in the Library scene.

Library also

This is the picture where he gets really close. This night though, Tommy accidentally skipped most of our lines in this scene. but at least Mr. Shinn came in on time!

This is my "family" in Wells Fargo Wagon.

This is our whole cast in Wells Fargo.

I have to wear a microphone. The mic tape hurts SO BAD to take off. there is one piece on my cheek by my hair line, there is a bit behind my hear, and another lower on my neck. My eyes almost start watering when i take it off. OUCK!!
This is the shipoopi dance, when marcellus is singing and dancing. (we are bouncing)

We are dancing the Shipoopi dance here.

This is when my "dad" catches me and tommy holding hands after the shipoopi dance.

I'm standing up to my dad right now, because he insulted Tommy. this picture is right after the one before.

This is our amazing band. Don't they look so dashing in uniform? I wish you could hear it, they sound horrible (on purpose) but all the parents are gogging over their kids. it's pretty funny.

This is my favorite dress. if you look in the pictures above there is a better shot of it. It is so puffy! i feel like a hot pink cupcake. it's so fun.

Well, That's pretty much it. Those are the best pictures from each scene. Maybe dad will get some live footage next time. That would be fun. Well, tah tah!

Music Man

2009-02-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

My play has finally started preforming!! Our opening night was last Saturday and it was tons of fun. I was a bit worried that i would forget something, because i had only gone through it ONCE! yikes. I missed the tech-day (which in a play is a HUGE thing) because of choir tour. speaking of choir tour that will be my next post. Anywho, I didn't get nervous at all. I only got a couple butterflies right before i entered the stage for the first time.

I had a little bit of a shock when i got to the theatre and hour before the play started. come to find out, my "boyfriend" in the play, Matt, sprained his ankle the night before!! He was goofing off in the parking lot and slipped on ice. Luckily, both me and Matt are double casted (in other words there is another Zaneeta and another Tommy who perform every other night). So Aaron, the other Tommy, was with me that night. I know it's kind of mean to say, but i was kind of glad. Matt is good and all, but Aaron is so much more animated and fun to play off of. He kind of encourages me to be more outgoing and have more expression.

The only problem that happended was when Tommy and i are supposed to get really close to kissing, as in our faces are about an inch away) and my dad Mayor shinn is supposed to enter and Tommy runs off. So, apparently Mayor Shinn forgot, so we were standing there on stage, an inch apart, for literally a minute or two. It took forever. We started laughing (more like giggling) until the Mayor FINALLY came in and rescued me from my near fatality!! Thank goodness Aaron happened to be my Rolf from "sound of music" last year, so i knew him pretty well. I had to kiss him in S.O.M., so just standing really close to him wasn't as bad.

Other than that the show went great and I had a blast. I can't wait for Friday when my family will be able to come and see it.

I'll write as soon as i can to update you all on my choir tour to St. George. It will probably be really long, so i might do it in two posts. Just thought i would give you something to look forward to. Bye ps- if you didn't figure it out, this is Amber jo writing.

Driving!!

2009-01-29T19:20:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you have all given up hope on our blog. But I actually have news for once!

As you know I've been 15 for a while. We finally went to the DMV on Jan. 20. So now I'm pleased to say that I have my permit!!

Driving is so fun. it feels weird to be in complete control of a moving object. but I'm getting the hand of it. We have driven around a bit. We never go on busy roads. I'm not quite ready for that yet. So it still feels like I'm on a driving range or in a high tech virtual game. I sometimes forget that if i don't look really good, there really could be a car or something. But don't worry, I'm still a very cautious driver and I'll get better. Papa gets mad when mom takes me driving around. He says that I shouldn't drive just to drive, I should drive to get somewhere. He's so silly! I always tell him I'll never get my hours if i just drive to go somewhere.

We had a bit of excitement when i was crossing 5600. (a pretty busy road by our house). It was like the second time I had driven on the roads and my parents wanted me to cross 5600!! I was kind of scared. There was a big van across the intersection. Their blinker was SO dim. i could barely tell that they were turning left. When the brake in traffic came i went blank. I completely forgot that I had the right-of-way. For some reason i thought that they had the right-of-way. Mom and dad were yelling to go, i was yelling (and terrified). Thank goodness it was a big break in traffic and i didn't hesitate too long. other wise our car would be wrecked, my parents would be furious and i wouldn't have my parents trust or my permit.

Anywho, I'll keep ya updated on any more fun things that happen. Well, tah tah.

Who wants to PLAY?!

2008-12-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has really been forever since I've been on here. You have all probably forgotten about us. Well, nothing has happened except for recently. So, I'll give my update and maybe mom will talk about her trip to Mexico sometime in her lifetime!

Well, lately I've been craving to be on stage. So i was really excited to hear that the Terrace Plaza Playhouse (a nearby theatre) was putting on the production of The Music Man. I've been in it before, but it was my very first play and i was really young. So, I was already familiar with the play and all the songs.

I went to auditions last Saturday, the 6th. The funny part was that the night before I went to our school basketball game and screamed like crazy. All i can say is: thank goodness for my very strong, very loud, and very enduring Rencher voice!

Auditions went well, and i was so glad to know that she remembered me from my last play there, (sound of music at the beginning of the year). I made it to call backs. On Wednesday at callbacks, we danced and sang "the wells Fargo wagon". Then the final cast was posted on their website on Friday. For those of you who aren't familiar with "The Music Man" there is only one part my age. Zaneeta Shinn is a teen age girl with a teen age boyfriend that isn't approved of my her father, the mayor. It's a pretty good part, but I didn't think I would make it. I just hoped for a towns person dancer. There are lots of scenes with big dance numbers, so that would be fun.

anywho, I held my breath as i looked at the cast and was so shocked to see my name with Zaneeta shinn next to it! I couldn't believe it!
(the only problem is that the boy who plays my "boyfriend" is a kid i know from school, and to put it nicely...gets on my nerves). So now i get to be in all the dance numbers AND have lines and a name! it was a nice surprise. i am super duper excited. our first practice is on Jan. 3rd. I can't wait to get started and be on stage again.

Well, I'll try and keep you better updated on things. Now i will have something to write about. bye! -Amber jo (zaneeta) Rencher

hApPy BiRtHdAy eRiN!!

2008-11-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

Today is my sister's birthday. (isn't that an 'attention getter' opening sentence? ;) For all of those who don't know my sister YOU ARE MISSING OUT! She is the most amazing person I have ever known personally. She is beautiful inside and outside. She is strong (in every sense of the word), funny, happy, and her life is based around the gospel. She is such an example to me in so many ways.

We have always been really good friends. Yes, we have had MANY arguments, but we have always resolved them within...at most a couple hours. She is too lovable to be mad at. I love being around her (even though we don't like to do the same things).

She has always been so patient with me. when we were young and I was going through my princess stage (which i still seem to be in) she would always consent to being the prince. She's so sacrificial!

Jr. Prom in Sophmore year. Isn't she gorgeous?!

Sorry erin, I had to. Isn't this hillarious?

Ever since she was tiny she's loved horses. Isn't she insane? I would have a cow if my daughter was peting giant killer monsters.

Oh, she is so sweet.

She's a frog model!

Sorry erin. As you can see she loves strawberries! ;)

Graduation! She is very smart and has gotten straight A's all her life.

Homecoming Senior year.

Snowmobiling queen. She has so much courage.

Senior cattilion (it's like a prom)

She is such a helper! (tanner is only wearing those to magnify his work. those aren't his real glasses...yet)

We made a movie about the Salem witch trials. This is Abbigale.

Camping+grapes+hyperness+camera=this picture.

V-ball champ. She is really good and i love watching her play. Serve it girl. Yeah!

So have a happa birfday Merwin!!

Abba birfday a you!!

love ya to BITS!!

Wisconsin/Chicago

2008-10-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm really not in the mood for blogging today, so if you want to know more about our AMAZING trip to Wisconsin to visit Landon and Erica there, just go to http://www.ericafunk.blogspot.com/. I'll just show you all the pictures we took.

Waiting at patiently at the airport.

Okay, maybe not patiently. This is showing a fraction of the excitement i felt. Yeah, i know!

My future favorite Dentist ever! Doesn't he look so intelligent in those scopes? Yeah, I'm related to that stud muffin!

The hands of our future Dentist. Look at that skill!

This is the dummy he practises on. I think Erica named it Boqueesha. I personally think that name fits her so well.

I think Erica posted this same picture. Oh well, these two pictures (above and below) were my favorite buildings there. The whole city of Milwaukee was beautiful. Erica was sweet enough to show us around in the comfort of her car. Thanks Erica for going through all that pain for us. (she was driving a stick shift and her leg was so sore afterward) This is in front of Sprecher's, were we had a tour and learned all about BEER and some pop. In this picture we are all "drunk", so we aren't usually that weird looking. (i hope)

Drinking our free "beer". We could've gotten beer, but we just stuck to the variety of pops. but, i don't like carbonated drinks anyway, so i just took a couple sips of root beer. But it was sure fun pretending to be drunk (as you can see from my sweet face in the picture below)

My highlight of the tour was finding out that a brand of beer was named after me. Oh, tender. Who wouldn't feel special! Go Me!

*The following pictures are in Chicago.

We are all super duper excited to be in the big city of Chicago. I felt like i was in a movie. it was great! not including all the interesting people, smells (cigarettes), sounds (taxi honking, yelling people), and sights (scary places).

Mom posing in front of the Sears tower, the tallest in Chicago and (correct me if I'm wrong) the 3rd tallest in the world.

The mirror bean. yippee!

Inside the bean looking up. It kind of make me dizzy and gave me a headache. yeah, go headache!

We saw this draw bridge go up, it was soooo cool! I was pretty much having culture shock! It reminded me of batman, when he drove his sweet car over the draw bridge. TIGHT!

Yeah, papa! we still love you and you are still handsome!

Before we saw Wicked we ran to McDonald's for their Delicious hot fudge Sundays and french fries! those are the only things i like at McDonald's. Yum!

Yeah Wicked! it was the best thing i have ever seen! I got the chills every song. I even cried at the end. It was amazing. I will never think of 'wizard of oz' the same. They all had so much talent, i was blown away!

The above picture is us standing in front of the Oriental Theatre. If you look closely you can see us. Cars kept driving past and we were sitting there across the street smiling like idiots at, what appeared to be nothing, while my dad tried to capture the moment. Good job poppie!

The theatre was so ornate and Beautiful. I felt like i was in the theatre on Phantom of the opera, but less nudity and more swirls.

This is what the set looked like while waiting for the play to start. The winged creature on top of the stage was a dragon that lit up, blew smoke, flapped it's wings, and moved it's head like it was alive. All the sets were amazing. It was illegal to take pictures, but dad sneaked this one. The play was so funny, powerful, uplifting, etc. It was way better than any movie i have ever seen!

Back in Milwaukee we went to get some frozen custard. They don't have it where we live so it was fun. As if we didn't have enough junk food for the week. oh well, it was yummy. That pretty much wraps up all our main points.

It was so fun to see Landon and Erica again after 10 months of not seeing them. We had tons of fun just hanging out with them, playing cranium, eating, sight seeing, etc. They were the so fun to be with. I loved their quick whit and jokes. I laughed so much that weekend.

One main highlight was that I didn't miss an hour of school! It was our fall break, so I didn't have to hurry about the pile of homework waiting for me at home, because there wasn't any! yAhOo!!

the 3 tag

2008-10-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is my first tag. Yahoo! Well, I guess i'll give it a try!

3 tv shows i love to watch- 1. i don't watch tv, but if i did i would probably see the old "office" episodes. 2. we have some recorded favorite simpson's episodes, so i'm guessing that counts. 3. I loved "I dream of geinie" but they don't play it anymore. :(

3 of my favorite restaurants are- 1. olive garden. 2. costa vida 3. chilies (i think) we never really go out to eat.

3 things that happend yesterday- I'm going to cheet a little and do the 3 things i did the day before yesterday. 1. drove to chicago (from milwaukee, wisconsin) 2. saw the play Wicked at the Oriental Theatre in chicago. 3. ate a famous chicago deep dish pizza.

3 things I'm looking forward to- 1. A sleep-over with a couple of my girl-friends this weekend. 2. the multi-stake dance this saturday. 3. halloween!

3 things on my wish list- 1. that all my family could live near, so i could see them more often. 2. that school started a few hours later. 3. that i could eat all the junk food i wanted and not get fat or feel like crap.

3 people i tag- can i choose people who aren't on blog? i don't quite know the rules. Well, i'll be rebelious and choose 3 people who don't have blogs. 1. Sarah moore. 2. Kendra Quass 3. Sinikka Illum. (you guys can just put it on your facebook if you want) :)

ps-this is amber jo Tah tah!

Bigger!

2008-10-19T20:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture that just makes me laugh everytime I see it. Isn't she adorable? She is a girl who lives near us. Her grandparents are in our ward and are Momma and Poppie's good friends. I used to babysit Jastine and her older brother.

The funniest part about it is the story behind it.

My best friend's sister-in-law is a photographer and was taking their family pictures. Some of the kids wouldn't smile at all. So Shelly (the photographer) would say "Okay, smile. Smile bigger. Smile really big," to those kids who weren't smiling. But this cute little girl did exactly what she was told to do. She smiled, then smiled bigger and bigger and bigger. Finally she got to this cute face. Man, I love it!

Cant you just imagine that. Shelly saying "bigger" so Jastine smiles bigger. "Bigger" even bigger. "Bigger" even bigger. Wow, that kills me! When my sister told me this story i was practically peaing my pants, i was laughing so hard! I thought i would just share that with ya'll!

PS-this is Amber jo.

Heart attack!

2008-10-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

~PRELUDE~

Well, last Friday i had a very memorable experience. I accidentally set my alarm clock an hour late on Thursday night. I woke up on my own and said the traditional "oh crap! You've got to be kidding!" line. I usually wake up at 6:30 and my ride comes around 7:30. My alarm clock read 7:00. I jumped out of bed and used my amazing skills. Ever since i was little I've had a very unusual talent. Under certain circumstances I can get ready super fast. My record is 5 minutes, i even did everything i usually did in about 45 minutes. that is what i call skill and multitasking.

Anywho, I got ready with time to spare. Then I finally looked at the kitchen clock for the first time. It said 6:30. WHAT! I laughed so hard! i found a good alternative to sleeping, I read my book in the front room.

~STORY I WAS GOING TO WRITE IN THE FIRST PLACE~

At about 7:00 am (it was still dark) I heard a car door open and then close in front of our house. I figured it was for the neighbors, then i remembered my friend telling me he was going to toilet paper my house when he got his license that week. I doubted it would be him so I just kept reading. Then there was a loud BANG on my front door. It sounded like someone slammed their fist on the door.

I froze completely. My stomach sank and my limbs tingled. I was so scared especially since i was so close to the front door. I look through the window but the angle was off, so i couldn't see if someone was there. I knew it wasn't my friend, cause he wouldn't do that. Tons of thoughts flew through my head. I wondered if it was a coincidence I woke up an hour early.

I gathered enough courage to move upstairs to my room where i could look out the window so see if there were any cars or people. Nothing was there. I used all the courage i could muster to go downstairs and look through the door window. Nobody was there. I looked down. Sitting on my door-step was the morning's newspaper! Stupid newspaper boy!

I felt so retarded! I was embarrassed that i actually thought i was in danger or something. Looking back on it now i realize how silly i was. But when you feel like your heart is about to beat it's way out of your chest, you can't think really clearly.

~MORAL OF THE STORY~

if you wake up early and have extra time to read, just know that the paper boy isn't a mass murder and the newspaper is not going to run at you and attack you!

By-Amber jo Rencher

(sorry all the pictures are in the light, just imagine a spooky, halloweenish, dark morning. oh, and sorry for not capitalizing anything, it just takes too much energy!)

Can you say KILLER DEAL?

2008-09-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday Mom and I went to a warehouse sale for formal dresses. It was basically a mega-clearance sale of last season's dresses. Erin knows a girl who has an aunt that works there, so we were able to go to this sale. We came in the doors, said who referred us to this sale, listened to a couple rules, then went dress-crazy! There were racks and racks of 100's of dresses. There were about 100 girls and their moms there, going through the dresses. You pretty much go through the dresses and grab any and all you want before someone else takes it. Some people grabbed an empty rack and just loaded all their dresses on them.

I found out that i am extremely picky when it comes to dresses. There were a ton of the mermaid dresses. The ones that are narrow, then flair out at your knees. Yeah, not my favorite. there were also a lot of just strait-silky ones. There were some very interesting ones, i wish i took a picture of some, but oh well. So we finally found 4 really pretty ones. One, however, had weird sleeve things and was a bit too overboard with beads. So we ended up with these three. My friend also got three which were really pretty. My favorite of hers was brown and poofy and cute.

Now it is time to guess how much each dress cost and how much i spent total. Good luck!

Here is the first one. Cost anyone? Now, before you go judging me, just know that my mother is a woman with mad skills and can add sleeves and make it nice and modest.

Here is number two.

Number three, you cant really see it, but there are lots of pretty beads on this one. The light kind of makes it look more white. It is really more purple.

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for. Hold on to your socks and toupees, really. They were $200-$400 dresses originally, but we got them brand-spankin'-new for $25 each! We spent $75 total. No joke. I was so happy.

Here are some more pictures. Now, i know these poses are a little weird, but it is really hard to think of fun poses in corsets!

I know this is really random, but this is the first day of school picture. This was my first haircut, my hair now is shorter.

Anyway, that is my amazing news. feel free to express how jealous you are of my sweet find! ;) he he. And say what you thought they would cost, it would be fun to know.

bye

A whole new you!

2008-09-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last week I took a leap of faith. I cut my hair shorter then I ever have before in my life! I decided I wanted to try an A-line. Amanda, who cut my hair last time (who is also a counselor in YW) said that she wanted to try that on my hair. She said I would look good with that style. So, I decided to trust her professional advice. While I was at it I figured i would do the whole shibang, so I also got blond streaks. I've had streaks before but they were completely grown out.

I figured it would be a waist of time to actually do my hair cute the day I went in. So, I just threw my hair in pig-tails for the day. When my appointment rolled around I had gone through the day of school with pig-tails, so I had a SWEET crease in my hair. When Amanda pulled out my hair things to get started I was almost embarassed by my reflection. I looked like a wanna-be-lion! My seft-esteem dropped about 4 points. Mom, stayed for a bit, while i decided what exactly i wanted, then she went shopping in the area until i was done. When my Mom was leaving and Amanda was about to start she said, "Patti, when you get back she will be a whole new Amber!" Then she turned to me and said, "Are you excited to be a whole new you?" I took one look in the mirror and my answer was obvious. YES!!

The best part was deffinatly the part where she washed my hair. It was like a scalp masage. I'm drooling just thinking about it. It was yummy! She told me the shampoo and conditioner she used was yummy smelling too, but i had to just take her word on it, because i was so conjested and sick that i wouldn't know if a skunk sprayed me.

When she finished i was amazed at how she knew exactly what i wanted. It was like our minds were connected and she could see what i wanted to look like. When my mom came in she was so happy. After eveyone had their fill of complimenting and thanking we left. When we were in the car mom told me how much she loved the new look. Then she told me...well, I'll just type it word for word, so you understand how i felt. "Wow, the transformation is amazing. When i left you looked like a sack of potatos," giggle giggle, "now you look so much better." Gee, thanks mom, that made my day! :) But no harm done, because even though i didn't want to admitt it, she was right.

Everyone at the football game that night and at school loved it. Personally i love it too. Doing my hair cute has never been so easy! Mom said that this length is totally my look and that is the cutest my hair has ever been. What do you think?

This is a day after it was cut.

Here is my highlights. They aren't way noticable in this picture, but the get the gist.

Look at that A-line! The best part about this hair do is that it looks poofed naturally. It gives the back more layer and cutepoofness. (thanks, i just made up that word!) it is a lot easier to straighten and style. Its the best.

Erin, I don't care how you do it, but get me a picture of your hair or so help me i will ride my bike there and see it myself. I don't care if you have to borrow a stranger's camera and download it onto your laptop, just get it! Love ya. :)

Well, Amanda was right, I really am a whole new me! (thank goodness!)

IKE'S MAYHAM

2008-09-14T19:51:00.000-07:00

I find it incredible what one hurricane strategically aimed over water and directed over the land can do!! Texas not only got thamboozeled, but many of the central states got clobbered by gobbs of rain, tornatoes, tomatoes, (ok maybe if the wind picked them from a garden and hurled them around and released them at the neighbor, coulda happened! Well......it is possible, at least it sounds plausible. (This computer can't spell worth beans and I'm getting tired of using the dictionary to verify the texts so "kay sa ra sa ra!!" which translated from some oldise, moldie cheesy song , means;" what will be will be." Humm............where was I. Oh yeah; I'm sure I'll get a report from Lando and Erico of torrential rain and tomatoes there. But, although you won't believe it, IKE picked up tons of water and carried it clear up here. Due to the cold nights we are experiencing, the h2o turned to lots and lots of snow!! It is absolutely amaaaaazzzing!!!!

Yup, I know its hard to believe so I'll post some pictures for ya'awl (I feel like ashley using that cool word!)

Enjoy ;) ;)

PJ and Erin flirting with Ike. (a good talk to the bishop I feel might be in order; the hussies!)

As you can see Tan and Erin are so excited they're beside themselves! Pure estacy!

Erin , catching sweet air! She loves Ike! (Love the Shopka!)

Tanner was so excitted he couldn't stay grounded...... Neither could Erinski. Yippiee!!

Whoa Baby; peek -a-boo!

Erinski doin a bit of doggin of her own!! She owns the Mountain!!

Must be powerful sled to get this blob of blubber off the ground!! Zowwieee look at that Air!!!!!
(no comment necessary)

Patti's not as into the snowmachining thing as some of us are; so she slid boards on her boots and went skiing!! She the Babe of the Hill!!!

STEEP and DEEP!!

MUCK and STUCK!!

Of course the best part of playing all day in the snow, are the yummy engine cooked CHILLIE DOGS with grated cheese, grinnin cheezze and fritos!! What could be better!! (ok; a hot jaccusie and massage does sound good.)

We're mountainmen....grrrrrr & duh... where's the waitress?

Hurricane IKE; Thanks for the Fun you gave us this September!!

We SAALUUUTE you!!!!!!!!!!

The Roy Renchers

P.S. no more garden canning ; under a foot of snow..yea!!

believe it........ or not ;)

ace

Some Summer Funnin

2008-09-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

Ok;

This is the captain speaking;...... well, not really speaking but punching little buttons which spell, and they do a terriable job of spelling correctally! Since patti likes to tell of all the fun things she/we has/have been doing, I figured I'd show some more fun stuff that's been occuping our time. Pic are much easier then typing!! one Pic = 1000 words = 4-5,000 letters. hurray for pictures!!

Erin, justa takin it easy

Tanner, tearing it up

As you can see, we went wake Boarding at Island Park, Thanks Craig for the wonderful time! Tanner and Erin really sprayed the h2o, Erins only 3rd time on a board, and I learned to jump the wake and of course................board under water!! ;) ;)

We're so wet and wild!! (Wow, I didn't realize how action photos makes one look look so young...Amazing!!)

Boarding under water! (takes no skill at all,.... just forget to let go!)

We went to a reunion at Walla Walla, has sweet bunk bed accomadation. Fun! (stupid keys don't spell well)
I got to make a super cool bird house! Shoot more like a feathered friend hotel!! Spoiled Birds! I might carpet it, hum. Thanks Lance!!

Camping at Marsh Lake Ut. great time, fishin, paddling and mom fighting off the mosquitoes.

All

All said an done I got dang tired having so much fun! Well till next time Patti lets me out of my cage.....enjoy fall and winter. Pics will come. chow Stac ...... actually Ace (when on vacation ;) ;)

'who's the coo-coo

2008-09-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is Patti trying to figure out how to blog properly. I goofed up and finished my blog, you know the blog that I started July 8th. Well, I didn't change the date, so you'll have to go back in the archives and find my blog dated july 8th. So good to be back on the school schedule, I may be blogging more regularly now-hence the word maybe! PS I posted pictures thanks to my great teacher, Amber stud computer skilled daughter of mine, who is the cutest child we have at home and by far my favorite one that is living here now.

HAPPY B-DAY LARISSA!!

2008-09-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today is Larissa's birthday and we just wanted to let everyone know how amazing this woman is. She was our Young Women leader for a few years. She was so fun and all her lessons were amazing! She always had the best attitude. She was a great example to me and everyone around her. Not only was she so cool and down to earth, but she was also hilarious and so fun to be around. She was always so much fun, and had great ideas.

But, to every great beginning there has to be an end. On a cold and dreary day (actually it was quite warm, but my heart was cold) her and family moved out of our ward and across the contry. Her husband got accepted to Duke University in North Carolina. It just so happens that she moved on the day we went to girl's camp. So she made a mini-larissa for us, and we took her everywhere.

(left)This is a picture of her reading her scriptures, man she is good. (right) This is her at our faith activity. She always participates!

(left)This is her piggin' out on our refreshments. Vanilla ice cream in a waffle bowl with yummies on top really gave her a sugar high. She wouldn't stop talking and couldn't hold still!

This is her modeling her gangsta' look. Okay, really we were just blindfolded and being led through the church for our "Faith in every Footstep" activity.

This is her battle wound from Girls camp. We were all sitting around the fire and she just got too close. A piece of hot ash fell on her, right on her heart. but don't worry it didn't go all the way through. fewwww!

You may see this picture and think: OUCH!! But that really isn't the case. It was also part of our Faith Walk. We were split into pairs, one person had to touch a hot iron that had a short in it(that was me). The other had to touch the trigger to this mouse trap, which was loosened so it didn't even hurt. The only problem was that we didn't know this until later, we just had to trust... I mean... have faith in our leaders to not lead us astray.

Here is our amazing YW. There is a grand total of 4 girls, actually 5.

Thanks Larissa for the great person you are. I hope you had a great birthday. You deffinatly deserved it. We miss ya and think about you often. I'm glad you're doing well in NC.

ps. thanks for the clothes. You were right, a package was super fun. It was great to hear from you and get a package addressed to me! bye.

Hi Larissa, this is patti in person and actually typing by my very self. Amber has really taken to this blog business and i feel it my responsibility to take back ownership of pattios place. (how pathetic of me, I just had to ask amber what my blog was called) Happy Happy Birthday dear Larissa who remains in our hearts even though she is clear across the nation. We have had so much fun carrying you with us and now that you are older we aren't sure if you are eating like you should cause you haven't gained or lost weight. Actually, that is veryvery good. I thought about you all day yesterday as we were doing the giant roy youth service project of weeding and clearing the walk path that's suppose to be going in soon. I hope your day was filled with being pampered till it gushed out your eyeballs. We miss you extremely and miss that sweet little voice of easton's. Stay as young and beautiful as you are! Guess what, Justin berry got his mission call to taiwan and will be speaking mandarine orange chinese. Speaking of berry's, the family that moved into thier home has 6 boys and one girl. they just moved in and came to church for the first time. Susan got released as sec. and got put in as home a family enrichment leader. Guess they decided it was unnecessary to have more leaders than yw. I am putting together a card swap night , wanna come? Got any callings yet? take care

Is that a wrinkle?

2008-09-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

I never thought the day would come when I would actually say 'I'm in High School'. Just the sound of it sounds so old! When i was smaller a high schooler seemed like an adult. They were so big and smart, and I swear I'm not that old. It seemes like they've shrunck over the years. Now, that i'm actually in high school it seemes like i'm too young to be there. I can't imagine what my partents are feeling. Their baby is a Sophmore...creepy!

I was a little nervous the night before school, 'did I have everything i needed?' 'what if i get lost?' 'will my classes be good?' 'will i have friends in my classes?' You know, the usuall pre-school worries. I had wandered around the school to a couple of my classes with mom on registration day, but I was so lost and mixed up the whole time that it did no good anyway. So I got there and found my locker just fine, then the rest of the day was a breeze! I didn't get lost once, i never even had a doubt in my mind of where i was or where i was going. I even helped a few people get to their classes. So, basically i'm a walking compass, what's up! Part of the reason is because i'm part bloodhound.

I have at least one friend in every class, or at least someone I'm comfortable with. Lots of my friends have my same lunch, and my locker is in the new hall and right next to a couple of my close friends. I have great teachers, the best in every subject. (that was lucky) So, all in all it is going to be a great year. GO ROY!!

Yay for sewing projects!

2008-08-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

I'm very proud to say that I finally finished my sewing project. I made this hoodie in my sewing class in school. it was just plain and boring, so this last week I embellished. I had to stich it all on by hand because if I would have used the sewing machine I would have sewed it shut! The pocket was especially hard, but I'm proud to say that I'M A GENIOUS! (in a humble way) Well, don't be shy to comment on my sweet sewing skizzils ('skills' in ganster talk, just in case you aren't familiar with my lingo).

Sorry, my computer is being stupid, so just tilt your head for the first pic. In case you can't read it, the words on the pocket are amber jo and the little pink things on the sholder are flowers. The middles of the flowers are buttons. Well, I guess that's all, bye!

I'm a slacker!

2008-08-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm just as bad as Mom! (no offense) I get so caught up in everyone else's blog that I forget we have one too. Well, mom is still in the process of posting about her Washington DC trip that she went on 2 MONTHS AGO!!

We just got back from our family trip. We started out by driving to Island park for our anual Rencher Reuion. Is was great to see everybody again, especially how we missed last year's. We had 3 days of non-stop food, games, rock band, boating, and catching up. If you know the Rencher family then you know how LOUD, and INTENSE they all are. I'm suprised we all still have our sanity and our hearing! Don't get me wrong, I love them all to death, and I would rather them be obnoxiouse and crazy then mellow and seriouse. There is never a dull moment with them.

Next we drove to Shelly, Idaho to visit my G-ma Harker, who is doing amazing might I add. When I saw her i was shocked. She looked SO good! I don't think I have ever seen her so happy. When we pulled up to her new home (which looks like a hotel) she was outside waiting for us. She has new (actually they are quite old, one is like 97) friends who she adores. She is the social queen. The place was so nice I would even consider living there. It was so good to see her so happy and settled. GO G-MA!!

We spent that night at Pam and Lane Harker's farm. Were we talked and laughed and watched olympics. then we went to church with them the next day. I really gained an appreciation for my ward and the girls in my Young Women at home. The ones there were giddy, annoing, silly girls. They talked about who liked who for, literally, 15 minutes into the lesson. I wanted to smack them. Thank you Roy 10th ward!

Then we spent that night at Craig and connie Rencher's house. Thanks for the hospitality. That next morning (monday) our family got to go through the Twin Falls Temple open house. It was so beautiful. It truely was a bit of heaven on earth. And i think the cookies after the tour were make in heaven's kitchen! Deliciouse.

Our last stop was Walla Walla, Washington (say that 5 times fast) where we had our Harker reunion. Not all the Harkers were there but it was still a blast. We had 4 days of swimming in the pool, playing games, eating 3 meals a day, and going on an "African Safari". Great job on all of those who helped plan and put it all together. It was so fun to see my family who I haven't seen for a long time.

All in all it was a great week. Full of driving, visiting, eating food, and having a blast. The only tricky part was figuring out ways to get comfortable in a car with lots of luggage and a 6 foot 4 brother, and an older sister, and me all shoved in the back seat. I must say, we got pretty creative. :)

Many new things!

2008-07-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

A week after Youth conf. our family went camping with some friends. That was tons of fun.

On the 10th was our Stake Lagoon day. If any of you don't know what Lagoon is it is an amusment park. There is a new ride called Wicked, and boy is it WICKED! You start out by going from slow to fast in like 2 seconds, then you are shot up straight in the air so all you see is the sky for a minute, then you go over the top and go straight down till you almost hit the ground. Every time i went on it i was amazed at the smooth speed. Sweet! Here is a film, it's not mine but you get the point. P.S. thanks Ashley for teaching me how to work it. It is a lot faster than it looks. Anyway, that was a way fun day, and very tireing. My friends and I stayed from opening to closing, about 11 hours of non-stop fun and addrenaline.

Just this last week I went to girls camp. Momma went with me and that was fun. It was stake camp and our theme was "I will be your light in the wilderness" (1 nephi 17:13), and our ward theme was S.W.A.T (Spiritually Walk And Talk). We had the funnest leaders who planned so much fun things. they even named a star SWAT for us which i thought was pretty much awsome! I met new friends, swam in the river, did polar bear (jumping into the freezing water up to your neck and reciting the YW theme) which is always fun, and lost all sense of hygene. The first thing I did when I got home was shower and take a nap. I never thought i would miss my bed sooo much. After sleeping on a huge root/mound, I really appreciated my 55 year old foam bed. :)

I also got a hair cut a week before girls camp. I have never had my hair cut by anyone but my mom till now. I also haven't had my hair cut short since 4th grade! So this was a HUGE thing form me. I love being able to blow dry and staighten my hair in just over 15 minutes! i'm used to an hour! Here is a before and after picture. Oh, yeah, Erin got her hair cut too.

This isn't the best picture to show my short hair, but it's the only one I have so far.

Well, Logan and Ashley are coming to visit for a week and I CANT WAIT. I try not to think about it too much, because it gives me very violent, sabertooth, killer, butterflies in my stomach. That is how excited I am. I haven't seen them forever. That is the worst part about being the youngest, everyone you love gets married to people who you love, then they leave to make you miss them more than anything. I'm tearing up thinking about it. Man, I'm pathetic!

Speaking of brothers, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANDON!! I hope you had the best day, because you so deserve it. You are one of the best brothers a girl could ever ask for. Thanks for all you do for me. I love your genuine kindness, and your support in all I do. I miss you and Erica like crazy. I'm counting down the days till Christmas!

Mom is still in the process of writing a post. So look for that soon. :)

Busy are we!

2008-07-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm back. I took a little summer break away from my blog. Thanks to Amber for keeping Pattio's place alive. But now it's time to get back on the circuit and catch up on everyones' lives again. Wow, Summer came and went like a whirlwind. It started out with Erin and I taking a little trip to washington D.C. We left June 6th for 6 days. We went with her History group from high school and got to hear the Best History teacher every show us the sights and teach us the history of the actual sites and the inside scoop on all the monuments. I loved it! Erin and I had a blast being there together. I felt so patriotic. My favorite place was gettisburg. It was a very powerful feeling of deep appreciation and a realization of the miracle of that war. I learned so much and actually being there to hear and see how it all went down was an experience I'll never forget. When we came home we squoze a camp trip with the family and a few friends into june.

July was filled with girls camp for a week but a month of preperation. I wasn't the camp director, thank heavens, but I did have to teach 85 girls how to square dance. oh yea, it was stake girls camp. They had so much fun and wanted to keep dancing into the night. Then we had logan and ashley come for a week where we got to just play. We went camping for a couple days and floated the rapids at lava hot springs. Ashley took a few seuveniers home with her on her legs from the rocks, and may I say the river got a piece of ashley. But all in all we had so much fun with them. Why can't Ohio be closer.

August was family month. We hit the Rencher reunion and celebrated jay and Louis's 60th anniv. in Island Park. Then we left from there to Walla walla Wash. for the Mike Harker reunion. It was fun seeing so many family members all crammed into one week. So I was curious as to how big our families were getting so I did some calculating and found out that there are 86 in the Rencher bunch and 143 in the Harker clan. That is some "multiplying and replenishing" right there in two families.

So, what will september bring? So far a quiet house with Erin gone to USU and Tanner gone to BYUI. And jars and jars of canning. Who's sick of canning? Lucky Amber is still home and LOVES all that stuff. Can you sense the sarcasm just dripping off the page. Will she be able to survive being the last chick in the nest? We shall see!!!!wooahahaha! tchow for now

The substitute

2008-07-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

I'm getting really tired of the 3 posts on my mother's blog, so I decided to take charge and put a new one on.

On the 19th my mom and I (amber jo) went to youth conference. She is the first counselor in the Young Women presidency, so she was able to come with us. That was really fun to have her there. Some people my age hate it when their parents hang out with them, but I like it. Anyway, we left in the morning and drove to East Canyon. Some of our leaders and the 1st couselour in the bishopbric are anti camping, so we got to stay in these sweet yurts. You are probably wondering what in the world is a yurt. Well, it is kind of like a teepee, but instead of a cone shape, it is a cylinder with a cone on top. they were held up by criss-crossing wooden slat fencing things, with canvas-ish tarp things covering them and a clear plastic hole in the top to see the stars. There was a bunck bed and a couch and little gas heater inside. They were like Indian hotels. They were set up on these cute decks and were right on the edge of East Canyon Lake, and suprisingly clean and new. Here are some pictures, just click on the empty boxes and it shows you. Mom accidently forgot her camera. (can you tell i'm new at this, if anyone knows how to put on pictures from the internet let me know).

After we unpacked all our stuff into our yurts we went boating on the lake. We have a really small ward (only 9 youth, boys and girls combined) so we had 2 boats, boys in one and girls in the other. I went on the tube for a bit (which was a huge break through because i'm terrified of water. All you Rencher's know, because you have seen me at family reunions. :) We did that for like 6 hours, stoping only for lunch and dinner.

We spent the rest of the day hiding from the sun because of our sunburns, playing different games, talking, and just haveing a great time. The girl's yurt was up until 3-ish in the morning playing Pit, talking, and laughing till we burst. Believe it or not our YW president was the one who kept us rialed up. (she is the best president in the WORLD!!) It was way fun. Good times, good times.

It wasn't until we woke up the next day that we found out the yurts weren't at all sound proof. So, all the boys in their yurt about 15 yards away, heard us all night! Oops, sorry bishop. :)

That day we went on a hike on the actuall trail that the pioneers when on, it was called Big Mountain. If you ever want to find a fun relaxing hike that is it. It wasn't way steep and only about 5 miles. The weather was beautiful also. Thank you mother nature!

We then went home, got cleaned up, when to chuck-a-rama (an all you can eat buffet in town) then crashed at home.

*Highlights*
1.I got a sweet tan
2. I conquered my fear of water
3. I made some way fun memories
4. It gave me something to write about on this post

Mom might want to say more and she might want to put on pictures so this might not be the end of Youth Conference. (The key word here is "might"!!)

I've finally arived!

2008-06-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

Over the past year I've come to realize how far out of the loop I've gotten, because I've not been in the blog zone. Blogs are something I have tried to avoid because it connotates a feeling of congestion and cramming, that sort of stuff. You see blog sounds like clog, which sounds like something my drain would do. Over the past year I've heard phrases like: "just read my blog", "I wrote the cutest blog", "have you read so-and-so's blog?", "her blogs are my favorite". I feel like I'm stuck in a corner trying to see the excitement in the center of the circle. So, in order to keep in touch with my family, I'm now in the blog zone, AND MY DRAINS ARE WORKING FINE!

I love seeing babies turn one, taking first steps, laughing at goofy noises their parents make, great snowball fights, birthday celebrations, first pear pie masterpieces, son holding someone elses baby and wishing so bad it could be his, dentures being made to perfection, and hearing the witty ways people speak of their lives. Thanks to all you accomplished bloggers, you are my inspiration. Keep up the good work, I'm now proud to say I'M ONE OF YOU! Now I'm enjoying the excitement because I'm part of the circle.

2008-06-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Look at this sexy beast!! 28 years and still as sexy as the day I met him!! Greowww!!!!! be jealous ladies... be jealous!

2008-06-06T15:52:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to inform the world that my son, Tanner Rencher, is my most favorite son and how can I put this in words... completely freakin awesome!!.... I mean look!