Dance Team Conflict

Hey everyone!! I hope everyone is doing well and is having a good summer so far. So this time instead of my mom updating the blog this time, its going to be me, Kaylee. As most of you know, I am on the middle school dance team and have enjoyed it so much this year. Well at the end of the year, Mrs. Leihsing, my dance coach, puts on a Banquet. Its where all of the girls and their family get all dressed up and goes to a fancy restaurant. There they showed pictures of all of the girls as a baby, of them growing up, and one of them now. Its one of the last things that we were able to do as a team before the 8th graders went on to high school. But there was a tiny little problem... it fell on a Sunday. I found this out and my mom gave me a choice. I could either go to Banquet and know that I wasn't keeping the Sabbath day holy or tell my coach that wouldn't be able to and explain to her why I wouldn't be able to make it. Well being a teenager and as you all know we think that its going to be then " End of the world" , or " Its only this one time, is it that big of a deal?" This was going through my head and then I decided that I would see them in a year and no matter how hard it would be to say no that I wouldn't go. So I turned to my mom and all i said was " I'm not going to go." Then my mom replied " Are you sure?" Well at the time I had just made a hard decision and I didn't need more time to think about because then i would have been second guessing myself. I answered back "Yes." and left it at that. Then I thought " Great!! I have to tell my coach." The next day I went through the whole day thinking of how I was supposed to explain to her why I wouldn't bee able to make it and I felt bad because she had spent so much time planning this for us all. I got into my 7th period class ( thats my dance period ) and we were having study hall. it was about 30 minutes into class and I knew I was going to have to tell one way or another. i told that i wouldn't be able to go because it was on a Sunday and that n our church we kept the sabbath day holy and stayed home to spend time with our families. Mrs. Leihsing just said that was fine and didn't ask anymore questions which I personally was grateful for. But then there was all of my friends, of course they wanted to know more and I told them it was a day to spend time with my family and their response was " Well we are your family!!" And this went on and on and on. Well it came to the Sunday of May 22, day of Banquet. I was super tired because I had just gotten back from Dallas at 2 a.m. with my choir group from school. I ended up not going to church and was very emotional but I held in the tears until about dinner time because that was when Banquet started. I was sitting on the couch and I called my dance coach and the tears were rolling down my cheeks. She was comforting me and told me that next year she would try her hardest for it not to be on a Sunday next year. I felt good because i stood up for what I believed in and set a good example for the others. That night there was a fireside at my bishops house. I went because I felt like it was the right thing to do. We had a lesson on Joseph Smith and I felt the spirit strongly. Later on we were having refreshments and my Young Women Leader comes up to me and told me that she was proud of me for the decision I had made. I felt better and was happy... then my best friend comes up to me and tells me she has a 50 50% chance of moving to West Virginia. Im thinking this is just a FANTASTIC DAY!! But thats okay because I have been blessed that her and her family have come into my life.
But I have a great friend that knew how sad I was that day because I wasn't able to be with the team for the last time this year. So yesterday she took me to the same restaurant that they had the original banquet at and we got all dressed up just for me. I am so grateful for a wonderful friend like her who loves and cares about me. I am grateful that I have my free agency and that I can choose for myself. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and older brother Jesus Christ. I have been blessed in so many ways and am thankful for those blessings. I love you all and cant wait to see most of y'all this summer!! (:
Love always, Kaylee Palumbo

Good Morning!!!!! A Huge Tarantula!!!!

Check out what Carson found outside on our garage door right before he went to catch the bus to school. It is HUGE!!! I couldn't believe it. What's worse is Ben had a "Mindy Moment" and put this ugly thing into a bucket and set it free in some field!!!! I said, "What are you thinking, you don't think it can make it's way back here, if it found us once it can find us again"!!! Heaven help me if I find one of those in my house!!! Also a little tid bit everything is poisonous in Texas!!! If you don't know what a "Mindy Moment" is just ask her about the ANTS!!!

Grandpa and Grandma Hansen Visits!!

We had so much fun with Mom and Dad here. We kept them very busy. They were able to see Kaylee perform at the boys basketball game and I know they were so thrilled to see her become such a beautiful Young Lady and what a great dancer she has become. Next was seeing Carson play basketball which they very much enjoyed and Carson loved having them here to watch him in his element. Then we went to the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. We went to the X-treme Bull Riding Event and we all loved it!! We pretty much spent the day there and had so much fun. Following the rodeo the next day we packed up and went to Fredricksburg where we were suppose to go hiking but since we stayed up late with Grandma and Grandpa playing Uno attack we got a late start and just played and toured the old German settler town of Fredricksburg and I think Dad and Mom enjoyed it. All in all we were sad for them to go but so grateful they came and visited and made some wonderful memories. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Thanksgiving 2010 With the Picketts!!!

There are so many words that can describe our trip to Arizona for Thanksgiving, Wonderful, fun, laughter, shock and awe (you would understand if you were there). We had such a great time. Girls went shopping, boys went golfing and shooting, went to movies, Arizona Zoo, Geicko Grill, Temple Christmas Lights, Pei Wei's, ran a 10k and spent some quality time with Penni and her family. It was sooo good to be with family for the Holidays. We have not spent anytime with the family for the Holidays since we moved to Texas 3 years ago!! Way to long. Thank You to Penni and her family for making it so fun and worth the 14 hour trip one way. We were also able to enjoy some fun times with the Mumford Family, I am sure they had a great time!!! With a house full of girls Carson sure enjoyed their boys!! It was a great relief to the girls I'm sure. Also I trained really hard to run the 2 mile with Kristine and followed that with the 10k. 8.2 miles total. It was my first organized run. It was so fun! Ben was such a support and want to Thank him for that. How far I have come since cancer. I felt a little emotional when I completed the race. I couldn't even walk 50 feet and not be extremely tired and have to lay down and here I am a year n a half later and I'm running 8.2 miles!! I am going to now train for a half marathon at the end of January in Austin!! Enjoy our pics from our Thanksgiving Trip!!

Off we go!!

Turned my head and a goat was getting really close!

Ben and I at the Arizona Zoo

Silly boys, they could fit right in at the zoo

Kids and I having a blast at the Zoo!!

I can see the finish line!!!!

My Sweetheart there to give me a proud hug!!

All of us who ran in the Turkey Trot!!

Ben cutting the Texas Turkey we had shipped to Arizona

Mesa Arizona Temple Lights, so beautiful!!

Todd and Zoe shooting

I think the highlight for Carson was shooting his brand new BB gun!!

Canyon loved it to!! What a fun Dad!!

Canyon loved all the Christmas lights at the Temple!!!

Happy Cousins!! What a trip!!! So worth it!!!

More Pics from Arizona Trip!

Canyon loves to ride on the Luggage cart, pretty Cute!!!

Getting our energy out after a long drive!

This is our new favorite spot, it makes the drive to family that much sweeter!!

Kids so excited to swim and see there cousins!!!

Halloween 2010

Halloween was so fun this year. Our ward had their annual Chili and Cornbread cook off and Carnival and Trunk r Treat!! They defiantly get a lot more candy at the trunk o treat. We had our 2nd Open House for our new church building which is a Stake Center so those non members that weren't interested in coming to tour the building they did come to our Halloween festivities. We had over 400 people there and 100 of them were non members!!! It was really cool to see. Our family couldn't even find a place to eat our chili. So the men got to work setting up more table and chairs. All of us had so much fun. Here's some pictures of our fun Halloween Night!!

My little Dragon, So cute

At the trunk o treat at our new building!

Canyon getting his face painted by Sister Willie

Only Texas would you have a target game at a Halloween Carnival!!

It was funny to see the Dads that only had little girls shooting acting like their little girls really wanted to go to this booth!!!

My two older Kiddo's, a Nerd and a Scary Clown!!