This is going to be interesting with the two of us blogging on the same page (giggle).

Daddy's Intro!!

Ok as a note of how our Blog will work, you generally need to read Mommy's post below mine because mine will always generally refer to hers!

Wow, don't know if I am going to be able to follow that intro. That pretty much sums up most of the stages of where we are in life. Married for..., uh, well, were Married and have three kids, oldest being 10 and she came several years after we said "I do" so you can put some math to work there. Mommy and I met at a singles gathering, went on one date, hung out a lot and said "I do" almost 4 months after that one date. During those 4 months we only had 2 days where we didn't either see each other or talk on the phone. She is probably dumb founded that I even remember that because I seem to forget a lot of other things that go on.

Life had gotten complicated, and although we have our struggles, we are working through them as long as we all remain calm and patient. Mommy pretty much intro'd the kids. My only thoughts, and they will be brief, is just a basic view point from me. I am not sure what my thoughts on this Blog will be. I need more of a venue to vent about everything going on, but this probably isn't the proper venue for that. I use Facebook a lot for that, but have to tone it down sometimes. Mostly about me, I am super busy. I work a full time job that is shift work, so schedule is always out of whack. I run a full time guide company that we are constantly working at improving our advertising and market reach so that some day it might become my only job. Right now we put all of our money from it back into it so we aren't making anything personally from it, although the IRS doesn't see it that way. Also I decided to go back to school and take a couple of classes each semester to try and finish my Bachelors degree off. Working on Business Management with an emphasis in Information Systems. And then the family. I like to spend time with them and let them know that I do exist. So there you have it... Full time job x2, Full time family x1, part time student x1/2, plus the extra stuff, church responsibilities and my love for outdoor recreation and the desire to be outside doing something. A lot to fit into one day.

Mommy wants to keep this Blog new and fresh and I will try to input my comments often. Oh, and if you want to check out our guide company - www.northwashoutfitters.com we'll take you to some amazing places!! (heck ya, of course I gotta plug it!!)

This is us....

The hills are alive with the sound of music…U2 music, loud hollering, genuine laughter, Droid phone beeps, frequent tattle-telling, Marco Polo calls, running feet…..

Welcome to Over The Hills, a home with one Mama, one Daddy, and three little girls along with one wild kitty, and two lounge-loving dogs. We live among hills…and mountains and cedars and canyons and desert…in a rural small town in the scenic southeast Utah. About 3,000 folks reside in this one-blinking light town. The mixture of cultures is obvious with a small population – cowboys, rodeo princesses, truck drivers, football Friday night lights, Navajo heritage, pow wows, environmental lovers, college students, Latter-day Saints, pioneers, migrators, bewildered transplants, and stigma battlers. The place is rural but can be just as exciting as big city.

My name is Amanda, alias “Mama”, a stay-at-home domestic goddess for many reasons beside the obvious six little feet running in three different directions needing frequent attention. My Honey is Jared, alias “Daddy”, who will pipe in on his take of our family after my introduction. The oldest in our little band of natives is Celeste, a 10 year-old who has the physical energy of a child with ADD but with focus. Savannah may have ADD for a 7 year-old but I believe she just has an enormous bundle of creative energy. The littlest is Sierra, age 4, who has the charm of a ballerina but can easily display her inner demon. Our non-human members of the family are KC, the kitty stalker; Shotzee, the old lady guard dog; and Dusty, the big easy-going pup.

Being a domestic goddess is fun to say but I do have other talents for sanity purposes. Washing dishes and clothes is good to do to stay bacteria-free however creating art is far more appealing. I have been drawing since I can remember which would put me about age 4. Horses, always drawing horses - and cars (going along with the horsepower theme). I grew up as a Navy brat moving from Virginia to California with Tennessee in between, Tennessee having the most stays. I consider myself Tennessean through and through without a doubt however I am connected to this area. My Dad grew up in this town until he joined the Navy at the age of 17 and was shipped off to Vietnam. He wanted to prove to his dad he was grown up. I don’t think he clearly thought out his strategy.

After surviving the War, he settled into the Naval Air department and was transferred to Millington Naval Air Station in Tennessee. My Mom on the other hand was living in Huntsville, Alabama. A spit-fire of a southern bell she was just trying to survive a dysfunctional family. She herself loved art just like her parents.

Mom and Dad meet on a blind date and married several months later after Mom vomited from Dad’s first kiss (funny story, I’ll tell it sometime). Three years later I show up. I was instantly a daddy’s girl and gave my mom pain. My brother had to be an accident because there was no way she was going to have another baby after me. Luckily for Mom, Matthew was a mommy’s boy. Luckily again, Amylia showed up a few years later and she is definitely a mama's girl regardless of their disagreements.

I have been for the most part self-taught in art from having to have attended many different schools. I graduated with a Bachelor’s of the Fine Arts from Middle Tennessee State University and a Master’s from the Academy of Art University in California. So now I can be a struggling artist with a license to creatively hang wet laundry throughout the house when the dryer doesn’t work.

My Honey loves my creativity because it spices up his day whether it’s flavorful or bland. The girls most certainly keep him awake. It’s definitely not the usual daily beginning each morning of the day (let’s see what he says).