It's a sad day.

I know I already published a post today, but something has happened since then that needs to be marked in the history of the Luckily Got Lucky blog. As part of the center pieces for our wedding just over 3 years ago, Darwin really wanted beta fish in the bowls that the floating candles were going in, so we purchased 8 of them. 4 red and 4 blue. Following our reception, we gave 4 of them away and we ended up with 4 of them: 2 red and 2 blue. At one point Darwin named the 4 we got, although I could never remember which one was which, and now I can't even remember what some of the names were. Those fish were his babies :) It was so cute because he'd come home from work or school and talk to them as he fed them or as he changed the water in their bowls. (It was his job because he's the one that wanted them in the first place.) Well, today marks the final day of our final fish. We lost our first two shortly after our 2nd anniversary--and we were surprised that they were all living so long at that point! Then, just a few months ago, probably in March or April, we lost the 3rd one. The 4th and last one (a blue one) has hung on and entertained us with his funky swimming styles. Many times we'd look over and he'd be swimming on his side, or just chilling in the water vertically with his nose pointing out of the water. He'd also get super excited when he saw us by his bowl and start swimming all over the place because he knew it was probably time to be fed. Such a funny little fish. Sadly, just a few minutes ago, I looked in his bowl, and our last little fishey has swum his last swim. I felt I needed to mark this day because we've managed to keep at least one of our beta fish alive for over 3 years!! As far as I can tell, that's a LONG time to keep a beta fish alive. Also, as far as we are aware, this is the last of the 8 fish to leave us, so we are quite proud of the lengthy lives of all our beta fish.

Back in the groove of things, and a little overwhelmed!

It finally happened! (No, I'm still not pregnant. Sorry guys. Hehe.) I started school again yesterday after a 4 month break. Yes, I know, I was spoiled rotten for having so much time off, and I took full advantage to enjoy it to the best of my ability. But, sadly, summer vacation can't last forever, right? I was really glad and fortunate to work out my schedule so I only have to go to school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (and I get out earlier on Friday's, Yay!) but the reason I did it that way is so I can stay home and work on homework on Tuesday's and Thursday's. I am absolutely, 100%, a full time student. I decided to take 16 credits this fall, which really didn't seem like a big deal to me because of my fun, successful spring semester, and I was taking 15 credits. Unfortunately, after going to all of my classes yesterday I think I may have dug myself into a hole. Aaarrgghh! My classes are definitely more difficult this semester than they were last semester, but I'm looking forward to the challenge, I guess. :) It's nice to think that when the next 15 weeks are over, I'll finally be done with my associates degree!! At Last!! I guess the purpose of this post is to warn you about future posts that might be coming as I get my frustration out over my school work. Hopefully I can take this semester and nip it in the bud!! Wish me luck!!

Woo Hoo!!

First of all, Darwin is back at school, and today is his first day with students. Hopefully all goes well. But my feelings about him being at school is not the reflection I was trying to portray with the title of this post. I'm actually pretty bummed that it's time for school again. I just want summer to go on and on so we can keep playing :)

The reason I felt like giving out a "Woo Hoo" is because this morning after I dropped Darwin off at his carpooling spot, I heard on the radio that director Tim Burton is coming out with a new version of Alice in Wonderland!! Woo Hoo!!! Darwin and I are HUGE Tim Burton fans, so a new movie of his is totally exciting for us! And, what makes it even better is that he's teaming up with Johnny Depp again (I believe). According to the radio station, Johnny Depp will be playing the Mad Hatter.

The only thing is that I have to keep my fingers crossed that the rating of this movie will be permissable for Darwin and I to go see it. I was totally stoked when Sweeney Todd was coming out and then completely disappointed when I found out it was rated R. According to the Rotten Tomatoes website this Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland is supposed to be associated with Disney, and apparently in 3-D, like the Nightmare Before Christmas (one of our VERY favorites) and the Corpse Bride. But a few other websites don't confirm that information. Alice in Wonderland is set for release in theaters on March 5, 2010, so we have a while to wait for it. Bummer. I'm a little torn between whether I want it in 3-D or with live people. The websites I visited don't seem to agree on information, so I believe maybe it's still up in the air? I would LOVE to see Johnny Depp play the Mad Hatter in person, but I've been wanting Tim Burton to make another 3-D animated movie as well. I'm sure not all of you are as excited about this as I am. Most people we run into aren't Tim Burton fans, but that's okay. We still love you :)

The Proper Portion

So, for the last little while Darwin & I have been trying to cut down on the amount of food we consume in an attempt to eat proper portion sizes (and lose some weight in the process). We've also been trying to cut back on sweets and eat healthier foods in an attempt to just be healthier. Imagine that :) We've been doing fairly well so far.

Last night at dinner, however, I freaked Darwin out a little bit. He was helping me make tacos for dinner so we could eat before I had to go Visiting Teaching. He was grating cheese and cutting up the veggies. I was cooking the meat & working on getting corn-on-the-cob in a pot of boiling water. As we were cooking we were just chatting it up, as usual, until he looked in the pot the corn was going in and saw only 1 corn-on-the-cob in the pot. He got a little nervous about it and asked me, "Do we have to share a corn? Talk about taking our diet to an extreme!!" Hahahaha! I just busted up laughing! It was soo hilarious to me! I guess he didn't realize that it either takes 4 hands, or two people to shuck 2 corn at one time. But, because I only have 2 hands, was only able to shuck 1 corn at a time and had just barely put the first corn in the pot. Once I gained some composure I was able to explain that simple concept to him, and we were able to enjoy our dinner, each with our own whole corn-on-the-cob. :) You're such a cutie, Dar! I love you!

Comforting words from a Prophet of God

I fell in love with the Ensign magazine last fall when I started reading it cover to cover while waiting for the bus on my way to school. I'm sorry it took me so long to decide to read it all the way through because now I can't get enough of it! So far I have read every issue since I made the decision to read them, but the General Conference issue takes me a little longer, so I'm still working on it. I absolutely love reading the messages that were given to us during Conference, and it's been great to read the talks from the Priesthood session because obviously I was unable to attend :) Some great words were given to the men at that session. General Conference always gives me a renewed determination to be so much better than I am, so reading the words again is a double bonus.

President Monson's talk from the Priesthood session was awesome! It is completely uplifting, and cheerful because of his great sense of humor. Sometimes I feel like I never want to have kids because of all the bad things in this world, but thanks to the encouraging words from our amazing Church leaders, it gives me hope and courage to press forward and to take on any task this world can throw at me. I want to share with you something President Monson said in his talk to the Priesthood brethren about becoming more like our Savior:

"To the sophistry of Satan, Jesus turned his back. To the duty designated by His Father, He turned His face, pledged His heart, and gave His life. And what a sinless, selfless, noble, and divine life it was. Jesus labored. Jesus loved. Jesus served. Jesus testified. What finer example could we strive to emulate? Let us begin now, this very night, to do so. Cast off forever will be the old self and with it defeat, despair, doubt, and disbelief. To a newness of life we come--a life of faith, hope, courage, and joy. No task looms too large; no responsibility weighs too heavily; no duty is a burden. All things become possible."

President Monson's words made me realize how far from perfect I am, but I was also reminded that if we are continually trying to do the things our Savior has asked us to do, He will always be there to help us and to lift us up when we need His help. I read something else that was comforting as well, although I can't find the reference in the Ensign at the moment. It was a reminder that as we continually strive to do what's right and to keep the commandments of God, Satan has a more difficult time tempting us because we are closer to the Savior and His spirit. When we have the Spirit with us, Satan cannot be there too.

Then President Monson said something else that was encouraging and hopeful about the world that we currently live in:

"We are waging a war with sin, my brothers and sisters, but we need not despair. It is a war we can and will win. Our Father in Heaven has given us the tools we need in order to do so. He is at the helm. We have nothing to fear. He is the God of light. He is the God of hope. I testify that He loves us--each one."

These are all things I have heard before from our leaders, but it is wonderful to hear them again and be reminded that if we are with the Savior, we are on the winning side. I hope that we will all try to be more kind to those around us, and become a little more selfless and we go through this test we call life.

From Coast to Coast - The Deming Oregon Trip

As this summer draws to a close it's fun to look back and reflect upon the amazingness of our summer vacation this year. Darwin & I had the rare opportunity to first visit the East Coast and then 3 days after returning, we had the opportunity to visit the West Coast. That is something that rarely, or never, happens for us and we were extremely happy and willing to accept the chance to get some good vacationing in while we still can. I'm sorry it has taken me a bit to get our Oregon Trip adventures up, but I finally have some time (and good internet connection), yay! Just warning you that this may end up being a fairly long post, so be patient and enjoy! :)

Aug 2: Up and at 'em bright and early. We left Mapleton around 8:30-9:00am and were on our way to the Oregon Coast. Dar's family decided to drive up through Nevada this time (they usually go up through Boise) and it was the first time I had the opportunity to experience the Bonneville Salt Flats. They really are beautiful, despite what some people might say, and pretty amazing when you think about it....All that salt deposited after Lake Bonneville dried up (can you tell Darwin is rubbing off on me? Haha). *Also, a little side-note: Part of the 3rd Pirates of the Carribean was filmed at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The part where Jack Sparrow is in Davy Jones Locker.

This is a cool sculpture you can see from the freeway on the way to the Salt Flats. Nice shot from a moving vehicle, huh? :)

We found a cool cart & couldn't resist playing in it.

After a short pit-stop we were on the road again and stayed the night at a hotel before moving on and getting to the beach house in Yachats (pronounced yah-hots), Oregon, we'd be living in for the next week and a half.

The house was pretty spacious, and definitely better than staying in a hotel for a week and a half. We had a blast just chilling in the house when we weren't out at the beach front. We made a few other stops on the way before we got to the beach house. One of the cool stops was a place called Bandon, Oregon. They're known for these incredibly large pinnacles not eroded by the ocean that lay just past the beach:

(Andrea, Georgiana, Mom, Kiara, Darwin)
It was pretty windy & extremely chilly! I'm surprised Dar was ok without a jacket!!

When we got to Yachats we were able to just enjoy the enormous beach! This was my first time to Oregon & my first time to a rocky beach so I found it pretty fascinating. I was amazed to see that the rocks were pretty much all covered by muscles & barnicles. At first I felt bad stepping on them (because they're alive!) but once Darwin convinced me that I couldn't avoid stepping on them the whole trip (and that most of them can take the pressure), I changed my attitude and realized I wasn't hurting them by stepping them. Those things are pretty strong!

Also, as you walk along the rocks you can see green annemonies all over the place. The sea stars were all over the place too, but they tended to stay together in groups. It was really neat to see the variety of life on the beach. We often saw pelicans, and of course, seagulls all over the place. We occasionally saw cranes and some crab. Here's a picture with me & the first crab I caught:

Don't laugh because it's teeny (and dead). I was soo excited to spot my first crab of the trip--not to mention my first crab ever! There were a few spots where hermit crabs were congregated. Darwin loved to pick them up out of the water. They really tickle when they walk on you!


Some of the neatest wild life we saw though was a hump back whale! And sea lions! Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the whale, but Darwin did get some video. I'd post it, but you don't get to see the whale for very long, and it takes up too much space for the little bit of whale that you actually do get to see. The sea lions were pretty cool too. I saw the first one when we were crab fishing (which was also the same day we saw the whales-everyone but me saw the one in the morning, and then we saw another one that night). Then a few days later we went to this place called Sea Lion Caves which is a pretty touristy kind of place since it is the largest sea cave in the world length wise, but we got to see tons of sea lions. Sorry if you can't see them very well, the zoom on our camera only goes so far, but there were a bunch of them for sure!

Darwin loves this picture so much I had to post it at his request.

The day we went crab fishing was definitely one of the major highlights of the entire trip. And although I didn't participate in the consumption of the crab, I enjoyed being on the boat and participating in the catching. Several people we glad that I didn't want to eat my portion of the crab though because it meant more crab meat for them! :)

The fam enjoying their fresh caught crab meat!!

We had 2 boats between the fam, and between the 2 boats we caught 11 crab. Our boat only caught 4 and the other boat caught 7. Lucky them! Thanks for this experience, Mom & Dad Deming! It will be one that's unforgettable!

Besides all of the cool sea life we got to see a bunch of other must-see sights in the area. Several of them are sights that Dar's family visits frequently on their visits to Yachats. One of those sights was the Heceta Light House.

We could have taken a tour, but opted out on it because we didn't want to wait our turn after an hour and a half :). Near by the Light House is a place called Devil's Churn. It's a churn where the water comes in with the waves and gets pretty intense at times. If the intensity of the waves themselves doesn't get to you, the sound of the waves crashing against the rock walls sure will! It was a pretty amazing sight to see. This picture is of the opening of Devil's Churn, just as the water is entering.


Just down a little ways from Devil's Churn is a spot called Spouting Horn. The pressure of the waves slamming against the rock made a hole in it; and now as the waves come in, it compresses the air under the hole and shoots out the other end so fast that it comes out as mist.

Spouting Horn reminded me a little bit of the Dragon's Cave in Yellowstone National Park, if any of you have been there. They both sound pretty similar, and it's pretty cool to experience. Then, just down a little ways from Spouting Horn is a place Dar's family has dubbed The Toilet Bowl. The name fits it perfectly. It's really just a ginormous Spouting Horn, where the water comes in as the wave comes in, and then as the wave comes out, The Toilet Bowl empties (flushes). It's quite incredible how mesmorizing the waves can be. I could stand there for hours just watching the waves crash against the rocks.

The Toilet Bowl as it's flushing :)

The Toilet Bowl filling up & over-flowing.

Darwin & his sister, Georgiana were getting pretty close to the water. I got some video of that too, but again, it's too big to post. Darwin thought it would be fun to throw a log into The Toilet Bowl, to watch it in the water. I caught this nice action shot:

But, my favorite picture from being at The Toilet Bowl is this:

As if jumping into the Erie Canal on the East Coast wasn't enough, Darwin had to go and lose his balance and fall into the Pacific Ocean! Haha. What a silly boy! :)

There were a few other sweet things that were similar to the big hot spots we saw, that were really close to the beach house. One was a blow hole that Darwin found on a previous Yachats trip.

There were also a couple of churns close by as well. Darwin & I would sit out by them for hours watching the waves crash. It's a fun experience we usually don't get to enjoy living here in inland Utah :).

Because we had a bunch of people come to Yachats with different schedules, unfortunately not everyone was able to stay for the entire trip. But we did have a couple of days with the whole family there. A majority of the days throughout the trip were overcast, but luckily it was mostly clear on the days the whole family was there. On one of those days we were able to go crab fishing.

Emma & Andrea posing for the camera

Ryan & Geo getting the nets ready

Measuring the crab is essential. If you take out a crab that is too small or a female, you could get a nasty fine. :)

Ryan, Andrew (bad picture), Geo (Anna Janna, as Emma and Andrew call her)

Anna Janna & Andrew

The other crab crew - Emma, Andrea, Rachel, & Travis

Emma, Andrew, & Papa Deming

On the last day we had a nice camp fire on the beach as the sun set. It was definitely worth making the effort to have it.

Look how beautiful that is!

The reflection of the water was so amazing. I'm glad Darwin was able to take this great picture which almost does it justice. He had to keep the shutter of the camera open for 20-30 seconds to capture enough light for this great shot!

To sum it all up, we had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time on the Oregon Coast with Darwin's family. It was great to spend some time together, getting to know each other better, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean together. Here are some more pictures from our trip:

Partial-Family Photo
Top: Ryan, Kiara, Darwin
Middle: Dad, Mom
Bottom: Georgiana

HAPPY family photo :)

More shadow fun

Andrea, Geo & a big tree

Mom, Dad, Andrea


Sea Star!

Emma & the crabs she found

Rachel & Alli

Grandma, Papa Deming & Alli playing in the sand

Wake up! Time to play, Uncle Darwin!

Hunting for shells

Dar, Travis, & Andrew playing "Stick Stick". Trying to get a stick to stay standing up when a wave comes up, and to not get wet in the process.

Papa Deming, Alli, & Grandma - Precious Picture

Alli got a little bit more than just puppy loves. She was petting a puppy and when he started sniffing her face, his nose was all dirty, marking up Alli's face. :)

Beach shot

Our footprints :)

Geo & Kiara making sand angels

Darwin beginning on a sand masterpiece

He didn't quite get to finish his sea turtle before a wave came up and took it away :(

Cool sunset shot of Geo & Ryan

Our beach house was in a Tsunami Hazard Zone, sweet, huh?

We just thought this sign was funny :)

South view from the top of Cape Perpetua

Stone house view point at the top of Cape Perpetua

North view from Cape Perpetua

In front of a giant Spruce tree - this thing was ginormous, 255 feet tall and 500 years old!!

Dar playing in the roots of the Spruce tree - I'm telling you...the thing was HUGE!

Dar getting himself stuck in the sand

Look how far down he is in the sand! As soon as we took this picture Dar was like, "Ouch! Something's biting me!"

When he got out of the sand he had these little buggars attached to his legs. At first we thought they were leaches.

But they were baby sand crabs. This is what they look like when they grow up.

They made his legs bleed! Ouch!

Big jelly fish washed up on shore

One more shadow picture, just for kicks & giggles.

Mom & Dad Deming, Thanks again sooooo much from the bottom of our hearts for taking us on this family vacation and for letting me experience the excitement of the West Coast with your family! We love you!