Cars

When Allan, Kyle and I were driving to Utah last month, Allan and I spent a lot of time talking about blogging. Allan was giving me some good ideas for some posts. (It's nice to have a husband who knows how much I love blogging. He knows what a great outlet it has been ; )

Allan thought maybe a post about the cars I have owned or my family owned would be fun. Like me just say I have a love/hate relationship with cars. When they break down, I hate paying to have them repaired. Also, when Stephen was a baby I didn't have a car--I hate to say this, but I think that's why I was so thin. I WALKED EVERYWHERE or took the bus. I think I gained 10 pounds the first month I had my car. Often, I think I should just park the car and walk or take the bus--I know I would lose a bunch of weight. (But, I'm not too excited about doing that when it's 40 below.

Anyway, here goes.

1) My favorite car was my little VW bug. I bought this from one of the doctors I worked for---I knew she had taken good care of it, and it would last a long time.

I have great memories of this car. This is the car, Allan left the note on when I was visiting with some friends and he saw my car. (I know I wrote about it before, but I can't find the post) Anyway, he left a note on the car and when one of my Laurel's spotted him she told us all and we went to the living room window. She pulled open the curtains and when he looked up he saw all of us looking at him. He was so embarrassed he jumped into his car and drove away. (We still laugh about it today ; )

I still remember driving my CTR-B class around in this bug.

Nancy inherited this car--she used to drive around with Heidi. Oh, how Heidi loved going everywhere with her big sister. In fact, if you look really close that's Heidi and Nancy (and one of Nancy's friends) in the front seat.

2) I paid something like $100 for this car and it ran for quite awhile. It was a Studebaker, but I don't remember what year. That is the car I had where I first gained my testimony of tithing--it died, a mechanic told me there was nothing he could do for it. I prayed and prayed, and pleaded for help because I knew I didn't have any money to get another car. Our RS President's husband and son went to look at the car and a few hours later drove it up to my apartment.






3) After Allan and I got married we bought one of these huge GMC vans.
It was very different than driving my little bug. Obviously, I didn't realize how much bigger because one day when I went to the bank to make a deposit, I got a little too close to the poll and scratched the whole side. I was in tears and he kept reminding me--It's just a car.

I loved the car because I never had to collapse the strollers. I could put bikes in the back and it held tons of luggage and tons of kids.




4) When I was a little girl, my family had a Rambler station wagon. I still remember going in that car to read my Nancy Drew books. When you have 5 sisters and live in a 3 bedroom/1 bathroom house, it's hard to find a quiet place. The car was quiet.
No picture--it was white and a few years old when we got it.

5) I wish I could remember what kind of pick-up truck we had, but I don't. I just know that my dad used to throw a mattress in the back of the truck and my sisters and I would pile in the back with blankets just about every Friday night we'd drive from Hayward to San Francisco to visit my aunt and uncle. (Keep in mind that was the 50's--no seat belt laws)

6. When we left North Carolina we bought a Dodge Caravan. That car was a great car for awhile--until it developed a problem with the belt. Whenever I would drive through a puddle and the belt would get wet it would slip off and the car would overheat and the steering would lock. It was VERY INCONVENIENT. One time the kids and I were driving back from Utah and it really started raining (I mean cats and dogs) and after a few minutes the car started to heat up. I got off the freeway and had to call CAA. It was so frustrating because the guy had to come and change the belt and then when I crossed the border I had to tell them about the repairs to the car--I mean 15 minutes away.

When we lived in Toronto, Kyle and I were in an accident in that car. I was glad it was well built because even though we rolled over we both came out without a scratch. (Thank goodness for car seats)

7. In 1999 I got a Honda Odyssey. I love my van. Each of the 3 younger kids learned to drive in that car--well, Heidi actually learned in the Caravan for awhile. I did a number on that car and so did Kyle. It still looks as good as new. (Not sure it smells as good as new--don't ever forget about a pumpkin in the back ; )

Now, I could do a whole other posts about the company cars that Allan has had--some were nice and some were, well, let's just say NOT NICE!!!


How about you, did you have a favorite car or special memory of a favorite car???

Sidenote: Hey, I got a subscription to Ancestry.com and I am LOVING IT!!!

BIRTHDAY MESSAGES

Since it is still Tuesday, I want to wish Brent a Happy 23rd Birthday. If you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know Brent is my 2nd to the youngest son. He is AMAZING. Today I had a little nostalgic moment when I went to the doctor and was in the "procedure" room waiting to get a shot and get this growth taken care off on my nose. (o.k. too much information ; )
Anyway, while I was in there I saw a little baby scale, and I thought of bringing Brent to the doctor to be weighed. Silly, but I haven't seen one of those scales for quite awhile.

All through Brent's growing up years I could always count on his help FOR ANYTHING. He was constantly asking what he could do to help--and he still does the same thing today. It has been such a privilege to be his mom. He has taught me so much and I love him so much. He is growing into a fantastic adult.

A message for Brent: I know you're reading this so let me say, Happy Birthday, Brent. I love you. Hope you had a wonderful birthday. It was fun celebrating with you when we were in Utah, but I wish you were here today.

BTW, He does have a blog, but I've never asked him if it's o.k. to link to it, so until he gives me the o.k., I don't want to do it.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures.

My husband is pretty tall, so you can only imagine how high in the air Brent is ; )


One of my favorite school pictures.

Now tomorrow is my hubby's birthday. He is loved by so many, but I am his biggest fan. I remember when my sisters first met him--they were so amazed. I don't know what I ever did to deserve such a wonderful guy. He teaches me so much about faith, compassion, parenting, relaxing, smiling through everything, and not worrying. He knows so much about so many things--I love when he helps me as I'm preparing my Seminary lessons--he always sees things so clearly. He's tried very hard to teach me about patience, but I have a lot to learn. If he could just teach me how to maintain my cool, I wouldn't have to worry about warts growing on the side of my nose ; )

Anyway, here are a couple of my favorite pictures of him. Wasn't he a cute little guy.



Right before he went on his mission.


Shall we just say THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!

Not sure if he was tired of being bald or what???



On our fabulous family vacation in Hawaii.


I love you, honey. Happy Birthday.

I WAS BORN IN THE WRONG ERA

Before I explain why I say I was born in the wrong era, I went ahead and did the little yearbook yourself thing and just had a good laugh when I saw this one. (The others were too much like real photos I already had--Hey, I've lived through most of those eras ; ) But this one, was just too fun not to post--Face it, I'm goofy looking so I can always make fun of me ; )


I didn't see all of the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics, but what I saw was pretty spectacular. They certainly spared no expense--I heard they spent something like 44 billion on the whole Olympic experience. Let me just say that as I watched the Olympics, I found myself wishing I had been born 20 years later. I have always loved sports--especially participating in them. When I was in high school we took gym all four years. We played baseball, basketball, tennis, archery, field hockey, golf, trampoline, and swimming, as well as learned about other sports. (Funny, I don't remember learning ping pong--how in the world is that an Olympic sport???) I am sad because we did not have girls' teams that competed with other high schools--that came much later. I used to be an assistant to the gym teachers for just about every sport. (Well, except trampoline--I stunk at that one, and have the scar on my knee from the surgery to prove how bad I really was)

Anyway, if I had excelled and and been good enough to compete I wonder in which sport I would have competed. I was pretty good, if I do say so myself--believe me I'm not saying I would have been a gold medal competitor by any stretch of the imagination, but doesn't everyone imagine themself standing on the podium as they hear their country's national anthem.

I know I would have never been a gymnast, diver, or swimmer, but the others who knows. How about you, in which sport do you think you would have enjoyed receiving a gold, silver, or bronze medal???

Sidenote: So, did you catch the announcement for this season's Dancing With the Stars Competitors? What do you think??? Any guesses for the big winner????

HAS IT BEEN 3 WEEKS???

Well, the pictures have finally been developed from our trip down The Mighty Provo River 3 weeks ago!!! I'm amazed at how well they turned out with that little disposable camera.

This is Kyle with Cyle and Jerry getting ready to go into the river. Unfortunately within a few minutes, Kyle's tube popped and he had to swim to catch us. (Poor kid was absolutely freezing)
















We had a great time--sure wish Brent could have been there with us, but he had to work. At one point, I thought Daniel and I were gonners. Scott who was handling the steering (or should I say, was supposed to tell us where to go) wasn't paying attention and all of the sudden we were in the bushes--REALLY IN THE BUSHES. Scott had to yell DUCK. Fortunately, Daniel and I both ducked otherwise we would have had branches in our faces--and it would have been UGLY.

Speaking of Daniel, he just received his mission call to the Georgia Macon Mission. We are so excited for him. He reports the day after Heidi's birthday. (I realize I haven't written too much about him. He is a wonderful young man--such a sweetie. It's obvious that he and Heidi truly care fo reach other. He seems to fit right into the family.



















Here's a picture of Kyle, Scott, and Allan.
















I don't want to put this as a sidenote because it is very important to me. A few days ago, Nancyface awarded me this very sparkly award. I love things that sparkle--which must be why I love Mrs. Face.

I notice that she passed it on to some of my favorite bloggers. I think passing on awards is one of the hardest things to do--because there are so many deserving bloggers out there. For that very reason, I'm going to say, it's yours. If you are here reading this, grab the award because you deserve it.


Sidenote #1: I do my presentation about Seminary today for our Inservice Lesson--I'm doing a Power Point Presentation on The Top Ten Things I Wished I Had Known When I Started Teaching Seminary. Sure hope it comes together.

Sidenote #2: Wish I could post the picture that Heidi took of her with her cute little "First Grade" class. She looks so cute and it is so fun to see her as the teacher. Makes her mama proud ; )

Time to Readjust

I realize I still have a couple of weeks until we go back to Seminary, but I am so far behind in so many things I know I have to re-think my priorities. (Maybe, I'm just freaking out because China is coming too fast):

1. I need to get back into the habit of getting up before 5:00, but since we're not starting Seminary until September 4th, I think I will start getting up at 5:00. (I haven't been getting up until 7:00--don't tell anyone ; ) (The late nights with the Olympics are not helping either)

2. I love blogging, but I really think it has taken on a life of itself and it's time to back off a little. Just curious, how do you do it? When I hear people talk about how many blogs they read, I'm amazed, but then again, maybe if I didn't spend so much time thinking about what to comment it would cut back on the time. I will still get out to read blogs, but maybe not every day.

3. I feel like it's time to stop and do a re-evaluation of where I'm headed and what I need to accomplish. I need to get back into the habit of making To Do Lists. Then at the end of the day I might feel like I accomplished something.

4. After meeting Millie, I realize I need to get busy with my family history. I don't have any grandiose ideas of doing 10,000 names by next week, but I know I need to spend time every week doing SOMETHING. (Thanks, Millie)

5. I have tons of pictures from this traveling frenzy we were on these past few months. I just don't want them stuck in my computer. I want to do something fun with all of them. (In fact, I have been trying to put together a little DVD for Kyle and Brandon which contains their surfing lessons in Hawaii with Jan and Dan singing "Ride The Wild Surf" as the background.) I actually still have Brent's mission pictures to put into a book (and he's been home for a year and a half ; (


Sidenote: When I was in the states, I bought a couple of new exercise DVD's--face it my Jane Fonda step aerobics was getting just a tad old ; ) I bought the Dancing With the Stars and was laughing my head off as I was attempting the moves. (Believe me, I could videotape myself, post it on Youtube and probably be a good laugh for everyone ; ) I think I would be the motivation for a new reality show--So, You Know You CAN'T Dance!!!

A Little Over 3 More Weeks

You are all so clever--you figured out where we're going in a little over three weeks--CHINA! The cruise we were supposed to take last year we had re-scheduled to take in April 2009. However, because of Allan's recent "retirement" we decided there would be no way he'd be able to take a month off when he gets a job, so when this cruise to China came up we decided to take it.

We are very excited about the cruise. It is a 22-day cruise from Vancouver to China. (That means I have to pack something like 26 cards for Allan--I love to give him a little love note every day ; ) On our way we stop in port cities in several cities in Alaska and spend time in Glacier Bay--which I absolutely love. Then we sail across the ocean for 5 days (well one of those is crossing the International Date Line) then stop in a couple of cities in Japan, one in Russia and South Korea; and then Dalian, China and finally end up in Beijing where we do a 4-day land tour. I'm even more excited now after watching the Olympics. I am really looking forward to walking on the Great Wall, visiting Tinnamen Square and the Summer Palace, flying to Xian so we can see the Terra Cotta Warriors, and the Forbidden City.

I was doing some re-organizing today and came across this photo taken some 22 years ago on our first cruise around the South Pacific. My goodness we all look so young ; )

I'm trying to get things organized--Seminary starts soon. We have an in-service this Saturday and our coordinator has asked me to do a little presentation on "What I Wish I Had Known When I Started Teaching Seminary". Number 1: That being dressed with hair combed and make-up on at 6:20 is REALLY EARLY!!!

When Seminary starts I will only teach a few days and then will be gone for almost a month. That gives me all those days at sea to work on lessons. I'm really looking forward to immersing myself in the New Testament. My biggest challenge will be figuring out how to take the manuals with me and keep my luggage under weight ; )

After Labor Day, Kyle will start his last year of high school. Can you believe because I sent a child to kindergarten in 1975, every September for the past 33 years I've sent someone to school. What will I do next year??? Speaking of school starting, Heidi had her "meet the parents and the students" day today. I sent her a text to see how it went and she wrote: "It was good, I survived. The kids are cute." I knew she would do great!!!

Prioritizing has been really hard for me lately. It's very different having my hubby home. We could sit and talk all day. It's like he's on vacation, but I know he has things to do, and I have things I SHOULD DO!!!

Sidenote #1: I noticed my sitemeter showed that there was someone looking at my blog from Bozeman, Montana. The funny thing was, as I looked at when they were viewing the blog I realized--IT'S ME. I don't live in Bozeman but when I have gone on to work on posts or edit posts, it keeps showing that I'm doing it from Bozeman??? WEIRD.

Sidenote #2: Speaking of weird: remember my post about my comments being lost--well, they all reappeared???

Sidenote #3: When I was in Oregon I jokingly mentioned we should do a pyramid picture. Got me remembering about this picture that was taken 10 years ago--that's Kyle on the top of the pyramid (he was one of the youngest ; )



Sidenote #4: I've never had 4 sidenotes ; ) On Sunday night we had a fabulous speaker at a fireside talk about how the Holy Ghost speaks to us in our mind and in our heart. A great reminder that we need to learn to listen to what we hear AND what we feel. Sometimes I get so busy and have far too many negative thoughts in my head. I really don't stop and listen often enough. I appreciated the reminder. In preparation for this year of Seminary I watched the first NT DVD entitled "Come Unto Me". I love all of the Seminary clips--this one was such a neat reminder of all that the Savior has done for us. I love the scripture, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." We often forget that He can gives us rest from EVERYTHING. He invites us to take EVERYTHING to Him and let it go. He doesn't just heal our physical infirmities He can heal EVERYTHING.

What A Surprise!!!

When I arrived home on Friday, there was quite a bit of mail. The bills made me frown, but there were two packages which brought such a smile to my face--

1) Speaking of my face, one package was from a member of the Face Family: Lauren.
Apparently, I won the wedding blog was so happy. Here's what was in the package. I so loved the damask pattern on the mouse pad. Isn't the notebook so Lauren--I'm taking it with me to take notes on my next trip. Thanks, Lauren.










2) The second package was from my friend, Chel. Chel is a friend that I met last April when I was in Arizona. I consider it a real privilege that she is a friend--she is beautiful, talented, and a fantastic mom. She always leaves me such wonderful comments and I love corresponding with her. There were such fun goodies in this package, and she wrote me the sweetest note that so touched my heart. She is a good friend that really listens. I can't wait to wear the beautiful bracelet and use the scrapbook paper and stickers she sent.






Now another surprise I received when I arrived home was an award from jodi at beacon of hope, which she presented to nancyface and me. (I am so honored to be in the same category with Mrs Face ; ) I was so touched by jodi's words. Thanks, jodi.

There are so many wonderful bloggers out there, it will be hard to limit it to just 5 of you, but here goes

1) amanda at Our Lot In Life
2) pj at Wild Daisies
3) tonya at The Sweet Life
4) txmommy at Too Many to Count
5) melissa at Mejojac

Each of you fit the requirements.

Also, jodi wrote: In receiving this award there are some rules. You must...

1. Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award that are inspirational, uplifting, and leave you with a feeling of hope or cheer that contribute to the blogging community, no matter what language.
2. Link them on your blog.
3. Link to the person you received the award from.
4. Leave a comment on the blogs you nominated.
5. Add this link Beacon of Hope as the origin of this award.
6. Post these rules.

Speaking of surprises: This week I will share with all of you news of an upcoming trip. I am so excited about it. Maybe I should give you a couple of clues: I'm going to a place where snake is considered a delicacy; 20% of the plants grown in this country are used for medicine. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you probably know where I'm going. If not, let me just say, this place has been in the news quite a bit lately ; )


Sidenote #1: I'm going to process the film from our trip down The Mighty Provo--it also has some pictures of the kids at the waterpark. I'll post pictures when I get them developed.

Sidenote #2: I know everyone loves Michael Phelps, but did you see Dara Torres win her three silver medals--WHAT AN INSPIRATION!!!

My Last Recap

I tried to take some notes while I was in Oregon so I could transfer it into my journal and decided to post it here. First of all, let me say, I feel so fortunate to have been able to meet these wonderful women. I wish I had taken the time to go and visit their blogs so I knew a little more about them when I met them.

I won't go into a lot of details about the trip there except to say that I was extremely nervous. As I mentioned in my other post, I had met Suzanne, and knew 5 of the other women from their blogs--amanda, tori, klin, ncs, and annie.

Allan and I spent a lot of time as we have been driving home talking about the trip. He is interested in the whole blogging phenomenon. He has asked me many interesting questions that have really caused me some serious reflections.

I have posted pictures before, but none with any of the women--so here are a few of my favorites. (Not all of these are pictures that I have taken, and I hope the women who took them will forgive me for "stealing" their photos ; )

I loved walking along the beach--although it was a little colder than I expected. The meals we shared together were wonderful.

Although it was great when we would be in a large group and play games or answer questions or share experiences, my favorite moments would have to be the one on one time. I loved listening to glittersmama as we walked along Canon Beach and talked about the beauty of this earth. She is such a sweet woman who always pulled me in to each conversation. Thanks for that.

I had never met nobody. I enjoyed her so much. She was so much younger than I expected. What a sense of humor--I love quick-witted people (I know we are not supposed to be envious, but I so envy her ability to just come back with such clever comments) I hope to be able to get to know her better.

Tori is a blogger that I have read for a long time. I have visited her blog forever. She is exactly like I expected her to be--maybe a little quieter. I was so glad to meet her because I wasn't sure if I'd ever have a chance to get to Texas. She tells the best stories--just like on her blog.

Aubrey was the youngest of the group. (Of course, I was the oldest, so we were on opposite ends of the spectrum ; ) I just loved listening to her talk about her new business. Because I'm not a decorator, I admire those who are--I just wish she lived closer because I could sure use the help with my house. I had a great time going into the shops with her--I should have taken notes--she is incredibly creative. Maybe I'll have to look into hiring her across the miles. She makes fabulous waffles and strawberry syrup.

I so enjoyed the little bit of time I spent visiting with Heffalump. I can't believe she drove 45 minutes home on Friday and came back on Saturday morning and then drove back home again. I was so glad she did. (And not just because she fixed us a delicious dinner ; )

I shared a room with Annie and her sister, Caronin. They are very friendly. They were so sweet to let me join them. I enjoyed listening to them talk and laugh. If I could bottle their energy and sell it, I'd make a small fortune. I got such a kick out of their little gift.
















Someone asked me who surprised me the most, I would have to say it was carrot. I have read her blog off and on and don't know what I expected but I just immediately loved her. In fact, I think I spilled my guts to her--sorry, carrot. She was just so easy to talk to.

When I was in Utah in April I had a chance to speak with Klin on the phone but had not met her in person. I was looking forward to the opportunity to meet her. She is very outgoing and self-assured. Everyone seemed to enjoy having her there.

Millie was a blogger I have never met, but have read many of her comments on other blogs. She is so incredibly sweet. I am not always comfortable getting to know people, but millie made me feel comfortable and I appreciate that very much. I am looking forward to picking her brain regarding my geneology.

Elastic was another blogger who I have known through comments on other people's blogs. I am so glad I had time to visit with her in the car. When the group is so large, it is hard to really visit one on one. I did have time to really talk with her and get a better picture of who she really is--and I loved learning more about her. She is a wonderful woman with a heart of gold.

Amanda lives the closest to Winnipeg so I always thought she would be the one I would meet first--I'm so glad she went to Oregon. I think she may have been as apprehensive as I was about fitting in, but she was so cute everyone just loved her. Here is a picture from the beach of amanda, me, and suzanne.







NCS is another blogger I have enjoyed for a long time. She is simply adorable. She actually joined annie and caronin in our room on Saturday night and I had a little bit of time visiting with her. She worked so hard putting everything together--I was so impressed. She also has a wonderful husband and children who fed us all on Sunday night. I loved visiting with her husband and talking about one of my favorite subjects--Seminary.

I loved spending time with suzanne. She helped me ease into the group. It was very reassuring for me knowing she was there. She is such a great friend. Suzanne, I hope I didn't lean on you too much.

As I mentioned, Allan asked what it was that made me want to spend time with all these women. I think it's because even though we are all different there was something we all had in common. I guess that's what I loved. Each of us have had our own experiences but we are striving for the same things--I loved learning from them. I guess that's the beauty of blogging we learn so much about ourselves as we share our experiences. Maybe that doesn't make sense to you, but it has been the biggest help for me.

Thanks again for a great weekend.

I LOVE BEING A MOM

We're heading back home tomorrow morning. It has been great to be here in Utah for a couple of weeks spending time with family--I sure love my kids and the older they get the more fun they are.

Heidi and I sat on the swing on my SIL's porch and just talked about her new teaching job, her sweet boyfriend, and life in general. She is such a wonderful daughter. Later Heidi, Daniel, Brent, Kyle and I went to the Mall and walked around. We were laughing so hard over some really silly stuff. I love those times and will hold them in my heart.

This morning Allan and I drove to the Salt Lake airport to get the forms to register Heidi's car in Utah. On our way down we stopped at the Draper temple and on the way back we stopped at Oquirrh Mountain. I took pictures, but the temples are not far enough along to go into our temple book ; (

Kyle and I had a fun time this afternoon playing Rockband. He had a good laugh watching his mom play the drums--or should I say attempt to play the drums. I played on easy and still FAILED!!! It was so hard. I think I need to stick to the guitar ; (

I drove around with Brent this afternoon and just loved our time. He is such a sweetie. It was so hot and his little car does not have air conditioning. He would never complain about it--then again those two years he spent in Arizona have helped him deal with the heat.




Tonight we celebrated Allan and Brent's birthdays. Here's a picture of Allan and Brent blowing out the candles--actually looks like Allan is going to inhale the cake or spit all over it ; )









This is Kyle demonstrating Allan's new iPod Jogging Armband thing (boy that was a good description wasn't it; ) Anyway, it was hysterical as Kyle ran around in slow motion like he was all out of breath. (Too bad the armband is on the other arm) The best was when he "ran" by Heidi and she offered him a drink of water--I thought we were all going to lose it. (Really need to remember to turn off the red eye--sorry, Kyle you look a little evil ; )










This is everyone laughing as Kyle jogged by.





















I love you guys and can't wait to see you again at Christmas.

Home...Well, Not Really

I was going to say I made it home, but then I realized I'm not home.

I had a fabulous weekend with some blogging buddies. The majority of the ladies I have never met--in fact, the only one I have ever met before was Suzanne. Many of them I only know through comments on other people's blogs but it was so great getting to meet so many wonderful women.

Suzanne and I flew together from Salt Lake. It was so cute when I saw her at the airport--she was holding her copy of Breaking Dawn. We just had a great time flying together.

We waited for several of the ladies to arrive. I got the biggest kick out of the van. Of course, I just love superhappy girl and seeing her smiling face made me chuckle. She also put smiles on the faces of many passerby's--many others looked a little surprised, shocked, whatever!!!










We had the most wonderful accommodations in Oregon. Here is a picture of the beach.





















Thank you ladies for such a fun time. Although I'm old enough to be their moms, none of them made me feel like an old woman. I loved singing old 70's/80's songs (yes, I did know a couple) when we were riding in the car to the falls. Thanks millie and elastic for letting me TRY to sing with you. Speaking of the falls--here they are. They were beautiful.




















My cell phone died (I mean as in totally dead, won't work, have to get another new one ), so I felt totally not connected to my hubby. Didn't like that feeling at all. When I got back he said he didn't like not really knowing where I was or who I was with--he had no names or numbers. Sorry, honey.

I should have taken a picture of Kyle and Allan when we arrived in Salt Lake City--holding up their little sign that said "Welcome Home". (Thanks to Suzanne for spotting them--I kept looking but didn't see them (you know they say the eyes are the first thing to go ; )

We head back to Winnipeg in a couple of days so my computer time will be limited. Please forgive me if I don't get to your blog until I get home ; ) Google reader is telling me I have a few to read.

Sidenote: On Friday when I left, the kids decided to go to Lagoon. They made their mama so proud--they rode the rollercoaster. (Oh, Heidi, you were soooooo brave--sorry you got sick when you got off ; (

Our Little Teacher

It was so fun yesterday to go to Heidi's school and help her set up her classroom. She begins her first year of teaching in a couple of weeks--she will be teaching first grade (you know how difficult it is for me not to say "Grade 1". I know she is nervous but she will make a fabulous teacher.















She has this little jungle theme in her classroom. I love how she has it all decorated. (I need her to come and do something with my class for seminary--I got nothin ; )

















I got such a kick out of this picture. Let me explain: Many years ago we were in Mammoth and I was videotaping Heidi and my grandson Chris. Heidi had a little star thing on a stick which she referred to as "My Magic". When I asked her what she was doing she said, "I'm playing with (and in the most whiny voice you can imagine) My Maaaaagic" So when they were playing with these little star things I had to get a picture.



Heidi, we are so excited for you. I can't wait to hear all about your experiences. We are so proud of you.



Sidenote #1: Yesterday afternoon we went to the movies. The boys went to see Dark Knight (again) and Bev and I went to see Journey to the Center of the Earth. In spite of everything the critics said, I enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun. I'm not a huge fan of 3-D (the glasses kind of bug me), but it was pretty good.

Dinner last night was at one of Heidi's favorite restaurants--Cabo in American Fork.
















Sidenote #2: Last night I had a fun treat--went and met up with two wonderful ladies. Gina and UTmommy. We met at Cold Stone and visited for an hour. It was wonderful. I just think it is amazing how you sit down with people you have never met and feel like you know them so well. (I guess when you read someone's blog for a long time you really know them.) That's how I felt when I met Gina on Sunday and it was the same when I met UTmommy last night.

Thanks, ladies. You are wonderful!!!!

Losing Comments

Anyone else having a problem with blogger eating your comments??? I have comments that have come across on my e-mail but they are not posting to my blog??? Every comment made since Tuesday afternoon is gone???

Have You Ever Noticed???

...Most family gatherings have so much to do with food...Last night we had a family gathering at my SIL and BIL's. It was supposed to be at the park in the canyon but because of the fire up near Bridal Veil Falls we changed the location. My little hubby fried something like 130 pieces of chicken!!!

















This morning we went over to my BIL's and SIL's for pancakes. (Do you see a pattern??? (This is why I have to go out to the track every morning!!!) Whenever we come to town my BIL makes his special pancake breakfast at least once. It's always fun.



















...How lovely and peaceful it is in the morning. We had been getting up fairly early to go to the track to walk/run. The weather has been perfect in the morning, and has been getting pretty warm as the days goes along. (I couldn't drag up and out this morning though--can anyone say SLACKER!!!)

...How much fun kids have together. Tonight after we ate dinner and visited with family, the kids went up to play Rock Band. (So glad we made room for it in the car) It was a blast. We even managed to get my SIL, Bev, to sing. We had the best time--especially because she sang "Don't Fear the Reaper" and we all helped her with the "tamborine" part by pretending to give her some "more cowbell".














Here we have the all boy band.

















Finally, Kyle trying to hit some of those high notes!!!


















SIDENOTE #1: We're off to see Wall-E today.

SIDENOTE #2: I'm really going to have to read a lot faster if I'm going to be done with the book by the time I get to Portland. (Ha!!!)