Family Photos

Besides weddings, we haven't had a family picture in sssooooooooooooooooo long. I forgot how darn much fun they are. You know, figuring out what everyone will wear so we don't clash, stressing about getting there on time, enduring complaints from those who are allergic to pictures (his name starts with a B).

Well, we finally got everyone together in between the Saturday afternoon session and the Priesthood session of conference. It was a rush but I like how they turned out [sigh of relief].

September 11th was our 27th anniversary!

We went to Moab for a motorcycle trip. I had been preparing to go by visiting the chiropractor a lot.... I thought maybe it was my back that needed fixing, but now I'm pretty sure it's the darn seat that's the problem! Julie, however, has it made in her 'barca-lounger'! I really enjoyed our anniversary ride though because we stopped a lot and it was a perfect fall day up in the mountains. I'll post some pics.

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Well, it has been one year since I began blogging. My posts keep getting farther and farther apart and I am forced to admit that this was probably a passing fad[?].

Who knows, maybe I will start twittering!

In the Good Ol Summertime

Labor day is come and gone. Thanks to the W-w. family, we had a great evening singing around the campfire eating dutch oven stew and smores! When we arrived, I said to Brad 'let's don't stay too late' but at 9 pm, he could hardly get me to leave. The fire hypnotized me, along with the guitar. Soooooo relaxing.

It's so awesome when your kids get married and then you have another family to be with and the love just keeps on growing.

I didn't write about our trip to Lake Powell yet. We went. The best part was three solid days with my grandson. Linds said that when they got home he said [at bedtime]... "grandma sing to Bit". I can't believe it!--there is one tiny person on the planet who likes my singing!

I never was one of those moms who cried when their kids went to school. I was the one with the big smile on my face! But it's different now. I have to admit that it's a little too quiet sometimes! So I went back to school too [subbing] and darn if I wasn't glad to see all those kiddies.

Here's a good one for you.... I was trying to get the first-grade kids to finish a little rhyme that went like this: May... It's the fifth month of the year, flowers bloom and bring us ________. Then I asked the class: "what is a word that means 'happy' and rhymes with year?" After a pause, one little boy shouts out: "BEER!" I had to wait until later to have a good laugh! The more I think about it though, I'm a little worried.

Here's to the beginning of FALL, my favorite season of the year. Let the colors begin!

Reunion Fun

For my birthday I got to surf... in Idaho.

Thanks to uncle Brad and his new super cool boat, I proved I am not too old for fun [yet!]. The Snake river is a great place to go boating because the water is smooth all day long! We camped at 1000 springs near Hagerman. Lots of family came and it was a good time. Those who were gutsy ate fried frog legs and jumped into the cold water of the Blue Heart Lagoon! Dutch oven gourmet cooking at every meal and swarms of mosquitos at night were just some of the highlights. We had time to get a little flea market shopping in and Hiedi brought lots of projects like making 'gloop'.

A personal favorite was the priviate docks we had and the lumberjack log in the pool was a challenge (I have the bruises to prove it!)

I love reunions! Those of you who were there know what a good time it was................... as for the rest of you, well you just better be there next year so you don't miss out!

cheap stuff to do in Salt Lake

Tuesday my sister Leslie and I hiked Ensign Peak above the Capital building in Salt Lake. It was really steep and my daughter and her friend came along. H. complained pretty much the whole time.

"It's hot, I'm tired, I'm hungry, this is dumb, etc....."

But my theory is that she was just trying to be cool. Like, I'm not into this hiking with a couple of middle-aged women, you know, [for the benefit of her friend]. It was kind of funny though because we left them in the dust and we're o.l.d.! I told them that's what you get for eating captain crunch for breakfast. Sugar high.................... and then crash.

Well, then we went to the capital building and snuck in some educational stuff. To reward them for their very presence, I then took them to the Gateway and bought them anything their little hearts desired from the food court. Yum- Orange Julius. We shopped and then played in the fountains [free stuff alert]. It was so funny watching the kids there. They would stare into the holes waiting for the water to shoot up and it would spray them right in the face. It's quite the carnival/park atmosphere there and I loved it.

New York pics

Everyone liked the Yankees game, even me (not a sports buff) especially those overpriced hot dogs.

Nicki and Haylie on the top of the Empire State building. Really, they got along most of the time!

On Sunday we went to Jones beach on Long Island.

On the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Brad and I in Central Park, it was beautiful and one of my favorite places.

This was a really neat little castle in Central Park, I think it was called Belvedeere Castle.

Eating our way through the big Apple!

I LOVE NEW YORK!!! I know, it's a cliche, but now I know why. We just got back from our visit to Blake and Whitney in Yonkers. Wow, it was fun. I love that place. So much energy and so many people and so many skyscrapers. The view from the Empire State building took my breath away. Cheering for the Yankees was a favorite of everyone and I liked it more than I thought I would (not being a fan). There were some wise-cracking New Yorkers sitting behind us and all I can say is... I am glad the home team was winning or that crowd could have gotten ugly! They take it very seriously.

Other notable sights: Central Park (it's so huge, we only saw a little), Times square, Broadway (didn't make it to a show-bummer!), Lady Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry, and Ground Zero. But my favorite thing about New York??? THE FOOD. What's a Knish, you ask? Mashed potatoes wrapped in pastry. How about Matzo soup? Chicken broth with noodles and cornmeal dumplings. Then there's the French bakeries, the pasta in Little Italy, and the chocolate shops. Hot dogs, gelato, fresh fruit smoothies... it was all good (except the Red Bean popsicle and the canned octupus). But our absolute favorite was the fresh mango that we bought from a vendor on the sidewalk. After that we looked for more but were dissapointed so we bought our own mangos and cut them up and it just wasn't the same.

Blake & Whitney's apartment is so nice, complete with a gym, media room and security guard. It has a view of the Hudson river and they have met some nice friends out there. Church was in a business complex so that was unique but the spirit was the same. Well, now it's time to unpack and go through the mail. It's good to be home, but I will miss New York... and the food!