i finally finished!

i started a year and a half ago.....
intending to finish in six months.....
had the schedule all laid out.....
about 5 pages a day - give or take a couple...
here it is, a year and a half later.....
i finished the book of mormon!
that means i finished my "virtue value" project!

things i learned.....
even though i read it instead of studied it, the spirit of the book is still there....
love to find my favorite verses and discover new favorites.....
i love the people and the prophets of old....
ether 12 is one of my favorite chapters....
moroni 7 is a close second.....

it is an amazing book every time i read it!

create.....we all can do it!

i watched this little mormon message about being creative....

president uchtdorf does a wonderful job expressing to us that we all have the ability to create something, anything, if we just try and start small...

we all have talents, we can create!

watch the video...

addison's on a roll.....

this week is "brag about addison" week.....
luck is on his side lately!

addison took the act in october and finally got his score.....
he came dancing into our room at 11 pm with laptop in hand....
put it up in our "asleep" faces and said, "LOOK!"
he got a 29 on his act test.....(last score was a 27)....
he went up in every subject except math....
way to go....we are so proud!

addison was made class president in seminary, recently.
that may not seem like that big of a deal, but it made him feel good.

addison made the varsity basketball team at jordan high!
this is his 4th year on the basketball team and of course his last being that he is a senior...
he is very excited and happy to be on the team!
go beetdiggers!

addison won the "principal's award" at jordan high
i am not sure what that means...i'm not even sure he gets any money with it, but he won it nonetheless.
he said that gave it to him in hopes that he would stop coming in and hounded them about scholarship applications and such....haha

most importantly, addison is growing in the gospel and in his testimony....
i asked him recently about where his testimony stood and he said....
"mom, i have a strong testimony. i believe in the church and the gospel. i am on a spiritual high and i know that i can always lean on the lord if i make mistakes and he will help me. i want to go on a mission and nothing (anxiety and/or girls) is going to hold me back."
now, that is music to my ears!
as a parent and a mother....that is payoff!

many blessings have come his way lately! i am grateful that heavenly father has blessed him and loves him and knows who he is. i am grateful for the many blessings that heavenly father has blessed me with....a loving family, a testimony, good health, talents, my calling in the young women's organization, loving friends, and much more. i am grateful!

birthdays......another one?

this past wednesday, november 10th, was my birthday!
yes, i know that you are shocked that i am getting older....
because, i certainly don't look it...hahaha!
i turned 45.....pretty much smack dab in the middle age of life...

it was a busy, crazy birthday....
phone call from ashley at 8:00 am, master's swimming, going to jordan high school for fun bus sign-ups, lunch with annie cheney, boundary committee meeting, young women's.....
the older you get, the more your birthday's turn into ordinary days.....
but, i do have a sweet family who make me feel loved!
when i was down at the high school, addison and a friend carried in 72 cookies from paradise bakery.....yum!
the "commons", where i was gathering sign-ups, was packed that day....
addison gathered his friends around him and everyone else joined in to sing me happy birthday!
it was very sweet!
i was told that there were 72 cookies - 1 for every year of my age.....thanks a lot, add!
we shared the cookies with kids at the school!
i thought that addison had bought the cookies with his own money....$50 worth.....
but, he and mark had planned together to do this during lunch - no wonder mark had asked what time i would be down at the school......
mark and addison are very sweet! mark is always doing something for me every year to make my birthday special....thank you!

face book is sometimes a good thing....
for example, you can go onto your wall on your birthday and see all the birthday wishes from lots of your friends.....
i never knew i had so many friends....:0)

it was a wonderful day even though it was a crazy, busy day!
onto another year.....hope it's a good one!

beehives and bacon

yesterday, we had youth baptisms at the draper temple at 7 am.....
mark went up to the churcht to see them off and asked them if they had a last request for breakfast.....
(they were coming here for waffles after the temple)
all the beehives said......bacon!
mark worried that we didn't have enough bacon for them so he sent me to the store to buy more...
all together, we had bought 4 pounds of bacon!
that should be plenty for 12 youth and some leaders, right?
waffles were made......yum!
all the bacon was cooked......yum!
well.....i have never seen beehive young women eat that much bacon before!
they had to have eaten at least 3 pounds of it!
we weren't sure that the boys would get any or the bishop!
it was amazing!
those beehive girls just crack me up.....
i love working with them......
it is such a joy to be with them every week!
yeah for beehives and bacon!

to the "dark side"....dark blue that is.....

yesterday, mark and i went down to byu to the football game....
i know, i know....we are really ute fans, but....
we had extra tickets that addison couldn't use and didn't want to waste them....
besides, we are more of a fan of ashley than byu football!

it wasn't looking like it was going to be a good day to sit in the stands.....
it was pouring rain!
we were soaking wet by the time we got to our seats!
but, luckily mother nature decided to stop the rain for the game......
so that we could spend the afternoon with ashley and our nephew, nick walter.....

so here's to the coug's for an exciting game......
and here's to ashley for being an awesome daughter.....
i say "ashley", you say "you're a winner".....
ashley, you're a winner!

yahoo!

i have to write this or brag about this.....can't help it.....
today in master's swimming, we were swimming sets of 100 yards....easy, medium, strong...
up to 9 of them.....
the last one was a time trial and i had to beat my time of 1 minute 23 seconds.....
i haven't swum that fast in two years.....
i honestly didn't think that i could do it.....
then i got all nervous for the timed one.......dumb, huh!
sooooo....we get to the last one.....i rely on cathy dover to pace me because she is faster....
all i can say is that I DID IT!!
i beat my time! my new personal best for this old lady is 1 minute 16.6 seconds!
i was so excited that i had to write it down!

i looked back in my scrapbook from the old swimming times in high school.....
i am only 8 seconds slower than my best time when i was 18!
not bad for a 44 year old lady who is just swimming for exercise!

i never thought that i would say this, but thanks dave ryland for pushing me when i don't want to be pushed.....
i love swimming!

recapturing beauty....

ashley put on her blog the focus of byu's women's center campaign for this month....

the focus is "recapturing beauty"....http://recapturingbeauty.byu.edu/challenge/

check out the link and come along with us and do this challenge....

this will be a challenge, but i think it will be a good one.....

all is well on the home front!

keep smiling! ;0)

what is your goal?

my friend amy just sent this pic to me that someone else took....it is quite profound!

so......what is your goal?

everyday is a new day!

ok, so i just read ashley's recent blog post http://smashley-livelaughlove.blogspot.com and she talked about changing our attitudes (oct. 6, 2010 entry).
well, that will be me, too...
i posted an "ugh" last week because i was super frustrated with myself and the way i react to things.....
i hate to admit that sometimes i get jealous and then it sometimes consumes me.....
so....i am trying really hard to change that weakness and with it comes a change of attitude.
i just read this in jeff galloway's blog post: (he is a former olympian runner)
"you can take control of your attitude or let yourself be swayed by outside factors that will leave you on a motivational roller coaster: fired up one day, and down the next. Getting motivated on a given day can be sometimes as simple as saying a few key words and taking a walk.
1. Consistency is the most important part of conditioning and fitness.
2. Motivation is the most important factor in being consistent.
3. You gain control over your motivation - every day."

i am grateful for my amazing family who teach me things i need to learn every day.
i am also grateful for the things that i learned during conference and the book of mormon.
i am grateful for Heavenly Father's trust and i am trying not to abuse that trust.
i am grateful for good friends.
i am grateful for the joy that exercise and sports participation brings me....mtn. biking and swimming to be exact.
i am grateful for life.

life is good!

Ugh!

simple pleasures for simple minds....

what can you do with one yard of fabric?
i have been racking my brain all summer trying to come up with something....
you see, our quilt group was challenged to make something out of one yard of fabric...
we were even given the one yard.....
make something and bring it back to our october meeting....
well......i finally came up with something.....
i found this cute pattern to make slippers.....
i don't normally want to make things like that, but they were so cute i couldn't resist....
i gathered up all the supplies and dove right in.....
an hour and a half later, i emerge from the basement with....slippers!

they turned out so cute i had to show them to everyone that would listen....amy, eliza, ashley (via picture mail), mark, addison, york - to name a few....
they are so cute! oh, did i already say that? let me say again - they are so cute!

a simple little sewing project can bring my simple little mind such great pleasure!

what are your divine qualities?

i taught a lesson on divine nature, today....
i really struggled with this lesson, because i was feeling a little less divine this week....
but, i put my nose to the grind and prepared a lesson even though i knew the lesson was more for me than it was for the girls.....
i hate when the lesson is for me.....
i really didn't want to learn from it, i wanted to wallow in my feelings....
so, here's what i learned....
i was sent to earth with divine qualities and now i need to develop them....
once developed (continuous process), use them for good and fulfill my mission that God has for me....
here are some scriptures that tell of divine qualities....
2 Peter 1; Alma 7:23-24; and D&C 121:45
divine qualities....
submissive, gentle, easy to be entreated, patient, long-suffering, being temperate, diligent in keeping the commandments, grateful, faith, hope, charity, humble, virtuous
"and then ye will always abound in good works" when you have these things.

i think that i have some of these qualities.....
i am gentle, patient for the most part, faithful, charitable
i need to work on being more humble, grateful

the ways to work on these are....
be more apt to humble myself and not always have to have god humble me...
see the good in all things and recognize that they are from god....
"always return thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive"

i am grateful for my calling and for my family....
i am grateful for the gospel and the scriptures that guide and direct me...
i am grateful for the talents that i have and the ability to perform them and hopefully share them...
i am grateful for a kind and loving heavenly father....
i am grateful for good friends who love and accept me for who i am....
i am grateful for lessons that teach me the things i need to know and work on!

never mock...it will surely come back to you

so, the other day i was in the parking lot by smith's.....
i watched a guy back into a parking stall and proceed to hit a cement pole....
i sat in my car and kind of laughed....i have to admit.....
as i pulled into my parking stall, i noticed a grocery cart in front of the truck.....
i thought, "now don't hit this when you come out and drive away".....
i probably was only in the bike shop for less than 10 minutes.....
got in the truck.....
put it in drive......
hit the grocery cart, but didn't notice until.....
i heard the scraping of it on the ground......
oh, how blonde can i get?!.....

moral of the story.....
never mock someone, because it will come back to haunt you!

Life Centre Swimming Babes!

here "bobs" the old ladies who swim at 9:30 am master's swim group.....
denny came up with the idea of getting the old fashioned swim caps and marching out like a synchronized swimming team.....
sooooo, we did just that....check out the video.....


denny found these caps online and we decided that it would be great entertainment for dave ryland, who is our swim coach.....
his face was priceless when we marched out.....
sometimes we think we are so funny and sometimes that time is now! hahahaha

i tried to do my workout in my flower cap on.....
it may keep your head warm, but when you go under water, your head pops back up to the top...
kind of a funny feeling....
oh, we just think we are the funniest!

vicki linton, denny hitchcock, val christensen, me, cathy dover

oh the things old ladies do for kicks and giggles! :0)

the hills are alive with the sound of.....hiking

on labor day (sept. 6th) our family and some of ashley's roommates/friends went hiking up little cottonwood canyon.....
to be exact....we hiked up to lake mary and twin lake, which is up above brighton ski resort.....
it was a beautiful day!
i just love the mountains.....what an amazing creation God made us!
we had lunch at the lake, and then came down and walked around brighton yw girl's camp.....
here are a few highlights of our day.....

..

i am grateful for the beauties of the earth and a wonderful family!

and that my kids have great friends!

Always take your car keys with you.....

what an awesome day!

amy harmer, deanna smith, christina christopherson and myself took off to deer valley ski resort to ride out mountain bikes.....

amy asked me to drive the truck so we could leave it at the bottom (in park city) to shuttle back up to deer valley.....

so our adventure begins.......

what a beautiful ride!

(amy, deanna, christina) (looking down into park city)

we rode for about 1 1/2 hours on the mountain.....

i could do a ride like that every day if it were possible!.....

right after i took these pictures, we started to ride again......

i realized what i had done because we could see the truck from the viewpoint.......

so here's my blonde moment of the day......

i left my car keys in amy's car!

now, we can't use the truck to drive back up to deer valley.....

we have to take the shuttle bus, which is in park city almost to the top of main street......

we were trying to avoid the shuttle because the cars would have been faster.......ugh!

so much for saving time......

oh well, they now have a story to tell........

other than that, the ride was magnificent......

i did almost take out a couple of hikers on the way down......

that would have taken precedence over the car keys story.......haha

moral of the story......

have fun, enjoy the view, and always carry your car keys!

p.s. i need a mountain bike with front and back suspension!

midnight moon 5k run

rewind to august 27th/28th, 2010.....

it has been raining.....with thunder and lightning, too.......

the midnight moon 5k run at alta canyon rec. center starts at midnight.....

we carbo load at dinner with some yummy pizza.......

take a nap at 10 pm to have enough energy to run at midnight......

head over about 11:30 pm......

me, ashley, marlee redford, libby griffieon, and mark line up in the very front on the starting line......

kayla porter, dayne porter, and megan henry were there, also.......

the gun fires and we start off.......FAST!

we started out too fast and i thought......"there is no way i can keep this pace up going up the BIG hill"......

i didn't!

but, i didn't do too bad.....

i knew if i could just keep a decent pace on the hill i could relax a little at the top on the flat.....

half way through it started to sprinkle rain.....ah, that feels good....

i was doing great! i even thought, "i am going to get a time of 21 minutes"....
that's how good i felt!

well, i didn't get 21 minutes, but i put out a good time of 25:28 which was good enough to get me 2nd place in my age group!

marlee took 1st place in her age group!

she booked it up the hill and there was no way of catching her!

mark had a great race considering he had been sick wednesday and thursday!

with not much in him he did it under 30 mins.! good job!

ashley and libby met their goal of under 30 mins, also! way to go girls!

ashley, marlee, and libby

yeah, we did it!!

last year of public education....

Addison - first day of school - 8/31/10

i can't believe that school has started for both of my kids......
this will be ashley's junior year at byu......
and addison's senior year at jordan high......
hence, the last year of public education........

i am proud of them both!
ashley is a good student, a solid person, a spiritual giant
addison is a good student, a solid person, a spiritual giant
oh, wait, they can't be the same.....

so, senior year is supposed to be the fun, take easy classes year.....right?
not so much for addison......
he is working on getting the regent's scholarship, which means......
taking legit classes!
he has......ap english, ap stats, german 3, financial lit (concurrent - which is college level), marketing, us gov't, ceramics, foods, basketball, and seminary......
(i think i am missing some)
he doesn't have any of his good friends in his classes.......
his german 3 teacher used him as a object lesson by kicking him out of class the first day, swearing at him, and telling him that he would sign anything to get him out of his class! ugh!
not a good way to start the year off!
but on a good note.....he does like his ap stats teacher, seminary, ap english, and basketball....
so, half isn't bad.....
i am very proud of him for stepping up to the plate and taking these classes even though he is a lone fish in the big sea of fun classes......

i am proud of both of my kids!
they are hard workers, good friends, strong in the gospel, have a testimony, loving and caring, smart, fun to be with, cute, and down right good people!!!!

i have truly been blessed!

Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked, and walked.....

we started off the weekend with a girls night here at our house.......
lauren ashcroft, hailey ashcroft, marlee redford (ashley's school roommate), aubrey nilsson, ashley, and me came together for games and fun.......
we played nerts (card game), and did hair wraps, and ate m&m's
at 1:30 am, i sent everyone home and to bed so that we could gather at 6:45 am to go to the pioneer day parade.........family tradition!
we decided against sleeping over at the parade and would just go early.......
we picked up grandpa walter, his ladders and board, and headed to a shady spot to watch.......
we found a perfect spot under a tree but up against a wall........
thank goodness cuz it was hot!.......
it is always hot on july 24th for the parade!........
staying up late and going to the parade can really wipe a person out.......
home to afternoon naps by most of us!........
after a long nap.....head to the store for barbeque food.......
barbeque, homemade raspberry icecream, and fireworks top off a wonderful weekend!
happy pioneer day!

i am grateful for all that the pioneers sacrificed for me and my family! it is amazing to me what they went through to get here to salt lake so that they could practice their religion in peace. i am grateful for their faith and perserverence and i pray that i may learn and apply these two qualities.

bam! it's summer!

from cold to cool to HOT!

last week i made bank with all my many private swim lessons!

i love teaching swimming! except when they scream and cry in my ear....ouch!

the family is signing up for the "alta canyon sports center midnight moon run" on august 27th.

it is a 5k run. mark and add are already talking smack to each other over who is going to win.

oregon/washington trip was perfect most of the time.....

flew into portland.....my bag didn't come.....lost in the abyss of tsa inspection zone

sunday......try to buy clothes for church......have security tag on my shirt.....get it taken off.....security tag on mark's clothes......didn't beep through the door at the store.....mark had to find something in his bag to wear.....took back his clothes.

sunday.....went to nick walter's mission homecoming.....over to his home for scrumptious food....haley walter made this yummy cake......ate too much.......oh no i am feeling sick to my stomach.........head to the bathroom.........feeling is stronger.......yep, lost it all in the porcelain throne! head back to the hotel so that no one knows that i threw up!

okay.....now that i got that over with, the rest of the week went great!

we had beautiful weather.....great company......made a "how to" video for the stanky leg dance move......we rocked at that!

went to mount st. helen's.....what an amazing site.....ashley got her pic taken there in her mt. st. helen's costume that she wore in 3rd grade

headed up to the bair farm in ephrata, wa.

spent a few days there just hanging out with jay and trina, allison, kim, ben, ellen, kyle, necia, jens, marin, and jillian.

played a mean few games of wallyball out in their racquetball court. yes, they have a few toys on the farm to entertain themselves. it was too cold to go waterskiing.......dang!

went to applets and cotlets candy factory......then to leavenworth......which is a little bavarian town.....did some window shopping there.....and then headed over to seattle.

spent the day in seattle at the pikes place farmers market; a science fiction and music museum; the mall and then flew out late saturday, july 3rd.

flew over mt. rainer on the way out of seattle, wa.......wow!
saw some fireworks as we flew into salt lake city airport.

home for a few days and then headed to girl's camp.....more like girl's retreat!

we spent 3 1/2 days at a cabin at bear lake.....

we had so much fun!

time at the beach......time in the freezing water......crafts, games, devotionals, testimony meeting, dancing, more games, "chirps", yummy food, and quiet time at the cabin....and did i mention there was lots and lots of delicious food!

we had almost all of our girls there.....only missing one girl and one nonmember girl.

the most amazing part was that there was no drama!!!

i have never been to girl's camp and not had drama!

everyone.....girls and leaders alike all got along and had some good fun and bonding time at the bear lake girl's retreat!

p.s. "chirps" are little nice notes that we put in everyone's birdhouses at camp.

p.s.s. the theme for girl's retreat was S.O.A.R.........

find your strength in........

S. the savior

O. serving Others

A. aspiring to go to the temple

R. rejoicing in your blessings

scripture is Mosiah 26:12..........yea, i know that i am nothing; as to my strength i am weak; therefore i will not boast of myself, but i will boast of my god, for in his strength i can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

summer swim lessons 2010

*swim lessons have officially begun down at the life centre (i run the swim lesson program)
*it is an outdoor pool and makes for an interesting summer when you have to deal with the weather
*i have some great teachers this year, but not enough swimmers to give them very much teaching time
*one of my teachers is addison!

*addison is a fast learner as far as being a swim teacher
*he is very good with little kids!
*all the little girls love him
*one little girl asked her mom if they could go buy some mermaid "leg" (fins) after lessons so she could be a mermaid at home......so cute!
*mother's have come to me and told me how much they love addison!
*i am really proud of him!
*he will make a great dad some day! :0)

*teaching swimming.....there's nothing quite like it!
*taking someone from the beginning and watching them progress and become comfortable in the water is very rewarding to me
*i love teaching swimming and i love the water!

moving again & roommates....

*i love ashley to pieces that i would do anything for her....even move her for the 3rd time since last august :0)
*i am a pretty strong person, but ashley can really pack a box......heavy!
*i am so excited to have her home for the summer even though she won't be around for part of it....efy is calling her which i am totally thrilled that she has that opportunity
*so if i have to move her 20 times this year, it is still worth it when it's all said and done!

*we love ashley's roommates! it gives us more children to love!
*we moved marlee's stuff in to the basement (walter storage unit)
*marlee is a brighton girls camp counselor....yeah!
* i was one 25 long years ago!
*she will be great and i hope she will love it as much as i did!

i love ashley and addison so much! i am grateful for the opportunity to be their mother....
even when i make mistakes as a mother......
i love ashley's roommates and friends......
i love addison's friends, also......
having them in our home brings me joy!

smorgasborg......

**i love when i spend several hours cleaning something out and it looks great!
take the garage, for instance........what a mess!
i put things away......sort of cleaned the work bench (can't clean it too much because it's mark's organized chaos)
i threw things away.....
i swept out the garage......
i got nice and dirty........man it feels good :0)
now, i just need to finish cleaning out ashley's room so she can move back home....yeah!

**i hate ego bursting experiences.....take swimming for instance.......i love to swim with the master's program at the life centre. i swim about the same pace as two other ladies.....well, one other because the other one has become really fast....ugh! i usually can keep up with denise hyer, but not with cathy dover, any more...i had a hard time at the end of the work out to keep up with either of them.....dave ryland (master's coach) told me i should be able to keep up and we are doing more of these kind of work outs so that i can......ugh! at the end of swimming, dave told me that i needed to be split up from cathy because she is too fast for me....double ugh!!
there goes my ego, my swimming confidence, my competitive ego.....
i know, really dumb to think this way, but.....
i have been swimming with her for 2 years now.....
all of a sudden she has gotten really fast......i don't know how she does it....
i guess i just need to try a little harder and swim my best.....UGH!

**i love teaching swimming lessons, though.....
it is fun to watch someone progress and understand what their body can do in the water....
when they finally get it.....that's success!

**i love that i am not ptsa president any more! yeah!
i turned over the key to the "castle" today to the new president....
i can just concentrate on the fun buses for next year.......
fun.....here i come!

need to start seriously training for my triathlon.....spudman
coming up the end of july....
need to start running.....need to get up to 6 miles...
i think i almost killed the dog on my run the other day....he was not happy to be there....
he is fat and out of shape.....better keep exercising him....

**biked 80 miles on june 5th.....
little red riding hood century ride....up in logan, utah
beautiful ride.....beautiful weather.....beautiful riding buddy.....denise hyer....
we averaged about 15 miles per hour......about 4.5 hours riding time.....
not bad for ladies in their 40's.....

summer 2010 fun list

*mom's can have a fun list, right?!
*here is mine.....

*teach swim lessons....private preferrably
*swim, bike, run = triathlon.......july 31st - spudman triathlon
*sew some quilts - maybe learn to use a quilting machine
*have a few craft days with ashley
*read, read, read.....hooked on books, lately
*go on some hikes
*waterski and la beus shakes
*make home made ice cream....yum!
*firepit fires and s'mores
*youth conference & yw's camp

*i love summer.....let the fun begin! =0)

mary, mary, quite contrary...how does your garden grow?

unlike the nursery rhyme, my garden doesn't grow like mary's......

i worked long and hard to get my garden to this point....

i would like to show you the many things i grow in my garden....

now don't be fooled by those tulips in there....

i am really going for the weed and grass look....

i started yesterday in the corner of one of my lovely weed/grass gardens in hopes to thin out the lovely weeds/grass.....

maybe even re-plant them somewhere else in the yard......hahaha......

it took me 45 minutes to do this one little corner!......

and 2 big buckets full of these lovely plants......

see....what progress?......

my dream garden......to look like temple square gardens!!!

mark in 25 years......

mark participated in a young men/young women's activity called "where's waldo"....

he and others had to disguise themselves and wander the mall.....

the youth had to find them to get parts of a scripture they were putting together.....

when we put silver spray in mark's hair, stuffed a pillow in his shirt to give him a gut, and put suspenders on......

i almost died and died laughing......

"you look just like your dad!!"......

here is mark in 25 years, looking just like his dad.....

.

material.....not material girl

our quilt group has decided to form a quilt guild.
i am the secretary and so i made a blog.....sewfineinsandy.blogspot.com
we are meeting once a month for different quilting activities and so today was our first official activity day!
we went on a field trip to Christensen Wholesale Fabrics....just happens to be the same company that made amy harmer's fabric.
i don't know what it is about fabric, but i love to go and look at it.....
i love to go to fabric stores......weird, i know!
i am not even that great of a sewer or quilter for that matter, but i love fabric!
i guess you could say i am a "material girl"! haha

Wayne Stock 2010

mark and i attended waynestock 2010 yesterday....
what is waynestock, you ask.......
wayne udy is a guy that lived in the avenues by us.....
he has some special needs - a little slow - but can function in life......
he has a pretty good singing voice, too.....
a friend started having birthday parties for him one year and we would karaoke at the party.....
well, mostly wayne would karaoke!......
over the years, we have traded who would host it and for a few years we had it at our house.....
the party each year was like a happy pill for wayne.....
it would get him through the next year until almost the next one.....
he would get down and then remember his birthday was coming up and start talking about the party.......
we haven't had it for a few years because he moved down to salina with his brother.....
both his parents have passed away and his brother has taken him in and taken care of him....
wayne turned 63 this year......
he has been struggling with some physical ailments lately and so dan rudert thought that a party would cheer him up and it might be the last one.......:(
wayne's brother is worried about him and doesn't know if wayne will be around much longer....
so.....waynestock 2010 was planned......
about 11 of us went down in a big van to salina for the party....
we met wayne and his brother, sister-in-law, cousin, and other friends at mom's cafe in salina for dinner......
chicken fried stake was the popular dish.....what mom's cafe is known for......
went over to wayne's brother's home for karaoke and cake......
once again, wayne did most of the karaokeing and we sat and listened and watched......
wayne does love to sing and we love to watch......
he has some great impressions of famous people too......
we partied it up, said our goodbyes, thanked his brother for having us, climbed in the van and drove home......
wayne's brother was very humbled and grateful for all of us coming and having a party for wayne!.........
it was great to see wayne again......he did look pretty good, but tired easily.........
i am grateful we went.......i don't know if we'll see wayne again....hopefully next year......

waynestock 2010.........hopefully waynestock 2011!
happy singing, wayne! we love ya!

Sophomore year....

*moved ashley into her new apartment in provo (700 No. 200 E.)
*she seems to be taking and buying more stuff this year
*paint closets for her and roommates
*mark power washes tub so the girls won't be grossed out by the black tub when they shower (no tub taking in that one)
*ashley buying more stuff for her apartment
*ashley comes home to visit lots during the year (we love it when she comes home)
*ashley brings some things home and takes more back
*we carry on with our life here in sandy.....school, work, play, basketball games, choir tour, etc.
*ashley finishes up winter semester
*ashley needs help packing and moving boxes
*can't move in until monday.....
*needs to check out friday......
*leaving for disneyland with friends friday afternoon
*"mom, help"
*i bring home most of their stuff that they are going to take back next week
*they thought they (ash and hilary) could fit most of it in ashley's car.....hahaha
*too much stuff......can't fit it in ashley's car.......way too much stuff......put it in the truck
*no more buying stuff!
*ashley's going spring term
*won't be home until middle of june :(
*got a job as an efy counselor, though.....working there in july
*be home a little bit in the summer :0)
*sophomore year comes to an end.......
*yeah! ashley is coming home soon!

*i have a few months to gear up for her junior year and moving her back :0)
*love ya, ash

murphy's law moment

i hate when i put on an apron over my nice white shirt......
hoping that i don't get strawberry juice on my shirt.......
and i drop a strawberry......
and it lands on my nice white shirt.......
where the apron is not covering it.......

gotta love those "murphy's law" moments.

life changing moments.....love 'em

i love those life changing moments that are feel good moments.
the other kind are good, but they take a little longer to appreciate.
yesterday, i was able to watch lots of people reach their goals as they ran across the finish line for the salt lake city half marathon and marathon.
watching them creates almost a spiritual experience because i know how they feel crossing that finish line and thinking..."i did it!".....and it touches my heart.
it does bring tears to my eyes; makes me want to do something that hard to have those feelings and know, once again, that it is possible to accomplish that goal or dream!
ashley's roommate, hilary collins, ran the marathon yesterday.
she is an awesome runner, and wow she is an inspiration to watch!
she missed the boston marathon qualifier by 18 seconds, but i know that this time will not stop her from trying again or working hard for another goal.....that is why.....
she has made it onto my "hall of famers" list.
way to go, hil!

now, ashley has already made it onto my "hall of famers" list.
for those of you who know her know why i would say that.
if you don't know her, here is why......
she has high standards
she has a strong testimony of the scriptures and the gospel
she is mindful of others needs - compassionate
she is smart
she is funny
she loves life
she gets why she is here on earth
she knows her father in heaven and jesus christ
she is a great example of living the gospel
she teaches me and others
she is full of life
she is creative
she has lots of talents
she can laugh at life
she is a true friend
oh, the list can go on forever!
do i sound like a proud mom?! okay, so i am....sue me

thank you girls for showing me how a "hall of famer" lives!
love ya!

yeah! spring is springing!

i love spring!
.......not the bad weather spring, but the sunny, bulbs growing, can play outside, can wear shorts or capris, flowers blooming, can run and bike outside, kind of spring!
.......it just makes me happy - like i am emerging out of the cold cave of winter.
......and then i can look forward to warm weather of summer!
i love spring!

have a happy spring day!

i stole this from ashley.....

so, i was reading ashley's blog today and i really liked what she put in there.

it talks about being brave.

i decided to link to it hoping that it would make me brave just by linking to it.

i wish that i could overcome some of my weaknesses. i seem to fall so fast back to my old self.

please grant me the ability to be brave!

Easter and More....

well, we made it through easter without anyone getting sick! there were even deviled eggs at the dinner!

i had boiled 2 dozen eggs for the kids to color and on monday (after easter) i was wondering what to have for dinner....

hey, why don't i fix broiled (deviled) egg sandwiches....yum!
not thinking about the incident with deviled eggs a year ago....i made them. it wasn't until i was done making them that it finally clicked.

i sure got razzed at dinner by mark and addison about that. we invited ashley to come up and enjoy some with us! haha

(for those of you who don't know what i am talking about......last year we had easter dinner here at our house. we had 28 people including ashley's roommate and friends. it was a delicious dinner, including the deviled eggs. monday night/tuesday early morning (3:00 am) a bunch of people got sick to their stomachs! 15 people to be exact! those who got "it" (food poisoning) had it BAD! ashley and friends went to the doctor; addison went to the doctor! the doctor said it was probably the deviled eggs that made people sick. well, my mother-in-law made the deviled eggs and you can imagine how she would have felt had she known it was possibly the deviled eggs. i'm not sure she will make them for any family parties anymore. it was quite a couple of days with all 15 people sick.....so sad.)

needless to say, we all were a little leary of deviled eggs this year at easter. not many of us ate them.....we couldn't "stomach" the idea or the egg!
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got the family history confirmation wednesday night at young women's!
i have been praying about what i should be doing with some of my time and guess what i was told......take your ancestors to the temple! i better get on it!
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i love going to my "Jesus the Christ" class! it is so uplifting and i learn so much about Jesus and myself! i really need them to hold the class every week!
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quotes/questions for the week:
*do i have the faith to move mountains?
*am i able to enter into the peace and rest of the Lord?
*but the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. 1 Nephi 9:6
*do i have enough faith to trust that He knows?
*faith is not knowing that god can, but knowing that he will.
*with calm deliberation
*sometimes our plan B is god's plan A
*the way we forgive is the way we will be forgiven.
*sometimes god calms the storm and sometimes he doesn't calm the storm, but calms the child.
*he had no excuse and he wanted none.....what are my excuses?
*she had lost her calmness in undue worry over incidental details.
*what do you value most - the relationship or the incidental things?

things to think about!
have a great day!

22 years!

it's official.....on monday, march 29, 2010.....
mark and i have been married for 22 years!

we've been married as many years as we were when we got married!

can't believe it....time flies.....

ashley is 20 yrs. old and a sophomore at byu
addison is 17 yrs.old and a junior at jordan high
you really don't need to know our ages.....do you?

mark is still my knight in shining armour, my rock, my sunshine and i love him dearly!

life is good.....happy anniversary!

March Madness!

i am sure they call it march madness because of all the crazy things that happen during this time!

just when i thought i had a chance to win some prize money in our march madness pool....bam! my teams start getting knocked off one by one!

almost all the top seeded teams have been knocked out.....all the under dog teams are winning! ugh!!

we did get to go see some games at the energy solutions arena, but most of my teams lost...ugh!

march madness = family friendly competition = us!

i may have lost this year, but just wait until next year......i'm going to dominate! haha

until then.....

He is aware!

each new day brings on a new learning experience!
.....as i watched addison go through some anxiety....which made my anxiety go through the roof...i realized that Heavenly Father is always aware!
.....now i knew this already, but sometimes i need a little reminder.
.....some of the things that i learned when i was going through some anxiety, i was able to help addison.
.....it was a stressful week, with lots of tears and anxiety. and just when i thought i was losing it and wanted to run away or vent to someone, something else comes along....
.....amy harmer is pregnant and the baby has some complications
.....suddenly my problems are not so big!
.....He is still aware....of me and amy!
.....amy came to me to be a confidant, a friend, a shoulder to cry on, a friend to go to the temple with, a sister, someone to just listen and not tell her what she should do or give any advice!
.....i still could not tell amy what i was going through....it wasn't the right thing to do!
.....i feel priviledged to have amy as a friend.....she is a hero to me and on my list of "hall of famers". she is trusted by Heavenly Father and that is why she has been given this challenge.
.....He is always aware.....i just need to listen!

Spring Skiing!

yesterday, me and my friend, rosemary, went skiing up at alta ski resort. it was a perfect day for spring skiing.....warm, sunny, short lines, not crowded, free and did i mention it was warm!

i was kind of nervous to go because i haven't been in soooooooooo long....it has been years! i wasn't sure if i could still do it.

rosemary claimed that she was horrible at skiing.......whatever! she swished and swooshed back and forth like it was nothing. me.....i can swish to the right, but not as well to the left. that makes for an interesting day on the slopes.

i like it when it is not so crowded. the only bad part was when the little kids in ski school would zoom by and then stop in front of me. i didn't want to plow into them because i can't turn left or something dumb like that.

in 1 1/2 hours we made three runs down and that was enough. i certainly got my money's worth...because it was free! it is "ski free after 3" monday through thurday and it goes until 4:30 pm.

i think i might have to try it again! bring on the warm weather and a bit of skiing!

Questions to ask myself....

***after being "blasted", reprimanded, grouchy with.....whatever you want to call it...... today at the pool by a fellow swimmer i don't know exactly what for (or still don't understand her "beef" with me), i came across an article in the ensign with some very poignant questions. i need to ask myself these questions each day so that i don't hold a grudge; be resentful; or unforgiving.

"in search for our best selves, several questions will guide our thinking:

....am i closer to the Savior today than i was yesterday?

....will i be closer yet tomorrow?

....do i have the courage to change for the better?

honest miracles!

while on choir tour, there were a few miracles that happened and i learned that there are still honest people in the world......

*edward lost his ticket not more than 5 minutes into the park. someone picked it up and returned it to him after we searched for it for about 10 minutes. now, she did sit and watch us look for it and then came over and gave it to him, but she gave it back nonetheless.

*later that day, addison lost his ticket at the star tours ride. we looked all over for it....went to city hall to see what should be done....got a temporary ticket....went to lost and found to file a report......went back to disneyland......addison texted me and said that someone had turned it in at the star tours ride. yeah!!

*walking through the park to find somewhere warm and out of the rain and a lady said, "would you like this umbrella? i have an extra one and you can have this one if you would like." how nice of her!

3 nice people.....2 honest miracles.....1 kind person!
the world is still full of good people!

choir tour!

this past weekend was a fun-filled weekend with the jordan high choir!
went to a bunch of places:
*newport beach - too cold!
*la philharmonic symphony - beautiful music - couldn't keep my eyes open at the end
*disneyland! - 13 hours at the park - kids got to go back stage and learn about singing - feet hurt - late night talk
*disneyland! - 13 hours at the park - played big booty while waiting for pics with princesses - rained - feet hurt - fun, fun, fun - late night talk
*crystal cathedral - all glass church - went to their sunday service - born again christians - great experience - the lds church is true
*fun was had by all!
*saved $100 by packing carry-ons - proud of myself for getting it all in one bag!
i love to be with addison (and ashley) and their friends! Great weekend!

So Blonde.....sometimes!

i went to subway, today, to get a sandwich. when i walked in a worker girl walked towards me and said, "hi, what can i get you today?"

me: "a turkey sandwich"

worker girl: "what kind of bread?"

me: "wheat"

worker girl: says nothing and does nothing

me: wondering why she isn't making my sandwich

me: look up and realize that she has a headset on and is talking to the people at the drive-up and not really taking my order

me: "how embarrassing!" just start laughing at myself

worker guy: (laughing) "can i help you today?"

me: "as soon as i stop laughing at myself"......

worker guy: "you are not the first person that has happened to....so what can i get you?"

me: "a turkey sandwich on wheat bread"........hahahaha

sometimes i am just a walking embarrassment waiting to happen!!! hahahaha