Here comes the Bride!......and Groom!

Well it finally happened. I have a married child. June 26, 2009 Kyle married Andrea and there is only one word to describe the entire weekend......PERFECT! From the weather to the extras, the food, the guests, the music....all of it. I can't think of one thing that I wish would have gone differently. Kyle was so very handsome and Andrea was breathtaking. Together they were magical and the wedding was fairytale. I am so happy for them that it went as planned and happy that we were able to celebrate the beginning of a new family with so many of the people we love. It was truly a blessed weekend and I am so thankful for the Lords hand in all of it.

Andreas Birthday

Each year on their birthdays my children wake up to a decorated house and a day full of birthday celebrations. They get their favorite dinner, cake, presents, balloons etc. I love to celebrate their day and recall the wonderful memories of them joining our family. Well this year we add Andrea to our family so we were able to celebrate her birthday May 21st. We did not break tradition in that the house was decorated and all of the typical birthday hoop lah was done. At present my children are 20, (Nick on June 11), 22 (Kyle and Andrea) and 24 (Dani) but you are never to old for party favors and celebration. I celebrate being their mother each day and recognize the blessing that they are in my life. So why not have pretty balloons and cake!

I don't know about the rest of you but this is one of my favorite times of the year. I love how everything is coming to life after a LONG winter, how color comes back into the world and how the songs of the birds return to the air. Without sounding sappy - it is a reminder, each year, for me to shed old habits that may have a hold on me and with renewed commitment try to do better than I have been. To try and bring joy and beauty to my home and family and those around me and to appreciate all that I DO have. That being said - HAPPY SPRING - to all of you and may this time of year be rejuvinating to you as well.

Okay so hear is how the story happened. We have had a goldfish since June of 05! Can you believe it, almost 4 years! We named him FISH and believe it or not he (or she) actually knew when I was in the kitchen. It would swim to the edge of the bowl and wiggle it's little body as if it were communicating something to me and after 4 years of that the only thing that I could come up with is that it was telling me "hello". I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I did indeed become attached to the little bit of gold metallic. So I had a Relief Society meeting at my home the other day and one of the sisters actually commented on my little "Fish". I very proudly told everyone that we were coming up on our 4 year anniversary and that this fish must really love this family. The meeting was Tuesday evening and Thursday morning at 5:55 am I walked into the kitchen only to find "Fish" on the floor!!!! Nick was directly behind me and we were both in shock! (and admittedly a little sad) I bent down to pick him up and as I reached for him (or her) the tail flickered. Nick excitedly said "quick mom, put him in water!" I grabbed a napkin, and placed the slightly crusty body on it, moved to the fish bowl and tipped. It was stuck! So with little shake, it dropped into the water and floated belly up. BUMMER! But wait - I righted the poor little thing, placed it's tail between my fingers and massaged, and rattled it between my fingers. With Nick watching I continued the "life saving" techniques for a couple of minutes and - YES - you guessed it, it began to take in water and after about 3 minutes of my gentle persuasion I let go of the tail and IT SWAM!!! I was in shock... as was Nick... but we managed to save Fish! I must admit that it wasn't the energetic little fish that I remembered but he was alive.................. for the day. Next morning - belly up - and NO SIGN OF LIFE AT ALL! So we tried to give it the proper burial in the back yard but the ground was frozen, so into the trash cans it went. Moral of the story - don't brag about your goldfish. You may cause an early death.

My Valentine

I am compelled today to pay tribute to "My Valentine"! I wake up each and every day feeling so blessed to have someone in my life that I feel safe with, loved by, and taken care of. Rick and I celebrated 26 years of marriage last September and in those 26 years we have experienced a life full of laughter, joy, trial, work, and happiness. There is such an sense of security when you share your whole self with someone that you know will protect you. As this holiday approaches each year I have a tendency to make light of it but only because for us, every day is Valentines Day! I don't joke when I say that, we truly try to treat one another as if our whole life depends on the way we react to the other, and in reality it does. Doesn't it? So with that said, Rick, your are my light in the dark, my calm in the storm, and my reason for living. In short you are my "BOYFRIEND"!! I LOVE YOU!

KYLE has a BIRTHDAY!

I find it completely impossible that I have a 22 year old son who is getting married in 5 months. Where did my life go? January 25th Kyle turned 22. Andrea came home for the weekend and we celebrated Kyles day with a mini wedding cake. They wanted to see the colors and design to make sure that it was what they wanted and they were very happy. Kyle is such a gift to our family and he has found someone equally as wonderful to share the rest of his life with. They really are good for eachother and we couldn't be happier for them.

New Year New Home

Well - we did it! We finished the remodle job just before the holidays and I am so glad that it is finished. Rick and I learned that we are really great at the tearing out part but the "putting back together" part should be left up to the pros. We did the 2 bathrooms ourself and by the time we finished them we realized that we are slow and ignorant so we left the rest of it up to a contractor. Every room in the house had something done to it paint, light switch, outlets, light fixtures etc. A big job but we LOVE IT! The photos don't show the warm feeling with all the changes but they give you an idea of how it all turned out. The order of photos top to bottom are master bath, kitchen, family room and living room.