Roadtrip 2012

In April this year we went on a really fun roadtrip with the Call family. Our families are really close and we have traveled together for thirty years. As we started having kids our group got bigger and bigger and now that the kids have grown and married etc, our traveling group has gotten smaller and smaller! This trip was bittersweet because it will be the last one we take with our kids as families together. Both of our babies will be serving missions and by the time they get back who knows who will be married etc. We figure our next trip will be just the four of us, and we will be back to where we started from! Sheesh, thats so hard on the heart! Time goes way, way, way too fast! Anyhow, we rented cars for the trip and drove to California to Kings Canyon, Six flags, San Francisco, and Yosemite National Park. We had a great time! We saw magnificent trees and waterfalls, crazy rocks stacked by visitors, beautiful mountains and lakes and crazy clouds! We went through tons of tunnels rode wild, crazy, scarey rollercoasters, watched dolphins perform, walked on Fishermans Wharf, drove down the famous zig zag Lombard street, watched a street artist do the most amazing paintings strictly with spray paint, (and purchased the Joker one for Nick) and waited for roadwork which even turned out to be fun! It seems as though we wait forever for a trip and then it comes and is gone so quickly, then it seems like it was forever ago that we went! Why is that? We feel so blessed to have had such wonderful friends to create and share memories with. We have been so lucky that our families blended and traveled so well together. If I could, I would live my life over again just to relive all of the fun times we have had together. We love them like family, and with that said, happy trails until next time!

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Easter!

I have a friend that shared with me what she does for Easter each year. She saves $500 all year long to hide for an Easter egg hunt and said its their family's favorite holiday.  I loved the idea so we did it for our kids this year and it was seriously an absolute blast!!!! I didn't remember in time to save $500, so we did $350 instead. I asked her how she makes it fair and she said, "Oh, its not fair, they get what they find and that's what makes it so competitive and fun!" I asked my kids if they wanted me to make it fair by making sure everyone gets the exact same amount of money and they all said "NO WAY!" I told them not to cry then if someone gets $100 and another gets $30 or whatever hahaha! They loved the challenge so that's what we did. So to begin we had a nice dinner and gave the babies their Easter baskets. Then, Bret and I went into Logan to the Fairgrounds and hid the eggs. (I numbered each egg on the inside per its value.) We even had fun hiding the eggs, laughing at some of the places they would be finding them. When we were almost done hiding we phoned the kids and told them where to find us and to come right then. This is Bryce and Amber immediately when they pulled up. Hahahaha, Bryce is so sickening, always teasing his siblings! Lol, what a cheater! I had to take the binoculars away!  

We had them line up to learn where the boundaries were and to have a fair start. 

The Easter bunny gave them all these Easter buckets to collect their eggs in plus a few cans of silly string to use as a weapon while egg hunting! Naturally Bryce is all over that! Lol! Ready...set......GO! 

 Bret has a "Go-Pro" camera he was filming all of the action with. He ran as much as the kids did I think! In this picture of Alison and Bennett I happened to be right there when he ran past and she saw an egg he'd missed .....

 Here is a close-up, look at her face, she is so worried he will see it before she gets it. She squealed so loud when she got it and he didn't. Lol!

 We hid the eggs everywhere, high and low and then saved one golden egg worth $20 for last. We told them it was out of the previous boundaries and they would have to get dirty to get it, so they figured it was in the arena. They were right!  Lol! We hid it in a pipe over the bucking chutes where it could be seen from across the arena. Alison was the first one to see it and like a fool squealed and took off running to it, and of course everyone else took off in the same direction whether they had seen it or not! This part was hilarious to watch as they all clamored over and into the chute trying to reach up to the egg! They were laughing, yelling, squealing, pushing and grabbing, and finally Nick was the victor in the end. We had them bring their eggs to us and open them one at a time to see the value. I paid them and they dropped the egg into the bag Bret was holding. Seriously, this was a blast! They were all winded and laughing and talking about how fun it was and how next year they are going to be smarter about it and get more eggs etc. Here are the results: Nick- $90 Bryce- $80 Bennett-$80
Alison- $50 Amber- $50.  We had so much fun that for sure next year we will hide at least $500 or more! We have a new favorite holiday at our house! :)

Baby Bash!

February 24th was my grandbabies first birthday. I cant believe it, sheesh that year went fast! Bryce and Amber had an open house to celebrate and it turned out really nice! Here are my little loves. . .

Ambers mom prepared food for a taco bar that was delicious!

Opening gifts!

And more gifts!

Some of the crowd just hanging out.

They each ate a cupcake and at first werent sure what to think about it.

It didnt take them very long to decide that cake tasted pretty darn good!

But after awhile they didnt like the feel of sticky frosting and cake on their hands!

Hahaha! Oh how I love these little people in my life! Its been one year full of wonderful blessings as I watch them grow and know that they are healthy and perfect in every way!

Happy Birthday my little sweethearts, I love you!

Dad

"Grief is love's shadow. Tears release sadness that must not dominate, leaving only love, somewhat older, wiser, calmer and yet renewed, reborn, freshened, enlarged, flowering. The soul was not made by God to be sorrows home. He would have us happy."

                                                               S. Micheal Wilcox




My dad passed away on January 24th, 2012. I was fortunate enough to be with him when he passed as were other family members. He passed very peacefully and I'm so grateful for that.

 These two photos show some of the display we had set up at his funeral. Dad served in the Navy. He joined when he was only 17 years old. I cant imagine one of my sons doing that at 17! My heart aches when I think of what my grandmother must have suffered when he left home at such a young age!

 Dad owned a service station when I was a little girl. It was called "The Beeline." I have very fond memories of riding my bicycle there to visit my dad and to get candy and a soda pop!

 My Handsome boys were pall-bearers.

 My cousin played the bagpipes at the burial. The protocol is to stand at a distance from the burial site before he starts to play. Then he walked all over the cemetery as he played. It was awesome, and made for uncontrollable tears!

 Here are the pall bearers, a son-in-law and some grandsons carrying  Dad to his final resting place.

 and he walks....

 Dad had a military service and this is the flag ceremony. It was awesome (to say the very least) watching them fold the flag and present it to my mother! What a tear jerker!

 Here's the 21-gun salute, but they really only shoot three times. That was awesome as well! What an
honorable, wonderful and well deserved tribute to my dad.

A final loving gesture to grandpa.

And he walks.....

It was hard to watch my dad suffer so long with his many health problems. I'm grateful that he is finally happy and free of pain and misery.  One thing I now know for sure.... it is much easier to let someone I love go,  than have them taken! ........Dad now lies to the east of David.

I love you Dad. xoxoxo Until we meet again.... 

Surgery

Helga tore her ACL and had to have surgery on November 29th.

We took her to the Veterinary Specialty Center in SLC for her surgery.

Here is the vet explaining what will take place in Helgas surgery.

Showing us the metal plate that she will be receiving.

Helga asking us to get her out of there! Lol!

This is our first visit after her surgery. It was very emotional for us.

Helga is panting because of the morphine they had just given her. This was her hospital bed.
Alison is a nurse and works in the Shock Trauma ICU, and was amazed that this place is just the same as her hospital ICU is (with exception to the cages of course!) They have all the same equipment and give the same medications as they do for humans. I guess we hadnt really ever thought about what they use or how they do surgery for animals and so it was interesting to us to see the whole set up.

This is where they start the surgery preparations. They shave them here.

Then they bathe them here.

The operating room.

And here is Helga baby all drugged up and happily sleeping at home.

She is healing well and we are thrilled! We have to keep her calm and cant allow her to jump or run or play or anything that might cause the screws in her metal plate to loosen for 18 weeks! Poor girl, she is sooo bored! Its really really hard to keep her chilled out! She wants to play and run so badly and even though that part is  difficult at least we know its a sign her leg feels just fine!