Holy Colee!

I have decided that I probably should not be allowed to read. I get a little too wrapped up in a good story, I forget to sleep, and my mood is completely overtaken by what I am reading. I just finished reading a trilogy of books recommended by a friend. Each book took just less than a day, but I almost couldn't stand to put it down long enough to work or sleep. The books were a little intense, and my mom kept telling me I was moody - but honestly, I blame the books. People were dying or almost dying and they were always in some kind of danger and.... yeah, anyway. Now, I have been done with the books for 3 days and still I can't get the people out of my head. What happened after the books ended, did they get married, did anyone else get hurt, what happened with the Vulturi??? ugh
Anyway, if you want a good story, the books are called Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. They are written by Stephanie Meyer. They won't take you long to read, but if you pick up one, you may as well pick up all 3. The 2nd book was by far my least favorite, but only because it made me so sad I could physically feel the pain she was in.... I really am a geek. I freely admit it.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I have no resolutions to make - I am open to suggestions :)

For lack of originality, I am posting the letter that I sent with my Christmas cards this year.... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

While it seems like a billion things have changed this year, I must admit I am struggling to think about what to put in this letter. I am still working with Convergys and I am still in Salt Lake. I have been a home owner for a year now. That has been a little bit crazy. Last January when it was SOOOO cold, my kitchen pipes burst. I learned a couple of very valuable lessons, like where the water shut off valve is, AND that family and friends are awesome. I made a couple of tear filled phone calls and in a few hours, Jeff and his boys were here to rescue my carpets. Another couple of calls and I found out how to use my home warranty to get a plumber here – on a Sunday afternoon emergency. The end result was a new kitchen remodel with the majority of the cost being paid by the insurance. Talk about a blessing in disguise. I also had my bathroom remodeled – that one I had planned ;) If you are ever hanging around in Salt Lake, come on over. It’s been almost a year, but I still like showing it off :)
Cannon turned 8 this year. Can you believe it? He was baptized in May. He asked yours truly to give a talk on baptism, and Aunt Janet to speak on the Holy Ghost. It was a very special day and now a very special memory. In July Mom had surgery and came down to my house to recover (or at least hang out with me until she could go back to work.) It turned out to be the most perfect thing that could have happened. A couple of days into her recuperation, she ended up taking me to the emergency room where I was diagnosed with kidney stones, which resulted in me having surgery 2 days later. If mom had not been around, I would have been alone. And you know me, I am stubborn. I would have never actually gone to the emergency room on my own.
Work let me travel again this year. I got to visit our sites in Cincinnati, Houston, Laredo, and Baton Rouge. The Baton Rouge trip was great because it coincided with Mardi Gras, and we managed to take a night trip down to New Orleans. Eric, our friend/ tour guide, tried to tell us what it was like before Katrina. It was interesting to see the after effects and to see the city trying to come back to life. I also got to spend 10 days in Jacksonville, FL. I was there over a weekend so I got to visit St Augustine (the countries oldest continuously inhabited settlement) and The Kennedy Space Center. The best part of Jacksonville was actually getting to spend time with my coworker/friend Curtis and his super cute wife Amy and getting to meet my friend Brian and his wife Liz and adorable daughter, who I had heard so much about for 3 years now :)
I had 2 favorite parts of the year. One was 3 weeks right in the middle when the guy I’ve been talking to online came to Salt Lake. His name is John. He is from Manchester England. We had a fabulous time. I made sure he saw all the typical Salt Lake attractions, and then we spent a week in Dingle as well. It must have gone well; he thinks he wants to come back and stay on a little more permanent basis. We’re working on that.
The other favorite part was my trip to Cancun. It was freaking fabulous! Mom and I got to leave the country, spend some time in the sun and just enjoy an all expenses paid trip paid for NOT by us :) Thanks Convergys! It was really great; and spending a week away from a cell phone or internet connection and spending it WITH the person I would have wanted to call and tell all about everything anyway – what could be better?
The year has been far from smooth, but it has been filled with blessings and even more with learning to recognize them. I think the greatest thing I have learned this year is just how much my Heavenly Father loves me. While this year has seen more than its share of difficulties, it has also seen more than its share of joys. The trials and sorrows that have been experienced this year have been life altering, but I have never even had time to doubt that He is aware of me, before I turn and He has blessed me again.

Merry Christmas, Loved ones!

So, last night I met the lady I want to be when I am middleold. Her name is Kathryn. She is a coworker of my roommate. She doesn't know me from Eve, but we went to a Christmas party at her house last night and it was just... comfortable. She was so happy to see us, even though she'd never even met me before. She was happy, laid back, excited about what was going on all at the same time. Plus she made some pretty stellar fudge. Even though we were only there for a short time, I have no reason to think she didn't mean it when she said she would love for us to come back... Anyway, there is your random thought for today.

Ok, so I have been so bogged down in work the last week, I haven't even had time to think, let alone type something that didn't have to do with staffing, so when I came across this email, I had an epiphany. I will post it for you to read - then I don't have to type or think, and I can still blog:D

Summary of My Year on the Computer!


I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the email about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.

Also, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000.00 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special email program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put, 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan

I no longer have any sneakers - but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

Thank you too for all the endless advice Andy Rooney has given us. I can live a better life now because he's told us how to fix everything.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

Oh, and don't forget this one either!

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

If you don't send this email to at least 47,000 people in the next 47 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:47 p.m. this afternoon and the fleas from 47 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's Cousin's beautician.

Have a wonderful day... AND a scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain and sexual activity read their email with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

So, I am posting this before the results show so I can't change my mind. I really think Mel B should win dancing with the stars. Now you know. I might be a reality show junkie... I like Dancing With the Stars almost as much as American Idol, I just don't know enough about dancing technicalities to pretend to critique it. I just like what I like.

Thanksgiving was great. We had 36 people at our dinner. Even better, we had it at Kelly's. Dinner was tasty; the company was great. After the dishes we played games and snacked ourselves stupid. The scale is not my friend this week.

Friday we chose to do our "psycho shopping" in Montpelier. We sat in our car until they waved us in at 6:00. We got our phones/radios/jump drive and then went for hot cocoa and breakfast while we waited for the other stores to open. The funny part is that when we got into the second store, I walked over to the electronics department to pick up the 3 DVD/VCR combos that the ladies I was with were shopping for. Turns out they were the only 3 in the store. The women who were shopping behind me were LESS than impressed. I just kind of shrugged and walked away. I won. Seriously, in Bear Lake???
Anyway we went to a 3rd store and then went home. We were home by 8:30. Friday afternoon we went to the Montpelier craft fair. They hold it at the Oregon Trail Center Museum. It is WAY to crowded and it makes it not very fun to shop at. Friday night I spent being sick.

Saturday - feeling MUCH better - we went to the craft fair in Paris. Much better layout, I still didn't buy anything, but at least I wasn't being smashed into. After this we went back to the Montpelier craft fair - it's a 2 day event ;) As we were leaving I got reminded that Santa was there, so we took Cannon and Heather in to get their requests in. I asked him for a visa... I figured it couldn't hurt to put my request in, too. He might have connections with the US government, who knows really - he IS Santa....When we got home, we put the tree up. There are a few more ornaments within Cannon's reach than at the top, but that's why it's fun.

I ended up not going home on Sunday. Bear Lake High is putting on "My Fair Lady" this week, and Angelia is in the cast. I figure if I am going to be a good sister, being there is more important than whatever was waiting in Salt Lake.

Ok, so... I am really working on finding something more interesting to tell you folks about than my living log, but so far I am struggling... I am open to suggestions

I am pretty sure that tomorrow is my 3rd favorite holiday of the year. The 4th of July is my fav, and Christmas is second, so 3rd either has to be Thanksgiving or Easter. It might actually be a tie. The food is better on Thanksgiving (we've never really been Easter Ham makers) but the premise of Easter makes it pretty darn important.... ANYWAY....
Today I am home with the kids. I have a few more days of PTO to burn before the end of the year, so I figured I could stay home today and bake the rolls for tomorrow. Notice the "b"ake not "m"ake. I actually do make an ok roll, but we're lazy, and I am not really in the mood to make enough rolls to feed the 40ish people we're expecting tomorrow - so Mrs Rhodes is our friend. We did the same thing last year, so I figure they must know what they are in for if they keep assigning us the same part of the meal.
I just dropped Tylyn and Cannon at Kyla's birthday party. Heather decided to get sick this morning, so she is sitting at home with me watching PBS. Anywho, it's pretty quiet around here now. I was going to hang the rest of mom's Christmas lights on the garage, but it's bitter nasty cold out side, so I am putting it off. It's these bitter nasty days that remind me why I don't mind so much living a few hours south of here. We still get the cold, but not nearly as much, and not nearly as long.

OK, well I should probably take advantage of the down time and get something accomplished. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! (And if it's not Thanksgiving where you are - give thanks anyway. I don't think there is a day where we can possibly do too much of that)

Last night was quite traumatic. I actually had a pretty decent couple of games, but about half way through my second game my ball got stuck. This is not all that uncommon, when we bowl on lane 3 we have a lot of balls that forget to come back. However, when you see all the other balls come back and yours is not one of them - you should get nervous. So, the back room guy brought my ball up... it was scratched ALL over, and not just external scratches, and not just a couple... The bowling alley kept my ball. They are going to "make it right." Should I be nervous? My poor sweet ball was less than a year old and now it is in for repairs. I can't help but feel a little nervous...

Is it just me, or does all the good stuff in a salad always end up on the bottom? Last night as I was putting away leftovers from dinner, I realized, all the effort I went to to add my favorite vegetables to my bagged green salad had gone to waste. The tasty little treats had managed to settle to the bottom of the bowl in the tossing process. And they had been left behind, neglected... What is the point of tossing a salad if the good stuff is just going to settle anyway?

Ok, so I could probably go on for a while drawing similes to life that would continue until the explanation that I ended up having them for breakfast, but I think I will spare you the drama.

Life is good. It is Friday eve. Which is the next best thing to Weekend eve. This weekend I am starting my Christmas shopping. I do NOT love Christmas shopping, but I DO love having it done. Unfortunately they tend to go hand in hand. So, start I must.

After a fun day of wandering around store after store trying to think what trinket or gadget my loved ones don't already have and MIGHT be able to find a use for I get to go to Dingle :) If I can finagle it, I will only have to work 2 days next week... fingers crossed. Then it's a week of random Thanksgiving traditions, but really - aren't random traditions what make life worth living?

This week we rediscovered skype. Thanks Dav. Free international phone calls - well, skype calls. It's great to be able to hear a voice and NOT have to worry about how much it is costing. YAY! That's all I have to say about that.

It's been a busy busy week, and actually I have another one lined up. The end of the week is what keeps me going - I am starting my Christmas shopping on Saturday :D Unless that is Mom's friend changes her mind.

I officially love November. The turkey dinners started this weekend. My ward cooked and served dinner for the older singles in our stake. We also got to eat it, and take leftovers home AND we had it for dinner after church today. Seriously, I LOVE turkey and cranberry sauce. My weigh in this week is NOT going to love it.

So, last night my aunt Kelly hosted a murder mystery dinner. It was super fun. For those of you who, like me until last night, do not know how this works, here's the run down.

You choose 8-10 guests and assign them characters. They will come dressed to be in the "play."
As the host you prepare the scene. Prepare the table with assigned seats and props. Prepare the meal (or assign guests to bring part of the meal.)
The night of the dinner guests arrive and are given scripts. Part of the skit is on CD, just the part that sets the scenario and helps move from act to act.
We chose to do dinner in courses with the scene changes. Dinner was great, playing the part was great, watching everyone else was great. Honestly a good good night. I am putting some pictures up - if you're wondering, yes my family is completely crazy - but it is the VERY best kind.

My fam :)


Billy the Kid and Poker Alice


Jack Daniels - the Bartender


Cattle Kate - Wyatt Earp's wife


Blaize West - the Saloon singer


Jack again :)


Calamity Jane - Kate's daughter


Billy the Kid - Belle's son


Belle Star- Jesse James' girlfriend (Jesse is the one who was murdered)


Doc Holliday - the mayor


Poker Alice - she owns the Crystal Palace Saloon

There's not really a WHOLE lot going on, but I thought I'd take a minute and wish everyone a happy holiday :) I am spending this Halloween at my mom's house. My home ward is putting on a trick or treat Community Dinner. So, at least we get a treat while we pass out treats to the kids ;) Should be fun. It's kind of random, since we don't actually have any kids to take, but that's alright, too :)

I am actually taking some time off the rest of the week. Maybe I can get over this nasty cold... lots of sleep and chicken soup. Isn't that the rule?

Ok, so really that's about it from the exciting land of Dingle. I am going to a murder mystery party on Saturday, as well as the annual Dingle Turkey Shoot. Tomorrow we're getting family photos taken and Friday is an insurance banquet. You know you're jealous :P

So, my friend Robin teaches school. Twice a year they take the kids out to this amazing place called La Caille, for dinner. La Caille is located near Emigration Canyon which is where some of the ski resorts are... ANYWAY, it's usually very expensive, but for the kids they have a deal where they serve them outside of normal business hours, and it's only $28 a plate. the point... the point is that Robin invited a couple of us to come with them. I got there a little early so I took some pictures to show you what it was like :)



This is the restaurant.


There are cottages all around the grounds. This one is close to the main building. I imagine that in the spring and summer it is even more lovely.


The grounds are so very pretty. Again, with I can see even more promise in a different season ;)

LaCaille is also a winery. I liked this picture with the grapevines and the mountains... that's all. I just liked it.

One of the things we got to try is escargo - yes really, I ATE a SNAIL!!!!! It tasted like butter and garlic. It was actually really good. I would eat it again, but I don't think I would really order it.


And for dessert we had Bananas Foster en Flambe. They served the icecream and then they came around with a gravy boat full of caramel and bananas that they had put a bit of rum on top and started on fire. It was hard to see because the atrium was so bright, but it was still cool to eat icecream that was on fire. Looking at dessert was cool. Eating dessert was actually my least favorite part. The caramel was good, the icecream was tasty, but the bananas tasted like burned alcohol. I ate about half of it before I gave up.

Anyway - it was a great night! My friends are cool :)

Look how cute we are. Okay so we kind of look a bit scary with the sunglasses, but they were a life saver ;)

So it was a lovely Saturday. I had a lie in til work started paging at 7:30... evil I tell you, evil. I managed to stay in bed until 9 :) I got my walk in, ran to wal-mart for some stuff for my fam, and then came home watched more episodes of Gilmore Girls, talked to John, and then went to our ward's Pinewood Derby. I borrowed Robin's car. It totally won.

Last night, I think I officially became old. We went and got pizza, came home and watched Gilmore Girls that Monica borrowed from the library. After a couple of episodes I was wondering if it was getting to late to just sit in the tub for a while.... I was pretty sure it was 9:30 ish... yeah, checked the clock. 7:33...
How old do you have to be to think it is almost bed time at 7:33???????????

Yeah, I am officially an old maid.

Sometimes things are more true to life than I am comfortable admitting. Please tell me I am not the only person who can relate to this Garfield strip.

Even though I haven't really spent much time at home recently, it still doesn't seem like there is all that much to report. Monday I spent WAY too much time at work, Tuesday was actually a really really good institute class. Last night I was my monthly 5th wheel party, AKA, I had dinner with the Jenkins' and the Lewies'. It was uber tasty and as always Heather had a super cute dessert. Next month is at my house - I am open to ideas.
Tonight is bowling. I am almost sad that Kevin was told my real name. I kind of liked being Diane. I think she might actually have been a better bowler than Nicole...

So, it's Saturday, and I am supposed to be updating my work reports to include next year, but I am having a rough time concentrating. I have been having a rough time concentrating for the past few weeks, actually... as is evident by the fact that I have to work on a Saturday. If I could focus as work, maybe I could have had this done already.

It's been a pretty good week, really. I have spent some really long days at work - again, mostly my fault, but the evenings have been pretty busy. Wednesday I finally took time to get unpacked and clean my room - SUPER exciting. Thursday I went bowling. I got a 93 and 135. Still kind of pathetic scores in the big picture, but for me - it was a decent night. Besides, the 135 beat Barry ;) Hey - it's important to get joy from the simple things. Last night Monica and I went to Robin's Ugly Sweater Party. There were some definite winners there. I was going to take pictures, but it was too warm, and no one really left the sweaters on for very long.

Tonight promises to be quiet. If I ever get this report done, I need to go to the grocery store, but that is about as exciting as it gets :)You know you're jealous

So, Saturday we helped out at the benefit rodeo/auction that was held for my aunt's family. Um, yeah, it snowed. People still came, and it was really awesome to see how good people can be, but I can only imagine what would have happened if the weather had been kinder.

On the flip side, Monica and I went to the park today to walk/run. The weather was fabulous. I am having a small mental breakdown trying to decide whether to wear sandals or sweaters, so I am pulling a Utah and wearing both.

So... It's been a pretty quiet week. I am back in Salt Lake, probably until Thanksgiving, and just you know, doin stuff. I NEED to clean my room... anyone bored enough to help?

PS - I am also trying to sell a home audio system, if you know anyone looking.

So here is my random piece of information for today. The Bear Lake Memorial Hospital hosted a Breast Cancer Awareness "Brake for Breakfast" yesterday. They gave away super cute pink lunch bags with breakfast in them (as well as lots of information on breast cancer and women's health awareness). It was a great event and they had such a good response to it that they ran out of packets about half way through the time they had planned to be there. Yes, people will stop for free food - so it really is a good way to get your information out there:)
Because I am a geek, I was checking out the nutrition information on my free breakfast items. Did you know that a regular size yogurt has 250 calories in it? I have been buying the light version for so long I had forgotten. The one that nearly knocked me out of my chair though - the banana nut muffin has 410 calories and 23 grams of fat! Oh MY goodness. That little muffin has 10 points in it. Most of my entire meals don't have 10 points in them. Even a snickers bar is less than 10 points AND less fat. If I have to choose between a banana nut muffin and a snickers bar for breakfast, I no longer have to feel bad about choosing the snickers bar.

Needless to say, there is a muffin on the counter at home if you want it ;)

Ok, so there really just hasn't been much going on and by the time I get home, the last thing I want to do is sit on my computer - soooo sorry about the lack of posts.

Monday night we made quilts for FHE. We are donating them to a group of African refugees who recently moved in near our neighborhood.

Tuesday night Dav came to town. It was fun. We went to dinner and then institute. Class was pretty good. I am really enjoying the new teacher. His name is Brother Line and the class is Parables of Christ. I am learning a lot in just the 2 weeks I have been going. I especially love that he ties everything back into the Atonement, as that is a topic I have made a focus of my personal study lately.

Wednesday night I went with James and Heather down to Ryan and Alyssa's home for dinner. I like dinner night. I am terrible at keeping in touch with most of the people that I really do care for. Dinner is a way of checking in once a month.

Thursday night is bowling. I actually did not too bad! My highscore ever is a 145 (sad, i know) but last night I bowled a 144! For me, it was amazing.

This weekend promises to be pretty quiet. Errands to run, meetings to go to. If it manages not to storm too bad there is a BBQ on Saturday - I'm crossing my fingers.

So, it's a week late but it was way too much fun not to tell you all about it.

Wednesday morning Mom and I woke up way to early and went to the airport. We hung out for a couple of hours, we're early, it's what we do. We walked around the airport a while. I took mom to see the slide show (aka the picture collection you watch as you stand on the moving sidewalks.) We had a bit of breakfast and boarded the plane. The flight was perfectly uneventful. We got to DFW and only had to get about 3 gates to quickly meet our connection. The connection flight had a bit of electrical problems. It wasn't serious, but it was enough to make us about 40 minutes late.

We landed in Cancun and got through Customs with out a search :) When the doors opened to the rest of the airport we got our first taste of Mexican culture. There had to be 50 guys waiting to try and take us to our destination. We had been warned to just keep walking, but that is easier said than done. Fortunately it is pretty easy to say no when your transportation has been prearranged and prepaid. We met our representative and caught our transfer. The people sharing our van were seasoned Cancun visitors, they told us what to expect and kept talking about how much the area had changed since they started coming just a few years ago. They couldn't seem to understand why we didn't want a beer.

The Hotel - OH MY GOODNESS. The hotel was beautiful. The lobby is very open and there are parrots who live in the trees. The desk people were trying to crack jokes, but the accent made it hard to get on the first time around. Because of the delayed flight, we got checked in with just enough time to find our room, freshen up and head down to the first "mandatory" activity. We did miss the memo on the location change, but the hotel sent people to find us on the beach and take us to the rest of our group. It was fun to finally put some faces with voices. I also laughed a little to see that we are all creatures of habit. The sites all kind of stayed in their own groups. I laughed because, I didn't really have that option. If I stayed with the SLC people, I would have been all alone, so it was fun to move from group to group and talk to people I don't normally get a chance to hear from. After the cocktail part was dinner. The buffet was a buffet, but I think if I ever run away to Mexico, I want to get a job as the person who carves the melon rinds.

Thursday morning we had breakfast at the same buffet. At first I thought it was strange to see some of the things at breakfast, but then I realized it truly was paradise. Why I hadn't thought of having fresh tortilla chips with every meal before??? After breakfast we found the business meeting. It might be the best business meeting I have ever been to. I mean really - they gave us monster chocolates that had been personalized for our trip mmmmmmm. It was also good to hear what these top performers are doing to get the results they are getting. It really wasn't ALL about the chocolate ;)

A few of us got together after the meeting and took a van down to see the ruins. We took a detour at Tulum to do a bit of shopping. We talked the guy down to $25 for the "Tree of Life" plaques we had stopped for. Warren told him he only had $24 so he got it a buck cheaper... At this point I think we all realized just how much haggling can be done, and that it never really stops.
My favorite part of this stop was the restroom. Not one of the toilets had seats and the paper was on the walls outside of the stalls. Add this to the list of reasons that girls go to the bathroom together.

Back on the road, we journeyed on to Coba. The ruins were amazing. We decided we would walk the trail rather than hire a bike taxi. We got most of the way ;) The ruins were amazing. Coba is one of the less developed historical sites. Much of the ruins are still covered in jungle. We saw two ball courts, a watch tower, and another area we decided was a Waffle House. Coba also is home to the tallest Mayan pyramid. It is not the biggest, but it is the highest. I did not climb it, but many of our party did. They said the 420 steps weren't bad going up, but they were a bugger coming back down.

After Coba we went to a monkey reserve called Punta Laguna. We wandered through the jungle to see the spider monkeys. They were pretty easy to find and there were many of them. After the spider monkeys we hiked across the rest of the jungle to find the 3 howler monkeys that live on the reserve. The ironic part of this is that there were more than 3 howler monkeys that live AT our hotel. But the hike was still fun ;)

After dinner we went down to the beach. It was dark by now and the beach was empty. It was a very different kind of beautiful than I am used to seeing in my landlocked, mountain filled world. We just kind of sat and listened to the ocean and watched the clouds move across the sky. The stars are different that far south. It was awesome.

Friday morning we were awakened by the weirdest howl. When we finally figured out that it was just the monkeys, we went to breakfast. It is no wonder to me know why people imagine Sasquatch to sound like they present them. If those little monkeys can make that loud and low of a growl, the other is a natural assumption ;) After breakfast, we got on our bus to go to Maroma Paradise Bay. This was the day I had been most excited about. Today we were going snorkeling. The view from the boat was breathtaking, but the view off the boat was more amazing than I could have thought. I took pictures, but they do not do justice the amount of life and beauty that live in this turquoise world. A couple of times I found myself too close to where the guide was throwing the fish food, schools of fish bouncing in and out of the water around my face was kind of weird to get used to. We saw lots of yellow and striped fish, a sting ray, barracuda, and a water spider. My favorite fish were 2 that I didn't get pictures of. There was one that was yellow with a magenta pink stripe and one that looked black except the line of neon blue around the edge.

The other cool part about snorkeling is that MY MOM GOT IN THE WATER. Some of you are thinking, whatever, why is that so cool? Well, if you had any idea how little my mom likes water, you'd know that she has every reason to be proud of herself for not letting her fear stop her from trying something that seems very hard. Yay mom :)

That night we joined Warren and Darlene for dinner at the hotel's Japanese restaurant, The Bonsai. It was most excellent. Mom tried the sushi roll appetizers (her first sushi) and then we got a rather interesting show while they grilled our meat on one side of the table, and transformed our rice on the other side. The chefs were as much artists with the look and act of the grilling as they were with the taste of the food.

Saturday morning we had monkeys join us for breakfast. There were 3 adults and a baby monkey that were hanging out in the trees around the buffet. It was fun to watch them while we ate. Today was to be shopping day. We split a cab with Warren and Darlene and went down to 5th avenue. It was everything we were warned it would be. I think I only bought one thing I didn't know if I wanted, but it has turned out to be one of the things I like the best - so maybe the shop keeper was right ;) We bough dresses, jewelry, hammocks, souvenirs, Cannon's seashell, I got a tattoo (henna- DUH :P) and blankets. We stayed completely within our budget. I was super pleased with our excursion. The haggling was interesting. I am not sure I am very good at it, but I never paid more than 60% of what they originally asked. I felt pretty good about it.

That afternoon, we decided we should probably hang out at the pool. Sooooo, we did. The pool was great; we kind of found a shady spot and just enjoyed the company. Not only is it great to put names and faces together, but to get to know how people act outside of work can help you make them real. I really enjoyed it. We also discovered the tastiest little concoction. It is called a "banana mama" - virgin, of course. I am pretty sure it was pina colada, banana, orange juice and grenadine. It is probably good we didn't try them sooner. I would have had a lot more explaining to do at weight watchers the next week. I don't normally like bananas, but mmmmmmm. I'm thinking of suggesting it to Jamba.

After the pool, we went to dinner at the steakhouse. Leah had arranged for the group to be the only group in the restaurant. The food was again, absolutely amazing. The french onion soup was the best I had ever tried. Hands down. The steak simply melted in my mouth. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Leah and Nathan also had awards made for the group. Normally I think they are pretty cheesy, but it is nice to have something kind of classy I can keep on my desk to remind me on the not so good days.

Sunday was goodbyes all around. We were in the last group to leave the hotel, so we went down to the lobby to talk to everyone else before they left. It was so peaceful and beautiful that I truly did not want to leave. As with most things, however, this good thing did have to end. We got to the airport and through security and on our flight and back thru customs and on our connection with no issues or events. While I know some of you live for the stories you can tell, I was rather pleased that the actual moving parts of our trip went very smoothly.

Ok so... That was the trip according to Nicole. I'll publish the pictures.... probably... when I get around to putting them on the computer ;)

I just wanted to assure you that I haven't dropped off the planet. I did however go to Mexico. I have stories to tell, as soon as I get work caught up, you can hear them all... until then, you'll just have to sit on the edge of your seat in anticipation.

Tonight I would like to dedicate my blog entry to one of the most amazing people to have ever been a part of my life. My aunt Janet is loved by everyone who knows her. It was no surprise to find out she was a nurse, because if all nurses were as caring as she was, no one would mind being sick. Janet loved people. She had a genuine interest in others. Her bedside manner was appreciated by any who had the need to experience it.

If you want something to get done, you ask a busy person to do it. I am pretty sure Janet had a “busy person” sign on her back. She never said no, and she always found a way to get things done while not letting other things slack. She knew what her priorities were.

Janet loved her family. While she was a nurse, EMT, student, and Youth Leader, the most important thing in her life were her children and grandchildren. She never missed a rodeo, ball game, track meet, or activity. She spent quality time with those she held most dear.

Janet loved the Lord. She served for many years in the Young Women’s program. She helped with the scouts. She served her family. She was a visiting teacher. She helped in primary. She was willing to do whatever was asked of her in the community. Her husband served in the bishopbric while she faithfully cared for things so he could serve as well. She had a ready smile and hug. It was never a loud thing, but she was always in the background getting things done. She lived a life of love and service.

I could truly fill pages of all of the things this woman meant to me. Growing up she was my best friend’s mom, she was my nurse, she was my friend. She was the one who taught me how to make sticky buns and cinnamon toast. She made me never feel bad for loving a taste of chocolate. She told me when I should see a doctor, but when I was stubborn she told me what else I could try as well. When I had to go to the doctor anyway, she NEVER said, “I told you so.” She was glorious at mending broken skin AND hurt feelings.

We will miss you, Janet. Until we meet again, we will miss you.

"What are you doing for project day? You mean Labor Day? No, Project Day."
According to a commercial I heard, that I about half way agree with, today is project day. I must admit, I thought Mom would have had a few more to do. As it turns out, all I ended up with was mowing the lawn. I'll never admit it out loud, but I like mowing the lawn. It is completely mindless labor so it gives one time to think about stuff. As long as you have pleasant things to talk about, it's a pretty enjoyable task.

We spent the afternoon wandering around town, doing the normal Saturday shopping, and coming back to get some laundry done. Super Exciting Day :)

Tomorrow we're going out to Shahna and Jon's for Sunday dinner. I am rather looking forward to it. Monday night we're going to a BBQ at John and Ellen's. I love Labor Day BBQs :)

I'm looking forward to spending the week at home. I still have to work all week, but I'd much sooner do it here than back in Salt Lake. Unfortunately, my work's internet and the library's internet don't get along well. But there is an extra spot in the hospital offices where they let me hang out as long as I don't cause too much trouble. I think I might be a little spoiled.

Sunday was a super pleasant day. After church my friend Bri came to visit. I haven't see her since 2 kids ago, so it was fun to meet her 2 new little ones. I love knowing that there are some people who never change. I mean really, how do you improve on perfect :)
Sunday night I met Matt at a fireside. Elder Featherstone entitled his talk "The Abundant Life" which I have decided is a good title when you want to just talk about stuff. He covered about 15 topics in his 45 minutes. It was really interesting, and most interesting, is how many poems, jokes, quotes one person can have in his head and share with out writing anything down.

For a Monday, yesterday was not soo bad. Work struggled a bit. It seems like everyone ends up having computer and reporting issues all at the same time. But while I was listening to the radio, waiting for the last of the reports to come in, I totally won Bees tickets for last night's game. So, Monica and I hopped on trax and went to the game. Barry met us there and we enjoyed watching the Bees win against Fresno 8-0.
When I got home my birthday parcel from England was waiting for me :) It made me with October was closer. I am still looking for anyone with a stellar hook up on tickets to Manchester. Anyone? Anyone? Bhueler?

Well, it's official. I am the age that when you tell people how old you are, they wonder if you're lying. Seriously, what is the deal with "29" I say that in the same breath that I say I've decided not to have any more birthdays - just lots and lots of anniversaries of birthdays :)

It's been a pretty quiet week. Monday I went to the store, ran some errands, had food I hadn't had for a long time. Super exciting birthday :) Tuesday was even more exciting. I don't even remember what happened on Tuesday. Except Matt came to visit, so that was a pleasant thing. Wednesday, my work friend Nathan came into town. He needed to find a See's Candy store, and it was easier to show him than tell him, SOOOO I have now tried See's chocolates. They really are pretty tasty. I wouldn't fly across the country to get them, but being in town, I would probably make the trip to the mall to pick them up :) Tasty ;)

So, Friday was a little disappointing. My stake had organized a star gazing night at the top of Emigration Canyon. I had actually been looking forward to it for a while. I am kind of a geek like that. I like stars. I like them even more when I know what I am looking at, which there were people there to tell me just that. I spent the week trying to track down someone who could actually tell me how to get to "the top of Emigration Canyon." Which, by the way, is not- drive up Emigration Canyon, if you start coming down you've gone too far :P Anyway, Monica and I got there, and there were about a dozen other people there and a gaggle of telescopes. The disappointment is, the only thing we could see in the sky that night were clouds and lightning. We stayed for about 20 minutes, until it started raining. I guess I will have to wait for next year's.

Saturday I woke up with a strong desire to do as little as possible. So, I decided it was time to read Harry Potter. I've had the book for a month now, I just hadn't gotten around to it. I made a pretty good start. If I had nothing else to do, I could probably finish it today, but I think it will probably be Monday or Tuesday. Oh, I also got my laundry done and went and spent my grandparent's birthday money. I probably should have saved it for something practical, like these lame Dr bills I am starting to get, but it's BIRTHDAY money. Birthday money should not be practical. So, I bought a new shirt :) I figure it's semi practical, since I gave half of my wardrobe to my mom. I wanted to get new pants, but alas, I need a few more pounds to go before I can drop the 2 full sizes I want. Right now it is only a size and a half. So, I will keep wearing the baggy ones.

Saturday night Monica and I drove to Springville to go to her cousin's wedding reception. Then we decided to have my birthday early so we went to dinner at a random little place called David's Kitchen. It is a super serious hole in the wall. From driving past the front you would wonder if it was really even open. It is attached to a bar called Gino's. So the sign just says "Gino's David's Kitchen" Mostly up until now I had just been confused as to why you would have two names with out an "&" in the middle. I am not altogether not confused now, but apparently they are 2 different businesses. Kind of. ANYWAY - It's a Chinese place. They still don't serve Tiny Spicy Chicken, but what they do have is really good. It appears they are famous for their pot stickers. Which, I had never had before. It was all actually very tasty. After dinner, we went to see Stardust. If you like fantasy/witches/good triumphs over evil kind of movies, I suggest it. It's very predictable, and there are lots of people dying and stuff, but it's a lovely story and I left feeling happy.

Today is Sunday. We have church at 11, as the other ward in our building is having a back to school welcome Sunday. Other than that, it should be a pretty quiet day. Tomorrow I turn 29. I have decided not to throw a party, but I think I SHALL go buy a cake. How else can I have cake for breakfast the day after - it really is a fabulous tradition ;)

First a comment - it is 9:30 at night and still 86 degrees outside. Gotta love August.

Ok, so today has been kind of a bleh day. I couldn't for the life of me make myself want to be at work. I still got lots of stuff done, it was just one of those days.

After work it got better. I got to chat with John. That's always a good thing. I also had to weigh in, which can go either way. But, having surgery and a cold is apparently a good thing. I lost. In fact, I lost enough that I have now earned my 10% ring (i actually earned it before the surgery) AND this week I earned my 25lb award. What that means is that this time around, I have lost 25 pounds - ok, so that doesn't take a genius to figure out, but what it also means is that since I started this whole feel better, be healthier gig, I've now lost 49 pounds. So, 49 is kind of random, but oh well, I am celebrating it. Just like I will celebrate 50.:P The goal this week is to lose, even though it is my birthday week. It's totally doable.

Also tonight was bowling night. I bowled a 136! While that is not all that fabulous of a score, my lifetime high is 145, so I am also feeling pretty good about that.

Anyway, the summary version is that tonight was much better than today. Now... if I can only find out where the stargazing party is tomorrow night.........

So here are the pictures from the rest of the fair. One of my favorite parts was the kids tractor pull. Basically,they got the kids on pedal tractors and put weights in the back. As the kids moved forward, the weights did, too. Thus making it harder for them to pull.







Then on Saturday night, to wind things up, they had a REAL tractor pull. It was interesting. I am not all that into horsepower and noisy trucks, but it was pretty cool. I would definitely go again...





I also got my hair done this week. It was time. I am still not sure how I feel about the blonde, but, well, it's something different. Shahna finished the look by giving me her same hair updo as well. I call it cowgirl hair. I am pretty sure you'll never see it again, so I figured we'd better document it.



Ok, that's all I have for now. I am back in Salt Lake and working from the office again ;) I suppose that's a good thing. I must admit, working in Bear Lake is my preferred option.

I love county fairs. Incase you missed that in some previous posts. Tuesday night we went to the demolition derby. The fact that people will put so much money into modifying their cars just so they can spend the night ramming them into other cars is fascinating to me. White trash fascinating. There were 2 heats of cars, then they had an ATV race to kill some time. The ATV race, let me explain - pairs of riders on 4 wheelers (one driver, one rider per machine)drive around in circles, while the riders use baseball bats to try and pop balloons that are taped onto the other riders' helmets. Yes, truly, they drive around in circles beating each other up with baseball bats. And they do it voluntarily. After the ATV race, anyone of the cars who can get started come back into the arena and try to bash into each other again. The last car standing wins the derby.

The question is - which is worse, the people driving or the people who spend money to watch.....

This week I am hanging out in Bear Lake. Let's face it, it's more fun to recover in a place where people will feel sorry for you, at least a little ;) It's also the county fair this week. I like the fair. It's fun to watch the kids with their 4-H animals and projects and such, plus we get to do all the white trash stuff - rodeos and demolition derbies and the like. AND how can life be complete with out a little fair food? Seriously, life with out grilled onions on a big ole hamburger and weird little biscuits deep fried and covered in sugar glaze - is that any kind of life at all???

I am attaching random pictures that I just got. They are old, but I still like 'em.

My mom and I hung out at the hospital today. I had a lithotripsy. They basically shot my kidney with sound waves until they broke the stone into small enough pieces to move out. They said they found a second stone, so they broke that one up, too. Now I get to hang out at home and enjoy my lortab until all the pieces decide to leave my body. I am very blessed that my mom is in town this week. I am not sure how that all worked out, but I will just be greatful. If one more person tells me to drink lots and lots of water - I will probably have to pour the bottle over their head.

Yesterday was an adventure. I finally decided to go to the instacare for some severe back pain I have been experiencing. I was diagnosed with kidney stones. Not excited. She gave me pain meds and said if it got worse to go to the hospital. So I faked the rest of the day, even went down to visit my grandparents. The pain meds made me sick and didn't help the pain. Needless to say, it got worse. About 11:00 pm, my mom and I drove to the hospital. They were super nice, they gave me morphine and a ct scan. Apparently I have a 10mm stone sitting right in my kidney, too big to get out on it's own. So, they gave me a referral to a urologist and different pain meds. We got home about 3 am. Not bad for an ER visit.
This morning I met the urologist, and he set me up with an appointment for an outpatient surgery tomorrow to send sonic wave blasts into my kidney to break up the stone. The best part of the whole story - is that after all this - I STILL have to pass the fragments. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry, so I am going to stop now.... Ok then, now you know, probably too much.

Saturday we went to see Hairspray. If you like musicals at all- SEE THIS SHOW. I was dancing the whole time. I didn't expect the show to actually have a purpose, but it does. And John Travolta as a woman - it was well worth the money spent. The man can dance no matter what shoes he's wearing. Again, a movie I will have to add to my library.

This week I am hanging out with my mom. I am pretty sure she is bored off her gourd during the day, but hopefully we can find some things to stay busy during the evening. Tonight we went to dinner at the Jenkins' home. It was super tasty. Tomorrow we're going to see the grandparents, because I am pretty sure they will disown me if I don't get there soon. After that, I am not sure - does anyone know what there is to do in Salt Lake on a Wed or Thur night?

Next week I am gonna go home for a week and work from the hospital annex's basement. I like working from the library better, but it's not open early enough to work from for a whole week. The cool part is that it is fair week next week :) YAY demolition derby!

First of all - Happy Birthday Mom!!!! My mom is 47 years young today. I am super excited because tomorrow she is coming to stay with me for a week! YAY:) So she'll probably be super bored all week, because I still have to work, but I am way happy she's coming down.

So the last little while I have been thinking alot about water. Christ called himself "living water". The human body is approximately 60% water. 80% of the earth is covered in water, 97% of the water is salt water, 2% is frozen in glaciers leaving only 1% drinkable.Water is life and death. Water makes things grow. It is necessary for survival. If it comes at the wrong time it will take life. It can destroy homes. We pray for rain, at the same time as people a couple of states away are pumping water out of the streets. I drove home in a torrential downpour tonight and loved every minute of it. But I have spent the last 48 hours trying to figure out why my house is flooding and once we knew why, how to fix it. Water is cleansing and yet causes mudlides. We have 8 wildfires burning in the state of Utah, but in the part of the state that is not on fire, we have hail the size of quarters. Frozen water can be as sweet as popsicles, or cause accidents as black ice. Water can knock out power lines, cause flash floods, or cool the head of fevered child.

Ok, sorry, like I said, I've been thinking about water lately. I didn't say I had come up with anything profound :P Anyway... now that I have rambled on a while, I think I shall go to bed. Staff meeting at 6:30 comes plenty early.

So, the reunion was pretty cool. Friday night I saw fire flies for the first time. They are not very common in Idaho, so it was pretty neat. Saturday morning the rest of the Skinner clan converged on the camp ground. Well, not technically "the rest." We had about 120 people of the 260ish that should have been there. It was fun though, normal family reunion stuff, food, games, talking, and lots and lots of wet kids.

Now I am back in Salt Lake. Life is pretty quiet. Monica is in Kenya on a service trip, so I leave the TV on for noise :) I have the new Harry Potter book sitting on my table, still in the box. I am afraid if I open it I won't be able to put it down. I haven't quite gotten to the point where I want to do the extra work I should be doing, but I have a guilty conscience.

Now you know, in case you were wondering, I am strange like that.

Today was a much better day than yesterday. Yesterday was one of those days where everything is just a bit off and nothing turns out like you think it should. Work, home, roads, people... everything just seemed a bit off. Today things went pretty much like they were supposed to. Except for the ear infection my mom woke up with. We woke up, got stuff ready, went out to the campground, chatted, ate, got eaten alive by mosquitos, came home. It really is a simple life. I only got pulled in to work stuff for about an hour. The water issue at my place seems to be resolving. Really, a simple and happy day.

Ok... I am off to bed. We have to get up early to go back out to the campers.... I'd much rather get up early and take a lovely warm shower than sleep on the ground and smell of yesterday's bug spray all day. I love that they camp about 30 minutes from Mom's :)

I give up, officially. I am supposed to be leaving town for 4 days in an hour and I have just discovered that there is water seeping from the ceiling around my cooling vent. Someone please remind me why I wanted to become a homeowner.... please.....

AaaaAAaaaaaAAA is really all I can say about that.

My neighbor is going to keep an eye on it and call the HOA's handyman to figure out if it is my cooler or water from the upstairs unit. I am blessed to have good neighbors. I will have to remember to make cookies ;)

Between July and August I think I celebrate half of the birthdays in my life. Ok so probably not half, but it seems like a lot all very close to each other... Kelly, Matt, James, Mom, Kym S, Heather, Daniel, Shahna, Trista, Me, Riley, Alice, Kym W and I am pretty sure I've missed some.

This is me remembering to say- Happy Birthday, in case I forget.

I get to go home this weekend. I am going to Clark's reception on Wednesday and then I have a family reunion on Saturday. I know I was home a couple of weeks ago, but I am still excited to go back. If nothing else it's an excuse not to answer my cell phone, but it's better than that, cuz I get to chill with the fam. If anyone is in Bennington this weekend, take Hunter Lane til it ends and come find us! We welcome all :)

Today was a good day. First of all, I got to chat with John. That always makes me happy. Second I went to WW and not only did I lose all the weight from my business trips and vacation time, but a little bit more. Third, I broke 100 on both games of bowling, and Barry was even there to see it so I didn't have to send him pictures ;)

Ok, so maybe I am being a bit simple, but really, that's all it takes to make me happy:)

So, for Matt's birthday we went to see Harry Potter 5 last night. I say go. It was fabulous. They left a lot out, but well, you kind of have to when the book is that long. But they followed the story better than normal AND they finally cut Harry's hair. If I had my d'ruthers the twins and Luna would have had bigger parts, but that's just me. Anyway, it's worth th 8 bucks to see it in the theater. And it will be a definite add on to my collection.

Anyway - Happy Birthday Matt!

I am officially going through withdrawls. Fortunately, work is extra busy to make up for it... or maybe that's what I get for thinking I could actually take that much time off. My next goal is to take 5 days consecutively. LOL, guess I should get some training done.

There are a couple of things that are helping keep my brain busy. The first is planning a trip to Manchester... the other is getting ready to go to Cancun. I am not sure how or why, but somehow I get to go to Cancun with work. I am super excited about it. The coolest part, is I get to bring my mom and just pay her air fare! That's freaking awesome.

In the meanwhile, I am looking for random projects.... any ideas?

This is John at his first baseball game :)



Over looking Park City, getting ready to go down the Alpine Slide



Welcome to Bear Lake!



We tried and tried to take a picture at the fireworks, but for some reason John couldn't keep his eyes open for the flash. We gave up, this picture just makes me happy.

Yeah, so... lots of stuff...John survived meeting my family. I think Cannon actually likes him, so that's a good sign ;) Cannon took him bowling, milking, and thru the Oregon Trail Center Museum.

John also survived as a Brit celebrating Independence Day in America. We did the fireworks show in Logan on Tuesday, just so he wouldn’t think we were all crazy. About the most exciting part of the actual holiday was watching M Hill light on fire from a rogue firework.

We got back into Salt Lake yesterday morning. Everything we tried to do didn’t really work out, even bowling with my friends, none of them showed up. So, we went to dinner instead.

I left him at the airport this morning. That sucked a lot. October has never looked quite so far away. Fortunately, I have plenty to keep me busy between now and then. Most of which I found out about when I got back to work today ;) But I am also going to Cancun in September (yay) I am not sure how I got put on the list, but I am not going to complain. I also get to take my mom. She totally deserves a vacation, and I’ve never been to Mexico, so it should be an adventure.

My internet at home isn’t really working so much, but when it does I’ll upload the rest of the photos. I know you can hardly wait :P

Well, we all knew it would happen eventually. I was hopeful it would take longer than it did. John beat me at bowling tonight.

Monday night we went to the Bees game. It was actually a pretty good game and the Bees totally won. We got tickets right behind the home plate. It was pretty good for watching the game, but I think next time, the first base line would be better. You can't catch foul balls behind the home plate.

Tonight we're going to the drive in to see Pirates. Yay :)

A shout out to my friend Amy - Congrats! Mace is a very very lucky man.

I love the zoo. I haven't been for ages, but I figure having John in town gives me an excuse to do the things I like to do but don't get to do often. We went in the morning. It was bound to be another hot day, but we're silly like that.

Tee hee hee, this gorilla made me giggle. He just looks just plum tuckered.

After the zoo, John got his first taste of Taco Bell. I am sure right now you are thinking.... what in the devil would she take him there for, but, well, this is my story so I get to take him to places I enjoy, and there is very little better than a chalupa and a cold Mt Dew :) Speaking of soda, he also tried root beer. He says it is terrible and tastes like medicine. I am actually not a fan of the drink myself, but it's very american so he had to try it :)

In the evening we went to see Monica compete at her feis. It was actually pretty cool. I've seen Monica perform, but never compete. She did really well, no matter what she tells you.


After the competition John took me to The Roof. It was just as gorgeous as everyone says it is. The view of the Salt Lake valley is amazing, and of course Temple Square. We were surrounded by couples celebrating anniversaries and birthdays and such.

Over all a lovely day.


Today... today John met my grandparents, and he has lived to tell the tale :) We spent the afternoon there, picked cherries in the back yard, and spent the day listening to stories.

Life is good.

I had no idea that Liberty Park had a ferris wheel in it, or a museum, or a wading pool. I DID know it had an Aviary in it, and that is why we went there yesterday. It was SOOOOOOOO warm. A perfectly lovely day, but very warm.


We took a picnic, wandered around the park and aviary, and spent the day getting sunburned. Then we went and had a practice bowling game. I did really really well for myself. I totally made up for breaking Barry's dream a couple of weeks ago ;)


Today we played in the pool for a while and then went to the planetarium. Then tonight was bowling night. I scored crap. I should really take a lesson.....

These are the pics from wandering around Temple Square Sunday :) Now you know

I didn't die, I've just been busy. Last week I was in Laredo. Jeremy makes me work long days ;)

Friday, John got here. I've had other things to do that don't involve sitting in front of a computer... Saturday we went grocery shopping and to the movie. We saw Fantastic 4, Rise of the Silver Surfer. It was alright. We were going to go to Pirates, but it was going to start too late, and we had to be up early on Sunday. I probably would have liked Fan 4 more, if I had not been in the mood for Pirates. Sunday we went downtown to see the taping of "Music and the Spoken Word." If you're going to come to Salt Lake, you should check out the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They are amazing really. And, since they were going on tour the rest of the time John is here, we had to get it in quickly. We also went to church and then wandered around Temple Square. The missionaries were great. I learned a few things about the tabernacle I hadn't known before. When we got home, I made dinner. It is, afterall, what I do.

Today, I am at work. I have never not wanted to be somewhere this much before.

Yesterday was my grandpa's 80th birthday. I was told to be there around noon, and you know me, I always do as I am told ;) My dad's family came down about the same time. It is actually the first time we have all been together- ever. Of course, we took pictures :)



Like father like son



Grandma and Dad



Some of us





Jaden


Karlie and Alice



Girls :)




4 generations