The Sum of 30 Years

Gordon and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on Sunday. Wow. That was fast; but then again, not. You know what I mean.

Our children hosted a dinner for us, and then presented us with a book full of pictures & memories from each phase of their lives, and letters.

I sat in awe; what did I do to deserve this? They are fabulous kids and I'm so glad I didn't mess them up when they came to me.

On another note, 30 years is quite an accomplishment. I am so grateful that I married Gordon; he has been a wonderful husband. He is wise, generous, and conservative (a good match to my wild side!). When we married, I didn't know just what a guy I was getting; one who would do all of the above plus teach and lead my children. I love him.

I feel very grateful.

The Graduate

James graduated from Boise State last Friday. He graduated suma cum laude and got to carry his college's flag (oh, bother).

We are on a roll - James is the 3rd son and the 7th of the sibs and in-laws to graduate.

To say I'm proud is an understatement.

It is clear now that I gave them all my brains, there's so little left. Ha Ha.

The Ultimate

The ultimate, latest and cute, cute cute pictures of Miriam are HERE.

Random Thoughts for the Day

I can't claim credit for these; I don't know who did them, but they are right on.

1. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
2. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
3. There is a great need for a sarcasm font.
4. How in the world are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
5. Was learning cursive really necessary?
6. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
7. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
8. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
9. Bad decisions make good stories.
10. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
11. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
12. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
13. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this-- ever.
14. I hate it when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
15. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
16. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
17. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..

Rich is making good use of his Paternity leave......

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/oDNQgJrhg5l4DfrBbwJo

For more pictures of Miriam, go here.

Lady Miriam Arrives

Our first grand daughter was born last Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 8 oz.
Her head is filled with blonde hair so soft. She has a perfect face with perfect little features. She looks like a tiny potato bug, rolling into a ball when you try and get a peek at her long toes.
I will try and get some better pictures soon to post.
Welcome Miriam!

Mint M&M's revisited

This post is from April 17, 2008
M&M's - What Have They Done?
Most of you know that I have always had a love affair with M&M's. They are the perfect candy for two reasons. One is that they are the perfect after dinner chocolate fix and two, they are so little that a woman can convince herself that she is only eating a "little" chocolate while consuming a half a bag, and the psyche never even realizes it (but the thighs do....)I have two rules for eating them:

1 - Only one at a time.

2 - Let them melt in your mouth, don't chew them. (Actually, you suck on it until the candy shell begins to melt, then chew the shell and then let the chocolate melt).

I love them all: milk chocolate, peanut, peanut butter, almond center and dark chocolate. I love the holiday M&M's because they are the freshest.But I can't believe what they have done to MINT M&M's. They have ruined my very favorite candy. The highlight of my candy eating was waiting with anticipation for the one time a year I could get them. As usual, I waited this last year until November 1st (the day after Halloween, when they put out the Christmas candy) to go to the store and get my first bag of mint M&M's. Just for good measure, I grabbed five. But much to my dismay, when I got home and opened one of the bags, they were different. For some reason they decided to make them bigger (why mess with a perfect thing?) and the candy shell was about as hard as a tortoise shell. There is no breaking it down to chew on before you suck on the chocolate. As a matter of fact, it was hard.

I never made it through the first bag. (What kind of English is this?)

I tried, but it was ruined for me. The worst part is that I have lost my taste for most M&M's in general. I just don't crave them like I used to. Last month I saw a bag of "raspberry dark chocolate". When I went to grab a bag, I could tell they were the big ones with the tortoise shells. I never tried them.Does the M&M company realize that a major consumer has lost it? I alone accounted for a great number of yearly sales. They are probably sitting in their corporate offices asking themselves, "Why are sales down in Boise, Idaho?" I have the answer if they would just ask......

It is December 2009 now and I have revisited the mint m&m thing again. They are still too big. While I will never get back to the days of buying 10 bags at a time, I will settle for the smooth, minty chocolate that is inside of the disgusting shell.

I love the various candies of Christmastime, from the homemade carmels and fondants to the cherry cordial hershey kisses. The shelves at the stores are brimming with candies that sell only this time of year.

From the looks of it, Christmas is fast approaching.

Looking forward to...

This Thanksgiving I'm looking forward to everything this picture depicts. Hangin' out with the fam. This picture is on Ben's birthday, when he turned 27. Wow.

I love that everyone comes home for the holidays. I love that they love to be together. They are incredible kids and Gordon and I count ourselves so lucky to have them. Even more than the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberries, rolls, etc; I enjoy the after-time. Laying on the floor doing nothing and talking about nothing and everything.

I am so thankful for family. Mine was somewhat dysfunctional growing up. They are everything I wished for when I was young. And more.

Oh, and I'm thankful for mint m&m's again. But that's another post.

The Legend of Stinky

We like to name our cars. Gordon's truck is 'Big Red', Rich's truck is 'Great White', Jessica's is the 'Mystery Machine' aka the 'Green Wienee', my car is 'Lady Wilson'. James and Suzanne had 'Commando' and now a car named 'Gandolf''. I don't think Scott has named his yet and I haven't heard any names for Ben & Laura's cars.

One of our all time favorite names is 'Stinky'. Stinky began life as a brand new car Larry & Janie purchased. It eventually went through their kids (I seem to remember Amy taking the side mirror off backing out of the garage; correct me if I'm wrong). By the time Rich had his drivers license, it was available for him to drive. Life then consisted of early morning paper routes for Richard and Ben and James and occasionally Scott (if Rich was feeling 'queasy'). Have you ever smelled a car that, over time, has a hundred or so papers rolled in it every morning?

Think somewhere between wet dog and stale bread. 'Stinky' was an understatement, but it fit so well.

He wasn't anything fancy - but functional. Stinky served the boys for a couple of good years, got good gas mileage, and survived quite well....

Until James got his drivers license. He took Stinky for the first time. When he came home and got out, I happened to be standing on the front porch. "What in the world happened to Stinky? His front end is smashed in!"

James' response? "Nothing happened; that's the way it (the front end) has always looked."

For hours he tried to convince us all that we were crazy. Stinky looked totally normal.

Of course, when his father came home, his tune changed and the jig was up. He had rear ended someone while taking Stinky on his first (official) maiden voyage. I say official because James didn't feel the need to wait for a silly thing like a license to drive. But that's another story.

Stinky survived a lot, and although he survived James' maiden voyage, all good things must end and so did he.

Long live the legend of Stinky.

Not Just For Men

During the BSU game last week Jo was working on a bedspread for one of the boys. I could tell the lighting wasn't all that great, so Gordon got his headlamp for her.

So many uses for the headlamp.

After the fact

A little after the fact, but here are some Halloween pics of the fam

This one's not Halloween, but the boys call this black cauldron the "honeypot". They had a great time pushing each other around in it until one of them took a header.

Ski Bunnies

Little Dragon

Two menacing pirates

Fall

A couple of weeks ago, Jo invited me to come along as she and the boys attended the local "farmfest" out in Kuna. It was so impressive. Of course there was the usual corn maze, but this one offered so much more. There was a kiddie hay-bale maze, swings, mini tractor rides, a big tractor ride where you could stop in the pumpkin patch and pick pumpkins, and concessions that included warm donuts.

Among the pictures I snapped, this one was the best. Four little dark pools peaking out from a hay-bale. I can hardly imagine what their little sis is going to look like......

The Regulator

A wagging finger

My dream calling in my church is to be the "regulator". The number 1 reason is because there is such a NEED for one.

Here are some of the duties I perform : (whether in my mind or in action, it happens every week).

*When a speaker goes too long, the regulator produces a cane with a hook and removes them from the pulpit.
*When incorrect doctrine is spoken, the regulator shines a laser pointer right into the offender's eyes, thereby causing him to cease and desist.
*When teachers are excused early to go and prepare their classrooms, the regulator stands at the door to verify if they are really teachers or just trying to pull one over on everybody. Because, hey - that group gets bigger every week.
*If the hymn is being sung too slow, the regulator taps a large plastic wand on the piano until the organist and everyone else gets up to speed.
*If the hymn is too fast.....nevermind. The hymn is never too fast.
*Unless....you are in Relief Society and the pianist, because she is not singing, runs into the next verse before you have finished the last line of the previous verse.
*The regulator makes sure that there are no long or unnecessary meetings. This is a big one and takes a lot of energy.
*The regulator provides a list of those wanting to give sacrament meeting talks. It is populated by those giving closing prayers lasting longer than 1 minute and containing it's own subject matter.
*When the time is up, the regulator stands up and pulls a hand across the throat as a sign to stop. This is especially useful, since the entire congregation sees it too. There's nothing like church peer pressure, is there? (This will have to be it's own post).

*When the third hour is over, it's over. Because we are like sponges, you and I. We are capable of soaking in during the entire lesson, but if it goes even one minute over (this includes the song) the sponge begins to leak at a very rapid pace, replaced by agitation and in some cases, hostility.
*Teach monthly seminars on how our church calling does not define who we are as a person. Nor does our church calling take precidence over other things, like say.....FAMILY.

Stay tuned for part II because trust me, I have only scratched the surface of the need for a ward regulator.

Who are "they"?

Sometimes pet peeves are just on your mind. This morning as I emptied the dishwasher and dumped water down the front of me, it was brought to the fore-front again.

Why do "they" make pan handles, strainer handles; you-name-it handles with little reservoirs on the bottom side of them? I can get the cups with a hollow spot on the bottom; they pretty much have to be made that way, but handles?

I think that "they" need an advisory panel (aka: regulator for anyone who knows my secret, yearned for church calling) to sift out these kinds of un user-friendly things about consumer goods.

Who are "they" anyway?

Who makes towels, anyway?

Has anyone noticed the braided edge of most towels?

I suppose the makers think they are pretty-ing up the towel, providing embellishment.

Pay attention the next time you are drying your hands after washing with hot, soappy water (several times per day, thanks to H1N1). Where do you grab to dry? The middle? No - the end, where the braided part is. There is no fluffy towel there.

When you step out of the shower or bath, what part of the towel do you use?

I am on a quest to find towels with no braided or embellished edges.

In the meantime, grabbing the towel in the middle to dry will have to do.

Just some random thoughts about towels.

Time for the Headlamp

I love it when I open the garage door and there is Gordon working hard, wearing his headlamp.
He and the boys just returned from their weeklong elk hunt in Eastern Idaho at Fall Creek. As I listen to them talk, they mention having their headlamps like it is as every day as carrying your car keys with you. Apparently, they have them in their "fanny packs" and when it gets dark and they are riding their horses back to camp, they pull out the headlamps.

What an image to imagine.

I have a headlamp in my car.

I should use it. I'll keep you posted.

Cease and Desist Order

What makes a blog slug? In my case at least.

I can go for weeks with something to blog about every day and then the seasons change and my blogging dwindles.

True, I am sad to see my favorite season end. But it's not depression; more a melancholy. I always feel this way when we have seen the last of summer.

I love the colors of the leaves changing and try not to focus on what comes next - dry brown branches leading into my least favorite season - winter.

I am trying to make this Jessica's best year ever before she takes off for college next fall. I'm determined that it will be a happy, exciting time for her. But inside, I fret. I think about this time next year. I wonder what life will be like with an empty nest.

But worry is not a productive activity. So I must cease and desist.

I must take my own advice and feed all of the positives in my life. And there are so many. I truly am a grateful soul. I thank the Lord every morning for all He has given me.

I think gratitude is the key to a happy life.

Father and Daughter

Jessica had the honor of being nominated for Homecoming Queen this year. Her proud papa was there to escort her on to the field.

While she wore her blue prom dress (she wore a shorter, different dress for the dance), Gordon fretted much more than she about what he should wear.

He had her convinced all week that he had a tuxedo tucked in the back of his closet and that I had taken it down to the drycleaners. I got to quietly nod my head and try to go along with things, even though keeping a straight face was hard at times.

"You have to tell him, Mom. Nobody will be wearing a tux; not even the boys nominated!"

"You will have to be the one to tell him", I said with a straight face.

She spent the better part of the week trying to subtly convince him that it really wasn't necessary to wear a tux. When he insisted, she told him they made some sort of announcement at school about what the parents should wear (this was a stretch at best).

Gordon replied by telling her that he had put a call in to Alta (the principal) and she gave the go ahead.

Finally, he gave in and told her he had been kidding her all week. It was a good one and we really had her going.

Teasing our kids has been one of the great joys of parenthood.

Notice how nicely his light blue tie coordinates with her dress.

Top 25

Summer seemed like it was going to last forever this year.

And it was.

Until Friday when the temperature dropped drastically and then Saturday when it started raining and hasn't stopped yet.
People say they love the change in seasons, particularly to the Fall. I love Fall too. I just wish it didn't have to push summer out of the way.

So, in a fond farewell to summer, here are some of my favorite things:

Top 25 of the summer:
1. Scott getting home.
2. Going to the cabin right after Scott got home.
3. Scott's homecoming weekend.
4. Seeing all of the family for Scott's homecoming.
5. Watching my boys goof around together, obviously happy at being together.
6. Watching Jess finally having a sibling semi-her age around again.
7. Jess skiing & Scott watching her for the first time & being very impressed.
8. Scott skiing and throwing the rope when the water got rough.
9. Cam and Eli warming up to Scott as though he never left.
10. Ben & Laura moving home to Boise.
11. Helping Ben & Laura find the house of their dreams.
12. Getting slurpees with Jess.
13. Getting our new boat, the Black Marauder.
14. Rich & Jo organizing our Lucky Peak camping trip.
15. James introducing Scott to his bride, Suzanne.
16. Horseback riding with Scott, Jess & Gordon.
17. Skiing for the afternoon/evening at Lucky Peak.
18. The hot, hot sun on my back.
19. Sunbathing with Jess.
20. My summer toasty-tan.
21. Freshly mowed lawn.
22. Flower pots overflowing.
23. Planting, cultivating and working in the yard.
24. My roses.
25. The sunshine!

In the grayness of the winter and in fairness to the seasons, I will post a top 25 of the fall. (A top 25 of the winter? That could be a stretch).

You're What?

A particular son of mine was at a party at his college, deep in the mountains of Provo. He was invited there by a former mission acquaintance. Standing outside with his room mates (all of them just recently returned missionaries), they were trying to work up the nerve to go inside and dance.

Nearby, a group of young ladies, some of them returned missionaries themselves, stood outside for the same reasons.

Soon the party thrower came out and got them to all go inside and just dance in groups with each other. It seemed to work well.

Really well. One really cute blonde sidled up to this particular son of mine and behaved very flirtatiously. Said son had a really good time and it felt good to break the ice.

Afterward, outside, all parties were talking and trying to figure out who lived where and with who. Said son was coyly trying to determine how he might find cute blond in the future. The conversation went something like this:

Son: "So you live with her and you two are room mates...... Where does she live?" (pointing to blond).

Random Girl: "Oh, she lives with her husband." It was then that he looked down and noticed the rock on her hand.

The ice wasn't broken - it was shattered. Said son was sure he did something to entice a married woman.

At first, I thought she was a really bad wife, tired of being married and out for a good time with friends.

The next morning I was sure she was still a bad wife, but trying to toy with newly returned missionaries to get a reaction.

Either way - This is a big time LOSER, with the "L" on the forehead.

I hope there aren't too many of this type at this place.

Bein' Right Where I Want to Be

Isn't it amazing how an image or a sound provokes memories?

Yesterday I was driving along, happily running errands and this song came on the radio, "cold (root) beer on Friday night, a pair of jeans that fit just right", hum de dum..... because I never remember all the words.

It catapulted me back to an evening this summer; July 4, to be exact. We were riding in the boat to see fireworks and this song was blasting. It has a nice part about stars and stripes and our wonderful country and it was very fitting for the occasion.

But the memory that comes the strongest is being all together, not a care in the world, and being exactly where I wanted to be.

I love it when this happens. It helps us preserve some of life's great moments.

Saturday I was cleaning out my "drink fridge" in the garage and sitting next to it was this old warped case of water. If you look closely, you will see sand in the bottom of it.

I was taken back to boat camping at Lucky Peak on a 100 plus day. Rich called; we needed more water, water, water. So we plopped a couple of cases right there in the water at the beach to try and keep them semi cold.

And then,
Fire
Making s'mores with Cam & Eli
Fireside conversation
Sirens & helicopters
Tent conversation
Dutch oven cooking
Water skiing
Hangin' out
Cam jumping on the tube tied to the dock
Eli wearing his sun glasses as he played in the water
Bein' right where I wanted to be.

'Being where you want to be' is the reward for doing all the things we don't want to do and being where we necessarily don't want to be. There is a lot of that in day to day life.

Where are you?

Ramblin' Rose

In February, when I trim my roses, I decided to move this little beauty from the backyard to the front yard. The one that was there was struggling and not looking so good, so they basically traded places.
Did you know this about Rose bushes? You can't plant one in the same dirt where you previously had one; well you can, but it won't grow well.


When I moved this baby, she was just a mass of dried cane, like they all are when you cut them down in February. I nurtured her through the spring - nothing. Through the beginning of summer - nothing; until.....one day I noticed a few little green sprouts coming up from her root. (This is how transplanted Roses will re-surge ((in my little opinion and experience)) ).

She grew, but seemed stunted in size. The bush only got knee high (on my knee you know that's not very high). Her buds were mini and I was sure I now had a mini Rosebush. I was worried that she had gone back to her wild state; Roses tend to do this whenever they suffer any trauma. They turn into a wild, generic Rose, blooming in different colors, sizes and of lesser quality.

But I was relieved to see 6 or 7 beautiful pink blossoms return. Then she seemed to really do nothing until this week I noticed that she had grown in leaf and in blossom.

I think she is back.

And I am so happy with the outcome, I am considering relocating this one to the front next year.
And that's the end of the rambling Rose stories (for now).

Ripsnorter

ripsnorter
\RIP-SNOR-ter\
noun
: something extraordinary : humdinger

Two of my favorite ripsnorter football games of the weekend include:

BSU roasting the Oregon Ducks last Thursday. Our own Michael Ames, #54 started as a freshman after a two year mission and redshirt year. He was fantastic!

BYU all out beating Oklahoma on Saturday night. Bob Stoops was stoopified'.

Speaking of ripsnorters, isn't this a great picture of Gordon riding Buzz?

Is it just me?

Is it just me?

inflammable
\in-FLAM-uh-bul\
adjective
1 : flammable*2 : easily inflamed, excited, or angered : irascible

Or is this definition misleading?

Tree Goiter

A goiter - GOY'-der (AmE) (Latin gutteria, struma), also called a bronchocele, is a swelling in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a swelling of the neck or larynx.

One Sunday dinner we were talking and the subject randomly turned to goiters. (Don't ask how...I couldn't tell you if I remembered....) I had never heard of a goiter before but found the word facinating. Try saying it over and over and it becomes really funny.

Maybe it's just me.

While we were riding horses last week, Scott made this discovery.

A tree goiter.
I was sad to hear that before we put iodine in salt, many people had to live their lives with great big goiters protruding from their neck.

Certain people I know remember people who had goiters.
Just thought I would share some random thoughts about goiters.

Toilet Talk

Maybe it's because I cleaned 3 of our 4 bathrooms today that toilets are on my mind tonight.

I used to use "clorox" drop-ins in all of the toilets and loved how clean they stayed. But my toilets were always clogging up and all of my big boys were gone.....

So....I had to find out why. I had a plummer (plumber?) come and take a look. He pulled out a chunk of the drop-in. It was keeping other "drop-ins" from going all the way down - if you know what I mean.

So no more of those. It has been over a year now and as I cleaned this morning, I wondered why I had to clean so often. Then I remembered it was because I no longer used this great product.

I am determined to find something to replace the c d i's. And I can't abide blue water.

Any suggestions?

Riding Away

On Thursday we went for a ride on the horses - Gordon, Myself, Scott & Jess. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a spectacular time.
We were trying to wring the last bit of fun and family togetherness out of the summer we have had with Scott.

He left for BYU today. I won't talk about how empty the house seems tonight. It was a wonderful, wonderful summer.

Happy Trails to you, Scott.

August Magic

I love being at the lake with my family, for the obvious reasons, especially when it's hot and dry. But more than that, in August I notice an extra green in the water that seems to be highlighted by the sun. The sun not only dances on the water, it seems to dance into the water.

My theory is that it is where the sun is in relation to the earth that makes it different than any other time in the summer. But whatever causes it, it is so soothing to me. I look forward to it every year and am never disappointed.

The picture doesn't capture all of it, but some of the sparkle. I love it.
I love this special place because of all the memories we create there. Last Friday night we boat camped and got a great spot at the Robie Creek beach. We carry everything in on the boat and get totally away from civilation. Rich organized this trip and already had the boat up there and the camping spot ready. He and Jo fixed chicken & rice in the dutch oven; we skied, tubed and then settled in for a campfire. After s'mores, the boys fell into bed; they love sleeping in their little family's tent.

We laughed and joked about everything from our tent being on the "cliffs of insanity" to my mistaking the Mason's religion with the Shriners. "I don't know why wearing a funny hat and riding around in parades in go-carts constitutes a religion!" There are so many things I don't know....

About 10:30 we noticed the Sherrif's boat down the channel with it's lights flashing. After about 1/2 hour, we really got curious about what was going on. All of a sudden, a helicopter appeared shining a spotlight over the water; it made four or so rounds, looking at the shore and banks too.

For the better part of 2 hours we were sure that their was either a dead body in the lake or an escaped convict they were looking for. Jess was sure she spotted the convict frozen in action when the spotlight shone across the lake from us. After things settled down a bit, we finally climbed the "cliffs of insanity" and turned in for the night. It was a fun adventure, even though it turned out to be a routine exercise we were told the next morning.

After a breakfast of dutch oven quiche fixed by Gordon, we enjoyed more swimming, tubing and just laying in the sun.

Oh, and watching the magic of the August water.

The Hydrangea Moment

Jessica had her Senior pictures taken on Tuesday, August 18th, my Mother's birthday. She would have been the big 70 if she were still with us. I continue to live for the both of us and get all of the joy out of the big and little moments that happen; grandchildren, children graduating and becoming adults and everything in between. We had one of those moments last week.....

Jess had a great session and we loved our photographer, Amy. For some of the pictures, we went down by the river in Eagle. There are so many good photo-ops there and we were taking advantage of them. It was fairly busy, as it was almost 100 degrees that day; there were people all over taking advantage of the water.

Just as she was getting ready for another picture, I turned and here comes this handsome young man in a swim suit carrying a pink hydrangea. His two friends were in the background, smiling anxiously. As I moved over for him to get to Jessica, he said, "We thought you should have this."

What a moment. Three cute guys! They had been watching most of the shoot. As they walked away, I said to the photographer, "picture!" and she hurriedly got one of them as they walked away. Jess then posed with the flower and they cheered from a distance.

It was a moment that every Senior girl should have.

Jess is kicking herself for not finding out their names and what school they go to.

I am kicking myself for not telling them, "Thank you for appreciating a modest daughter of God and making her day."

Uncle Scott

The boys love playing with Uncle Scott. And he loves playing with them. It's hard to tell who is having the most fun.

When does old happen?

Yesterday we went to the lake. It was a beautiful day with nary a cloud in the sky. The temperature topped at about 90. Gordon took us girls; Laura, Jess, Meghan and myself. Laura skied better than I've ever seen. I thought of the first time she got up on a slolom ski just three years ago. She has really mastered it and was throwing up quite a spray with her turns.

Meghan wakeboarded and skied, Jess skied and they both rode the red tube for a wild and funny ride. Gordon had an evil smile on his face the whole time and had way too much fun. At one point, Jess went flying off the tube in the sitting position and skipped backwards 5 times across the water. Another time, they both went flying with their arms up like Superman. Oh, how I wish I'd had my camera with me!

I usually only ski when it is the "trifecta"; a perfect blend of smooth water, high temperatures and something else I can't remember right now:). I battled in my mind wanting to/not wanting to. The temperature had dipped somewhat but as we sat and ate, the water got perfectly still and so, against my better judgement, I went for it.

First, when I got in the water (it felt a little chillier than usual - even with a wetsuit), I banged my left ankle on the ski and it HURT. I got ready, though and gave the go ahead. The rope jerked from my hands so suddenly that I hardly knew what happened. Gone was my streak of perfect starts for the summer. Gone was my streak of only one start from the water.

"What did you do", I asked Gordon when he brought the rope around.

"Nothing different".

On the second try, I got up but it seemed laborious to me. That is the only word for it. And then, gone was the calm water - a boat was coming our way.

"I can get a couple of turns in before his wake hits", I thought and went for it. The second turn landed me right on my face in the water, head first. Gone was my other streak of skiing and not getting my hair wet.

I had to try again. By this time, the water was full of boat wake and it was a tough ski. It felt strangely weird and out of control. When I'd finally had enough, I chucked the rope, Scott style, and slid into the water.

When the boat came around for me, everyone was laughing hysterically. Apparently, after my fall, my head had gathered all of my hair from the side/back and deposited it up on my head like a Borg or something. It took a while to fix.

Back in the boat, I was telling Laura, "Look at this welt on my ankle, the water was so cold, the water was so rough, I'm freezing...."

Wah, wah wah.....I realized I was making excuses. That's when I said to Laura, "Maybe I got old since my last ski." Maybe the turning point happened sometime during the last three weeks.

Apparently, the third thing in the trifecta is a factor that I can't ignore. What was it? I think it could be the key to my ski.

One thing is for sure; I can't get back out there and try soon enough.

She's come a long way, baby!

Jessica started to slalom about 3 years ago. It's obvious from this picture that she has come a long, long way. She's sking on the new "girl ski", the Siren.
Tortuga! (That's the name on her wetsuit and every time she gets ready to ski, we shout it).
It's been ages since we had the wakeboard out, but James & Suzane took care of that. They both took a turn and boarded like they do it all the time. It was fun to watch them.

James gettin' some air.

This was a week ago, BEFORE the weather turned on us. We have had continuous rain and temperatures in the 60's!

Summer, come back!

Sugar and Spice....

And everything nice;
That's what little girls are made of.

If you read Jo's blog, you know that we're getting one of our very own.

Yes, the second girl to join the Bird family is coming to Rich and Jo.

I was there when Jo told Cam & Eli the news. Their reaction was priceless; they are so excited.

So are we.

Daymare

I get the "word-a-day" on my google home page and love some of the words that appear. This was today's word:

daymare
\DAY-mair\
noun
: a nightmarish fantasy experienced while awake

It made me chuckle, like most of the words do. Everyone should chuckle at least 3 times a day.

On a brighter note, this weekend I tasted the most fantastic rolls. I thought I had that recipe, but apparently not.

As previously mentioned, we had a luncheon at our home Saturday for our niece Melanie's wedding. There were somewhere around 80 people in and out of the house for the afternoon. It went very well and I attribute it to the great people that were in attendance.

My sister in law Janie's sister Carol brought these rolls. After I had snarfed down my share, I asked her for the recipe. In her good natured way, she not only shared it with me, but gave me some of the tips that she uses, and we all know that what really makes recipes shine is in the small details.

Light Rolls (It just sounds like you have permission to eat them:)

1 C. Hot Water
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. shortening
1/4 c Sugar
1 yeast cake (in a little warm/hot water) or 1 T. yeast
1 egg, well beaten
3 1/2 to 4 C flour

Combine hot water, shortening, sugar and salt. Let cool, then add yeast, egg and enough flour to beat well. Add flour to handle well; let rise. Make parker house rolls (folded over), rise again and bake. (Can keep a week in refrigerator. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before using, though)

Bake at 350 for 12-16 minutes. Yield: about 2 dozen

Tips: She uses butter flavored Crisco and you couldn't even taste it. Before, when I have had something made with it, I can taste it.

She puts the bowl the dough is going to raise in into hot water beforehand. This cuts down the first raising to 1/2 hour.

Blog Slug

I know I have been remiss in blogging the events of the past two weeks. Life has been a whirlwind; a great, full and busy whirlwind.

For many months now (roughly 24), I have been looking forward to having all of the kids when we have our fast Sunday dinners. Since we began doing them, there has always been someone away at school or gone on a mission.

Not today. Today everyone was here and it was wonderful. Not in any big huge way but wonderful in the simplicity of just laughing and talking together. One of the paydays a mother receives is the out of the blue awareness that her children love to be around one another. It is so rewarding to watch; so much so that I find myself being uncharacteristically quiet, in observance.

Since it is so hot, we set up long tables and ate in the basement with paper plates. Ben barbequed some chicken and we had leftovers from the luncheon we hosted for cousin Melanie's wedding on Saturday. It was easy but oh, so yummy.

Scott leaves in three weeks for BYU, once again putting a minus in FSD's. But that is where he's supposed to be right now, so it's all good.

You can bet that we're going to make the most of the next three weeks, though. And I promise no slug blogging. Really.

Weekend Report

Here are some pictures, pictures, pictures of the great weekend we had.

Sunday evening a bunch of friends came over to see Scott. Brooke, Amy, Lauren, Ashlee, Michael, Greg, Nate, Tanner.

In addition, several friends of our family came; the Footes, Bowens, Mortensens, Harris' to name a few.

Jess & Aimee

Ashlee, Lauren, Brooke and Nate.
We stuffed ourselves after the block with barbeque chicken, cabbage salad, 7 layer salad, pretzel salad, fruit salad and rolls.

No mission report would be complete without our very special parents. Here are Gordon's parents, Ray and Larene.

My dad and James watching the baseball game on Saturday. Two ardent fans, these two.

It was a great weekend all around with family and friends to share it with us. Scott gave a wonderful mission report (an unbiased mother's opinion) and spoke both in Laotian and Mien.

Life seems back to normal today, with Scott working, Jess working two jobs and me making sure they are both fed and taken care of. I love that. I have missed that.

Mission Report this Sunday

For those of you close enough to come; Scott reports his mission in Sacrament meeting this Sunday, July 19th at 11:00 a.m. We'll be having dinner after the block for family and will be open for treats & friends that night from 7:00-9:00.

If you can't come, don't worry. You know I'll post pictures and details.

Thank you, all of my good friends and family, for all of your love and support. I feel your vibes through the wireless network of the blogging world and it is fantastic.

Diet Coke

It's no secret that I like Diet Coke.

No wait - I love Diet Coke. I drink way too much of it my son Ben says. He tells me my bones are going to turn to powder.

(But I take Calcium and Vitamin D:)

I will have a Diet Coke rather than eat a candy bar, or a snack of any kind and it fills me up.

Gordon drinks "Why bother?"; caffiene free Diet Pepsi, or "brown, fizzy water" as we call it. Good for him for not drinking caffiene. It keeps him awake at night.

While we were getting off the lake I was pouring a Diet Coke over some ice and Cameron was in the truck with us.

He said, "is that like Root Beer?" "Yup, I replied".

After thinking a moment, he thoughtfully replied, "Baca sure loves Root Beer!"

Kids....... they say the darndest things.

And, they watch everything we do.

Normalcy

It's been almost two weeks now since Scott walked through those doors at the airport, halo and all.

He still has the halo.

But life is slowly returning to normal for him. Today he got a job working for Gemtek with James. He is so excited to have a focus.

It looks like he will be going back to BYU in the fall - Good thing Laura registered him for classes! Thanks, Lou:)

He speaks in Laotian and Mien (he is much more comfortable speaking Mien) and it sounds soooo cool. The other night, some Mien members called and they talked for over an hour, all in Mien.

I can tell that they miss him.

I have enjoyed fixing him breakfast, lunch and dinner and shopping together for new clothes. He still has great taste. I think my time for hovering is coming to a close; at least I sense his ability to put up with it is coming to a close.

Yes, things are returning to "normal", whatever that is.

I'll take it.

The Cabin

Must be my weeklong blogging absence, but somehow I couldn't get all of the pictures into one post. Be sure to read the next post to see the rest of the pictures.

4th of July

The Black Marauder in the background. All of the kids agree that she is spectacular, although she puts out a bit bigger wake than the Blue Boat. Scott got to ski for the first time in two years and loved it. You would think I would have more pictures of him on here, but when we were skiing, I forgot my camera and they are on Jessica's. More to follow, for sure.
Uncle Ben promised Cam and Eli that we would have a campfire and roast marshmellows. He went to the ends of the earth (well, Elkcreek Gas Station...)to make sure it happened.

We had a fabulous week at the cabin beginning the day after we picked up Mr. Scott from the airport. First, we stopped in Idaho Falls for a Bird Family Reunion and then went up to Island Park from there. Most of the pictures involve being out on the lake on July 4th. It was a highlight of the trip and has become a tradition.

Grandpa Bird had his boat stored at the cabin, so we took it out for the fireworks so we could spread out a little. After we got out there, we tied the boats together.

When asked what his favorite part of the week was, Cameron replied, "Watching the fireworks in the boat in the dark!" We love to get a picture of all the guys in their white shirts and ties after church. From left: Ben, Gordon, Rich, Scott, James.

This year - finally - there is no one missing!

What an awesome picture of Ben. Just before the fireworks began at sundown, the lake was full of boats waiting for the fun. We didn't have to wait - we broke out the cards, the tunes (Suz had Michael Jackson's greatest hits) and even danced.