Old friends found!!

I am really loving the internet tonight and, more specifically, blogspot!!!! I just followed a link and found another old friend that I haven't heard anything about in years!! I reconnected with another friend a few days ago and that was so fantastic!! It's been about 6 years since I had contact with her. I love finding out where everyone is, how they are doing and what they have done in life. There are always surprizes and they've all been good, so far. I think I'll go see if I can find anyone else!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!!!!

I hope you have all had a very wonderful Christmas morning!! We were all up nice and early by 7:30am (early, hahaha). We had a very nice morning opening and enjoying presents. My Mom and Dad and brother, Glen and his family, are all here. Mom and I have started dinner. We will be joined by my other brother, Rick, and his family later.
We got about 8" of snow overnight and another several inches since we woke up!!! The pictures from the other day don't even compare!!!!!!! It's still snowing and some are saying it is going to be the 'storm of the century'. We'll see.
I hope we can all have the spirit of Christmas with us throughout the coming year.

First Storm

WOW!!! That was quite a storm that came through in the last 48 hours. I'm not sure how much snow it actually dumped but we shoveled the driveway out twice yesterday and you can see how much we got last night in the photos above taken this morning. The top of the garbage can is my measuring gauge. It's pretty accurate as to how much we get even with wind. The wind was pretty high and drifted the snow. You can see how high it drifted against the garbage can. Yesterday it was completely clear around it!! It must have been a north wind last night because the front of the house (which faces north) is whitewashed from it.

My parents are on their way here from Colorado and got stuck behind road closures just an hour east of here. There are several ways around that particular spot but they were all closed due to drifting snow from the high winds. And there was a jack-knifed semi-truck on one of them, too. The plows are working hard to get the roads open and Mom and Dad should get here sometime before noon.

I LOVE WINTER!!!!!!!

An Ode to Mud

One of my friends lives in Arizona and hasn't gotten any snow, just rain. She asked if I could do a poem on mud. I think she was kidding but here's what I came up with!!

Mud, Mud everywhere,
on my shoes, in my hair??
Sloppy, slippery, gross and Yucky,
Can it get any more mucky?
It rained all day, it rained all night,
It's no use, why try to fight.
The kids are out in it now,
How will I clean them, how, oh, how?
Let them run, let them play,
Then I'll get out the hose and spray!!!
Mud, Mud everywhere,
on their shoes and in their hair.
Oh but Mom, it's fun.
You have to come try some!
Oh no, not me, you reply,
you just got some in my eye.
Out, out right now you go.
Why can't I just have some snow?

An Ode to Snow

Oh Snow, I see you there,
On the ground everywhere.
Falling softly from the sky,
you sometimes hit me in the eye.
White and cold, soft and light,
how much can pile up overnight!?
I shovel you off my driveway
I can't get it all, try as I may.
It really is a good workout
for my body round and stout.
Then I sit back and sip my cocoa,
listening to the radio, OH NO!!!!
Not another winter storm warning!!
Can't I relax tomorrow morning?
Oh Snow I see you there,
on the ground everywhere.
It's only December, or so they say.
I think I'll be shoveling 'til May!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Okay, so it's a few days late. Better late than never???
We have had a wonderful week. Brian has been home the whole week with only one day of real work time. We have really enjoyed being together as a family this week!
Thanksgiving Day was very quiet. We just had the 6 of us here for dinner. Rick and Sam and family came over for dessert that evening. We enjoyed a round of Ticket To Ride- 1910 expansion pack version. If you haven't tried it, it's fun!!!
We have so many things to be grateful for this year!! Brian is still working and will be through at least next summer. The children are all healthy and doing okay in school. We have our family. We live in a great nation where we get to speak our minds. We have the freedom to vote, to worship according to the dictates of our own consciences, to own weapons (and to use them), to work, to move if we want to, and we don't fear our government (well, maybe some of the people in it. LOL) We have a home, food in the cupboards, 2 vehicles to get us around, good schools for the children, a wonderful, peaceful town (despite what the national media says about us) and money in the bank account.
Most importantly we have our knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. We have a living Prophet who guides and directs us. We have Truth and Light in our lives and it makes us happy. I am so grateful for this knowledge. Even though it is not a complete knowledge yet, line upon line we will learn and grow and one day return to live with our Heavenly Father. We have a Temple just a mile from our home that we get to attend as often as we like. Our neighborhood is full of wonderful people who make it a great place to live.
There are so many things to be grateful for and I can only begin to ennumerate them here. Just know that I am grateful for all that the Lord has blessed us with and all that He will bless us with.
I hope you had a fabulous holiday and that you are all safe and well. God bless you always.

The Day After

I woke up this morning to a mostly clear sky after last night's storm. We have an inch or so of new snow. The neighborhood looked the same as always. The same cars came and went this morning on their way to work, the gym, school or where ever. The kids got up, we had family prayer, ate breakfast and got everyone to school. So, in other words, it seems like a perfectly normal, November morning.
And yet, there's something so fundamentally different. As I watched the election results come in last night my heart just sank. What are we going to face in the next 4 years? I don't know. I know there are tough times ahead because we have an extreme liberal(socialist/Marxist) headed for the White House. Our economy is struggling (and I have my own theories about why that is), we're fighting 2 wars and the incoming president hasn't said anything reassuring about either.
I don't believe this country will fail completely. I think we have enough conservative people in the country that we will not loose everything. I do think we will have to fight for our rights and beliefs. I think it will be a hard fight for certain rights (freedom of speech, right to bear arms, religion). I may be homeschooling again just so my children learn why this country is great the way the founding fathers set it up. The Constitution may be in danger. We will fight and we will save it from those who would change it or get rid of it and bring this country to its' knees.
I will not fear. The Lord is watching over us.

Regrets

Have you ever come to a point in your life where you look back and just want to kick yourself because you could have made better choices and ended up happier?? I seem to do it all too often. I'm not talking about huge things like schooling, who I married, having/not having children. It's little things like "I should have done that project 2 months ago instead of being in a panic to get it done on time". When will I learn?

YES on 8!!!!!!

Here is a video for you to watch. It gives great reasons to vote yes on Prop. 8 in California. I no longer live in California but this vote will change the face of this country if it is not passed.
If you live in California, be sure you are registered to vote and then do it!!!!


http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/media/mediaplayer.swf?media=http://broadcast.lds.org/newsroom/video/flv/Prop_8_Young_People_Master_150k.flv&type=FLV


And here is another one. This is Elder Bednar speaking with Young Adults about the issues.

http://www.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/media/mediaplayer.swf?media=http://broadcast.lds.org/newsroom/video/flv/bednar_edit02_150k.flv&type=FLV

If you have to go to the ER. . . . .

it's good to be in Madison county. The wait is short, the doctor's are great and you don't have to actually sit in a waiting room. How do I know all this? We got to visit the ER tonight.

Our fearless, I might say reckless, 3rd son convinced his Dad to let him ride the 4-wheeler by himself. I wasn't there so I'm not sure how the accident happened. I just know they came home a week and a half ago, laughing about Ronan's trip off the road. He complained about his arm hurting but there was no swelling or bruising appearant so we didn't take him in to have it checked out.

Tonight he decided to take a swing at his younger sister. I grabbed his arm and he went down on the floor. I thought he was going to pass out from the pain! I thought it was kind of weird for it to hurt like that 10 days later so I dragged him (unwillingly on his part) up to the ER. Sure enough, the ulna is broken clean in two. Poor kid. Fortunately the other bone is intact. The dr. put a splint on it instead of a full cast.

Ahhhhh. . .. the guilt. I noticed he was favoring it when I watched him *in gymnastics*!!!!! But it had only been 5 days at that point so I thought it was just bruised still. Ugh. I should learn. I was equally unsympathetic when he broke his leg 3.5 years ago. Maybe if they didn't cry wolf so often. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Family Portraits!!

We had family portraits taken this past weekend. I seem to have a hard time getting actual copies sent out so here are some of the photos!
Most of the male side of our family balks at the mere thought of having a portrait taken. I'm going to have to photoshop the pictures together so I actually get one good one with everyone looking at the camera, no eyes closed, and nice smiles. That's the way it goes, I guess. :-)

Wii did it!!!

After searching and searching and searching with no luck for many, many months, I finally found one!!!! I was too lazy to go on Ebay and didn't want to pay for shipping, etc, either. I was in Wal-Mart looking for something totally different when the lower shelf caught my eye. They had them in!!!!!!!!! A quick phone call to Brian to okay the expenditure and it was mine! I hid it under the seat of the van to escape prying eyes and sped home as quickly as possible. Alas, the children were already home. I had to wait one more night. Oh, the torture!!!!!
Next morning, as soon as the boys were off to school, I retrieved the beloved box from the car and whisked it downstairs. I read the quick set up instructions and was up and running in less than 10 minutes (and it only took that long because I had to figure out where to put the wires into the big tuner thing we have. It can be confusing!).
Ahhhhhh, pure joy as I bowled a few games, lost horribly in tennis, had a few good eagles in golf and sent the ball soaring in baseball. I counted it as my workout for today. :-)
Skip ahead to the afternoon. The boys came home. I was working in my room when one of them spied the controllers on my bed. "Why do you have Wii controllers?" he asked. No reply. "Do we have a Wii?!!!". No reply. Then another child comes in. They both bolted down the stairs to discover to their utter amazement that Mom has entered the 21st century and has indeed bought a Wii.
Now the next question is- what game shall we get next?????

One more trip

I'm home from Dallas and I have just one more trip to go on this summer. Then I can stay home for awhile!!!!!!!
Dallas was great. I don't think I've ever felt that kind of heat and humidity ever in my life! It was over 100 F the whole week and I don't know how high the humidity was but one day it rained. Yikes! I love my dry Idaho weather! Despite the weather, I really enjoyed being there! We stayed at the Hyatt Regency and my room overlooked Dealy Plaza to one side. I could see the "grassy knoll", the book repository (is that right?) and the street where Kennedy's motorcade drove. Maybe next year I'll actually be able to go down there instead of just looking at it from 5 stories up.
Seminar was fabulous. I have a lot of work to do for next year and I am looking forward to it! I also got to go to the manufacturing plant and see how they make products and package them. I also visited the Mary Kay world headquarters. The museum was amazing.
I came home to a full house. The McMillan family reunion was on Sunday and most of my family was in town for it. It was good to visit. I wish I had been able to get home earlier so I could visit longer. The reunion went over very well and was well attended.
We'll be headed to my parents house for the weekend. I'm looking forward to it since I haven't been to that part of the country before. The 9 hour drive isn't looking very fun but the rest of it should be!!

Birthdays and goals

Wednesday was my birthday (don't worry if you didn't call, I didn't keep track too closely). It was good. I took the kids to the park and let them play for awhile. We rode the carousel and then came home. Brian came home (in the middle of the week!!). We were going to go to dinner and a movie. We pulled into the parking lot where the theatre and restaurant are but he parked in front of the jewelry store that is there. I had no clue what we were doing. We went in and Brian told the clerk that we were looking for chains (necklaces). We looked at a few and I picked one out. Brian said he had something to put on it. The clerk put it in a box, we paid and went to dinner. Once we had been seated, Brian took the jewelry box and, under the table, put the "thing" on the chain. Then he put it back in the box and gave it to me. I still had no idea what he had put on it. I opened the box with a bit of trepidation. I found a gorgeous blue heart with streaks of gold running through it!! It is about 1.5" across. Brian had found it in a rock shop in Moab on his way home from Telluride last week. I'm not sure what type of rock it is but it looks like lapis lazuli. Is that found in the southwest??? The man said it is rare to find gold in it. I don't really want to know how much it cost but since Brian said it cost more than the chain, I think I'm going to call my insurance agent and make sure fine jewelry is covered!!!!!
The heart shape is significant between us. Every time he comes home from Telluride, Brian has a new heart for me. I have red, blue, gold, quartz, blown glass, brown, and sparkly hearts plus others! It is always a different color/type of rock. I don't know how he keeps track of what he has gotten before!! So this newest heart is really special!
There wasn't anything at the theatre that I wanted to see so we went shopping instead (thank you for the gift card Mom & Dad!!!!!). I've never been to Kohl's before and I love it! I found some great blouses on sale.
We got to talking about goals on our way home. I said I'm going to loose 50 pounds. He asked by when? July 1st. Then he gave me a "bit" of an incentive. He said he would pay me $200. I said that wasn't much of an incentive.
"Okay $200 per pound lost."
"Really?"
"No!! That would be like $10,000!"
"How about $2000?"
He said okay!!!!!!!! Then he sweetened the pot. "If you do it by February 1st, I'll give you a $1000 bonus".
WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!! So, I have 27 weeks. That's about 2 pounds per week which is really healthy and the best way to loose weight. I had already decided 4 or 5 days before my birthday to cut out the sweets, refined sugar, chocolate, fast food (not that I eat much of that) and late night snacking so now I just have to have the will power to stick with it and I will be $3000 richer in February!!! I am also going to put more exercise into my life (4 times/week).

Pictures!!!

I finally got some of our Disney trip photos back!

On some of these, I wanted to tell the "Princesses" to pull their gown up before they lost them! Yikes!!! I didn't include the photo with Ariel. There wasn't much to see. :-) One thing about the Princesses, though, was that you could tell their genuineness with the little ones. They were totally focused on the one they were talking to. I don't know how they do it, hour after hour, day after day, photo after photo!! I was talking to a cast member one day that told me the characters are chosen not only for their resemblence but for their body size and shape. The person has to fit the costume, not the other way around.

Brandon was constantly pulling weird faces. Ugh. Teenagers. :-)

We had an absolute blast! Enjoy the photos!!

It's A Small World After All

On Saturday we were in Utah for my neice's baptism. As I walked into the chapel, I saw a man standing in the back who looked incredibly familiar. I couldn't help myself and asked who he is. He told me his last name is Oliphant. I said "David Oliphant". Sure enough, it was my dance partner from my first year of college!!!!!!! It's so amazing that I can be hundreds of miles from the "scene of the crime" and yet run into people who were there, too!! It was great to see him and his wife again and catch up on a few things. I haven't seen him in almost 20 years!!
Who's next???

Happy 4th of July!!

We had a great weekend celebrating not only our Nation's birth but my neice's baptism also. Brian did the fireworks show in a town about 2.5 hours from here. The boys went with him on Thursday to help set up. Then I went over on Friday after the parade here in town. The kids played in the lake while I stayed on shore trying to not get sunburned!! The kids were slathered with spf 50 sunscreen and we didn't have too much redness over the weekend.
The fireworks were set up on a jetty and went off over the water. It was a *great* show!!!! The local fire department was supposed to burn off the weeds from the jetty but didn't so we got two shows for the price of one! Some of the brush caught fire from the low bursting fireworks. It burned up on of Brian's panels and some of the fireworks didn't actually go off like they were supposed to. It all looked great from where we were sitting on the shore!!
Jonah was quite the little business man before the show. I had bought glow sticks (the small kind you make bracelets or necklaces out of) at the dollar store several months ago. Jonah took them around and sold them to people. He made about $50!! He has the perfect personality for it!
We camped in the tent that night. Brian didn't stumble in until about 2AM after cleaning up all the fireworks stuff. We all slept pretty well.
Saturday we headed to my sister's house. Her oldest daughter was baptized that afternoon. She was beautiful!! We had an enjoyable time visiting at their new home. They've been in it for just a month and this was our first visit there. The cousins all had a great time playing together and I enjoyed chatting with my sister, brother, sister in law and others who were there. I liked being able to browse the 'library', too! My sister and brother-in-law have a great collection of books!!
We came home on Sunday and we all crashed into bed! It was a really great weekend!!!!
I think we've done enough traveling this summer already!! We might have one more trip to Montana to Brian's job up there but that will be it. I'm travelled out for right now!
Oh NO!!!!! I forgot I have a trip to Dallas at the end of the month!! Well, it's just me so I don't have to pack for everyone, just myself. That won't be so hard I guess.

Saying good-bye is hard

Today was our last day with Fruzsi. She has been with us for 10 months! The time has gone by so quickly. I've been ignoring the date because it's hard to see her go. She has become such a part of our family. The photo is from graduation in May.

We all went to the airport to say good bye. We got there early and had lunch in the little restaurant. She was very nervous about her flights because she had plane changes in Denver, Chicago and Frankfurt, Germany. She's flown quite a bit before but usually with someone else beside her.

As I write, she is waiting in Chicago, O'Hare Airport, for the flight that will take her to Frankfurt and then Budapest. She will get to Budapest at 1:30pm tomorrow (which is about 5:30am our time).

We miss her already.

DISNEYLAND!!!! (and more)

What a *great* trip!!! We drove to Salt Lake City and flew out to Long Beach airport. I've never flown in there and it was nice. Not many people. This was the first time flying for 3 of the kids (Jonah, Ronan and Isabeau). Ronan was pretty worried about it. I told him before we left home that if he didn't like flying, we would drive home. I knew I could say that because I knew he would like it and he did!!

The hotel we stayed at was wonderful. We got a 2 bedroom suite at Staybridge Inn & Suites. What a life saver it was to have seperate bedrooms!! It had a small but fully stocked kitchen and small living room. They have a shuttle directly to the Parks so staying a mile away wasn't a problem. That first day we got settled into the hotel, went to the bbq the hotel hosts on Wednesdays and went swimming. Brian wasn't feeling well (motion-sickness from the plane ride) so we put off going grocery shopping.

Day 2- we walked and walked and walked some more!!! hehehe

We had a character breakfast with Lilo & Stitch. That was so much fun!! We also got to see Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. We hadn't been into the parks yet so we didn't have autograph books but we got photos with everyone. The bill was a bit of a shock (and that is the understatement of the year!). We weren't aware of the cost before. After starting my heart and lungs again, we decided it was worth it, we had the money and the kids really loved seeing the characters. That's why we took the trip so the money wasn't an issue.

We went into Disneyland first. It's just as wonderful as we thought it would be!! I don't remember much from my trip in the '80's so most everything was a discovery. We rode the monorail, Finding Nemo submarine ride, Autopia, and Space Mountain before the 2 youngest were ready for a nap. Fruzsi, Brandon, Jonah and I headed off to more rides while Brian took the other 2 to Main Street to rest in the shade. We went on the Matterhorn (twice, short line!!), Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White's Scary Adventure and the Tea Cups!!

By then, Brian, Ronan and Isabeau were ready to rejoin us. We went into ToonTown and went on Roger Rabbit ride, had some dinner and the kids went on the Gadget rollercoaster. It had been a long day by then so we headed for the hotel.

We had gotten the stroller turned in and were out the gates when we realized Ronan wasn't with us. We tried to get back in the exit and wow, that caused a fuss!! The ticket lady was okay with it when we explained our child was missing but some dork of a security guard wouldn't back off ("why'd you come in the exit?" our son is missing "why'd you come in the exit?" to find our son "why'd you come in the exit?" ad nauseum). A man noticed our panic and asked if we were looking for our son. He and his friends had found Ronan roaming around near the stroller rental area (where we had been before going out the gate). Thank heaven!!!!! After that, Ronan and Isabeau had their name and our cell phone numbers on a paper in their lanyard around their neck at all times!!

As if that weren't enough, when we got back to the hotel, Brian realized he was missing his wallet. The last time we remembered having it was at dinner in ToonTown. I wasn't functioning by that time because of a massive headache/migraine. So I took some medication and Brian headed back to the Park. He didn't find it so he turned in a report at lost and found. He cancelled all his cards (okay there was only 2 or 3 work ones but saying all his cards sounds like more work!). Our business partner, Ken, was able to transfer the money from one bank to our other bank the next day so we didn't have any problems. Several days later, Brian got a call from lost and found. His wallet had been turned in and everything was still there!!!! My trust in human kind is still intact! I'm really grateful we were using our debit cards with cash in the bank and not relying on credit cards. Vacation could have taken an ugly turn without money to get food with.

Day 2- After eating breakfast at the hotel's buffet (free is good), we headed to California Adventure for the day. None of us have been there before (it was a big parking lot last time I was in the area!) so it was fun!! We went to A Bug's Life first for the little one's. We were going down into the 3-D movie "It's Tough To Be A Bug" when we were stopped by 2 Cast Members who said "Congratulations!! You've Won!!!" They gave each of us a Dream FastPass!!!!!!! All of you familiar with the fast pass will know you have to get a ticket and then go back at the designated time. With a Dream Fastpass, you don't have a return time. You just get in the fastpass lane and go!!!!! We were so excited!! The rest of the day was spent running to the rides with fastpasses and riding them. The passes were for both parks so we went on Soarin' Over California, Grizzly River Run (where we saw people from our local high school orchestra who were also in the parks to perform), Muholland Madness, California Screamin' (my favorite!!!). We were all hungry by then so we went back to the hotel for lunch and a rest.

We were going to go on Tower of Terror but the Electrical Parade was going to start soon so we decided to watch that. My neice, Amy and her boyfriend (both in the orchestra) came and found us and sat with us through the parade. The park closes early so we headed over to Disneyland after the parade. We headed for the fast pass rides and got onto Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones (which broke down 3/4 of the way through for about 10 minutes. They let us go again without waiting in line), Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blast. Brian had headed back to the hotel with Ronan and Isabeau by then. The rest of us got to the shuttle stop and visited with a family while waiting. They are LDS, too. I was really amazed at how many LDS families we met through the week. We even met friends of the people who owned the house we used to live in (did that make sense?).

Day 3- Fruzsi, Brandon and Jonah went off together for the day. Brian and I took Ronan and Isabeau to Critter Country where we saw Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. Brian forgot his phone so he headed back to the hotel to get it in case the kids needed to contact us. I took Ronan and Isabeau to Fantasyland. We stopped at the pier and went on the ship "Columbia". Ronan loved that!!!! Then we stopped at the petting zoo. We finally made it to the Princess Faire where we got in line to meet the Princesses. Brian got back before we got to the front of the line. We got to meet Cinderella, Snow White and Pocahontas.

After our afternoon rest at the hotel, Brian and I took Jonah, Ronan and Isabeau and let Brandon and Fruzsi go out alone. We went to Cal. Adv. and watched the Muppet's 3-D show. Ronan freaked out but we're not sure why. He didn't have his 3-D glasses on so it wasn't that. It might have been the sound level. He seems to be very sensitive to volume. We made it through and went over to Turtle Talk with Crush (from Finding Nemo). That was really cool!

After Cal. Adv. closed at 9pm, we went to Disneyland and went on Pirates of the Carribean. I don't remember ever being on that ride so I didn't know what to expect. It was really fascinating that it's all indoors. It was hard to tell that the "sky" was really the roof.

We also went to the Tiki Room!!!! It was fun to see the show behind the songs.

Day 4- BEACH DAY!!!!!!! Brian lived on the Southern California coast several times as a boy and a teen. So it was fun for him to go back down there and look around. We went to Mission San Juan Capistrano and toured that. It was very interesting to see. We found out that there was a Hungarian priest involved in its' founding. Then we headed for the beach in San Clemente where Brian used to hang out. He said nothing has changed much! The boys had a great time playing in the surf. Brandon went out quite a ways with Brian to learn how to boogie-board. He did pretty well! Isabeau was too scared after being knocked down once so we sat on the sand and she played there. Ronan played in the water but then fell asleep on his towel. I think I fell asleep for awhile, too. Thank heaven for sunscreen!!!

On our way back to the hotel, we drove up Highway 1 through Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and other towns I've only heard of. It was a very relaxing day!

Day 5- Fruzsi, Isabeau and I headed into the park earlier than everyone else. We went to Fantasyland and saw more Princesses. We got to see Belle, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and Jasmine. We were back at the hotel by noon because Fruzsi and Isabeau were so tired.

The whole family went to Cal. Adv. that evening until it closed and then spent more time in Disneyland. I was incredibly tired that evening so I didn't write a whole lot of detail in my journal. The photos will have to make up for what I didn't write.

Day 6- BRANDON'S 15TH AND FRUZSI'S 18TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We all got up really late and missed breakfast at the hotel. There is an IHOP across the street from the entrance to the parks so we went there for a birthday breakfast/lunch. We didn't get into the parks until after noon! Our goal for that day was to do everything we really loved one more time and then do some shopping for souveniers. We got fast passes to Tower of Terror. That was quite a ride!! I had no idea what it did so it was quite a trip!! It drops and rises unexpectedly. Brian would hate it. I loved it!! :-) Brandon, Fruzsi and Jonah got single rider passes to Soarin' Over California because the fast passes were all gone. The crowds were insane that day! More than on Saturday. We got fast passes for other rides but ended up not using them all. Brian had had enough of the crowds so he went back to the hotel with Ronan and Isabeau. The rest of us went to Disneyland to get more fast passes. The only we could get was for Thunder Mountain because the others were out already. We did a bit of shopping in Frontierland and then headed to the hotel. In the evening, we went back to Disneyland to use the fast passes and then went shopping. I got mouse ears for everyone. They have such a variety now!! It's not just black anymore. I also had them personalized so there was no question as to whose was whose! We went shopping in Downtown Disney. We thought the shops were open until 11pm so we weren't in any hurry. They closed at 10pm. :-( Brian took the 2 youngest back to the hotel while the rest of us took the monorail back to Tomorrowland and went on Autopia, Honey I shrunk the Audience and Astro Blasters. We were going to go on the Matterhorn as our last ride but it broke down and we couldn't wait. So we went on the tea cups instead.

It was weird walking out of the park that night knowing it was our last time. The week flew by so fast!!!!! There were so many things that we didn't get to do and see (Fantasmic, Aladin, 50 years of Disney w/ Steve Martin, and so much more!). I needed another week! Alas, it was not to be this time.

We flew out the next day in the afternoon. We got into SLC around 6:30pm and decided we didn't want to drive home because we were so tired. We found a motel in Bountiful. We were also able to visit our friends who live in Bountiful that evening.

On our drive home the next day, we stopped at Hill AFB and toured the Aerospace Museum. The boys loved that!!!! Brandon really likes anything to do with the military and flying. He knew so many of the planes at the museum from his time volunteering at our local flight museum.

And now it's time to get back into our normal routine! Jonah and Ronan have summer school for the next two weeks. Then we have a 4th of July fireworks show to go to that Brian is doing somewhere West of here (we're not sure which one he is doing yet). He also has to go to Telluride sometime this summer so we might all go. I have convention in Dallas for Mary Kay at the end of July. Then the family reunion in August and then school starts again! It's looking like a great, busy summer!

Thanks for reading my book! I'll post pictures later. We downloaded photos from the memory card to Brian's computer each night so they're still on there. He has to burn a cd for me so I can get them printed.

One really amazing thing was that no one got sunburned the whole trip!!! We were very vigilant with the sunscreen because most of us have incredibly fair skin. My face got a bit pink one day but it was gone the next morning so I don't count that. :-)

California cruzin'

What a weekend! Brian, Isabeau, Fruzsi and I went to a wedding in Chico, CA this weekend. We also took our business partner, Ken, along with us. What a ride!! 14 hours one way, at night (mostly), in the cramped back seat of a pick-up truck. Wow. We survived!!!!
We spent one day in San Francisco. We met up with my Mom at Pier 39. She drove up from Monterey where she had been visiting at Glen and Elizabeth's. We walked along the Embarcadero, looked in shops, bought stuff and finally took a tour in an old-fashioned car (Mr. Toad's tours or something like that). The tour guide was amazing!! He took us under the Golden Gate Bridge, through most of the Presidio, around some of the neighborhoods along the bay, to the top of Lombard Street (the really crooked part), and then met us at the bottom (he's not allowed to take the car down it). He had so much great information and was a lot of fun. We wish we had more time in SF but we headed out in the late afternoon to head north.
We spent the night in Paradise, CA, which is about 15 minutes from Chico. There was some sort of event going on and all the hotels in Chico were booked by the time our hosts tried to get reservations. Paradise is a nice little town. The town itself reminds me of Gold Beach although it's a very different surrounding.
On Saturday, we enjoyed driving around Chico a bit, visiting with our friends and setting up for the wedding. Brian and Ken did the sound system for the ceremony and reception so they had that to keep them busy. I took a lot of the "before" photos of the bride and wedding party. Brian and I took all of their photos. I got a new camera several weeks ago and the photos turned out fabulous!!! I am very pleased with the capabilities of my camera!!
The ceremony was short and very nice. It was held in the groom's parent's backyard (they have 6 acres so it's not a small place!). Being California, the flowers are all blooming and it was a beautiful setting. There was a wonderful dinner after the ceremony and we enjoyed visiting until late in the evening. We were all exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel around midnight.
On Sunday, we loaded up the truck and headed home. We were able to stop at my Uncle Bob and Aunt Faith's home to visit with them on our way. I don't remember the last time I was at their home!! I always see them other places. Uncle Bob thinks that I was very young (under 5) the last time I was there. It was probably when we lived in Sacramento.
We didn't head out of the city until almost 5:30pm which got us home right around 5:30am the next morning!!! We slept in late and the boys got to school about an hour late. They were okay with that. :-) They had spent the weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's here in town. Grandpa brought them home on Sunday evening. Brandon is old enough to take care of them and did a great job of getting them to bed and to sleep so they could go to school the next morning.
Our next trip to California will be in June! But we are flying, not driving!! Thank heaven!!!!!! We'll be going to Disneyland and the whole family will be going this time!! I love visiting California and I am always glad to get home and know that I live here and not there!

Happy Easter!

I got "the question" today from my 6 year old for the first time.
"Where's all the candy?", he asked.
"What candy?", I replied.
"The Easter candy."
"There isn't any."
"What about the Easter Bunny?"

We have never done baskets of candy or eggs on Easter morning. We usually go and do "egg hunts" the day before in the community. But we have been very adamant about not confusing the children about the true meaning of and reason for Easter. So it was quite a surprize when he asked. Ahhh, the joys of public schooling!
I tried to do a lesson last night about Easter but things got out of hand (that's a whole 'nuther story) and so we put it off until today. Tonight for family scripture study, I took out our set of plastic Easter eggs. Everyone took several and we went through what each egg had inside and the scripture that relates to it. It went very well tonight!! We were also able to explain to Fruzsi why we don't have crosses in our church or as part of our religion.
Our Easter was very nice and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to teach our children about Christ, His death and His ressurection.
Next year, we'll do the lesson on Saturday night so there aren't any questions about a big bunny who leaves eggs and candy all over the place!!

My big Break!!!

Well, here it is, my first bit of my 15 minutes of fame! :-) Actually, it's the trailer for the movie I'm in. I actually made the cut into the trailer!! It's only about 3 seconds although my voice is there for longer. Pay attention or you will miss me!!

They are planning on having the movie ready this summer on DVD. The producers submitted it to Sundance Film Festival last year but it wasn't picked up. So it's going out on DVD. I can hardly wait to have a copy! We got to see it on the big screen at a private showing after it was submitted to Sundance.

Enjoy!

Nothing much

There's not a lot to update on. We're just going about our days as always. Spring has officially arrived. The weather has started to warm up although we will still expect to get more snow until at least May. Our driveway is almost clear of snow and ice finally!! It faces North and so it doesn't get much sun during the winter. Our neighbor across the street seems to always have a nice, clear driveway. I'll remember that next time we go looking to move- get a South facing driveway!!!
Oh, how could I forget? Brandon has started driver's education class!!!!!!! I can still hardly believe he is old enough! He just had to be 14 1/2 to start. An opening came up for this session and he got in. Wasn't it just last week he was starting kindergarten???? He has to finish driver's ed to get his permit. Then he has to drive for at least 4 months and 50 hours (10 of them being at night). He can get his license once he has completed that, even if he is still 15! There will be restrictions from the state on his driving as far as number of passengers. Even more restrictions from Mom and Dad!! I think I'm okay with it. It's just another step toward sending him off on his own. I think that is coming a bit too fast, though!
Isabeau turned 3 last week! How fast it is going! One very interesting thing we have noticed in the past few weeks is her hair color. It has been platinum blond with one red streak up the back since she was born. Now we are seeing more and more red hair at the crown of her head! If it continues to turn at this rate, she will be a full redhead before the end of summer!!! Now if it would just go curly. :-) She is convinced that she is a princess. Of course, we do nothing to dissuade her from that notion. She got tiaras from Grandma for her birthday and Disney princess shirts from Mom and Dad. She is our last child and only girl. What can I say?
As I said, not much to report on. Just little things that invade our day to day lives.

LEAP!!!

It's that time again. Leap Year. Did you realize we have Leap Year, Olympics and Presidential elections all in the same year? I noticed it a few years back. Just another random thought.

Promises, Promises, Promises

A week or two ago, my oldest son reminded me about a promise I made them *years* ago. I told them that as soon as Ronan learned to walk ( he didn't walk until he was 17.5 months old), we would go to Disneyland. Well, life got interesting after that. Brian was laid off from work, we moved 800 miles away to Idaho, I started working full-time, then I got pregnant and was put on bed-rest and we never went to Disneyland. Ronan is 6 now. My, my how time flies. :-)
I am going to keep my promise. I am going to work hard at my Mary Kay business, save everything I can (after paying bills, etc.) and we are going to Disneyland this summer!!! Even Brian is excited about it. He wants to stay in the Disneyland Hotel. His Dad worked at Disneyland years ago (about 39). Brian even met Walt Disney!! It's just too bad that he was too young to actually remember it! It is reported in family legend that Walt liked Brian.
I don't remember going as a child but I've seen plenty of photos. I specificly (how do you spell that?) remember one at Christmas time. Then there was the trip in the '80's ('86 or '87 maybe?). We ran into a guy that my brother, Rick, had graduated with in Oregon! It is a small world after all. The only other thing I remember from that trip is that Dad and Mom were sooooooo "mean". They wouldn't let us older kids go running off to the rides. We had to all stick together. Not a great memory but it's mine.
So, it's time to go and make memories with my own children! This year is the year of a million wishes or something like that. They are giving out tons of prizes. I've heard from friends who live down there and visit often that if a Cast Member stops you and asks if they can talk to you for a minute, DO IT!!! There are prizes like a night's stay in Walt's apartment or another special suite.
Anyway, we're going to fly down (it'll be cheaper than driving), spend 5 days at Disneyland and California Adventure and a day at the beach. It's going to be a great time!!!!!!!!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Our 16th anniversary was on Friday. I can hardly believe it's been that long! This year I planned everything and it was fun! Brian and I did an endowment session at the Rexburg Temple. It was our first together there! Then we ate at Applebee's (thank you Mom & Dad for the gift card!).
The kids knew my plans but Brian didn't so he was really surprized when I pulled around the restaurant to the hotel behind it and parked! We haven't gone "away" for our anniversary in quite a few years. We used to go out to the Oregon Coast but it's a bit far for an overnight trip now!
Several weeks ago I asked Brian to take the whole weekend off but he forgot. We were going to go skiing up at Kelly Canyon but he had to work on Saturday. So, I had a nice day at home with the kids while Brian and Brandon went to Driggs.
It was a very nice anniversary. I'm looking forward to many, many more!

Temple Dedication!

(This post was written on Feb. 10th and I'm just getting it posted here.)
The Rexburg, Idaho Temple is dedicated!! We were able to attend the 9am session. It was foggy this morning and I think that played a part in the session starting 1/2 an hour late. President Monson didn't say why they were late but the fog is a logical conclusion. (I found out yesterday, the 12th, that his plane couldn't land in Idaho Falls and had to divert to Pocatello, about 45 minutes farther south of us.)
I took notes because I knew I wouldn't be able to remember everything!! The first thing to happen this morning (after the opening hymn and prayer) was the cornerstone sealing ceremony. In today's Temples, the cornerstone isn't an actual stone like it used to be. The Cornerstone has historically always been in the Southeast corner. Pres. Monson reminded us that Christ is the cornerstone of our lives and this work.
President Monson's humor is just as quick and cute as President Hinckley's was!! The dignitaries went outside and placed mortar around the stone. Pres. Monson went first and then invited "his physician" Elder Russel M. Nelson to place some and joked that Elder Nelson ought to do better even though the instruments aren't what he is used to. Then he invited Elder Costa (of the Presidency of the 70) to place some "in Spanish". Elder Bednar, Temple President Christiansen, thier wives and other people, including children, took their turns. One of the little boys was a redhead. After they were all done Pres. Monson told a story about a redhead boy he talked to at conference once. He told the boy that he loved to have redheads in the mission field and wanted one in each district because they were pacesetters and really worked hard. The mother of this boy wrote Pres. Monson later and told him that every day since, the boy had stood in front of the mirror and said "I'm going to be a pacesetter"!!.
After returning to the Celestial room, Elder Bednar spoke. He testified that the Savior revealed His will for the location of the Temple. He spoke of leading VIP tours before the public open house began. He recalled a tour he led of leaders of various other denominations. In the baptistry they were all seated and Elder Bednar spoke of the Christian dilema of what happens to those who lived in a time or place that they never heard of Christ or His Gospel. He bore his testimony of the doctrine of baptism for the dead. Elder Bednar quoted from Doctrine & Covenants 109 (which is the dedication prayer for the Kirtland Temple). He then bore his testimony in closing.
Elder Russel M. Nelson spoke next. He quoted Joseph Smith. I couldn't write down the whole thing but the beginning he said "this work is worthy of archangels" (speaking of temple work). In the Temple we lear of God, of the Atonement, Eternal life and the Fall.
The Chior sang again and then Pres. Monson spoke. He said there was no other place he would rather be than in the Temple, dedicating it as his first official act as President of the Church. He told about Pres. Hinckley's involvement in the building of the Temple. Pres. Hinckley approved all the plans and checked in on the process constantly. He was involved in every step and was looking forward to being here for the dedication. Pres. Monson said he was sure that our loving Heavenly Father allowed Pres. Hinckley to be there today. Again, I couldn't get everything written down (I wish I knew shorthand in these kinds of situations!!). Just a few of the things I caught in Pres. Monson's talk- Trust in the Lord and He will lead your paths. The work will go on night and day in this Temple. If we let the Temple touch us, we will be guided and directed.
Pres. Monson then offered the dedicatory prayer. It was beautiful. We all participated in the Hosannah shout. The chior sang the "Hosannah Anthem" and the congregation joined in to sing "The Spirit of God".There were only 18 men and women in the chior (9 each). There must have been angels singing as the sound was so full and glorious that they couldn't have been alone.
It was a wonderful dedication and I am so grateful that we were able to go with our two oldest boys.
The work begins on Tuesday!! I have a 6am appointment for an endowment session. It seems like the Temple was announced so long ago and the building has taken sooooo long. But, of course, looking back on it, it went by really fast and now it's ready and dedicated!!!

Rexburg Temple Cultural Celebration!

Our 2nd ds (Jonah) was one of the performers so he had to be to the gym really early. I dropped off some dinner to him and wandered around the lobby just to see what was going on. I found out there was a stand-by ticket line. We were just going to watch at the Stake Center because we hadn't gotten tickets for the gym. We (Brian and I) decided it would be worth waiting in line because it wasn't very long at that point and we really wanted to see it in the gym instead of on tv. We knew there would be seats left because the weather has been so bad that some people from the Teton Valley couldn't get here. My sister was with me and we saw lots of people we knew so the hour and a half that we waited in line wasn't so bad. :-)
The ushers started taking people from the line in small groups. We were the 4th or 5th group to go in. We had to split the family up because they had 2 sets of 4 seats. Brian and I were led to our seats but we had to wait because we had to go down the aisle right next to the music conductor and the opening hymn was being sung. Then the prayer was said. We were told to "wait right here" until the dignitaries finished speaking. The lights came up, and lo and behold, there we were behind Elder Bednar on all 3 *huge* screens!!!!!! Talk about embarrassing! I don't know how many people last night and today have come up to us and said "I saw you on the screen last night!!". The ushers decided to change our seats because we were having a difficult time getting to them. So, we ended up sitting behind and just to the side of Elder and Sister Bednar! We were on the first row of bleacher seats which was good for Isabeau and Ronan. Isabeau was especially cute. She would go up to the railing right next to Sister Bednar and watch the program. Sis. Bednar would look over and Isabeau would smile back at her. Such a precious memory for me to give her when she is older!! She's only 2 (3 next month) so it was okay for her to be cute. She wasn't bothering anyone because the seats right below the railing were empty. And it was easier to let her do that than try to hold her on my lap the whole time!
The program was so amazing!!! They started by telling how the first pioneers came up from Cache Valley, UT. It was hard those first few years. President Woodruff gave his "Wagon Box Prophecy" and told the people that he could see into the future of the valley and saw productive fields, meetinghouses dotting the land, schools and places of higher learning and temples (plural) in this valley. The Rexburg Temple is part of the fulfillment of that prophecy. The Saints, of course, did prosper. Thomas E. Ricks was a tremendous leader who got things going in a big way with canals and other infrastructure.The program had a lot of dancing from different eras and styles, a barbershop quartet, a brass band, and even a dance with irrigation pipes!! It was fun!! The chior and wind ensemble were incredible!!!
There was one part about the Teton Dam Flood disaster. They said that despite the flood on June 6th, one month after the flood, the town held their 4th of July Parade to the amazement of many. A marching band came out on the floor playing "Stars and Stripes Forever". Several young men came out and started throwing candy to the crowd just like at a real parade! It was fun. Ronan was able to get one piece and then Sis. Bednar handed him one that had fallen at her feet. After the program, she found another piece and gave it to him, also. Elder Costa (presidency of the 70) also found one after the program (he was sitting next to the Bednar's) and handed it to Isabeau. They are so sweet and always considerate of children!! I love their example!!!!!
The last number was "The Spirit of God". A Primary chior came out onto the floor. A young boy began a solo of "I Love to See the Temple". The Primary Chior joined in. Then a young girl began to sing "The Spirit of God". The regular chior joined in and it was powerful!!! Toward the end, hundreds of Primary children all dressed in white came flowing onto the floor. They filled the floor completely!! They each had stalks of wheat in their hands. At the end they all raised their arms toward the picture of the Temple that was showing on the screen, symbolizing gathering the wheat of the Lord to His Holy House. I can't even express in words how powerful it all was!!!
Representations of wheat fill the Temple from banisters to the stained glass windows. It is a "theme" of the Temple and the celebration had several segments devoted to it, also. There was even a large motif in the center of the floor painted to look like one of the s tained glass windows with wheat in it and there were wheat stalks painted everywhere on the floor.
It was wonderful and such a huge success!! I saw the performers faces as the danced. You could see the joy in their eyes. What wonderful memories for them!!
I didn't mean to write a book but there you have it!!

Back into the light

Wow, that was a really dark, scary, awful, dark place. I don't know where it came from (then again I have a pretty good idea) and why but Sunday and Monday were not good days. I'm doing much better today and hope to never see that place again.
One of the things that really helped was a hymn. The 2nd verse of "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet". It says "when dark clouds of trouble hang o'er us and threaten our peace to destroy, there is hope smiling (or is it shining) brightly before us, and we know that deliverence is nigh. We doubt not the Lord nor His goodness, we have proved him in days that are past". I know that it was the tender mercies of the Lord that pulled me out of the valley. The clouds were indeed dark and threatening and without the Lord, I would still be there.
The light is brilliant, hopeful and peaceful. I hope you, too, feel of it.

Usher update

Well, on Sunday I was talking with the Ward Ex. Secretary and he said 'oh, by the way' (I really don't like it when people start like that, it usually doesn't end well). He told us last week that we were being ushers in the Temple. He was wrong. We'll be at the Stake Center. I'm having a really hard time with it because I am so disappointed.
I just really don't understand the whole system for handing out tickets and assignments for both the dedication and the Cultural Celebration. The Hart Gym (where the celebration will be held) seats 6-7000 people (I don't remember exactly how many, maybe more than that). About 2000 Primary children, youth and young adults are taking part. Yet, for some reason, they don't have enough seating to allow the parents of the performers sit in the gym to watch their children. Our bishopric told us that they had 3 seperate letters telling them that parents were *not* to get tickets to sit in the gym. I don't understand and no one seems to be willing to explain other than to say 'you can go to the dress rehersal on Friday'. Why can't other people go on Friday if it's going to be so great?
The Temple will have seating for about 1800 people per session (4 sessions, 7200 tickets total). Who is getting those tickets? I know I'm not more special than anyone else but I also know that I'm not any less special. Why can't I get tickets? I know there can't possibly be that many "vip's" in the area. I talked to the man in charge of the ushers for the Temple and he said there was nothing he could do.
When I was a teen, the Portland, Oregon Temple was built. I graduated high school just before it was dedicated. I was soooo excited!! This was *my* Temple!! I helped at the Open House along with many other youth. Then I left for college a week before the dedication. My Mom sang in the dedication chior and I would have been able to go if I had been there. So, when Rexburg was announced, I was ecstatic thinking that now I have another Temple that is '*my*' Temple and I would certainly be able to go to the dedication. I tried for several weeks, in vain, to find out who was in charge of the chior. No luck there. That was disappointing because I wanted to sing in the chior. Then to be told that I'm not allowed to attend the dedication in the Temple is devestating. I'll keep trying this week to see if I can find tickets but I'm not expecting there are any left.
If you've made it this far, please don't judge me. I have struggles you don't and I know you have struggles I don't. This is mine this week.

The photos are two of the many I have taken. I was able to crop them and they look fabulous as 8 X 10's on my wall.

Sad News

The first exchange student we had come live with us this year (Sinthu from Norway) is being sent home tomorrow. She went to live with another family after Thanksgiving. We still aren't sure why other than she wanted to.
Her new host family found out that she was throwing up a lot. She told them several different stories but what it has all come down to is that she has a problem that she isn't admitting to and EF Foundation isn't willing to be responsible for her health to that extent. I have no proof but we are pretty sure she has bulimia. It didn't start after she got here, it's been going on for quite some time. It's sad that she is sick in that way and it is ending up getting her sent home. She really needs to get help and the only way to get that is to send her home. She is upset and angry (understandably). I just hope her parents will get her the help she needs.

Another busy month!!

Where does the time go??? We have had so much going on. Let's see if I can remember it all.

December- We went to Utah to visit with family for a weekend. We missed seeing Melissa and David by a few hours (they went to California). We had a great time visiting and playing games. We found a new game that we will be getting!! We also celebrated Ronan's birthday while we were there and Jonah's birthday the day we got home! The photos all have the wrong dates on them. I didn't realize my camera was off. Oh well, it's fixed now.

Christmas was nice. It was just us here at home so it was quieter than the past few years. We certainly had a white Christmas as it started snowing here in early December and hasn't really stopped!

We hosted a party on New Year's Eve. My parents were here and so we had 2 games of Ticket to Ride available (Thank you Matt and Ruth for the awesome gift!!!). We played several rounds and taught it to a few friends. Warning- it's addictive!! We have played almost every day since Christmas and some days it has been one game after another! Brandon, Fruzsi and I played 3 games tonight. Each lasted about 20-25 minutes!!

Brian is still working up in Big Sky, Montana. He leaves Tuesday morning and comes home Friday night. It's not ideal but it's paying the bills.

We were thrilled to be able to tour the new Rexburg, Idaho Temple several times throughout the Open House! I was especially excited when I went to volunteer on one of the VIP days and found out that Elder Bednar was going to take all of those doing booties (the white plastic things that go over everyone's shoes to protect the carpets) on the first tour of the day. Most of the group were youth but there were a few of us older folks, too. It was a wonderful learning experience and will never be forgotten. It was an amazing feeling to be led through the Temple and be taught in each room by an Apostle of the Lord.

We went as a family on December 31st. What a great way to end the year!! It was wonderful!! The two youngest were so excited but were able to remain reverent throughout the tour. Once we were outside again is another story!! :-) Our exchange student daughter, Fruzsi, met several young men who have just returned (in the past year) from missions in Hungary!! They took her up to the Temple one night and were able to explain in her native language about the different things that happen in the Temple. She went up 5 or 6 times all together and was excited each time. I just wish she could come to the dedication. I know she has felt the Spirit. We have asked the Sister missionaries to come teach her the discussions. I'm going to also ask the Hungarian speaking young men to come so if she needs something explained more fully, it won't be a problem.

We were saddened at the news of President Hinckley's death. However, there have been no tears as we know where he is. I can't even imagine the incredible welcome he recieved from not only his beloved wife but also the millions whose lives he has touched through his aggressive Temple building!! We know the Church is in good hands and will move forward as it should.

This past weekend (the 26th) was the annual Snow Fest here in Rexburg. The kids had a blast sledding down the monster snow hill. Fruzsi braved the icy water and jumped in for the Polar Bear Swim. She wasn't alone. My brother, Rick, and niece, Kelsie, were right there beside her. Crazy heads!!!!! Lucky for them, there is a hot tub right next to the ice tub and they were able to relax in it and warm up. They were next to the last to jump so they didn't have to get out of the hot tub until they were ready. That is them in the photo. We went on a sleigh/wagon ride, watched a chain saw artist carve the White Witch, Aslan and the polar bears out of blocks of snow, went snow bowling, had hot chocolate and watched the bonfire of Christmas trees (the city collects everyone's real trees, stores them at the park and then burns them during Snow Fest. Good recycling, bad smoke). Everyone had a good time. And Fruzsi will remember to dress warmly next time I suggest it. :-) She about froze her feet off, literally.

February is looking fairly busy as well. The Temple dedication was moved back a week. Jonah is participating in the Cultural Celebration that will be on the 9th. Brian and I are serving as Ushers in the Temple for the first dedication session and then we will take Brandon and Jonah to a later session so they can be a part of it, too. I have baptisms and endowment sessions already scheduled for us as soon as the Temple is open for work. I love having to make appointments!! It makes me commit so much more, it's on my calendar and nothing else will get scheduled, I have no excuse!! I can even walk up there if something happens that I can't drive. I love it!!

That's the update on our lives. I've got photos, too. See you next month!!