Lovin' Lake Powell!

Yep! We had a great time at Lake Powell over Labor Day Weekend! I mean all of us--not just these two! After weeks of anticipation, the guy we were all waiting to meet arrived! I've had so many ask about Josh, and "how did the weekend go?" so thought I would share some pictures. (Please excuse my lack of knowledge in adding captions correctly!) We like Josh a lot. Period. We tried not to drive him too crazy. He is tons of fun to be with. We notice that Jenni is very happy whenever he's around. It was wonderful to have him arrive in Arizona. He is a true blue Nebraska Cornhusker, and totally unwilling to learn the USC fight song. He makes Jenni laugh a lot. Jake and Alisa love him.

Josh is a natural on the wakeboard and kneeboard --instant points!

                                                                                                      

                                       

Beautiful Kels

     

                                                                            

 

So the continuing story...

Josh stayed a little longer in Arizona to help Jenni pack her things into her car.  He drove with her to Provo to meet Bethi and Derek and Luke.  Then the two of them drove to Omaha the next morning.  After 13 hours together in a car, they still like each other.  Jenni got a terrific job in Omaha, working as a flight nurse for newborn ICU and pediatric ICU.  She is living with Josh's sister and her husband--they live about 10 minutes from Josh and his parents.  Josh is in school at University of Nebraska. 

He promised me that this Lake Powell trip would not be his only trip to Arizona. 

He also promised to take care of my girl. 

We think he's pretty great! 

A Twinkle in Her Eye

Well, here's a perfect example of the saying "A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words!" We are anxious to meet Josh Pryor in just a few weeks. So far, all reviews are positive--mostly because my girl Jenni is very happy! I had the chance to speak with him on the phone for a few moments a couple of weeks ago. He was, of course, very nice-respectful-sense of humor-not too wigged out by me asking to talk for a minute. For a cautious Mom, I'm impressed and looking forward to Labor Day weekend! The reason for the twinkle . . .

Lake Powell and Crazy Children

Jake


Alisa

The Third Edition :)

Baby Brooke :)

Luke and Mommy :)

Luke and Gramma :)

Sarah and Kelsi :)

Hottie on the Wakeboard ;)

Kelsi Swimming :)

Mom's New Invention to Keep Cool in the Heat :)

Lukey Pie! :)

Mike and Kim Obviously Having a Great Time hahaha :)


Kelsi in the Ski Boat Saying Hello :)

Sorry Ladies, He's Taken :)

The Flag-Girls :)

And....That's a wrap folks!

Sisters' Retreat March 2009

Last March my Mom, sisters and I met in Scottsdale for a long weekend. It took almost moving heaven and earth to make it happen. But we did it! The fun started when we decided on an amount we wanted to spend for place to stay, put that into the "Priceline" mystery box and waited to see what hotel would pop up. Low and behold, The Scottsdale Resort and Conference Center came up and that's where we headed for the weekend! We went to the temple, had pedicures, received makeup instruction from Julie Sorenson in our room, went on a bike ride around a beautiful lake, and finished with shopping and hot tub. One of the highlights was meeting up with Angie and Baby Zadok! We had a blast together!

Mom was brave and skilled enough to ride bikes with us! We were all a little nervous, but she did great! When she had a slight fall, she just gently fell to a grassy slope (to the relief of all of us!!) and got right back on. We made a stop at a bundt cake store...not intentionally. It was just a chance encounter. They had darling cake plates and birthday candles, etc. They also had a plate of sample cake. A large plate. The store owner kept encouraging each of us "try some" which we gladly did. Unfortunately, upon our departure we realized that we had eaten the entire plateful! (It was really great cake!)

There is just something about sisters and a beautiful Mom. Things that are funny to this group are not necessarily funny to our husbands or to anyone else. But it doesn't matter! I know I can call any one of them day or night and they would be there for me. They are examples of righteous womanhood. They are beautiful inside and out. The years go by and still we find those things that bind us together forever as most important. I love you, my sisters and precious Mom. Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Surprise!

My husband Les managed to top all the charts, lists or records for Mother's Day surprises this year. Honestly, I can hardly find the adjectives to describe this man! How about thoughtful, plotting, unselfish, patient, kind... just to name a few. Plus, he's great looking even after all these years!

A number of months ago, probably almost a year, I spent a significant amount of time and money selecting drapery fabric for the windows in our home. I was sure that I would be able to make them myself. It would not be a difficult project, but one that would be very time-consuming. A couple of months ago, I met again with my decorator friend, Sara Maier (who helped me select all the fabric and special-order it from JoAnn's) and she and I managed to cut all the fabric for our master bedroom windows, including the lining pieces. This was before Christmas, actually! Then as the holidays approached, the cut fabric returned to the pile underneath the pool table to become an "unfinished project" until after the new year. Prior to the purchase of the fabric, I purchased the decorative rods, which Les dutifully hung with great anticipation. He was very excited to see the finished product. Months went by and with changes in family, church and volunteer time demands, the yards of fabric remained neatly stacked underneath the pool table in our basement. I made small gestures of progress by purchasing the decorative rings and other sewing essentials. But alas, the rings and other hardware remained in their original shipping packages, stacked in a corner of our bedroom. Les periodically gently inquired about the draperies. One of these exchanges included a feeble excuse that I wanted to switch out the decorative rings for alternative decorative rings with clips. A tiny detail in this rambling story. Anyway! The past few months have been crazy busy. Today I drove to Kanab and back. I was taking Bethi half-way, meeting Derek there to take her home to Provo. I was dog tired when I finally got home. I was visualizing my recliner the last 30 miles into Flagstaff! I pulled into our driveway, parked, and met Kelsi outside. (She had been locked out, waiting for my return...I know, neglect!) We walked into the house through the garage and to my amazement, ALL OF THE WINDOW COVERINGS IN OUR BEDROOM WERE HANGING ON THE RODS, COMPLETELY FINISHED!!!!!! I am not kidding! Included in the surprise was THE BENCH AT THE END OF OUR BED SPORTING A MATCHING CUSHION AND THE VALANCE OVER THE BATHROOM WINDOW. ALL FINISHED, WITH EXCHANGED DECORATIVE RINGS WITH CLIPS, DRAPERIES LINED, HEMMED, PRESSED. Seriously, I could go on and on even more!!! My only regret is that he was not present at that moment. I burst into tears, sobbing with delight. He placed a beautiful, hand-written note of love and appreciation on the chair in front of the windows. I know that we each have our individual "love language" that is sometimes a puzzle to our spouse. However, my husband got it. An act of unselfish service, completely unexpected, without even being there to see my response. He is awesome! I am blessed each day by his love and devotion to the Lord, to me, and to our family. I love his smile, his eyes, his laugh, his touch and after 30+ years, the flame still burns bright!

Fourth Time Around

Tonight is a first...for Kelsi, that is! In the past few weeks, she has discovered the fun and excitement of "others" in her age group...not yet 16, but anxiously waiting for the day/date! She is the youngest, with faint memories of social occasions by the dozen at our home in years past. We've encouraged her to ask friends over in groups to play games, etc. Tonight was the night. She invited friends over who were not going to Winter Formal. As the hour drew closer to the arrival of her friends, she got a little anxious. We tried to reassure her that although it was the first time for her, it was not the first time for Les and I, that we had entertained lots of teenagers in our home over the years, and that it would be fun. As I write this, I can hear laughter from upstairs, two bags of M&Ms gone, plenty of popcorn, too, and a wound-up dog running speed laps from one end of the main floor to the
other! So I guess things have turned out ok!

Kelsi is such a gift in our lives. As we watch our three older kids move on with their own lives as young adults, I know we would be pretty lonesome and feel a lot older without Kels-Kels around. She is the light of our lives and we adore her. Probably spoil her tons, too! Oh well....
(posted by Linda)

Recently

It's been quite a while since we did this. :) I'll have you know, we are still here and the great thing is that we haven't posted recently because all of our lives are so fantastic! (My life especially)

Bethi and Derek are having a boy!
Linda is having a great time doing her usual routine
Les is enjoying coming home from work everyday to "attack Antarctica" (the slabs of ice on our driveway)
I am loving my new semester in high school-new classes and seminary! New friends... :) Just new everything! And I am loving the change

Everything is going great! :) We love you all! Have a fantastic week!

PS...bertha and mikey tocar manos once upon a time. Like they say, 75 is almost as good as 100! Might as well go for it! Besides, interdigitating is perfectly innocent :)