Visiting the Grandkids

In the last couple of days I have gotten to see almost all of my grandkids and I have loved the hugs!! I missed Jerod when I stopped at Mauri and Ira's and poor Mickie was too sick when I stopped at Kristanne and Shawn's house. In fact, they say she is really contagious so I am extra glad I didn't go give her a hug.

Today I drove down to Provo and had lunch with Kecia and Emma at their house. Kec had leftover bacon carbonera and it was delicious. Of course Emma was full of smiles and laughs. She entertained grandma for a good hour and a half. This is a picture of the newest Mary Kay representative demonstrating how nice the skin creams are!! (Also great for chewing on!!)

Then I headed for Lehi where I got to play with Simon and Benji - Simon is so responsive and has the cutest grin and ...GREAT BIG BLUE EYES TOO!!!

What is it about this latest batch of babies and blue eyes??

I took my bag of yarn balls with me because Ben just loves to play with the BALLS - he spent a good hour taking the balls out of the bag one at a time and tossing them and then bringing then back and putting them back into the bag and then repeating it all over again. Also, every time he brought a ball back I would pick it up and rewind the hanging string ...after a while Ben starting 'rewinding' the balls of yarn himself - only he failed to realize that he was supposed to be winding the yarn AROUND the ball!! It was so cute watching him wind and wind and wind!!

Then he decided that the balls needed to bounce down the steps. But HE wouldn't toss them down the steps - that was grandma's job. So, he would bring the ball to me and then say 'stairs' and run over to the steps where I tossed the ball so it would bounce down the stairs.

Note all the balls of yarn all over the floor. While I was babysitting the boys a neighbor child brought over some zuchini and cucumbers for Da, and he asked me WHY there were balls of yarn all over the floor. :-)

I must apologize for the poor quality of the picture taking...I need to practice this art a lot more !!

I've been tagged

Thanks alot Jamie!!

Rules: list 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 current goals, 3 current obsessions, 3 random facts about yourself. Then tag at least 5 people at the end!

*3 Joys*
Family
Gospel
Laughter

*3 Fears*
Falling
Driving on the freeway with everyone doing 80
Alzheimers

*3 Current Goals*
Reach out and help at least one person each day
Be a better grandma
Keep my sugar levels optimal

*3 Current Obsessions*
Reading
Spending money!
Traveling!

*3 Random Facts About Myself*
I am very unsure about myself!
I feel like I need to spend money to be loved and (my budget gets tighter and tighter)
My most joyous moments are spent with my family

I got slimed!

Tonight Ed and I went up to the little Maddox Chicken stand in Layton for dinner. We placed our order and sat on the front patio of the stand waiting for it to be cooked. While waiting a lovely woman came up with a gorgeous dog - he is an English mastiff and he had the biggest brownest eyes - eyes you could get lost in!!

I told him how beautiful he was and while his owner smiled and said thank you he came over to me and sniffed my hands and wanted to be friends.

We started talking with his owner and I mentioned something about the cost of dog food today and she just smiled and said he was worth it. She told us he was just seven months old - still a puppy....he weighed 70 lbs!! All this while he is licking my hands and staring at me with those big brown eyes - we discussed how well behaved he was for his age. She called him back to her and he gave me one more mournful look and went back to his mistress, at which time I looked at my jeans and my knees and realized I had been slimed. Remember the movie Turner and Hooch? YEP!! Same thing. Thank heavens he didn't shake his head and shower us all. As I watched him (this time from a distance) I could see the drool gathering at the corners of his mouth and dripping dripping dripping!

About this time his owner had gotten her drinks that she had ordered and she took a big plastic bowl out of her bag and filled it full of ice water and the dog snarfed it up immediately - so she poured the other half of the 46oz cup of water into his dish. He even liked the ice cubes!! When it was all gone he started playing with the bowl - tipping it over and pushing it around on the cement. It kept him occupied for several minutes. Finally he reached down with his mouth and clamped his teeth around the upside down bowl and picked it up and gave it to his owner...and yep CRAAAACK - those massive jaws cracked the bowl in half. She just smiled softly at the little dear and said I guess we need to go to Pets Mart and get you a stronger bowl (yeah, out of solid steel!!)

The gazebo that we chose to eat at was in the shade so we invited her to come and visit with us as the dog needed to get out of the sun. She bought him a turkey burger and fed it to him one piece at a time. He was very patient with her. But when he was done he lowered his head onto the table and started sniffing at OUR chicken....oh dear!!

As beautiful as this English mastiff is, it made me very thankful for my Harley grandpuppy. This lady was so in love with her big huge oversized drooley, sliming baby- I can just imagine her rolling on the floor and getting slimed. No thanks - I'll take a miniature beagle over an English mastiff anytime. Even one who begs for hot dogs!

A Day at Lagoon

Saturday Mauri called and asked Ed and I if we wanted to go to Lagoon with them on Sunday. We got in as family members of Drew at $10 per person...and the day was fantastic. No lines, great weather and lots and lots of fun. Ed wasn't able to go as he woke up after a BAD night Saturday night with a fever of 100.4. He is still sick today and has twice now "sweat' it out, soaking his clothes and the bedding. He is still really weak but is on antibiotics and it is helping. So I skipped church and went and had a fun fun fun day with Mauri and Ira and Adrie and Drew and Jerod and Joshua and Caleb!

We got into the park right at opening and I figured I would stay till 3 or 4 and by that time the twins would be ready to go home and that would be plenty long for me! HAH! As soon as we got there we headed to rattlesnake rapids because, as Ira said, there is always a line a mile long.

NOT!! There was NO line...we went on it three times (well Mauri opted out after running it twice but the rest of us realized that we still had ONE dry spot on us so we needed to go a third time. So Mauri got some pictures of the rest of us on run #3. The video is of our raft as we head towards the waterfall that totally soaked ALL of us (the front of Jerod's shirt was 'relatively' dry because he would lean over and let the water hit his back). Even my socks were soaked.

If you double click on this picture I think you will see a bunch of drowned rats.







I do think that the second run of the three was the best because we had the weight distributed more evenly (Mauri, Ira and I balanced throughout the boat.) Thus we bounced through the waves better and got soaked more!



The twins were ready to go a fourth time but we talked them into heading back to the Log Plume - after more drenching there we slipped and slopped in our squeaky shoes back to the rides in the main park.

This is a quick blurb of the boys on the swing. They didn't have to wait in line for more than three minutes on ANY ride all day long. It was fantastic.


Here are a couple of darling pictures of Joshua (above) and Caleb (below). As you can see, Josh has a new buzz cut and has a head that looks good with it. In fact I think it accentuates his eyes - without the hair, you notice his long eyelashes!!

Caleb and Josh are on the Scalywag. I know for a fact that they went on practically every ride in the kiddie section at least twice and they droves the cars at least five times!! Caleb was sooooo proud of that fact that they were such good drivers and didn't wreck the cars at all!!



While I was in the kiddie section with the twins, Mauri and Ira and Adrie and Jerod went and found some fun BIG rides.


Jerod's favorite was the rocket - the blast off side I think it was.

We had the sandwiches and drinks that Mauri had brought for lunch and then we wandered over to where Drew was working. Everyone got a chance to catch a fish and Ira actually caught two out of the three of them so Adrie got to choose a big pink fat fish (it was really cute) for her bedroom.

We got some pictures ofJerod and Ira about to go up on the rocket. I thought I was video'ing it but evidently I goofed and just got the picture of them strapping themselves in. After lunch we all headed over to Lagoon-A-Beach.

I thought at first that the water park was going to be a bust because the twins quickly got cold. But then Mauri and Ira talked all three of the boys into trying the slide that you ride the tubes on, the one that goes down a little ways and dumps into a pool and does that again and again. Not one of them initially wanted to try it but we talked them into it and WOW!! We couldn't get them off it. The lines moved quickly...Jerod claims he went down 44 times but I think that is a bit of an exaggeration! We finally had to tell the boys it was time to leave at about 6 pm

At that point we ate the chicken I had brought (we had sandwiches earlier) - we saved ALOT of money by bringing our own food - everything is SO expensive in the park! Mauri and the kids all went on the BAT and Ody Sea.

Then I headed back over to the kiddie rides with the twins while Adrie and Drew went to ride the HUGE scary swing. (I can't remember the name of that ride) It took almost two hours for them to process through the line and poor Jerod sat and waited and waited and waited to get to go on more rides. Because of the delay thinking that any minute Drew and Adrie were going to take their lives into their hands Jerod didn't get to go on anything more than the scrambler that was right next to the swing. As you can see, Mauri really enjoyed it too!















The twins were getting so tired that we finally headed back to find Mauri and Ira and have them take us to my car (which was parked at the front runner station).

When we got there Adrie and Drew had just been suited up so we decided to wait. No one wanted to miss their 'swing'. The twins were very patient with us, bless their hearts - it was after 8 by then. We kept saying "its almost their turn, it's almost their turn.









And finally it was ... Ira videotaped it with my camera cause they had left theirs at home. Mauri stood there wringing her hands as they hoisted the girls wayyyyyy above the park and she was heard mumbling "no one has ever died on this ride before".... the boys were saying BYE Adrie, it was nice knowing you... so reassuring.

Here is the video clip of the famous ride - Ira did a great job of getting most of it on screen -- and yes all that screaming was from the throats of Adrie and Drew - I was amazed they could talk when it was all over! They came down grinning and triumphant. I was proud of Adrie (Drew had done it before) I can assure you I would NEVER do it.
The video is evidently too big - it wouldn't upload - I tried for an hour!!


By the time they were done and down and unhooked it was almost 9 pm so we packed EVERYONE up and headed back to the cars. Thanks Gibsons - for sharing such a fun time with me. As you can tell, I love it - and so did they!

On the road again

Ed had meetings in Park City this week and I wasn't about to let him go without me. I told him even if I had to sit in our condo while he went to the fancy dinners without me I was still going. So even though I just got back from Montana on Friday, I was headed to Park City on Monday! Before we left Kecia and Emma and Makae stopped in to say hi and let me have some hugs and grins. That was fun. About 4:30 we headed over the mountains. When he went to his first dinner meeting Monday night at 6:30 he got there and called me to come over because I wasn't the only 'tag-a-long'. As always they give their directors a nice gift bag full of goodies - he got candies and trail mix and a really nice fleece jacket that I wore today to keep me warm :-) He also got a $50 gift card to use here at the canyons.

We are staying at the Sundial resort at the Canyons - just West of Park City proper. Evidently these are not time shares but condos totally owned by one person and they rent them out when they are not using them. Our room is the second floor DOWN from the top (it is on the third floor) on the left side of the archway. You can see the wooden logs that make our balcony with the yellow plaster around it .




There is a big outdoor pool and hottub on the property just behind the buildings you see in the picture. There are three other huge complexes right next to the Sundial all nestled close together, all part of the Canyons, but each under separate management. Just behind these buildings there are three more huge complexes being built.

While Ed was in meetings Tuesday I went walking and exploring and discovered that just down the hall from our room on the third floor was a plunge pool and hottub. It is nestled on top of the archway between the two buildings (where it says SUNDIAL on the previous picture) The little pool looks like a little hottub but its to cool down in after sitting in the big hottub!! NICE ! It was better than the big pool because it had a four foot stone ledge all around it that kept the canyon breezes off and it was a cloudy cool day - just perfect for sitting in a hot tub! I felt like I had my own private spa! We were visiting tonight in the hot tub with a young family from Chicago who have bought a condo here - they are one and two bedroom units - they spend several weeks each winter out here skiing and then come for a couple of weeks each summer to enjoy the biking and hiking. They said the kids are on the swim team. They have three young children and they won't ski anywhere else now - they love our Utah snow. They also like our lovely weather even in the middle of the winter. It is so much more warmer than Chicago with its humidity and winds and storms off of the Great Lakes!


Ed got out of his classes early today because they always have a big golf tournament that Ed doesn't take part in. So we hopped on the tram and rode up on top of the mtn - it was fun - I was thankful that it was enclosed - I wouldn't have been able to handle the ride if my legs had been swinging free! Ed mentioned how deep the canyon was at one point and I told him to be quiet...all the while thinking what would happen if it were to drop! But it was beautiful up on top and we walked a ways down one of the paths. This is a picture taken through the plastic windows of the tram - it looks pretty tame here.



This picture of Ed was taken on the top of the mountain out on the trail -



Then we headed into Park City for dinner. We drove up to main street and found a spot to park and walked almost all the way up that steep little street - and walking DOWN was harder in my sandals! We looked at all the pretties in the windows - I saw a onesey that would have worked for Emma the first six months of her life ... it said "I LOVE BIG DUMPS". We saw a cute animated Christmas Village piece that Ed had to find out the price of - he wanted to get it for Jamie and Kelly but it was $80 - sorry, guys, out of budget! It was a snow scene, with snowboarders going up and down the mountain - We finally found a restaurant that looked good and it was. We sat out on the balcony to eat until it started to rain on us and then we moved inside. FUN

So we are having a nice relaxing time up here on our mountains living the high life. We will be home in a couple of days! And then I will stay home for TWO WEEKS I promise!

A wonderful trip North!

Last week on Tuesday morning my dad picked me up and we headed North to Conrad Montana where my dear Aunt Betty Jean lives. Actually, Conrad is only about 70 miles from Canada so it was a really really long drive. Once we got past Brigham City the traffic cleared out and we had fantastic sailing all the way. I remember when Utah roads used to be that empty!

The weather was perfect for driving and drive it I did. Dad sat back and navigated - a real difficult job since we followed I-15 all the way north! The trip was 640 miles long from my house to Betty's house- with lunch and potty breaks we made it in a little over 9 hours.

Utah and Idaho are miles and miles of cactus and dessert but then as you go over the Montana border you run into lots of canyons and mountains and then you get to the green fields full of newly baled hay and yellow fields full of wheat that was ready for harvest. It is a huge and beautiful state. Even when we got into the flatter areas of the state towards the end of our trip is was still soooo beautiful. I can see how everyone dreams of buying a ranch in Montana!! At least in the summer. I would imagine the winter drives the softies back out really fast.

When we got to my Aunt Betty's she was dying of the heat...it had gotten all the way up to 90 degrees and she had fans out all over the house. The rest of our visit the temps hovered right at 80 degrees and was soooo comfortable. Blue skies, light light breeze and 80 degrees. Perfect.

While we were there we got to visit with Betty (who is grandma Wanda's only sister) and my aunt Shirley (who married moms brother Jim) and cousins Mark and Carrie and Brad and Angela at various times. What neat people.

Betty is my mom's only sister. Mama was 11 years older than her. Mom had two brothers, John who was five years older than mom and Jimmy who was five years younger than mom. It had to have been an interesting home growing up with the personalities of these siblings. Uncle John and Aunt Betty, though stubborn, were mild mannered, quiet and graceful. Mom and Uncle Jim both were characters who never thought before opening their mouths. I think that Mama and Jimmy took after the personality of their mother, Grandma Kate and John and Betty got their dad's soft mannerisms.

Due to the difference in the girls' ages they were not close as children...Betty was eight when mom got married but they became very close as adults even though Betty was way up North in Montana. Mom loved Betty so very much.

Betty kept us pretty busy while we were in Conrad - we drove out to Cutbank to see the huge windfarm going up - they are in the process of building 50 huge windmills out there now with more to come. They were in all stages of development. We got to within about a mile of these and they look like a bunch of sticks in the ground.

But in actuality they were over 240 feet tall - with the propellers about 121 feet in length!! They have placed them on the Montana prairie where the winds are blowing almost constantly - down across Canada and then through this area of Montana. Betty says the wind does blow alot in Conrad but it seems to be alot more protected than Cutbank or Choteau where Shirley lives. They are beautiful to watch - so magnificant and stately. And they are a renewable energy source - the wind can be used over and over again!!This is a picture of the blades laying on the ground before they are raised up into place.

Dad and I had a wonderful time visiting with family and are so thankful to know and love these precious people. I didn't have to drive all the way back - dad took the wheel for a couple of hours!! We got home Friday night so tired but so glad we went. My only regret is that I didn't take more pictures!! DUH!! I need pictures of PEOPLE!! But I always forget to take them!