Hinton Happenings

Hinton Family Pictures

2012-02-15T19:43:00.011-07:00

When our family was here at Christmas time, we had family pictures taken. Here are some of my favorites:

Kristen and Jared's family:

Shonna and Blake's family

Michelle and Brian's family

Us with our Seven Grandchildren

The Original Five Hintons

Mother- Daughter Shot

Sisters

Three Best Sons- in - Law

And maybe my favorite of all: I just love this picture:

Lucky Rock

2012-02-13T00:26:00.007-07:00

I own a lucky rock:

You may remember this guy- John:

From this post: http://kenandkayhinton.blogspot.com/2011/11/tuesday-st-lucia.html

If you don't remember: I was out in the ocean on a boat in St. Lucia last November, and this Rastafarian, John, paddled out on his "water taxi" to sell me stuff (and to get rum from our boat). We got to talking and he and I became friends. That's the short of it. But what I didn't tell you before is that John gave me a lucky rock. After we visited awhile, he reached down in his boat and pulled out a rock. Then, with great ceremony, he presented it to me, declaring it was a lucky rock- obtained from the local volcano. He told me it would bring me luck. I smiled. I thanked him, and when I got back to the ship, packed it in my bag and brought it home. I set it in a basket on my dresser and kind of forgot about it. Recently, I noticed it in there. Hmmmm . . . I thought. I guess it isn't that lucky of a rock. I thought of my teeth (three of them) that have broken since I got home. I'm still seeing the dentist, trying to get two of them fixed. The dentist broke the 2nd one, fixing the 1st one. Anyway, it's been quite an ordeal. I thought of the terrible cold I had last month- and still, I have a clogged ear, lingering from that. I thought of two of my grandchildren who have had RSV- one of them having to be hospitalized. I thought of other disappointments and hard things in my life. "No, that's no lucky rock," I thought. Then, in almost the same thought, I was overwhelmed with how lucky I am: I have the kindest, nicest husband who honors and loves me. I have three beautiful daughters whose greatest desire is to be a good mother and who strive every day to be a better person. I thought of my three fine sons-in-law. And then I thought of each of those seven precious grandchildren (LUCKY!) and how much I love them. I thought of my comfortable home with running (hot) water and a washer and dryer and dishwasher and computer and many, many conveniences that make my life better. I thought of the good people I live near, the opportunities I have to serve and the joy I feel in every day. I thought of my siblings and extended family and of my heritage. I thought of the many opportunities and blessings I have in my life. "Oh, yes," I thought," That is one LUCKY rock." That is a good, good rock. Now, I know you'll all be wanting a lucky rock, too. So here's what to do: Just go out in the ocean near St. Lucia and John should come floating up. Tell him you're there for a lucky rock and that Kay sent you. I'm sure he'll give you one. He's just that kind of a guy. OR, you could just sit down and think of all the ways the Lord has blessed you and guided your life. That might be cheaper, and I think you'd find that maybe you don't even need a lucky rock. I kind of suspect I don't need one either. But I'm hanging on to it . . . just in case!

Grandpa and Gabbi Christmas Duet

2012-02-11T11:51:00.002-07:00

Whitethorn Woods

2012-02-04T12:57:00.001-07:00

Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy My rating: 2 of 5 stars This book was an exercise in frustration for me. I was relieved to finish it. I don't think that's the emotion you should feel when you finish a book. It wasn't a novel, really. It was a bunch of little stories, with the characters all having some connection to a place in Ireland- Whitethorn Woods. Some of the stories and characters intertwine, but it's very hard to keep track of everyone. Though Binchy is good at characterization, I kept forgetting them before they came up again, so I felt like I was always needing to go back and try to find them. I do like some of Binchy's earlier books, but just wasn't crazy about this one. View all my reviews

Patty and Hal come for a Winter Retreat

2012-02-01T15:23:00.004-07:00

Last week, Patty and Hal came for a short visit. Hal is now a branch president at the MTC and had a big group of missionaries from his branch leave on Tuesday morning. So he felt he could miss his Tuesday evening responsibilites there. (He got another big group in on Wednesday) We always have such a good time when they come. On Tuesday, the sisters went for lunch at Sakura and had bento boxes. Yum! We were eating when Roger and Hal showed up to "take our picture." I think the waitress and staff there were pretty sure we were famous or something when two guys show up with cameras to take our picture! We then went sister shopping. We always have fun shopping together and talk each other into buying stuff. It's just what we do.

Then Wednesday, the guys went golfing. We all went to Pancho and Lefty's for dinner, then to Pam's for pie after. It was fun to visit and be together.

Thanks for coming, Patty and Hal . . . and thanks for the pictures, Pam and Roger! (I forgot my camera.)

My Favorite Things- Fortified Oat Flakes

2012-01-30T12:58:00.005-07:00

By far, the best cereal ever made was Fortified Oat Flakes. I LOVED this cereal. I still can remember when I first tasted it.: When I was in fifth grade (that's a long time ago, people!), my best friend moved from our town of Caldwell, Idaho to Moscow, Idaho. Her mom and my mom were good friends and they cooked up this plan that I would fly to Moscow and spend a week. It was such a big adventure for a fifth grader. I had a wonderful time. (I still chant "Camera, purse, cheese!" sometimes. It's the chant Ellie taught me as I was getting back on the plane to fly home. She told me to say that to myself as I got off the plane, so I wouldn't leave anything on the plane. They'd taken me to a cheese factory while I was there. "Camera, purse, cheese!" I chanted to myself the whole way home on the plane.) I loved Ellie Frank (the mom.) She was so kind to me. Anyway, she asked me what kind of cereal I liked and I said, "Captain Crunch." So she bought me Captain Crunch and also bought Fortified Oat Flakes. I tried the Oat Flakes and LOVED them. It was misery for the rest of the week, feeling like I had to eat Captain Crunch when what I really wanted was Fortified Oat Flakes.

I was hooked. From then on, I ate this cereal a lot! It was still available when we were first married, but it was expensive, so I lived without for many years. And then, it just disappeared. Now that I could afford it; it was gone! Vanished into thin air. I can't tell you how many times I've searched up and down the cereal aisle- just hoping to catch a glimpse of that box. I finally googled it and found that it is indeed no longer made. But, I found there are many others like me that are sorely missing it. There's even a facebook page devoted to encouraging Post to bring it back: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Post-Cereal-Please-bring-back-Fortified-Oat-Flakes/101245193254832

Post: Are you listening?????

It's #6 on the Top All-Time Favorite Cereals List: http://www.mrbreakfast.com/cereal_votes.asp

(Though I do have to question the validity of a poll that has Cinnamon Toast Crunch at #9 [oosh!], Cocoa Krispies at #12 [double oosh!], and Life Cereal [the 2nd best cereal ever made]clear down at #56.)

What was so good about it, you ask? Well, though it's like trying to describe salt to someone who's never tasted salt, I'll try to describe it. They were flakes, but not really hard, cut your mouth flakes like Wheaties. They were softer . . .and sweeter. There was just a delicious natural sweetness- though that didn't stop me from adding sugar. And . . . (you're going to think this is weird) .. . they were really good soggy. You could pour on the milk and even if they got soggy, they were so yummy. Okay, I now have drool on my chin. Man, I miss this cereal.

Alas, this has turned into a sad, sad post, for Fortified Oat Flakes are truly one of my favorite things!

(I can remember this box with the little stitchery kits on it. I even ordered some, I think.) Sigh.

What's your favorite kind of cereal?

Disneyworld with the Mackrorys= Fun, Fun, Fun

2012-01-27T19:20:00.042-07:00

We had a wonderful vacation for a week in Orlando with Kristen and Jared's family.

We arrived on Saturday, the 7th and went home on Saturday, the 14th.

We grocery shopped on Saturday evening and moved into our nice 3-bedroom condo. We also got reacquainted. Jakie is such a sweet, little cuddler.

On Sunday, we attended church at the chapel across the street from the Orlando Temple.

After the three hour block, we walked around the beautiful temple and took some pictures.

We had homemade lunch and dinner at the condo, and after a significant nap . . .

We enjoyed a nice, restful evening.

We started early on Monday at Magic Kingdom.

Some of the Christmas decorations were still up. I've always wanted to see Magic Kingdom at Christmas time.

We pause in front of the castle long enough to take a picture.

Kristen went to get fast passes, and the rest of us headed to Buzz Lightyear ride. The kids were SO excited to tell her all about it when she met us at the end. Their first Disney experience.

They loved driving the cars.

Next, we visited Rapunzel. She was absolutely darling and spent so much time with the kids. It truly was a highlight of the week. (I thought it was so cute how since Rapunzel was kneeling, Brielle knelt down, too)

On to "It's a Small World"

And Aladdin's carpet ride.

I saw a lot of this all week. It was run, run, run . . and I was always lagging behind.

Teacups are always a favorite.

Winnie- the - Pooh ride was one of the longest waits of the whole week. They had fun things for the kids to do while they waited.

And Splash Mountain is fun. Brielle looks terrified. Nathan wasn't quite tall enough for this ride. You had to be 40". He was devastated. His hair touched the 40" mark, but they wouldn't let him go. His parents figured out that his tennis shoes had a slightly bigger heel, so that's what he wore the rest of the week. When we got home Monday night, he ate a lot of broccoli. He was SURE the reason he grew bigger was because he ate that broccoli.

The castle was so beautiful at night.

The Electric Parade

TUESDAY- ANIMAL KINGDOM

We started the day on an African jeep safari.

We saw all kinds of animals.

The train ride was a bit of a bust. Waiting for the train . . .

The river rafting ride was a blast, but we got absolutely soaked to the skin. Nathan was barely tall enough to go, but he had to be "captain." That meant he got a special wrist band that signaled to the workers that he needed to sit in the "captain's chair"- a special chair with a yellow bar to hold him in. It made him feel so important. I sat by Brielle and we got soaked.

We decided since we were wet anyway to go again. We told Nathan that since he was captain, he needed to keep us dry. As we all got buckled in on the raft, he announced to everyone on the raft, "I'm not going to be able to keep you dry." Just so you know.

Nathan loved it and wanted to go again. Brielle was freezing. I held up my ever-present "tarp" and her parents helped her change into dry pants and jacket. She was so glad to get out of those wet clothes. Then she, Ken, Jakie and I waited near the exit for Nathan, Kristen and Jared to go again. As we waited, a little girl came out that was soaking wet. Brielle looked at her and said, "I hope her parents are as well prepared as mine." I thought that was such a sweet, mature thing to say.

After drying off a bit, we attended the Finding Nemo show. It was so well done. The actors had the fish puppets on sticks in the dark and did the voices. It's hard to describe, but it was really cool.

Then we went to the Lion King show. Earlier, Jared had gone to get tickets for it. I think they liked his cute accent and thought he was cute, because they gave him VIP tickets. We had to meet the escort at the back door. We were escorted right to the front and had great seats. Then, they kept coming to us during the show to assist. First, Ken was asked to come up and had to make the noise of a wart hog. I got it on video and intend to use it for blackmail purposes! He did a great job.

Here he is making the wart hog noise. Unfortunately his back was to us, so you can't see him making the face of the warthog. It was pretty funny!

Then later in the show, Brielle and Nathan were pulled up to be part of the musical parade. They played shakers and marched around the stage. They were awesome!

Nice work, Jared! You totally scored!

Our whole group as we were leaving the park. I can't help but notice that we still looked like drowned rats. My pants were still wet when I took them off that night. We really got soaked.

We went to dinner that evening at a pizza place. A "Balloon Man" made the kids balloon animals.

WEDNESDAY: HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

We were up early the next morning to go at it again. Breakfast.

This time we went to Hollywood. There were lots of good shows there. First we saw The Little Mermaid.

The kids enjoyed playing in the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" playground.

Ken had been eyeing those huge turkey legs all week, so chose that for lunch. He said they look a lot better than they taste.

Nathan loved the stunt show that taught how they do car chase scenes and jumps and fire and other boy stuff.

I preferred Beauty and the Beast.

Kristen and Jared went on the Tower of Terror while we were in the show. Then Brielle, Ken, and Kristen went. As they got off, Kristen and Ken were excitedly chattering about the experience. Kristen asked Brielle, "Do you want to go again?" Brielle looked up and asked incredulously, "Why?" I Loved the Rockin' Rollercoaster. The biggest thrill is the start as they blast you so fast. It's all in the dark. I know you go upside down at least a couple of times, but you can't see, so it's not as scary. THURSDAY- GRANDPA AND GRANDMA'S DAY OFF

Thursday, Kristen and Jared headed back to Magic Kingdom, and Ken and I took the day off to rest and for my blisters to heal. Ken didn't get much rest, though. He left early in the morning to go birding. He saw several new life-listers, including two whooping cranes. There are only about 200 whooping cranes left in the wild, and he saw two of them. Lucky!!! I spent the day resting and reading by the pool at the resort. We went out to dinner that evening.

Here's some of what Kristen and Jared did on Thursday. Brielle loved the parade in the afternoon. After they saw her reaction to the princesses and characters in the parade, they decided they needed to visit more of them.

EPCOT CENTER: FRIDAY

Friday was Epcot Center day. I love the Epcot Center. We went on Soarin' And Test Tracks. That was fun.

We ate lunch in Morocco. It was delicious.

Jakie signing more.

After lunch, Jared took Brielle and Nathan to do kid things. Kristen, Ken, Jakie, and I explored the world. We had a pastry and creme brule' in France.

And loved Japan. We loved going through the very authentic stores there. Kristen and Ken both served missions in Japan. Kristen was overwhelmed with emotion, seeing the sites and hearing the language. It all seemed so real. We bought Mochi and curry mix to make Japanese curry at home.

Mochi: Weird marshmallowy stuff- a Japanese treat.

Germany:

We went on the Imaginations ride several times at the end of the day because it's one Jakie could do and he loved it. Ken, Jared, and Nathan ran to ride Soarin' again. Kristen, Jakie, Brielle, and I rode this one several times.

This was in the exploration center. It played music when you jumped on the squares.

We also went on the Nemo ride a couple of times. Outside of there, was a huge aquarium that had dolphins and lots of other fish.

The Mackrorys stayed that night for the Illuminations show. It was cold that day, so Ken and I left our coats with them and went home. It's really the only thing the weather kept us from doing all week. Thank you, Mackrorys for a wonderful week! It was exhausting, but oh so fun! It truly was magical!

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

2012-01-23T20:24:00.001-07:00

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed this historical fiction novel about a dark period of American history- the Japanese Internment Camps during WWII. Henry Lee, of Chinese descent is lonely in the all-white elementary school his father forces him to go to. Keiko, a Japanese- American soon joins him, and they form a close friendship that develops into love. Keiko, along with thousands of other Americans of Japanese descent is forced to a Interment camp in Idaho (very near where I grew up. In fact, in my school were some descendants of those in the internment camp, and my Dad, a Doctor, had several patients of Japanese descent.) Henry vows to wait for her, but his resolve is thwarted by a fiercely loyal to China father. It's a sad - bitter- and sweet story. It goes from present (in the '80s) to past throughout the novel, so we see Henry grow up, and see him as a man in his 50's with a son of his own. I think the characters in the novel are memorable. I especially liked Sheldon and came to appreciate Mrs. Beatty. Jazz music play throughout the book as Henry and Keiko love the jazz music of the time and it becomes the musical background of the book. I really think this should be a movie. I can picture it; I can hear it- the jazz music playing. It needs to be done before all those who lived through WWII are gone, too. My parents would have loved it. Who do I talk to? View all my reviews

Out of the Best Books- Volume 2

2012-01-21T09:40:00.005-07:00

Out of the Best Books: An Anthology of Literature, Volumes One - Five by Bruce Budge Clark Volume 2 I just finished Volume 2. This volume's theme is Love, Marriage, and Family. Each section explores through literature and art (this volume includes some beautiful paintings) character traits necessary for success in love in family. They include: Understanding, Refinement, Humilty, Courtesy, Diligence, Virtue, and Wisdom. See? See? Just reading the list makes you want to be a better person. As expressed in my review of Volume 1, it is impossible to adequately review a 350 page book, crammed with some of the greatest literature ever written. That is exasperated by the fact that it took me nine months to read it. Well, actually most of that time it was sitting in my book basket, begging to be read. But I will mention a few of my favorites: Understanding In this section, I liked a short story called "Sixteen" by Jessamyn West. It's the story of an immature girl's discovery that no matter our age, we are all the same. Refinement A sad, but revealing short story by Willa Cather, "The Sculptor's Funeral" contrasts the coarse townspeople and family with a sensitive, artistic young man, that is persecuted for his differences. Humility I loved, loved, loved a short story in this section, "Mother" by Kathleen Norris. A young woman from a large, poor family is now living in the city- eager to make something of her life. She becomes very interested in a young man; a fellow employee. While at home one weekend, visiting her family, the young man shows up. She is mortified for him to see where she came from, and is especially embarrassed by her overworked mother and her many younger siblings. As she tries to apologize to him at the end of the visit, he responds with a speech worth recording: "You know," continued John Tennison musingly, "in these days, when a woman thinks she is entitled to entirely ignore the question of children, if she feels that way, or at most to bring up one or two , just the one or two that the family income provides for luxuriously and easily, there's something magnificent in a woman like your mother, who, instead of one destiny, starts eight! Responsibility- that's what people are afraid of! But it seems to me there's no responsibility like that of decreeing that young lives simply shall not be. . . Miss Paget, after all, and it seems to me that woman who stands there, as your mother will, whith a forest of new lives about her, and a record like hers, will- will find she has a Friend at court!" Courtesy There were several good ones in this section, but I think my favorite was a little story by Ogden Nash, "The Evening Out." It's about a husband and wife going out for the evening, but the wife is SO concerned about her appearance that neither of them can have any fun. Diligence I liked a short story (Hmmm . .. I seem to prefer the short stories!) by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, "The Revolt of Mother" (I also seem to like the "mother" stories!) Stop me if you've heard this one, because I've told the plot to several people, as it made such an impression on me. Set in "olden times" a couple and their two children have lived on a farm in an old, shabby home for many years. Though he promised his wife many years ago, he would build her a new home, he instead builds a beautiful new barn in her dream home spot. Rather than nagging and crying and complaining, she comes up with a plan: She arranges for him to be away for a couple of days- just enough time for she and her children to move into the barn and begin the conversion of it to her much-deserved dream home. He comes home to find it's all done and then and only then, realizes what it meant to his wife and humbly accepts. I just loved that she didn't nag or make life miserable. She just did what needed to be done. "Sarah Penn's success does not come from insisting on her rights. It comes from serving so unselfishly and consistenly that even her husband's work-hardened exterior is broken through." I also loved a collection of letters written by Abigail Adams to her husband John Adams included in this section. Abigail is one of my heroes. She and Barbara Bush are the only two women in history to have been both a wife and a mother of an American president. And finally, in the Wisdom section, was another short story by Anton Chekhov. His short stories are so memorable. I enjoyed "The Lament" in Volume 1 and "The Bet" in this one. In it, a young man and an older man make a bet that the younger man can stay in absolute solitary confinement for fifteen years. The older man will then pay the younger two million. It tells how he spends his time, and the lessons learned by both of the men. It has a startling ending. Okay, so there you have it. Now, on to Volume 3! View all my reviews

Prince Visit 2

2012-01-06T18:00:00.012-07:00

Because Brian and Michelle flew in and out of Vegas, we got them at the first of their three week trip and then at the end. It was fun to have them here for a couple more days. We got lots of baby holding time,

And read stories from Grandma's vast collection.

We had a really fun time at one of our wonderful neighborhood parks.

This park has so many creative toys to play on. Everyone had a great time.

And in true Hinton tradition, Gabbi climbed the rock and "touched the sky."

I think Michelle and Brian had as much fun as Gabbi!

We watched "The Help" as they hadn't seen it yet. It's a well-done movie.

We played Marble Works. Gabbi LOVED that.

AND . . . Baby Jaron rolled over for the first time! He just got himself into a ball went from his back to his front. He was on a quilt in the kitchen, so he conked on the hardwood floor when he flipped. But later, he still tried again:

Thanks for the wonderful visits, Michelle and Brian! We love you!

Recording Artists

2012-01-06T10:59:00.005-07:00

The Keynotes had fun the other day going to a recording studio to record our Christmas album. It's something Jennett in the group has wanted to do for a long time, so we saved our money from paid gigs and did it this week. The whole goal was that our children would have a nice recording of us- not just our unprofessional rehearsal recordings to remember us by. It turned out pretty well, too. There are a couple of songs I'd like to do over, but most of it sounds pretty good. Here are some pictures of our recording session:

Our wonderful accompanist, Marsha.

Me recording my solo

It was a little scary as we left the studio as we had to beat off the paparazzi- I guess word got out! Ha! Ha! Let me know if you want a copy!

New Years with the Princes

2012-01-05T08:22:00.007-07:00

We, a bit spontaneously, drove up to SLC to spend New Year's with the Prince family. Michelle and Brian were still there (they are back here now for a few days) and Cynthia generously invited us. We had a fun New Year's Party. We danced Just Dance on the Wii:

And played games and had LOTS of delicious snacks

Even Baby Jaron stayed up for the festivities

See the clock in the background: What a great way to start the new year- holding a baby!

The midnight kiss (or almost)

Poor Matthew had to kiss Cassie, the dog:

New Year's morning, we had our traditional aebelskivers for breakfast:

After church, we enjoyed a delicious salmon New Years dinner:

It was a fun weekend- and so much better than spending the new year in our quiet empty nester house. Thank you, Princes!

Christmas Reunion- Part 1

2012-01-03T08:14:00.024-07:00

We held our annual family reunion the week before Christmas! I know, crazy. . .but with Brian and Blake still in school, and working around other family schedules, it's what worked this year. I want to just start by thanking my wonderful family. They SACRIFICE to make it work; to get together. I appreciate their commitment. And the rewards were boundless! It was so fun to be together and share the Christmas spirit. I've broken this up into two posts. I've been downloading pictures for hours! Maybe I've put on too many . . . but what you don't see is all the wonderful pictures I didn't include. I hope it won't be too long. Okay, here we go . . . .

Shonna and Blake came first on Thursday. I picked them up at the airport in Vegas and we enjoyed Inn and Out Burgers on the way home. Thursday, Shonna and I did all the grocery and Costco shopping for the week, while Blake tended the kids. We got home in time for Blake's family to pick him up to take him to Arizona. Blake's wonderful grandma was dying, so they all went to bid her farewell (she actually passed away on Christmas day, so their holiday was marred by that.) He was gone until Sunday afternoon.

FRIDAY, DEC. 16th

Kristen and Jared flew in on Friday. Jared was sustained in his bishopric the week before, so he needed to be ordained a high priest. So, his father (who was in California on business) rerouted his flight to meet them in Vegas that evening. Ken drove down so that the two of them could ordain him in a Vegas hotel room. (I wonder if that's ever been done before?)

After enjoying dinner together, they drove up here late Friday night.

SATURDAY, DEC. 17th

Saturday was a pretty relaxed day. Ken and Jared went on the bird count. That evening, we attended the Hinton Family Party in Hurricane. Dave and Gerri just left on a mission, so this was kind of a farewell party for them, as well. It was fun to be together.

The kids meet exteneded family cousins and "run the halls" with them.

Michelle and Brian arrived late that night.

SUNDAY, DEC. 18th

Sunday was our ward's Christmas program. I appreciated Kristen singing in it and Shonna playing the flute on one of the numbers (she's really good!) Everyone else did a great job taking care of seven grandchildren under the age of six during the meeting!

A favorite activity all week was rearranging the nativities. Kids are SO drawn to those, especially baby Jesus. All week, we kept finding the baby Jesus in the laundry room sink. Then, one day, Caleb was crying, trying to get him back out, but he couldn't reach it. The next day, I found him throwing him in there. Why? We're not sure. The sink is one of those free-standing ones . . .maybe he thought it looked like a manger? Or maybe he thought the baby Jesus needed a bath?

Sunday evening, we went to the temple visitor's center to see the nativity and lights. All but Lily in this picture.

Caleb was mesmerized by the statue of Jesus:

The kids headed right for the temple and climbed the stairs to "touch" the temple.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 19th

Kristen had an idea in mind for a great craft, so the day started with getting a picture of all seven cousins together. Oh my! We got a taste of what picture taking was going to entail all week. . . . It takes an army . ..

We then got ready and went out to Walmart to do Sub For Santa shopping. I was aware of a family with seven children that we could help out. So we divided up the children, and took over Walmart. It was so fun.

After lunch, we did some random activities.

While I folded laundry, many joined on my bed to watch Wordworld.

Grandpa, Brielle (Kristen's) and Lily (Shonna's)

Grandpa helps Nathan (Kristen's) on with his shoes.

Feeding the ducks in the pond on the golf course by our house was a favorite activity all week. This is Jacob (Kristen's)

Monday afternoon, the kids all did crafts. Here, they are writing notes to go in a treasure chest for Grandpa and Grandma:

And mugs with their fingerprints for a Christmas gift for Grandpa and Grandma.

That evening was the reenactment of the nativity. It was a bit chaotic, but it was such a sweet little show. Jaron (Michelle's) was baby Jesus.

Joseph, Mary, and the baby.

A very handsome Mary and Joseph, I do believe.

Caleb (Shonna's) was our wiseman- shown here with his gift of a cupcake

And Jacob was our unruly sheep

Gabbi (Michelle's) was a shepherd, but had a hard time getting her little lamb to follow her!

The sheep visiting baby Jesus

The chaotic cast being instructed by Shonna

Here's most of them, with the sheep escaping.

We had some good laughs.

Each evening, the kids opened a book and we enjoyed a Christmas story together.

TUESDAY, DEC. 20th

We started the day with more fun crafts. Kristen and Jared got prints of those cousin pics we took yesterday and made ornaments with them with wreaths made from puzzle pieces. They turned out so cute.

And they made reindeer from traces of their hands and feet!

Brielle was in charge of costuming for the nativity on Monday, and was DELIGHTED to find this "Laura dress" in the dress up box. She has been reading the Little House series and loves Laura. So for the rest of the week (most of the time) she wore the dress and instructed us to call her Laura. Here, she's dancing in the dress. .

Pictures were scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, so baths and preparations went on all morning

Pictures. If you've ever tried to take pictures with little ones, you know what it was like! Crazy.

Brian chasing Nathan.

It took an army to evoke smiles. It was pretty funny.

I love this shot of the Daddy's tending their babies, trying to keep them warm and happy.

It was chilly, but a beautiful day.

We haven't got the pictures yet, but honestly, I like this one better than any of the professional ones of Ken and I.

There was lots of this, but we made it and got some nice pictures that I'll be posting sometime.

We came home and fed the kids and the kids opened matching Christmas jammies from Grandpa and Grandma. Here's Lily in her new jammies:

And baby Jaron in his:

The girls inspecting their new jammies

And the boys doing their inspection:

Another Christmas story:

Since tomorrow was to be our "pretend" Christmas, the stockings were hung by the chimney with care . . .in hopes that Grandpa and Grandma would fill them up!

(Please click "older posts" to read the rest of our reunion.)

Christmas Reunion- Part 2

2012-01-02T23:00:00.029-07:00

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21st

Wednesday was our "Christmas" We had waffles and opened "crackers"- gifts that pop when you open them and contain a small toy and a tissue paper crown.

Nathan opening his cracker

Marbles!

Gabbi got a toy car:

Modeling the crowns:

We opened more crackers for the kids after breakfast.. .

)

. . . while the men cleaned up the kitchen (honestly, the men did most of the cooking and cleaning up all week!)

Is it time to open the stockings?

While we're waiting for the men to finish cleaning the kitchen, I'll tell you about Gabbi's dilema. Gabbi is obsessed with her size two princess nightgown. It's getting a little small, but she insists on wearing it every night. After receiving her new Christmas jammies, she was NOT going to wear them. . . that is until she saw Brielle in hers. Brielle is her hero, and so it made for a difficult dilema: Do I wear my beloved princess nightgown? or do I wear jammies that match Brielle:

Yea! This picture shows how Gabbi solved her dilema: she wore both!

I had a dream! From the time I bought the jammies, I had a dream of the seven grandchildren wearing their matching jammies, cuddling their new teddy bears, smiling contentedly for a picture. What a joke! The parents really tried to make it happen. They gave it their best shot!

This is the best we could do! Well, it's sort of like my dream!

Playing with their stocking stuffers:

This picture shows the double jammies!

Mommy putting them on her:

Jakie and Brian

The piano is the happy place for the kids:

That evening was adult game night. That sounds bad. . . it was just the evening we all played games together organized by Kristen- after kids were in bed. After the reunion was all over, everyone agreed this was the most fun night of all. We really had a good time. Here we're drawing what we're told to with the paper on our heads. Brian was hilarious!

Here we're divided on teams , shooting marshmallows into our teammates mouths. Everyone but me got it. My mouth is too little (can you even imagine that?) so our team lost. Jared got frustrated at not being able to get it in my mouth, so he just started throwing marshmallows at me. What there isn't a picture of, is that it dissolved into a free- for -all marshmallow fight. I'm sad there's not a picture of that, but everyone was too busy shooting marshmallows to shoot pictures. . .except Brian who was too busy protecting baby Jaron with his body so that the baby wouldn't get hit. (As I was taking down the tree yesterday, I found a marshmallow lodged in the branches confirming that it really did happen!)

Catch phrase

Kristen had prizes for everyone at the end. It was such a fun night.

THURSDAY, DEC. 22nd

Thursday morning, Ken and I had to attend the funeral for his Uncle Orvan. The rest of the crew went on a hike together and had a fun time in the beautiful weather. We came home and had lunch, then later we finally broke out the bubble machine. The kids had a blast dancing in the bubbles.

Jakie was especially mesmerized.

I love this picture of warm and happy Lily:

Oh dear! In the stockings were these funny shooting animals. Caleb LOVED their chicken. Daddy shot him and he landed in the tree. Oh dear!

Daddy to the rescue . . with Brian's help

The chicken finally came down! Caleb was SO happy!

We then went to the park:

And danced in the living room:

In a ploy to get Brielle out of the Laura dress (shh! Don't tell her), she got to dress up in her Mommy's wedding dress. Nathan made a fine groom, too.

That evening, we headed out to Tuachan to see Santa and the live nativity. It was bitter cold out there and very windy. These are pictures of us while waiting in the Santa line:

The Prince family:

The Camerons:

Grandpa and Jakie:

The Mackrorys:

It was worth the wait. He was THE BEST Santa and we got some really cute pictures:

Nathan:

Brielle:

Jakie:

Gabbi:

Caleb was a little shy to sit by himself, but did fine with Mama as a buffer:

It was so cold, that many in the group didn't want to sit through the outdoor live nativity. But some of us braved the cold and watched the story of the nativity with live actors. It was so fun to sit by Gabbi and have her exclaiming "This is just like my natibity at home!" She kept asking why the star wasn't on top of the stable (like hers at home) She was so cute. It really was a special part of Christmas- and the cold made it even more real somehow.

One of the best of activities of the week was doing Sub for Santa for a family. We all went to Walmart to shop for them on Monday, we wrapped the gifts as we had time during the week, then loaded the bags in the car to deliver the gifts on Thursday night. Here's the kids in the trunk with the gifts:

Santas ready to take the gifts after the kids were in bed.

After the Santa delivery, we had the best night of all: Girl's Night. We gave each other foot rubs and pedicures while the guys . . . I don't know, what did the guys do? Oh, I think they discussed how they would spend their millions when they made them, or something like that. Doing pedicures is kind of a family tradition; one we all look forward to. It was a great time to just chat and enjoy each others' company.

FRIDAY, DEC. 23rd

Kristen and Jared left really early that morning (sad)

We took some pictures just before Shonna and Blake left later in the morning.

The two babies: Lily is several months older than Jaron, but Jaron may even be longer than her. He's a tall baby:

Caleb and Grandpa wrestling: Caleb loves a good wrestle.

Grandma and Lily

Isn't she a pretty baby?

After the others left, we headed up to Zion National park with the Princes. It was a beautiful winter day. We hiked the Emerald Pools trail.

Gabbi discovered her shadow and that it would do whatever she did.

It was such a fun afternoon. On the way home, we stopped at Texas Roadhouse for dinner.

Saturday, Dec. 24th

Saturday, we had 2nd Christmas, or "real" Christmas with the Princes.

Gabbi got some fun bath toys and . . .

A new Princess nightgown from Grandpa and Grandma!!!!

She was delighted!

Which prompted a dancing/ singing frenzy. She entertained us. She loves the Polar Express song where you can hear the train. She puts her little hand behind her ear listening for the train, then puts her hands on her knees and bounces to the train beat, then dances and sings and whirls. She did it over and over. It was so cute.

Then the Princes packed up and headed to Salt Lake to be with Brian's family for Christmas. It was sad to see everyone go. It was bedlum while they were all here, but as Ken said, it was "heavenly bedlum." We love our family! (And if you made it this far, you deserve a reward!)

Wherever Grandma Is

2011-12-21T06:16:00.004-07:00

Happy times! My whole family is here right now and we're having a great time together. This morning is "Christmas" here as we're opening presents together. Yesterday, we had our family pictures taken. We had to take four cars to our picture destination. Later, Jared and Kristen shared their conversation in their car as they traveled. They played a game where everyone named favorites and least favorites in different categories. One category was their least favorite and favorite"place". Four-year-old Nathan said Judea was his least favorite place. "Judea? Why?" Because there are so many mean and bad people there that hurt Jesus." Where is your favorite place? "St. George or wherever Grandma is!" Ahhhhh! Melt my heart! Merry Christmas!

Christmas- Keynote Style

2011-12-13T10:34:00.006-07:00

Our Keynotes had our concert in the tabernacle last Friday evening. We had a big crowd and it went well. I think it's one of the best concerts we've done. It would appear to the outsider that this concert is the purpose of our group. The concert is the culminating event each season. It's what we work for and prepare for. But I've come to understand in a quietly profound way the real purpose of our group. It was made very clear to me this season. I spend many, many hours choosing music, writing script, setting up rest home/ assisted living performances, preparing weekly rehearsals, taking care of many details. We sang at a lot of places this year. As I drove to the first one- a particularly sad, old rest home- I thought, "Why do I do this?" My self talk was, I'm ashamed to say, very negative. "I don't have time for this. I'm tired. I have SO much to do . . ." As soon as I walked in there and saw those people with droopy heads and saggy mouths and wheelchairs and blank stares and silent pleading for love, the Lord blessed me with an overwhelming sense of what I was really doing- I was celebrating His birth in the way He would want me to celebrate it. I was making time for what is REALLY important. I could tell others in the group were feeling the same thing as there were tears and cracky, emotional voices. Then, I experienced what I believe was a miracle. We rehearse a lot. We work hard as a group and individually to have all our music memorized and to sound good. But NEVER do we sound better than when we're singing for these people. Something happens. Our voices are made more clear and strong; our blend is perfect. We sound really, really good. I personally can feel my voice strengthened. There is a literal and perceptible change. I came to understand this year that this is a gift from God. That is Him telling us how important these people are to Him. He blesses them with the very best that is within us. He tells us this over and over and over in the scriptures- how important the poor and sick and infirm and down trodden are to Him. I thank Him for this deepened understanding of that through our little service.

I also want to tell you how incredible each of those ladies are that you see in that picture. I love each of them so much. Each contributes to our group in a unique way, making us who and what we are. I marvel at their goodness and choose them as heroes and role models in my life. I feel so blessed to share these (what I've come to understand are) sacred experiences with them. We have a lot of fun, too- a great bonus! Keynotes is a very important part of my life. So, Merry Christmas- Keynotes style!

This is our visual aid this year. We sang songs with these "Christmas only" words, then ended our concert with a song that has all of these words in it.

"Official" Cruise Pictures

2011-12-10T12:18:00.006-07:00

Patty sent some pictures from the cruise that I wanted to share:

First Formal Night

2nd Formal Night:

Sister Shopping Day on St. Thomas:

Jon (Allison's husband) did a bonus picture for us as well (I personally wish he'd spent his editing time making me skinny. Though I do really like Hal's beard. That's good.)

What Did the Prophet Ask Us to Do?

2011-12-01T07:02:00.003-07:00

After each general conference, I scour through the prophet's talks and make a list of those things our prophet has asked us to DO. I then share this list with those I visit teach and post it on our fridge to remind us. (To see past lists, click here) This time, the list is very short. But as I analyze it, most of the things that are most important in life are on the list. I am grateful for a prophet of God.

What Did the Prophet Ask Us To Do?

October General Conference, 2011

Saturday Morning As We Meet Again

Any who might wish to do so, can contribute to the General Temple Patron Assistance Fund. (This fund assists those who need it to attend the temple the first time)

Priesthood Session Dare to Stand Alone

Read the Book of Mormon; Ponder it’s teachings. Ask Heavenly Father if it is true.

Honor the priesthood; Be true to the trust which was conveyed when it was conferred.

Know what you believe.

Be courageous and prepared to stand for what you believe. If you must stand alone, do so courageously.

Sunday Morning Session Stand in Holy Places

Reject anything that does not conform to our standards.

Develop a relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Communicate with Heavenly Father.

Sunday Afternoon Session Until We Meet Again

Show increased kindness one toward another.

May we ever be found doing the work of the Lord.

Constantly nourish your testimony.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T08:58:00.009-07:00

With all three of our daughters living east of the Mississippi, we were on our own this year for Thanksgiving. Shonna and Blake traveled from Ohio to be with Michelle in Virginia, so at least they were together (they blessed baby Jaron this morning.) Our good neighbors, the Sonjus kindly included us in their Thanksgiving dinner. We felt so blessed to be with their wonderful, fun-loving extended family

The Sonjus

Macy with her Great-Grandpa

. We had a delicious dinner, then participated in their tradition of the "thankful tree." Each person wrote on a leaf what they are thankful for and put it on the tree.

That evening, I got a huge shock. Ken announced that he wanted to go to Walmart's Black Friday that was really on Thursday night. His computer chair was in sad, sad shape and Walmart had one for about 75% of what I paid for mine. Though I hate Walmart on even a normal day, I was excited to shop with my husband. We had NO idea what we were in for. As we drove to the store, Ken said, "Where are all these cars going at 10:00pm on a holiday?" We soon realized we were ALL headed to Walmart. The parking lot was completely full, with all neighboring parking lots also full. Ken found a spot out on the street. In normal Ken fashion, he wanted to divide and conquer. Mistake. We each just had a couple of items we wanted to get. One of mine was video games. Ha! Ha! The video game palettes were set up in the produce. The frenzied crowd in front of them was huge and shouting. I watched in horror as people screamed and dove for games that were being thrown out. Awesome! I decided I could live without new games for the Wii. Especially since Kristen called just before we left to go as she was on her way home from her Walmart sale. She told me, "Be careful, Mom." A man in her Walmart was trampled trying to pick up video games and was hauled out on a stretcher. And this all in celebration of the Savior's birth? Something's wrong with this picture.

We called each other on our cell phones to check out, but there were so many people, I couldn't get to him. I waited until the checkout line, and I use the term loosely, finally brought him to me. It was absolute madness. It took forever to get to a cash register, but we finally got out of there without a scratch. And Ken now has a beautiful new computer chair that doesn't lose a wheel or two every time he sits on it.

That is a cultural experience everyone needs to do once- but only once. We've had our turn! I'm grateful we lived to tell about it!

The sorry old chair:

Howard and Joni Wed

2011-11-25T09:35:00.003-07:00

Last week, Ken and I traveled to SLC to attend the wedding of Ken's life-long friend, Howard Stucki. Howard married Joni in the Draper temple. It was such a privilege to be in attendance and to see the old happy, grinning ear-to-ear Howard back. Howard was Ken's best man at our wedding and Ken was best man at Howard's first wedding years ago. They grew up just a half-block from each other. Since they were two-year-olds, they've been a part of each others' lives. So many of Ken's childhood memories include Howard. After their missions, they were roommates at BYU (which is when I met Howard), and we've kept in touch all the years since. We think he totally scored, finding Joni. She's just adorable and, again, it's soo good to see him happy again. They even let us crash their honeymoon, as they came down here to Howard's family cabin, and we all went out to dinner one evening. (I took my camera with me, but forgot to take a picture) We look forward to many happy times with the new Mr. and Mrs. Howard Stucki! Congratulations, Joni and Howard!

Running With Angels

2011-11-20T17:40:00.002-07:00

Running With Angels by Pamela H. Hansen My rating: 3 of 5 stars Pamela Hansen is an inspirational woman. She has tremendous challenges in her life, that I can only imagine. She lost two babies and two others have severe disabilities. She gained a lot of weight through all of that, and this is the story of her losing that weight and running a marathon (actually two!) Though the book needed some editing and focus- especially at the end- it inspired me to do and be better. View all my reviews

The Persian Pickle Club

2011-11-18T17:27:00.001-07:00

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas My rating: 4 of 5 stars Set in a Depression-era, country town in Kansas, this is the story of a diverse, yet unified group of women. They cling to their love of quilts and quilting and to each other to get them through their difficulties and good times in life. There's a little murder mystery thrown in for good measure, too. I enjoyed "meeting" each of these interesting women, and came to like even the most unlikable of the bunch. This is the first book I've read by Sandra Dallas. I really liked her writing style and themes. I hope to read more of her novels. View all my reviews

Friday- In San Juan, Puerto Rico

2011-11-15T21:51:00.003-07:00

Ken and I recently returned from a wonderful vacation. We went on a cruise with all my siblings and spouses in the Carribean. We had a wonderful time together. Ken and I went a day early so Ken could fulfill his long-time desire to bird in El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico. He booked us in a beautiful resort, The Rio Mar Beach Resort for two nights. We left on Thursday, arriving that evening. Ken spent the day on Friday in the jungle, looking for birds. He added a dozen or so new birds to his life list. I stayed at the beautiful resort, swimming and relaxing. This was the view from our room.

This was the view from the front of the hotel. Puerto Rico is beautiful.

Saturday- We Set Sail

2011-11-15T21:49:00.003-07:00

After checking out of our hotel, we drove to the airport, turned back in our rental car and took a taxi to the dock and boarded the Celebrity Summit for our cruise. Soon, the others arrived and we all met on deck for the sail away party.

Sunday- Out to Sea

2011-11-15T21:15:00.014-07:00

After a delicious Sunday brunch, we found an empty room and held our own church together. Each of us shared a favorite scripture. I took notes and wrote down what I got from what each person shared:

John: John 21. Peter, lovest me more than these? We need to "fish" the Lord's way and we will be successful.

Roger: Quoted President Packer,"We are raising children in enemy territory." Asked "What can we do as grandparents to help these precious little ones." Shared some ideas.

Pam: 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Talked about light. I wrote down "Picture of Russian children in a circle" Anybody have a clue what I meant by that?

Patty: Ether 6:4 "Commending themselves unto the Lord their God." The people on the ships who got on those sail-less ships in faith and commended themselves. That's what we need to do (go on missions, etc.)- trust the Lord and all will be well.

Joan: Mosiah 2:21 21 I say unto you that if ye should ^aserve him who has created you from the beginning, and is ^bpreserving you from day to day, by lending you ^cbreath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own ^dwill, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your ^ewhole souls yet ye would be ^funprofitable servants.

Tom: "He chose to climb" on the tombstone of the first man to reach the top of the Matterhorn, but who died on the way down. Talked about Matt 13 and the parable of the sower. Focus on the "good seed" Brought forth 100 times We need to move from focusing on success to focusing on significance in our lives. (I loved this!)

Kay: Psalms 104:33, 34 My mantra. 33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.

Hal: Everything obeys the Lord. Shared several scriptures on how true power comes from obedience and gentleness and patience. The three faces of power: 1-might, 2-knowledge, 3- righteuousness

Cindy: Matt. 6: 28-34 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much moreclothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you

. This can be found in all the standard works: Luke 27, D&C, and Haggai 1:5

Ken: Alma 37:37 37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

He says this to himself from memory every night as he goes to sleep. His evening prayer is one of supplication, his morning prayer is one of thanks.

That's just a brief recap. I thoroughly enjoyed that time we spent discussing the gospel and feeling the testimonies of everyone.

Later, the girls met for battle of the sexes trivia. "Idaho Joan" was called up to represent the team and do charades. The emcee called her "Idaho Joan" and the rest of the week, people on the ship would greet her as Idaho Joan.

Joan doing her charade.

Later, they held a trivia contest. Teams could have five people, so all the girls formed a team, and all the boys formed a team. There were a lot of other teams as well. You need to understand that Trivial Pursuit is part of every Gabrielsen family gathering and has been for years and years. Often, women are pitted against men, and most often, the men win. It brings me GREAT pleasure to announce that our team of Gabrielsen women WON! No not just against our men, but the whole thing! It was awesome. Every single one of us contributed and we totally rocked! I can't remember all of the questions, of course, but here's some I remember: what is the national animal of South Africa??? Pam knew: Springbok. Iceland's chief export??? Fish (we debated on that one for a long time) How many children in the VonTrapp family? My contribution: 7. The underwater city of SpongeBob Square Pants? Cindy knew: Bikini Bottom. Oh, goodness, I can't remember any others, but it was just awesome. Do you guys remember any more? Here's us with our prizes:

The Winners of the Trivia Contest: (Applause please!) It really was our finest moment.

Later, we went to hear this acapella quartet sing. We really enjoyed them and listened to them often throughout the week.

Sunday night was formal night at dinner. Years ago, Hal started the tradition of taking couple pictures at dinner. Now we all do it. Here's our pictures that evening.

Pam and Roger

Patty and Hal

John and Cindy

Ken and Kay

Tom and Joan

Ready for the show

The evening show

Later, up at the disco, we're trying out the moves we learned at the show! (I'm kidding. We were dancing) Tom is the "Electric Slide King" He gets everyone doing it.

Monday- Barbados

2011-11-15T20:12:00.009-07:00

Since Joan and Tom had previously taken a tour of Barbados, and since Patty wasn't feeling well, they didn't go, but the rest of us hired Simon- a local taxi driver- to take us on a tour of Barbados. It was really fun.

Simon (yes, he's driving on the wrong side of the car and the street. Barbados is English.)

The Green Monkey. I am well known to always have whatever anyone needs in my purse. I would totally clean up at the "Let's Make a Deal" show when the host asks if you have something in your purse and if you do, you win money. Anyway, I just happened to have a banana in my purse, so we got to feed the monkeys. When Ken gave one the banana, others came running and shrieking. They made quite a ruckus.

We stopped at a famous Episcopal church there.

Clown Boy. I don't know why. That's just what John calls him.

Many dignitaries have worshipped in this church, including President and Nancy Reagan.

The beautiful view

We told Simon our religion, so he took us by the Latter-day Saint church. We asked him if he knew "Mormons" and he corrected us and said, "latter-day Saints."

This in the home in which George Washington lived in Barbados.

Back on the boat. There was a gorgeous sunset that evening.

Tuesday- St. Lucia

2011-11-15T17:54:00.012-07:00

Tuesday was a wild and crazy day, at least for me. We went out on the dock and booked a boat ride tour out to the Piton's- two volcanic mountains that grow right out of the ocean. We thought we were booking a touring boat, but when it came to pick us up on the dock, we discovered it was just a fishing vessel. It was interesting trying to get on and off that thing! You had to time your jump. Then, there weren't seats for everyone. Then the "pump" broke. It was quite the experience. But the company was great and we had a good time.

There's the pitons. I understand that even with our eventful trip, it's a whole lot easier to get to these by water than it is by land.

There's us on the back of that funny boat.

Looks like this picture made it on here twice. Well, good because, like I said, it wasn't easy getting here!

I love this picture of Cindy photographing John.

Self shot (I learned this from John. He's forever taking shots of himself. I love it.)

This wins picture of the week. Man, I love those two.

When we got to Soufriere, a small city in St. Lucia, we got off the boat. John and Cindy took a van to the volcano, but Joan and Tom and us walked around the city. After the restroom, the first stop was an Internet cafe so they could read their email from their missionary, Taylor, who is serving in the Dominican Republic. We could feel his pain, as it was SO hot in that town. Whew!

We visited this sweet church in their town square (the town square where they used to do beheadings- OOOSh!)

Locals selling their wares. . .

Including a wheel barrow full of freshly-caught fish. Locals would just come up and choose their fish and pay for them.

After the volcano visitors got back, we jumped back on that . . .vessel . . . and went out to a famous snorkeling place. The problem was, there wasn't a place to dock, and since it wasn't a touring boat, there was no ladder and no easy way to get back onto the boat. So, I opted to stay on the boat, though I was DYING to get in that beautiful water.

I was pretty bummed until "John" showed up. "John" was a local Rastafarian who rowed out to our boat on his "water taxi" a plastic canoe. He came to sell his wares- handmade jewelry and conch shells, and to get some rum from our boat, and to chat. I thoroughly enjoyed my chat with John. He had braided hair, that when taken down, would reach mid-calf. His near-toothless smile and charming ways helped me pass the time while the others snorkeled and swam. Cindy was the first of our group to attempt that difficult ascent back onto the boat. She did great. I encouraged her and we had a brief exchange. After witnessing our interaction, John asked me if she was my friend. I told him that Cindy was my sister-in-law. I then pointed out others from our family out in the water, explaining that our whole family was there together. John wistfully said, "Oh how I wish I was in that family!" Then he said it again, "Oh, how I wish I was in that family!" Then again, and again. He just kept saying it. It really made me think about what a blessing it is to be part of a family.

Cindy getting back on the boat. Isn't she cute?

After becoming fast friends, I, of course, had to purchase some handmade bamboo necklaces from "John." Ken was oblivious to all of this, and was more than surprised when he got back on the boat and I announced to him that I had gone shopping. He looked around and saw that we were completely surrounded by water. "How did you go shopping?" "The mall came to me!" My granddaughters just might find those bamboo necklaces in their stockings this Christmas. Shhh! Don't tell.

Wednesday- Antigua

2011-11-15T17:31:00.010-07:00

On Wednesday, we woke up docked at the island of Antigua. It is famous for it's many beautiful beaches. We chose Dickinson Bay to spend the day all together. It was a beautiful, perfect day. We had so much fun, floating in the ocean and relaxing on the perfect, white sand beach. It was the one day we were all together. Here's our motley crew:

The gorgeous beach

Hangin out at the beach

Patty and Hal shared their lunch with me

After showering, we enjoyed a beautiful sail away with Pam and Roger. It was so gorgeous.

Bye, Antigua!

Dinner was definitely a highlight each evening as we gathered around our table for ten and ate and ate . . . and ate!

Ken was thrilled to find on the "available every evening" menu, his all-time favorite dessert. Creme Brulee! He had a standing order for two brulees every night along with the homemade ice cream of the day.

Please click "Older posts" to see the rest of our fun adventures.

Thursday- St. Maarten

2011-11-15T16:58:00.008-07:00

While on St. Maarten, Ken went snorkeling with Tom and Joan, and I went shopping. Neither of us took our camera, so we have no pictures until the evening- the last formal night.

This is our waiter, Michael. Poor, poor Michael. Let's just say he brought a whole lot of food to our table during the week. I'm very sure he was glad to see us get off the ship.

Formal Night shots:

Delicious Seafood Dinner

Escargot

The Traditional Waiter Parade

Baked Alaska

The Silly Finale Show

Late Evening Entertainment: Our Favorite Quartet

This was THE funnest night. We all danced and danced and just had a ball, so to speak! I didn't get many pictures as we were too busy dancing. It was so fun.

The Midnight Chocolate Buffet

Friday- St. Thomas, VI Sister Shopping

2011-11-15T16:39:00.007-07:00

Friday was our last day- spent in St. Thomas. It was designated as "sister shopping" day. The men all headed to Megan's Beach and the women to the stores. We have so much fun shopping together and talking each other into buying things. For me, it was the highlight of the trip. We had Cindy with us until John found her and spirited her away. That always happen. But it was fun while it lasted! We pause for refreshment:

Years ago, we all went to St. Croix with our parents. Dad bought Mom a beautiful larimar ring on that trip. So on this one, we all bought some larimar- in remembrance of our Mama.

The last supper

I had grilled chicken. It was delicious.

It was a fun week together. I am so grateful to be part of a wonderful family! Thank you, everyone!

My Favorite Things: Chopped

2011-10-26T06:55:00.004-06:00

I love the Food Network show, Chopped. Love it. I record all the episodes, and when I have a 45 minute or so down time, I watch it. Here is what Wikipedia says about the show. They can explain it better than me: C hopped is a reality based cooking television series created by Michael Krupat, produced by Daniel Kay, and hosted by Ted Allen that pits four chefs against each other competiting for a chance to win $10,000. New episodes air every Tuesday at 10pm EST on Food Network.

In each episode, four chefs compete. The show is divided into three rounds: Appetizer, Entrée and Dessert. In each round, the chefs are given a basket containing between three and five ingredients, and the dish each competitor prepares must contain each of those ingredients. Generally speaking, the ingredients are ones which are not commonly prepared together. For example, in "Yucca, Watermelon, Tortillas," the episode which originally aired on February 10, 2009, the appetizer course boxes contained watermelon, canned sardines, pepper jack cheese, and zucchini. The competitors are also given access to a pantry and refrigerator stocked with a wide variety of other ingredients. Each round has a time limit: twenty minutes for the Appetizer round, and thirty minutes for the Entrée and Dessert rounds. The chefs must cook their dishes and complete four platings (one for each judge plus one "beauty plate") before time runs out. After each round, the judges critique the dishes based on presentation, taste, and creativity. The judges then decide which chef is "chopped," who is then eliminated from the competition. Thus, by the dessert round, only two chefs remain. When deciding the winner, the judges consider not only the dessert course, but the entire meal presented by each chef as a whole. The winner receives $10,000.

I just love how these chefs have to be so creative in such a short amount of time. I've said for a long time, they need to get some "real" people on there. Not professional chefs; just mamas that cook every day for their families, and see how they do. Well, evidently the producers heard me because on the Food Network website, they are advertising for Amateur chefs to apply to be on the show. A part of me really wants to apply. But then I think, what if they give me rattlesnake or gooey duck or lamb testicles- all things I've seen in those baskets. No, I think I'll dream at home of what I'd make when they open those baskets. If you want to do it, here's the web address:http://images.foodnetwork.com/webfood/pkgs/2011/chopped/pdf/casting.pdf

My favorite episode is one I can't bring myself to erase from my dvr. It was an episode where they invited previous losing competitors to come back and try again. The last two standing were a young woman and a young man. The young woman, whose grandmother from Italy was her inspiration, desperately wanted to win the money so she could travel to Italy to see her grandmother before her grandmother died. The young man was a chef for a Christian camp of some kind. He won. Usually they announce who is chopped, they leave, then they celebrate the winner's victory. This time, as the young woman was getting ready to leave, the young man said," wait. I wasn't counting on the money anyway, and I really want you to go and see your grandmother, so I am giving you the plane ticket." She, of course, melts into tears. Before that day, they were total strangers, yet he generously gave her her heart's desire. Ahh. It was sweet. Anyway, I really like this show. It's one of my favorite things.

Jaron Brian is Born!

2011-10-21T15:48:00.010-06:00

Our sweet new grandson, Jaron Brian Prince came to join our family last Tuesday, October 11th. I was in the air between Vegas and Boise( the first leg of my journey) when he arrived- on my way there to help. Brian texted that she was at a 5 or 6 just before I got on the plane. I was so anxious on that flight. As soon as we landed, I turned on my phone and soon the text came that Jaron was born. By then we were in that awkward time on a plane: you know, after you're landed and at the gate, when everyone is just crammed in the aisles, waiting for them to open the door and let you out. I called out, "My daughter just had a baby boy- 9 1/2 pounds. A lady a few rows back said, "What did she say?" The man right behind me yelled, "Her daughter just had a baby!" The plane was then filled with "Ah's!" and "Congratulations!" It was fun. I've decided that my daughters just need to pick the date they would like to have their children, let me know, then I'll schedule my flight for that day to ensure they will have the baby that day. For my last experience see this post. Even though I choose my flights weeks in advance, I seem to have a gift for choosing the exact day. Well, I guess I was two days late on Jacob, but still . . .

I spent a wonderful week in Virginia with the Prince family (except I got a cold which I then passed on to Melli-stink!) It was so fun to get to know Gabbi and her adorable personality. She was a very fun roommate. We even spent most of one night up together. Her "trying " to go back to sleep and me singing every song in the Children's Songbook I could think of. Michelle's described it on her blog before, but you just can't believe it until you see it: One evening after dinner, Michelle turned on the Raffi music. Gabbi flew into high gear. She knows most every word of "Baby Baluga" and every song thereafter on the playlist of 10-15 songs. When one song finishes, she launches into the next, beating Raffi to the punch. She dances and twirls and sings. With the mother that she has, she knows all the terms for her dance moves, ie: arabesque and other words I can't spell. That little girl, much like her mother, is born to be on the stage. She loves an appreciative audience and just hates it if anyone she loves is missing the show.

Jaron is a sweet, good-natured baby. He is so sweet. I held him the first day I was there, but then got the cold, so didn't get to again until the last day. He is so sweet and so soft and so new from heaven. He was 9 1/2 pounds, but it seems it's all in length. He's tall. He doesn't cry much unless you change his clothes or he's hungry. I hope he continues to be a good baby for his parents. Speaking of his parents, he is one lucky little guy to come to their family. And to Gabbi, who was WELL prepared for his arrival. Michelle and Brian had talked to her a lot about things she could do for her new brother when he came. She remembered every one of them. We colored pictures to put on the door when he came home and yelled, "Surprise!" when they came in. She then shot down the hall, climbed into the rocking chair and started singing, "I Am a Child of God" while she rocked with all her might. Her parents had suggested that that was one thing she could do for him when he came was sing to him. She remembered and did it first off. Michelle and Brian did a cute thing: They had Gabbi get Jaron a gift (a car) and Jaron got her a gift ( a doll.) They exchanged their gifts. Frequently thereafter, we would find that car or a rattle in the bassinet with Jaron- just in case he woke up and needed to play, I guess.

Here are some pictures from my week:

Gabbi meets Jaron at the hospital

First family photo

Gabbi kept pulling at Jaron's blanket. She wanted to see all of him, not just his head. Michelle unwrapped him, and together they counted his toes.

Brian and Jaron

Grandma's turn

At home

Gabbi with her block tower (wearing her much-loved Princess nightgown)

Welcome to the world, Jaron Brian. We love you!!!!

April, 2011 Conference Report

2011-10-10T20:44:00.005-06:00

Can you believe it? I finished my study of the April, 2011 General Conference today. My goal is to have it done before the next conference issue arrives. So, I finished with time to spare. So, here we go . .. my humble attempt to capture this conference and preserve my thoughts and feelings about it.

Theme I think most people who listened to all of this conference would, with a chuckle, suggest that the theme of this conference was that Latter-day-Saint young adult men should GET MARRIED! In fact, it was mentioned no less that five times. All of those who admonished the young men were prophets, seers, and revalators: Elder Oaks, President Monson- who quoted Harold B. Lee and Gordon B. Hinckley on the subject, and Elder Scott. I loved one young man's response at the end of conference on Facebook, "Wait. . . I think I missed it. What should be my priority be right now? Sometimes I just wish they would be more clear." And another, "They are coming down hard on my kind."

Another theme I noticed was following the spirit/ Listening to the Holy Ghost. In reference to the Holy Ghost's promptings, President Eyring prophesied," Some of you will need that inspiration in the months ahead."

We also heard a lot about the need for faith and obedience, and, as always and especially in the spring session, a great emphasis on the atonement.

Have you noticed the great increase in the use of the phrase "tender mercies" since Elder Bednar's talk about that several years ago. Elder Bednar loves to find those special phrases in the scriptures, ponder them, then present them to us. In his talk, he used at least eight of these phrases from scripture, ie: "apply unto it ," "a still, small voice," and 'Look beyond the mark."

In the news lately, we are hearing of Baptist preacher, Jeffress calling Mitt Romney's religion a cult. He SO needs to read Elder DeHoyas's talk. It will answer his every question and concern.

ATTENTION PARENTS! ATTENTION PARENTS! ATTENTION PARENTS! Have you ever wished you had received an owner's manual with your children? How To Raise Children, Parenting 101 is Elder Robbins talk on page 103. I admonish (who am I to use such a strong word??) to study and read and read and study this talk over and over and over again. It is truly what parents need.

My favorite talk: Need you ask? Almost always, my favorite is Elder Holland (I was sad that in last week's conference he spoke in Priesthood so I didn't get to hear him.) This talk made my heart sing. Remember, he was the last speaker before President Monson's concluding address. It was called "An Ensign to the Nations". It was about one of my favorite topics- you guessed it- GENERAL CONFERENCE! I loved how he gave us insight to how conference topics are decided (blood, sweat, tears, faith and prayer) "I testify that the proceedings of the past two days are yet one more evidence that, as our hymns says, "Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled." and surely the dual meaning of the word standard is intentional, it is not happenstance that one English publication of our general conference messages is in a magazine simply titled the Ensign." Conference sets the standard. In it, we learn what we need to do and become. "And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation." (D&C 68:4) There you have it, folks! We get new, modern-day, right up to the minute scripture every six months. It just doesn't get much better than that! Unfurl your flags, spread the word! General Conference is where it's at!

In case you are interested, here is the tally of references in this conference:

Book of Mormon: 122

D&C: 119

Quotes from Latter-day apostles and prophets: 89

New Testament: 85

Old Testament: 32

World Literature: 32

Pearl of Great Price: 22

Hymns: 12

An interesting note: The source used by the most speakers was . . . . drumroll, please. . . . Quotes from Latter-day apostles and prophets. Thirty different speakers quoted apostles. The D&C was next- 27 speakers, and The Book of Mormon next- 26 speakers.

I want to close with the admonition from our prophet, Thomas S. Monson, "As we receive the issue of the Ensign magazine which will contain these messages in written form, may we read and study them." Yes, we may.

Escape

2011-10-10T13:37:00.001-06:00

Escape by Carolyn Jessop My rating: 4 of 5 stars Escape is the compelling story of Carolyn Jessop, a member of the FLDS cult. At the tender age of eighteen, Carolyn is forced into an arranged marriage with a vile man in his 50's. She is his fourth wife. Several years and eight children later, Carolyn escapes. She is the only woman to have ever escaped from this cult WITH all of her children. Having lived just an hour or so away from this community for many years, I have been fascinated with these people and wondered what their lives were like. We shop in the same stores and I've even had a group of them in my home, as they installed my wood flooring. It was a man and several young boys (Carolyn mentions these "construction crews" made up of young boys- her own son was part of one.) The man was very congenial, but the boys would hardly even respond when I spoke to them. I now know it was because they had been taught that I, and all people outside their community are evil and they should not interface with us. Those little boys worked hard. They worked right through lunchtime. I could see that that man was going to make them work all day without food, so I made a big plate of sandwiches and insisted they eat. Anyway, I've always had a "live and let live" attitude toward these people, but no more. I now see that this is evil at it's worst: in the name of religion. There is nothing Christian at all about this society. They treat each other terribly. The abuse, tyranny and domination are anything but Christian, and yet it's all done in the name of Christ and religion. Carolyn even talks about joking with other women about the warning they'd give to each other "don't drink the punch"- referring to the Jim Jones cult that were all killed by drinking the cyanide- laced punch. That shows me that they know they are a cult and that they are in danger. I think Mark Shurtleff, Utah's attorney general is one of the great heroes alive today. Though knowing it would be personal "political suicide" to do so, he saw the evil and pursued Warren Jeffs and other leaders of this cult. Though the arrests were made in Texas, they were chased there by pursuit and pressure from Utah attorney general's office. When he could have easily turned his back, he chose to follow his heart and try to help these innocent people. My only regret is that they didn't keep those children when they had the chance in Texas. That was a huge mistake. Do I recommend the book? Guardedly. It is a book that is difficult to put down, and yet difficult to read. Even when you do put it down, it stays with you and colors your world. It is powerful. If you want to go on that journey, then, yes, I recommend it. Am I glad I read it? Absolutely. It strengthened my testimony of my own faith- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In my faith, women are honored and even revered. We are vital to the working of the church and our opinions are valued. In a recent press conference following a temple dedication in our church, a reporter commented that she had observed how well the men treated their wives. Then she asked, "Is that real or fiction?"(see Walter F. Gonzalez, ENSIGN magazine, May, 2011 issue, page 13 on LDS.org) It's real. Contrast that with their religion, where women are property and of no more worth than service cattle to populate and further the evil work. My hope for Carolyn is that she and her family can find truth and peace and maybe even help others of her former faith win their freedom. View all my reviews

September

2011-09-29T07:47:00.009-06:00

September was a good month for us. The big news of the month was Ken's Century Ride.

Each Saturday, he did a long bike ride, working up to the 100 mile mark.

For our anniversary last month, we purchased a new gel core ice cream maker, so it's been a month of experimenting with gelato/ ice cream recipes. Check our Hungry Hintons post in the future for the ones we liked best.

On Labor Day, we had a fun barbecue with our neighbor, Shawna and we bought a much needed new mattress.

The not so happy excitement of the month was when our neighbor fell through their back deck that they were constructing. He broke his heel and ribs and cut open his head.

We attended "The Little Mermaid" at Tuachan and loved it!

We spent a couple of days in Vegas where Ken had a governmental audit training class. We stayed at The Venitian Hotel. It was very nice. They have canal streets that look like Venice with gondolas and singing gondoliers.

We had dinner at Max Brenners. He's a chocolatier. We shared a turkey burger and each had a delicious chocolate dessert.

We visited a rare book collection museum. You can get this original edition Winnie-the- Pooh book for a mere $7000.

While Ken was in classes, I drove to Prim to shop the outlet mall there. Then, on Tuesday, I went to the Vegas temple. On the way there, I had a run-in with a construction cone. I broke the mirror on Ken's car. I felt terrible.

But there is slight consolation in that I sent one of those irritating construction barrels to the Construction barrel cemetery. We can take them out, people- One at a time! Do your part, do your part!

So that's the highlights of our month. Happy October to you!

103.3 Miles!

2011-09-17T14:43:00.007-06:00

Can I hear a Woot Woot!!!! Ken did his "Century Ride+" today! It took him about 6 1/2 hours. He rode up through Zion National Park to the very end- as far as you can go in Zion's (51.3 miles) and back home. He is sore and tired, but very happy to cross "Century Ride" off of his bucket list. I am so proud of him! And I admit that I'm glad it's done. He rides on highways and roads and he's had several close calls with cars nearly hitting him.

His plan was to do 90 miles today and then do his century ride next Saturday, but on the way out, he thought, "If I just go an extra ten miles today, I don't have to do that 90 + 10 next week." So, he pushed it and did it. He took a banana, gatorade, a Pay Day candy bar, and energy chews to sustain him, but he still "ran out of gas" on the way home and had to stop at Lin's Market in Hurricane to buy another quart of Gatorade and another banana to give him the fuel to get home.

I had this sign on the garage when he got home (I talked to him when he was in Hurricane on the way home and found he was going to make the 100+ miles):

I thought it was cute that before I took the picture of him when he got home, he crossed out the 100 and put 103.3. . . .just for the record.

Brian set up a google+ "hang out" with all the kids, so everyone could give him a cheer when he got home. Shonna and Blake and kids are in Wisconsin with Kristen and Jared and family right now, so it was a fun party with them and Brian and Michelle and Gabbi in Washington DC. Hopefully, the grandkids will remember this day and their buff Grandpa!

Brian gets some of the credit for this happening. After his 80 mile ride last week, Ken told me that this goal was just taking too much time and didn't think he would go for 100 miles. When he told Brian and Michelle that on Sunday when we google chatted with them, Brian started chanting, "Century, Century, Century!" Then he proceeded to talk Ken into it. It worked.

I had his favorite treat waiting for him when he got home:

Oh, and you need to know that he hiked 11miles yesterday with his best buddy, Greg Last (they are friends from clear back in Elementary school and annually do a hike together.) He got badly sunburned on that hike, so that's why he wore the "Arab Garb" on his head to protect from getting more sunburn.

Congratulations, Ken!

My Favorite Things- The Hinton Hand Rub

2011-09-17T11:20:00.006-06:00

The Hinton brothers (Ken's brothers- there are seven of them) have an endearing little habit they use to express excitement and joy. They rub their hands together really quickly with a big smile on their faces. This is most often used during a BYU football game (Rick pictured above, watching a BYU game at our house after a family wedding) Rick and Jim are probably the most prolific hand rubbers, but I notice when they all get together, they all start doing it. I have a picture of all of them doing it, but it won't upload. I'm sad, because it's so cute. Well, in fact, it's one of my favorite things. Anybody know where this tradition started? I've also noticed that this habit has passed to the next generation, and even the next. Tonight, BYU plays Utah. Please, oh, please, let there be some serious hand rubbing in the Hinton homes or in the stands,-wherever those guys are, this evening. Rub, men, rub! The Hinton Hand Rub- one of my favorite things!

To Put a Smile on Your Face

2011-09-11T18:58:00.004-06:00

Brian and Michelle have had this wonderful video on their blog for a couple of weeks. I know most of you that come to this blog also go to theirs, but in case you missed it, I just had to share. It is filmed here in St. George at Sterling Court where my women's group performs twice a year. We're a little nervous that THIS is the kind of entertainment they'll expect now. Our accompanist is practicing playing the piano with one foot in the air, just so we can keep current. Watch the video at the top of this blog; it's guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

And the Biking Saga Continues . . .

2011-09-10T11:51:00.005-06:00

In the words of someone great, "If it's not on the blog, it didn't happen." (see this GREAT post) And this Definitely happened. I can tell by the smell . . . and the moans and groans coming from the other room as we speak. So here I am blogging it: Ken rode 80.7 miles this morning. He rode to Springdale (the town at the entrance to Zion National Park) and back. There's a lot of elevation gain on that ride! It took him 4 hours and 42 minutes- his personal best time/hour: 17.1 mph. It also is the furthest he's ever ridden. He's amazing and amazingly sore. He's cutting up his reward right now- a bowl of fresh peaches!

The proof:

I took this just after he got home. I can't believe he had the energy to get down and pose for this picture. That alone would have constituted a workout for me!

Nice job, Ken!

Fun at Wal-Mart

2011-09-09T23:32:00.004-06:00

I know. I know. The very title of this post is an oxymoron. But we did have a little fun at Wal-mart this evening that I want to tell you about. Ken and I went out to dinner this evening. As we ate, we discussed Ken's plan to bike 75 miles tomorrow (yes, you heard me right- 75 miles!) He decided after, can we call it a bit of "nagging", that he needs to take more than one bottle of Gatorade to go that far. So we stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home to get another beverage clip for his bike. Actually, we each had a few things we needed to get, so we parted at the front door, each going our separate ways- because, well, because that's how we roll. (For a more detailed and depressing explanation, go to this blog post.) Sigh.

Later, as I walked by one of the aisles (one of the many, many aisles), I saw Ken bent over looking at something. I gave a wolf whistle (and it was one my loudest, best-ever wolf whistles. It was good!), then quickly ducked around the corner. Ken looked up to see a guy who had been right by me. The guy quickly said, "It wasn't me, I swear. I mean, not that you aren't a good-looking man, cuz you are, but it wasn't me, it was her!" He then pointed to the empty space next to him. Everybody had a good laugh, and frankly, I'm laughing out loud right now, just remembering.. For a trip to Wal-Mart, it was pretty darn fun!

PS Watch for my future post about my strong dislike for Wal-mart. I'm trying to decide what to title it. I'm debating between the prosaic"Why I Hate Wal-mart" and the more imaginative, "Cover Me, I'm Going In."

My Favorite Things- BYU Football!

2011-09-09T16:42:00.005-06:00

This is my favorite season of the year. One of the main reasons is it's BYU football season! BYU football is something we both love and enjoy watching together. We are Bronco Mendenhall fans. It's been fun to watch him evolve from emotional, demonstrative defensive coach to stoic Lavell-ish head coach, and now, I think we're seeing him come back to his real self- a little more demonstrative and emotional. We love his philosophies. Saturdays, and this year, many Friday nights, see us in front of our television, cheering on our Cougars. Truly BYU football is one of our favorite things. Go COUGARS!

Winner!

2011-09-06T23:44:00.005-06:00

Quite a while ago, Ken and his partner, Dean, signed up to play in the Utah Open Pro/Am tournament held at Oakridge Golf Course. It was held a couple of weeks ago, and as the date approached, Ken was feeling pretty frustrated at having to drive clear to Farmington just to golf. He already had had to go out of town on Tuesday that week for work, so it was hard to get back in the car again on Wednesday. But, since he was signed up, he went up Wednesday evening to play in the tournament early Thursday morning.

It was a bramble tournament(or Las Vegas Scramble), where everyone tees off, then all play from the best tee shot, but everyone plays their own ball from there and all scores count. The teams had five players: one pro and four amateurs. Ken was put on a team with a pro from here in Bloomington, a young man from here who was a really good player, his partner, Dean and another guy from Southern Utah. They played well, but he was surprised at the luncheon when they announced that their team had won! He said he didn't contribute much, but had good teammates. They gave them gift certificates to spend in the pro shop, so he came home with lots of loot. He felt a whole lot better coming home than he had going. . . and it was a worthy cause, so that always feels good. This is one of the shirts he won:

As my dad was so fond of saying, "He's a natural borned ath-e-lete!"

Biking Fool Addendum

2011-09-03T11:20:00.003-06:00

Ken just got home from this week's monster bike ride: 68.2miles! He rode up to Andersen's Junction above Leeds, down through Toquerville, LaVerkin, Hurricane, Hurricane fields, around Sand Hollow Reservoir, Washington, Washington Fields, out to Bloomington Hills Stake Center, then home. 68.2 miles! He's a bit spent, but he's already planning next Saturday's adventure. Pray for wind, people, pray for wind (it's the only thing that stops him- you just can't ride a bike in wind.)

Celebrating 34 Years with "The Music Man"

2011-08-31T23:25:00.007-06:00

Last weekend, Ken and I celebrated thirty four years of marriage. As we often do, we celebrated by going to the Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. We went with Pam and Roger and had a great time. First we went to my favorite Rusty's for dinner. The coconut shrimp is SO good!

We decided to forgo the restaurant dessert, because it seems that our anniversary is the same as Dairy Queen's, and they were celebrating with two for one Blizzards. We wolfed down our blizzards, then headed to the play. We saw one of my two all-time favorite musicals, "The Music Man." I love that show. When I was in high school, I played the part of one of the "Pick a Little" Ladies. Being in a show makes you love it. It was so fun to be with Pam and Roger who love it as much as I do.

This couple could dance! They were so fun to watch.

It's impossible to beat Robert Preston as the Music Man, but this guy was really, really good.

I'm still on a bit of a high from the evening! Thank you, Pam and Roger for a wonderful evening!

He's a Biking Fool

2011-08-27T22:01:00.005-06:00

Ken enjoys biking in the summertime. He's always gone on long bike rides, but the last couple of weeks, he's really pushed himself beyond his furthest previous limits. He gets up early on Saturday mornings and rides before it gets too hot(though it's still in the high 80's). The picture above is of him with his mountain bike. The last couple of weeks, he's ridden his road bike- last week 54 miles, and today, 61.85 miles. He did the Gunlock/Veyo loop. He's a biking fool. Last week, he did it on water alone, but this week I insisted he take gatorade and some calorie chews. He did great, though he's a little sore. We won't talk about where! I'm proud of my biking fool!

The proof on his biking odometer:

Rehydrating:

He's already making plans for next week's even longer ride. I'm hoping summer ends before he does!

Vicarious Joy

2011-08-25T19:36:00.005-06:00

Last Sunday, baby Lily was blessed by her Daddy and some of her uncles. Kristen, Jared and family drove from Wisconsin to be there and Michelle, Brian and Gabbi drove from Washington DC. So, they had a little reunion. It was kind of sad not to be there, but Brian was good to immediately send pictures, so we could experience the joy vicariously. Here's some of my favorites from those he sent:

This is the morning of Lily's blessing- my precious family:

Pretty darn good shot considering it's using a timer.

I love the red stains on every little face. Obviously those kids loved Blake's homemade pizza:

The girls:

Brian, Michelle, and Gabbi

Blake, Shonna, Caleb, and Lily

Kristen, Jared, Jacob, Brielle, and Nathan

On Saturday, they visited a farm. I love this shot:

And this is one of my all-time favorite pictures. Our four oldest grandchildren:

Aren't they cute? I'm so glad they could be together.

My Favorite Things: Fiestaware

2011-08-16T20:14:00.003-06:00

I know I've told you before about my love for fiestaware. I love, love, love these dishes. I've had some of them (the red, orange and yellow) for several years and added the other colors last Christmas. There really is no difference between the older and the newer in appearance. The older show no sign of wear. I've only had one piece break. And yet, there is no lead in them. But what I like most is they are gorgeous. Every single day the beautiful colors make me very happy. As you can see, my dish cupboard is full to the brim, which is a shame because if there were more room, I'd want to keep buying more and more of these beauties. My favorite color, you ask? I've pondered this question way more than I should. I vacillate between the apple green, the red, and the purple. Can't choose. Which do you like best? I love Fiestaware.

Awesome!

2011-08-15T22:29:00.005-06:00

I know that's an over-used word: Awesome! But I just can't think of one that better describes what happened here Saturday. We participated in an LDS Regional Service project in honor of the 75th anniversary of the welfare program. It was a HUGE humanitarian project. I wish I had statistics, but we did hundreds of school kits, hygiene kits and quilts. It was a huge undertaking, very well organized. Wow. Like I say, Awesome! As I didn't think to take my camera, I’ll try to describe it to you:

As I approached River Road to turn left to go to the stake center where the event was to be held, I saw that River Road from the right was a steady stream of cars. We have lived here 26 years, and I literally have never seen that much traffic on that road. The light finally stopped them and I had my turn. Then I realized they were ALL going to the stake center. One after another turned in. It was difficult to find a parking spot in the parking lot. Our stake and Little Valley Stake were assigned to work from 9-9:45am. When I got in there, it was packed to the brim with people busily working. The gym was filled with tables set out to put together the kits. Ken was put in charge of a table assembling hygiene kits (there were many such tables) I was at a table folding towels for those kits. There were young men whose assignment was to walk through the aisles, picking up boxes and waste we threw on the floor from opening the toothpaste or the rags or whatever. There were men hauling out boxes of completed kits on dollies. There were people everywhere quilting, assembling, folding, ripping. When the set up tables were full, they sat on the floor or went into the foyers to work. It was just amazing: Hundreds and hundreds of people working shoulder to shoulder to help others. There were older people who walked on canes or walkers (Ken had two 88 year olds at his table) to little kids (I had a little 8ish or so boy whose job it was to take our folded towels to an assemble table. He felt SO important.) We finished our shift by ten in time for the next two stakes to come in and do the same thing, then on and on for a couple more hours. What a huge, huge undertaking to have all those supplies there and ready and organized. How did we pay for it, you ask? Our stake, and I assume all the stakes, were asked to donate $8,000. Our ward was asked to donate $800. Our ward turned in over $1700. It was simply announced and people responded with great generosity. It brings tears to my eyes to think of the sweet feeling of service. Isn’t it a joy to be a member of our church? Later that day, when I was driving to the temple, I drove past that stake center and saw a huge flatbed track with a trailer loaded with palettes of boxes containing the quilts and kits, all ready to ship to Salt Lake City. Awesome! Really, it's the only word to describe it. We're so glad we could be a tiny, tiny part of that AWESOME undertaking.

We Kamalu-ed!

2011-08-12T16:05:00.004-06:00

We have a nice retired couple- the Kamalu's- in our ward that have a cute tradition. Each Saturday night, she sets out his clothes for the next day. She chooses his clothes so that they will match what she plans to wear to church. If she is wearing a purple dress or blouse, he wears a purple tie. If she is wearing something red, his tie is red. He even has a green sport coat for the day she wears green. It's fun to see what they're wearing and how they match. Ken commented to Rod, the husband, about it one Sunday. He explained that if he gets in the wrong color, she says, "Uh uh!" and he has to go back and change. He's from Hawaii and she's from Germany, so that kind of explains it.

So, anytime Ken and I accidentally match (I'm not organized enough to plan it,) we say, "Hey! We Kamalu-ed!" Here's a couple of pictures we took when it happened. Well, actually Kristen took the first one when she was here last spring. We met Ken for dinner and discovered we'd Kamalu-ed. The second one was just last week.

So now, next time you match with someone you can exclaim, "Hey! We Kamalu-ed!"

Angle of Repose

2011-08-08T23:21:00.003-06:00

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Wow! Oh, Wow! Wow, Oh, Wow!" I kept whispering after finishing this book in the middle of the night yesterday, even though my husband was sound asleep and there was no one to hear me. The last sentence of the book was what I call a "Sting Zing." Remember the movie, "The Sting," and how you felt at the end- that surprised, wow, oh wow feeling? That's how I felt when I read the last sentence of this book. It's a sentence that I'm sure I'll remember the rest of my life and moved my rating of this book from a 4 to a 5 star. One sentence. Just four or five chapters from the end, I had decided this was a 4 -star book for me. But that one sentence bumped 'er up. I thought it changed the central theme of the book. When you start reading, you think this is a magnificently written book about the beginnings of the western United States. About half-way through, you realize it's really about a marriage. It's the story of the marriage of a displaced Eastern socialite (Susan) to a rugged western man (Oliver). You get to know the characters intimately and live their lives with them. It’s the story of a marriage that starts- like an helium-filled balloon- full of hope and joy, and gradually, ever so gradually, deflates and loses air and becomes sad and even hopeless. I hated that. In fact, I got a few chapters from the end, and left the book sitting on my table for a couple of weeks. I didn't want to read the sad, foreshadowed parts. But, I guess the fact that I cared so much tells me how very, very good the book was. I loved these flawed, imperfect characters and wanted happiness for all of them. Then you come to that last sentence and realize that the book is about forgiveness in marriage. (I hope that doesn’t spoil it for you.)
I went to Wikipedia and found out that the letters in the book- the ones from Susan to Augusta, her socialite best friend in New York City- were real letters written by a Mary Hallock Foote who was a famous author/ illustrator in the Victorian age. These letters dictated the settings and basic story line for Stegner, who built this marvelous novel from them.
There is another main character in the book. This is a novel within a novel. Lyman Ward, a man in a wheelchair with a bone disease, decides to write the biography of his grandmother- a famous author and illustrator, Susan. So we read his novel as he writes it, learning about him and his life along the way. So it’s really two historical novels in one as we see a little of what’s happening in the late 1960’s and his views on that, as well as his own personal concerns.
I see why this book won the Pulitzer Prize. It is beautifully written and has great historical significance, but it’s greatest value is the exploration of marriage, hopefully causing the reader to analyze and improve their own marriages by looking for the good in one’s spouse, loving them for what they are, and mostly, forgiving them. Anyway, that’s my take away from this great book.

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Call Me

2011-08-05T07:06:00.008-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, Ken and I went out to dinner at Applebee's. After dinner, we came out to find this crumpled napkin on our car windshield. Puzzled, we checked for dents. Nothing. We conjectured all the way home on who it could be and what they could want. I personally think some girl saw Ken in the restaurant and thought he was hot. Anyway, we didn't- - - call, I mean. Would you?

November, 2010 Conference Report

2011-08-01T12:50:00.003-06:00

I'm hoping "better late than never" applies here. I am really late with this report. Studying these talks is an involved procedure, I guess you'd say. I had maybe ten left to do when I left for Ohio. I really didn't want to take everything I would need to finish studying them there, so I didn't get them done until after I got home. So I just finished last week and am ready to make my feeble attempt at reporting general conference of November, 2010.

It seems to me that this conference had a focus on agency or choice. We were reminded again and again of the gift of agency. Elder Edgley's talk used the words "choose" and "choice" 22 times! One of the things we can choose is "Faith," another oft-repeated theme of this conference (and the next one). There were seven talks on faith. Are we choosing "faith?" Obedience is always a theme of conference, and this one was no exception. We also were taught a lot about service and given concrete helps in raising families.

Elder Neil L. Andersen has become the apostle who uses the most scriptural references. He had 44 scriptural references, with Elder Hales using 39 references. It used to ALWAYS be Elder Russell M. Nelson with the most, and he still does use a lot. I love how he puts additional insights in his footnotes, as well.

Here's the tally of references, in case you're interested:

Book of Mormon: 131

Doctrine and Covenants: 105

New Testament: 102

Latter-day Apostles quoted:69

Other literature: 40

Old Testament: 39

Pearl of Great Price: 27

Hymns: 6

The Book of Mormon nearly always is the most-oft referenced book of scripture in general conference. The New Testament was quoted more in the conference before this one, but The Book of Mormon the most in this one.

An observation: President Hinckley is remembered for, among other things, his love and appreciation of church history. An appropriate legacy of him is the Nauvoo temple, built under his administration. He quoted a lot from the Doctrine and Covenants in his conference talks. He felt a strong connection with the Saints of the Latter days and reminded us of their sacrifice continually, "lest we forget."

President Monson has always quoted the New Testament a lot in his talks. In fact, I've thought of him as the "New Testament Apostle" for years. It's evened out a bit since he's been the prophet, but it used to be he always quoted most from the New Testament. This conference he quoted from the New Testament 13 times and the Book of Mormon 10 times. But, my point is this: I think it's appropriate that one of his legacies will be the Rome, Italy temple- heart of the New Testament lands. It shows me that the Lord prepares the hearts of each of his prophets to do the work he should do. I get chills all over when I think of a temple in the ancient city of Rome.

I reluctantly close this Conference Issue. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for these good men and women who pay the price to bring me the words of the Lord in general conference. I have a strong testimony that if we read, study, ponder, and then try to live what we're taught in general conference, we can go forward with faith in these troubled times. We have all we need. We will be fine.

I Love to See the Tempo

2011-07-30T17:04:00.006-06:00

I want to share a sweet experience I had when I was in Columbus with Shonna's family. First, some background: Almost every night of Caleb's eighteen months of life, he's heard the song, "I Love to See the Temple." That is part of his bedtime ritual: Whoever is putting him to bed sings him that song while they rock him, then he goes into his crib, gets tucked in, and that's it. He doesn't fuss; he just goes to sleep. It's his routine.

Well, for FHE one night while I was there, Shonna pulled out a picture of the Columbus temple. "This is the temple." The kid came alive. "Tempo. Tempo. Tempo!" It was like a Helen Keller "Wa Wa" experience. Suddenly he knew what it was they were singing about all that time. Oh. my. goodness. He was excited. They pointed out other pictures of the temple around their house. He was thrilled. Spontaneously, we decided to get in the car and drive fifteen minutes to show him the Columbus temple. Blake set up the picture of the temple in the back window where he could look at it and say "Tempo, Tempo, Tempo" the whole way there. When he saw the real thing, he was absolutely thrilled. "This is the tempo. There is the tempo. . ." over and over and over again. When it was time to leave, he was so sad, "Bye, bye, tempo. Bye, bye, tempo." He cried half the way home. He didn't want to leave.

Since it was a Monday night, the gates were closed. It reminded me of that song, "Open the gates of the temple!" Blake and Shonna have since taken Caleb back when the gates were open so he could touch the temple.

Caleb is just learning to walk. The story is told (I don't remember it) of when my little sister was learning to walk, my parents and older siblings would put ice cubes in their mouths to get her to walk to them. She LOVED ice cubes, so was motivated to walk to get the ice. Guess what they use to motivate Caleb to walk?

You guessed it; a picture of the temple.

I learned a lot from little Caleb. Do we feel that way about the temple? Are we SO excited to see it, to go there; do we cry when we leave? Are we willing to do hard stuff (like walking is for Caleb) to get there? " . . . And a little child shall lead them."

My Favorite Things-Garlic Salt

2011-07-26T20:23:00.006-06:00

It's been a long time since I posted a favorite thing. We both like it, but Ken is addicted to garlic salt. He LOVES it! I was recently gone for 5 weeks. I came home to find the garlic salt, not in the spice cabinet, but in a place of honor next to the salt and pepper on the table. He puts it on everything- well, nearly everything. We've tried different brands, but McCormick is his favorite. It's the most garlicky, I guess. Just before I left for Ohio, Ken and I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things. As we discussed what we needed, he sheepishly asked, "If I get a container of garlic salt for the office, does that mean I'm addicted?" I said yes. He bought it. So, now even the leftovers he takes to work can be sprinkled with this- one of his most favorite things!

When Crickets Cry

2011-07-23T16:47:00.000-06:00

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a clean, well- written novel with Christian (though not preachy) undertones. The setting: Georgia. The theme: self-forgiveness. It is the story of a little girl who needs a heart transplant, and a man who is the only one who can help her get it. It's about how their lives' intertwine and how they help each other with what they need most.
What I liked about the book:
1- Beautiful quotes from literature throughout the book. Shakespeare, Helen Keller being the most used.
2- The characters. Martin creates a group of very likable, though flawed characters that the reader comes to know and like.
3- The story. It's a good story. It is actually a really good story.
4- The Christian slant of the book. I especially loved the speech the narrator gives to a young man he's befriended who is looking at pornography. It's a speech every dad should give his son.
What I didn't like:
1- Too much tragedy/ conflict. The story just didn't need the tornado. The list includes: tragic car accident, little girl getting hit by a truck, flood, arm to arm transfusions, surgeries with kitchen utensils, man being blinded by a falling accident, and the tornado. I'm sure I'm forgetting some . . . It was just too much. The story didn't need all of that. It really didn't. Had I been editing, I would have cleaned a lot of that out. And while I'm fantasizing about being the editor, I would also suggest that the delightful, precocious seven-year-old girl, was maybe a bit grown up for her age. The author even had her making her own medical decisions. That just wouldn't happen in real life.
2- The author had obviously done much research into hearts and how they work and how they transplant, etc. as well as other medical facts. That should really be in the "what I liked" section, because I did appreciate the thorough accuracy. But I didn't think we needed all the details. I sometimes felt like the story provided a backdrop for the author to spill everything he had learned on us. Again, too much.
Though this book takes awhile to "get into" and to figure out the back and forth from present to past format, it is worth the effort. It is a book of healing and relationships and acceptance: Acceptance of others, of circumstances, and of ourselves. Oh, and as a nice bonus, there's a bit of romance in there, too!

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Enna Burning

2011-07-22T17:20:00.002-06:00

Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had a very hard time getting into this second book in the Bayern series. I nearly gave up several times. I found it to be dark (even though it's dealing with very bright fire) and I didn't like how it made me feel. But I'm glad I persevered, as it comes to a very satisfying conclusion for both Ani and Enna. It again, is full of suspense, action, and romance.

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The Goose Girl

2011-07-22T17:10:00.001-06:00

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale My rating: 4 of 5 stars Though fantasy is not my favorite genre, I really enjoyed this delightful, well- written book. It was fun to watch Ani grow and learn to assert herself. It was full of page-turning action, suspense, and romance. Though I felt that the ending got a little thready, it certainly came to a satisfying conclusion. It's a more wholesome choice for fantasy-loving young adults than that vampire stuff. I concur with what Allison said in her review, "It reminded me of why I absolutely love to read." View all my reviews

Crossing to Safety

2011-07-21T12:05:00.002-06:00

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've found another author to add to my list of favorites. I find this book, though, difficult to review. The plot is simple: Two couples meet at graduate school in Madison, Wisconsin in the 1930's. They become close friends, more like family to each other. Larry, one of the husbands, is our narrator, and through him we become intimately acquainted with these four people. There are other minor characters, but the book is a study of these four characters, their friendship, marriages, and lives. The book starts with Larry and Sally, now in their sixties, visiting Sid and Charity, to bid farewell to Charity as she is dying of cancer. Through flashback, we read the story of these two couples. “How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these?” Larry asks. It is a quiet book about four lives, and yet it is intriguing and even life- changing, as you watch how they interact and handle life. Oh posh, I'm making it sound boring! Let me just say this: Deep in my heart, I long to be an author. If I could write a novel, I would want it to be just like this one. I would want it to explore people, living their lives the best they can, interacting, loving, and caring about one another through all the ups and downs, tragedies and joys that life brings. I would want it, just as this book did to me, to make a difference in how someone views life, how they interact with loved ones and friends. I would want them to feel different and act different and be different- better, because they read the book. That is what this book did for me.
The title, "Crossing to Safety" comes from a poem by Robert Frost. The last stanza of the poem is the introduction to the book:
I could give all to Time except — except
What I myself have held. But why declare
The things forbidden that while the Customs slept
I have crossed to Safety with? For I am There
And what I would not part with I have kept. -Robert Frost

That is what this book is about and mirrors my own beliefs. When we "cross to safety", when we leave this world, we can only smuggle through "customs" what we've become and the love we have in our hearts for our family and friends. Everything else will be confiscated. But these are the things with which we simply will not part.
This is a book I will want to reread in a few years- after I've read everything else Stegner has written.

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