Fun day today!

Today was the day to celebrate Susan’s birthday.  Lila Mae, Susan, Sara, Anna, Lynda Ann, Emmi, Abby, Hayley and Andrew and myself met at The Cheesecake Factory at 11:00 a.m. for lunch.  We had a delightful time reminiscing, laughing and sharing.  The food was delicious and we were all too full to enjoy even a bite of cheesecake.  Dang.  After lunch, Annie’s kids went to Wheeler Farm while the adults went shopping.  Annie and I went to White Elegance to see if she could find a new temple dress that she liked.  Then we met up again with the rest of the group at the Brickyard where we shopped a few stores.  We parted with hugs and then Annie and I went to JoAnn’s to get some material for a project she is working on and material for a project that I’m working on that she will be doing!!! 

We came back to the house and she picked up the kids and they went off to the zoo.  Neal and I did some projects and now I am headed to the General Women’s Conference.  Love these meetings and can’t wait to get there.

I took a picture of the lego creation that Andrew put together and a picture of Neal by the tulips that he planted last fall.  Aren’t they gorgeous!

 

Jaden goes to the Prom

Got these cute pictures from Maren showing Jaden and his date for the prom.  I asked Maren if she felt older and she agreed that she did.  Looking pretty dang handsome Jaden.  Cute date!  Hope you had a fun evening.

Taylor made Herriman Drill Team

Just got some exciting news from the Cutlers.  Taylor made the Herriman Drill Team as a freshman for next fall!  What a great achievement.  We are so proud of you, Taylor.  Can’t wait to come and see you perform in the fall.  Notice the gorgeous smile.

I love Daffodils!

Daffodils have to be on the top of my list of favorite flowers, in fact, they probably are at the top.  They are so friendly and bright and when I see them I just want to smile and maybe even take a little twirl.  When I found out that one of the girls at work was selling bunches of daffodils for cancer awareness, I bought a bunch and had them on my desk at work for over a week.  I couldn’t believe all the people who came by my desk and said how pretty they were and that they made them feel happy.  My thoughts exactly.  Notice my cute rabbits from last Easter.

Kestrel Hawke

We had the most interesting meeting at our Environmental Health Bldg.  A gentleman, who studies the migration and population of the Kestrel Hawke, came and gave us a presentation.  He also brought Yakie who was rescued with a broken wing and couldn’t fly. They are part of the raptor family.  Not very big but can be aggressive and have an attitude.  An extremely interesting presentation. 

Abigail Jeannine has a birthday celebration

Last night I was invited out to Annie’s to a birthday dinner for Abby.  Neal had to teach that night so I left right after work and picked up Jeff G. and we headed to Stansbury.  Abby’s choice of dinner was Cordon Bleu casserole, a tossed green salad and strawberry pies – some minus the strawberries!  Annie made two decorative pillows for Abby’s bedroom. 

Abby lights her candles that are in her very own mini strawberry pie and then we sang happy birthday to her.  After, we played a game and then I headed home. 

Happy Birthday Abby!  We love you and wish you a wonderful summer and year ahead.  Thanks for inviting your grandparents to your birthday celebration. 

More Desmond pictures

Lyndsy sent me these cute pictures of Desmond.  She said that he had discovered the laundry basket and made it his new found adventure in toys.

Lego creations at the mall

Ashley and I ran to the mall on our lunch hour so that I could pick up a suit coat that had tailored.  The sleeves were about 2” too long.  Seems to be the story of my life!  I’m just resigned to the fact that I’m short and so are my arms!  While we were there we saw the lego company had Washington D.C. and Boston landmarks on display.  All built from Legos.  Amazing!  The first one is obvious along with the second one.  It was the third one that I had to really think about.

It was the old church.  Incredible and so creative.  They said it took over 600+ hours to build each one.

River gets glasses

Lyndsy sent me this picture of River with his first pair of glasses.  Apparently he can see close up but distance is a problem for him. 

I tended Desmond the other night while James and River went to a Jazz game and Lyndsy worked with a client.  Desmond walked from our house to the mail boxes and back!  He laughed and played all the way.  He found a golf ball under one of the bushes on the walk and would throw it and then chase after it.  When we finished our walk and we were back by the pool, he threw his golf ball through the fence and it bounce once then twice and then plop, into the pool it went.  He was very sad.  There isn’t anything much cuter than baby pictures.

Just a thought or two

When I look back, it’s only to see how far I’ve come, and I’m thankful for my progress.  Now that I’ve raised my family and had time to look back on the experience, I feel like I ran a gauntlet of tremendous emotional challenges and came across the finish line truly changed.  I am wiser.  I am gentler with myself.  I am a little more reluctant to judge others.  I am a far better wife and mother than I would have been without my life’s experiences.  Our family is still a work in progress, but the worst, I hope and believe, is behind us. 

We’ve had many wonderful times together. I would probably change some of the things I did as a mother if I could go back in time, and then maybe I would do just exactly the same things over again.  I still believe that I’m here for a reason.  We are all imperfect but we all have potential to be amazing.  We are all working toward that potential, in our own time and in our own way.  We are learning more about each other as we go.  That is what a family is all about.  Sometimes I smile and think we are all messed up, but you know what?  We are family.  That’s the bottom line, we are family.

And, in the end, that’s what matters. 

Love,  Mom

Emmi turns 19! Where does the time go.

Neal and I were invited to go to Provo to participate in a surprise birthday dinner for Emmi.  When she came in the room and we all yelled “surprise” she burst into tears.  She did not suspect that her family and grandparents would come to Provo.  She thought her birthday would be celebrated on the weekend.  It was a fun evening.  Here are some pictures.  I noticed that I didn’t have one picture with me in it.  I was taking all the pictures.  I kept meaning to get a picture of Emmi and I but didn’t follow through on the thought.  We left Salt Lake about 5:00 and headed in the horrible freeway traffic to Provo.  We made two stops on the way.  One at WalMart to get some paper products and balloons and one at the Mall.  We got to the apartment about 6:30 and Emmi came in about 7:15.  Lynda brought Emmi’s favorite dinner.  Stew and bread sticks along with a pizza cookie.  The food was delicious.  Emmi’s friends kept saying how good it was to have home made food.  We all laughed at that.  It was a delightful evening.  Thanks Annie for including the grandparents in the festivities.  We love every minute.  A very happy birthday to a very special granddaughter.  You are an example to us all and we love you!

Emmi’s best friends.  The friend standing next to her is putting in her mission papers in a few months.  Cute girls and great friends to Emmi.

 

Emmi

Stitching Project

I haven’t reported on the progress I’m making on my stitching.  This has ended up being not one of my favorites to stitch on.  I will love it when it is done but it has been a bit of a challenge.  Everything has to be exactly right.  I can’t be off one line or it will totally show.  There is still a lot of work to do on it.

Obviously it is a genealogy stitchery.  

A fun Saturday with an unexpected surprise!

Lynda Ann along with Emmi, Mallory and Abby, came to Salt Lake to do her Costco shopping.  They came by the house to see if I wanted to join the happy band.  It was about 12:30 and we were all hungry so we decided to go get something to eat.  That morning, I had gone to Lyndsy’s to have a facial and on the way home noticed a fun looking hamburger place called Tony’s Hamburgers.  It is located in our old stomping grounds of Holiday.  I told Annie about the place and we decided to give it a try.  All 5 of us totally recommend this place if you want a great hamburger and great fries.  We all gave it a 10! 

As we were leaving we saw a white suburban pull up beside us and who should jump out of the car but Jeff and Ryan!  The funny thing is that they were across the street at a pizza place having lunch before going to the movie The Sniper.  We had a fun and quick visit and laughed at the coincidence of being just across the street from each other, having lunch, in our old neighborhood at the same time.  Wished we had co-ordinated with each other but who would have thought Jeff and Ryan would be out having lunch on a Saturday at the same time we were.  Of course I had to take a picture.  Notice the shirts.  Utah lost last night, Sorry and BYU beat Gonzaga.  Yahoo

After we left Jeff we decided to roam the old neighborhood and went by the house were Jeff and Annie grew up.  Annie has a picture of her standing by the pine tree when it was newly planted.  She would have been about 3 or 4.  We had to take stop and take a picture of her standing by the same pine tree.  The pine tree is about the only thing that is the same since all the remodeling has been done on the home.

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It was a fun day and it ended with Emmi and I tending River and Desmond and then taking Emmi to Trax to head back to school.