Odds and Ends

 Just a few odds and ends of my week-

~Monday night went out with Brendalyn and Joe.  Dinner and the movie.  Wanted them to see Alexander and the No Good, Terrible- whoever it goes movie but it was sold out.  We saw instead The Imitation Games.  The main premises was painful but informative- about code breaking during World War II- which was the forerunner of computers.  The pain of brilliant people who struggle in society.  The second theme was the treatments of gays during that time period.  I have watched 3 BBC productions this past month all of which dealt with the same topic.  Between  that and World War II~  (Unbroken)- I feel like I've been in a war zone.

~last night was our Young Women class activities.  I invited the Laurels to my home to make a few freezer meals for two families in our neighborhood with needs.  My new next door neighbor is being treated for a blood disorder (chemo and marrow transfusions, etc.)  I've been taking Monday meals to them for a month trying to help and the Ward has been doing Wednesdays but I thought they might like a couple of emergency meals in the freezer.  I only had two girls come (McCall Sieverts and Abby Ward) but I loved talking with them and visiting and fixing the meals together.  We also made a couple for Grouchy Lady's widower, Reed.  

I have loved watching this amaryllis blooming this past month.  I would love to have a time-release camera on it...you can almost see movement as it  has grown each day.  This plant came from our friends, the Tillotson's for Christmas.  This past week Nancy's mom died.  Actually, one of my GNO friend's, Tauna's mom also died this week.  It makes me so sad and nervous and....... it is such a hard stage to be losing parents....

I don't think I've posted the glass flower I made with Brandi at the glass factory at Thanksgiving Point.  I love it!!!!

~ yesterday I FINALLY got to spend time with friend, J.  I LOVE her and have missed our time together.  She is a friend that I've experienced miracles with- it's a blessed friendship.  She has the most amazing mind and I always come away with new insight.  I also got to introduce her to the Wild Zucchini and see her take her first bite of the Rosemary Chicken Piadena.  She loved it!

~Cathy and I have also gotten to spend some time together.  I'm always telling her that I'm going to trade her in for a new BFF because she is always gone, gallivanting.  I was going to advertise for a new friend but I think I'm waaaay too needy......

~we have been having spring-like weather.  I'm so worried about drought conditions for the summer!  But it isn't like we can do anything so I guess we'll just have to enjoy the sunshine!

~ finished not one but TWO pictures in art.  The one took me forever and the other I just whipped out.  I don't really care what I am painting....it is all about the journey and meditation for me.  It's my therapy.

Actually, this one isn't one of the paintings I was referring to but I realized I didn't post it earlier.  (this is my journal...I realize that these pictures are really for me....)  I painted this one for Ryan for their Guatemala home.

I know, I'm a little crazy on this one but it was a good study for me to do.  I love funky art and am excited to hang this in my kitchen.

I left the other one I finished today at the studio as it is "drying."  


And can I say, I feel happy indeed.  It's been a roller coaster several past years and it feels so good to feel joyous and alive.

3 State Girl's Trip

~Brandi, Gracie and I went on a 3 State road trip this past weekend!  Whew!  Well, actually it wasn't that big- we were going to Gracie's soccer tournament in Mesquite, Nevada and there is a small stretch of road between St. George and Mesquite where you are in Utah, then Arizona, then Nevada.  But it took a lot of honking and woot-wooting and raising our hands and feet every time we pass a State line so it took a lot of energy.

Love this Gracie girl of mine.  WHEN did she pass me up in height??  Crazy!  (she's only 13!)

 Since we were gone for Valentines Day- Brandi made us these cute treats.  She was so thoughtful-

for me she gave me a "cutie" orange since I'm such a cutie (lol), an apple since I'm the apple of her eye, etc.  Love this girl of mine.

~fun shopping in St. George

~the weather was fabulous!  

~Gracie's team didn't do too well but she did great.  So proud of her (and this wasn't actually her team, she was guest playing.  We thought she'd only get a little play time but she started and played almost the entire 3 games. )  She is just coming off of the injured list (for 6 weeks) and has really been having knee problems.  She just grew so fast that that muscles in her legs pull her knee caps off to the side.  Ouch!

~this was a great brochure I saw in the lobby of the hotel.

Really?  As opposed to fake horseback rides?

This and That

~ Mallorie and Sam and the baby moved out last week into their own apartment.  We have loved having them here.  I will miss them terribly and yet it is wonderful for them and us.  This is truly the first time since the first year that David and I were married that we've been empty nesters!  besides our own 5 kids, we've had-
~Chad Nichols, a friend of Brandi's but she was married- he was a co-worker of the boy's and needed a home for the summer.  Travis and Chad got in a near death car crash while he was with us.  That is probably why Chad became an ER doc.  He lives across the street from Brandi now (what are the odds!)
~cousin's daughter, Jill Dahlquist.  Her parents were in Germany as Mission Presidents and this was the summer before Jill was to get married.  We got Jill and their baby grand piano!  I got to do all the fun wedding stuff with Jill.  It was awesome.
~a boy showed up on our doorstep- a son of friends of ours in college.  Bret.  He needed a place to stay for two weeks and he stayed for 2 years.
~Melanie was doing her PT internship here.  She was one of Brandi's classmates at Rutgers.
~nephew Dee- lived with us during his "what to do next in life." stage.  Love him!!!  (He's our GQ model look alike)
~niece Ashlee (Mallorie's sister) lived with while she went to massage therapy school. Love her too
!
~3 of our married kids and fam's lived with us from 1-3 years.  LOVED THIS!!!!!!  Cried when they moved out!
~Mallorie lived with us for a year after a year of college and worked.  Game time!
~Cousin Casey lived with us for a wonderful while.
~David's mom lived with us for 6 1/2 years until this past summer.  An honor and a growing time.
~Mallorie and hubby Sam and baby Gehrig have lived with us since last May.

I probably forgot someone.  We are pretty casual at our house so live in guests are welcome.  Except not now.  Now is OUR TIME~    (please no peekie in our windows because who knows what we will be wearing around the house!) (not!)


Yesterday was my last day of having Hallee babe and Addi off track.  Loved our time together.  David actually took them skiing again.  They just love it and I love that David will take them.  Wish it would snow big time.  We are in for a big drought this summer.  Really kind of scary.  We've been having 60 degree weather off and on.  This is usually a big winter month for us.

Oh no, my dinger is ringing that my time is up.  I need to pack and head out.  Gracie has a soccer tournament in Mesquite, Nevada (about an hour past St. George) so Brandi, Gracie and I are having a fun girl's getaway.  I'm excited!  Better get boogieing!  

(p.s.  I'm up two butters.  My social life is way too fun (and fattening.)  I'm in trouble!)

Museum of Natural Curiosity

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.  Eleanor Roosevelt

Girls off track still so today we planned a trip to Thanksgiving Point to the (fairly new) Museum of Natural Curiosity.  

It's a total winner!!!!  We had a ball!  I had Marci meet us/drop off their 4 kiddos so we had a good cousin's time.

Here we were in the hurricane simulator with winds up to 89 miles per hour.  So fun!~

I liked the Magicology.  I've always wanted to be a floating head!  Don't try to figure it out...it's magic....

The kids liked the outdoor whateritiscalled especially the zip line.

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.  Albert Einstein

Butters

since I started the Meltdown Challenge, plus the 4 I lost before it started.  Woot!  Woot!

Still in the zone and 2 more weeks before the challenge is over.

Kick It!

A couple of weeks ago, Miss Addi-tude had a soccer birthday party.  It was so much fun!

Brandi made a great soccer cake, I got a soccer ball pinata and filled it with so many goodies, Addi could hardly hold it up.  They began with warm -up stretching exercises, had to kick goals outside-

For halftime, they got hot dogs and oranges, etc.

These cute referee bottles with whistles were part of their favors.

More favors-

This was the funnest (yes that is a word) game.  Brandi made it like a soccer field and you have to blow through a straw to get your puff ball to score through the goal posts.  Harder than it looks!

Brandi drew a goalie with goal posts.  It was like pin the tail on the donkey only they had to make sure the soccer ball was pinned (blindfolded) to make a goal (inside goal posts and not hitting goalie.)  Loved this!

Love my girl!  I can't believe she's getting so grown-up!

Her mom truly throws the best parties!!!

Q: Why did Cinderella get kicked off the soccer team?
A: Because she ran away from the ball!

Lucky Me Part Two

Feeling pretty special.  David and I got to go last night (with cousin Zella and Charles Dahlquist) with Gail Miller and hubby Kim to the Jazz game against Memphis.  First dinner in the private dining....then front row seats (the Jazz bear tried to pull my boot off) and an exciting game (although we lost but Memphis is hot.)  We had a great time with dear and generous friends.  And after 2 games in one week, I'm getting a better feel for this younger Jazz team.  Ha-ha.  You know I really don't care (well, I do a bit) but I love the setting and the friends and especially the pampering!  Okay, I think I'm ready for real life now.


I do want to mention one more Gail/Kim story.  When we had Bucket, Gail had us tell our love stories.  Well, Gail has two.  We had heard her story with Larry before.  He never proposed, they went together for like 6 years and finally "she" said, "I've got a two week vacation and I think we need to get married or break up!"  I love that they were dirt poor~ not a cent to their name and look at the Larry H. Miller dynasty now.  When Larry died, more of the responsibility came to Gail but she's an amazing woman and runs her head off.  Thankfully she makes time for us.  We are her "safe place."

A couple years ago, Gail remarried one of David's former law partners, Kim.  He is just the most delightful, funny guy.  We adore him.  I had heard their love story before...and probably recorded it here in this journal but one part I didn't know about.  When he proposed and handed her the ring, it was a CTR ring....with diamonds.  He called it her "Choose the Ring" ring.  lol.  Love that!  What a great idea!

The invention of basketball was not an accident.  It was developed to meet a need.  Those boys simply would not play "Drop the Handkerchief."  James Naismith

Lucky Us!

Yesterday was our Bucket group hosted at Gail Miller's home. Always a treat.  I haven't been to Bucket for the past two months so it was awesome to see my sweet friends.  Missing Annette because her husband was called to be the President of the MTC in Provo.  


These are a few pictures of the waterfall and ponds in Gail's backyard.  They have a spectacular view of the city.

The house is beyond amazing as well.

For Bucket, Gail hosted us to a Valentine's theme.  Beautiful table arrangements~

fabulous crab cake salad (recipe on the cooking blog)

and beautiful trifle.  She makes the trifle with pound cake, fruits and the filling is lemon curd and whipped cream.  I love lemon curd and I BET  I would have loved the trifle and gourmet rolls....but I didn't have a bite.  Just the salad and lots and lots of water.   And I still was up a butter.  Grrrrr.

She had a fun display with all our wedding pictures.  We all got to share our love stories.  And we all got Valentines.  A perfect day with friends.

AFTERWARDS- we got to tour the new penthouse that Gail and hubby are building.  They have one whole floor of a high rise, with windows completely in the round so you can look down on the temple and temple square and most buildings in Salt Lake and see SL from every angle.  I told her she could do the party game of "Where's Waldo" and have different landmarks to find.   It will be amazing.  And I get to eat lunch there when it's done!!

"Every person is a new door to a different world."