Spring!

It finally feels like spring! I am so looking forward to warmer weather and being able to go camping or work in my garden. I am also getting excited for our new grand daughter who will arrive on April 6th. We love our boys and grand sons but girls are just so sweet and they are such a joy! I have so neglected my blog and I should update all that I and my family have been up to. John has been busy with work and honey do projects, like putting in a new bathroom fan, building a fence, fixing snow blowers, working on the trailer and cleaning the back yard, the list could go on and on but we try to concentrate on one project at a time. John was also made Stake clerk. We got a chance to have dinner with an apostle Elder Tom Perry it was a wonderful evening. I have been busy as a lunch lady and I enjoy it so much! The ladies at my school have inspired me to quilt. So far I have finished 2 mini wall quilts, a baby quilt for Sam and J.J.'s baby girl, and I am halfway done with Lacey's quilt, I had to set that aside to get Peter and Bonni's wedding quilt done. I am also preparing for their wedding in May and looking forward to meeting Bonni's family. I am also striving to be a good mom to my children, a good friend, a prepared primary teacher, a devoting daughter and a loving wife. J.J. and his family are busy waiting for the new baby. She is due to arrive on April 6th and I wish we could go and see her and hold her, but pictures and phone calls will have to do. Andy is out in Indiana visiting his older brother, He has been helping them out before the baby comes and will be coming back to Utah at the end of the month. Peter is working in Lincoln Nebraska and driving back and forth to visit Bonni in Laramie Wyo. Alex has had a rough time this last week. He quit his job at Carpenters to be an oil rigger but that job didn't work out so now has to start over again. Lacey has been having fun being a teenager. She is learning how to drive, she is preparing to go to trek and laurel training camp this summer. She will be 16 this year wow time flies when you are having fun! I have so enjoyed having a daughter. It is to hard to cram everything in our lives in a few sentences. But the main thing is that every body's fine I love my family so much and we are well blessed.

Christmas Memories

As a child Christmas was always a magical time for me, the smells of oranges or cookies and treats baking in the kitchen, the beautiful lights and ornaments on the trees, the visits from Grandparents on Christmas morning with their arms full of gifts, the Christmas Carols and the programs we used to share as family, all the beautifully wrapped presents under the tree,and the beauty of a fresh snowfall on Christmas morning.
I remember having young children eagerly waiting for Santa to come down the chimney.
Seeing their eyes light up as they open their presents. I miss their excitement.
But as time passes I have let the worldly things seep into my life and the hustle and bustle of the season, the too many things to do and I haven't focused on the true meaning of Christmas.
Some how I need to capture that magic again. I know I will never have the same kind of memories of my childhood or when I had young children at home. But I know I can make Christmas meaningful and more spiritual. I need to put Christ back in my Christmas.
I can think about the Savior and his life and what he has done for me. I can give more than receive, I can think of all my blessings I have been given, I can create wonderful memories that my family can cherish and I can show love to others and give more of my time and myself through out the year not just at Christmastime.
So during this season let us all try to remember why we really have Christmas.
Let us remember Christ and all he has done for us. Let us give back to him this year.
Merry Christmas to All and God bless you!

ThanksGiving

I am so thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my family and all they do for me. Each one is so special and I love them so much! Life wouldn't be very much fun without a family.
I am thankful for the freedoms and peace that we take for granted and sometime we don't appreciate what our for Fathers have done for us.
I am thankful to live in a small community where others share the same values and respect each other.
I am thankful for the simple things that make us comfortable and happy each day. Like running water, a warm bed to sleep in,or a car to drive.
I am thankful for good food and good health. I am thankful for all the beauty that we see all around us.
I am thankful for a good job and the blessings that come with it. I am thankful for good friends and neighbors who are always there when you need them.
I am so thankful for the gospel and being a member of the true church of Jesus Christ.
I am so thankful to my heavenly father for all that I have and the wonderful life he has blessed me with.
Thanksgiving only comes once a year but we should always have an attitude of gratitude in our hearts.

Pete's graduation

Our son Peter just graduated from Wyo tech in diesel mechanic this past weekend.

So me and Jay packed up and headed to the wonderful state of Wyoming. We left really early on Friday morning so we could visit and get ready before the graduation at 2:30 pm.

Everything was going fine until we stopped about two hours before Laramie. There was a big accident involving 2 semi trucks with fuel tanks and we had to sit for an hour while they cleaned it up. We also should have made a bathroom trip. We were so uncomfortable but managed to hang on until we got to Rawlings. We arrived in Laramie just in time to see if we could get a room but no one was at the front desk. So we met with Pete and his girlfriend and headed to the graduation. I wanted to get dressed and freshened up but Pete said not to worry it wasn't that formal. And he was right people were dressed sloppy but I still would have liked to at least cleaned up from our journey. The graduation was nice nothing fancy we weren't able to hear most of it the speakers were echoing. But it was so good to see him so happy and a job well done.

We finally got our room nothing great but it was the only room in town and then we took Peter and Bonni out to dinner at Applebees. The town was very busy with Wyo tech graduation and Laramie University home coming game and a Lenard Skinnerad concertand I don't like crowds but we had a great time getting to know Bonni. After dinner Pete took us to his adopted grandmas house and we had a nice visit with her and sang some songs for her and ate some cheese cake bonni made.

The next day Pete was suppose to leave for his new job but Bonni convinced him to stay just one more day. They spent the day together while me and Jay went sight seeing.

We first went to the Lincoln statue visitor center and up happy Jack canyon. Then we headed to Cheyenne to a couple train museum. Jay wanted to see the Big Boy because he and his dad loved trains and they followed the big Boy across the state idaho and Utah until it got to Ogden's train Museum. The museum was fascinating and it was a beautiful day. We also enjoyed homemade mini quiche at the farmers market.

We took Bonni and Pete out for pizza and me and Jay went on a walking tour of Laramie. It was good to see them and get away from the every day stresses of life but it was a short trip and we missed the other kids so Sunday we headed home and we decided to take a different way home by Bear Lake and a good thing we did they closed the road due to a fire. It was a beautiful drive looking at all the fall colors. We made it home safe and sound and Peter made it to Lincoln Nebraska just fine. He starts his new job on the 27th. We will miss him so much but we wish him all the best and who knows maybe there will be a wedding coming up soon?

Updates

Where did the summer go? I can't believe how fast time is flying by so quickly and before you know it it will be summer again.
A lot has happened with our family since I blogged in July. Lacey turned 15 wow She is growing up so fast.
She just started High School and she is taking a journalism class and she will be working on the yearbook. She is also involved in FFA and plans to go to all the football games to cheer on her friends in color guard. I have also signed her up for piano again after having one year off. She will do well because she is very talented but well see how much she likes it when I get her up at 6:00 AM for her lessons.
Lacey also was involved in the fair showing her lamb. She does this every year and this year she did all right she earned a blue ribbon and sold it to the company Jay works for. she also entered a picture of Seymore as a puppy that she took on her cell phone she got 2nd place ribbon not to bad for only using a cell phone. We love the whole fair days. We were only able to spend one day at the fair and rodeo because this year we went to a baptism in American Fork and a sealing at Mt Timpanogas Temple and a missionary farewell in Orem and camping at lakeside RV park with my mom and Randy. It was a wonderful weekend seeing family and friends.
I also had to say goodbye to my terrific sister Tammy. She and Charlie moved far far away to Green Bay Wisconsin but I wish her all the joy and happiness that I can and we hope to come and see her next summer.
Something really exciting that has happened is that I will be a Grandma again! The baby is due in April and we are so happy for them. They are hoping for a boy so Rocky can share a room and Sam won't have to share her shoe money. J.J. isnt as excited as we are at least not yet since he is the babysitter while Sam works.
My news is getting even better Pete will graduate from Whyotech and he has all ready landed himself a good job in Lincoln Nebraska we are so proud of him but we will miss him but wish him all the best at his new life.
Other family members are doing great! Alex is working at a mattress pad company he is doing well at it and enjoys not working at Wendy's anymore.
Andy has stated USU again and working part time. Jay is busy with work and enjoying no calling at church for awhile. He is also having fun playing with our fifth wheel trailer.
I am now teaching Primary in our new ward I teach the 4 year olds. I also started school lunch again and I am enjoying getting back to a regular work routine.
As you can tell our lives have been very busy but non the less fulfilling.

Nothing Sweeter Than Summer Time

Good times at Flaming Gorge! Also, Rocky's 2nd Birthday was July 14!!

Let Summer Begin!

I am so excited that it is finally summer. But you can't tell by the weather lately, before you know it will get very hot soon and then we would wish for the cloudy weather back.
This summer should be great! I have it all planned out. I am going to go with Jay a lot in the truck hopefully somewhere exciting or maybe I will get to go to Washington to see Jennifer or possibly to Indiana to see Rocky.
I am also working a little at the summer lunch program to earn extra money for Lacey's drivers ed and school fees. Easy come easy go.
And the Big adventure will be girls camp at Cinnamon Creek it will be so fun to spend time with my daughter and drive her crazy.
We are also going to go camping a lot in our new trailer. Our plans are to go to California in July if we can scrape up a little more money. But if not we will go somewhere closer to home but it should be just as fun!
We will still be raising a lamb for FFA which is takes a lot of our time but well worth it.
With all these plans I hope to relax a little and just do fun things like spend some time with my sister Tammy, go to movies and swimming or just hanging out together.
Peter will also be visiting us from school in June. Not that I will see him much he has all his time scheduled for fun with his friends. But we will get to see him graduate in September.
Some exciting news is that next week Elder Jeffry R. Holland is coming to speak to the Youth and their leaders in our area.
I also planted a salsa garden so I will be busy canning and wondering why I even bother the boys eat it faster than I can make it.
My Last goal of my summer is to be more active by walking and biking. This is easier said than done.
I look forward to the wonderful summer that is ahead. It all goes so quickly Hopefully I can make this summer fun & memorable.