Family Home Evening on Temple Square

I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves...

It was my BIRTHDAY!!!!

I just had a Birthday! It was my 47th... Mandy asked me if I felt 47. NOPE! Not yet! Maybe not ever, and that's ok with me. It's just a number. I still don't even feel 40...well, maybe when I see how grown up my kids are getting, but not really. Young at heart? Maybe! Immature? Probably! Whatever the reason, I've earned every year, even if I don't feel my age!

Kevin really did a great job making it a special day. I got some quiet time just for me while he took everyone out to run errands. Then we went bowling. Really! BOWLING! I have pictures as proof! Please excuse the poor picture quality, I took them with my phone.

Jackie...

Mandy...

Marc...Good FORM, Marc!!!

Kevy...WAY different FORM, Kevy!! HAHA

Mom and Deb came as the cheering section! They were very supportive!

We came home and had pizza! YUM, my favorite!

Then an icecream cake from "Maggie-Moo's". Even YUMMIER!

(Rather than risk 47 candles melting the cake, Kev used one
BIG red candle
right in the middle...It left a BIG hole!)

I loved my birthday...all of it! But my sister did something that really made my day. With part of her gift, she brought our Mom's memory right into the middle of my Birthday. It touched my heart, very much!

Click on the picture of her letter to read what she wrote...

Thanks, Caline!

...AND thanks to all my family and friends for the sweet Birthday wishes. I appreciate everything you all did to make my Birthday the wonderful celebration it was. I may not feel another year older,
but
I feel a million times more loved!

Rites of passage

In the list of rites of passage, this is a BIG one!

Amanda passed the test for her Driver's Permit!
She is ONE happy girl!

Way to go, Mandy!

An Interesting Day!

I started the day by driving up to Murray, UT with Jackie; to meet my cousin, Vergene Walker. Vergene is my Grandma's niece and a sweet lady. She recently found some fabric and things from my Grandma and wanted to share them with us. That is a blog and pictures for another day. I am SO excited to take pictures of these treasures and write about them!!! I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to reconnect with this part of my family and heritage.

When we got home, Jackie kidnapped me for a mini-road-trip...just the two of us. *and I was a very willing victim* We laughed, told funny stories, rocked out to the music of Jackie's favorite station, and took a TON of pictures! All in all, we had a great time! Here's how the day went:

We started at Micky D's for something to drink on the way!

Next we stopped to take pictures by Utah Lake:

Here's the road we were on:

We found a BIG rock to look at:

Singing in invisible microphones:

We found railroad tracks to nowhere:

...Abandoned buildings:

From the Temple...past the cowboy...and the pool hall...our trip covered all the bases:

We finally stopped

...at "Sub Zero" for...

Ice cream to take home to the family!

All in a day's work for the Dynamic Duo!

Happy Easter!

"He is the sturdy staff that leads you to drink beside still waters...

He is the reason why the lilies grow...

..He is a sermon on a mount, He is a widow and her mite, He is a blind man's first glimpse of light

...He is a garden and a prayer...

He is two strangers on a hill,
He is an empty tomb and the price that Heaven paid...
He is our chance to try again!

He is open arms, He is a quiet invitation,
He is hope when hope is gone...

He is lasting peace and the answer we are seeking...

He is the pathway home...

He is...

Yes, He is!

Words by Hillary Weeks...images by various LDS artists

A Loss of Wisdom...

...Teeth...

Today, Amanda went to see the dentist (oral surgeon, actually)...

Thankfully, Amanda does not have any wisdom teeth on the top, so she only had the two bottom teeth removed...

Although Mandy's face is swollen, she is grateful NOT to look like this...

...and where are her wisdom teeth, now? Given the fact that they are from Amanda's head, I wouldn't be surprised if they are not doing something like this...

I can just hear its conversation, now:

"OH MY GOSH!!!! You'll never guess what happened to ME, today!!!" lol

I'm absolutely sure Mandy wouldn't think this is funny, right now.

I won't say anything about my little blog-post if YOU won't...