Valentine's Day...

I have a confession to make...I am an incurable romantic. I LOVE hearts and flowers, and stories that end in: "...and they lived happily-ever-after!" Can't help it, that's just me. HOWEVER, I have never really liked Valentine's Day. Maybe it's left-over angst from Elementary School when you sat all day by the Valentine's Box or envelope you had decorated, waiting to see how many people wanted you for their Valentine.

OR maybe it's from all the years after when you waited for that "special someone" to ask you to be HIS Valentine. Maybe it's all of those things mixed in with my neurotic insecurities. Whatever the reason, Valentine's Day hasn't ever really been my favorite holiday.

Then it happened...23 years ago, on February 6th, 1988; Kevin William Webster asked me to be his, forever. Suddenly, I had a Sweetheart of my very own! That night, almost a week before Valentine's Day, became one of my happiest memories - EVER! It was sweet and magical; and led to my "Happily-Ever-After".

I used to dream of my "Knight in Shining Armor" sweeping me off my feet and carrying me off into the sunset. Now my Knight is my Kevin and all he has to do is smile the way he does - that lets me know he gets what I'm thinking, or kiss me good-bye (or hello, or good-night, or for anything at all), or dance with me in the kitchen while Jackie gags and Mandy goes "Whoo whoo!! Go Dad and MOM!!!" ...that's all it takes, and I'm swept away.

All these years later, and I STILL can't really say I'm the biggest fan of Valentine's Day. It may sound sappy, but with Kevin every day feels like Valentine's Day to me! He's the very best man I know, and I'm SO in love with my Valentine!

The Science of Food...

At Jackie's school, they hold a science fair every year. This year, they gave us about three month's notice to come up with an idea and create an experiment. Jackie had some interesting ideas, but each of them were studies that would take YEARS to monitor and follow through. Most of her ideas involved things that effect your health and growth rate...definitely NOT things you can monitor over a couple of months.

FINALLY, about a week before the entire project was due, Jackie decided upon the idea of testing people's taste-abilities. She set up an experiment with various foods in full-fat and low-fat varieties. Then she got some victims...'er TEST SUBJECTS and the tasting began. Ultimately, Jackie's goal, at this late stage, was to have something (ANYTHING) to turn in so she could get a passing grade.

The project (hypothesis, question, research, experiment, results, charts, graphs, conclusions, etc.) was due Monday, February 7, 2011. Jackie BEGAN this project Sunday, February 6, 2011...IN THE EVENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Needless to say, we were up until 1:30AM, completing everything.

Monday came and Jackie turned in her project. The Science Fair was TODAY (Tuesday, February 8, 2011). Imagine our surprise when Jackie brought THIS home from the Fair.

SHE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, the fact that she changed her idea and experiment AT THE LAST MINUTE meant that we did NOT have the necessary paperwork for her to go on to the next level of competition. So Jackie and I spent this afternoon completing the paperwork so she could move on. That involved several trips to and from the school, getting consent forms from all the victims, and re-signing forms I had already signed for her previous project ideas. FINALLY, we're done and Jackie can move on to the next level of competition to be held at Utah Valley University on February 24, 2011.

We are very proud of our girl...last minute effort or not, she did a GREAT job!

A special thanks to her taste-testing-victims: Marnee, Joseph, and Matthew Price; and Dad,Mandy, and Grandma Webster (and ME!!). As well as Warren Price, who served as Jackie's lab-assistant.
Never have so many given so much for such a cause! We appreciate all of you, very much!

...and finally, to the star of our show!!!

WAY TO GO, JACKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SWISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So you all know Amanda is playing basketball for her High School, right?

In case you didn't...now you do!! haha

Here are some pictures of her on the court in a game earlier in the season...


At tonight's game, there were 20 seconds on the clock and the ball was loose on the court. Mandy raced for the ball, scooped it up, and dribbled the ball for a couple of steps. Then she turned, set, and took a jump-shot that had the ball circle the rim and SWISH!!!! Into the basket it went!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Classic play, good thinking, and a great shot!!! What a girl!!!!!!

WAY TO GO, MANDY!!!

YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

In awesome wonder....

I don't really know where to begin with this post. I am still awestruck and amazed.

I guess it all comes down to the shoes. When Amanda started basketball this year, I asked her if her shoes from last year were ok, or if she needed new ones. She said she was fine with what she had. Little did I know that THIS (see below) was what she planned on playing in.

A stylish fashion statement - maybe.
Good basketball shoes - not so much.

This past Tuesday, at her game, I heard someone ask what size shoe Mandy wore. I thought the coach was telling her to get better shoes. I made a mental note to shop for shoes the next day, and didn't give it another thought.

A little later, I noticed two girls (students at Amanda's school) walk in with a shopping bag and a shoe box. They handed them to Amanda and told her it was for her.
Then they walked out before I could get down the bleachers to thank them or pay them back. All the parents in the stands sat in amazement at this generosity. I mean... Who does that nowadays??? After the game I asked Amanda who the girls were, and she said just classmates from one of her classes. I asked her to get their names so I could pay them back or at least thank them.

Imagine my surprise when she came home from school yesterday with ANOTHER pair of shoes. This time, real basketball shoes.

The "Shoe-Angels" had struck again!!!

I still don't know who they are. I will definitely be making a more thorough inquiry into it. In the meantime, I am grateful and amazed. How nice can people be???

In the last two games, Amanda's playing has improved by leaps and bounds!

Maybe it's the shoes...

ps: I wrote the school Principal to let him know what amazing kids he has at the school. I was hoping that these girls would get some kind of recognition. Here is his response:

"I had no idea that this happened! Isn't it great that there are great people in the world, and here at Rockwell?!

I have found out who these students are, and have passed on your thoughts to them. They don't really want any recognition, but say they just did it because they wanted to do something nice for someone else."

Well, they DID do something nice, and I KNOW their kind actions were recorded in Heaven. Whoever they are, they have my deepest gratitude and thanks.

All Things Bright and Beautiful...

"...all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." Alma 30:44

Today God painted me a sunrise that took my breath away...and I was grateful.

R.I.P.

...Stevie-the-duck...

Getting sick couldn't kill her...Stupid chickens couldn't kill her (twice)...CRAZED mink couldn't kill her....but the Utah winter finally did her in.

The girls are sad. Stevie was a funny little duck. I hope she finds a warm, safe, sunny-pond to live by in Heaven!

Ringing in the New Year!

We spent New Year's Eve with the Price family. Joe and Mandy went to Homecoming together...

(remember this?)

...and we have become good friends with the entire family!
We were joined by other friend's of Marnee and Warren - the Huntington family! What great people!

All the kids hit it off and went to the Youth New Year's Eve dance together!

Brothers...

...Sisters...

...future 'GQ' models???

... FRIENDS!!!

...and a GREAT time was had by all!

Happy 2011 to all of us!