hometeaching and visiting teaching

i just wanted to say i have great home teachers and visiting teachers....it's a great program...i have to admit, i'm not a great visiting teacher....i'll say hi through my blog...but, bev and dick are the greatest...they are good friends...i know they care...they are diligent....and we have alot of fun together...i told them we have to go to the shooting range next month....that will be fun....anyway...give a hand to great friends..... this little video is NOT my home/visitng teachers at all...more me!....but, it's very cute if you haven't seen it....

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projects

how the fireplace looked
after it was ripped apart

as most of you know....i Love projects....especially if they around my house....today a new one was started...i've had a problem with my fireplace for awhile...it was really ugly, then we tried to fix it up and it looked much better...but, now we're going to make it great...actually, it's not "we", it's lynn who has great ideas and is very talented at putting them into reality....

the star garden

for the fans of "sara's quilt" and "these is my words"...there is a new book out called "the star garden"...can't wait to read it....

BOO! with mouse ears

boo!
fearless gav
kel and owen

what better way to spend the day....kelly and jeff and the boys went to disneyland to see the halloween decor, so i drove down to meet them...we did alot of the fun rides...saw the darling decorations...gavin rode with me on the matterhorn! my own kids never rode the scary rides until they were about 8, he's 2.....he's a big kid, he raises his arms as we go...we went on pirates...the jungle cruise...it was a nice day...wished you all were here with us...especially you kerry.... (by the way, these pictures and video were all taken on my phone...they turned out pretty good!)

last chapters

have i mentioned that i love to read? it is my all time favorite past time...sometimes one that i get carried away with...sooo, i read alot of books...i just finished a really good book...it was a good story, very exciting..made you think etc. etc....and then i came to the last page....and it was the LAST page!!! it wasn't over yet in my mind....i really hate that in an author....you read a book that's 300, 500 or even 700 pages long.....they drag the story out forever with details...and then wham, bam....it's over without explaining anything...in my book...(and im not mentioning the title because i don't want to reck it if you read it)...there were about 3 different storylines that were not resolved..they just were sort of left, which makes me want to finish the story for her...why do authors do that? it can drive you crazy......i feel like writing the author and complaining.....maybe i will.....

marriage meme

dad, mom, tom and me
terry, tom, grandpa russell
josh, micah, amy, gabi, me, abby, jamie, and ty
tom and me dancing
tom and me

i was tagged by kel and as i have been in the anniversary mode, i thought i would tell about my romance with tom...

where did you meet your husband?

i was in college at the university of utah, working at the canyon racquet club...everyday the "u's" tennis team would practice there...i made friends with a couple of them....the coach told the boys i was "off limits" because my dad owned the club..and i was a good mormon girl....i'm sure that was just the challenge tom needed...

First date?

we would talk everyday and then one night he asked me out...he was very nervous because he had never dated a mormon girl before...he had a jeep...it was early april...he called before the date, he was worried because the doors were off...he was worried that it would be too cold...anyway, we saw "all the presidents men"..it was a very fun date...from then on we dated...my parents weren't happy as he wasn't a mormon...he started coming to church....i kept telling him we were only friends...we couldn't get married...he would say fine...he didn't want to get married...but, then at the end of july...he said..it's too bad we can't get married...we would have great kids...that about killed me...i knew he was right...

where was the first kiss?

first kiss wasn't for about 6 weeks...i had really started thinking.."what's with this guy?" and then he kissed me on my forehead...that was really romantic to me...he later said he was so nervous to do that..

Was the courthsip long/short?

we dated from april to december before getting engaged...during that time i went to europe for a month...then when school started, he started taking the missionary discussions...he got baptized at the end of october...

where did you get engaged?

i knew that we were going to get engaged sometime soon, because in november, tom invited my dad to lunch and had the big talk where he asked for my hand...so when it actually happend, for about a week he kept teasing me that he had something for me...and never did, one night we were going to the "u" basketball game, he came to my house and we were in the front entryway, he said,'i've got something for you...and i said no you don't, then he pulled the ring out and asked me ..i was screaming...my family was in the kitchen...so we went to show them...it was exciting...later, he said he was to excited to wait.. we got engaged in the early part of december...BUT, then we were engaged until september when we got married...we waited until he could go through the temple...which we were able to do early because of a special letter from pres. kimball..

where did you get married?

we were married in the salt lake temple... the wedding was beautiful..as i said in my earlier blog..i cried all the way through it...it was such a happy, emotional time..

How did the reception go?

the reception was fantastic...we had it at my house in the back yard...the yard was gorgeous..the night was great...we had dancing and just alot of fun..i felt like a fairy princess...

How was the honeymoon?

we stayed the first night in slc at the hilton...tom got us the honeymoon suite for free, because he taught the owner tennis...then we flew to california and took the boat to catalina...tom's family has house there and we stayed there for a week of bliss...we hiked, explored the island...walked the town about a million times...since it only has about 3 streets..it was really fun...he showed me all the spots from his childhood days...then ,we went to his parents for a few days...diane's friends gave me a shower..that was very nice...when we got back to salt lake..our apartment was not done yet...tom had worked some more magic and we were staying "rent free"in a new basement apartment from another tennis client...they were such a nice family....the rent was that we would babysit for them and tom taught them tennis...so until the house was done, we went up to stay at my family's cabin in park city...and the honeymoon continued and we had kelly 9 months later!!!

so, that's the story, it's fun to remember those days...so i will tag...Marilee, Audrey and Susan

30 years!!

i was really young 30 years ago...i must have been because i'm still sooooo young....i really was a baby...but, i met my true love and we wanted to be together forever, so on this day 30 years ago we had the most beautiful wedding in the salt lake temple...which i sobbed through...then had a gorgeous reception at my house...what a fun day it was...i loved being the princess that day...tom was a great husband...now don't get me wrong, there were plenty of times that i wanted to strangle him...but, doesn't that just go with being with your one true love? but, he made up for it by being so much fun...he really made me laugh...i think we were good for each other...he lightened me up a bit...and i guess i got him working....or at least kelly did when i was pregnant 2 weeks after the wedding...that's another story...anyway...i'm so glad that i met tom and married him...and i'm so thankful for the promises we have...plus my great family...what a great life i have...i'm glad i knew that he was the one....i just hope that my kids have the same kind of happy marriage that we had...in the words of someone i know, "it's worth it"....

aunts or ANTS!

aunts in the pantry? i wish....no it was ANTS!!!! what a great morning wakeup call...well at least my pantry is nice and clean, and is pretty empty...had to throw alot away...wish the aunts had come and eaten it instead.....

ya gotta have friends

well, i'm into my new life of living with no kids...so far i've kept pretty busy...after getting home from utah...went to the movies, lunch, the grandbabies came up to visit...i've been trying to clean and organize my house etc. etc. etc...but, you have to have friends...i told my college age kids that they needed to go and say hi to the people in their classes...visit with people to meet new friends...it's sort of funny, but, i'm in the same situation..i've had alot of friends move recently...so, i'm trying to put myself "out there"....tonight we went to the "other side" of the stake for this home clothing party...turned out to be alot of fun...saw people we don't usually see...so, i'm trying to make new friends and keep the old....as the song says...so how do you make friends? it's easier when your kids are in sports or school activities...as we get older...the circle seems to narrow...so, as i'm looking for new friends, new activites...tell me yours...i might use them....

to modern mod

marty and me
marty 1962..a fashion queen even then
tom, polly, jo, and marty about 1965?
marty and dee's wedding
jo, mom, polly, and mod

today is my sister marty's birthday...have a wonderful day and year marty...we always called her mod...she is the best sister a girl can have...i'm lucky that she is just a little older so i have always called her for advice on my babies, then my kids, then my teenagers, now my 20 somethings...and now my grandchildren....marty has always led the way...and she does it in great style....aren't i lucky? so thanks for being my big sister...for always being there for me...for your words of wisdom...for the fun times we've had...for never letting me forget that i washed your madame alexander dolls in lotion.......(i was 3)....and like i say...i'll never forget....love you...

labor day fun

today was labor day and a beautiful day it was...russ, kerry, whit, jason, dave and taryn and i went to park city to ride the alpine slide and the alpine coaster...actually, i watched because i wasn't really in the mood...after what turned out to be a pretty looooong wait....the got on the alpine slide...they all had alot of fun except jason scraped his elbow....ouch....so then they went on the coaster which is on a rail type system...they said that was really fun...especially when russ and dave were stopped at the bottom and jason and whit slammed into them...they loved the whiplash...i sat at the bottom and people watched...that's always an amusing activity...i saw alot of really pretty families...seems like a lot of families here are really nice looking...i saw alot of pregnant woman...adding to those beautiful families...there was a fight between a husband and wife...she was mad because no one told her what was going on..then there was the lady that said another ladies dog bit her...she told the restaurant owner...he came and yelled...the dog really touched the ladies pants...anyway...it wiled away the time...then we went to baja cantina...that was pretty good...so, all in all a nice labor day....with not much labor involved...