pre christmas festivities

russ and kristen had a fun 'ugly' sweater party last night...there were goodies, lots of ugly sweaters, white elephant gifts...firecrackers....a great time...i'm decorated to the hilt...just need to make food for santa tonight...merry christmas to all!!!

thanksgiving

holiday in utah:

slc...a little snow...some clouds...some beautiful days

family...playing with the grandkids...talking to them...enjoying being with them

friends...hanging out with my buddies...always alot of fun

t-day....alot of work...but, soooo worth it!

movies....shopping....relaxing....

a great getaway!

house project

(the before...i guess i only take pictures of my house when it's decorated)
(the actual work)
(finished)

i've had a huge project going on since last may....and it's done!!! i'm soooo tired from all that work....just kidding...i didn't do much of anything, except watch!! but, we changed the outside of the house...from a little cottage style house...to a classic Mediterranean house...i love it...it was a long summer...all my guests, visitors and neighbors had to deal with dust, noise, hammering, jack hammers, huge messes...what else? just about everything...trucks, sand, and more noise...but, it turned out fantastic! thank you, thank you..mike and all your great subs...we covered the front walk way and turned it into a little covered porch...with a front gate...the biggest thing we did was take out the step up into the house and step down...took out a couple of walls and made the entry just open...changed the driveway to pavers...put new windows and doors in...built a new barbecue area...it turned into a bit more of a project than i thought...at the end of may when i asked mike if it would be done in july for the wedding...he gave a startled look...like you're crazy!! and i was...so, here it's end of oct...and we're done!!! yippee! i'm thrilled with the outcome...the only thing is...i'll miss my friends...all the work men that have been hanging out...maybe they'll come by and say hi!!

utah fun

last weekend i was in utah for nick and shayla's wedding...what a fun time! we got together with so many friends...i love these weddings 'cause we get to see everyone! the best part is my family all made the trip to the wedding also! so, my project before they came was to make a couple of little playrooms in the basement...they were a huge hit! the kids had fun playing dress-ups...playing in the little tent...playing with the little kitchen...they loved it! guess i need to make one down at home...all in all it was a great week...

hard to beat

it's hard to beat a day like this...
park city boutique...best find...kathy's chocolate...
kamas....best restaurant...high mountain drugstore..
it's award winning hamburgers and malts...and fun stuff they sell...
heber city...fantastic art show...beautiful paintings, sculpture and ceramics...
gorgeous mountains to drive through...picture perfect day...
fantastic friend to be with...
loved the day!!!

make it work....

so, i ordered some patio furniture online, for my front porch...didn't realize it would come in a box and that i would be putting it together...it wasn't too bad, except for a few of the holes that were not lined up....hmmm, that took some work, to get them to work...but, finally...finished product!! doesn't look too bad...

flew the coop and where did i land??

slc....lunches, kids, family, friends, dinners, shopping, hot, beauty, mountains, relax...
colorado....family, fun, mountains, bikes, rivers, gondolas, hikes, green, beauty, cool, dinners, exploring, rain, swimming, stories....
slc....more lunches, more friends, more family, birthdays, visits,more kids, hot summer days and nights, movies, more of everything.....
what a way to fly the coop.....

flying the coop

this summer was crazy with people at our house....all the rooms were full...lots of action going on at all times...it was really fun...but, as you know, all good things come to an end...russ and kristen moved into their new house...they are getting settled into real life (that actually happens in two weeks when school starts), kerry moved back to utah for school...she was excited to go see her friends, although most of them seemed to have shown up once or twice this summer...shem left on his trip...met up with andrea....nick and shayla left the week before...so, i'm down to sophie, sadie and gracie...i'm an empty nester...which is sort of weird...so we'll see how it goes...since they flew the nest, maybe i should also! where should i go????

birthdays!

from june until august we have 7 birthdays in our family....so we get to have alot of fun parties....this week was willie's 31st birthday and today is kerry's 22nd birthday!!! hip hip hooray!! my kids are the greatest and i'm so lucky to have them in my family....willie is such a fantastic man...he is smart, funny, handsome, a great husband and wonderful dad..

kerry is so beautiful...she is artistic, a fashionista, so

much fun to be with...she is full of life at all

times...it's a party when you're with her....i am so

blessed to have such a great family...we have a

great time together...i want them both to know

how proud i am of both of them....love you guys...

big day!

last week was the big day for russell and kristen!!! and the lead up was just as fun..willie and kelly arrived the monday before and went straight to disneyland...they met kerry, emma, kelly and jeff and the kids for a couple of fun-filled days...then everyone came back for the festivities at our house...last minute details...fantastic days...a little bit crazy with all the kids running around...on thursday we had a rehearsal at the ranch where the reception was held...it's such a beautiful spot...can hardly believe it's so close...and such a secret! afterwards we drove around the property and saw the llamas, the buffalo, the zebra, camels and horses...the kids loved feeding them...friday was the big day! it was a beautiful day...russ and kristen were married in the los angeles temple...it was beautiful...they were so happy...afterwards we had pictures and then quickly drove to the saddle rock ranch...trying to miss 'carmageddon' which as we all know...didn't really happen...that was a blessing! the ring ceremony was beautiful...moms came first down the aisle, then bridesmaids and groomsman...and then the kids...uh oh...willie and i realized that no one was watching the kids after we left! they were the hit (after the bride and groom)...gavin came marching in carrying the ring pillow...then kate, owen, tommy, charlie came running up behind...and lexi, after wandering a bit made it back on the path also...it was so cute...they looked darling...the dinner was amazing...started dancing right away...the party went on and on...everyone had a fantastic time...it was really gorgeous...on saturday we all relaxed at our house with a swim party with many of our close friends...it's always so much fun to be together...it was a great weekend...i'm so thankful that so many of my family and friends were there to share it with us...i just wish i could have visited with everyone, just a 'bit' longer...thanks for making it a great day!!!

this and that

this and that

it's been crazy the last month...and it doesn't seem to be letting up! after my trip to idaho and utah...got right into the last minute prep for youth conference...it was fantastic and alot of work! we (bonnie, larene , me and many helpers) cooked and cooked, making all the food for the conference....then i came home that saturday night to russ' birthday...he was celebrating with a barbecue...then, we had another barbecue on sunday for kelly's birthday....then, 3 days later it was kristen's birthday...so alot of parties that week...then topped it off with a barbecue for the 4th of july...which was really fun...we had everyone bring a great dish...so we had sooooo much food...then we had alot of delicious desserts, plus a smore bar...it had about anything you could think of to make different types of smores...topped that off with wonderful fireworks...a really fun day...we've been having alot of guests this summer...about every week someone new shows up...it's been really fun to have the house so full..the inside and outside is crazy..they are working on the house still, everyone is just trying to keep out of each others way and every morning we have a great wakeup call!..so much fun, but when it's finished it will be great....right now i've got kelly and jeff's kids for the weekend...the one weekend that the whole house seemed to have emptied! so, i asked emma moller to come and help me with the little angels!!!! she's been wonderful...the kids love her! thanks emma...we've been swimming a ton, the weather is so beautiful, movies, the kids are just playing...trying to stay out of the construction workers way!...so, now we come down to the countdown of the big day for russ and kristen! only 6 days until they tie the knot!!! woo hoo! willie and kelly arrive on monday...and the party starts!!! or maybe just continues!!!

zumbox

russell works for a company called zumbox....what is zumbox? it's an online postal system that sends digital postal mail, based on your name and street address...what does that mean? when you sign up for zumbox, you can manage all your mail online (pay bills, make notes on mail, store them forever etc...)....follow this link to sign up and you might win!!! a million dollars, an ipad, bills paid for a year...so try your luck...it's free!

oops!

so, in my previous post, i said that we went to boise last weekend..so, this is the story behind that trip....on wednesday, larene, kerry and i drove down to the airport...i was driving....we pulled up to the curb of the airport...my car has an automatic car lock button...i pushed it so we could all get out....larene hopped out and went to open the backend...as i was getting out and shutting the door...larene said, it won't open...sooooo, kerry pushed the button again...BUT, that locked all the doors!!! uhoh!!! the car was locked, no extra key...and the car was running....the curbside checkin guy came, the president of american airlines was walking by and tried to help, cops came....no go...the doors were not going to open...i called triple a...after 1/2 hour the guy showed up...in the meantime the curb guy checked us in, and was giving us a running time of how long we had left before missing the flight....while waiting i also called land rover...asking if they had an 'onstar' type option...no luck...and...they said, you will not be able to unlock the doors....so the triple a guy tried....no luck...the curb guy is saying 2 min...so, i'm saying...break the window!  so 3 tries later....a shatter and glass everywhere...kerry reached in and unlocked the door...we grabbed our bags...kerry was sent straight to land rover...we ran to security, begged to be put front of the line...and ran for the gate....and...we made it!!! what a way to start a trip!

whirrrrlwind

'tis the season of weddings, parties, weddings and more weddings...last wednesday larene and i flew up to boise to landon cooley's wedding...we went a few days early to visit and help out alison...we had a great time seeing boise, helping out with the wedding and most importantly, catching up with each other!! the wedding was beautiful...vanessa was a gorgeous bride, landon, a handsome groom...good times! on saturday, kerry, abby moller and i flew down to slc...polly and her girls threw russell and kristen a shower...it was especially fun because kelly and willie, kelly, jeff and kids and of course, russ and kristen came...it was so much fun to see the cousins...it's always a great time when we get together...it was a quick visit, everyone leaving today...but a nice short time together...thanks, pod....

happy anniversary!

7 years ago kelly and willie started their life together.....

look what they've accomplished!!!

happy anniversary!!

timeout...

this last week we've had whit visiting us...so it's been a fun 'play' week...yesterday we drove down to visit kelly and the kids...we started off at bruxie's a great little restaurant in the city of orange...what a cute little area! the restaurant is delicious...they serve everything on waffles! so it's hard to beat that....we then dropped the boys off to play and we girls took a little shopping trip...southcoast is hard to beat...we had a fun time...charlie loved it and was so good... a little jewelry, purse...a few toys...sunglasses...and she was all decked out...and ready to roll! we finished off the night with a crepe...just to remember paris by! kerry added to her outfit from each store..we saw prom dresses made out of paper..they were beautiful...kelly and charlie modeled for us.. what a fun day to be together...

freedom

i've been lucky enough to have been traveling the world for the past few weeks...i'm really blessed that i was able to do that and to have such a great time with 'the girls' that came with me....this morning i heard that osama had been killed...he was someone who would like to take that freedom away from me and everyone else....so after 10 long years...hooray!! we are so blessed to live in our great country....go USA!! because even though i love to go to foreign lands....i really love living here in beautiful America!!!

on a lighter note....these are some funny and sweet tweets i read:

jperrotto John Perrotto

They should have captured Bin Laden alive and made him continually go through airport security for the rest of his life.

emzanotti Emily Zanotti

Leave it to America to upstage a royal wedding... :)

misconstrue Richard Melo

This weekend is straight out of Shakespeare, bookended with a royal wedding and the death of a tyrant

jimformanKING5 jimforman

9/11 widow on my flight. In tears. Comforted by entire cabin. Life altering event to see.

jimformanKING5 jimforman

Cheers erupt on flight as POTUS announces death of Bin Laden

jimformanKING5 jimforman

Many soldiers on my flight. Passengers shaking their hands. Lone naval officer now getting praise as we learn seals carried out attack

fairytale

how could i not mention the royal wedding!! london has been set ablaze with the festive spirit...flags are everywhere...pictures of kate and william...wishes for their happiness are on the buildings...what a fun, crazy time...there are soooooooo many extra people here...that's pretty crazy in itself...but, it's fun to experience all the happiness..

12 hours in london

we got up way too early for a vacation and drove to marseille to the airport...our 'tom tom' navigation could not figure out where it was, so luckily kerry was up to the challenge and got us there!!! yea, kerry! jumped on a plane and flew to london...we got to our hotel, had a delicious brunch (i'm showing the special hot chocolate glasses they had)...we then took the bus tour to show ashley london...for only having the afternoon and evening, we did pretty good...did the tour of most of the city...stopped and shopped a bit...as we were driving in the theatre district, the girls thought it would be fun to see 'the phantom of the opera'....so we got tickets for that....the show was great...one of my all time favs...brings back lots of great memories...after our show, our cabbie took us around a bit...we wanted to go past buckingham palace and most of the roads were closed...but he found one that was open...he was a fun guy to talk to...those taxis guys know everything about the city...he says it takes 4 years to become one, because of all the knowledge they have to learn...so, tomorrow our great trip ends..we are very sad...and have decided to extend it! we thought no one would mind if we just went on traveling...oh, i wish!!!

country drive to gordes

gordes....what a gorgeous place!!!

the girls playing while I figured out where we were going!

roussillon and the drive back to aix

today we had a wonderful last day in france....we did a bit of shopping down the street from our hotel, then watched the royal wedding....and then took a fantastic drive...we drove up to the village of gordes which is in the luberon part of provence....what a fantastic view......we could hardly believe the view as we drove up the mountain...the village is high on the hill and overlooks the fields of lavendar (they aren't yet in bloom) but i'm sure it's amazing when they are....we walked around the little village, had lunch, shopped around....then, i wanted to go to roussillon but was having a hard time figuring it out with the 'tom tom' navigation....that's when kerry and ashley were bored in the car....finally i gave up and told kerry to be the navigator...so in the first few turns we were lost...and all she did was laugh! finally we got on the right road...it was only about 15 miles...but, in that time period a wild rainstorm hit us...it was lightening and thundering, then it started hailing! it was wild...there was fog...all sorts of craziness....we got to roussillon...so glad we made the effort!!! it was amazing...the dirt there is ochre (red) color...so alot of the buildings are that color...then we took a nice drive back to aix...so many of the little villages made us gasp in delight!!! our favorite day here....so a wonderful way to end our time in france!!

st. remy

today we drove through the countryside to the beautiful town of st. remy....it's a little town and easy to walk around...so we walked around the town....it had beautiful little buildings...after lunch we found out the shops are closed for siesta...so we waited for a while until they opened...they were worth waiting for...very cute and quaint...we had a nice drive back until the outskirts....we had such a huge rainstorm....it hailed even...as we got out of the car, we were soaked in about 3 minutes...so we went in, dryed off and watched tangled since there are no english stations on tv...it was a nice, easy day...we had dinner at the hotel in the little restaurant and have been sitting at our table for about 3 hours...it's the only place we can get wireless...and as you can tell....we're addicted!!!

aix-en-provence

today we said goodbye to kelly :( and boarded the train for aix-en-provence...or southern france...a beautiful ride in the countryside...when we got into the station...we had a bit of a problem finding the rental cars..they moved them and left no messages about where...but, we did finally find our little car...we drove to our beautiful little hotel...it's an old villa and so pretty and so french! while waiting for our room to be ready we had a little french lunch of an omelette and salad...so 'french'! our room is so pretty...you walk into a little living area with a terrace outside, then walk downstairs to the bedroom that also has a terrace...we walked down the hill to town...it's a cute little town, tiny little streets...just very quaint...a bit of shopping (i found the famous macaroon cookies we were looking for in paris, was going to bring them home but they need to be refrigerated...so you can look and i'll eat them), dinner and back to the hotel...tomorrow we'll go exploring!

shopping in paris

today, our last day in paris, we decided to do a little shopping!

we walked and walked...went to the champs elysees to see all the fun stores...we had lunch at a sidewalk cafe...at little tiny tables...shopped in some stores...found a few favorites..had a drink at louis'....and generally just wandered...a nice, but tiring day...that shopping can take it out of you!

easter monday in paris

today was a busy day...kerry, ashley and i walked to the louvre this morning thinking we would get in....surprise, surprise...it was easter monday...i.e. holiday in paris!!! the line was really long...so back to our hotel we went...we picked up kelly and went to the eiffel tower where we had lunch at the jules verne restaurant...it was so fun to eat in the tower...it is a great restaurant..pretty fancy..they had set the table with teeny tiny forks and spoons, which were never used...guess we didn't order correctly!....the food was delicious...afterward we went out to look at the sights...it was a gorgeous view.....from lunch we hopped on the red bus tour which took us around paris...we stopped back at the louvre, but, this time had prepaid tickets and walked right in....yea!!! we saw the mona lisa, venus di milo, winged victory....etc.etc...but it was really crowded so we left and went to notre dame cathedral...that's fantastic to see...from notre dame we went to the sacre couer cathedral...i've never been there before because it's a bit out of town...it's on a hill looking over paris...gorgeous!!! walked around a bit, found a taxi to take us to moulin rouge...that was disappointing...not what we were looking for...so after seeing that we headed home...a long but great day!!!