tinkerbell 13.1

tinkerbell! here we come!  that was the war cry on saturday!! no, not to disneyland, but to the tinkerbell inagural half marathon!  and, no, it wasn't me that was running! whew! kelly, kerry, kristen, shannon and her sister lindsay were the girls involved...it was fun to see all the hoopla surrounding the race...since it's disney, everyone dresses up and it's so much fun to see what they wear...i saw captain hook (kelly), snow white (kris), tweedle dee and tweedle dum ( kerry and shannon).they looked darling in their 'team sparkle' skirts (kelly and her good friends company)..along with tink, of course, the good fairies, minnie, cruella etc...it was fun.the race started at 5:45 and they ran through the park, the characters were out to cheer them on..they ran through the castle and then eventually through the streets of anaheim,and 13.1 milies later, finishing up by running through california adventure and then the big finish line!!..kelly ran an amazing race...finished before we could get to the finish line...she's a race car out there!  kristen did an amazing job, doing very well in her first race...and kerry and shannon did a great job...kerry had some things going against her...she's had bronchitis all month but only found out of friday...so she didn't train alot...so shannon pushed her along and let her stop to breath along the way...lindsay did great and had a fun time also...fun times to share with the girls...

my dad would be 90!

  my dad, gerald...jiggs to his friends was one of   the most generous people i have ever known, (tom, was the other one)....he gave and gave and taught me that great principle....i was so lucky to have him as a dad...he had the best sense of humor and loved a good joke...he had great knowledge and loved to pass it on (lecture) to us during dinner!! he was smart, loved the game...the game of business...the sport's game....any game...he loved the 'odds' of beating the other side...he coached our wards basketball and softball teams for years and years...and it was almost like a pro team...golf was his passion...and he dressed the part....i remember his bright red pants that he wore...he had huge goals and he pulled it off....he owned the utah jazz, he owned the canyon racquet club, and he owned and built the jeremy ranch among other things...but, i think his greatest achievement was marrying my mom and raising 4 amazing children...which of course, i am one of!! i was blessed to have him in my life...love you forever!! enjoy your birthday golf game with mom and tom!!!

Christmas

Christmas Eve.....family, friends, food, and a special visit from 'you know who!'

Christmas Day was filled with gifts, more food, toys...the next day brought Willie and Kelly and family for a whole week!!!

The cousins played...there was running, screaming, laughing...we went to the beach with our gorgeous weather...we went to the zoo...we went to Catalina...we saw the old Mullin house on Catalina...went a on sub ride...played in the sand and water....

the holidays were fantastic!!! I got to see all my special loved ones...couldn't ask for a better Christmas!!

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!