A Taste Of Hawaii

Roger and I had the opportunity to go to Hawaii with our best friends Deb and Steve and Lora and Scott. We had planned this trip since January and the day had finally come. We were hesitant on going when it came right down to it because there were so many things going on at home. But we did anyway. The time we spent there was beautiful. We got to see and enjoy so many wonderful things. It had been 30 years since Roger and I had been there so it was fun to go back. We flew into Honolulu and from there we went on to enjoy 8 days of paradise. I wish I could post all our pictures but there were so many we had to buy a new memory card for our camera. We enjoyed a luau, swap meet, snorkeling, the guys golfed with Sua, we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center, Dole Pineapple Plantation, Hawaiian Temple that was under rennovation, Pearl Harbor, and my best friend Lora got married while we were there. What a fun time we had.

It was such a fun surprise when we got off the plane and were walking to get our luggage. My niece Lesli and her husband Sua who live right across the street from the airport, came and surprised us all with lei's. I couldn't believe it. I had no idea she was going to be there. That made my day!!! They smelled so good and were so beautiful.

Almost every morning we would go for a walk down by the beach. It was so nice, calm, quiet and peaceful. This was just steps from our condo.

The flowers were spectaular. Everywhere you looked there were different kinds. The colors were gorgeous.

This is what I loved spending my time doing when we were at the beach. I love to snorkel. We got to snorkel right out on one of the lagoons at our resort and we also went to Hanauma Bay which was beautiful. I've always said if I died and came back as something else it would be a fish. I love the water!

Rog, Lora and Scott, Steve and Deb are catching some rays. We spent almost every day on the beach. It was so beautiful.

The bathing beauties. We loved hanging out at the beach or at our hotel pool. We had to come home with a nice tan to prove we'd been to Hawaii!!

Twice we went to the swap meet. Wow what killer deals you could get on everything and anything. I could go there on a weekly basis. I even had to buy a suitcase there to carry all our stuff back on the plane. Lora, Deb and I were buying, buying and buying. Had to take back souveniers to our family.

We're all decked out in our hawaiian outfits. All ready to go to the Paradise Cove Luau. While we were there we got to see hawaiian dancing, we made flower head pieces, danced, and watched a young man climb a tree for a coconut. The food was excellent. We watched as they took the pig from the pit. The entertainment was awesome. Roger, Lora and I got called up on stage to help out too. What a fun night.

While we were at the Dole Pineapple place we met up with our good friends Mike and Teresa. They were there visiting their daughter who lives in Hawaii. We've got such good friends. Steve and Deb, Scott and Lora, Mike and Teresa. We couldn't have had a better time!! We went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Everyone said we had to get some pineapple ice cream. Well, it was so good we went three times. Except the 2nd time it was just the guys and they got there 4 minutes after they had closed up for the day. They were desperate so they were checking all the doors around the building. When that didn't work they walked with their heads down to the parking lot and saw some people eating a pineapple ice cream cone. They were desperate enough to ask them if they could buy it from them!!! hahaha..just kidding of course. But the ice cream was that good!!

The flowers were spectacular at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Everywhere you looked there were waterfalls and flowers. The rain brought out the colors even more.

We visited the Polynesian Cultural Center one day. It was raining the whole time but it was still so beautiful. They had a canoe parade that would have each canoe with dancers from their island. Such as Samoa, Figi etc.

This is Ko Olina Beach Resort. We had 3 lagoons right by us. What an awesome place to stay. We were so blessed to have our good friends Steve and Deb invite us to stay with them. Everything at Ko Olina was immaculate.

Lora and Scott got married while we were there. What a beautiful, romantic experience. Kayleen, my sister bought the lei's for them as their wedding present. Lesli, my niece made the arangements for the preacher, the beach, lei's, music etc. What a fun day. I"m witnessing their marriage license for them. Congrats to Lora and Scott! Love you guys!

Lesli loves her Unke Roger. It was so nice to see her. Lesli lives right by where we were staying so she spent several days with us. She came to the beach, had us over for dinner, we went out to a club and danced and she made my girlfriends wedding so beautiful. Planned the whole thing. What a wedding planner she is!!

We all put our best foot forward..Mine of course are the bright pink toes. I had them done before I left. I had palm trees made on the big toes.

Gotta have a self portrait!! This is on the beach right where we stayed. Our condo is in the background. The sun is so different in Hawaii. I tan quite easily but we still had to use some sort of sunscreen to protect us. Thank goodness Roger never got sunburned again like he did 30 years ago. Rog and Steve working on their tans. It was so nice and refreshing to lay in the water to enjoy the sun.

We went to Pearl Harbor and got to enjoy the beautiful things there. It was very touching to see where this all happened on Dec. 7th 1941. Many people lost their lives and are entombed here. What a nice experience to visit here again. Very heart warming. In respect to the people who were killed no cell phones are allowed to be on. You have to whisper while on the Arizona Memorial.

It's Been Forever

It's been forever since I updated my blog so I've just posted some random pictures of events that have taken place in our home so far this year. The past couple of months have been a roller coaster of emotions. With Daxton getting injured, Jake being diagnosed again with cancer but also having a new grandson born and two more on the way. I know Heavenly Father is watching over us and blessing us. I also know that Jake continues to need those blessings in his behalf so please continue to pray for him. He has been a blessing to our family and Shana and the boys. And now Presley.

As many of you know, Daxton was kicked by a horse in February. He was life flighted to Primary Childrens hospital with a grade 4 spleen laceration. What a trying time for his parents and for us as his grandparents. It's so hard to see your sweethearts hurting and in pain. But he was such a trooper. So brave. I know through everyones faith and prayers he was blessed and is doing so well now. I love you Dax!! Easter Sunday 2009. We are missing Troy and Easton in the picture. Troy was in Memphis setting up his new office for the summer work there. Easton was asleep in the house. The weather was so beautiful for an egg hunt. The kids had a blast and made a haul of candy and prizes. This is what my life is all about. There isn't anything better in this world than surrounding myself with my sweet adorable grandchildren. I'm so thankful that they love coming to our home and spending time with us. We are truley blessed. I love you Brayden, Daxton, Makinley, Gentry, Colby and Easton!! Me with our newest little grandchild Easton. We got to tend him and all of the other grandkids while their parents all went out on a date. They appreciated the time alone without all the kids so I"m glad we offered to watch them.

Cousins...what more can I say? Brayden is such a good cousin to the smaller ones. He especially loves the little ones. He's going to make a really good big brother to Presley. It was such a beautiful day yesterday. We had a barbeque outside for Troys going away party and Kristi and Gentrys birthdays. Makinley and Brayden needed their shades..it was so bright outside.

We celebrated Kristi's and Gentry's birthdays yesterday. Since we'll be in Hawaii and Troy and Kori are leaving we needed to wish them a Happy Birthday. Gentry is an adorable 3 year old. Stubborn but cute!! And Kristi is the daughterinlaw that you always dream about. What a great wife and mom too. Happy Birthday to my sweethearts

Troy, Kori and Colby are leaving in two days for Memphis. Troys work will be there this summer as he will once again be managing his alarm company office. We hate that they leave us every summer and we will miss them tons but he can make lots of money so that he can take his mama out to lunch again!! We love you guys!! Well..what can I say? This is Utah weather. One day it's in the 60's the next we wake up to 13" of snow on April 15th. Even though we are so tired of it and ready for spring it was so gorgeous to see the trees etc. We really are blessed to live where we do. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

In the picture at the top it is Easter Sunday 2009. We were missing Troy and Easton in the picture. Troy was in Memphis getting his office set up for work. Easton was asleep in the house. It was a beautiful day for an Easter egg hunt. The kids made a haul with candy and prizes.

Each year I have an Easter egg hunt for the kids. They love the candy and prizes. I don't think the parents like all the candy but that's what it's all about. I'm so blessed to have these adorable sweethearts in my life. Each one is so unique and I love them more than life!!
Our wonderful soninlaw Jake is once again enduring the effects of cancer. It breaks our heart to see this happen. He is such a fighter and so with his faith and all of our prayers we know he will kick this in the butt forever! He is so excited for his little Presley to arrive. He was on the 7th floor of the hospital having his chemo when Kristi was downstairs having her baby so he walked down to see Easton. We love you Jake!!
Jared and Kristi welcomed their 3rd child into their family. An adorable baby boy. They are naming him Easton Tucker. Tucker is Jareds grandmas maiden name. I know it's a fun new experience for them to have a little boy now. What a cute family!! My three beautiful daughters are all pregnant at the same time. It's been so fun to see them each advance in their pregnancies. Kristi with Easton, Shana with Presley and Kori with Adeline. It's so exciting to think of 3 new grandbabies within 6 months of each other. Wow we're so blessed. Makinley celebrated her 5th birthday in March. She is such a joy to our family. Always says the cutest little things. I love her hugs and kisses and that she loves spending time at our home with us. I love you Makinley!!

God's Cake....an explanation for trials.

God's cake...
This is about the best thing I've ever read as an explanation. We all wonder many times over WHY? Sometimes we wonder, 'What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did
God have to do this to me?' Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away. Meanwhile, Her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she
would like a snack, and the daughter says, 'Absolutely Mom,
I love your cake.' 'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers. 'Yuck' says her daughter. 'How about a couple raw eggs?' 'Gross, Mom!' 'Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?' 'Mom, those are all yucky!' To which the mother replies: 'Yes , all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! ' God works the same way.. Many times we wonder why He
would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But
God knows that when He puts these things all in His order,
they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!
God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring
and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk,
He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and He
chose your heart.

I know I can relate. Many times I've asked myself "why" but then I always look at others and find out their trials are much harder than my own. I would gladly keep mine. I'm so thankful for my trials and for the strength they give me to carry on. When you've gone through something very hard it's always nice to look back and see how far you've come and also be glad that particular trial is finally over.

Think of a Penny in this way

I found a penny today
laying on the ground.
But it's not just a penny,
this little coin I've found.

Found pennies come from heaven,
that's what my Grandpa told me.
He said Angels toss them down,
Oh, how I loved that story.

He said when an Angel misses you,
they toss a penny down;
Sometimes just to cheer you up,
to make a smile out of a frown.

So don't pass by that penny
when you're feeling blue.
It may just be a penny from h eaven
that an Angel's tossed to you.

We've all come upon many pennies on the ground as we're walking. Most times people will just walk over them as if they are nothing. I"ve read this poem many times and now as I see a penny I always lean over to pick it up. It may seem silly to think of it as being an Angel that misses us or is thinking of us but the thought is comforting. I have many loved ones in heaven that I hope would be thinking of me.
Just thought I'd share that little tidbit with you. You can think of pennies on the ground in a different light.

My Birthday Boys

There's no way I can have a 31 year old son and my baby 26. But the truth is I do. Does that mean I'm getting older too? It seems like just yesterday I was their age and enjoying my young children. Yesterday we got together for the birthday celebration of Jared and Troys birthdays. Today is Jareds and tomorrow is Troys. These are just a few pictures of our time together. I had everyone over for a lasagne dinner then we opened presents and had cake and ice cream and pie. Jared is a pie person and Troy wanted a white cake with white frosting. No decorations of course. I just want to say how much I love these boys and how proud I am of them. They're awesome sons, husbands, fathers and brothers. He's going to huff and puff until he blows that candle out!!

We bought Troy a Wii game. (he wanted to open it up 5 days before his birthday) And we got him a gift certificate to the mall so she could buy him something else he needs. He couldn't wait to go home and snowboard with his Wii game. Jared got a sweatshirt from the Gardners. We got him a gift certificate to his favorite store Cabellas and some other personal things.I think they have to be the most handsome young men on the planet. Happy Birthday Boys!!!! I love you!!

Random things this week.

We got blasted with a huge snowstorm today. It really makes for a white Christmas now. It's such a beautiful sight and especially at night when everyones Christmas lights come on and they glow through the snow on top of them. I love this time of year but just hate driving on the roads. I look forward to skiing now that the resorts have gotten a lot of snow. We're supposed to get another storm like this one on Christmas day.

We recieved over a foot of snow today. Brayden and Daxton spent hours and hours outside today helping their daddy and Papa and they even found time to make a big snowman. Their little cheeks were so rosey and hands were cold but it didn't stop them. Oh, to be young again.

Jake never hesitates to help without being asked. We had a huge snowstorm today and Jake happened to have the day off to go with Shana to her doctor appointment but he ended up having to work anyway. He snowplowed and used the snowblower to help Rog. He did neighbors and our driveway too. I know Rog appreciated it so much because he never would have been able to keep up without Jakes help.

I just love these two. My handsome first born son Jared and his darling wife Kristi. I love how they are always so affectionate not only with each other but with me too. They never forget to give me a give hug and kiss after they've eaten at our home. Always a big thank you too. It makes me feel good when my kids can show their appreciation. I love you two!!

On Shana's birthday I couldn't resist having my picture taken with 4 of my beautiful grandchildren. I wish Colby could have been here. Seems like they're always gone. I just want them to know how much I cherish their love, our time together and their sweet personalities. I can't begin to imagine my life without them. Happy 28th birthday Shana. She had a fun day and it started early. Jake and the boys went at 6am to the store to buy her sausage, eggs etc. and roses for her birthday. They made her a nice breakfast in bed. We went to church and came back to a big dinner I had for her. She chose chicken and broccoli casserole for her favorite dinner. We opened presents and had ice cream and cake. That evening we spent it at our ward Christmas choir program. Which was beautiful. We then drove around to look at lights. I hope she had a nice day. I sure love my only daughter. She's a beautiful daughter, mother, wife, sister and friend to everyone.

The History of "Aprons"

I was emailed this cute email about aprons from a friend of mine. I thought it was cute enough to share with you. It's called "The History Of Aprons"

I don't think kids today know what an apron is....

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath. Because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around your arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables, After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Also..... Remember this: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron.

I remember my wonderful Grandma F always had some kind of an apron on. When I think of these words in this email I got I can just picture my grandma using her apron for all of these things. I have aprons of my own. I've had to throw a few away because they were so overused but I really do love wearing my apron in the kitchen. I've even put them on the grandkids for bibs or let them use them if they're helping me in the kitchen. Last year my kids made me a very special one with all the kids pictures on. It's pretty faded so I may need to have them update it for me since we're having more grandkids but I cherish that one. They make such cute ones now but cost an arm and a leg. If I owned a sewing machine I"d make my own but for now I'll just stick to the ones I have.