What's the Magic Word?

The other morning Gdog came into my room sleepy-eyed asking for his morning ritual "warm chocolate milk" and a "show".
While in the process of getting up I asked "What is the magic word."
He hissed "Ahhhhsshhhhee Ahhhhh Saaaaa"
Which I took to be please in parsel tongue

Rim Rock Marathon

Matt and Kristi gave me an entry into the Grand Junction Rim Rock Marathon for my birthday this year. It was the most physically demanding marathon I have ever run where you ascend 2000 ft during the first 9 miles of the run.

 This year it was about 30 degrees and snowing when we started. Luckily Kristi has fabulous running friends who drove us directly to the starting line so there was not a long wait in the cold. Great hand warmers, tights, 2 shirts and our new breathable, waterproof jackets saved the day. We walked/ran the first 5 miles. Then ran the majority of the next 4 miles until the incline changed to a decline at mile 9. With the exception of a hill between 12 and 13 the rest until 20 was a gradual downhill. At mile 20 it changed to a steep downhill with switchbacks with incredible vistas, gorgeous views...the prettiest part was of course the finish line. :)

Between 20-24 the downhill was fun and fast. At 24 we came out of the national park and headed down a fairly flat road to the finish line.

During this marathon I remembered why I like to run.

Getting outside and seeing things beauty around me.
Chatting with good friends.
Getting exercise and those endorphins that result

Thank you Matt and Kristi and family for the hospitality and gift!
( and thanks to Shelley who trained with me at home and accompanied Kristi and me on the run.You should consider running the Rim Rock Marathon. Sign up early because they only let 400 people run on the Colorado National Monument during this marathon...in fact, I think they should call it that next year.

Dancing Man

So Gdog and I were walking along the street, killing time while the van had the oil changed. We were talking about big trucks, changing leaves, and pretty much whatever we could see.
A man in a white hoodie, with some long necklaces, and over-sized shoes passes us.
Gdog says loudly "I bet he is going to the dance place."
Hiding a smile I say "Why do you say that?"
"Because" reasoned Gdog, "he looks like he can do this."
Gdog then squats close to the ground and begins pivoting around his hand, then rolls to his back hugging his legs, as though he were spinning on his back, jumps back up to his feet and hits a rapper pose.

I could not stop laughing. If I hadn't just see a dance sequence like that on Hannah Montana I'd be asking who lets this kid watch MTV?

Likening the Scriptures...?

So we were reading in 2Nephi chapter 15 this morning. Marissa was reading aloud and she came upon this verse.
11. Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may ^afollow strong drink, that continue until night, and ^bwine inflame them!

And this is what I heard...
11. Wo unto them that rise up early in the morning(I've been getting up at 5am at least 5 days a week since August), that they may ^afollow strong drink(Does Diet Coke count?), that continue until night(yes I do drink it all day long!), and ^bwine (did that say whine?...cause that fits my scenario better.) inflame them!

It's Not That I'm Wrong, You Just Don't Understand

So Gdog was at the counter making a birthday card for Marissa.
"Can I help you write Marissa's name." I ask
"No. First I need to write my name." says Gdog.
He writes each of the letters for his name then begins drawing circles.
"What does that say?" I inquire
"It says Happy Halloween." he says.
Feeling a need to help him remember this was for Marissa's birthday I push a little more.
"It is not supposed to be a Halloween card. It is for Marissa's birthday."
"I know" says Gdog exasperated, "I am speaking Spanish."

Fun Fall Traditions!

We carved pumpkins for FHE this week. At our house that has come to mean...we came up with impossible ideas for a pumpkin and had Dad carved it while we watched. Gdog wanted a Transformer. I tried to convince him the autobot logo would be just as cool, but he had his heart set on a "whole transformer" More specifically he wanted "Bumblebee" which is the costume he has for Halloween night. Amazingly Shawn pulled it off with Gdog at his side "helping".Tiffany found a really cool idea. Shawn helped her with the design, and hers turned out well. Pumpkins burning inside with the devil outside laughing. Much better in the night photo! Marissa was at Driver ED driving trying to complete her instruction before the blessed event (Her 16th birthday in 5 days!) But she managed to get one done this week too.
Marissa carved a Snow Canyon Warrior Pumpkin, complete with the theme "Touch Gold" and the Warrior symbol.
Jocelyn and her dorm buddy Krista carved one too.... It is an abstract homage to the BYU testing center. (Don't tell Jocelyn, but I just don't see it! Maybe when it is lit?)Even Weiyen (Our intern from China), carved one. (That is the symbol for happiness...a traditional symbol for all Chinese festivities.)And I....set up, cleaned up, took pictures and roasted the pumpkin seeds. :)


Marissa froed her hair for her school-day costume. She said she had strangers coming up and touching her hair saying "Is that real?" Tiffany went as a witch, Gavin a Transformer, Marissa Thomas the Tank Engine, and Weiyen as a witch/vampire.

We used Aunt Randi's fabulous recipe for caramel and made the best tasting caramel apples! We dipped them in caramel first, then in an assortment of white chocolate, cinnamon sugar, toasted almonds, mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, and rice crispies. It was a lot of fun and I think the beginning of another tradition.

BYU Homecoming

Isn't BYU beautiful in the fall? It is my favorite season in Provo.We went up to visit Jocelyn at the Y this past weekend. Shawn judged a Moot Court Competition at the Law School and the rest of us tagged along.

For Marissa's bday she and Jocelyn hung out and spent the night together. Then they went to the football game together.
Then we walked around campus, and of course went to the bookstore. Jocelyn lent Marissa a shirt for the game, Tiffany brought her sweatshirt from home. Gdog didn't have a BYU shirt on, and when we got home and were looking at the pictures he commented that he wanted a "cougar" shirt. I figured he'd forget about it...right?
Well, he and I went shopping to get a jacket yesterday. We saw a shirt that he was utterly convinced had a "cougar" on it and wouldn't let me leave the store with out it.On the way out the door he turned back and yelled at the cashier "GO COUGARS!"
So, I guess it wasn't a total loss after all!

Playing with Gdog

So Gdog has been building things with legos, magnets, blocks and such.
In fact it is his current favorite thing to do. So when his attention turned to rolling items down the stairs I was acutley aware of the difference. "What are you doing Gdog?"
"I am counting the bounces till it hits the floor." says Gdog.
He proceeds to toss a roll of duct tape, count the bounces and then run down to get it. Hey I think, this isn't so bad. He is counting, learning about Physics, and getting exercise.
He comes to the top of the stairs looks at the roll of tape, then looks at me. Then turns to look fondly at the stairs and says.
"I sure wish I had a catapult."

Caffeinated

So we were hanging out with Jocelyn this past weekend. We went to lunch at a new place in town...a little hole in the wall that serves Indian food.
When we were getting our drinks, Gdog asked
"Are there any drinks with caffeine?"
We all looked at each other thinking he knows we don't let him drink caffeinated drinks.
"I like Mommy's drink. We can share."
And off he went to play in the fountain.

Sheesh! STOP reading!

Our most current battle is the battle of the books. I realize as I say it that it could be soooo much worse. We could be battling drugs, friends, health issues....but we are battling books.

Tiffany LOVES to read. I don't mean like the average person likes a good book. Books transform her to another place. She blocks everything out and is not even in the room when she is reading. Two weeks ago we went on the library's web site and reserved or got in the request line for every Beehive book. (These are the Utah award books. There are 12 non-fiction titles every year. She has read all 12 for the past 3 years.) Last week we came home with 4 books (about 250 pages each), she checked out a book from her school library and she began reading one of the books Jocelyn told her was one of her favorites.

Which brings us to the place we are now. Each day while walking home from the bus stop she reads a book. If I don't catch her before she disappears down the hall to her room, she will go there to read and not come out until my shadow covers the page in the book she is reading.

At our house when you come home from school there is a 30 minute grace period where you can read, surf the internet, get a snack, watch TV, take a nap or whatever you want. Then comes homework time, followed by straighten your room and bathroom. When these things are complete you can do whatever you want. Of course, for Tiffany, that is reading.

Unfortunately, she is having a little trouble coming out of the 30 minute grace period, and moving on. I am trying to decide if it is wrong of me to take her book away. Really one of the worst punishments is to take her book away. I did it 3 times last week. I feel like the worst mom. It is like saying "That's it! No more vegetables, or sleep for you."

We laugh about it when I do it. In fact she told our new Chinese intern Way Yen (phonetically spelled) that I take away all her books and make her work.(...yeah I am making a good impression for all Americans, thanks for noticing.)

I think we fixed the staying up until midnight, hiding under the covers with a flash light last week when she missed her bus and was tired and emotional all day. When she walked through the door from school, she looked like I do at the end of the marathon. She said "I need to stop reading after 10pm and go to sleep."

Isn't it great when your kids realize that it is not about controlling them, it is about helping them do the things they want to do. :)

Bedtime Routine

So I decided the other night, when I was at the end of my emotional rope at 11pm trying to get Gdog to "STAY IN HIS BED", that perhaps the problem is my own.
I don"t think we have had a "regular" night at my house for months. But with school in full swing, Jocelyn away at college and Gdog starting preschool, I think it is time for us to get back to basics and get Gdog to bed before 9pm. (Cause seriously I am not really rational after this time at night.)
So I decided to begin a "bedtime routine" beginning with a bath, after dinner, then out "flush, brush and wash" scenario. Followed by kisses all around, prayers, a story or two and a song. Surprisingly this lasts a mere 30 minutes as opposed to the 2 hour "GET IN BED" method.

Last night he requested I sing a song. When I asked him which song he said I could pick. I made up a song about pigs oinking in the sky to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We giggled and joked out way through a couple verses. As I was leaving the room Gdog yells, instead of the traditional "I love you Mommy" ..."You're a PIG!"
I respond, "Hey that's not nice."
Gdog repentantly looked at me and said "no Mommy, not a bad pig. You're a STUD PIG!"

Thank you Marissa....

Another BYU Convert!

So, as I knew I would, I really miss Jocelyn. It is really strange not to have her around. She has left little notes in various places and I love finding them at random times and thinking of her.

As many of you know, last year this time her heart was set on attending Southern Utah University. In fact when anyone talked positively about BYU there was some eye rolling and quiet murmurs of students "looking for their eternal mate", instead getting an education.

No amount of encouragement, logic, reference to ancestors or begging could sway her.

(I have previously shared the reversal of her decision before so I won't bore you with the details about her "change of heart" again.)

I have been a little worried that despite the BYU hype and the divine inspiration, she might not find the love of the Y as we all previously did.

This morning I logged onto Facebook and saw this picture of her.

I guess a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Let's Tie it to Something

Gdog just found a hair ribbon on the floor downstairs. I am busy typing on my computer when he comes to my side and asks "Mommy, can we tie this to something?"
"Sure" I absently respond seeing the ribbon in his hand.
"Umm, le's tie it to this light." and I proceed to tie it in a cute bow, with long streamers.
Then as I am turning back to my computer I hear him say to himself
"Great! Now I can swing from it!"

Sing little Man...Sing!!

So Gdog and I are riding in the rental car today. I am waiting at a stop light and I look back.
His head is bobbing to the music. (Just as he was taught to do by his sisters.)
Then comes the chorus..."make good girls go ...." and Gdog throws out his Jazz hands and yells "bad" with the exact inflection as the singer has in the song.
He proceeds to do it again, and again with the repetition of the song. I was laughing so hard I had to pull over!

Even more funny....none of the girls fess up to teaching him to do this. :)

Running...and Running

So I have been using a "Garmin Forerunner" to log my running miles for a few years now. I recently imported all of my old files since April of 2005. I think it is pretty accurate although I don't use it about one in 50 runs for one reason or another. (dead battery, forget to start it....etc)

Here are my totals:

4256 miles

for a total time of

775 hours 47 minutes and 49 seconds.


That is roughly 81 miles a month, 895 minutes a month running....break it down by day 29 minutes? or It made me wonder if that was time well spent, or a lot of time I could have been doing something else....let's say sleeping. Hey! Every 30 minutes counts!

What do you think?

Jocelyn off to BYU!!

We took Jocelyn to BYU yesterday. Shawn rode up in the car with her and Gdog and I in the heavily loaded "Blue" following behind. (Gdog has named all our cars. The van is named "blue", the Porsche is "Speedy" and Jocelyn's car is "Fireball") It was a bitter sweet moment when we drove into Utah Valley and saw the Y on the mountain. It reminded me of driving into town 20+ years ago with all my fears hopes and dreams wrapped into one young excited girl.
It also reminded me of wonderful days with Jocelyn living at home with us. She was a beautiful, calm baby. She was an inquisitive, patient and caring little girl. She was a preteen with her own sense of self, determination and creativity. She was an amazing teen, studious, organized, inclusive, competitive and dependable. She is becoming an incredible adult, doing fun things, meeting unique people and forming her perspective of the world and finding her own place in it. We are so blessed to be her family.

Jocelyn had our arrival and list of tasks well planned. We first went to get her student ID. Because we were early here...others were checking into the dorms first...there was relatively no line. Then off to the bookstore. (We had prepaid online for her books, from a list generated by the computer from her class registration.) We went to the counter, Jocelyn swiped her ID and they produced a small white box with all but 2 of her class books. (One was missing because there were no more used books and we hadn't checked the "substitute" box, and the other a syllabus that had just arrived that morning.) We went to a bank of 12 computers, Jocelyn typed in her user ID and password and it automatically printed her book list and location in the bookstore. A three minute walk in the bookstore to collect the 2 items, and a 30 second wait in line and we were done here too.
Then off to the dorms. There were resident assistants there to answer questions (that Jocelyn commented you could have read on the website), give information, and keys. We proceeded to the 3rd floor, to check out her room. Her bed previously assigned and her roommate already moved in, the path was clear to begin moving Jocelyn's 20 boxes. Shawn and I spent the next 30 minutes herding Gdog and carrying all the boxes up the 3 flights of stairs and half-way down the hall to her room. Jocelyn unpacked, and unpacked and unpacked. We made the bed, created a shopping list and headed towards the Commons (formerly known as the Cannon Center) for lunch.

BYU gives a free meal to parents this day so we paid the $2 for Gdog and ventured into the brand new retro themed eating area. This was a far cry from the cafeteria that I knew as a freshman. There are 3 themed areas that prepare a rotating--very fresh-- menu. Also a dessert bar, salad bar and burrito/wrap bar. Jocelyn found a veggie wrap, Shawn an international shish-k-bob and rice, and I ate a lettuce wrap and a salad. Gdog ate fresh fruit. (No surprise there!!) Jocelyn commented that she will love eating here. The strangest discovery was that they do not serve breakfast on Sunday morning. First meal is lunch at 12 noon.....I wonder if they expect all the kids to fast every Sunday morning??

After lunch Shawn and Gdog headed to get an ethernet cable and Jocelyn and I went on a timed walk from her dorm room to her Chemistry class in the MARB building....for your information it takes 12 minutes at a good walking pace. :) We learned that the "MARB" is the Thomas Martin building....I guess MARB is short for Martin Building?? (Good to know before the first day of classes.)

Then we dropped Jocelyn off at her first meeting for Freshman Academy and went off to our own meeting. Afterward we picked her up and went out to Training Table for dinner---cheese fries...YUMMY!!! Then to Wal-mart for the last of the room supplies.

On the way back into the dorms we passed Brenna...Jocelyn's really cute roommate and I took a picture. (She's from Colorado so we already like her!!)

Then we fixed the stereo, and said a quick tearful goodbye, and we were off to the cabin. (Gavin had been asking all day to go there and was at his whits end!)

In the morning we dropped a couple things at her door and headed home to Saint George. I am not going to say that I didn't cry then....nor now....but she really is ready for this next adventure, and we are excited to be a small part of it.

And as we have taught Gavin to say when the see's the Y on the mountain......"Go Cougars!" and now "Go Jocelyn"

Relief Society President No More!

After 2 1/2 years and 3 sets of counselors, I was released from being the Green Valley 4th Ward RS President. The action is bitter/sweet. I have truly loved serving in the Relief Society. The sisters in my ward are incredible examples of love, strength, service and perseverance. It has been a busy and somewhat stressful past few years. I have never been so intimately involved in the details of so many people. The responsibility and pressure of this has been a lot to carry. But the incredible blessings, of being a part of these sisters lives, and blessings of service have been innumerable.

I have learned 2 very specific things.
First--Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us.
I had several instances where I had felt frustrated in my ability to help. Then when the things aligned and I saw how Heavenly Father had prepared the people and order of things. So much more was accomplished than I had planned for the sister. He knows us and loves us. And knows when the time is right for action.

Secondly, (and perhaps in conjunction with #1), when we are needed Heavenly Father will let us know. All that he requires from us is that we listen and obey the promptings. We cannot be everywhere doing everything, but we can be there when we are needed. And if by some chance we are not where he needs us, he WILL send someone, so that his purposes will all be fulfilled.

What a wonderful gift serving here has been. I feel as though my service as RS President was for my growth and learning. I hope I have done and learned all that he required of me.

And as Aunt Colleen counseled me, perhaps there is more service to be done, and more people I can help when I am not intimately involved in the administration and organization of all the sisters and just focus on the inspiration for individuals.

With in one minute of being released I was called to serve the Valiant 11 class. I just love these 12 kids with energy, enthusiasm, and intellect just waiting to ask the questions and soak up the knowledge. It seems like exactly the place I want to serve now. Thank Heaven that my Bishop listens to the Holy Ghost and acts upon his promptings. The timing is perfect.

Taylor Mali: Like, you know.

Jocelyn showed me this video and I LOVED it. He is a very articulate and funny man.

Wonderful San Diego

We had a wonderful day in San Diego in June. We drove from Yuma to San Diego.
(It is about a 3 hour drive.) Nick, Jocelyn, Marissa, Gavin, Granddad and Grandma Linda and I.
We spend the first few hours at the San Diego Natural History museum touring the "Body Worlds 2" Exhibit. It was fascinating and incredible to think how amazing our bodies are, and to be able to see the intricacies of the body in the flesh. Gavin wanted to spend some more time outside with the manatee and the shark teeth. He was also willing to spend a little more time outside with granddad, the leaves and the stream.

Then we went down to Coronado Island. It was a little like stepping back in time. If you haven't been you should go. It is a very crowded little place, but everything was beautiful and in bloom. We ate ice cream at the "cow store" (Quoting Gdog)
We walked out to the beach--to dip our feet in the ocean. Only Gavin couldn't only dip his feet, so he went for the whole body immersion.

When we were walking back, Gdog said he needed to go to the bathroom. I assured him we would find a place when we got to the car. We walked a couple more minutes till we reached the car which was parked on the side of a busy residential street. I went around the other side of the car to get dry clothes for him to try on. Then I hear a squeal from Jocelyn followed by a "no Gavin" from Marissa. As I am coming back around the car I hear Grandma say "Jocelyn, don't leave and expose him." Gavin is peeing on the little strip of grass next to the car and all the kids are fleeing the scene. Only Grandma was willing to stay near. Of course once he had begun there is no stopping. We tried to move him closer to the car and let him finish.

Just think what my life would be like with out having a boy to spice things up....
















Thanks to Grandma and Granddad for another great day!!

Havasupi Falls

So we had a chance to go into the Grand Canyon via helicopter with Granddad, who was taking a week shift as doctor down there. Gdog was super excited to go. For days before we left he would wake in the morning and ask how many more "sleeps" until he got to ride the helicopter.
He was in little boy heaven...a helicopter ride, riding a horse, throwing rocks in the stream, and riding next to Granddad in the 4-wheeled all terrain vehicle. (I looked over about 5 minutes into our first ride and saw Gdog's foot on the gas pedal, under Granddads foot! I knew he had been "helping" steer, I had no idea he had been controlling our speed too!)

His favorite thing we did was go to Havasupi falls and catch frogs. The first trip down we caught a tiny frog and Gdog named him "Sufi" (It was supposed to be Supi, but got lost a little in the pronunciation.). He was dark red in color and about the size of a nickle. When we were getting ready to leave I told Gdog he had to put Supi back where he could be with his mommy. He looked me directly in the eye and said, "But his mommy is at a meeting!"

Uhhh...maybe I should re-think how many meetings I go to?

Anyway the next trip we took was by horseback and Gdog and I found 3 frogs. Of course we found Supi, then we saw a white/metallic gold frog which hopped faster than I could maneuver and catch. The last frog we found was a black one, about the size of a Quarter. Gdog named him Waterfall. When we were later talking to the nurses Gdog's description of the trip to the Havasupi waterfall it got a little muddled.

We had a great time exploring and playing in the sun in Havasupi Indian Village. It was an incredible experience and made a first list for me. First time in a helicopter, first time to ride a horse in a canyon to the falls, and first chance to sleep among an Indian population. Thanks Dad and Mom for a great opportunity! :)

My Sister, The Funny One

A few years ago, a single friend of mine joined my family for Thanksgiving dinner. As I remember it all my siblings were there. After dinner we were sitting around laughing and enjoying one another's company. My friend was sitting with my Mom, (telling her how fabulous I am...hey she's not here to defend herself!), when she asked Mom who was the funniest of all my siblings. Mom thought about it for a while and then said "Randi. I think she is the funniest."
What? I thought...I am the funny one. Then I looked around and saw my sibs....all thinking the same thing. This made me laugh.
We all think we are the funniest one...I crack myself up!
Ahhh..... we are all funny. We all gave Mom and Randi a hard time about being funny....and have since gotten a lot of laughs and jokes out of it.

It reminds me how much fun I have with my brother's and sister's. We laugh and play hard. A tradition I want to carry into Shawn's and my family. It also reminds me of what increddible parents we had who taught us we were all smart, and all strong, and all funny. (Thank you again Mom and Dad!)

So have at it. If you think you can top Randi.....bring your A game, cause....she's the funny one.

BTW...I am the smart one. (That is if writing it makes it so! :)

Another One Bites the Dust.

So the 3rd frog died this past week.... Gdog and I were in SLC with Grandma Linda when his body was discovered.
When we were on the drive home I said to Gdog, "Daddy says that Hoppy died."
"Oh no. That makes me sad Mommy."
"I know Gdog. But Hoppy will now be in heaven with Hoppy 1&2 and with Murray (Gmas dog) and they will have fun together. Hoppy will hop around and Murray will try and catch him." Gdog laughs at this thought.
"Hey Mommy...?"
"Yes"
"Ummm can I get a turtle?"
Yeah, that's is NOT going to happen.

Swimming Suit

So this year before Powell we were getting everything ready. Usually I let the kids buy a new towel or floating thing to take with us. This year though we are being very careful with our money and I debated whether to buy other things or not. I decided to give each on of my girls $15 to spend on whatever "fun" thing they wanted. We were all in the kitchen when I told the girls.
"Great" Jocelyn said, "When can we go get what we want ?"
"Right now is good for me" I replied.
Then Marissa asked "Mom did you get a new swimming suit?" (Each year I buy the kids a new swimming suit.)
"No, not this year." I replied.
"Well then, I want to donate my money towards a new suit for you" said Marissa.
"That is very sweet" I told her "but a new suit will cost more than that."
"I want to donate mine too." Said Jocelyn, with Tiffany chiming in as well.

I was humbled by the sweetness of their desire to do something nice for me. I was a little wary though because the last time I went shopping for a suit for me, it took 3 days, and about $90. But I didn't want to discourage them and their act of sensitivity and kindness.
I told the kids to get in the car and went to my room and said a prayer.

I asked Heavenly Father to help me to find a suit.... in our price range of $45.... that I could feel comfortable wearing in front of others.
Then I found my purse, jumped in the car and we headed out on our quest.

Four stores later, we had no suit, I had renewed my desire to loose weight and there was really only one more store left.
It was the Shade store, where I had one month ago purchased the girls suits. (I had avoided this store because their suits cost about $60 each.) But I didn't want to give up on the girls, so we drove to Shade.

Tiffany accompanied me into the store to look. I was stunned. They were having a clearance sale. In JUNE!! Have you ever seen a store clear out the inventory in the middle of the season? Many of the suits were 70% off.
I held my breath and searched for a suits in my size to try on.
The first one I tried on fit and I liked, but when I looked at the tag I discovered it was not on sale like the others and was more than $45.
I tried on the next one, and really liked it reluctantly I looked at the price. The price on the top was $14 and $8 for the bottom. It was all I could do not to begin crying. Tiffany began to do a little dance singing "swimming suit...ooooo oooot". I tried on another suit and again the tag read $14 and $8. Together the two suits totaled $44.

I quickly said a prayer in my mind thanking Heavenly Father for granting me more than I wanted. Not only one suit, but two, that I liked....in my size.... for the exact amount of money the girls had to offer.
With humility and gratitude we purchased the suits. The girls learning about sacrifice and service, and me learning of my Heavenly Father's love for me and the children I am trying to raise.
Reminding me again that his plan for me is always better than mine....even if sometimes we can't see it until later down the road.

Powell 09

We had a wonderful time at THE LAKE this past week. It was wonderful to put all worries from home to the side and just have fun. A big thank you to Dad & Mom and Matt & Kristi for sharing their boats with us. The houseboat was the nicest I have ever stood on. Even Shawn who doesn't love the lake, was comfortable.
Matt and Kristi prepared all the t-shirt badges and the chart to track them!!

Thank you Becky for shopping for all the food, and Randi for getting all the t-shirts! Also to Dad, Matt and Todd who kept the boats going all day long...


G-dog was amazing. I am happy to report that the joint task force--yes that is everyone who was there---assigned to keep Gavin safe succeeded in their mission. And although available, the doctors on call were not needed in their medical capacity. That kid loved every part of the reunion.

He slid down the house boat slide as much as we'd let him... (Giving Granddad high-fives on the way down!)
He climbed with Dad and searched for Lizards.....
He fished with his dad....
And with his uncles and cousins

He Geo-cashed with a GPS (thank you Uncle Kevin), and his cousins.
He sang songs and roasted marshmallows around the campfire. (thank you Matt, Kristi, Becky for the great campfire books and remembering flashlights!)He rode tubes with the help and patience of cousins (and uncles and grandparents)....before he had been dumped...And after...(thank you Uncle Matt for helping him get back on the inflatable horse!)He adored his all of his boy cousins.....(Andrew and Luke seemed to always have a shadow named Gavin). What incredibly nice cousins we have!

Tiffany took her cues from the older boys and leapt between tubes....Jocelyn laughed with cousins until her sides hurt.... and she could no longer hold on.Marissa was part of the "dream team" (Dream Team: Brandon, Nick, Marissa and Nathan) who took whatever Granddad or Uncle Matt or Uncle Todd could dish out. And then went on to help others "live the dream" of riding the tubes. (Shockingly I do not have pictures of the spectacular wipe outs of the "Dream Team" riders!! Maybe I was awestruck...or maybe I couldn't get my camera to focus with all the bumps and turns.)

I really enjoyed our campfire "What I Believe" moments. Thank you to all the adults who prepared some thoughts to share with the family. I know all benefited from what was shared.
A friend asked me when we got back if we'd had a relaxing time at the lake...
"Well..." I answered "...my family doesn't really go to Powell to relax.. We go to play."

The badges of honor we not only ironed onto our reunion shirts but also scraped into our knees, pounded into our skeletal frames and plastered onto our smiling faces!

Long live Lake Powell!!