Just a little over a week ago!

Just a little over a week ago, our son Lee and his fiance Caitlin got married.
Amy and I were the lucky ones that got to drive there with her 3 little girls.
Hard...yes! Long...yes! Exhausting...yes!
Fun...yes! Lots of bonding time...yes! Worth it...YES!!!


I have to admit Amy drove more than I did, still eating is the only thing that kept us awake!

Girls were troopers but after a whole day of driving we decided to get a Motel room and rest for the night!

You can see how excited the girls were to get to do a Sleep Over in a Motel! Actually so were we!

Arriving in Salt Lake and being with family and friends, was so fun! I have missed my great nieces and nephews! I love how the cousins all connected!

Two of them, we met for the first time. Oh how I instantly loved them!

Look at those faces...aren't they the sweetest?

We all got to be together for meals!


For a special trip to the Dinosaur Museum, where the kids got to actually dig for bones,

while their parents got to reconnect!

Hard to imagine my own kids, neices and nephews grew up but now to see the next generation...was a Priceless gift!






Stuffed animals have always been near and dear to our hearts, only fitting that Amy's girls got to go home with one each!

Then because we got to Utah a few days early, we were able to have breakfast with some old friends, ones that we hadn't seen in over 35 years...what a treat!

I love, love, loved seeing all the kids and grandkids together.

What a powerhouse of women, these 5 ladies are!

Then after Lee and Caitlin got married, right before they came out of the Temple, Jeff and I came out and acted like we were the newly weds! It was too funny, people starting clicking their cameras then they stopped and I heard someone say... " who are they?" It was too funny,  

What we were really excited about was...we just had our last child get married! Can't you just see the excitement on our faces?

Ok, here is who they were really waiting for, but Jeff and I looked just as excited ...right? :)

All the kids couldn't wait to tell Uncle Lee congratulations!

When I look at these young men, I am grateful first of all ...for Bradley and the great older brother he has always been for Lee. Then as I look at the rest, and I am so thankful that Lee has such incredible friends in his life. Good friends can make all the difference!

Here is the Bride ( our new daughter in law ) and her sweet sisters and friends!

So blessed to have all our family together for such an amazing wedding!

We are glad to see our family getting bigger.

And congrats to Lee and Caitlin, your journey has just begun! We love you!

Good Night dear friends!

Friendship, Road Trip and Antiques!

Today a friend and I decided to go on a roadtrip

to Anacortes, it was wonderful to be by the water and to just relax and go to Antique Shop after Antique Shop. Of course we threw in a couple of Quilt Shops too.But mostly we just relaxed , shared our live's stories and appreciated just having the time to connect. My friend has a young family and so getting away for her was really vital!
Interesting how you meet people and some of them you just know from the very beginning... that you were meant to be Forever Friends! This sweet friend is young enough to be one of my daughters, how blessed I am to have a few ADOPTED daughters in my life!
When we were there we saw a ton of motorcycles and of course thought of Jeff. It was actually an annual Motorcycle advent that was going on called the Oyster Run , I think that is what it was called? Anyway there were 100's of motorcycles and since Jeff loves his so much, I decided to have Brittany take a photo of me; to show Jeff what type of motorcycle he would have to own in order for me to ride on the back with him. It looked like a recliner.  At least it wouldn't hurt my back huh?
Need to head to bed, grateful again for all the friends who make my life brighter and better! Thank you!

“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

Brandi Snyder quotes

Day one!

Day one!
   Well, we actually started our road trip today. We flew from Utah clear across the United States to Atlanta, then on to Virginia.  We had trouble getting on our flight in Atlanta, first no pilot, second problems with the plane but after the 3rd gate change and plane change... and a couple hours of waiting, we made it. Funny how it didn't seem so bad when I was Shirley...we just laughed and laughed.
    Shirley loves Virginia and it is beautiful here but when I got off the plane and felt that warm thick air, I remembered one thing that I haven't missed all these years...humidity. But the area is green and beautiful.
   Tonight I finally after years of being gone out of the water, I actually swam tonight. How did my prosthetic do? Well, it didn't fall out of my suit but it was located down by my belly button by the time I did probably about 20 some laps ( it was a short pool ). Lucky for me, no one was there when I was trying to rearrange myself. Still it felt good to be back into the water. I hope I can actually so back to swimming again. I haven't exercised in years... I need to get back to it! Well, at least I have a pool here for 3 days, so hopefully I will take advantage of it.
The time change is 3 hours different from home so I need to head to bed.Good night dear friends!


There may be days when you get up in the morning and things aren’t the way you had hoped they would be.
That’s when you have to tell yourself that things will get better. There are times when people disappoint you and let you down.
But those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself.
There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them.
Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are.
So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be.
Because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you.

Keep Believing in Yourself!

Being prepared. Well, today here I sit at the airport waiting for 2 more hours for the next flight. There were 16 of us that missed our flight today, because of something that was going on with security. Once our line got up to check through, they closed the gate and then started triple checking everyone. I was used to going through a couple of checks but this was also the scan, then a pat down and then a skin check for explosives. I have never seen anything like this before. I asked at security if they would notify the gate that we were all being held up, and they said there would be no problem but... such was not the case. I guess that is why they tell you to get there 2 hours early. Jeff and I figured that we wouldn't need to do 2 hours early because it was Monday and Memorial Day but.... so much for that theory.
I watched as all the other customers were reacting to missing the flight, and then having to pay $50.00 extra to catch the next one; I realized that I too was upset and it didn't seem fair but... getting made and angry wasn't going to change the situation and sooooooooo I should have been better prepared. I should have been here 2 hours early...just in case something like this happened. Lesson learned!
 
Yesterday was Jeff's birthday, we had Amy and John and girls over to celebrate with him. Amy's birthday is just a few days after Jeff's and so we seem to have lots of party's and photos of she and her Dad celebrating their B-days together. As I watched them smile for the camera...I had to smile too! How grateful I am that Amy as well as the other kids have such an amazing person for their Dad. Jeff has truly done something wonderful for his kids. He was the best Dad ever! He didn't have the same experience as a child, so for him to fulfill that role without a role model ...is nothing short of a miracle. From day one, he has loved being a Father and each of his kids. I feel honored that I get to be his wife and companion all these years.
So I am getting ready to head to Salt Lake and then go on a road trip with one of my best friends and sister-in-law Shirley for 13 days, I can hardly wait. I hope my body holds up. Luckily we don't have to be in any hurry and we are just looking forward to being together. Road trip...doesn't that sound fun? I will try and share most of it with you, so stay turned.
Take care dear friends!
 

"Life is about learning from yesterday, living for today, and wishing for tomorrow."

 

"You cant plan life. Theres bad things and its tough. Its hard every day and then something beautiful happens. Then its tough again and you are struggling and then theres a miracle, and thats really what life is. Its not just perfect all the time, but we have those amazing moments that make everything worth it."

 Jennifer Lopez