Stadium Lights--And Did I Mention, Rude?

I am going to vent.  So be prepared.

We lost our lacrosse game tonight.  That is not the issue.  This was the absolute worst away game I have ever attended in any sport any of my kids have played in throughout the years.  The host school was rude, ignorant, unkind, rude, mean, rude, poor sports--even though they were winning by a lot--rude, cat callers, did I mention RUDE?

Lacrosse is a fairly new sport on the west coast.  So it is just coming into its own.  Some schools and their coaches have big heads to go along with their big egos.  Winning is everything to them so they quite often pull their varsity players down to play JV for the win instead of fielding an all JV team.  Their coach and parents were out of control.  Oh, and the announcer too.  Only called the home team.  No equal time for the visitors.  I sit in the booth each home game and run the scoreboard.  There are printed guidelines from the district on announcing addressing this very subject.

That all being said, Christine probably had the game of her life by her stats.  She blocked more slippery, tricky, fast shots on goal than ever before!  Direct shots on goal also.  But she came off the field in tears.  She had some 'words' with a ref after a goal because they clearly didn't call being in the crease and the refs comment was that the field lines were so poorly painted that he couldn't see it but he wasn't going to change his call.  WHAT? 

Well, Chris is learning life lessons and I don't have much affection anymore for the team by the beach.  I used to love it because it reminded me of where I grew up so close to the water.  When you get out of the car down there and take your first breath all the memories just flood to my mind in less than a blink.  But now they are soured.  Don't misunderstand:  I love a good competition.  And there has to be a winner and a loser.  I don't even mind being the loser if it's done cleanly and fairly and with respect from both sides.

Did I mention rude?

~~Shaun BDay~~

One of my favorite pictures of the Shaun-ster! (at Josh and Mere's wedding.  The blonde hair is back to 'normal' now, but the tongue sticking out is classic!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SON

We love you!

See ya later for homemade taco dinner and some cardiac arrest cake....

Where has 24 years gone?

Way stinkin' fast, I'd say!

Had a good dinner.  Finished up some visiting teaching.  All the kids were over for Shaun's bday.  Nice evening.

April 28th

The strike ended yesterday, so Christine is back in school.  I'm glad it was short, although it was nice for her to have some down time since all sports and activities were cancelled.

I'm still trying to catch up from last week and being gone.  Why is there always so much to do/get done? 

Today is my grandfather's birthday.  Ward Floyd Davis.  I often feel he is looking down on me and cheering me on.  Miss those slobbery kisses!

24 years ago I went into labor with Shaun in the late afternoon.  My water had a 'leak', and I started some piddly inconsistent contractions.  Exciting time.  Realizing a new little one is joining us!  Back in 'those' days, there were no ultrasounds unless something very suspicious was going on.  So we were filled with all the questions of who this baby was going to be!

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to Ann and Brandon!

It was a cool, crisp, Utah spring morning, bright and EARLY.  She was a beautiful bride and the flowers were smiling all over the place.  It truly was 'happy' all around!  Pretty much like this picture!

Have a great day you two.

Love Ya--

Laundry calling my name.  A week's worth.  I'm gonna be at it aaallllll day!
My visiting teachers came over.  Amy lost her daughter a month ago, and today was Taylia's birthday.  Hard day for her and yet she still came visiting teaching.  I love this woman!  Can I be like Amy when I 'grow up'?  Taylia lived in China with her husband--whose job took them there--and four children.  She was pregnant with their fifth baby.  She was combing one of her daughter's hair and collapsed dead on the spot.  Tragic!  I cannot imagine.  Taylia was every bit the wonderful woman as her mother.

Strike = Mall

Our school district went on strike last Thursday.  Christine hasn't gone to school because it is pretty much a joke.  They only keep the kids until 12:30pm, and there are 70 to a classroom with a substitute teacher.  I hope they resolve things quickly.  Don't get me started on the strike.  When so many people are unemployed these days, can you just be grateful you have a job?!  That is all I will say on the matter.

Christine and her friends wanted to go to the mall.  I'm not a big 'hang out at the mall' person myself so I really don't see the point for teenagers on a regular basis, but every so often is okay.  I did have errands I needed to do there (see what I mean.  I've procrastinated them as well until now it is absolutely necessary to make the trip...), so I took her down and took care of my errands while she and her friends shopped, dreamed and ate at the food court.

I did have fun at the MAC cosmetics store and got a new lipstick.  I've been noticing that nude/flesh/light colors are in these days. 

I took a long time at Williams-Sonoma.  OH!  How I love that store!  I think I looked at everything they had and dreamed away.  I got my summer soap/lotion/dish soap and had the hardest time deciding between Pink Grapefruit and Sicilian Orange.  I went with the orange scent.  There is something about citrus that just shouts-out s.u.m.m.e.r.

Well I finished about 50 minutes before our agreed upon time for her to be done and there was no reason for me to go home to turn around and come back to pick her up.  I didn't know there is an awesome mother's lounge there.  With a tv and everything.  So I parked my self on the nice couch and watched tv and checked emails on my phone and talked with my sister.

We headed home for dinner and fhe and dwtstars.  It was fun and now I'm waaaay behind on laundry!

Winding It Down

Quiet day.  Went to church and enjoyed a great message from the speakers.
Flew home tonight.  Josh and Mike picked us up.  Adrianne and Mike had a great pepper chicken with rice dinner waiting for us.  It hit the spot!  My parents are staying until Tuesday when they will go to St. George and stay with Uncle Rodney and Marci for a few days.  Nats and Rob are going to spend some time relaxing.  They are trying to adjust to not having to do homework and studying.

Back to real life tomorrow.

Seasons Of Home

Today was the perfect day to sleep in and we did just that!  Meredith and Adrianne went for a good brisk walk and I took Grandma to Seasons of Home.  It is a cute and quaint home and quilting store.  The one and only “QUILT SHOP” in the Heber Valley (including all of Wasatch and Summit counties).  It is right downtown Midway.

I got this picture off the internet and here is what they say on their website:

At the end of MAIN STREET in Midway, Utah (a Swiss hamlet nestled in the mountains of Heber Valley) you will find us located in an Historic Pioneer home built around 1845. We offer beautiful fabrics, a selection of unique gifts, books, and home décor.

SEASONS OF HOME is owned and operated by a group of women who dedicated themselves to offering a much needed outlet for quality fabrics for the hundreds of talented quilters in the valley and unique gifts for the local community as well as our many tourists. We opened our doors in May of 2007. Our women owners work in the store because they love meeting and visiting with our patrons, delight in seeing a dream come to life and being able to have an outlet for their own talents. Yes, we teach classes, give demonstrations and just love to meet and visit with new people.
Julia Eliza VanWagonen Epperson the first woman, wife and mother who lived in this home was tall, jolly and feminine. She loved dancing, jewelry, perfume and gloves. Julia played the concertina for dances and accompanied herself on the mandolin when she sang. The women of SEASONS OF HOME feel that Julia is dancing and singing as she sees the wonderful, fun store that now occupies her home. We know that she would be thrilled with the success we have had in building a business dedicated to helping the local community grow and meeting the needs of our many customers.

They also offer home accessories and you feel happy when you are there!  I got some fat quarters that were on sale for a spring/summer quilt top and we learned how to make a self-bordered flannel baby blanket.  I bought a kit to bring home so I can remember how to do it.  Pretty clever.  Grandma ended up spending way more than I did and couldn't believe she had!  Can you just picture her standing there trying to figure that one out???!!!  They have such cute and fun projects.  There was a summer bag with a huge fabric flower on the side.  I'd love to take the class, but alas, I will be here when they offer it.

We ate leftovers for dinner and Duff and Grandpa took the first batch of family down to the airport to go home and brought Avatar on blu-ray back!

Graduation!

      Today was the day! 

Natalie and Robert graduated from Law School.

We woke up to 2 inches of fresh snow that was gone by the afternoon.  We had sun for a little bit and then another spring storm headed in and it was dark and cold with lots and lots of wind.  I forget how fickle spring can be here.

The convocation was held in the Provo Tabernacle downtown.  It is quite an old building that has been restored and kept very nice.  It was the perfect setting, inside and out.

The windows are beautiful stained glass.  The workmanship and details of the pillars and pews, stairs, floor, walls and ceiling are magnificent.

The guests.  It is a dedicated church building so the dress was Sunday best.

The graduates!  The air was just buzzing with excitement.

The family in our seats and ready for it to begin.  We got great seats on the ground level on the north side right in the back.  It was the perfect place to take care of the baby during the ceremony.

I love this picture of Auntie and Nephew.

Uncle Mike was a favorite. 

Processional and 13th Circuit Judge, Chad Wallace, as the main speaker.  He was AMAZING.

Blurry.  I don't know what happened, but Natalie is being hooded with Robert right behind her waiting for his turn.

FINALLY!

They DID IT! 

They met the first year, got married the 2nd year, and had a baby the 3rd year, both held down part time jobs and church callings, and moved twice.  Whew.  I'm tired just writing it down!

The new graduates with Grandma and Grandpa.  Grandpa is loving his facial hair.  The rest of us wish he would shave.  I guess it's up to him.  He's 78 and 1/2 years old and says he's never grown a mustache or anything and wants to 'try it out'.  Haha.  He took Grandma quickly to the car.  It was that cold.  Frigid cold.

Graduates with their parents.  Mark couldn't come, so Aubrey drove out with Tammie.

All the siblings who could come.

Family is everything.  Very few can accomplish so much without support of those who love them most.

Even John wore the graduation cap for a picture!

There was a very nice reception with refreshments outside on the north lawn immediately after the ceremony for all the graduates and their guests.  It was iffy because of the rain, but it did let up for just the right amount of time to hold it.  No one stayed very long because it was so cold and the wind was not playing nice.

We stopped at the Creamery on 9th to get the BYU vanilla ice cream for our hot fudge sundae bar to be our dessert tonight.  Headed back up the canyon and got everything ready for the family dinner to honor Natalie and Robert.  We had pulled pork sandwiches, chicken, and ribs from  Tommy's Texas BBQ in Heber.  If you get a chance, you really need to stop in and try it.  Amazing bbq.  We made baked beans, creamed corn (I'll post the recipe it is soooo good), relish plate, and garlic mashed potatoes (Robert's favorite!)  Then the homemade hot fudge sundae bar, with whipped cream, roasted almonds, fresh first of season strawberries from Costco, and a cherry on top, of course!

CONGRATULATIONS.

WE LOVE YOU AND ARE PROUD OF YOU!

Pre-Graduation!

Busy day.

Getting ready.

Exciting times.

G.R.A.D.U.A.T.I.O.N!!!

It's finally here for Natalie and Robert.

Eight long years and they have their Phd.!

On the plane to Utah.
Duff's dream come true:  I completely packed in a carry-on bag!  We don't have to check anything.

Butterflies in my tummy.  The BIG day is tomorrow!

Adrianne's Gifted Hands

Adrianne has beautiful hands.  She plays the piano, crafts, embroiders to rival our grandmothers.  Her fingers are long and slender.  Pretty too.  But don't let any of that deceive you.  They are strong as well.  She gives the BEST massages/back rubs.  Today was a lonnnggg day and my body had worked itself into a major stress-lack-of sleep-overtired headache from the middle of my back all the way up.  The kind of headache where you just might think you are going to be 'sick'.  She and I were on dinner duty together tonight and in between the steps of building lasagne she kneaded those tense muscles. 

OH!  It was heaven.  I had already taken 2 extra-strength tylenol which hadn't done much to alleviate the pounding, but by the time we had to assemble the main dish, I was feeling so much better.  I asked her how she learned to do that.  Her answer:  no where.  I just do what I like to have done.

Well, you should go into the business, dear.  For the first time in two days my headache was gone!

And the lasagne was divine along with young, fresh, first of season zuchinni.  You know the kind:  that soft buttery texture and taste with a little sprinkle of kosher salt and a smidge of melted butter.  I love the combination of lasagne with a side of zuchinni.  Sometimes I could make the zuchinni my main dish.

What Season Is It?

The cold is back and you would think it is winter all over again.  Except for the fact that everything is verdant and the roses and calla lilies are in full bloom!  The afternoon brought a pretty good rain.  And it lasted all the way down to San Clemente during the girls varsity game and into the very beginning of the JV game.  We won 10-9 and Christine played one of her best games so far.  When she blocked one shot on goal she got it right in the net of her goalie stick!  Everyone was screaming and yelling it was so incredible!

We stopped at Starbucks and got some hot chocolate that hit the spot on this very blustery day.

More rain tomorrow...

Watched the 24 episode that we dvr'd.  O-H  holy moly!  My personal opinion is that this is one of the best seasons ever along with the first one.  How in the world is this going to end up?

Sirens

I hate sirens.  Have I ever mentioned that?  I just do.  I always have.  They mean something bad has happenend.  Someone is probably hurt.  Badly.  Very badly.  I ALWAYS wonder about that whenever or wherever I hear them.  I wonder about the people involved.  I always say a silent prayer for them and the professionals who are involved with helping in the situation.   Just thought that was worth mentioning.  It's part of who I am.  I get queasy when I hear them.  I heard a lot of them today.

Moving on.  Today has not been a good day.  Looking forward to a better one.

A Tale Of Poison Oak

Spring is in full bloom.  We have lots of this going on in 'these parts'.  Isn't it beautiful?  The fields and hills and mountains are lusciously green right now.

Catherine H. spoke in Sacrament meeting today about this very plant.

She and her hubby and family live down in the canyon and were headed for an adventure hike.  The gorgeous weather and green hills were beckoning.  They headed out on the narrow trail.  Literally encroaching within inches of the way, were groves of poison oak plants.  Brimming with their attractive freshness and spring/new life.  They weren't haggered or ugly.  But enticing and welcoming.

Such is sin and transgression.

Satan's influence looks attractive.

We can't let it grow and get big.  We must spray immediately to kill it.  We must watch for it always.  We need help to stop it. The right instructions and methods to keep it out of our lives and yards.  The Holy Ghost.  Asking for, receiving and recognizing and acting on personal revelation is essential.  

We must learn to hear the voice of the Lord. 

Also, since our youth were gone at the youth conference testimony meeting, our Elders Quorum took care of the sacrament.  Dave D. was voice for the blessing on the bread.  He did not grow up in the gospel and was baptized a few years ago. It was offered in the most tender way filled with emotion.  I thought about those words and the feeling they evoked in me the whole meeting.  I think this might be a good thing to teach the aaronic priesthood.  To really feel and offer those prayers in a similar manner.  It really puts a whole new spin on that portion of the meeting.  Everyone came over for dinner today.  I love it when we are all together.  Duff was set apart today.  We were all there in the Stake President's office for about an hour.  He was given a beautiful blessing before the stewardship was pronounced.  We will never forget it.  Either a reprieve/better times or harder times are coming for us, but we will be okay if it is the latter because of the words of the Lord through one of His servants.  I'm writing this down because if it's the harder times we're going to need to be reminded about this blessing.

This Is What The End Looks Like

...of Youth Conference.

You come home and fall into a deep sleep!

She had a GREAT time and learned a lot, felt the spirit, and got little to no shut-eye.

So you KNOW it was a success!

I loved listening to the tales of all the activities and talks and dances and food, etc.  We have good leaders who love our youth and work very hard for them and with them.

THANK YOU!

Sweet Urchin

Adrianne and Meredith participated in their first boutique with their etsy store products.

Their booth was the best!  They put in a lot of hours getting ready and learned A LOT!

They didn't have as many sales as they would have liked, but neither did most of the booths.  Kind of  not what any vendor expected.  But they have their first one under their belt and did a great job.  A shout-out goes to their handsome hubbies for helping them get all set up and who were there right on the dot to help them take it all down and get it home.

You really should go to the site and check out their stuff!  Every on line customer has written rave reviews of their products.  Go to my blog sidebar and click on the Sweet Urchin button and see what I'm talking about!

Nachos et al.

We picked up Christine early from school this afternoon so she could come home and get a little nap and pack up for youth conference this weekend.

Youth Conference this year prompted many a discussion on good versus essential choices.  YC started at 4pm today.  Her lacrosse game started at 7pm.  How do you be in two places at once?  She had cleared the game absence with her coach weeks ago.  Coach Brea is a blessing because she is very religious herself and has been very understanding about Christine's church involvement during lacrosse season.

So she went to youth conference and Duff and I went to the stadium and worked our shift at the snack bar during the girls varsity game and then he did stats and I worked the scoreboard for the JV game.  Christine is the team's only goalie, so they had to bring another girl to that position, but she did well and they won their league rival, Mission Viejo quite handily, 12-5.

Our house is going to be quiet this weekend!

Michael Wade

Happy Birthday to a great brother-in-law!

Have a great day and enjoy the extra candle on the cake.

Mike is:

Quiet, fun, straight-forward, hard worker, great father and husband, a friend to all, compassionate.

We love you and have a very

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The Inevitables Of Travel--Coming Home and Picking Up Where You Left Off

Catching up from being gone.  Laundry.  Mail.  Laundry.  Visiting teaching. Nice to be home.  Everything is so green, AND all the rose bushes have bloomed.  Huge gorgeous cottage roses rimming the back yard.  Very spring-ish.  Also, the garden is up and lookin' good. 

Taxes are due today. 
It's Uncle Mike's bday.
I'm trying to adjust to being back after a week.  I don't do that as easily as I used to.  My eyes itch from all the pollen drifting around.  Ah, life.

CougarHaven Breakfast

You may want to click on this and imagine smell-a-vision.

A typical Cougarhaven Cabin Breakfast. 

Our last morning here this trip. 

Nothing like some bacon, fried potatoes, with carmelized onions.  And then an egg.

Mountain fare.

Spring Has 'Sprung' -- N.O.T.!

Spring has sprung brought me such a nice surprise.  Not popcorn popping on the apricot tree, but a last hurrah at enjoying some snow!  Have I mentioned before that I love winter?  At least the sporadic kind where I get to visit it and don't have to live in it everyday.  I do have compassion on you who are ready for it to go away.  But thank you for putting up with it so I can be indulged with a little more of the white stuff.

Last night around midnight when I put Darla out before bed, the snow had started falling.  It was so quiet. Peaceful.  White. Pretty. Soft.

When we woke up this morning, I was like a little kid running around to all the windows just delighted with the huge falling flakes sticking to the inches that fell during the night.

It is a heavy, wet snow today.  Good.  That kind carries a lot of moisture, and we need it.

Johnny Be Good

Finals start tomorrow for Nats and Rob, so more babysitting was the order of the day!

Remember how fast babies grow up right before your very eyes?

This is rare to see him without his fist or fingers in his mouth.  Perhaps he is teething.  Natalie was my earliest getting her teeth.  Right about his age.  Looked at those chapped cheeks from all the drool.

 He LOVES Shaun.

Shaun sings to him and Johnny thinks it's the greatest.

I have decided to buy a stroller to keep here.  I think just an umbrella kind.  Any suggestions out there?  So Gramma did the next best thing:  Improvised.

I think I did a pretty good job of it too.  I took the rolling laundry cart, put his car seat in it and off we went!  He loved it, but not my back so much from bending over to push it!  We went and gathered up all the snowman making items since Mr. Cougarhaven has melted, melted, melted in the sun small, small, nothing!

We checked out all the new leaves ready to push their way out on the quakies and talked about where we should plant the next pine tree.  Darla tagged along right beside us.

She is quite taken with him.  If he is having floor time, she takes her toy and goes right over and lays down next to him.