Sunday, January 9, 2022

Wow!  Time to catch up.  September 3, 2021 I resigned from Lamar Advertising.  It was a bittersweet move.  Two forces pushed this move; Tim traveling more often for work and Lamar moving 15 minutes further south.  Fortunately my boss is so cool, he allows me to do some contract work.  I like our current arrangement.  It allows me to keep up with my Excel and Google sheets skills.

I had a great birthday.  I got to eat some lunch with a childhood friend, Kerianne DiLello Bangerter.  We conversed and laughed over some yummy food from Pizzeria Limone.  I always enjoy catching up with her.  It is good to keep good friends around.

I have kept busy since leaving Lamar Advertising.  My focus is more on the kids and the house. Jacinda was the stage manager for BHS’s Beauty and the Beast.  She did an amazing job.  She had so much responsibility placed on her shoulders and she rose to the occasion and did an incredible job.  This is her passion.  Xadia and Teagan got to be part of the ensemble cast.  It was the first time Teagan got to wear tights and he loved it.  In fact, he asked Xadia for her pair of tights and wears them for casual clothing.  He gets a lot of funny looks but we just laugh.  I had the opportunity to be part of the costume committee and made many costumes.  I am pleased with Xadia’s costume.  I made it without a pattern.  

The kids had such a good experience with Beauty and the Beast, they tried out for Holbrook’s Matilda.  Xadia is part of ensemble and Teagan will play Michael, Matilda’s brother.  Ms. McGarry has asked Jacinda to be stage manager for BHS’s spring play, Guys and Dolls.

We had family pictures taken.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Christmas was a blast.  We went on a cruise to Honduras and Mexico with the Stubbs and Clinches.  Everyone had such a good time.  When we first got on the cruise, I told the kids to always have a buddy and tell me where they were are at all times.  By the end of the cruise, I was not so worried about the kids.  They were always with their cousins eating at the Windjammer or chilling in the hot tub.  My favorite image is Blake sitting in a hot tub with an ice cream cone in each hand.  Our first day on the cruise, Fozzie ran away from the dog sitter.  We prayed that he would be safe and found.  A day later, he was found in his cage at our house.  He had walked 2 miles from the dog sitter's house to our house.  What a stinker.

I was pleasantly surprised that we did not get sea sick.  There was so much to do.  We saw some productions and Jacinda was loving the lights, scenery, timing of the music, basically all the mechanics that went into the productions.  Most people love the acting and singing but Jacinda saw way beyond that.  It made me happy because she was appreciating all the work behind the scenes that does not usually get recognized.  It made me stop and think more about what really goes into a production.

We spent a day at the beach in Honduras.  I got a massage on the beach.  The girls had their hair braided.  We all went snorkeling and Tim got some great drone footage.  In Mexico, we saw the Chin Chen Itza ruins and learned a little more about the Mayans.  We also got to go tubing on a lazy river near the Yucatan peninsula.  The water was so incredibly blue it seemed fake.  As I floated in a tube down the river, I kept thanking Heavenly Father for the beautiful earth, the blue skies, blue waters, and fluffy clouds.  It was wonderful to be there with my family and create a happy memory.

After the cruise, we spent a week at the Stubb’s house.  That was so crazy fun.  We did some swimming, hot tubbing, and at dinner at the Brownlow’s house.  The Stubb’s are so nice.  Amy took us thrifting and we found some good items.  Ethan challenged everyone to a hot pepper challenge and the kids were ready to try.  There were a lot of tears and red faces resulting from the habaneros.  We also had the opportunity to do baptisms for the dead in the Dallas temple.  Such a neat experience because Lance got to baptize many of the cousins.  I was touched to see the young man he has become.  After baptisms, Tim and I treated everyone to Inn and Out. 

Monday, August 9, 2021

 The boys went camping July 16^th so we had a girl’s night out.  We got our nails painted, got some Boba drinks and then ended the fun with Chic-Fil-A.  I like to spend time with my girls and do girly fun things.  It is important to have this time together. 

                Lance and Kade Stubbs got to hang out with us for a few days.  It was so fun having them.  One of the highlights was hiking to the rope swing.  The clouds were a blessing.  They blocked the scorching sun.  It was a riot to watch the kids swing back and forth.  Sometimes they sat on the wood swing correctly and sometimes they did not and would need to hold themselves with their hands.  I took a turn on the swing and of course the wood panel shifted so it was length wise with my thighs instead of perpendicular.  I had to use my scrawny arms to hold myself from kissing the dirt.  It was kinda hard since I was laughing at my predicament.  Good times I tell ya.

                McCabe went to Texas with Lance and Kade.  The rest of us went camping at Mantua and rode dirt bikes.  Xadia was not fond of the dirt bikes so she drove in the blueberry.  We slept on cots under the stars.  The moon was so bright.  We took Fozzie with us and he was a champ.  He did a good job staying with us until we left to eat breakfast.  We left him tied to the fence post at our camp site.  He kept barking.  He was so noisy that we got a call during breakfast to let us know that his bark was disturbing the other campers.  I raced out to greet him.  He was happy to see me especially because I took some of Teagan’s breakfast steak to feed him.  We have learned that Fozzie does not like to be left alone.  He is very much a people dog.

                The girls enjoyed their Boba drinks so much that we planned a family night to get some.  Unfortunately, McCabe was still in Texas so he missed out.  But the rest of the family loved their drinks.

                Xadia is going into 6^th grade.  She is getting her school clothes put together.  She loves to look on a website called “Shein” for new clothes.  Recently she got a black jumper dress and wanted to also get a pink one.  Unfortunately they did not have one in pink.  So we went to the fabric store and she picked out the fabric and helped make a pink jumper dress.  Here she is modeling it.  It turned out very nicely and took about 3 hours to make.

                McCabe and Jacinda went to youth conference.  While away, Tim and I took Xadia and her friends along with Teagan out for some fun.  We went to Farmington Station and stopped by “It’s Sugar.”  The kids loaded up on sugary goodness.  Then it was off to “Tea’s Memory” for Boba drinks.  Xadia wanted her friends to try them.  The fun then ended with Little Caesar’s pizza.  We dropped off the kids and then Tim took me out to the Olive Garden.  We had a nice little dinner and talked to our server, Tyler, about opening up a Roth IRA with the tip we were going to give.  He was a nice man and agreed to open an account.  Hopefully he will follow through.  Jackson, our other server from about 2 weeks ago at Olive Garden did open his Roth Account and put his tip in it.  It is so fun helping these college students prepare for the future.

                Saturday Mac and Jacinda were at Lagoon working so Xadia, Teagan, Tim and I got to work on clearing the backyard.  We had to move scooters, a snow blower, and other junk so that the workers can get started on moving the dirt and expanding the rock wall.  This has been a year in a half in the making.  I am very excited.  I forget to mention that Fozzie was also there to help.

                Sunday’s rock.  I love going to church with my family.  Lately, Teagan has decided to wear his tie like Joseph Smith.  He is so cute.   I was trying to get a picture of him and Kade but Kade was having some difficulty acting normal so I took what I could.  Nevertheless, you can see the old time styled tie in the picture.

Monday, July 12, 2021

 

Time to play catch up with my journal entries.  Sunday’s are great family days.  We like to go on hikes or walks.  On this particular day (4/25/2021), it was a little chilly but that did not stop us from enjoying nature and have races with Fozzie.  Mac tried his hand at fishing but didn’t catch much.  We had a good time lounging, eating snacks, and then walking back down Mueller Canyon.

                The weather turned nice in May, so we started the lawn mowing.  We mow 5 yards.  It has been a blessing for the kids.  We invite any child who wants to earn money to mow.  Rocket Santiano is the only consistent child who helps mow each week.

                Gigi Rasmussen, my niece has come to live with us for the summer while she works and prepares to go to USU.  She likes to make desserts.  She made this beautiful cake for mother’s day and it was absolutely delicious.  I had another slice the next day because it was so yummy.

                McCabe is in that stage of life where he likes to look at himself shirtless in the mirror.  Sometimes he looks for armpit hair and announces to the family when he finds one.  On this particular day, he found some underwear that was too small and decided to make a fashion statement.  He was a good sport to let me take a picture.

                Jacinda went to prom with Liam and friends and had a good time.  They spent the day tie dying and frying any type of food.  They fried pizza pockets, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pineapple, biscuit dough, cheese sticks, and potatoes.  It was a lot of fun.  After the dance, they came back to the house to socialize and eat ice cream.  Tim and I then took everyone home.  I will be really happy when she gets her license and can drive others.

                Preston Squire, my nephew, had his mission farewell on May 23, 2021.  He is going to Detroit Michigan.  I am very excited for him.  I am sure he will get a lot of attention being a skinny white kid who is 7 feet tall.  I am looking forward to his homecoming and the stories he will share and learning and growing in the gospel.

                I had a little time on my hands and decided to make an outfit.  This was a long time coming.  I made the skirt and jacket.  Unfortunately it is summer time and very hot (triple digit hot) so I won’t be wearing this until later in the year.

                Xadia got to present the 1900’s in her decade days report at school.  She and her class mates got to dress up from that era.  She wore a fancy feather and flower hat with a decorative dress and black boots.  She was very excited to wear the outfit and did a great job presenting.  I am so proud of her and her class.

                June has arrived and it is time for summer vacation.  We headed to Oceanside for some beach and cousin time.  It was so fun riding the waves on boogie boards and watching the kids play in the water or trying not to get tipped in the raft.  We spent half a day at the San Diego Safari park which was really neat.  I liked looking at the animals and the plants.  We got an app on our phones that identifies plants when you take a picture.  Teagan can drain the phone battery really fast using that plant app.  The kids also got to ride in a hot air balloon and we also learned about Fozzie’s escape while at the park.  He had ran about two miles away from home by breaking his leash while Gigi was at work.  We had the next door neighbor (Zoey Kister) take care of Fozzie.  He does not like to be alone.

                Friday, June 25^th, Lizzy Fisher married Caleb Popp in the San Diego temple.  It brought back such good memories since Tim and I were married there 22 years earlier.  I loved being on those grounds and near the temple.

                Summer lunch with Max Murdock.  Teagan looks ecstatic.  He would not smile at all.  So you get what you get with this picture.

                Another thing we like to do on Sundays is cook.  Jacinda made some pina colada lollipops for youth in the ward.  Teagan made some gummy candies and Xadia made cupcakes.  I finished out the evening with a batch of fudgy nut brownies.  We definitely do not starve for sugar in our house.