One Lucky Girl

Weekend in Yosemite

2012-01-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

Pat and I drove to Yosemite Friday morning. Rather than go to the valley we went up to the Tuolumne Meadows area. Pat loves the sights there, I like them okay, but I really prefer the valley. There is just something about Half Dome that speaks to my soul. Sounds corny, but it does. On Saturday we drove across Sentinel Bridge and I told Pat that after we were finished doing everything else I wanted to go back and take a picture from there. It's my favorite spot to view Half Dome...has been since I first when to Yosemite when I was a little girl.

I thought you might enjoy seeing the pictures from our trip, so I am sharing!

This is the view on the drive up to Tuolumne Meadows from the lookout area.

I wanted a picture of Pat, with Half Dome in the back.

It's that little blip up to his right.

This is Tenaya Lake,

still on the way to Tuolumne Meadows.

It is frozen!

At first when we saw people on the lake

we thought they were

CRAZY!

As we drove down a ways we saw that people

were ice skating on it,

and playing ice hockey!

On the way back Pat thought we should get out and go on the lake also.

Walk on water? Me? I don't care if it's frozen or not...

not a good idea!

Pat thought it was a GREAT idea!

I decided I needed to at least try it...

so I went about 15 feet onto the ice.

(I was hesitant since I fell recently

and am still recovering...

or you could say I am a chicken, either works.)

So, I guess we are crazy too!

After we finished driving there we checked into

our hotel...Yosemite View Lodge,

which is right outside the park

From there we drove up to Glacier Point,

to see the sunset.

We got there around 4 PM.

It was 36 degrees outside.

Just a tad cold!

We stayed there for an hour,

and then it began getting dark.

It was really cool to see the sunset,

Half Dome gets kind of a purple haze,

it's really pretty and the pictures don't do it justice.

Me and Half Dome

Purple haze...you can kind of see it.

Sunset on the way down to the valley.

It was gorgeous.

Story - Pat is known in our family for losing his glasses. On the way down to the valley on Friday night he got out of the car to take his jacket off, because it was getting warmer. We stopped at the Sentinel Dome turnoff, he got out took off his jacket, noticed his glasses in his pocket, put them on the top of the car, got back in and drove off. He didn't want to ruin his glasses by sitting on them, so he was trying to be careful, and then promptly forgot about them.

Oh, and he didn't realize until 45 minutes later when we were pulling into the Yosemite Lodge parking lot, where we were going to get dinner. He was pretty bummed about it, I told him not to worry, he had planned on getting new glasses anyway.

So, the following morning before going to the valley we drove back up to where he had lost them. We had a slight hope that someone had found them and put them on a rock. But as you can see from the picture above, it was pretty dark out, it was doubtful that anyone would find them. Still, we wanted to solve the mystery of what happened to his glasses (which were in a glass case, by the way).

When we got there we parked and started looking around the area where we had been parked the night before. Pat and I walked down a little ways, to the opposite end of the parking lot, and he found, in the snow, a lens, that worked for his eyesight. (he has really good eyesight, but bi-focals for reading) Then, a little bit further he found the Costco cleaning cloth that he had in his case. We never found the case or the frames, but we found that. It was pretty odd.

At any rate, here is the picture we took

on our trip back down from the Tunnel lookout area.

My favorite view of Half Dome, off of Sentinel Bridge.

So beautiful. (not me, Half Dome)

We enjoyed our trip immensely.

Not only for the beauty of God's creations,

but also for the time we spent together.

It was amazing that we could travel up to

Glacier Point and Tuolomne Meadows.

Those roads are usually closed at this time, until May.

So, it may have been a once in a lifetime experience.

Jack Austin

2012-01-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

Oh my, this has taken WAY too long to post!

Forgive me Amy and Brad!

Little Jack Austin was born on

October 21, 2011 in Eugene, OR.

It was a wonderful day...not only because he was born,

but because Amy's delivery went well.

I can get anxious about such things,

seeing how she is my daughter

and this is her third c-section within three years!

So, I was super grateful, relieved, and so very happy

when he was here and they were both safe and sound.

The best part of course was holding him when he was just a few hours old.

It was love at first sight.

The other best part was taking care of

James and Gavin, treating them to McDonald's,

and enjoying our time with them.

We also made Halloween Mickey Mouse

Pumpkin Cookies.

Who knew James knew how to decorate all by himself? He did a great job!

We were blessed to be able to be there for

Jack's blessing and for Halloween,

though not in that order.

Jack is a joy, really...such a sweet little guy.

Isn't he just adorable?

This is the most recent picture of him taken today,

since Oregon was playing in the Rose Bowl...and won!

Go Ducks!

I miss my Jack.

Our Christmas Letter

2011-12-24T17:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas! We so enjoy hearing from you at this time of year. We hope this finds you all well.

Our family ended last year on a positive note with little Chloe Ann Dell joining our family on Christmas Eve day…she is a joy, which is perfect for a Christmas baby! Now she is walking/running and getting into everything! Her big sisters Sadie and Rylee sure love her a great deal. Sam works full time and is concentrating on several children’s books. Linzi continues to try to juggle it all – being a homemaker, a mommy, and finishing up her BS in Sociology. Rylee turned five and is an enthusiastic kindergartner. She loves reading and her family and friends, she is such a love. Sadie loves preschool and just may be the next attorney in our family – she always has a slightly different angle on life, keeping us all on our toes. They moved to a 3 bedroom townhouse this year, and love it there.

In August we were blessed to welcome little Darci Lynn Dell to Craig, Angie and Lucas’ family. She is a sweetie, and is always happy. Craig continues to pursue his degree in Information Technology at UVU. He also works on campus in the IT department, and LOVES his job! He served in his bishopric for a bit, until they dissolved all the student wards. Angie is busy with Lucas and Darci, and will soon be finishing up her AA in English. She also has a restaurant blog (restauranthungry.blogspot.com for any of you living in the Orem/Provo area). Lucas loves dancing to “Mary Poppins” and “Singing in the Rain.” He also loves everything Mickey Mouse and Star Wars! He is our little love, which Darci can attest to! If all of that wasn’t enough they also moved to a lovely 3 bedroom apartment.

Amy also surprised us this year when she announced in May that she was expecting her third. We learned soon after that Jack Austin Westmoreland would be joining our family in October. He is a very sweet chubby little guy who is greatly ~~mauled~~ loved by his brothers. Brad and Amy have had an exciting year – they too moved to a 3 bedroom apartment, decided not to continue with his doctorate (as of today he has his Master’s degree in Economics), had their third son and invited Rachel to make us empty nesters and to live in Oregon with them. Brad was able to find a job in Eugene so they are staying put. Amy keeps busy just running around after 3 boys. James is our little cowboy, Superman, or Flynn Rider (“Tangled”). He loves to quote movie lines and loves everyone. Gavin is our sweetheart. When we talk he excitedly exclaims ‘Hi!’ repeatedly. Jack is our little snuggler; he can never get enough!

If you think their lives sound busy, just wait, I am getting to Rachel now. Let’s see, this year she: opened a business on Etsy selling homemade earrings (paperjayne), went through the Oakland LDS temple for her endowment, began selling Pampered Chef, worked part time at her other job, trained for and ran a half-marathon (GO Rach!), and moved to Oregon in November. Now she is working part-time at Old Navy until she can find another job. She also served in her Singles Ward RS Presidency as first counselor. What a busy girl! We sure do miss her, however, Amy is happy to have another set of hands around in her built-in best friend.

Pat and Sandy have had a busy year as well – with callings, family, and for Pat work. We have travelled to Disneyland (with Rachel), to Utah and to Oregon. Pat also went back to Buffalo to visit with his family. We are, once again, adjusting to being empty nesters.

We are grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ, for the abiding joy that He brings into our lives. We are ever mindful of His life, His atoning sacrifice, His resurrection, and His love for each of us. May we keep Him in mind as we celebrate this Christmas season. Merry Christmas!

Utah fun times!

2011-10-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

When we were in Utah it was a bit on the hot side. I didn't realize how much hotter Utah is than California. Their dry heat makes it feel ten degrees warmer than it does when we are at home at the same temperature. Thank heavens we have some humidity here...now there is something I never thought I'd say!

The day after we arrived in Utah Angie had a granddaughter luncheon to attend. While she was gone we took Lucas to the park. We really went to feed the ducks, but when he saw the swings he wanted nothing to do with them, he wanted those swings! Such a Dell - knows his own mind!

Lucas and Aunt Rachel loved swinging together.

He did actually enjoy feeding the ducks, for a short time! ;)

He really wanted those swings!

The following day when Craig's family were napping we took the girls to that same park to feed the ducks. Rach, Linzi and I ran errands while Pat and Sam played with the girls at the park. Like I said, it was pretty hot, so we figured popsicles were in order! Were they happy to have those! We had fun feeding the ducks with them also!

Grandpa & Grandma with Sadie, Rylee and Chloe.

Chloe isn't usually that serious!

Grandpa helps Sadie on the monkey bars!

So fitting that they are called monkey bars!

On a more serious note -

Pat, Craig and Sam at Darci's blessing

Such handsome guys.

Aunt Linzi with Darci. Linzi loves her new niece!

Finally! A niece!

Darci Lynn Dell

2011-10-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Darci Lynn - so sweet!

Love her adorable shoes. :)

Mommy, Daddy, Lucas, Darci, Grandpa and Papa

Darci joined our family on August 18th. We had the opportunity of meeting her on September 22nd! She is a little angel. By the time we met her she was already smiling, so I was able to see her cute little dimples. So adorable.

On September 24th Darci was given a name and a blessing by her daddy. He was joined by her grandpa's, her Uncle Sam, her great uncle, their cousin Brian, their bishop and a friend. She was quiet at first then she found her lungs! Her blessing was short but sweet. It was a nice day for both sides of the family to be together.

Grandma with Darci

The Mighty Priesthood (holders)

Lucas loves Darci...sooo much!

Grandpa & Darci - love at first sight.

Daddy and Darci - she loves him! She is all smiles!

I am happy that Angie thought to get Darci dressed up again in her blessing dress. Such a great idea for more pictures! Darci is a sweet girl, but she isn't shy about letting you know what she wants. She is also quite strong and very, very happy. I just love her.

I am grateful that Darci has joined our family - she is loved by all of us and we are blessed to have her in our lives. :)

August

2011-08-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

This month has been somewhat busy. I like it like that. :)

Here are some pics of what we've been up to-

The day before my birthday we went to Muir Woods.

Who doesn't love to see where much of

"Return of the Jedi" was filmed!?

It is beautiful there.

Me and Rach at Muir Woods

Me and Pat at Muir Woods

After we were done at Muir Woods we went to San Francisco

and had lunch at Pier 23.

Then we walked down to Pier 39,

and just enjoyed being in the city...

which is unusual since Pat doesn't really like SF.

Pier 39

Coit Tower

And then our family grew! We welcomed Darci Lynn Dell

into the world on August 18th!

We will soon have pictures, then she will get her own post.

But, this is the quilt I made for her.

Our eldest grandchild, Rylee began kindergarten...

she is loving it!

This last Saturday, the 27th, we went to San Leandro

very early so that Rachel could run a half marathon!

She ran the 13.1 miles in less than two hours.

We are so proud of her.

Excited to be there!

Getting her packet, with her number! #73!

Everyone got a shirt that was in the race.

The beginning...

The end!

We have had a wonderful August.

It was full of ups and downs,

but the ups outweighed the downs!

Kind of like life, right?

Markers

2011-08-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

We all have markers in our lives. We have all been through various 'firsts', depending on our age, and our circumstances, of course!

Today was just such a marker for our family. Rylee has the distinction of being our first granddaughter/grandchild. Her first, which she happily shared with all of us, was that she began kindergarten...kindergarten! That fact barely registers in my mind! I cannot believe she is five, let alone in school. It seems like just yesterday I was in Relief Society awaiting her arrival on a warm Sunday afternoon.

I love these types of markers - it just goes to show that our family continues to progress. So fun!

Our little kindergartner!

quotes

2011-08-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

rach has done what i consider to be quite creative. (i love creativity, don't you?) i don't know if this was her very own idea, or she just decided to make a 'grown up' quote wall all on her own. she has taken quotes she has found on pinterest, had them developed at costco, put them in picture frames and now they are oh so cutely displayed on her bedroom wall.

i love this idea because i am a huge fan of quotes. mostly positive and clever ones. i truly admire people who are clever because that is not one of my strengths! i am not that creative, i just see things i like and copy them.

that being said i found through pinterest a blog called sweet blessings (http://cookingwiths.blogspot.com) where you can download quotes and have them printed to display in your home. here is a sample. maybe you will want to make a grown up quote wall also! it is pretty inexpensive, fun, and can be meaningful! Enjoy the site! :)

ps - you can also do like rachel did, go to pinterest, find quotes you like, copy, send them in to costco, walgreens, walmart - wherever you get photos developed, and voila! you have your own quotes!

if you need an invite to go on, just email me at sandydell@gmail.com, then i will invite you and you too can become 'addicted' to pinterest, like so many others! ;)

Happy Birthday Linzi!

2011-07-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

Linzi has been a part of our family for nine years now! Wow!

We are so grateful for her; for the wife, mom, daughter,

aunt and daughter-in-law that she is.

She loves life and lives it to its fullest.

She is always on the go, doing things with the girls and Sam;

making sure they are learning and having great experiences along the way.

Happy Birthday Linzi!

We are so grateful you are part of our eternal family!

We love you.

Cat's Out of the Bag

2011-07-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

Nope, not a post about our little Missy. (who is rather difficult these days I might add)

We are super excited that our family is growing. In August comes Darci Lynn - whom I cannot wait to meet!

Then in October comes Mr. Westmoreland - Amy and Brad are having another boy! Yep! That will be 3 boys under the age of 3! Since she announced it on her blog I feel like it's now okay for me to announce it here - especially since anyone who reads my blog probably already knows. =)

I love our grandkids - those who are here and those who haven't arrived yet.

Happy Birthday Rylee!

2011-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Rylee is five today. Amazing. She is such a joy to our family. I remember the day she was born. I was at church, Relief Society was just about to begin and I was checking my messages in case Linzi had gone into labor. Sure enough Sam had texted saying they were on their way to the hospital. Let's just say I was beyond excited. The sisters were asking me when we were going to go there and I told them we were leaving in a few days. They couldn't understand that!

By the time I went home from church we still hadn't heard any more news. We were getting concerned. There may have been a phone call to Sam to find out if everything was okay. A few hours later our little Rylee Lynn was born. A few days later we were driving out to meet her in Rexburg! (leaving earlier than planned...we were so excited)

We fell in love with her right from the start. We are so very grateful that we have been blessed to be her grandparents. She is just a delight and a blessing.

Daddy, Dad, Honey, Papa, Grandpa

2011-06-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

To all of the wonderful men who have made a difference in my life,

our children's lives and our grandchildren's lives

I wish you a Happy Father's Day!

I love you all.

Remembering

2011-05-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

To all of those who have sacrificed on behalf of our freedom I thank you. You have paid the ultimate price and given us more than any of us are able to truly understand. Because of you we can go forward with the hope of better tomorrows for our families. Thank you.

Welcome to the Hotel California

2011-05-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

...such a lovely place!

Back in 1977 the Eagles had a popular hit entitled "Hotel California". I have always loved the song and while it would be fun to analyze and to share the meaning of the song with you it's not exactly what I had in mind...

I had this in mind instead!

The Grand Californian Hotel

Grand Californian Hotel
View from our room

Disneyland
I am in love with the place.

Chip and me at The Story Teller Cafe
Mo one else would take their picture with him!

Bell hop - love the service there.

Our room;
simply elegant
and comfy!

California Screamin'
SO MUCH FUN!

Hearth at Grand Californian
We enjoyed the fireplace a time or two. :)

And a fun time was had by all.
I think Rach (besides being caught unawares)
was just in awe with the place - and sad
about going home later that day. Who can blame her?

We really did have a fun time. We splurged by going to the Grand Californian because we figured that would be our last time without grandkids being with us...and (truth be told) I like to spoil myself occasionally! I am already missing Disneyland.

Happy Birthday Dear Angela!

2011-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Angie has been a member of the Dell clan since 2008!

We are grateful to have her in our family.

She has brought Craig much happiness;

bringing us great happiness also!

She is a devoted daughter, friend, mother and wife.

I also love her devotion to the gospel.

She is a delight to have in our family.

Angie is a keeper, for sure!

Her personality suits Craig's perfectly!

Happy Birthday Angie, we love you!

Happy 30th to Brad-ly!

2011-05-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Brad came into our lives way back in 2003!

It seems like a lifetime ago!

We are so happy to have him for our son-in-law.

He is truly part of our family.

Happy Birthday B-Austin! We love you!

the BIG 3-OH!!!

2011-05-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Craig Robert Dell is 30 years old! Oh my!!! How on earth did that happen? Time definitely flew by when we were having fun! And 'fun' is the word that described him from an early age! I think if he had his way he would have been born laughing! He certainly has made us laugh over the years!

Here are some interesting facts about his 'birthday'...

Craig was due on May 20th, but since we were moving to California (Pat having graduated from BYU a few weeks earlier) my OB was willing to have him born on May 6th - as long as the amnio turned out well.

As I was checking into Utah Valley Hospital on May 5th (they had run the amnio that morning) the admittance lady came and asked me to go with her, just prior to my being checked in... and she had some unexpected, and at the time, unwelcome news for me. The amnio showed that he was not quite fully developed - something to do with his lungs, they needed a little bit longer to cook.

Craig and Mommy
May 13, 1981
I know, I look awful!

I was heartbroken, literally. I was so close to holding my new baby, and suddenly it was snatched away from me - devastation describes quite accurately what I felt.

The Dr. got on the phone with Pat and told him to take me out to dinner. Pat was knew me so well he said to the Dr., "You don't understand that is not what she wants." He then proceeded to tell Pat that I could have the baby in two weeks, that they would check in a week, but in two weeks he was positive I could have him. No way! Pat explained that I would have the baby in a week and that all would be well. I loved my Dr. and I knew he was looking out for me and Craig, but I knew in my heart that everything would work out just fine.

We went home and I immediately crawled into bed, sobbing my heart out. After an hour and a half of crying and feeling sorry for myself the Spirit whispered to me that this is a good thing, that I was getting exactly what I had been praying for - a healthy baby. So, I needed to stop my pity party and begin counting my blessings. That I did...not that I was ecstatic about it, but I was accepting.

A week later I checked into the hospital expecting for Craig to be born around 10 AM...hours later, just after 4 PM he was born. (Two of my Dr's patients decided to go into labor that day, he was a little busy.) Craig happened to be born on the day that the assassination attempt on the Pope's life took place. Needless to say, nothing much on TV (no cable back then, videos or DVD's), it was a bit boring.

When Craig was born all of his pipes were working - his lungs were nice and loud and he pee'd all over the nurses! A lot!

It was so wonderful to finally have him here, where I could see him and hear him. It would be hours before I could hold him because of having a c-section.

Craig weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz., and was 20 1/2" long. He was such a happy baby and remained happy throughout his growing up years. He was quite the stubborn one - always wanting to choose his own clothes, and wear whatever article of clothing he was in love with at that time constantly! He loved all of his siblings and got along with all of them while growing up. He did not like sports, but he did love anything Star Wars, Super heroes or Legos. We figured he would eventually do something with his hands since he loved putting things together and figuring things out. Looks like that is what he will be doing with his IT degree! He was very tender hearted and giving when he was younger also. He was just a joy, I am grateful for him.

Craig, Angie and Lucas visiting us in March. Such a cute family!

Happy 30th Birthday Craigers! We love you!

Thinking...

2011-05-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

PINK!!

Rachel is having a giveaway on her blog - iheartrachel.blogspot.com (see family sites to the right of my post) to help out our friend Corinne as she tries to raise money for her 3-day Susan G. Komen walk. Take a gander at Rachel's blog, go ahead and enter - it's all for a good cause and it will make you smile inside! =)

27 years!

2011-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my baby girl, Amy Elizabeth! I cannot believe you are twenty-seven! While it makes me happy that you are it also brings tears to my eyes to know that you are so grown up and a mommy yourself. How I miss the days when you and your siblings were little...

Amy 4 months

Amy 7 months

Amy's first Easter

Me and my blankie - true comfort!

Grandma Breed with Amy

Here are some facts about her entrance into our family:

Amy was due on April 27th. My Dr. didn't really want her to come any earlier than that. However, the closer her time came the more evident it became that she would be born about a week earlier than expected. Dr. Fillerup didn't really want me to go into labor after having previous c-sections. Thank goodness! (and don't you just love his name? Leland Fillerup - what a great man.)

My Dr. kept telling me that Amy was going to be a red-headed boy, but I knew different! The morning of her delivery he had me have an amniocentesis, to determine if she could be delivered at that time or not. During the amnio he was questioning whether or not I wanted to know the gender! Seriously? No! I was that close I was going to continue to wait and find out in the delivery room! :)

Amy was born in Paradise, CA at Feather River Hospital. It is just a small hospital so they didn't do epidurals there, instead I had a spinal - which would prove to be quite a headache later - literally. Fortunately it only lasted a few days.

Pat was only allowed in delivery with me for a short period of time, then he was scooted off to go with Amy while she got all checked out. I didn't see either of them again for quite a while since I was a bit drugged.

I was so excited that I had a baby girl! I saw one of the doctor's from our ward and said, "Dr. Correy, I just had a baby girl!" However, when the nurses came and asked me if I wanted to see my baby I referred to her as a boy...and she was like, 'you had a girl, right?' All I can say is that it was the drugs... I knew I had a girl! I was elated to have a little girl! I would have been happy no matter what but I felt from the start that she was a girl and that felt right.

Amy with Craig - good buddies

Amy in Hawaii age 4

Best friends forever - Amy and Rach

Amy and Craig playing a game... with a broken foot!

Amy's 5th birthday

Amy going to 2nd grade

Measuring up!

Amy is now happily married to Brad and they have two wonderful little boys, James and Gavin. She is a wonderful person and tries so hard to be a great mommy. She has learned a great deal over these twenty-seven years and will continue to learn and grow as life continues. We are all blessed to have her in our lives.

I love you Amers!

Shelf Reliance

2011-04-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Enter to win a FREE shelf reliance 72" pantry shelf at my favorite food storage blog!

Shelf Reliance is a company that sells food storage items. They are having a give away right now, which ends May 1st for one of their shelving units --- which is awesome! If you are interested go to the blog link Everyday Food Storage found on my blog and you too can enter!

Seriously, this is one of the best food storage sites around. I love it.

Project Menu!

2011-03-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Last year when we visited with Craig and Angie I saw on her wall a framed menu. I absolutely loved the idea! I already have (thank you Mrs. Amy) a framed calendar where I can change out the background whenever I feel like it, which is monthly! This week I decided it was high time for me to follow through with getting more organized in our home so I took myself to Target and purchased an inexpensive 8X10 frame, came home and made a table on Word, played with fonts a bit, and came up with this...

Voila!

I then chose some paper/color that I thought would look nice in my kitchen.

Here is the finished project..

TA DA!

With a framed menu you can either stand it up or put it on your wall. I chose to put it on my wall.

Doesn't it look great?

Now, every week I can make up my menu with my trusty dry erase marker,

which just makes everyone's life easier.

No more questions about what's for dinner!

and a fun time was had by all...

2011-03-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium

with Craig, Angie and Lucas.

We had fun!

Lucas enjoying everything!

Angie, Lucas and Craig

in front of the main aquarium

At the ocean in Monterey

At the fish market otherwise known

as restaurant getting fresh fish and chips...

I didn't get a picture of us at Vivolo's

our favorite stop in Monterey,

or Paris Bakery, another favorite!

While they were here we celebrated Lucas'

second birthday.

Everyone enjoyed their birthday hats!

Luke, Craig, Rylee, Sadie, Angie and Pat

A new book!

Luke likes his Elmo cupcake that Angie and I made

- so fun!

Grandpa, Grandma and 4 of the 6 grandkids,

including our new Miss Chloe,

whom we finally met!

Having fun with Luke!

Chloe gets blessed in our ward.

She looks like she sounded during the blessing -

not a happy camper!

Such a cute picture of Sam, Linzi,

Rylee, Sadie and Chloe!

Our trip to Half Moon Bay - the Altamont -

super green at this time of year... LOVE it!

Barbara's Fish Trap in Half Moon Bay -

best fish and chips ever!

I even succumbed!

Sadie and Rylee shared a 'pizzapea' aka quesadilla!

Grandpa, the girls and Sadie's 'brella'

Finding seashells is SO much fun!

Ryles got a whole jar full!

Grandpa, Grandma, Rylee and Sadie -

what a wonderful excursion!

We all had a wonderful time together;

except Rach, unfortunately she had to work.

33...somebody loves me!

2011-03-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

On December 1, 1977 Pat drove me and my little '67 beetle bug, Gladys, to the south side of the Provo UT temple. There he asked me to marry him, which is actually a funny story, but I will save that for another time! After answering in the affirmative we began discussing dates (no ring, we were too poor). I had in my oh-so-organized possession a Hallmark calendar which I pulled out and we took a gander at. We thought that it best to give his parents some time to plan since they live in Buffalo, NY, while mine were much closer since they lived in Paradise, CA. So we opted for a 3 & 1/2 month engagement. As we discussed where we would like to be sealed he wanted Mesa, AZ since that is where his family was sealed. I wanted Los Angeles since that was where my family was sealed. We decided right then and there a compromise was in order. As we considered how far his parents were going to have to travel we opted to be sealed in Provo, figuring we would be living there anyway! (which we weren't - another story, another time)

Just after being sealed outside the Provo temple... a beautiful Spring day!

Back to the date... we chose March 17, 1978 because it was a Friday and we were sure we would be in school and would not be able to take much time off for our wedding and honeymoon. (non existent) Little did we know that we wouldn't even be in school when we got married and would actually be living in California! The joke in our family is that Pat can never forget our anniversary since we were married on St. Patrick's Day. It would be pretty bad if he forgot that we were married on a holiday with his name in it after all! When we set the date neither of us realized that was the day we chose. But it worked, and has worked for us for 33 years now!

The title of my blog is "One Lucky Girl" for a good reason. The reason for that is Pat, and all that has come because of him...our family, our growth in our marriage and in the gospel. Pat has supported me in my roles; as a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend and now a grandma and mom-in-law. He continues to give me strength when I am not at my best, he strives to be understanding, loving and compassionate. True, neither of us are perfect, but we are a work in progress and we know that about each other.

I am One Lucky Girl because I have him.
I love him with all of my heart.

Remembered No More

2011-02-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

A really good friend of mine sent me an email the other day. It was about the judgement day, and how the Savior will be there to take our sins upon Him. It was a really nice email, but it got me to thinking that so many people don't realize that when we repent we are forgiven and our sins are forgotten, as it states in D&C 58:42: “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.”

There was a time in my life when I thought that my sins would all be laid out for everyone to view when I approached the judgement bar - but I don't believe that to be true. I believe that when we have repented, and changed who we are, those sins are no longer a part of us - which means there is no reason for them to be viewed, since He "remember(s) them no more". What a comforting thought. So, I wrote this poem this morning in hopes of sharing these feelings:

Remembered No More

approaching the Courtroom

feeling fearful, exposed,

somewhat uncertain

of how i will be judged -

knowing my life,

understanding the severity

of wrong decisions -

even transgressions...

picturing in my mind

a movie of my life

displayed for all to view.

reluctantly, I take my place

and wait

as i, too, am invited

to view my life.

fear turns into Peace,

uncertainty to Certainty -
to Strength,

even Joy.

For all that is shown

Are the Right choices I made.

My heart is full

of Gratitude,

As I realize

My sins have been Forgiven and Forgotten,

for they are

Remembered No More.

Happy 25th Rachel!

2011-02-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate Rachel Evon Dell's twenty-fifth birthday!

I cannot believe that our 'baby' is 25!

We are so grateful for her in our lives. She has been a blessing right from the start. We have always known that she chose us to be her parents and her family. Everyone in our family loves Rach - she is simply a delight. We are blessed.

The siblings are excited!

Cute little Clown

Grandpa & Rach - Paradise

Happy 4th birthday!

Loves reading to nieces & nephews...started early!

Measuring up

Disneyland and best friend...

Doesn't get better than that!

This explains a lot...Sisters!

Yosemite - up close and personal with deer

In love with Rylee, and excited about it!

BYU Grad!

Daddy's daughters...

Wicked Fun!

Monterey - a needed break in September 2010

Happy 25th Birthday Rachel! We love you!

Happy 32nd Birthday SAM!!!

2011-02-10T10:33:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate Sam's 32nd birthday. I can't believe our baby is 32 years old - my how time flies. I can still remember so much about that time in our life, and was so grateful when Sam finally came into the world!

Sam was due on February 1, 1979.
I had been dilated to a 3 for weeks and was so ready for him to come!
We went to the hospital on the 1st because I was having labor pains. They gave me a shot that would affect labor somehow and said they would see me the following day - well, nine days later there I was.
We had gone to do our laundry at the wash hut in Provo, and I began feeling like I might be in labor...
We went home and I made us some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.
We folded the laundry and I told Pat that perhaps we should get to the hospital!
When we got there I wouldn't let him bring anything in for me because I didn't believe they would let me stay.
While in intense labor I felt very little discomfort. They had the monitor on me and my contractions were off the chart, but I was fine.
They decided, after several hours of labor, that Sam was having difficulties so they needed to do a c-section. Pat began flipping out, I was calm, reassuring him. I received a blessing earlier and knew that everything would be fine.
After seven hours of labor Sam was born at 1:30 AM, on a Saturday.
It was a huge blessing that they performed a c-section - the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice.
He was a big baby - 9 lbs. 6 oz, 21" in length. I was so happy to have him in my arms, finally!

What a blessing Sam has been in our lives, how grateful we are for him and all that he has taught us.

Happy Birthday Sam! We love you.

my valentine...

2011-02-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

i love my husband.
in our home valentines day isn't really 'celebrated'...
i decorate, but that is as far as it goes.
my husband loves me; i know this.
he simply doesn't want anyone
to mandate to him to show it.
i accept that, because i love who he is,
all year round.

while others receive gifts of romantic cards,
bouquets of roses
candy, diamonds, or an evening out
to celebrate the "love holiday"
we spend a quiet night in,
or tend to whatever needs to be tended to.
and it isn't that he isn't romantic, he is.
he just doesn't want anyone telling him to be.
so, throughout the year he will spontaneously
bring me flowers, or call and take me out to dinner,
or we will go on a walk.
he likes to spend time with me,
we like to spend time together.

so i hope all of you continue to enjoy valentine's day
with your mister's
because love is wonderful!
ENJOY! :)
Happy Valentine's Day!

The Hand of the Lord

2011-01-26T11:09:00.000-08:00

The past six months have been filled with trials and wonderful blessings. I won't go into detail about the trials, but I will share one of the greatest blessings I have discovered on this short journey. First of all it began with a trial that was heart-breaking for me...I needed to know that my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ, were 'there' for me, and for my family. I needed to more than feel it, I needed to witness it, to surround myself with their concern and love for me and my family. What it boils down to is I needed strength.

Back in October 2007 President Eyring gave a talk in General Conference entitled, "O Remember, Remember". In this talk he shared about an experience that led to him keeping a daily journal on how the hand of God had blessed his and his family's life.

He said, "I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

"More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened."

Back in September I began the same type of journal. Every night, without fail, I have written where I have seen the hand of the Lord in my life or my family's life. What a blessing this has been for me.

I have also been worried about the future of our country, Pat's job, finances, etc. It hasn't overtaken how I look at life but it has made me more aware and we have taken steps to be prepared for whatever comes our way - as best we can. We continue to make strides in food storage, financial stability, etc. I feel we have been blessed to see where and how we can be prepared.

I read The Book of Mormon daily and have a testimony of it's truthfulness. I see the patterns of the Nephites and the destruction that eventually comes to them - and I see our country heading the same direction. That is when I become scared. (I am human after all!)

Last night as I read in Ether 12 I was struck by this message:

"And Ether was a prophet of the Lord; wherefore Ether…began to prophesy unto the people, for he could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him.

"For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled—

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

That passage brought me great comfort...that we can 'hope for a better world'. As I continued reading and pondering I was then struck by this:

"And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people…And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

"Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled.

"For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith."

There is much to gain from the above passages of scripture - so much information, comfort, guidance... but for the purpose of what I needed at this time, this is what I gained:

As we exercise our faith, God will do miracles. Why shouldn't we expect miracles to take place? If we are living the gospel to the best of our ability He will bless us, and He will take care of us. It may not be in the way that we hope it will be, but He knows best, so we should have faith in Him and as always, desire His will. He loves us, He wants to be 'there' for us...He will not leave us alone, unless we want Him to. What a blessing to have this knowledge. - and what a blessing to have the Book of Mormon and other scriptures as a part of the hand of the Lord to guide us and give us the strength we need. My testimony has been strengthened by taking note of the Hand of the Lord in my life on a daily basis. How full my heart is of love for my Father and my Savior.

In Loving Memory

2011-01-14T10:25:00.000-08:00

Donna Lynn Schultz Marino

June 30,1968 - January 14,2011

For all the laughter, hugs, tears and joy you brought to our lives -

we will always remember you.

We love you.

Survived by

Husband - Donald 'Seppi' Marino

Mother - Susan Della Breed

Grandmother - Gloria Evon Breed

Sisters - Debra Schultz, Deanne Schultz Easley & Erica Schultz

Other family: Corey, Kyle, Kaitlin Easley

Pat & Sandy Dell & family

Stan Breed & family

Donna - 1 year old

Donna, Debi and DeeDee - ages 5, 3 & 2

Donna - age 7

Sam, Stan and Donna - Oahu, Hawaii - 1988

Debi, Donna & DeeDee - Polynesian Cultural Center - 1988

Donna & Seppi

Our Christmas Baby!

2010-12-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Day brought us a special gift...

Introducing

Miss Chloe Ann Dell

Weighing in at 7 lbs. 6 oz., 19 inches long.

Isn't she a beauty? We are happy grandparents indeed!

Sisters, Sisters...

The Happy Dell Family

Little Miss Chloe goes home on Christmas Day!

My goodness do we feel blessed this Christmas!

Christmas Letter 2010

2010-12-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas cards are all written, addressed, stamped and sent! We can't send to everyone so if anyone out there is interested here is our Dell Family Christmas letter to all our family and friends:

We love the Christmas season and the joys found therein: family togetherness, traditions, baking, Christmas carols, Christmas cards, giving, serving, and most importantly – remembering our Savior, Jesus Christ, and pondering what His life means for all of us.

2010 gave our family much to be grateful for:

Sam graduated in July with a BA in art, emphasis in Integrated Studio Art. Their third child is due to arrive soon…we are excited for this little one to join our family! They still live in Rexburg where Sam is working and Linzi is attending BYU-I, finishing up her Associates degree this month! Rylee (4) is our little glamour girl – she loves anything that is purple and/or sparkles! Sadie (2) is an active one – running, jumping, riding her tricycle, sledding, you name it and she is there! She loves Toy Story characters.

Craig is attending UVU where he is majoring in Information Technology graduating in 2012. Angie is enrolled in classes at UVU beginning January, where she will major in English. They were able to take a trip to Disneyland this year with their close friends, Enos and Lindsay… having a wonderful time while there! Lucas (21 mo.) is a sweet boy who loves animals, music, singing and dancing.

Brad, Amy, and James (2) welcomed little Gavin Dell Westmoreland into their family on August 11^th. They now reside in Eugene, OR where Brad is attending UO (Go Ducks!) working on getting his Graduate degree in Economics. They love living in beautiful Eugene where they feel at home. James is a love – he will hug just about anyone, he loves Mickey Mouse, Elmo, Little Einstein’s and Buzz Light Year. Gavin is a cute little guy, full of smiles and laughter, and greatly loved.

Rachel is living with us and working part time. She enjoys hanging out with her friends, attending ours and the singles ward, biking, running, going on long walks, reading and cooking new recipes. She has been a great help around here. Rachel loved having Amy and her family live with us from December 2009 – August 2010. We have gone on several trips and she has gone on hikes with Pat in Yosemite, enjoying their time together. She is a blessing in our lives.

Pat continues to work hard, happy to have a job still and that so far his company has survived this economic downturn. He keeps busy with church, family/home, and work. He is a wonderful grandpa who loves to interact with our grandkids in person and via computer! He is greatly loved and appreciated.

Sandy keeps busy with keeping in touch with all of the family… immediate and extended. She loves being a wife, mom and grandma. She enjoys serving in her calling and loves the women she works with. She plans on learning more about food storage this coming year and is excited about that. =)

We, like you, are counting our many blessings. May you all have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

We are looking forward to our next update... which will be the arrival of either little Logan or Chloe to the Dell clan! Another blessing to be thankful for.

33 Years

2010-12-01T07:51:00.001-08:00

The Most Wonderful thing happened to me 33 years ago today...

My husband asked me to be his eternal companion.

I said 'Yes'!!!

I am one lucky girl!

Before and After

2010-11-23T08:53:00.001-08:00

A few years ago we decided that it would be fun to paint our kitchen and great room daring colors! So we chose Sly Fox (behr paints used) for our kitchen and Pumpkin Butter for our great room. They both turned out great (thank you girls, and Pat, but truthfully mostly girls)! Over time I came to realize that these colors just don't match my personality - I am a bright person, I love light (except when I am sleeping at night). In fact the first thing I do every morning after I am finished in the bathroom is to go around the house and open up all the blinds allowing light to shine in. I am even so finicky that I like my blinds at a particular angle, either straight or slanted upward, so the blinds are happy. (yes, I am odd, I allow things, even my car after a wash, to be happy - oh well, there are worse things in life, right?) Pat, doesn't get my finickiness over this, but that's okay, he still loves me... :)

THE KITCHEN

So, without further ado... here is our before, with Sly Fox (love that name)...

TADA!!! The after... with Newport Blue (makes me miss my SoCal roots...)

The Before...

The After...

I LOVE the lightness of the blue! It is so homey to me. It just makes me SMILE! :)

THE GREAT ROOM

Our original choice of color for the great room was Pumpkin Butter - again, love the name. But we didn't feel it would work with the blue so we changed that to Arabian Sand, which really works with Newport Blue... kind of a sand and sea thing, which anyone that knows me know that I love the ocean. However, it really looks more like a frothy mocha color, I really, really like it!

The Before...

TADA!!! The After...

Our Niche -

which by the way took me Y.E.A.R.S. to figure out what to put there

and now I love it, which also makes me happy.

The Before...

The After...

So, thanks to Rachel, Pat and moi we now have the colors that I really like and feel comfortable with. I hope you all like it. And if you want to come and see it in person, come on over! :)

Adventures

2010-10-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here I am! I know... you couldn't find me for the LONGEST time! Why is that you ask? Life, is my simple reply... Life. Sometimes it is full of fun, sometimes of trials, and sometimes a mix. Mine has been of the 'mix' nature as of late. While I will not share the trials with you (like you really want to know, right?), I will share the fun part!

In September Rach and I decided to take a trip to Monterey, via Half Moon Bay and Hwy 1 (otherwise fondly known as PCH, well, in SoCal anyway!). As I stated we began our journey in Half Moon Bay, where we ate at Barb's FishTrap - hands down the best fish and chips in the west! SO, SO Good! Yum. (and yes, we did take pictures of our food, but since I already have so many pictures in this post I won't share them, but Rach probably will on her blog, so go and take a gander there!)

Following lunch we took a stroll along the beach. It was a beautiful day (as you can see from the restaurant pic), but the beach was not quite so beautiful. There was a ton of seaweed and a dead seal on the beach. One of the natives told us they were finding dead seals all along the coast due to them being malnourished. Odd. I wonder where all of their food went?

On our way to Monterey we stopped and took a picture of this lighthouse. We didn't even get out of the car (didn't want to run into traffic later in Santa Cruz). I just liked it and wanted to share it with all of you! =)
Another stop we made along our way was in Morro Bay - Phil's Fish Market, famous for being on a Bobby Flay Throw Down! We just had to stop and sample their cioppino - which is a tomato based fish soup - with all kinds of seafood in it! And they were still in the shell! Clams, oysters, shrimp, crab, squid, etc. We ordered one serving of soup and it was a good thing we did! We were so full from sharing our food at both restaurants that we actually went and got dessert at Save Mart instead of getting dinner!
Rachel and I stayed at Asilomar. Not by any means a fancy place, very down to earth and homey, without televisions and such. It really is very basic, but it is the closest thing to the ocean you can find in Pacific Grove and we love it there. We really enjoyed our stay.

Downtown Carmel

Rach at a little place in Carmel... don't you love this picture of her? I do!

Me in Carmel... no comment.

Interesting mural on a building in Carmel.

Rach at the beach. Gorgeous day, gorgeous girl!

It was a full moon so the tide was way in!

I've never seen it so high and I've been there many, many times!

Switching gears...

Last week we, Pat, Rach and myself, when to Utah. Pat had to give a presentation at the Lifelong Learning Conference for Engineering alumni and current students. So, we went with him. :) Lucky us!

The Conference was quite interesting, though we only saw Pat's presentation on the CA levee systems. (he did such a good job, I am so proud of him!) However, from the way he talked it was really amazing the people that were there the subjects. I am happy he enjoyed it so much!

After he was done with his presentation we took a drive on the Alpine Loop. I love that drive. I remember driving it all the time as students at BYU. We couldn't afford dates so we would go and drive the loop and be perfectly happy being together. Oh, the good ol' days!

Aspen Grove

Alpine Loop in Fall colors.

Such a lovely drive...

Such a lovely girl!

Switching gears, yet again, sort of.

While we were in Utah and Pat was busy all day Thursday and Friday we didn't get to spend much time with him. And when we did he wasn't feeling that great! Friday night we went to a Fish Fry at the Clyde bldg. on campus, which was wonderful! (salmon and halibut from AK) So delicious! We were happy that Craig, Angie and Lucas were able to go with us. That was way fun!

On Saturday we all went to Salt Lake and went to Temple Square - something we rarely get to do while in Utah. Here are some of the pics we took there:

The Christus

Replica of SLC temple in the 2nd visitor's center. I loved it!

Closer look at the replica's interior...

Pat and I at Temple Square.

Rach at Temple Square.

Craig and Angie at Temple Square, near Church Office bldg.

After Craig, Angie and Lucas left to go home we decided to go back to temple square and walk around. Here is a picture of the temple at night.
And, finally, saving the best for last, as always... we got to spend time with this little guy, Lucas, whom we grow to love more and more every time we see him! We are so lucky! We love our grandkids! =)

Gavin Dell Westmoreland

2010-08-12T14:07:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the newest addition to our family... little Gavin. We are so thankful he made it safely here... we wondered if he would when Amy went into labor the morning he was scheduled to arrive. Things were a bit crazy around here at 3:45 when she announced to Brad that she was in labor. And when she said 'labor' she really meant HARD labor! Her contractions were coming one after the other, to the point that she could barely speak when she arrived at the hospital. It turns out that the placenta had begun to separate from Gavin which can be very dangerous for the baby. Fortunately (and I attribute it to the Priesthood blessing she received a few hours earlier) everything went well and both baby Gavin and mommy are doing well!

Amy just before leaving for the hospital...

she can pose even in the midst of contractions!

Gavin Dell Westmoreland

A few hours after he was born. She was smiling happily, but oh so tired!

Sissy enjoyed holding her newest nephew!

Grandpa can't get enough...

Grandma just plain loves being a grandma!

Little Gavin - so precious. :)

So, So blessed!

Peachy Keen!

2010-08-10T12:58:00.001-07:00

Summer is a favorite of ours... well, for the most part. I really *dislike* the heat here. Sometimes it's as 'warm' as 115 degrees. Yucko. Fortunately for us, and Amy will swear she is being blessed because of her pregnancy, it has been a rather mild summer here. We have had temperatures ranging mostly in the 80's, sometimes in the 90's and rarely in the 100's. Usually you would reverse that - not fun!

Why is summer a favorite of ours? We LOVE our peaches! They are the best EVER! They are big and juicy and just plain luscious! Seriously, they are nearly sinful they are SO good! We have an abundance this year (yay us!) and as usual we share them with our neighbors and friends. (and they love us because we do!)

This year I decided to break out the steam canner my mom gave me eons ago (back when we lived in Ripon) and can some of our tasty treats! So, one morning I got up and canned 4 quart jars (because that was all I had on hand) and 12 pint jars. Everyone wondered why I would can only pint jars. My reasoning? It's only going to be Pat and I (I think) living here and we aren't going to be able to eat THAT many peaches at once, so I figured I would keep it small and simple.

Preparation is half the battle...

Steam canning = easy!

It's all peachy keen!

Next: freezing peaches!

How we LOVE peach cobbler in the winter! :)

Slow and Steady

2010-08-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

Samuel Joshua Dell

BYU-I Graduate, BA in Art

July 23, 2010

As the saying goes, 'slow and steady wins the race.' This is certainly true in Sam's case. We couldn't have been prouder of him as he slipped into his cap and gown, nervously and anxiously heading off to his graduation. For me it was reminiscent of his first day in Kindergarten, excited and anxious but nervous all the same. When we said 'good-bye' to him and that we would see him in the Hart bldg. for just an instant I could see my little 5 year old oh-so-clearly. When do we ever stop seeing our children as they were when they were little? After all... this was truly a grown-up sort of occasion!

This graduation journey has been a long arduous one but well worth it. Sam graduated with a BA in Art, with an emphasis on illustration. We are thrilled that he achieved this worthy goal. He has done so while raising a family, and after taking 3 years off of school. Most people wouldn't bother going back and finishing (according to statistics). At times the road was bumpy, with pot holes filled with self-doubt and hesitation, but HE DID IT!

CONGRATULATIONS SAM!!!

Commencement and Convocation were both wonderful. We were blessed to have President Clark and Elder Richard Hinckley speak at both. If you were present you had to feel the spirit - it was impossible to miss it! I plan to look up their talks and keep them for future reference (just as I have with Rachel's graduation and Elder Bednar's talk).

Congratulations to Sam!

AND to Linzi, Rylee and Sadie!

We couldn't be happier for you!

Coupon-ing

2010-07-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Dana, is way into coupon-ing! Once upon a time, in a time far, far away, I was too. Amy wants to get into it since Brad will be going to grad school soon, and that will help them out tons. Since Dana passes a lot of info on to me I thought I'd pass it on to you as well. (the few that actually read my blog, that is!) ....Enjoy! :)

For those who love Panda Express they are having a special on the 14th where you get Thai Cashew Chicken for free:

http://pandaexpress.com/webzine/TCC2010/images/TCC_eCoupon_071410.jpg

pandaexpress.com

For Californians, here is a Jamba Juice coupon for you, that is good until July 13th...

Jamba Juice - Buy one, get one free!

www.jambajuice.com

Countdown

2010-06-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

the phrase means so many things…

we excitedly countdown until Christmas,

or happily until a loved one returns home.

we anxiously countdown the months until

the birth of a child.

we thrillingly countdown a rocket that is about

to take off.

COUNTDOWN –

right now we await news

to countdown the days left

in a loved one’s life.

countdown.

sometimes I wish it didn’t exist.

The City

2010-06-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to see Sam in San Francisco. We drove out on Thursday evening, spent the night at the same hotel he was at (which proves that I love my son!), then spent all day Friday with him and some of his fellow art students.

Here is the view from the hotel. The view was great, the location was great, the hotel... left a bit to be desired. (for a hotel snob like me, that is!)

When we first met up with Sam we went to Pier 39 and walked around, Pat and I shared some clam chowder in a bread bowl... delicious. The following day we took Sam and 5 other students to DreamWorks for a 3-hour tour that my niece, Donna, set up for them. (Thank you Donna!)

While they were on their tour Pat and I drove around Redwood City and the surrounding areas. We went to Los Altos and drove from there back to Redwood City, going through the town of Atherton. So nice, beautiful homes, and an amazing area.

After their tour we drove them all back to the city, dropping them off at their various destinations. Sam opted to spend the rest of the time with us so we went to the Legion of Honor Museum. This is what we saw...

View from the parking lot - magnificent, isn't it?

Another beautiful view. :)

Pat and Sam with 'The Thinker'

Me with Monet's "Water Lillies"

I have always loved Monet.

Pat and I at The Legion of Honor. Great view!

Legion of Honor - impressive building!

Sam in China Town, where we ate dinner.

Very yummy!

We loved spending some time with Sam; it was so nice to have him near us even for just a day! We hope something great comes from his visit here! (He was also able to tour Pixar, something no other BYU group has even done before!)

happy father's day!

2010-06-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

To all the wonderful men in my life who have influenced me to be better, helped me to find who I am, given me the strength to succeed in life, loved me in spite of myself, and given me the tools I needed to make it through life... THANK YOU!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

My dad -

he gave me everything I ever really needed.

The men in my life;

Pat, James, Brad, Craig, Lucas and Sam ---

how I love each of you. :)

Helping Hands

2010-05-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

On May 8th all across California our church did a service project. Every ward was given assignments to help beautify our state. With all the budget cuts someone figured that the state could use our help, and I was happy to be a small part of that! Pat was much more involved than I, with phone calls, organizing it, and taking care of every thing...I took pictures when we were first getting started and here they are:

Pat and Brother Bramell

Our Supplies: pail, vest, scrapers and paint brushes

Young Men hard at work

The Bramell Family

Gary & Kim

Larry Toone

Andrea and kids... Jeff was around there somewhere!

Patti Toone

Meeting at the beginning, receiving assignments, etc.

Cutest little worker there! James

The Fishers

Birthdays

2010-05-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to

Craig Robert Dell today!

Craig's birthday is the last one for our children every year. Each year on the day before their birthday I long to hold them, just one more time, before they turn another year older...

With this being the last of the birthdays for this year I thought I should pay tribute to Sam, Craig, Amy and Rachel. Each of you have filled my life with smiles, laughter, tears, hugs, kisses, hopes, dreams, challenges, amazingly wonderful memories and most importantly with love. I am grateful for the positive difference you have made in my life, for the joys, sorrows, successes and even the trials.

My cup runneth over.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!!!

2010-05-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom. I have been so blessed to be her daughter these 54 years! She has been an amazing example to me in so many ways. Here are a few of my favorite memories of her:

When I was seven and we lived in North Hollywood I was 'skating' with my brother and other friends in our apartment complex. The thing is I had my cousin Carol's old skates, well, skate, that is. So, my mom saw me skating around with one foot pushing and the other skating, lopsided like. She called me in and said we were going to the store for something. When we got to Sears we went to the skate section and she bought me a pair of skates! I thought she was the best thing ever!
In my teens I wasn't the best daughter and gave my parents a difficult time. She had this never ending reservoir of patience with me, she knew that I would amount to far more than I thought I would.
One of the best words that describes my mom is 'sweet'. She has such a good and tender heart and wants to help others in any way that she can.
My mom loves her family like crazy. She looks past all of our faults and just accepts us for who we are - good or bad.
She tells crazy stories to my kids! They are always laughing about the silly things she tells them, but they do so lovingly. :)
My mom has been such an example to me of what a wonderful grandma is. I am striving to emulate what she has done, and do even better, if possible.

As I said before, I am so blessed to have my mom in my life. While I don't look forward to not having her around at some point in time I know that when that happens she will be so happy to be with my dad. How I love my mom.

Sweet ride...

2010-05-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Pat and I have been talking about doing more activities together for a while now. Finally we decided on two areas that we think would be fun... the first one is photography, the second bike riding. So, a few weeks ago we went down and tested bicycles. A week later we came home with our own sweet ride! Pat got a Trek and I got a Raleigh. I like the Trek but you have to make your decision on how well it fits your body and the Trek just wasn't as good a fit for me as the Raleigh.

I love my new bike! I am excited for us to go on bike rides on a regular basis. We have plans to get a hitch to put on the back of his Pathfinder and then take the bikes with us to various places, such as: Yosemite, Chico (Bidwell Park), the American River bike path in Sacramento, etc. I think this will be a way fun adventure! And we can take photos along the way! =)

There are other benefits as well... we will get in better shape and bike riding is supposed to help your knees get stronger, which we can both use. And, we can invest time in our relationship - not that it is suffering, but who would want it to?! It's an investment, pure and simple, one that makes us both happy!

Hi-ho the derry-O

2010-05-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

It used to be that when people would ask our last name (because somehow the name 'dell' gets twisted into the following: dill, dall, dull,etc.) we used to say, 'It's like "The farmer in the Dell". However, since Dell computers have been around now you find us responding, "like the computer".

However, I like to think that somehow, someway, that 'farmer' portion of the song really stuck, inside of us, somewhere, deep down. Not just because Pat loves his little fruit farm we have going on in the backyard, but also because our family loves agricultural areas! How do I know this? Because we happen to live in one of the greatest areas for agriculture!

We have always appreciated the fresh produce found in the Central Valley of California, even though we aren't fans of the harsh HOT summers. (I'll take it over humidity any day, thank you very much!) When we moved to Idaho we gained a deeper appreciation for the fertile soil that we find in abundance here. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Idaho - I fell in love with Idaho and will always love and treasure the experiences we had while living there, not to mention the wonderful, amazing friends we made. Truth be told I have a serious love/hate relationship with California - I LOVE the land and all that it blesses us with - beaches, mountains, desert, forests, etc. It's the politics and the over abundance of people that get to me. I know, get in line!

I love that we can drive a few minutes and get fresh produce, and that on our way there we can see almond and grape orchards! I love that my husband SO enjoys our peaches, nectarines, oranges, apples, cherries and soon to be plums! I love that our neighbors give us lemons off of their tree. I love that we have an asparagus festival just 20 minutes away from here annually. I love that we can get asparagus pizza from a restaurant in Stockton, and the tempura asparagus we get from Dave Wong's. I love that we pay $5 for a 4 lb. box of fresh strawberries at Costco! I LOVE fresh produce! I LOVE living near farmland, basically being surrounded by it!

So, Rach and I went around one day last month and took pictures of some of our favorites in order to share them with you - whoever you may be! Enjoy!

The fruit stand we go to, and have for many, many years, located on Jack Tone and Hwy. 120 on the way to Yosemite.

They have all kinds of interesting canned goods there - gives you all kinds of ideas for cooking!

A valley favorite - almonds!

Fuji apples - so fresh and crisp...

can I just say 'YUM' now for all the produce that follows? :)

Fresh, beautiful strawberries!

Lovely asparagus... don't you just love the color? My advice: cook them in the oven with a bit of olive oil, some kosher salt at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. So tasty!

Squash, tomatoes and red potatoes... favorites.

Gorgeous produce!

Can you just smell the flavors?

And they happen to have the world's best pie... these are the cream pies.

The fruit pies. Just a final word... YUM.

Grape vines.

Almond orchards.

We think these might be cherry trees, but we weren't sure. They were between buds and leaves. Now they should be all leaves.

And then there are all the animals we see from the road, in fact we have a mini farm attached to our backyard, along with some swanky houses in a gated community.

Wow, we live in an amazingly beautiful area. So blessed!

Poetry

2010-04-28T23:36:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time I dabbled in poetry. It has been years since I wrote anything, so I thought I'd put a few of my favorite poems that I wrote on here, just for fun. I hope you like them!

This first one was written in 1982, when Sam and Craig were little...

Brothers

Tumbling and romping

As you so often do,

You grow closer every waking moment

In spite of words being few.

One is three, the other one,

But OH! A pair you make!

We knew what we were doing -

You are definitely not a mistake!

Your giggles are in harmony,

Your tears they are not few -

As you rough and tumble with each other

You know some loving's due.

Keep growing, stay together,

Your friendship I adore.

For after all, you are and will be

Brothers forever more.

Smile! (1994)

Wherever you are

There's one thing you do

That will often find

It's way back to you.

It's not a difficult task

For you to fulfill

You can give it away

And keep it still.

Put a smile on your face

And share it all day.

The more you give it

The better it will stay.

For when you care enough

Your smile to share

Your reward will be

That which is rare.

A smile for a smile,

It's simple to see,

As you lift another,

Lifted you'll be.

Paradise Found

2010-04-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

Our family was fortunate enough to have found Paradise in 1973, my parents moving right before my graduation from Marina High School. (so I opted to not attend graduation) I consider Paradise to be my second hometown, with Huntington Beach being my first! When my parents moved to Paradise I stayed behind living with friends and family for a few months. Eventually my parents persuaded me to move home with them, where I would fall in love with the place; the people, the small town feel, and the beautiful scenery.

Our kids grew up going to Paradise for almost any vacation they can remember! They, too, love the area. We actually lived there for two years during the time I was expecting Amy, who has the distinction of being able to say that she was born in Paradise!

This is the sign you see as you enter Paradise on Clark Rd. I personally like the one on Skyway best because it states, "May you find Paradise to be all it's name implies." And it has a halo above it... LOVE it!

The reason Rachel and I went to Paradise in April was to enjoy it in the Spring! The grass on the way up the hill is so gorgeous at this time of year! Truly, these pictures do not do it justice!

Another reason we went was to revisit places we love, that hold so many memories for our family! First, a tour of where we used to live... this is our own little meadow in Paradise. The following picture was taken on the road going out of my parents old property - most of what you see, all along that road, was theirs. They had nearly 3 acres, with a creek running through it!

Picture of the creek from their road, they called it Pebble Creek, since we lived on Pebble Lane.

The blackberry bushes lining the dirt road, part of their old property, but they always maintained it. :) Oh, and the blackberries in Paradise - AMAZING!

This is the A-frame that my parents had built in 1974. We lived in the walkout basement the first year while the rest of the house was being built. I remember when my dad had Gary Wells build the shed in the background. The house looked much nicer when we had it, sadly the owners now don't take very good care of it. :(

Another reason to go to Paradise right after Easter - Joy Lyn's candies! Seriously a family tradition! It's in this cute little cottage-type front of the owner's house, nestled in the pines. I took some interior shots just because it is way cute!

Here is their display of their Easter candy. Chocolate baskets, bunnies, and creamy chocolate, and divinity Easter eggs. I ate about 2 of the eggs, and have discovered that I can no longer eat them - way too sweet for me! But the memories, ah, the memories... are to die for! :)

Here is an overall picture of their shop now. They even have a window where you can watch them make the chocolate - and the chocolate is hand dipped! Yummers!

Cute little bunnies -- they all need a home.

So, now we go from one extreme to another --

This is where my dad is buried, Paradise Cemetery. Below is a picture of his headstone, and eventually my mom's.

The dirt in Paradise is red clay, so the headstone is orangeish. We have a picture of a rubber raft because my dad was not only a successful attorney, but he also owned a rafting company where he took hundreds and hundreds of people on white water rafting trips, practically for free. He LOVED it! There is also a picture of the temple because they both love that, and so do I.

This is the chapel on Bille Rd. where we had dad's funeral...

This is the church we attended when we first moved to Paradise, before the other one was built.

This is the house we lived in on Thomason Way when Amy was born!

This was my Aunt Bev's mobile home, right next to my mom's.

After my dad passed away mom sold the house and moved to this mobile home.

This is my dad's old office. It used to be a home and he converted it. It has obviously fallen on hard times.

This was the house we rented in Paradise in 1973 while we had the walkout basement built for the A-frame house.

Ponderosa Elementary School - where Sam attended Kindergarten in 1984.

And here is the store that my kids used to walk to with their Aunt Kate where they would buy warheads candy! They loved that walk and the candy! ;)

Foster's Freeze. Yes, there are many Foster's Freeze out there but this is the best! Great corn dogs! (but none are as good as the Little Red Wagon on Main Street in Disneyland!)

The End.

Thirty-two years and counting!

2010-03-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

The Before:

The After (currently):

I woke up this morning remembering that exactly 32 years ago right at that moment we were driving up to the Provo temple. It was 7:30 our time, 6:30 for Utah. There was no daylight savings time in March back then!

Just as we were driving up to the temple the sun was peeking over Mt. Timpanogas. Timp was covered in snow, yet there was no snow on the ground in Provo. The day was crisp and clear, and the sun was shining brilliantly. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful Spring day for our wedding/sealing.

We made the mistake of taking in a session first - Pat's idea. A couple of funny things happened to make the day more memorable... First, Pat ran into a guy that I was kind of dating when we were getting to know each other, and happily shared with him that we were getting married that morning. Second, my mom went to the wrong session because the temple called for the 'Dell' party - but it was a Del first name, not last! So, I waited for about a half hour in the brides room to get dressed for my mom. Pat and everyone else were waiting in the chapel, wondering if I had backed out. (Pat knew better, others questioned)

Following the sealing we decided we would go to lunch; and we wanted to go to the Skyroom on top of the Wilkinson Center, thinking that it would be just our family. We ended up inviting everyone so many more came then we expected. Thankfully we knew people that worked there and they made the arrangements for us. (Thanks Christian and Sydney!) We had a wonderful time. :)

After lunch we went to the bookstore, since we were all from out of town by then. There I saw people from our ward and shared with them the happy news. We parted company with our parents (our only family that could attend the temple with us) and went our separate ways.

We didn't have any money for a honeymoon, but my parents had given us some money for a wedding present. So, knowing that we would only have one night in Salt Lake before leaving to return to California the following morning, we opted to spend the night at Hotel Utah. Since we weren't having a honeymoon I wanted us to stay somewhere nice. So, there we stayed up on the 9th floor, in room 916! Right out our window was the Angel Moroni!

That's about all the details I will share of our 'honeymoon' night. I am grateful we were able to stay in Hotel Utah, sad that we will never stay there again since it is now the Joseph Smith building. However, every time I go there I go to room 916, and walk right in, because it has always just been an empty room. I wonder if that is for my benefit? ;)

So, Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband of 32 years! I am so grateful we continue to be happily married... Here's to our learning, laughing, talking, loving, understanding, growing, depending, trusting, overcoming, helping, strengthening, supporting and all of the other things that define our marriage. I am humbled because of the blessings we have received, and the blessing we have been in each others lives. I count myself truly blessed.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2010-03-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

Many years ago, when my kids were little, I happened upon this recipe in "The Friend" magazine. It has been a family favorite since then. We had it for dinner tonight so I thought I'd share... enjoy! ;)

Sweet and Sour Chicken
6 chicken breasts or thighs
¾ cup sugar
4 T catsup
½ c. vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
½ t. garlic powder

Dip chicken into beaten egg, then cornstarch. Place in pan with a little oil, brown. Put browned chicken on foil-lined and sprayed cookie sheet. Cover with sauce. Bake at 325 degrees for an hour, turning chicken every 15 minutes. Serve with rice and veggies!

If you use chicken tenders you turn the chicken every 5 minutes for a total of 20 minutes - so quick and easy!

Favorites

2010-02-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite quotes is, "If someone drops an offense, don't pick it up."

I am absolutely positive that there have been times in my life where I have offended others. Usually I am pretty quick to apologize. I can assure you that if I have offended another it was never intentional. I don't like hurting others, it makes me sad. Inside I am a nice person - wanting to see the best in every one. I like people and I like it when others are happy!

Have I been offended? Of course! Recently? Not really. Have I had to remind myself to not pick up an offense? Yes, I have. It sure makes life easier when you are in the midst of having your own little pity party to realize that you didn't need to have that party at all, simply by making the choice to not be offended. :)

Another favorite quote of mine is "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

Why do I like this quote? Think how much better the world would be if we all put others before ourselves when having a discussion. People are so much more comfortable when their opinions count; when their feelings are validated. Wouldn't you want to be understood first rather than someone trying to convince you of their way? It's all in the listening, the caring, and in being selfless.

Feel free to adapt my favorite quotes to your life - it may make this journey a bit lighter for you.

Profound thought...

2010-02-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

Last week our Stake RS presidency met with our Stake President, President Crockett, for our monthly stewardship meeting. We have 1/2 hour with the Stake President and Brother Herrin, the HC over RS. At this particular meeting we discussed our recent Stake RS activity, which took place on January 30th. It was a positive, uplifting meeting, and President Crockett was pleased with the outcome.

More to the point, we also discussed living the commandments and I thought he shared a profound thought with us. He said, "Isn't living the commandments as simple as not poking yourself in the eye?" He elaborated by explaining that if we (in general) would tell others "Don't poke yourself in the eye!" in conjunction with living the commandments they might understand that when you break the commandments and commit sin you are hurting yourself. Heavenly Father is simply asking us to not hurt ourselves by giving us commandments - isn't it great to be so loved? By living the commandments we are happier, and I think those around us are as well. :)

Wait Watchers!

2010-01-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

I am officially announcing that I have been on Weight Watchers since June 16th. I have lost 33 lbs. thus far and am very happy with my progress... though it is slow going. However, with having hypothyroidism this does not surprise me, I expected it to go slow. So, I am patiently waiting to lose all the weight that I need to lose, :) but doing so happily! Because progress is progress and it is something I haven't had for a very LONG time! I am almost halfway to my goal and I have all the time in the world to get there, so I am good!

One of the interesting things that I realized shortly after joining WW was that I did so on the anniversary of my dad's death. I didn't even realize it when it happened. To me it is symbolic of the reason I am losing weight, he died at age 64 (almost 65), and I simply don't want to. That is only 10 and 1/2 years away for me to be the same age that he was. :( Not going there, not doing that, so now is the time for me to be who I need to be.

So here is a list of the many reasons I chose to lose weight, well, to adopt a new lifestyle in eating healthier:
1) my back. i have stenosis of the spine in my L4 & L5 areas. Not fun.
2) my ankles were killing me - turns out it was my shoes that were hurting me from the walking I was doing. weird. they caused me to have Achilles tendinitis
3) my knee - did you know that when you lose one lb. it's like taking 4 lbs. off of your knee? great blessing!
4) my family - I want to be around for my kids and grandkids, and possibly the great grandkids! I want to be 'grandma great' to someone too!

Honestly I didn't tell many people for a long time that this is what I was doing because I was so fearful of failing. After Rach was born I had lost all my weight by doing WW and was doing really well. Then, suddenly, I began gaining weight - 10lbs. here, 20 lbs. there, and I could not control it! That is when we discovered my thyroid condition. I felt like a failure, and I didn't feel there were any options for me. However, last year when our bishop and his wife, Catherine, began losing weight I decided to give it a go. I go online and manage all that I eat, counting points faithfully. Rachel and I are walking on a nearly consistent basis (that is when it's not raining or I'm not sick!). It is making a difference all around. I am happier with who I am and am grateful for the blessings this has brought me.

This is all worth the wait, believe me!

So this is Christmas!

2009-12-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

I love my family - immediate and extended. Yesterday we got together with many of our extended family to decorate Donna and Seppi's Christmas tree. They have had a difficult year with her battling colon cancer and their hopes being dashed time and time again... Things aren't looking too good right now, and we wanted to bring them some Christmas joy, which brought us joy as well. Here are a few of the pictures we took:

The guys discussing important life decisions... I'm sure!

Caitlin having some fun!

Donna, surely she is wondering "Where do we begin?"
Figuring things out...
Still figuring things out.
Sue working on Christmas project and Cait with Peek a boo
Corey and Kyle
Working together... Me, Grandma and Deb
Happily working!
Grandma put the hooks on the ornaments - she loved having a job and making a contribution!
We did it!
Pat, Corey, Rach, Deb, Cait, Seppi and Donna

Rach and Debi stringing the lights
Rachel, Deb, Me and Pat putting on the lights.
Pat putting on the ribbon - so pretty!

"I'm done!"

The finished product. Deb and Donna in front of the Christmas tree. Beautiful!

Donna and Seppi

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Reflections

2009-10-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I received an interesting phone call from an old family friend. She had been my dad's secretary for years. (if any of my family is reading this please don't tell Grandma or Sue about this story; they don't need to hear it for obvious reasons.) We played phone tag a bit and then she finally caught me at home. This is the gist of the conversation after pleasantries were exchanged:

Friend: Sandy, I called because I have a confession to make. (pause here for silence)

Me: I'm listening (with an encouraging tone, really)

Friend: Years ago I stole something from your family.

Me: Okay, go ahead...

Friend: After your dad died your mom called and asked me to come over and help her to sort through things, get rid of things and organize everything. I saw something that she had that I coveted. (sad feelings for me)

At this point she explained the item that she had stolen... I honestly could not remember it.

Friend: So, when your mom wasn't paying attention I took the item and put it in the trunk of my car, took it home and put it in a drawer in case you came over sometime and would see it. I couldn't have you know that I stole from your family.

Me: speechless

Friend: I forgot about it until recently. My husband passed away last year and as I've been going through things I found this item. My temple recommend is up for renewal, and I cannot get it renewed until I make this right. I need to ask your forgiveness.

Me: You are forgiven, everything is fine. It's a thing, nothing meaningful to us.

Friend: Thank you, you have no idea how wonderful that is to hear. Now, to complete this process I need to return it to you, when can I come to your house?

I knew that I would be at my mom's the next day and that she lives northeast of where my mom lives in Sacramento. I suggested we meet at mom's the following day and then she could see my mom too. I did have one request though,

Me: Please don't tell my mom, there is a lot of hardships in our family with my niece having colon cancer and my sister having a liver disease, she doesn't need to hear about any of this; nor does my sister.

Friend: Agreed. See you tomorrow!

The following day we met at my mom's. She visited with us for a few hours, I made us some lunch. My mom enjoyed the visit thoroughly. After a few hours my mom was really worn out so I said my goodbyes, as did our friend, and out to the parking lot we went. There we went to her car and she opened the trunk. This is the item that she pulled out of the trunk:

This is a mirror that my parents had hanging in their home at one time. I honestly have a flitter of a memory of it while Pat actually remembers where it hung.

This is the back of it, obviously it is not in good condition. It isn't anything 'special' or valuable either - it is simply a thing.

I was saddened that our friend had gone through something that was completely unnecessary. Had she asked my mom if she could have this mirror my mom would have happily given it to her, after all, my mom was purging belongings at the time. Also, to allow something so trivial get in the way of you and the temple really saddens me. The temple is a gift from our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to us; They want us to return to live with Them and we should not allow 'things' to get in the way of that, ever. One important part of this is that my dad died over 17 years ago... a long time to carry such a burden.

The fact that it was a mirror has not been lost on me. We see a reflection of ourselves in mirrors. My friend stated at one time that the mirror had sat on a chair in her home, staring at her. I have to wonder what she saw when she looked at it knowing what she had done, and after her phone call to me what she then saw.

I am reminded of this scripture found in Alma 5:14:

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ; that His actions have made it possible for each and every one of us to repent, to become clean, from just about any sin that we commit. He is my Savior and my Redeemer - without Him I am nothing. Thank heavens our dear friend knows that as well. We are truly blessed. I pray that I will have His image in my countenance at all times.

Amy and James' visit

2009-10-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

James and Amy came for a visit! They returned home on Saturday. We sure enjoyed having them here! We love being with our grandchildren and children! We had a lot of fun and some down time too, so we didn't over do things for James. I didn't take a whole lot of pictures because I forgot to! So, here are a few that we did take...

We LOVE Apple Hill and usually take a trip there annually. This year Amy was excited to have the apple fritters and a tri tip sandwich while there. We took pies to my nieces and apples to my mom and sister. :) It was a delicious day!

The sun was a little brighter than expected for James!

My shoe looks edible... I think I will grab it!

James wanted to play with the hay rather than pose! :)

Four Generations... Mom, Me, Amy & James

Cousins... Rachel, Amy and Deb.

James in his stroller.

He likes to stand a lot! He even took steps at our house, the night before they left!

This and the following are James doing his "muscle man" face... so funny!

Tahoe

2009-10-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

"Better late than never!" is a phrase I can totally relate to! We were in Tahoe a month ago and I am just now getting around to posting pictures! There is very little information to share about our trip other than these few tidbits:
1) Pat's presentation on the levee project went very well. He has given it now 4 times (Tahoe being one of the 4); and has 2 more presentations to come. :)
2) Tahoe was BEAUTIFUL!! We loved the scenery especially.
3) We ate at some nice restaurants... delicious food, but counting calories all the same! ;)

Here are some of my favorite pics. (I won't post too many because it's just too much!)

Pat and Rachel on our boat ride to Emerald Bay - everything was great, except the plastered passengers. Go figure!

Rachel enjoying the boat... that is not a plastered passenger in the background :)

The view of the water next to the boat. Gorgeous!

Emerald Bay from the highway, and the little island with the tea house on top! So cool!

Pat and I on the beach after having lunch.

A view of Lake Tahoe from a drive that Rach and I took.

The island with the tea house; view from the boat.

The house built on Emerald Bay back in the 20's. Very impressive.

Another view of the house on Emerald Bay.

Pat wanted ice cream, so we shared. :) Good thing too... there was so much!

We just had to get pics of these wedding chapels... and share!

A cool fire truck we saw on one of our drives. We just like odd stuff!

This Little Piggy

2009-09-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

Luckily she doesn't actually look like this!

Today Rach is staying in bed, in her room. We even gave her our tv for viewing. Turns out she most likely has the Swine Flu. Yuck. She started feeling lousy yesterday morning, so she ended up staying home from church. She is not one for being lethargic, even when she is sick... so I figured something different was up, because she is definitely lethargic. This morning I looked up the swine flu symptoms and it fits her perfectly, sadly enough.

Here are the symptoms:
cough
fever
congestion
tired and achy
nausea
runny nose

That pretty much sums up swine flu... and Rach. It looks like she has a mild case of it, so as far as we are concerned she is quarantined! Poor baby. :(

Now let's just hope that we don't get it! ;)

Fall is coming!

2009-09-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

We have had semi-ridiculously hot weather here lately... in fact it may reach 100 degrees tomorrow! Doesn't the weather 'God' know it is September and things are supposed to be cooling down??? I am SO looking forward to Fall and cooler temperatures!

Here are a few of the things I am looking forward to!:
1) Amy and Jame's visit in October
2) Apple Hill
3) Hopefully another attendance of 'Wicked' (so fun)
4) Our trip to Lake Tahoe in 2 weeks (business trip, but who cares? it's Tahoe!)
5) Country drives to view the beautiful fall colors (or a trip down Rumble Road)
6) No fans running in the house -- (which sounds kind of funny, as if there are little fans running around our house, and that leads me to question... fans of what or whom?) ;)
7) Since '7' is my favorite number I will stop here --- and Finally ---- Cooler weather! Yay!

BIG Loggy!

2009-08-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

Front view of the 'cabin', Big Loggy

Our first official family reunion was this year in Driggs, Idaho. Pat and I decided that we were just going to go ahead and plan it and whoever showed up (which we tried really hard to work with everyone) showed up! Fortunately, everyone showed up! Originally we had thought of holding it in Park City, but instead we chose Driggs, for several reasons... first, 3/4 of the kids (at the time) lived close by (Rach has now moved back in with us for a year); second, I thought it would be more secluded than Island Park, and I was right!; third, Craig and Angie wanted to see somewhere other than Utah! (and who can blame them?)

The view from the back porch... The Tetons - gorgeous, isn't it?

We had thought that we would rent Big Loggy from Monday - Thursday, since we were in Utah for the weekend for Craig and Angie's sealing. However, the owner that handles the rentals offered it to us for Sunday for free, so we took him up on it! (one less hotel room to pay for) Wow, were we blessed to be able to stay there. I will tell you a little about Big Loggy so you understand.

Big Loggy is on 2 1/2 acres with the Tetons as the view from the backyard and porch. It is simply gorgeous. The house itself is 4300 sq. ft., with 5 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. There are 2 King suites on the main floor, and 2 bedrooms in the walk out basement with queen beds, and another with a double bed and 3 bunkbeds (as Rylee called them... 'big, Big beds!) The kitchen was a generous size and the dining room sat 10 comfortably, but we managed to seat us all around the table. (9 adults, 1 child, 1 toddler, 2 babies) The living room was comfy (as were the beds - everyone loved them), and the family room downstairs was much like a theater room. The laundry room was huge, and there was so much extra space downstairs you could easily sleep another 6 people, and I do mean easily. The house was perfect for our needs - we weren't in each other's way at all.

The kitchen

Bedroom with 'big, BIG bed' - where Rylee and Rachel slept :)

The dining area, with the kitchen in the background.

Master Bathroom - sunken tub (which the little ones enjoyed),
walk in shower, and double sinks... so nice.

Master bedroom #1 - the other one was a little smaller.
Pat wanted to be nice and give this room to one of the kids... my reaction? "No Way!"

On Monday afternoon Pat took most everyone shooting. We talked to a friend of ours from the area and he said to just drive up in the mountains until you find a clearing that no one lives on! After a lengthy drive they found just the right spot and now everyone loves shooting! (Amy, Angie, me and the grandchildren all stayed behind.)

The target...

Rachel shooting... a natural, from what I hear!

Pat is enjoying himself! Sam is concentrating!

Linzi, Sam and Craig. Brad's in the background and we don't

have a clear pic of him shooting. *sigh*

One of the best things we did there was for family night. After most of the kids had gone to bed we had the kids tell us about our ancestor's countries: Sweden, Scotland/Ireland, England, Germany, and Canada. It was interesting hearing some of their history and interesting facts. We showed them pictures of some of our ancestors, too. After that we played a quick fun game, and then us girls got into scrapbooking - not Angie's favorite thing to do, especially that late at night... sorry Ang! We were all tired, but we began a scrapbook depicting the past year, so that every year when we get together we can update it, and have a picture history of our family. I will also insert some of the pics we took while we were there. I am excited to have this tradition in our family, I think the kids will love it when they get older.

Linzi's friend, Megan, came and took our family pictures on Tuesday morning. I love the way they all turned out. The only problem was that in the family pics Linzi was usually hidden by Sadie... but there are a few where she isn't so it's all good!

Our wonderful family!

Craig and Angie had to leave early since they weren't feeling well and he needed to get back for work, we were sorry to see them go.

Another fun thing we did was go to Jackson Hole. We went to lunch and then walked around the town. The only difficult part was that the kids couldn't touch anything... that is so hard for little hands to keep to themselves, especially when they can touch at some stores and not at others! Also, Sam enjoyed seeing the many art galleries there, kind of like going to Carmel.

The park - we just decided to relax for a while, and let the kids unwind.
Linzi, Amy, James, Rachel and Rylee

Rachel and Rylee

Wednesday was spent just kind of hanging out around the cabin. Several of us went for walks, and there was a lot of sitting on the porch, and playing games. Pat even played Wii a few times that night - even staying up late with the kids! I know, its amazing that he will play any kind of video game, especially since they all make him dizzy! But the Wii was great! (maybe I will convince him to get one, hmmm)

Thursday morning was spent packing up and heading back to Rexburg. By the time we left and got back we were all pretty tired, it had been a busy week! However, we went back to pack up Rachel's belongings in both of our cars (filled to the brim, literally, and only the drivers seat was available in Pat's car). (it would be a long drive home on Friday) And Sam and Linzi went home to a notice that their carpets were going to be cleaned that day, so they had to hustle and get everything out of the way - so exhausting!

After getting everything situated and seeing everyone for one last little visit Pat and I were comfortably situated in our hotel room. We slept well that night! The following morning we were up by 6 AM, over at Amy's to get Rach and say quick good-byes around 6:30 and out the door and on the road by 7:15 AM. There was a great deal of construction and lots of delays but we still had a good trip. We were home that evening, 8:30 PM our time. Family is wonderful, but home is great too! :)

Families Can Be Together Forever :)

2009-08-29T00:44:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, August 15th, Craig, Angie and Lucas were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple. The day began as a wet, blustery day, but ended up being clear and sunny. I found that quite symbolic given the circumstances, but I won't get into that...

There is no better feeling for me than being in the temple with our children and children-in-law. That is where the significance of eternal families hits home. I look forward to the day when Rachel will be in the temple with all of us too. :)

The day was full of joy... Lucas was a little angel as they brought him in to be sealed to his mommy and daddy. It was as if he knew what was taking place. He had a smile and a peace about him. What a blessing he is to our family, but mostly to Craig and Angie. How grateful I am for this simple yet eternity altering event.

Craig with Luke, just before entering the temple.

It was a quick picture due to time constraints, but there it is!

Craig, Angie & little Luke - all dressed in white...

The happy little family in front of the temple.

Our happy family... all of us were there. :)

Wicked-ly Fun July!!!

2009-07-23T15:52:00.000-07:00

July was definitely busy! I am okay with that because the busier I am the more fun I seem to have!

First, Pat and I went to Yosemite one day - just the two of us. It was a gorgeous day! While it was hot at home it was in the 70's and 80's in Yosemite. We left around 9 AM, drove up to Glacier Point and took these pictures around 11:30. Glacier Point is where they used to do the firefalls. They would make a huge bonfire then throw it over the side. Watching from below it was so cool to see! And, yes, I am 'old' in the respect that they stopped doing that in the late 60's... I feel privileged that I was one of the few that witnessed the firefalls!

Side view of Half Dome - one of my favorite sights in the world!

[because I have seen so much... ;) ]

Yosemite Falls - Upper and Lower

Another shot of Half Dome - beautiful.

After being there for a while we drove down to the valley
and stopped at the lookout where we took this picture:

It is just so amazingly beautiful... really.

If you have never been to Yosemite it is a MUST see!!!
-------------------------------------

Sam, Linzi, Rylee and Sadie happily made a last minute decision to come and visit us for the 4th. So, we had to have fun while they were here! We decided to go to the Sacramento Zoo, Fairytale Town (where the slides and everything are made up from fairytales... my kids used to love that place. I can't believe we are now taking their kids there!)

The size of wing span Rylee has. I can't remember what it was, but it wasn't big!

Sadie... enthralled.

Rylee pets a snake! So did Grandma... really? Yep! :)

Rylee at the entrance to Fairytale Town...
poor Humpty Dumpty... didn't stand a chance.

Rylee enjoying the Old Woman in a Shoe slide!

Daddy, Rylee, Grandpa and Sadie - taking in the sites.

After we finished at the zoo and fairytale town we went over to see Grandma Breed. She had never met Sadie before and hasn't seen Sam in 18 months! She really enjoyed seeing us all. :)

Sam with Sadie, Grandma Dell (me), Rylee and Grandma Great (Breed)

Four generations!

Rylee and Sadie playing dress up. Oh so cute!

It was so hot while they were here... so Rylee filled the 'pool' up with water!They had great fun in that little pool... mommy, daddy, Rylee and Sadie! Yay for water!

They were here from Thursday, the 2nd through Monday, the 6th. We really enjoyed our time with them. Very relaxing and fun!

------------------------------

Then... on the 13th Rachel flew out and stayed for ten days! We had some fun, but it was relatively quiet too, since Pat became ill with the flu for five days... YES! Five Days!!

I would have to share 2 highlights of Rachel's visit with you...
The first (and favorite) was going to SF to see Wicked!!!!!! Amazingly wonderful!

Rachel all ready and excited to go!
We ate at Mimi's in Pleasanton just before catching BART.
She is really excited... :)

BART... I've only ridden BART a few times but people are sure friendly!
Sometimes almost too friendly!

The sign on the building... it was on both sides of the theater. So exciting!

Our next adventure was going to Girls... I mean, um, Young Women's Camp up at Clark's Fork. This is where Amy and Rachel attended camp for years, along with Pat, and even me once! Though I've been there many times since Pat was bishop and I would go on Friday afternoons and bring treats for the girls in our ward. It was a fun time!

The entrance to camp... so peaceful.

Singing for their supper... ah, the memories!

Will Gillingwater - he was in our bishopric when we moved to Ripon. We have fond memories of Will... "Goals and Dreams", Almond Blossom Festival/Parade at his house with savory snacks he would sneak us! :) Alas, he now lives in the DC area, but he makes the journey yearly to be the Head Cookie! We love Will!

The Dining Area

A Manteca Stake Tradition... the Bride and Groom.

Amanda & Jesse

Each year a former YW from our stake is selected to be the bride, and she brings along her groom! The bride had to have attended camp all six years and earned her tree. (that is another tradition) Amanda Hollingsworth ? was elected this year to be the bride. Her husband, Jesse, is not from this area, I believe he is from San Diego. I have known Amanda since she was 2, yes 2 years old, and now she is 19! Amazing. Her mom joined the church when Pat was ward mission leader; he was also their hometeacher for years. How we love the Hollingsworth family! I saw Amanda's mom and dad this week at Costco and found out that everyone in the family except Andrea (Amanda's mom) knew that this was happening. Imagine her surprise when she was sitting there waiting for the bride and groom and out walks her daughter! I love it! Pat also was honored to perform the ring ceremony for them following their sealing in the Oakland temple for their family members who are not LDS.

We enjoyed going to Young Women's camp, it was definitely a deja vu moment!

To top off July we enjoyed peaches from our peach tree... so much! I made peach cobbler and peach jam. We gave many, many peaches to our neighbors and friends. The nicest thing about that is that they give us back their produce and we LOVE it! California's produce is the best.

Rachel went home on the 23rd and things around here became quiet once again. I was talking to a friend of ours whose son just returned from his mission. She told me that his dad said, "I wish you were 10 again, so we could relive all those fun times." I feel much the same way... it is hard to have your kids grow up and move away. It's what you want for them, but how we miss those times. Fortunately, for us, Rach is coming home to live for awhile in a few weeks. We are happy to have her home with us for a little while. :)

Pearls of Life

2009-06-02T16:14:00.001-07:00

Wikipedia: "the word pearl became a metaphor for something very rare, very fine, very admirable and very valuable." The worth of a pearl is measured by where they are cultivated as well as the light that reflects from their luster.

I have always loved pearls. For my 20th birthday I received a pearl ring from my parents, and still have it to this day. Other pearls in my life are family members; each unique, and cultured over a period of time, their lights all shining individually and collectively. Another type of pearl for me are occasions where wonderful, meaningful family gatherings occur. We had one recently, which I wrote about previously, but now I have the pictures to share! So... enjoy each of my pearls!

Lucas Patrick Dell on his blessing day.
Such a sweet picture of such a sweet boy... and a wonderful blessing his daddy gave him.
He wore the same blessing outfit that Craig and Sam wore.

Craig, Angie and Lucas after blessing.

(we forgot to take pictures while Angie was still dressed up!)

A happy and somber occasion. Three generations: Pat, Craig and Luke.

Mother's Day: I was given a pearl necklace from the family.
(I had hoped to get a picture of all of us women in the family
together that day but things were just too hectic.)

Amy with James; her first mother's day! :)

Lucas Patrick Dell and James Patrick Westmoreland = cousins!

Rylee LOVES baby James! :)

Rachel and Rylee.
We would have gotten a picture of Sadie,
but she would not stop long enough for one!

James discovering his new jeep at Toys R Us. Fun!!!

Brad's birthday lunch at Red Robin.

Rachel celebrating Brad's birthday.
We, unfortunately, forgot our camera for Angie's birthday lunch and dinner!
The Indian food was amazing!

Those are all the pearls I have to share for now. We did not get pictures of everyone - they were probably running around taking care of kids! I know that I always say how much I love my family and how important they are to me, but it is true. That is why they are my pearls - each and every one of them!

A Love/Hate Relationship

2009-05-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

California - my home state!

California has been my 'home' for approximately 45 years what with living in Idaho for 2 years, Utah for 3 and Minnesota (yes, even though I was age 3-6 it still counts!) for 3 years. How I love California, and how I've grown to hate certain things here... mainly the politics. Though I am so very grateful that the CA courts upheld Prop 8 yesterday I know that is a small victory in this important conflict.

But, enough of that! I thought I should share some of the many things I love about California, because even though the politics stink, it's overcrowded, our economy is in the toilet, etc., etc, I am still so very grateful and feel very blessed for the many years I have lived here. (No, we are not moving, I am just being appreciative!) I love the beauty found here, the fresh produce, and many of the people (who, like us, would leave in a heartbeat if they could!) There are so many memories I hold dear - going camping in Yosemite when I was a little girl (seeing the firefalls!), living near the ocean, going to Disneyland all the time when I was growing up, being near family, living in Paradise (one of my personal favorites) and raising our family here. Memories mixed with good times and family equal great happiness. Which means, I am a happy woman. :)

Some of the sights I love:

Half Moon Bay - just southwest of San Francisco -
they seriously have the best fish and chips there and its beautiful!

Huntington Beach, CA - where I spent most of my growing up years.
I so love the ocean!
(not to mention my beautiful daughters!)

Mendocino, CA - about 150 miles north of San Francisco:

Carmel, CA - just south of Monterey... breathtaking.
(and yes, that is Pebble Beach in the background)

Big Sur, CA - about 25 miles south of Carmel, CA - so gorgeous!

San Francisco Bay - Golden Gate Bridge. It's so pretty on a clear day!

Yosemite - probably my most favorite place on earth.
Yosemite Falls...

Half Dome - simply amazing...

Paradise, CA
While I only lived there for 5 years myself, my parents lived there for over 20.
I am in love with it even now.
Daffodil Hill

Pat, Amy and I went there a few years ago for the first time...
thousands of daffodils all in bloom! Beautiful!

Obviously, not a daffodil but a really pretty flower that Pat took a pic of when we were there. Some of our other pics are hanging in our bedroom.Disneyland!!!!
'The Happiest Place on Earth!'
So many wonderful memories, and so much fun!
Me being a kid at Disneyland! ;0
Oakland Temple - you just have to have been there to appreciate it. Really.
It truly is one of the happiest places on earth... if only everyone could go.
How I would love that! :)

One of the other things I absolutely love, love, love, love, love is our fresh produce!
You can literally go to the corner and find a fruit/veggie stand!
Here are two of my favorites, though there are many more:
Asparagus:

... And Strawberries!
There used to be a stand in Modesto that had the biggest, juiciest berries but they are gone now... sadly Vella Farms is no longer. My parents used to love going there and getting the berries. Now, we just drive a mile plus and we have fresh strawberries - they just aren't quite as good as Vella's were, but they are still really good!

What I love mostly about this wonderful state is my home...
not the building/home, but my family/home.
All the places I've lived here, all the sights, sounds, scents and tastes of California always bring me back here... home. That is where my heart truly is.

Family Time

2009-05-21T16:42:00.001-07:00

Warning: this will be rather boring to most of you, read on if you like, but its basically a summary of our trip to Utah/Idaho...

On May 10th Pat and I flew into SLC. Rachel picked us up and we drove down to Provo so that we could all be together for Lucas' blessing. Craig gave him a wonderful blessing, which was a joy in itself.

On Mother's day we all attended Craig's ward. It was so nice to be together as a family in Sacrament meeting again! Only Angie wasn't able to be there since she had to take her father to the airport. I enjoyed Pat sitting next to me! :) We never get to sit together, let alone see one another at church very often, what with him up on the stand and me away at various Stake meetings! No complaints... it was just nice.

That day we went to the canyon and celebrated Mother's Day (there simply wasn't room in Craig's and Angie's apartment). We had a picnic with family members and friends. I really enjoyed being with everyone. I hope they did too!

From the park Sam and Linzi left since she and Sadie were leaving for DC the following morning. Sam and Brad would later drive up to Idaho so that they could attend classes the following day.

Pat, the girls, James and me all stayed behind. Monday we went shopping for Craig's birthday gifts from us. It was fun being together doing normal tasks. That doesn't happen often anymore. Happy Birthday Craigers!!! :)

Pat's flight left that afternoon so Craig and he had some father/son time stopping off at Cabella's and then on to the airport.

Rachel drove her car with the rest of her things up to Amy's. Amy, James and me rode in Amy's car. Amy is a nonstop talker so I was quite entertained the entire time. I am grateful for my girls and the talks we have. We are all so much on the same page in most areas. While driving up we got to talking about Angie's birthday and that I was going to take her shopping on her birthday. Amy thought it would be fun if she and Rach came down and spent the day with her too. So, that is what we did! ;) We had a great time with Angie! She is a trooper! We love her so much and are so happy she is part of our family. Happy Birthday Angie!

I spent Monday through Monday in Rexburg. The first few days taking care of Rylee while Sam was in classes. I loved spending time with her. She is such a sweetheart. She really does just have an amazingly sweet spirit. She is full of curiosity and fun! I wish the weather would have been better so that we could have been more adventurous! We bought her little things to keep her happy and occupied. She missed her mommy so much! One day we came home from visiting over at Amy's and she just broke down crying... "I want my daddy! He needs to come home!" So sweet. She just held on to me and softly cried. Finally she was happy again, but once Sam came home, that was all she wanted!!! Yay for Sam!!! I am so happy that Rylee loves him so very much. I am also happy that she missed her mommy.

On Thursday night I moved over to Amy and Brad's place. While they have a full house there is still room for me there. Sam's back was hurting from sleeping on the couch and I wanted to return his bed to him asap so that he could feel better.

Friday we drove to Idaho Falls. I was amazed at how much it felt like home compared to Rexburg. While I would love to live there I realize that Pat and I probably wouldn't handle the snow as well now since we both have arthritis. We went and saw Natalie Bogren whose family just moved from Manteca to Idaho Falls. We loved visiting with her! From there we went to Babe's bakery... an IF favorite of ours! Friday was also Brad's birthday which we celebrated on Friday night. Happy Birthday Boston!!!

Saturday Rachel and I had some mom/daughter time driving around IF, familiar places that we enjoyed driving when we lived there. Then we went to Red Robin for lunch... another celebration for Brad's birthday. Rylee was very well behaved and attached to her daddy! Any free time we had seemed to be spent shopping! I don't know why exactly... but that was what happened.

Sunday was church, of course. Attending Relief Society I was struck at the youthfulness of the ward (I was once like them?). I loved hearing their clear crisp singing voices, and feeling of their spirits. One of the things I loved most was seeing Amy sitting up front as she is serving in the Presidency. It just warmed my heart. :)

Rach and I took a drive up to Island Park after church. We were looking to see if there were any rentals for our family reunion. No luck. The drive was pretty and the company wonderful!

Sam and Rylee came over for dinner that night. Again, fun family time! We enjoyed it. Rylee loved going for a walk with Brad, Amy, Rach and James.

The following morning Sam and Rylee drove me to Craig's place and then they took off to get Linzi and Sadie. They were both so excited! I love when families are reunited after a long time away! I enjoyed talking with Sam all the way to Pleasant Grove.

Angie and I visited all day, talking away. Also, Lucas smiled for me a lot!!! He has a quiet sweet spirit, yet very happy. He is a cute little guy... we are so happy he is part of our family. We all love him!

Craig came home and proceeded to share their evening schedule with me. Early to bed for them since it is early to rise! That was fine with me, I was tired! We talked, watched a little TV, and read 'Fablehaven'. I just enjoyed being with them in their home environment.

The following day was Angie's birthday! I let her sleep in and took care of Lucas. Again, a sweetie. He is just so lovable. At noon we could check into our hotel room (for the girls, James and me). We met at the hotel, then went to Zupa's for lunch, one of my favorite places to eat there. I love their salads, soups and sandwiches - one feels so healthy when eating there! :)

Then we took Angie shopping! We went to several stores, where Rachel bought a dress, Amy a swimsuit and then finally we found a dress for Angie at Kohls!!! Yay! She looks adorable in it too! I hope she loves it!

After that we met up at the Indian Palace where I, for the first time (along with Amy), had Indian food at a restaurant! Very good! We loved it! Craig loved the leftovers too!

We then went to Craig and Angie's and ate birthday dessert that Angie had made. Panacatta? Not sure how to spell it, but it was delicious! We talked and visited a while, bedtime quickly approached so off we went to the hotel.

We stayed at the Marriot Spring Hill Suites in Lehi - we have stayed there before. It was nice because there were two double beds, and a hideabed for us. We talked until eleven, then we all fell fast asleep. Even James slept 8 hours! Hooray!

Morning came and off we went. We stopped by Tai Pan because Amy had never been there before and she has seen some of my decorations that I have purchased there. She didn't actually buy anything, but she enjoyed it.

Off to the airport from there! My flight was supposed to leave late, so the girls decided to stay awhile. James began getting fussy because he was tired so I suggested they leave. It was a good thing! By the time I got up to the gate, got a drink of water, they were having us get in line! I ended up getting the front row with the window seat... yay me! I loved it! Our flight ended up leaving early!!!

Coming home is often the best part of a trip. My sweet husband was waiting for me when I arrived. He took off the afternoon so we could spend the time together. It was just nice being in his arms again, knowing that wherever he is, that is my home.

I love my family, and I love spending time with them. I hope to make an annual tradition in the coming years where the girls and I get away together just to talk and have fun. No kids running around, just us! The most important things in my life are interconnected: the gospel of Jesus Christ and my family... nothing beats that!

Silver linings

2009-05-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Life is full of ups and downs... now that sounds profound, doesn't it? Not exactly! We all know it's true - while we have much to be thankful for there are times when that silver lining is just a little bit more difficult to find. Such, as they say, is life.

Fortunately, I am not a 'down' kind of person. I tend to find silver linings all around me - I believe that is a gift from God, I really do. I am actually not writing this to say, "Yay for me! Aren't I great?!" It's life that has me writing this, with all its wonder and experiences thrown in for good measure. Don't expect anything profound from me, I am, in fact, not profound. But I am real and I am positive, an odd mix, I know, but it pretty well sums me up.

Now, for the reasons I am writing this blog...
First. I had the stomach flu for 5 days, yes, count them, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and finally on Monday I began to feel better... finally! Again, not writing this for you to feel sorry for me, I survived! One of the greatest reasons I survived my five pretty much bed-ridden days was due to the amazing man I chose for my husband and eternal companion. Yes indeed! When Pat was home he was taking care of me, making sure I was warm by bringing me extra blankets, making me tea, bringing me toast or crackers, whichever I could stomach at the time. He made me soup and scrambled eggs. He was even willing to make me tapioca, but I was not willing to partake so he did not! He closed the blinds when I was sleepy to ensure my rest, he came home from work during his lunch hour in order to check on me... he was all the things I ever wanted him to be for me when I was sick!!! So, I am singing his praises... how grateful I am for his kindness, his love, his ability to look at me when I am in such a state and still love me. He is simply amazing, and I am especially blessed.

Which brings me to my second thought:
My niece, Donna, has colon cancer. She will be 41 on June 30th. Her husband, Seppi, has lovingly cared for her throughout this entire ordeal, even when dealing with the death of his own father. Everytime Donna and I talk lately she mentions how he has been there for her and is taking such good care of her. Donna had surgery last week to remove the portion of her colon that had the cancer in it. Seppi was nearby - always. Tonight she found out that the cancer was in eleven of the eighteen lymph nodes they removed. I believe that may put her at stage 3C, but I am not sure. We were on our way to their home to visit with them (after visiting with my mom) when my sister called and asked that we not go. Donna had just gotten the call and was extremely upset, naturally. Later when my sister called to give me the news about Donna she said she had talked to Seppi and he was supportive, calm and positive. Now, that is a rock of a husband. Has he had weak moments? Of course! He is human. However, he is willing to put his own feelings aside and think only of Donna's welfare. I love Seppi. I am so grateful that they have each other. What a great blessing.

I love silver linings - and the various wonderful forms they come in.

James and Family...

2009-04-27T16:09:00.001-07:00

James had his first bath in the sink while he was at our house. It was cute because he was kind of scrunched up and couldn't be his usual 'thumper' self and kick his legs! He was a trooper and adapted to being at Grandma's and Grandpa's really well! Grandpa could get him to laugh like no other, while Grandma had the magic touch of getting him to sleep and talk! Well... his kind of talk! He was telling me all kinds of stories! :)

Grandpa got to do one of his favorite things with James... play!!!

He also had some really good snuggle time... and appears to have the magic touch of helping him to sleep as well. I think Amy misses us just for that very reason! ;)

Mommy enjoyed her playtime with James also. He sure loves her! His face lights up when she simply walks into the room. So sweet...

I love his little sly look...

Along with his cute impish grin...
not to mention toothless! :)

Grandpa and James enjoying the rocking chair that has been in the family for 30 years, since Sam was born... All of our children loved this chair.

Brad was just happy to be here and on our comfy, nearly famous, green couch!

Time to say good-bye to James and Amy. The Oakland Airport was nice enough to allow Pat and me to go up with Amy and James and help her out until she was boarded. So impressive of Southwest to do that! *big smiles* As you can see, James was ready for the trip! But Grandpa was not ready to say 'good-bye'.

We feel so blessed that they could come for so long. Brad, thanks for letting them stay the extra week - it was wonderful!