Kelsey's Keepsakes

lobster anyone?

2011-08-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

Rex and I took a little trip to Southern California to relax on the beach for a few days before I went back to work. I took this picture the night we got there. We were just "getting our feet wet". Yes, his are the ones that are glowing.

This is the "after picture". He got so sunburned on the tops of his feet he could not even walk. He had to take a day off work when we got home it was so bad.

Let me back up a bit....

We left on a Wednesday, spent the night at the Huntington Beach Hilton Beach Resort Wednesday and Thursday night. Wednesday, we were getting there just about evening time. We walked the beach to the main street and had dinner there at the Sugar Shack Cafe. We walked out on the pier and watched the surfers and the people fishing off the pier.

On the way back to the Hotel, I took the pictures of our feet as the water was washing up over them.

Thursday, we took the hotel shuttle to main street and grabbed some breakfast. We also picked up sandwiches to put in the cooler and take to the beach. We walked back to the hotel and packed up all our stuff and walked across the street to the beach. We spent the entire day there. We read, people watched, ate, slept, played in the waves and just relaxed. This is when the feet got so burned. He said he put sunscreen on them, but it rubbed off in the sand. As you can see, he took every other precaution not to get burned!

Uni~bomber spotted at Huntington Beach...

The water is too cold for him I guess...

That night, we went to dinner at the Yard House and on Friday, we had decided we would check out of the Hotel and spend the day at the beach again. We had already planned on spending the night at our friends house. When we checked out of the hotel, our bellman told us about another beach in Laguna. We decided to drive to that one and spend the day. It was well worth it. It was in a little cove and really pretty. At this point we knew Rex's feet were burned, so he slathered the sunscreen on them and covered them with at towel all day.

Crescent Bay Beach

The day there was just beautiful. Rex even got a little show when the waves took a lady's swim bottoms right off her! OH, and we were both treated to this, when he made himself comfortable right in front of us! I know ~ can't stop looking, can ya?

When we left the beach, we had a 60 mile drive to Gary and Tammy's house. Since we decided to wait until rush hour to leave, it took us 3 hours to get there. By the time we got there, the reality of the sunburn was really setting in. By Saturday morning, he could hardly walk.

We went to breakfast with Gary and Tammy and Gary's daughter Sammy. Gary offered his Harley to us to take a little scenic ride that looped through the mountain and back to their house.

Me, overlooking Castaic Lake

Pyramid Lake (I think)

It was about a 2 hour ride and it was really pretty. When we got back to Gary and Tammy's house, we decided to head home. We rode back with Gary and his son Tyler. It was a great getaway. The feet are now peeling and itching him like crazy.

~summer fun~

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

Lindsey and her cousin Grady at Quinn's baseball game. Nothing says summer like baseball.

Quinn on 1st. He is such a cute kid. Love him!

Took a ride on the Harley to Springdale. Met Kenyon and Kara and Mataya for lunch. This is Rex and Mataya after lunch...relaxing outside the restaurant.

CUTE little niece. She is so precious. This was at my parents one day after Sunday dinner. The dress and the flowers look like it was planned, but it was not. Aunt Paula just loves to take pictures.

Me and Rex watching the 4th of July parade in Cedar.

Mom, Jessika and Lindsey at the park in Cedar on the 4th.

The gang's bikes ~ at Sullivans Cafe in Cedar.

A Harley ride over Cedar Mt. with some friends from Vegas. They were heading to Colorado, staying the night in Richfield on their way. We met up with them in Cedar and rode over the Mt. to Panguitch. Split off with them there. It was a beautiful day for a ride. This picture was taken at the Church parking lot at Panguitch Lake.

Old door out of a house that was torn down in Harmony years ago. I knew I wanted an old door for the pantry in the new house. I asked Ted, Rex's dad to go on the hunt for me in Harmony, to see if he could find me one. Boyd Pace told him I could have one form a pile of doors he had on his property. He had taken them out of an old house that was torn down. The pile of doors had been out in the elements for years. I fell in love with this one. I love the way the paint is chipping, and the door knob so high. I did not even know if it would work but we took it. I later found out that my Uncle Brent had taken some doors out of my Great Grandpa's house before it was torn down. He was nice enough to give me some of them too. The pantry door had already been framed out so we had to hope that one of the doors would work. The best fit was the one from Boyd. We only had to cut a few inches off the width. Rex is amazing and can do anything. He had to move the hinges too. but he made it work.

I LOVE IT! It is just what I wanted. Don't you think the door knob is neat, how high it is? I still want to use the doors Uncle Brent gave me somewhere in the house.

We were able to use these windows from Great Grandpa's house. Mom had them and she gave them to us. Rex's handy work again. These are above the office doors.

cute, cute, cute ~ the handyman and the project

2011-01-03T19:42:00.000-08:00

This is my hubby ~ Rex.

He is probably the most handiest (I know ~ not really proper English) man I know.

These are the most adorable lights he made for our house.

They will hang over the bar area in the new house as pendants. Right now they hang in his shop from the garage door track, just so he could show me how they turned out.

All for about $8.00 each!

SO, SO CUTE! He is amazing! I Love Him!

~giving thanks~

2010-12-03T21:56:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving and the entire weekend with Rex's parents and family in Harmony. It was a special holiday and we we not lacking in the delicious food department. The guest of honor ~ TOM~ was deep fried and boy was he delicious! Great day and weekend with family. We have so, so much to be thankful for. Most of all, I am thankful for the family I call mine!

TOM ~ getting his first taste of the hot oil.....

Ted & Mark ~ potato peeling duty.

Lindsey & Grandma B

Jessika & PaPa Ted

Rex & Kendall @ the kid's table ~ they wish!

Carla, Mark & Lisa

I want some of that...ans some of that...and maybe some of that.

Relief SOLEciety

2010-10-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

I recently was called to be the Relief Society Meeting Coordinator. That is the new name for the old Enrichment Meetings. This past week we had our VT Conference and I was so amazed by the talent and willing hands that made it a special night. I though I would share some of the pics I took.

We found a CUTE, CUTE skit online called the Relief SOLEciety. We based the entire night on this skit and it turned out darling!

http://www.mormonshare.com/lds-clipart/relief-sole-ciety-skit

once you are on the linked page you will need to download the actual skit.

The invitations....made by Noelle. YES! She is amazing!

The centerpieces.

This was in the center of the food table.

SOLE food.....Fried chicken, corn bread, potato salad.....I know it's not spelled that way, but the whole night was about shoes ....hence the play on words.

My extremely talented friend from work made this "storefront" for me. She is so talented.

The stars of the skit....Sister Blister and the Relief SOLEciety president.

This is the handout that Audrey made for the ladies to take home. We found the "high heel" cookie cutter online. Noelle made the adorable tags that read "Elevate and uplift your sisters to new heights ~ Love them.

there is beauty all around

2010-10-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

The first stop ~ drink, snacks and potty break.

This had to be my favorite Marysvale to Koosharem ride ~ as far as the fall color goes. We always try to time it so we catch some of the beauty that Monroe mountain has to offer in the fall. Usually we end up waiting so long we have been snowed on, rained on and just flat out froze our butts off. The weather was absolutely amazing...and the mountain colors did not disappoint. It was probably the smallest group we have ever had go ~ me and Rex, Jessika, and my parents. It was a great time.

where oh where has the summer gone?

2010-08-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding down for me. I go back to work in a few short days and even though the temp does not reflect it, when school is back in session...summer is about over.

The time seems to have flown by but we managed to squeeze in a few fun things.

**Rex, his Dad, Jessika and I went fishing at Panguitch Lake. It was a beautiful day. Jessika out-fished us all!

Rex caught the first fish of the day. Nice one.

Grandpa Ted was having some trouble with his fishing line, so he played captn and helped me and Jess with our poles when needed. Mostly me, I am NOT a fisher woman.

Just the girls.

One of the SIX Jessika caught.

Since my line seemed to be invisible to the fishy, I kept myself occupied other ways.

**Rex, Jessika, my Dad - John, and my nephew Quinn and I took a four wheeler ride on Cedar Mountain. We parked at Red Desert and rode to Tommy Creek, Lost Lake, and the Sydney Valley look-off. That was a long ride and most of the road/trail was very rocky. I was sore the next day from trying to navigate over the rough trails.

Rex and Jessika

This part of the trail was one of the steepest and rockiest. I usually try and conquer my fears and at least attempt it but I had to get off and let Rex ride my bike up it. Here he is helping my Dad navigate through the rocks. After we all successfully came up it, we parked and were looking over maps and checking out a little stream that ran next to it and here came a full size pick-up truck up that thing. It does not look that steep and rocky in this pic, but we were all amazed a truck would even be attempting to come up that. They made it and went on their way. Crazy!

Me and my cute nephew, Quinn. He does not like his picture taken so I had to hold his hands so he would not run away. Such a cute kid.

We took this group shot at the Sydney Valley look-off.

Dad, Me, Quinn, Jessika and Rex.

**Jessika and I gave Rex a new clay pigeon thrower for his birthday so Rex, Me, my Parents- John and Claudine, my brother - Shon and Tyler Buckley went out West of Cedar to shoot. I sucked, as usual but it was Tyler's second time shooting and he was killing them. Dad, Shon and Rex did great as always and Mom was happy to sit and watch and take pictures.

Dad and Rex....

Rex is sitting on the thrower, Tyler is behind him, Shon and Dad...getting ready to shoot and Mom, supervising.

My brother Shon, helping me aim for the target.

Rex, don't mess with him!

**And last but not least....Shon and Trisha added a new little sister to their cute little family. My niece Delaini was born on Aug. 12.

Proud Papa...Shon with little miss Delaini

Aunt Paula and Delaini

Good 'ol Summertime

2010-07-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share a few pictures of the happenings so far this summer.

Kenyon, Kara and Mataya came to Vegas for vacation. We crashed their party and went swimming with them a couple of days. Kim and Jessika also came down that week. It was fun to have Kim come stay for a few days.

Went to visit Grandpa Darce at the Beehive house. One of the nurses brought her bird that day. Quinn and Grady loved it. My dad.....not too sure.

My mom with her dad.... Grandpa Darce. He fell and injured himself really bad. Has not been able to get out of bed for several weeks. He is a strong willed man. He does not say much when we visit, but I know he enjoys having company.

Mom and Dad Kelsey watching the 4th of July parade in New Harmony. I love these two people to pieces.

Mataya waving @ the firetruck in the New Harmony parade. She caught a ride on the horse with Uncle Brent as they went by, she got to be in the last half of the parade with him.

Rex, throwing a game of horseshoes at the New Harmony 4th of July celebration.

The "peanut gallery" watching the horseshoe tournament.

Rex, Jessika, Mom, Dad, and I took a 4 wheeler ride in the afternoon after the Harmony celebration. We rode up Harmony canyon to Pinto Springs. It was a good little ride. First one this summer. Good times.

Rex and I watching the Parade in Cedar.

Trisha and Grady, watching the fireworks.

Cedar just recently opened a new man made lake on Leigh Hill. Me and the girls took Quinn up there to check it out one afternoon. This is Lindsey.....deep in thought.

Quinn at the lake. He wanted to get wet sooo bad, but we had not even planned on going there so we did not have a suit. He kept on rolling his shorts up more and more. Still got them a little wet.

One evening, the girls and I went to St. George to see a movie and afterwards, we ate at the OG.

I took this picture of Ted as he was showing me his garden. Isn't it beautiful? He is so very proud of it, as he should be. I love reaping the fruits of his labor.

NEWLEY

2010-06-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Just found these "before" pics.

This is what Newley looked like when he joined the family.

Proud PaPa

This may be the final chapter in the "Tales of the Truck" series. I wanted to post about the interior being done. (for the most part) Rex put the carpet in himself and he had Bobby Bouy do the seat. Rex put a new stereo system in and the diamond plate around the stereo itself. He also installed a/c, YES the truck had no factory air so being the handyman that he is, he installed an aftermarket system. I love the look of the instrument panel too. I'm sure he will tinker on it here and there, but for the most part his restoration is complete. Unfortunately, "Newley" did not come out to be the show truck he wanted it to be,(thanks to the paint and body guy) but he is still quite a bit better lookin than the day he became a member of the family. Plus, he has made for some stories to tell - good and bad. I am proud of Rex and his accomplishment. I wonder how long Newley will remain a member of the family?

To see more pics of the outside, click here http://rexandpaula.blogspot.com/2010/03/tales-of-truckpart.html

Great Weekend For A Ride (or two)

2010-04-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Rex and I were invited to take a Harley ride to Death Valley to see the wildflowers that are out in full bloom. It did not work out that we were able to go with that group, so we took off on our own for a beautiful ride. We started by looping around the valley and having lunch across town at Firehouse Subs. That has become one of our favorite lunch spots...really good sandwiches. Then we stopped in Henderson and said hello to the Roundys. From there, we went out by the lake and looped around through Valley of Fire, then back to I-15 and on home. It was such a beautiful day for a ride. We must have had the fever, because on Sunday after church, we hopped back on the bike and rode up through Red Rock Canyon. We putted through Blue Diamond then back home. I am happy we got those two beautiful days of riding in, because the week got ugly the last couple of days....windy and cold. Looking forward to more great rides.

Rex at one of the stops we made near Lake Mead.

Beautiful flowering cactus and other flowers near the lake. Valley of FireRed Rock Canyon

Me, at a look-out in Red Rock Canyon.

garth

2010-04-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

I took this picture before the show.

"The Band"

I love my husband. He sat at the computer and on the phone for 2 hours for tickets to see Garth Brooks. We went this past weekend and it was amazing. Brandon and Janna came down and went with us. We spent the day on Saturday just soaking up the sun. It was a beautiful day, about 83 degrees. We went to a couple of different parks near our house and just relaxed and enjoyed the sun. (except Lauryn, she was already burnt from a ski trip) Later that day, Brandon and the kids got in the jacuzzi. Then that evening, Rex and I and Brandon and Janna went to the show.

We headed down to the Wynn at about 6 or so. The show was not until 8 but they way they do their tickets to prevent scalping we practically had to pee in a cup just to pick up our tickets. Just a joke...they make everyone show ID, wear a wrist band and then stamp your hand when you pick up the tickets. We thought we would have time to eat but by the time we found the place to pick up the tickets, it was cutting it too close, so we ate a quick delicious salad at the ZooZa Deli at the Wynn. We got seated at the show about 15 min. before showtime.

I've seen Garth's concert a couple of times, but this was a totally different experience. Just him and his guitar. He talked to the audience, telling a story through music. He talked about the songs and artists that influenced him and sang songs from different artists as well as his own. Very casual too...he came out in a hoodie sweatshirt, wrinkled jeans and some lace up bugger bottom boots. They did not allow photography during the show, but Janna snuck a shot. I was too chicken. So happy to have gone to the show...THE BEST!

Brandon, Janna, Lauryn, Parker & Ashby at the park.

Having some frozen yogurt after the park.

Brandon and the kids in the jacuzzi.

For a joke, Rex put on his 15 year old Chris LeDoux shirt and overalls...said he was gonna wear it to the concert. I think he had Lauryn going for a while.

Us, just before the show. I love this guy!

tales of the truck...part?

2010-03-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

If you follow my blog, then you know about the truck Rex bought to restore. The first post about it was back on October 21, 2008. I posted again in November about when he put the engine in it. Getting this truck painted and back so he could finish it has been, well should I say a LONG time coming. Since my last post, witch was when he sent it back to the pain guy to "touch it up" - alot has happened. Or should I say not enough has happened. He had it for about a year and on the Friday before Rex was going to Utah for the deer hunt, he got a call from Metro telling him that someone had stolen the engine out of it while it was at the paint shop. UGGGG! Someone broke into the yard of the shop and although they did not take the entire engine, they took the carburetor, distributor, radiator, powder coated brackets, valve covers, condenser and air cleaner. He was not going to let it ruin his hunting trip, but he was pissed. The shop owner did not want to claim it on the insurance so he told him to take it to his mechanic and get it fixed and he would pay for it. This guy did not know Rex WAS the mechanic but instead of doing it himself, he decided to go ahead and have someone else fix it at this guy's expense. Rex decided to take the truck to his friend Dale @ Winners Circle. Dale painted his Monte Carlo and he had a mechanic that could fix the truck. He also had Dale Color Sand and Buff the paint. WOW~! It's a beauty! Although the paint is not perfect, he has decided not to put any more time or money into it. He brought it home yesterday and had the new wheels and tires on it in no time. I guess interior is all that is left to do. Maybe after that he will turn the keys over to me.

Success!

2010-01-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

I have never been able to make bread. It seems like maybe that all changed when we got a wheat grinder and a bosch mixer for Christmas. Rex and I decided to make our first batch of bread...with fresh ground wheat flour. It turned out burly. (as you can see it LOOKS beautiful-and it tasted just as good as it looked).

I am so excited to know that I can make bread! This is the wheat flour, just after we ground it.

My mom got a bosch a few years ago from all us kids and Dad. She has been making bread like crazy ever since. She included her recipe with the Christmas gift.

The AMAZING little machine. Just set it and let it do its thing...it kneads the dough for 8 minutes.

My bread from days past NEVER rose like this.

Coming out of the oven.....I'm so proud, I almost cried...

NOW...I HOPE IT WAS NOT BEGINNERS LUCK!

Christmas

2009-12-30T13:24:00.000-08:00

The tree at our house in Enoch. Jessika decorated it, isn't it beautimus?

This year we spent Christmas in Utah. Lindsey and Jessika are both living there now and with both of their work schedules, it was easier for us to go up there than for them to come here. We went up Christmas Eve and had dinner at my parents house with Kim, Mike and family, Shon, Trisha and family, Grandma and Grandpa Spevak, Mom and Dad and us. After a delicious prime rib dinner, we played a few games and had some good laughs.

Grandpa Alex and Grandma Maxine

Rex, kicking back after dinner in Christmas Eve.

We had a very relaxing Christmas morning. We were not in any big hurry to get up, and we had breakfast and finally finished opening presents around 11:00. We went to Harmony later in the day and exchanged presents with Rex's parents. Barbara had been sick, so we did not stay too long. That evening, we had dinner at our house in Enoch with Lindsey and Jessika. We are so blessed with a wonderful family and we had a really nice Christmas.

snuggie!!!

ummm....what is it?

Lindsey with her stero for the Ranger!
Rex and his bag of goods.

Jessika got a fishing pole from Grandma B and Grandpa Ted.

Linds and her present.....CASH

Rex' dad Ted. We got him a chore coat. Gotta stay warm when your out doin the chores.

Rex's mom Barbara. We got her the complete set of the Work and the Glory series.

thanksgiving and such

2009-12-13T18:04:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Utah. We ate at my parents house with all my siblings. It was so fun having all of us together. The day after we went to Harmony and had a professional photographer come take family pictures. My mom has always wanted a family picture taken with the Kolobs in the background, so that's what we did. It was really cold, but they turned out really nice. I had my camera, so I took some shots here and there. The one at the top of the blog was taken by my brother Shon.... Then the next day, we went shooting. This has become sort of a tradition. Well, on the years the whole fam is together,(every other year) we go shooting. Fun and very cold.

Mom and Kim....making Thanksgiving dinner.

Trisha and Shon, scouring the ad's for Black Friday deals.

Mom, Grady, Mataya, Dad and Janna, checking out Janna's new laptop.

The WHOLE family.

The Kelseys

Me...trying to hit a clay pigeon.

Jessika and Corbin

Ashby and Jessika

Shon showing Brandon his gun collection.

Dad....do you think he means business?

caught in the act

2009-10-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I went out in the backyard to find a strange looking bird....just walking around. It sort of looked like a chicken, but had an odd shaped body and did not really have that chicken "strut". Well, I came back inside and told Rex we had a strange bird in the backyard...when he went and looked he just about died laughing. He said "ITS A CHICKEN!" Believe me, I still have not heard the end of that. Well, we can't figure out how he got in our backyard, (this is at our Vegas house)but I'm pretty sure he "lives" at a house down the street that has a few of them roaming their yard. Rex chased it out of the backyard and that was that....WRONG! It kept coming to "visit" us. In the mornings when I would leave for work, I would see it in the front yard. It sort of became a joke that our pet chicken was back to visit us. This was happening on a pretty regular basis.

Well, a week or so ago, Rex planted some new flowers in the planters around the trees in the front yard. After a couple of days, he said that he thought the chicken was getting into the planters and picking at his flowers, scratching at the dirt and making all kinds of a mess. He said there was a bunch dirt in the grass, like the chicken has been scratching at it, throwing it out of the planter. He was a little but hurt that this chicken was messing in his flowers.

That brings me to this morning....as I was pulling out of the driveway, what do I see? Yep, a chicken. It was not the first one I saw in the backyard that day...this one actually looks like a chicken. But there it was headed straight for the flowers. I had to take some pics of it...too funny! Maybe we will be having fried chicken for dinner!

heading for the planter...ready to make his move

on the edge....checkin it out...pickin the right spot

(see all that dirt on the cement edge, thats his handy work)

looking around...is anybody watching?

CAUGHT IN THE ACT!

the other woman

2009-10-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

The mid-life crisis.....some might say thats what it is. It might be. I think it's just living.

Rex has been into motorcycles ever since I can remember. He used to ride around Harmony and I would watch him come around the corner on the lower street from my room atop the Harmony Hilton. Well, it was not too long after Gary brought his Harley here from South Dakota that we were lookin' to buy one. Needless to say....we have been having a BLAST! We have taken many rides to Mt. Charleston...thats where you go when its 110 degrees in the city. We also went out through Redrock and to Pahrump. We took the bike to Utah and have a a couple of fun rides there too. Riding up over Cedar Mt. is really beautiful.

So....as Rex said....if this is my mid life crisis, at least it's not another woman. AMEN to that....somehow, I don't think I would have this much fun with another woman.

In Utah...leaving the house for a ride.

Rex, at Todd's Junction.

Cedar Breaks

Rex's bike..the black one and Gary's bike, up Right Hand Canyon.

Rex, up by the "C".

V * A * C * A * T * I * O * N

2009-08-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Rex and I were able to take an amazing vacation this summer. We were able to stay with some friends on Cape Cod, spend and night in Boston and a day in Rhode Island. A little bit of background....
My good friend Erin, married Joe 3 years ago. Joe is from back there and the wedding was on Cape Cod. I was in the wedding and ever since then I have wanted to take Rex back there. Joe's parents live in a place called Pocasset, its on the Cape. He and Erin are spending a good part of the summer there with his parents and they were kind enough to invite us to stay there while we vacationed. So...how could we pass up on a place to stay....right on the water...on Cape Cod....with good friends....and great people.

This is the view from our bedroom at Joe's parents house. They have a deck that spans the entire length of the house. I'm standing on the deck right out the door of our room. SWEET!

This is looking at the house form a small beach just across the water. The house is right between the boats. There is so much green it is just amazing.

We went to Provinctown or as they call it back there "P Town", its at the tip of the cape. It is a community that has a very open gay population. It was quite eye opening--to say the least. Rex got a chair massage right when we got there...he had a really bad headache so I talked him into it. While he was getting his massage, I stood there and took in all the sights: the picture in the right...well, he??she?? was riding around on this bike---yes just like mine, advertising some "show". I had to get a picture.

Rex celebrated his 44th birthday while we were there. I surprised him with a cake. (thanks Erin and Pat for your help)

This was a really frightening experience..for both of us. If you notice form the first picture, you can just walk right out from the house to the little wood walkway and boat or swim or kayak. I did not think I would be so scared, but my legs were shaking so bad when I got back to land..it was weird. Rex is not all that fond of the water, or should I say falling in it, that he was hoping he would not tip over. He did much better than I did. I was fun and I am glad I did it, but I wish I was not such a chicken.

On the ferry to Martha's Vineyard.

At the beach on Martha's Vineyard.

We walked the Freedom Trail in Boston....there is so much history in the city. We spent 1 night and 2 days there. WOW! What an experience.
Me in Boston

Thanks to Joe's friend, we were able to go see a Red Sox game. That was a really fun night. We were really exhausted from walking the city all day...but that park was electric. We LOVED it!

Our second Boston day started out like this....we thought we would tough it out with our umbrellas, but we ended up getting in the car and TRYING to navigate the city...haha. Its much easier to walk. Once the rain cleared, we parked the car again and walked some more....which leads me to the next photo....don't say I did not warn you...

After all that walking, I took off my shoes and sox to bloody toes...I knew they were hurting, but???

Erin, Max and I at the little beach just across the water from the house. It was fun while it lasted....started to rain on us. Quickest clean up I've ever seen!

Rex on the Cliff Walk in Newport, Rhode Island. This was only about and hour and 20 min. form where we stayed and Mary Beth, a friend of the family, suggested we take a drive there. I am so glad she did. It is a beautiful place. All along this 7 mile (round trip) walk, (don't think the toes were not bloody after that one) there are some of the biggest and most beautiful mansions I have ever seen. You are walking right along the water..sometimes on rocks like these, sometimes on rocks not quite this friendly, and sometimes on a sidewalk they built there. It was a great day.

Me...on the Cliff Walk

This is one of the Mansions

After the cliff walk, we did some more walking down this historical street with all these shops and restaurants. We were starving, so we ate and shopped. We finally went back to the car and followed one of the maps we had on what was called Ocean Drive. We found a perfect spot to watch the sunset. It was amazing!

We went with Erin and Joe to the Bourne Farm. This is where they got married. It is a beautiful place that is open to visitors unless someone has rented it for a wedding or something.

This is our wonderful and kind hosts. Joe's mom Pat and step dad Paul. I have to say...they made us feel so welcome in their home. They were very warm and welcoming. I don't think we could thank them enough. We feel very fortunate to have met them and Joe's family. Everyone was so genuinely kind. Thank you all! We miss you! (sorry Pat, both pics your eyes are closed)

vIsItOrS

2009-07-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

We actually had some company come stay with us for a few days. Brandon and Janna and their kids came down even though they were given fair warning about the heat during the summer here in lovely Las Vegas. I don't think they have been here for at least a couple of years so I guess it was about time. They went to Tuachan on Saturday night and came here after the play, so it was pretty late Saturday night when they arrived. We went to church Sunday morning and then we thought it would be nice to go up the mountain and cook a burger. What a difference a 30 min. drive can make. We went up Lee Canyon to a little picnic spot. I wondered if we would even get a spot but we were the only ones there. (except for the occasional carload stopping to use the bathrooms) It was only in the 70's where we had our picnic. Rex took his propane cooker and we had the yummiest burgers, deviled eggs, chips, Brandon's macaroni salad, fruit and dip, and rice krispie treats. Rex and the boys went looking for lizards, but no luck. We played some games and then took them across the mountain, stopped at a lookoff point and then back home.

Parker, setting us up some shade.

3 cute kids - Parker, Lauryn and Ashby.

Me, Rex and Brandon - relaxing with full bellies.

Janna and Lauryn

For entertainment on Sunday night, Brandon and Janna watched popcorn pop in the microwave!
Well, really we watched a movie and had popcorn, but they thought this microwave popper was pretty sweet. (it really is)

On Monday, Rex hooked us up with a pass to go swimming at "The Tank". It's the pool at the Golden Nugget. It actually has a shark tank that a water slide goes through. He was able to get us a behind the scenes tour of the tank and how they care for the sharks and other marine life that live in the tank. It was really interesting, I had no idea all that went into that. The day at the pool was fun and HOT! That night we went to dinner at BJ's and then they took their kids to see the "strip".

Listening to the tour girl talking about the shark tank.
Looking down into the tank.

The best part of the tour, Rex's fire sprinkler system.

Janna and me.
Me and Ashby.

Lauryn, coming out of the slide.Ashby, coming out of the slide.

We loved having them here and hope it's not years before they come back....maybe not in the summer though. Good times!

Weekend 4 wheeler Rides

2009-07-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th weekend, Rex and I took off over to 3 peaks for a couple of evening rides. It was nice to ride somewhere so close...10 min dirve from the house, unload and ride.

Rex..unloading the bike. We did not take mine, I just rode on the back.

The clouds made for a beautiful sunset.

Looking towards Cedar from 3 peaks.

Another shot of the sunset, and me.

Rex, loading back up.

On Friday, we took the ranger and rode up on Little Mtn. in Harmony.

Me, on Little Mtn. I have so many good memories of picnics up on this mountain.

Rex, taking in the best view anywhere. (no, he's not peeing)

On the afternoon of the 4th, after we had taken in all the festivities, we hopped on the bikes for another little ride. It did not last long, it started to rain and we were not prepared.

Doesn't he look good on that bike?

Another little creature in the wash...this one was a bit smaller than the one I almost stepped on a few weeks ago.

Just some random shots....

2009-07-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

sunset at sand hallowbridge we ride over on our 4 wheelers (marysvale ride)

braffits mtn.

flower on north mtn.

our property in harmony

does this need an explanation?

sunset...from enoch

our property in harmony

Where's the Beef?

2009-06-23T12:52:00.001-07:00

I spent the week in Utah last week. One of the things I did was can beef. I know....sounds weird- but this is something I learned @ my Cooking with the Chicks group. (thanks Connie) Dad was there also. He was helping with the pressure cookers. He set up his camp chef out on the back patio and we put the pressure cookers out there. For the most part, this is a really easy thing to bottle, and although I have not tried it yet...I'm told it is delish!

If there is one thing I can always count on it is having Mom there to help with things like this. A I get older, these are things that I am wanting to learn more about and she is always willing to help me. We had a good time and I think we got 47 or 48 pints done that day.

Filling the pints with the beef.

Mom - making sure the tops are clean so the lids will seal.

They are ready to pressure cook.

Dad, making sure they stay at the proper pressure.

All done - pulling them out to cool.

Side note...another thing Mom and I did. Look at this beautiful wheat bread. Yummy!

SuMMeR dAys

2009-06-09T20:56:00.001-07:00

It's not officially summer for me yet. I still have a couple of days left of work before I am off for the summer. Rex and I both took Monday off and took a spur of the moment trip to Huntington Beach. We hit the road early Saturday morning. When we arrived we actually spent the day at Newport Beach, then checked into out hotel, that was right on Huntington Beach. We spent the day Sunday taking a drive up the coast, eating at the famous Pinks Hot Dogs in LA, and we went to a Dodger game that night. Monday, we spent a couple of hours on the beach before heading home. We had a really nice time and the weather was fantastic.

Newport Beach

These guys set up this sno-cone stand right in fron of us at Newport beach...funny...they had a little generator to run the ice shaver and everything.Lunch @ "Pinks" Hot Dogs. You should have seen the line! Popular place!

Us @ Dodger staduim. They played the Phillys. The Dodgers lost. Last day @ the beach. Time to go home ....

I caught him in the act!

2009-05-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

When I came home from work the other day, I walked in to find this....

Need I say more?

Birthday Cake, Coconut Oil & Pine Trees

2009-05-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

It was a really fun couple of days...in the middle of the week no less! It was my birthday on Tuesday and after work, Rex and I ventured over to the "other" side of town. We got a room at the Green Valley Ranch Hotel for the night. It was a really nice little get away for a change. We really did not do anything...but that was the point. The pool there is beautiful. It has a beach entry at one end, sand and all. We just lounged around there for the afternoon and evening. Then we went to dinner and after dinner we walked around at the District. It's a neat place, but the shops are a little snooty. It was a nice little walk after dinner. While we were walking, we passed The Cheesecake Factory-had to stop in for a piece of vanilla bean cheesecake with warm Carmel topping-to go. That was my kind of birthday cake!

We spent the next morning at the pool again. After we checked out, we stopped at Lucille's Bar-b-q for lunch. That evening, after we got home and unpacked, we took the motorcycle for a ride up Mt. Charleston. It was a beautiful evening and nice and cool. As you can see from the picture, I had to put a jacket on. What a difference a few miles up the mountain can make. It was a really nice couple of days.

We took a little walk up a path on one of our "pit-stops"

Ahhhh....the smell of fresh mountain air.

Extreme Makeover.....

2009-05-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Tractor Edition
Well, as you may remember, I gave Rex a tractor for Christmas. It is an old Ford tractor, and I thought he would love to have it to plow the land we have in Harmony and things like that. STUPID ME! Should have known better. Got something old? Better fix it up--I think I better look out, I'm getting pretty old myself. Anyway, he did some fire sprinkler work at a paint shop of a friend of his, so he asked the guy if he would paint the tractor as a trade out. That started the ball rolling. Next thing I know, we have UPS at the door a couple times a week delivering new parts. Well, the tractor turned out great. I think he will be riding it in the New Harmony 4th of July parade, not plowing the land....but that's ok. He does look pretty good on it.

BEFORE

AFTER

To Be 20 Again.....

2009-04-19T17:50:00.000-07:00

Birthday Girl!

Today is Jessika's 20th birthday. She came down for the weekend. We started celebrating on Friday night. We kind of have a family tradition, on a birthday or anniversary, we love to treat ourselves to Austin's Steakhouse. Since Monday is our anniversary and today is Jessika's birthday we all went the dinner at Austins on Friday night. On Saturday, Jessika and I went and did a little shopping, then on Saturday night she went out with her friends. Today, Rex cooked dutch oven chicken for her. We also had twice baked potatoes, green salad, fruit and scones. Not to mention the sweet "funfetti" cake I made for her. She invited her good friend Hannah and the Jones' over to eat with us. It was a beautiful day to eat outside and enjoy the yummy meal. I love You Jess--Happy Birthday!

Check out this professionally decrorated cake...nice huh?

Rex-master chicken and scone maker.

Michelle, Sammie, and Skylar ( do you think she's having fun?)

Hannah and Jessika

"Sisters"

Mom and her Girls. No more teenagers.....i think that's a good thing.

Nasty People

2009-04-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

Im sure the title made you just a little bit curious....well, read on.
On Friday night, we went down to Fremont Street to watch a free concert.. Jason Aldean. It did not start until 10:30--yes that's PM. Kinda late for us old folks. But we figured what the heck.. what could be better than going downtown with all the drunk cowboys? At first we were not too sure about going, the wind had been blowing all day---HARD! It had calmed down quite a bit so we bundled up, it was still pretty cold, and headed out. The area around the stage, which was at 3rd St. and Fremont, was PACKED with people. We were feeling like sardines, and the only ones that were not drinking (or smoking). Jason put on a really good show though, and it ended up being pretty nice there under the canopy, well protected from the cold and wind. We were well entertained by the people around us. I just had to get some footage of these people in front of us. I will not even try to decribe them....see for yourself!

Jason Aldean

Nasty People...Need I say more?

"Live a Little"

2009-03-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a good time. We actually had company come. Jessika came home for the weekend and brought her friend Braden. Kenyon, Kara and Mataya also came down.

We started the weekend with Friday night. I made enchiladas (Macayo style). Michelle came over so Jessika could "fix" her bad haircut she got earlier in the week. We had fun visiting with her and Devin. We invited them to stay and eat with us. Kenyon and Kara got here about 9:00. We all visited for a bit, then Michelle and Devin left. Jessika wanted to take Braden to ride the BIG SHOT - the one that sits on top of the Stratosphere. A few of us had never been on the ride: OK, just me and Braden...he was pretty freaked out about it. Rex stayed home with Mataya, they watched Cars, and Kenyon, Kara, Jessika, Braden, Me and Lindsey headed out. I think Braden got an eye full. He has never really been to Vegas...just passed through. In line behind us was the entire group of Japanese students...the girls were in their plaid skirts and they all wore matching uniforms. There were a ton of them. The ride was fun-everybody survived. We were headed back to the car, and as we were in the parking garage, Kenyon comments on this Escalade that has 20 inch rims--just then POW POW!!! Kenyon practically hit the deck, I screamed. We all thought we were being shot at. Turns out, it was a car going over some metal things on the level above us. It was a scary moment...then we laughed, almost peeing our pants.

Saturday, Lindsey went to work, and Kara, Jess, Mataya and me went shopping. Rex and Kenyon and Braden went to Bass Pro Shop and Sportsman's Warehouse. We all met up for lunch at Chipotle. Then split up again for more shopping. That night we went to WingStop for dinner. Kenyon and Kara left after dinner. Jessika and Braden left early Sunday morning. It is always fun to have family come. Kenyon and Kara are so fun to have around--there are always plenty of laughs. It was nice to have Jess home too..she does not come this way too much anymore. Thanks for coming guys!

This is what the big shot ride looks like. Yep...that is it..at the VERY TOP!
Mataya already knows what its all about...she picked out shoes to match her outfit!This was at this crazy shoe store where they have shoes stacked from floor to ceiling...nothing over $13.99.

Jessika and Braden. Really nice kid, glad we got to meet him. Hope he is not afraid to come back to Vegas:(

Lindsey and Kara at WingStop

Kenyon, likes the wings....

Rex...saying the prayer?????

SiGnS oF sPrInG

2009-03-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have been noticing there are quite a few signs that spring is just around the bend. The rise in temperature for one...the forecast is for the low to mid 80's by the end of the week.... but these pics were taken in my front yard.

UNLV vs UofU

2009-02-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

So Lindsey and I went to another UNLV basketball game. This time it was a girls game. One of her friends has a sister that plays for the University of Utah so she asked me if I wanted to go with her. Once again we were cheering for the "wrong" team. However, there were quite a few Utah fans in the house. The girls play at the Cox Pavilion, right next to the Thomas & Mack. It is a much smaller gym, sort of like a high school gym. UNLV came out on top but it was a pretty good game.

What else do you do at a game besides eat hot dogs and nachos?

There was this guy watching the game sitting right across from us. He looked like he was a little bloated, maybe too many hot dogs and nachos... anyway the video clip does not tell the whole story, he kept falling down --like his legs were too short. Of course my camera was not rolling when that happened. Funny guy-he made us laugh.

New Hobby

2009-02-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

Valentines weekend we went to Utah. It was a nice trip-we had not been up since Christmas (I think that is a record for us). While we were there my sis-in-law Janna and I made some jewelry. It all started when Jessika and I were in SLC this past December. We stayed with Brandon and Janna and Janna taught us to make jewelry. I made a necklace and I get so many compliments on it. It is pretty cute! Well, I am sort of addicted now. I knew they would be at my parents the same weekend we were going to be up there so I asked her to bring her supplies. We spent the good part of the evening creating some way cute stuff. I had gone to Michael's here in Vegas and purchased my beads and stuff, she shopped in St. George. Turns out, we purchased some of the same beads-just in different colors. Well, I made 2 necklaces and a bracelet, and she made a watch, 2 necklaces and a bracelet. I am so excited to learn this new skill-not only is it fun, but you have some pretty neat stuff to show for it when you are done. Thanks Janna-for teaching me. Can't wait to make more.

These are my 2 necklaces and bracelet

This is Janna's jewelry. She made my mom a necklace and herself the necklace, bracelet, and a watch.

Thanks Blanche!

2009-02-16T18:11:00.000-08:00

Thats right! I got my tapioca pudding!
There I was, just minding my own business at work on Friday. I looked up form my desk and there stood a young man at the counter with this green bowl. Then I realized it was Colton, Blanche's son. At first I thought he was there on a flower delivery, being the day before Valentine's day. But he had no flowers in hand, just this green bowl. When I asked him what he was doing, he just said, "this is for you." At first I asked him what in the heck it was, then it hit me and I said, "is that tapioca pudding?'' He had no idea, just that he was asked to deliver it.
So there it was, a nice Valentines Day card taped to the top and inside of the green bowl was the most delicious tapioca pudding these lips have ever tasted. I tell ya...I have the best friends in the entire world.
THE END

Tapioca Pudding and Milkshakes

2009-02-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

I was invited to go out with the girls on Friday night. Vicki asked me on Thursday and I was all for it. When I got home from work on Friday I was sorta draggin'. I went back and forth about going. Well, I did decide to go. The plan was to see the movie New In Town. I guess somebody at the flower shop had been telling Vicki there was a character in the movie that was her to a tee. The way she talked and everything. She told her if she had been at the casting they would have just given her the part on the spot. This is kinda funny because come to find out, the movie takes place in Minnesota and Vicki is from Montana. (i think she had lead Vicki to believe it took place in her home state)
Well, we ended up going to the Aliante. We decided to eat first. I think Vicki was disappointed we did not eat at the ORIGINAL Pancake House--she almost had a heart attack when she seen the sign for one. We ate at the Mexican Place then to the movie.

It was a really fun night-and come to find out--Vicki and Blanche really are one in the same. (Vicki just needs to work on her Minnesotian accent a bit). I was really glad I went-we had some good laughs.

Side Note: If you see the movie, you will know what the tapioca pudding in the title means.

Julie, Vicki, Suzie, Michelle and Me

Vicki and Suzi trying to hide behind their napkin

Saturday rolled around and about 5:00 Rex asked me if I want to got see LaReve at the Wynn. Sure, why not--a date with my hubby--I was quite excited. The show started at 7:00 so we quickly got dressed at headed out. The show was amazing. There are so many things to look at you almost feel like you are missing things. There are things going on above you-in the center of the "stage" then there are these entrance things at three different areas with actors coming and going. We both really enjoyed the show. We skipped dinner because we both were not very hungry before and so on the way home we stopped for a milkshake. It was a great weekend.
Another side note: After 3 failed attempts at a self portrait of us at LeReve, I gave up.

Remember When....

2009-02-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Ker-Plunk
Gnip-Gnop
Parcheesi
Stratego
Slinki-I could never keep that thing form getting tangled!
Do you remember these old games? I got a catalog the other day that had all these games from my childhood in it. I had forgotten about some of them. We used to play Ker-Plunk at Grandma and Grandpa Princes. I just got thinking about all the things you forget about until something sparks your memory. These were the good old games-no plugs or electronics involved at all. Does anyone remember any of the other games you used to play when you were a kid? I really does make you smile just to think about them. Try it!!
Please write in the comments what you remember...it may jog my memory about some more games and make me smile some more.

Pig Out Party....

2009-02-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

and a little bit of football.
Today we went to the Jones' for the Super Bowl. We don't watch football all season, but of course we never fail to get together with friends for the "big game". We sort of invited ourselves to the Jones' house. They have so much room and are great hosts. It all started with a message Michelle left me the other day saying Devin wanted to know what they should bring to OUR super bowl party (besides their appetites). Well, I just turned things right around and said we are coming to your house. So it ended up being me, Rex & Lindsey, David & Vicki Wardell and their sons Jordan, Chandler & Britton, and Devin and Michelle Jones and their daughters, Sammie and Skylar. Somebody must have thought there were a lot more people coming, because we had enough food for 50. (that's what it's all about anyway-right?)

Rex and Devin - enjoying some of the grub. Lindsey, Jordan and David

I wonder what this conversation is about?

Chandler, enjoying a game of pool.

Some of the yummy food

Guess Who?

After 2 spilled drinks, we had to cut Michell off.

I think the Cardinals scored.

Happy Birthday Kim

2009-01-27T17:05:00.000-08:00

Today is my sister Kim's birthday. I thought I would share a couple of memories about her.

I remember when we lived in Hunter. Our house had a long bar in the basement, Kim would sit behind that bar with the stereo headphones on and sing to the top of her lungs. I also remember when we would play school. We had a neighbor boy who was the principal and we were teachers. That kept us occupied for hours.

Kim and I were Jr cheerleaders for a football team in Hunter and we also played on a few softball teams together. It was called bonnet ball, and one of the teams was called the Grape Apes.

When we moved to Harmony, we shared a bedroom. We first shared the room off the kitchen, then we ventured upstairs and shared a room up there. Then when we moved to Cedar, we also shared a room for a short time. We were so excited to move into that NEW house, we stayed there the first few nights alone, before the family all moved in.

After moved to New Harmony, one summer we got to take the car and go to St. George with some friends...can't remember who, but we went to the pool in Dixie. On the way home, we started messing with this trucker, trying to get him to honk and that sort of thing. Well, we got a little nervous that he was following us, so we exited at the Black Ridge exit, just to let him get a little bit ahead of us---we freaked out when he exited too. We got back on that freeway so fast and off at the Harmony exit. He did not follow us that time.

We had some fun times in Harmony with Beth and Linda Prince. We would lay out on the deck Uncle Brent had built. The whole Harmony crowd would gather and play night games at the church.

My sister has always been there for me. She has always looked out for me (even when I did not want her to). I am thankful to have her as a sister. We always talk about how nice it would be to live closer to each other. I think we are pretty fortunate to live as close as we do. I love ya sis. Happy Birthday!

Welcome 2009!

2009-01-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

It seems like this past week and a half have flew by. ( I guess just like the rest of 2008) We went to Utah on Christmas Eve. That night, we had a wonderful prime rib dinner at my parents house with Kim, Mike and kids, Shon, Trisha and kids Mom and Dad and us. We played games and laughed. Everyone spent the night there except me and Rex, we said we wanted to sleep in our own bed and come back in the morning. Christmas morning was fun. It is always fun when there are little ones around--Quinn and Grady. Everyone in the Kelsey family got a new set of wheels this year! Me and the girls got a set of 2 wheels (bikes) and no, I don't mean motor....we are talking sweet pedal bikes. Rex on the other hand, got 4 wheels-a tractor.
We went to New Harmony Christmas afternoon for yes another prime rib dinner. It had been snowing all day there and continued to snow the entire time we were there. It was beautiful, but getting really deep. The meal was delicious. We ate with Rex's parents, Grandma Manda, and Uncle Lee. Rex got to see his tractor in person after dinner...his dad has been storing it for me for a while.

Rex came back to Vegas on Sunday, Me and Lindsey stayed until New Years Eve. It was not much fun for Linds, she ended up getting sick with strep throat so she had to take it easy and was pretty much laid up for a few days.

We had a really nice holiday. We are so blessed. I am so grateful to have spent time with Rex and the girls this Christmas, I know that as the girls get older, those times will become fewer and fewer. We made some good memories. I hope they found a place in the back of their minds for the special times spent with family. They are the most precious times of your life.

Rex, Ted, and Uncle Lee with Rex's Tractor- a Ford 8N

Jessika on her new set of wheels!

Corbin, Jessika, Grady and Lindsey

Jessika and Grandma Manda

Lindsey, opening up her yummy jerky that Grandma B made.

Grandma C and Lindsey

Ever see anybody get so excited over a blow dryer?

UNLV vs SUU

2008-12-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight UNLV played SUU at the Thomas & Mack. I was given tickets and Lindsey and I decided to go. We are not really followers of either team. We felt a little torn between the two. I started cheering for SUU and I asked Linds why she was not cheering. She said she was scared.
Maybe we were going to get jumped in the parking lot after the game? There were quite a few SUU fans there, but you still feel a little intimidated when you are cheering for the opposing team. We had a good time. The game was good, but we had more fun laughing at the mascot and the creepy lady that was working near the snack stand where we bought our nachos. Linds hoped she didn't make HER nachos. From the looks of how she is going down on them, she was not too worried about it. UNLV won....

Fun time out with my girl!

More of that PESKY white stuff

2008-12-17T21:28:00.000-08:00

OK...twice in the same week! This is getting a bit ridiculous! This time it snowed pretty good at the house and I was able to get a few pictures. I'm hoping they cancel school tomorrow. I sound
like a little kid, huh? I have to admit, it helps get you in the holiday spirit. Mom and Dad are here for the day. We have been out shopping all day. It started coming down pretty good about 3 or so this afternoon. It was weird to be in the car listening to Christmas songs and watching the snow fall....in Vegas.
PS...School was cancelled. The little kid in me got her wish, but the adult in me still had to be an adult. All administrators and office staff still had to report to work. OH WELL..this is probably the first time children in Vegas have stayed home for a snow day.

White Christmas

The fountain in the back yard.

My version of a snowman...that's all the cold I can stand!

Snow in the Desert

2008-12-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I am not a news watcher. I don't seek out the weather report, unless we are traveling. We cancelled our newspaper subscription about a month ago so I guess you could say I am pretty much in the dark about local and world happenings. If it does not pop up on the MSN homepage, I probably don't know about it. That said, when I left for work this AM, it looked really dreary outside. I put the sunglasses on before I left the garage, and as soon as I pulled out, I had to take them off. No sun or any sign of it even thinking about making an appearance. The radio station mentioned a "winter storm" warning. I was thinking...what are they talking about? Then they mentioned snow. Not just a chance of it-- it was definitely going to snow.

Fast forward a few hours....It did start snowing while I was at work. It actually snowed for about 3 hours. Nothing stuck, it melted as soon as it hit the ground. A few people got calls from family up on the far west side of town that it was really sticking...some of them got about 4-5 inches.

Fast forward a few more hours....After work, Rex and I had to do some running around. Out on our travels, we stopped and snapped this pic. Sort of fun. Rex threw a couple of snowballs at me. I did not retaliate, I suck at throwing snowballs. (wish Lindsey would have been there, she could have defended me..she has a killer arm)

What a Weekend!

2008-12-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

If you are a follower of the rest of the families blogs then you already know how we spent our weekend. I guess you can stop reading now if you feel you don't need to know any more about our stuffing our faces for the entire weekend, our shopping trips, and our Jazz games. If you are still reading, this is my version of the weekend.

Thanksgiving Day:

What else can you say except YUMMY! We were put in charge of bringing ham and the famous cranberry/raspberry salad. Simple huh? Well, I got the ham out of the freezer on Tuesday and really did not think about it again. When we went to put it in the oven that morning, it was still frozen. So what should have taken an hour and a half, took 3 or 4. We finally made it to Harmony and at least they were not waiting on us. Along with Ted and Barbara, there were Mark and Lisa and the boys, Gardner and Norma Schmutz and Lindsey's friend Tiffany. Needless to say, it was a delicious meal. We had a good visit and some good laughs. It was kinda rainy and gloomy but I had it in my head that I wanted to go up to our property and take a family picture. We had Tiffany go with us so she could be the photographer. We got some really nice pics, rain and all.

Loadin' up the plates.

Hope everyone has mashed potatoes, Lindsey's loadin' up.

Lisa and I were enjoying watching the men get dinner ready.

Friday:

We were our doing some "black friday" shopping in Cedar and Brandon called to say he had some lower bowl tickets for the game that night. We jumped in the truck and headed up. He was able to get us down on the floor to be bench warmers before the game. Basically you get to sit right on the Jazz bench and watch them warm up. Jessika was so nervous to meet D- Will she could not stand it. For some reason, none of the starters came out. We did get pictures and autographs of Millie, Korver, Brewer, Price, Miles, Koufos, Almond, Collins and Fesenko (sp). It was really neat. Kim and Kelsie and Dad came to the game that night too. Dad was on the bench with us. They won that game against the Kings.

Rex asked Brewer to hammer one down for him...and he did.

Millie, signing our clock.

Us with Price

Saturday:

Pretty lazy morning....not in a big rush to do anything. We spent the morning playing beauty shop. Jessika curled my hair, Janna's hair and Janna curled Lauryn's. We all looked so cute. The guys went to Cabellas and the girls to a couple of stores. Then off to the game again. We were hooked up in the All-Star suite. It is a double suite with tons of food, (stuffing our faces again). Everyone was there except Lindsey, (we missed her). They ended up losing that game to the Nets. It was a really fun night anyway. Rex and Jess were bench warmers again, along with Trisha, Quinn, Kim, Mike, Corbin and Kelsie. Jess was hoping for another shot at D-Will, but no cigar. After the game, Rex, Jess and I drove back to Enoch. We got there about 1:15am. Then it was home to Vegas on Sunday.

All the Cousins(except Lindsey)

Me and Rex

Sisters

It was a really fun weekend, glad to be home safe. The only thing that would have made it better, was to have had Lindsey there. At least she was able to spend Thanksgiving Day with us.

Update....

2008-11-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

The engine is in! I don't think Rex could stand to be at work on Friday, by the time I got home from work, he had already dropped the engine in the truck. He worked on it for a while Friday night, and again part of the day on Saturday. He has the transmission and the transfer case done too. I snapped a couple of pics of him working on Saturday.

The engine is in....

Puttin' a little shine on it.

I took this video after I thought we were having an earthquake. Turns out Rex had just started the truck. It rumbled the whole house! I told him I felt like I was in the pits at the drag races.

Make sure you have your sound up, so you know what I mean.

(he looks so intense)

Tales of the Truck...part II

2008-11-18T17:25:00.000-08:00

IT'S HOME!

I don't even know where to start. Since part one, Rex has been back and forth with the paint shop I don't know how many times. The truck is ready, no it's not, yes it is, well maybe tomorrow, OK for sure the next day..... you get the idea. Well, yesterday when I got home from work, he was outside spraying off the driveway. I went out and talked to him and finally noticed the truck was here. Now I guess the fun begins for him. I tried to get him to write part 2 so you could get the whole story, but I will try to sum things up for you.

*Rex needs to put the engine in and do the transmission. Then it is back to the paint shop (yes, I know, again), for finishing touches and then on to upholstery. Wheels and tires are next, then who knows??? I said it is time to give me the keys, but he said time for a for sale sign. We will see...

Weekend Escape

2008-11-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Rex and I took off on a spur-of-the-moment trip to California. We did not decide what we were doing until Saturday morning, and then we took off for SoCal. We went to Huntington Beach when we got there Saturday. We stayed at the Hilton Waterfront Resort for 2 nights. It was beautiful. Saturday night we strolled along the beach and enjoyed the sunset. Sunday was a bit windy and cold so we spent the day driving along the PCH. We went south first to Laguna Beach, got out there and walked around the beach and strolled the sidewalk a little bit. Then we went north. We drove around Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, then we went to Malibu and stopped at the beach to watch the surfers and the sunset. It was beautiful. On our way back to our hotel, we stopped at the Santa Monica Pier and checked it out. They had a really neat memorial there called the Arlington West. All the crosses represented the soldiers that had lost their lives in the war. It was amazing. Monday we went to Disneyland and California Adventure. We felt like kids again. We spent the night in Anaheim, then home Tuesday. It was a nice get away. We usually go North to Utah, so it was nice for a change. You know me, I LOVE the beach.

The sunset at Malibu

Playing in the sand.....

Rex, taking in the view, Laguna Beach

Two, old, kids at California Adventure

The memorial at Santa Monica Pier-"Arlington West"

Harmony Hilton

2008-11-03T18:58:00.000-08:00

First let me say a few things about my previous blog about living in Harmony...
I am afraid the story I wrote in high school sounded like I resented my dad for ever moving us to Southern Utah. That could not be farther from the truth. I think at the time, all of my ranting about not having a warm, carpeted room was a selfish teenager talking. Truth is, I would not trade the memories of living at the Harmony Hilton, or living next door to my grandparents for anything. I am sure my siblings feel the same.
Some of you commented about some of your memories and things you remembered about our time at the Hilton. I had forgotten about some of them. Brent mentioned having to come over with Grandma to save us form the bats, that's a classic. When we first moved in, we ALL slept in the one large bedroom together. We were too afraid to venture out, then eventually Kim and I moved to the other bedroom on the main floor, then UPSTAIRS! I loved that room. The view out that hugh picture window was amazing, AND I could see Rex riding around the block on his motorcycle. I think he know I was watching and he was "showing off".
Christmas' were another story, we actually nailed our tree to the floor once, (maybe twice). Nicole mentioned in her comment about our Christmas parties. I had forgotten about Grandma Maxine doing her football imitation. I am laughing just thinking about that.
Occasionally I would have friends from Cedar come stay the night. What they must have thought? Once, my best friend Jana Hyer came down and spent the night, we were sleeping upstairs and a bat came out of a crack in the wall. It is a good thing she was such a good friend, she actually came back after that.
We had some fun times out on the deck that Uncle Brent built on the west side of the house. Brent was really into landscaping and he had really made that side of the house look nice. The deck was a spot to lay out and get a tan, visit late into the night with friends or just hangout.
One night, Brent was out on the deck with some of his friends and we thought it would be funny to scare them. Rex was actually the one to go upstairs and throw some kind of dummy out the window on to the top of the greenhouse. I don't think Brent saw the humor in that.
Shon thought he was a rodeo cowboy so he would shimmy back between the wood burning stove and a chair in the living room and wait for somebody to say: "COMING OUT OF SHOOT # 1, SHON SPEVAK." That was so cute.
We would go out back and pick corn form the garden. We would eat so many ears, we were sick to our stomach. It was worth it though.
I am greatful for the opportunity I had to live in a small community, near family and friends who were just like family. The Harmony Hilton has a special place in my heart.

Freaky Fingers

2008-11-01T13:46:00.001-07:00

We are spendig the weekend in Utah and on Halloween Jessika and I decided to make some cookies. I learned about these cookies at a fun cooking class I went to with my good friend Michelle. The cookies look like fingers with a bloody fingernail. It was a fun time, kinda felt like I was making cookies with my little girl again.

After we made cookies, we ate pizza and visited with Mom and Dad. Shon and Trisha came over with Quinn and Grady. The were all dressed up. Quinn was a Zombie and Grady was a chicken.They looked so cute. I miss having little ones around on holidays.

Quinn the "Zombie"

Grady the cutest little chicken

Two Special Ladies

2008-10-29T19:26:00.001-07:00

Tonight I went to dinner with two dear friends of mine. Denise ( on the left) and Barbara. I met both of these ladies when I started working at Bruner, so six or so years ago. Denise was the Primary Resource teacher I was hired to aide for when I came to Bruner and Barbara was a 2nd grade teacher.

Denise and I hit it off right away. I started in her classroom in January, right after winter break and she was leaving to have some pretty major surgery 2 weeks later. Needless to say, we crammed as much as we could in that 2 weeks so that I could not only get to know the children, but also learn the classroom schedule and routine so that when the long term sub came in I could keep some normalcy in the classroom. We worked together for the remainder of that school year and then she decided to transfer to another school, one that was on a 9 month schedule. I am very grateful for the short time we got to work together. She is a genuine person that truly loves the children she is teaching.

Barbara was teaching 2nd grade at that time and has since moved to a new position, literacy specialist. Last year, I was working with her part of the school day assisting with a reading program for students that needed extra help. I think our friendship grew during that time. I respect both of these ladie, they have taught me so much.

The occasion for our dinner was Barbara's birthday. We have made it a tradition to go to dinner for our birthdays. Mine and Denise's are 2 days apart, so we go in May and Barbara's is on Halloween. It is nice because we don't get to see Denise very often since she moved to another school but we can always count on at least those 2 times a year. It seems like sometimes when people move away, you always say you will keep in touch, but then you get to "busy". I hope we can continue to keep our tradition alive.

Denise, Me, Barbara and the triple
chocolate "Pazookie" at BJ's

Taking Some Advice

2008-10-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Uncle Brent suggested in one if his comments that I write about some of my memories living in Great Grandpa's House. I have to tell you that after reading his recent blog about my Great Grandparents I have been thinking alot about those years. He posted a picture of the inside of the house, simply looking down the short hallway from the kitchen to the living room and when I saw that picture, tears welled in my eyes. I just had not seen that view for so many years, then it was like I was back there again. I remembered a story I wrote when I was in high school about the house so I went on the hunt and found it in my book of remembrance (thanks mom).
I wrote this when I was a JR in high school in Mr. Bonzo's class.

Grandpa Grapes old house (called Grapes because there are grape vines growing all over the front of it) used to be the playhouse for us, my sister and a few of our friends, and me when we would go visit Grandma and Grandpa in the small Mormon town of New Harmony. The "neatest" thing we thought, was to go cook in the old two-story wood house.
Grandpa Grape, my great grandpa, died when I was quite small, right there in the worn down house which put a little fairy-tale scare into all of us when going over there to do our cooking with the berries and different colored leaves we found in the back yard. It was against the will of any of us to go upstairs in the house. We didn't know what was up there and really didn't care to find out. Our curious little minds stuck on to finding out about things in the master bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, (very seldom), and the living room. There was, however, one more room on the main floor but that was the room that grandpa grape died in so it was off limits to us for fear of what so called "spirits" we might find flying around there. Needless to say, the door to that room was always closed. After all, at the age of 6 or 7, what can be expected of a small, fearful but curious mind.
Time passed, and from visit to visit to New Harmony from my present home in Salt Lake City, I grew older. By the time I had just graduated from the 5th grade, my Dad's longing urge to move back to Southern Utah, came to an end. He had found a job for a trucking company in St. George. Until we could get a house built there, we were to live in Grandpa Grape's old house. This way, Dad could commute back and forth until the house was completed.
In between buying and selling of lots in the vicinity of St. George, time flew by us fast and our "dream house" still was not in the process. Our "few months stay" turned into a few years before we knew it. I then began to find myself getting used to this dirty town full of small crawling creatures and weeds. After all, I had outgrown the stage where I experienced such great joy in going next door to Grandma's to bake cookies. I had also learned to get used to the fact that there were no "spirits" flying around in my bedroom. But, along with everyone else in the family, I wanted a new house. My own carpeted room that was warm and cozy sure sounded good.
I also made alot of new friends, other that the ones I used to make my potions out of dried leaves and berries with. Friends were a great necessity to have in a small town, without them, you'd go crazy. To keep us entertained at night, kids my age, and some older would go down to the small brick church house and play "steal the flag", or just talk and laugh.
Another year passed, and this time my dad found himself working at still another trucking company, this time in Cedar City. I was reaching that wonderful age when I wanted to go to Cedar on the weekend. New Harmony was just too boring. Since I didn't have my drivers license yet, I spent alot of time calling around town for rides into Cedar.
My "new" room was now upstairs. It was then that I found out it wasn't as bad as those little 6 year olds thought it would be. But it also wasn't as good as my previously described room sounded either.
After 4 1/2 years of living in the grape-vine-covered house, I was starting to get some real ripped-apart feelings about my dad for ever taking us away form our completely finished, carpeted, orange brick home in Salt Lake. I think he was feeling the same feelings about himself also. We were sick of spending the cold winters in the stove-heated house, that only heated the immediate area around it.
Finally it happened. Mom and Dad came home with great news. They had found a house they liked in Cedar. I think the rest of the family all thought the same thing. We had heard this before, because on and off they family had been looking at houses and just never found the right one. But it was true. The house was in Cedar Knolls and the whole family liked it, all 7 of us. None of us could believe it. The house was in the process of being built, so after we decided it was really what we wanted, the whole family pitched in to help finish it up. Kim, my sister, Mom and I had a fantastic time decorating it. It was better that Christmas. By March, 1984, it was finally ready to move into. And that's just what we did. Kim and I were so excited to have a warm room that we spent the first few nights there alone, without the rest of the family. In those few days, I unknowingly became sick for that cold, hollow place called "home". I would lie in my warm waterbed at night and think about that dark empty attic that used to be my room.
I never did see Grandpa Grape's house again until everything was moved out and gone. Then one day I went to Harmony with Mom to clean up the house. I walked up the stairs slowly saying to my Mom, "I have to take one last look at my room." As I turned and looked in the well-lighted room, from the hugh window on the south side, I saw nothing but a bed, the one that was already there and would stay there. I sat down on the mattress, thinking then crying. Never in my life did I think I would miss this old mansion.
Down the stairs I walked with tears streaming down my face. Mom came and hugged me, she softly said, "I know, I didn't think I would miss it either." Still today, when I'm visiting New Harmony, I slow down when I drive by Grandpa Grapes house. It still looks the same from the outside but I haven't been on the inside since.

**I will share some more memories at another time. There are quite a number that come to mind, but at the moment, my fingers can't type anymore.....

Thinking Back....

2008-10-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

As I read some of your blogs about fall and all that it brings, I was thinking about this past summer and some of the fun times I had. This was an unusual summer for me. Ever since I started working for the school district, I have worked at year round schools. This year my school went to a 9 month schedule so it was my first summer off in a few years. It was really strange for me. Mom and Kim always talked about their summers off and how the time just flew by. Not so when you are working the entire summer. I always told them it just makes it harder to go back after having that much time off. I guess that was just my way of making myself feel better since I was working and they were off. Well, this was it. My turn. I decided to go to Utah and spend some time at the Enoch Ranch. I really did not have a plan, as far as how long I was going to stay. I did not need one....I had all summer. Some of the highlights....and low lights:

**Canning Pickled Beets With Barbara**

As it is known throughout the land, Ted can grow a garden-and me loves to reap the fruits of his labors. I LOVE pickled beets and Barbara is such a wonderful mom-in-law, she offered to help me bottle some. We spent an entire day, from the picking fresh beets that morning, cleaning and cutting the tops, boiling, peeling, making the pickling juice to the bottling. I admire Barbara for her hard work every year when it is time to harvest the garden. She works her tail off and this day was no different. She was by my side all day, working and teaching me through every step. When all was said and done I took home nearly 2 dozen pints of those ruby red treats.

**Babysitting Mataya**

Kara went to Germany with her Mom and Grandparents, so Mom and I got to stay in Hurricane and babysit that cute little ....

FUN TIMES!! I have NEVER been around such a sweet spirit. That little darling is always in a good mood, even when she wakes up in the morning. Mom was there for about 2 weeks and I went down for a few nights to help her out. I was very grateful to have the opportunity to spend some time with both Kenyon and Mataya.

Mataya and Aunt Paula..deep in converstaion

**Spending Time With Mom**

Along the same note.... during that time Mom and I got to spend some time together. Kenyon was working all day of course so we spent days visiting, driving around Hurricane and surrounding towns, shopping and getting ultrasounds (inside joke).... I would not trade those times for anything. Thanks Mom.

**Going to the Lake**

While we were in Hurricane, Jessika and Dad came down one evening and Kenyon took us to Sand Hollow on their new little boat. What a fun time. We pulled each other around on the fierce looking tube, swam, had diving/jumping off the boat contests, opened our eyes under water, just because Dad said he could, Kenyon got a tummy tuck (another inside joke), and LAUGHED! Kenyon thought it would be fun to go double on the tube, actually the fun part was just trying to get 2 people on the tube. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time. Dad is such a good sport, and definitely NOT a quitter. He and Kenyon must have tried for 30 minuets to get on that tube together. Dad got a pretty nasty cut on his foot trying to jump off the side onto the tube with Kenyon. Jessika and I finally DID get on together and rode for quite a while.

Dad...pooped out after trying..and trying to get on the tube with Kenyon

Yea..we did it! Now hold on tight.

Kenyon's tummy tuck, thanks to the rope.

**Now for the low light....

During this time, I was kind of in limbo with my job. I had been informed before I left for Utah that I was being reassigned to a new school due to the budget cuts our school district is facing. I tried to enjoy the summer as best I could, what was the point in worrying about something I could not do anything about at the time. I finally found out that they assigned me to a jr. high clear out by the airport....so I was on the hunt for a job closer to home. I applied for many positions, and interviewed for one of them. I was called and offered that position on a Monday evening but it just did not feel right, so I decided not to accept it. The next morning, my old school called and said they had a position open up and did I want it. Isn't it funny how things work out. After much stress and worry, (I am cutting this story really short), I am back at Bruner and very happy about it. I guess this low light turned out OK after all.

It was a great summer......

Welcome Fall!

Tales of the Truck....part 1

2008-10-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today Rex was supposed to pick up his 1971 Chev from the paint shop. It has been there for almost a year. When he got there with trailer in tow, he found it was not ready after all. The bed was not bolted on and they could not find the bolds. He got a little impatient(imagine that) and got a little sideways with the owner of the shop. I think he pretty much opened up a can of whoop a** on him. So, anyway, I was going to come home and take a picture of him working on the truck (he has the engine ready to put in), but instead he came home and worked on the mertmobile. It had a heater knob that was broken. You know she will be needing that! Stay tuned for more "tales of the truck".......

Fixing the Mertmoblie

The engine will have to wait for now.

Lindsey's Birthday

2008-10-19T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today is Lindsey's 23rd birthday. She came over with her roommate Tiffany, and cousins Kristin and Jason. We had what I would say is her favorite meal--meat and potatoes. Rex grilled fillet mignon and it was yummy. We also made homemade ice cream (cookies & cream). It was a good time. It was fun to visit with family and talk about old times. Speaking of old....I am really feeling it today. It is a strange feeling having your child turn 23 when that is how old I feel. Rex tried to make me feel better by saying at least I am not a grandma! I loved having the whole family here. Jessika is here for a few days and since Lindsey moved out, we don't see her much anymore. It was a good day! Happy Birthday Lindz!!

Tiffany, Jessika, Lindsey, Kristin, JasonThe Family