Christmas Is Over!

Yes, Christmas is over and what a wonderful time it was. It was great to have my children all together under one roof, with the exception of missionary Jacob. We look forward to having him home next year. We are all so proud of him and the work he is doing. His mission is such a great blessing in all our lives and it has been such a joy to have another missionary in the field. Christmas morning was the best. J.R. and Shyann made the experience so enjoyable. They were both so cute and excited to see what Santa had brought to them. Santa was very generouse with those two, for sure. It was also so great to be surrounded by all my children and to remember how special each one of them are to me. Each is special in their own way and appreciate each one so much. The house is chaotic and crazy but I truly look forward to these times.

I received my fall semester grades and I am very happy with them. I received three A's and one A-. Not bad for an old gal with her first semester at the U of U. I was so happy to receive the A- in political analysis because I was anticipating my first B since I returned back to school. I am both relieved and disappointed because I thought if I finally received a B I would quit getting so stressed but now I will continue to try and get all A's. We will see how that goal goes, but if a B does come I now know that it is not the end of world. I can handle it. But everyone who knows me knows that I will work my hardest to do my best in all my classes. I am an overachiever and I know it, I even had a professor call me that. I just laugh because it is too true. I love school.

We had a special experience happen on the thirteenth of this month. Amy graduated from Utah State University. We had to travel in a wicked snow storm to watch her walk but they would have had to close the canyon to keep us from being there. She is a good example and I sure love her and having her as part of our family. So...

10 Things I Love About You...Amy!

1. I love that we can call you midge and you don't care.
2. I love that you are such a happy, joking girl.
3. I love that fit into our family so well, without the crudeness that can be exhibited by other females in the family who will remain nameless.
4. I love that we have the same education goals although you have completed yours.
5. I love that when I have question about school I can talk to you about it.
6. I love spending Sunday nights with you.
7. I love the "barf" you make. It is a desert people, so don't get sicked out.
8. I love how kind you are towards other people and always have nice things to say.
9. I love how you take such good care of my most treasured son.
10. I love that really good things truly do come in small packages!

Time To Catch Up!

It has been awhile since I have lasted posted on my blog. I have been extremely busy with my school courses. I got a bit behind with my studies because I was used to my courses with Salt Lake Community College. The University of Utah is very different. There is no time for procrastination. I finally got caught up and I am even a little ahead of schedule. That will not last long, finals are in about three weeks.

Since I last wrote we celebrated Josie's 15th birthday. She wanted to go the Melting Pot Restraunt. It is a great place to celebrate. It was just Scott, Josie, Grandma Orgill, and myself. We ate until we were stuffed. It was great fun!
Happy Birthday Jo!

Then came babysitting with the granchildren. Shauntel and Ryan went on a cruise and I was off for fall break so I kept the kids for about eight days. It was great fun. Brad and Amy came over alot to play with the kids which was a great help keeping them from getting home sick for the parental units. Josie played with them too, but she mostly tormented Jar Jar, which sad to say was funny at times and we gave him permission to pinch and slug her, what else could he do? She would not leave him alone. I loved having a baby girl in the house again, but I was so out of practice with the hair. It was fun trying to do it though. By the time Shauntel and Ryan got home I was ready. I was very tired. No wonder you have the children when you are young.
We babysat pig too!
Josie's idea of babysitting
See what I mean about the hair!
Brad playing with the kids Part 1
Aftermath


I made it through another testing cycle and received A's on all four of my tests. That was a nice surprise. I only have finals left and I look forward to the end of the semester. I will do better on the next one and will not get so frazzled. Whew!

We received a new Bishop and counselors on November 9. It was exciting. We had a great Bishop (Rich Fergusen) and counselors (Chris Yate and Craig Kellersberger) for the past five years but we also received a great new one, Chris Soutas. He chose Chris Adams and Lance Orr as his counselors. We also received a new primary presidency. I will certainly miss the old (Julie Moore - President, Ruth Merriman and Rhonda Angeletti - Counselors, and Robyn Ferneilus - Secretary), but I am very excited with the new one as well. Good luck Lori Shepard, Jennifer Larson, Heather Norman, and Lisa Henderson.

Finally, Shauntel, Ryan, and the kids came home this past weekend. Shauntel, Amy, Whitney, Josie and the Dad went to the New Kids On The Block concert November 15. Shauntel, Shyann and I went and did some shopping earlier in the day. I bought Thanksgiving dishes for Shauntel for an early Christmas present. Shauntel bought some gift items for family and friends. It was a great day and I got to spend time with my grandchildren again. Poor Ryan was stuck at home with me Saturday night during the concert but he did go to David's (his favorite chinese restraunt) and brought back dinner for he, Brad and me. It was delicious. We had the whole familiy home on Sunday for dinner. It was such a treat and I love them all.
Shopping with my Girl!
Didn't want to get off the ride

I also want to get back to 10 Things I love about you so here is the next installment:

10 Things I Love About You, Brad!


1. I love having lunch with you at my desk.
2. I love complaining about my most hated class ever and you understand because you have a most hated class too.
3. I love that you are a techno geek, you haved helped us out many a technogical mess.
4. I love that you love the grandchildren so much.
5. I love watching you play, make tents, and watch Thomas with the grandchildren.
6. I love that you come for dinner every Sunday.
7. I love how patient you are with your sisters.
8. I love how respectful you are to people.
9. I love that you are such a great husband, like your dad. right Amy?
10. I love that you are so good to dad and me and always show us respect and love. You are the best!

Lunch Dates

Last Thursday (September 11) Whitney and I went to the Grand Opening of the Noodles and Company in South Jordan. This is one of Whits and my favorites spots to eat. So why blog about it, you ask? Well, my lunch dates with Whit are one of my favorite memories that I will cherish. Last year Whit would come to Salt Lake every Thursday for her research job at LDS Hospital. Before she would go to work, she and I would go to lunch. It was a great time just to spend with each other and become great friends. We would also have an occasional visitor come with us. Scott would come when his schedule allowed. Grandma Orgill, Shauntel and the kids, Brad and Amy, and Addison (my nephew) were also on the guests list. She is now trying to work out her schedule so that we can lunch together again this year. I hope she does it. I sure do love my kids, they truly are a joy in my life.

Who Knew?

Who knew that going to Costco could be fun. Well it is if you have people there with you that you love. Brad and Amy needed to go to Costco to get their kitchen stocked up. They do not have a membership so they asked if we could go with them. Scott and I joined them for a day of shopping, grazing, and polish dogs at the refreshment stand. Grazing is, of course, when you go around and try all the samples they have. That can be a fun experience by itself. When shopping was finished, we stopped by for polish dogs. I don't like polish dogs so I had a hot dog. Amy had a berry sundae and Josie had a berry slushie. Where else in the world can you go and feed five people for $8.49? No where, that's where. We were going to add Brad and Amy to our membership but Scott and I are thinking maybe we won't because then we will have to go with them. What a dilemma, getting them on so we don't have to go or not getting them on so we can spend time with them. We sure do love them and it was a good way to start off the Labor Day weekend.

Sunday, Brad, Amy, and Whitney came for dinner. We had delicious halibut, fruit, fresh corn on the cob, and bread that we purchased from Costco. We love it when the kids come for dinner and since Brad and Amy are back in Salt Lake, they have been able to come several times for Sunday dinner. Scott and I hope that we will have them and Whitney come often. Whitney starts class tomorrow and her life gets hectic but I bet she can find time for Sunday dinner. Shauntel, Ryan and the kids came home Sunday night, also. I had invited them for Labor Day Breakfast but I did not think they would come because Shauntel was just here and we are going to Price on Friday. Scott knew they would come, and he was right. Shauntel needs to come home when all the family are getting together. She loves her family and we love her too. Yes Ryan we love you as well.

Monday was the breakfast. Scott does a Dutch oven breakfast that I love. I made homemade orange rolls that everyone seems to love as well. It was cold and rainy so we had to stay inside but still fun. Later that day Ryan cooked us all a delicious dinner. He makes homemade marinara sauce with meatballs served over rigatoni pasta. It was so good and we all over ate. I just love spending time with my children and grandchildren. Shauntel asked why do we have Labor Day, and think it is so I can spend time with all my children and my husband. I truly am blessed to have such great kids, grandkids, and husband. We miss Jacob but we are all happy with his decision to serve a mission for our church. There will be plenty of time to make some more memories with him when he gets home.

Waiting for Breakfast



Breakfast Chef


Jo Jo is Not a Morning Person!


Random Breakfast Pics



Shyann's Delicious Breakfast of Cold Cereal and Juice


After Breakfast Crash



Dinner Chef


Sous Chef Shauntel

Oh What a Week?

What a great week it has been. It started last week on Wednesday, August 20, 2008. We decided that it would be fun to have one last summer fling so we went boating up at Deer Creek Reservoir. When we first got there it was windy, as usual. It was hard for the girls to wake board at first because if was so choppy. It was only physically hard because the girls are all really good at the sport, it just beat them up a little. Brad and Amy couldn't come because they were trying to get the internet at their apartment because the company messed their installation order up and it took longer than expected. We missed them. When the wind died down it was great. The lake was practically abandoned so we were able to have a lot of fun. And then the boats came. It just goes to show, all good things must come to an end but it is very important to enjoy them while they're there. It was a great day with Scott, Shauntel, Whitney, Josie, and the grandchildren (J.R. and Shyanne).

Friday, August 22, 2008, was decorating day. Whitney is moving into a new apartment and she wanted to make it more homey so Shauntel, Whitney and I went shopping for some accessories to spruce up the apartment. Josie was an angel and babysat the kids while we were shopping so that made it much easier. When we finished shopping, it was time to go pick up the kids and head for Provo to decorate the apartment. We spent a couple of hours decorating and arranging the apartment. By this time it was 5:00 in the afternoon and we were hungry. We went to the Brick Oven Restraunt in Provo. It is a great Italian place with great pizza and pasta. It has been around forever. In fact, I worked at the now closed West Valley Brick Oven while I was in high school. That gives you an idea how long it has been around. We had a great day and a great dinner. After dinner it was time to say goodbye to Shauntel and the kids, they needed to go home. Ryan misses them when they come but I am so grateful for his patience and understanding when he lets them come and visit. We love them all so much and I get really grandma sick when I don't get to see my babies. Thank you Ryan, you are the best!

Saturaday, August 23, 2008, was another fun day. Scott, Brad and Amy started the day going to the auction. They have not been to it for such a long time and Amy has never been. Later that afternoon we all (Scott, me, Brad, Amy, Whitney, and Josie) went up to Snowbird for Oktoberfest. We had traditional German food, which was the reason to go. Food is always the reason. We walked around a bit and saw a yo yo champion. I don't know what that has to do with Oktoberfest but it was fun. Everyone decided to ride down the zip line. I stayed at the bottom of the mountain to take pictures. Amy even rode the zip line and didn't even cry from terror. Amy can be a bit timid when it come to fast adventure type rides but she did it and had fun. We went for an icecream treat at Sonic after we came down the mountain. We just sat an enjoyed the treat and each others company and then back home we went. It was nice to spend the evening with everyone. We sat outside and just visited with each other until the bugs began biting and drove everyone to their homes and us inside the house. I love my children!

Monday, August 25, 2008, was Josie and my first day back to school. Josie was so excited to start she went to bed the night before at 8:00 pm. That is unheard of for her. She was up and getting ready to go when I had to leave for my classes. Josie went back to South Jordan Middle School after attending Elkridge Middle the last semester of eighth grade. I am finally up to the University of Utah. I never thought I would make it. It seemed to take forever. It was a great day. I just love school so much and I think I am going to enjoy my classes this semester. I will be very busy and will need to stay organized and on top of things, but I can do it. I went back to a full-time schedule which I have not done for awhile and I am very excited. My goal is to graduate in 2 years. I will keep my fingers crossed.

I mentioned Ryan above and it is that time again to do my 10 Things so here it is:

Ten Things I Love About You...Ryan!

1. I love that you remind me of my father. He truly would have loved to have you in our family, you are so much alike.
2. I love that you love to cook. I can't wait until you come again so that you can make us dinner, only if you want.
3. I love your sense of humor. You think I don't get you but I do.
4. I love how hard you work for your family.
5. I love how you adopted Jacob like a brother. He needs men like you in his life.
6. I love how respectful and thoughtful you are toward Scott and me.
7. I love that you are patient with Josie and kid around with her. She also needs you in her life.
8. I love that you are such a great father to my grandchildren. I can see how much they love you.
9. I love that you are such a great husband to my daughter. I can see how much she loves you. Thank you for sharing her with us.
10. I love that you are such an important part of our family. You are the best son-in-law a mother could have!

Short and Sweet...

I am talking about my blog entry and not my daugther-in-law, although she is both. Yesterday, August 16, we went to the State Capital to view an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. We had to wait in line for three and a half hours. Boy was my back sore but we wanted to view one of remaining original copies. Thanks to Norman Lear for sharing his treasure with the rest of the United States. It is hard to believe but this was my first time inside the State Capital. I have been on the outside several times but have never had an opportunity to go inside, so I never have. It was exciting to spend the day with my husband and kids but also to see our state house. What a fun day!

The Big Apple!

Oh what a great week. I spent August 6-10, 2008, in New York with Shauntel and Whitney. It was a blast. We left Wednesday morning without much incident. I thought our flight was at 8:30am but it turns out I read the wrong time somewhere because it wasn't until 9:55am. This could have been a bad thing, but when I got to the airport, I realized that I had forgotten the Wicked tickets at home. I immediately called Scott, and he went back home, retrieved the tickets, and brought them to us at the airport. See what I mean about what a great guy he is. When we arrived in New York and got settled in our hotel. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in Time Square. It was a nice place and the staff was so friendly and always so helpful. After we got settled we went out to find dinner. Our hotel was just one block away from Broadway so we walked over there and ate at TGIF’s. Can you believe it, all that way and we eat there? After walking around a bit, we went back to the hotel for the night. We were all getting pretty tired of the day of travel and taxi rides.

Thursday we purchased the hop on hop off tour. This is a great way to travel when you want to hear about the city. We purchased a two day pass but that was a mistake. You only need one day and then it is much quicker to use the subway to get around. Oh well, you live you learn. We went to the Empire State Building because Shauntel and Whitney wanted to go to the top. It was very crowded and stinky but you can get a great view of Manhattan. We now know it is cheaper, less crowded, and a great view if you go to the “Top of the Rock” which is Rockefeller Center. But you have to go the Empire State Building at least once for the experience. We then got back on the bus and decided to see some more sights. Whitney wanted to see an exhibit called “Bodies.” It is an exhibit with real human bodies and body parts. It is an educational exhibit to show you every aspect of the human body. We kept telling her no no no because Shauntel and I did not want to view bodies and parts. Wouldn’t you know it but the tour took us right by the exhibit so Shauntel and I gave in and we went. Whitney loved it but Shauntel and I ditched out early because I was getting queasy. This is not a good thing for me because I am suffering from IBS and a queasy stomach is a bad thing for someone with IBS. Consequently, I was miserable on the way back to the hotel because of the stress related to it. If you love biology and/or anatomy this is a great exhibit. I know Whitney is truly meant to be a doctor as I watched her examine everything that is until we ditched and went to the lobby. It was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for the play, Wicked. It was a great play and such a fun night. We found a local restaurant, Thalia, and had a nice dinner after the play. It made us all feel so cosmopolitan and uptown.

Friday we went to the Statue of Liberty first. Then we decided to go to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. I guess because we saw real bodies one day we should see wax bodies the next. This was a lot of fun. Then off to the Hello Deli so that Shauntel could meet Rupert G. We talked with him and ordered some lunch and took it to Central Park to enjoy it. It was great but do not feed the birds. Once you start you get a whole bunch, off all species, coming around to eat. We wanted to go to another play at night so we were off to find discount tickets. We decided to go to a nonmusical play this time so we picked 39 Steps. It is an Alfred Hitchcock spoof. After we found the tickets we went shopping for a new dress to wear to the play. That is not an easy thing to do in Manhattan. All the dresses were too short or no sleeves. That does not work for two temple endowed females so Shauntel and I had to forfeit the dress but I did find a blouse that was cute. Whitney was able to find on however. We were happy for her. Then it was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for the play. The play was funny and creative. Whitney and I laughed throughout the play. Shauntel did not. She thought it was stupid. Come to find out, Shauntel does not many Alfred Hitchcock movies so she missed most of the humor. She was wondering why everyone kept laughing. She thought we were all just being considerate to the performers. By the way, there are only four actors in the play. After the play it was off to find dinner. We went to a pizza shop so that Shauntel could tell her husband, Ryan, that she ate New York pizza. It was delicious. You buy it by the slice and the slices are huge. By this time it was late and so back to the hotel and bed, but before bed we ate brownies that Shauntel had bought. They were very rich and we couldn’t eat a whole brownie but they were delicious. Brownies at night were becoming a nightly tradition because after dinner at Thalia’s, we also stopped and bought a brownie for a midnight snack.

Saturday we decided to go upstate to Palmyra, New York, to see the church sights. We had to wait for the rental car and did not get to leave until noon. It is a five hour drive but we did not have a GPS so we made a few mistakes and it took us a little longer. We got Hill Cumorah visitors center. They gave us the best plan so that we could see all the sights before they closed. We went to the Print Shop were the first 5,000 Book of Mormon’s were printed. We learned all about the struggles and sacrifices it took to get it published. We then went to the Joseph Smith Farm and Sacred Grove. It is so great to see where the prophet received his first vision in the grove and to learn more about his and his families lives. We stopped at the Palmyra Temple but it was locked up for the day. We finished at the Hill Cumorah and spent some time there talking with two missionary couples. They were very nice and fun to talk with but it was a long drive back so we had to get back on the road. We drove forever and got back to the hotel at about 1:45 am. I was so proud of myself because I drove in Manhattan and didn’t even panic. One thing I learned is that you pay tolls all over New York State but you also have to pay an $8.00 toll just to go through the Lincoln Tunnel. What a rip off. It was a long day but full of fun and adventure.

Sunday was the day to come home. We packed, took back the car, and did our last minute souvenir shopping. Then we headed to the subway to take us to the airport. It is a lot less money and a little less time. We get to the airport, get our luggage checked in and find some lunch. Then off to the plane. We got boarded and thought everything was fine. When we pushed away from the gate and got out on the tarmac we were informed that the runway was closed indefinitely. We sat there for almost three hours. Two of the passengers wanted to go back to the gate and so we had to get out of line, we were the fifth plane in line for take off when the runway opened. They could not take us back to the gate so they brought a people mover to the plane and took the two people off. They decided that they wanted to refuel and bring on supplies. The fueling I could understand but I do not know what supplies they needed because they would not give us anything but warm water to drink. So they still had all the supplies on the plane. I was so confused. We sat in this spot for over two hours. All in all we sat on the tarmac for almost seven hours. I was never so happy to take off in all my life. The flight was four and a half hours long so we got home just after 2:00am. Needless to say this was harrowing experience and the Delta employees, from the gates to flight crew, were all so incredibly rude. I am not sure why you would not do all you could for your customers to help make them comfortable, but they did not want to do anything to help ease the stress and tension. This is by far my worst flying experience. The airlines are getting worse and worse. They need to do something about customer service. It is getting to the point that people will quit traveling for entertainment if some changes are not made.

All in all the vacation was so much fun and I loved spending time with my girls.

Oh No He Didn't

Oh yes he did. I finally talked Scott into going and get a pedicure. You all have to understand that he has the softest and in the best condition feet that I have ever seen, so he certainly does not need a pedicure. I just thought he would enjoy the massage and pampering that goes with the pedicure. Men have them all the time, and some men must have color or top coat put on because they told him to pick his color. He was quick to say "nothing" please. So they just gave him the pedicure minus any type of polish whatsoever. I, myself, can't believe that men have anything put on but some must for them to offer it. We went with Whitney, another post MCAT treat to help her relax from the months of hard work and studying. It was such a great thing to spend special time with each other. He is a good sport, and again this is one of those "making a memory" things that he just couldn't say no. No wonder I feel so blessed. He is the best husband a woman could have and I feel very blessed to have him in my life. I am a lucky girl!

Doesn't Scott look happy to be here? Here is Whitney, she is happy to be here! The finished product, my toes look pretty.

Mama Mia

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What a fun night. The movie Mama Mia opened on Friday, July 18, 2008. My sister-in-law, Jennifer, and I decided that when it came to the theater we were definately going to go together. I also thought it would be fun to go with my girls. Josie and Amy were not available because they had prior commitments. Josie went with her BFF, Devin, to Lava Hot Springs in Idaho, and Amy had a family reunion with her family in Fairview, Utah. Jennifer saw the play and we knew that when the film was released we would have to go together. There was no question about that. I love having a sister-in-law that is such a good friend as well. She brought her neighbor, Diane, a very nice lady and it was a pleasure to have her with us. Our niece Cara (Jon's wife), was free and came as well. It was so much fun. We went to dinner at an Italian restaurant and then off to the movie. I loved the movie. I love ABBA music so this was a treat for me. If you get past the premise of the movie (a little dicey) and just enjoy the music, scenery, and over all fun of the movie it is well worth going to see. Scott watched the two grandchildren so that Shauntel could come and just enjoy herself. Shauntel is such a great Mom and spends just about every minute with her children so a night out is a treat for her sometimes. Whitney took the MCAT earlier in the day and so she needed a night out to just sit and relax. She has studied so hard for this test. We will have to wait a month until we know her score but she is now officially finished with school for the summer and doesn't have to return to class until September. Anytime I get to spend time with my girls life is good. I love them all so much. And yes Brad, I love you too and I love to spend mother and son time as well. Since I spent such a fun week with Shauntel I think it is time to show her how much I love her.



10 Things I Love About You...Shauntel

1. I love that you are such a wonderful mother. You use all the things you liked when you were growing up and improve on the things that you didn't like. That is good, every generation should be better than the one before,.
2. I love your sense of humor. You make me laugh all the time.
3. I love that you come to spend time with dad and me. It is a treat.
4. I love how considerate you are with others. This is a quality I think is very important.
5. I love that you throw such good parties. You try and make the guest of honor feel special and you put so much time and effort in on their behalf. Your last party was a blast, Scott Banasky's Birthday.
6. I love that want to help me with my chores (such as painting doors) even though I keep putting you off.
7. I love that you are so much like your dad and want to help people with their projects, such as building houses and things like that.
8. I love that you are patient with me and never make me feel stupid or embarrased when I do silly things.
9. I love that you are respectful to our whole family. You don't let the problems mar you down and are so fair and respectful to everyone, except maybe Jo Jo.
10. I love that when I was feeling overwhelmed and deprived of blessing, you reminded me that I have a lot to be thankful for and trials in life are just temporary and will be over soon. I love you!

Sushi Adventure Part 2

One of Scott and my philosophies is to try and never pass up an opportunity to make new memories with our children. Today Scott and his dad, Merrill, went on a coal mine tour with Shauntel. I did not feel like I should go due to a stomache issue I am having so I stayed at home. I felt a little guilty for staying home but Brad, Amy and Whitney invited me to a sushi party. Brad loves sushi but does not have anyone to go with, because Amy is not a big fan. Whitney tried a California roll at a dinner we had with Shauntel and Ryan, and decided she would like to try the full sushi experience. When Brad heard this he was excited and they made a sushi date, which was today. They invited me along. At first, I wasn't going to go because I was apprehensive, but I decided this is one of those memories in the making, good or bad. So off we all went to the Happy Sumo at the Gateway Plaza in Salt Lake. This was the only place open for lunch; but it was a great restaurant. We ordered all types of sushi - maki, sashimi and a beautiful dragon roll. So basically we had regular and yellow fin tuna, salmon, crab, and Ikura(salmon eggs). It really is a beautiful meal. It was so delicious. We ate every thing we ordered. I was overstuffed. I only had one piece that I did not like but the rest was wonderful. My favorite was a tuna roll that came on one of the combo platter but I don't know the name. So good! Whitney really like it all too. She is very picky with food so this says a lot. She would put it on the level of pancake, and if you know her that means a lot. All in all I am so glad I went. Fun was had by all!

Sushi Adventure Part 1

Summer Semester Mid-Term

I took my mid-term test for my Sociology 1020 course and I pulled a Whitney, again. Pulling a Whitney is when you think you did poorly on a test or assignment and when the test comes back you see that you did great. I was one of two students who received 100% on the exam. I do have to say our class is small, only eleven students but still I brag. I really did think that I did not do well and was resoved to get a B or C. I was quite excited when I saw my score, to say the least. I truly love school. That is why I am in class this summer. I graduated from Salt Lake Community College this past May with my Associate Degree in Psychology. I was going to take the summer off and just relax before I start class in the fall at the University of Utah. That lasted about two weeks and then I became so bored that I decided to take this class. It also helps me stay on schedule to graduate from the University of Utah in May of 2010. My major at this time is Social Science Composite with an unofficial minor in History. I decided to major with this degree so that if I want to teach in middle or high school I can take the licensure courses and become a teacher. At this point, I am going to earn my Bachelors Degree and then earn my Masters Degree in Psychology. I hope to be able to teach psychology in the future because I find it a very interesting subject. I have always yearned for a college degree and I am very happy to be able to attend classes now to work on this goal. At my age, I feel very fortunate to be able to do so and graduated on the Honor Roll and Dean's List (I only tell this for future generations because I want them to know if you work hard you can do well). I want all my children to get as much education as they desire, even if they have to postpone class attendance while taking care of their own families. Scott has earned his Master Degree in Management (what a good example he is to me), Shauntel has earned her Associates Degree from the College of Eastern Utah, Ryan (my fantastic son in law), has earned his Associates Degree from the College of Eastern Utah and has certified in numerous Insurance programs to help with his career in the insurance field, Brad is currently working on his Bachelors Degree in Computer Engineering, Amy (my sweet daughter in law) is almost finished with her degree in Secondary Education (I don't know if they name it Social Science Composite at Utah State or not) and will do her student teaching this fall, Whitney is finishing her Bachelors Degree in Sports Medicine and will take her MCAT on July 18, 2008 (we are all so very excited for her, she wants to become a doctor), Jacob (my nephew who lives with us) started his college career but is taking time off to serve a mission for the LDS church in Merida Mexico, and Josie will enter 9th grade this fall. So you see, I am pleased with each of my children and husband and love to brag on their accomplishments. Education is one of the gifts that we get to take with us when we leave this earth, what a treasure it is!

Celebrate Good Times

This was a week of celebration and fun. I have started working only two days a week so that I can spend time with Josie this summer. She has been very busy with Devin (her BFF) and the Florida vacation, so we have not spent a ton of time together but I am home so that is nice for me and I am here when she needs me.

My first event of fun this week was having lunch with my friend Patti, her twin daughters, Stephanie and Natalie, and Josie on Wednesday. Mike and Patti Gulbraa are our good friends from South Jordan. I met Pattie when she was expecting the girls and had the opportunity to help after the girls were born. Natalie had to stay longer in the hospital so I was able to watch Stephanie while Pattie would go and spend time with Natalie, and we have been great friends ever since. The girls are nine years old now. They are so cute and I love to see them and spend time with all of them. We had lunch at Cafe Rio's in South Jordan, one of my favorite places to eat. We got all caught up with their tales of school and their family vacation. They had quite an exciting and scary experience involving Mike and a runaway horse but all is well. I love to spend time with Patti. She is truly one of the most honest and kindest people I know. She would do anything for anyone. I have always looked up to her and count myself lucky that I am one of her friends.

My next celebration was Friday, The 4th of July! We spent a quiet day and that was a treat. Josie went to a parade in Murray with her BBF so Scott and I went and had breakfast at Kneaders. They have delicious sour dough pancakes, but not as good as mine. I let my sour dough start dry up and I truly regret this because it came from my Dad. He has passed away so I am going to get a start from my uncle, the only brother left, because I want a start from the original batch dating back to my grandfather. We then weeded some flower beds. I did not plant flowers this year because I procrastinated but I will try and do better next year. Then we had a BBQ with two more of my favorite people. David and Jennifer and their three boys. David and Jen are not just family (Scott and David are brothers) but also good friends. David and I have similar senses of humor and make each other laugh constantly. Jennifer is sweet heart and is always a pleasure to spend time with, so we had a great time. Not only did we spend time with them but we enjoyed our favorite splurge, King Crab Legs. We all agree that God must have created king crab just for us because we all truly love them, sorry PETA supporters. What could be a better 4th than spending time with family and eating crab legs? Nothing, that what! And just when I thought the day couldn't get any better, Whitney came up to my bedroom and asked if we could watch Pride and Prejudice, my most favorite book and movie. Besides reading the book recently, I have watch every version of the story that I could find. I love it! Actually, I love all Jane Austen novels but I have not read all of them yet, I have two and half to go. Right now I am reading Mansfield Park. I am really enjoying it but it is taking me forever because I don't have a lot of time to read right now. The movie is the newest version (2005) with Keira Knightley. It is a beautiful movie to watch with all the English scenery. What a treat it is to have a daughter that loves the movie almost as much as I do. Scott wonders how I can watch it so many times, and the answer is because I love it, of course. All in all, I had a great week and enjoyed my celebrations with family and friends.

Genesis

And so it begins. I love reading my families' blogs. So far I have two daughters who blog, Shauntel and Amy, a niece, Sarah, and two nephews, Jared and Jon. It helps me stay in touch with what is happening in their lives plus they are all so cute, my family members as well as their blogs! I, however, did not want to blog myself. My life is slow and relatively mundane so I thought "what is the point?" But my daughter, Shauntel, reminded me that blogging is a fun way to journal. I am not very good at writing in a journal so I figure I will give blogging a try. My hope is to keep everyone up to date with my life and also reflect back to past experiences. If I get too boring, I figure those who read it will just click me off and read the next blog on their list. My blog list is growing so this blogging idea must be working. Well, anyways, I am home all by myself for a few days while my family (Scott, Josie, Brad, Amy, and Devin-a family friend) have abandoned my and flown to Florida for fun and sun, so I figure now is a good time to start.

One of my favorite movies is "10 Things I hate About You." I love it because I love Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew" and this is a remake of this great play. The title gave me an idea of something I would like to write about now and again. I would like to write about family and friends now and again so that they know how much I love and appreciate them. I am going to title these tributes as "10 Things I Love About You!" I am going to start with my most favorite person in the world. So here I go and I hope you all enjoy my blogging.

10 Things I Love About You...Scott!

1. I love that you are so patient with me.
2. I love that you still hold my hand when we go to sleep each night. After all I get to have a slumber party with my best friend every night.
3. I love that you never scream.
4. I love that you take good care of your family - all your family and not just the kids and me.
5. I love that you get emotional when you give father's blessings.
6. I love that you work so hard for our family and provide for us so that I can spend time with our children and our grandchildren.
7. I love that you listen to J.R. so intently even though I know you are not understanding a word he is saying.
8. I love that you make a Krispy Kreme Pact with our children and you actually honor it.
9. I love that you nag church boys about finishing their Eagle scout rank even when they don't want you too, but are always happy you did.
10. I love that you married someone like me and help make me a better person.