Yabba, Dabba, Doo and a... Thank You!!

Tuesday night Mike and I went to Pack Meeting to see Adam receive his Arrow of Light award and Zach receive his Wolf. Boy, was it deja vu!! There was a "cheer" box full of cheers (hence this post title), cub scout skits and songs, pinning pins on moms, hugging moms and being embarrassed (one boy even grimaced when his mom kissed him), and lots of gold and silver arrow points. Andy did a fabulous job as Cub master and Zach led the flag ceremony; Mike was there dressed in his mountain man clothes helping with the presentation to Adam. It was awesome!! It brought back memories of having three sons in cub scouts and the many, many MANY Pack Meetings we attended. I loved seeing my two oldest grandsons decked out from the top of their heads to their toes in cub scout uniforms. I was reminded of a snowy day a few weeks ago when I picked up Adam and Zach from school. I told the boys that they needed to get ready for scouts as soon as they got home. Adam was very excited because his den was going to the local high school's science lab where they would be setting their hands on fire. WHAT!! But get this... he didn't want to wear his scout shirt because he didn't want his sleeves to catch fire and ruin his shirt. Better the hands than the sleeves; I guess... not! 

Mike's Happiest Place (to visit) on Earth Part 3 of 3

The week after we returned from Disneyland, Mike and I spent the weekend in Yellowstone. The much cooler temperatures were a welcome reprieve after our hot summer here at home. On Saturday morning as we left our hotel and drove into the park it was 16 degrees... I loved it!!!

Mike has an amazing eye... he sees everything!! He can drive and will see things in the sky, on the mountain, in the meadow, in the river, on the lake... sometimes as we drive by, I'm still looking for what he's already seen. It truly is a gift he has.
He also knows the names of every animal he sees, some of them I've never even heard of before. He's always pleased when I see an animal first, and when I point out things like "this is bear country" or "this is moose country" as we drive through certain areas in the park (I'm not just an ocean girl).

We stopped at Mike's favorite place in the park... Hayden Valley. He got out of the car, set up his chair and spotting scope, and watched for about two hours. I sat in the warm car and crocheted. It was beautiful and peaceful.

In Yellowstone it is not uncommon that when someone pulls off to the side of the road... everybody stops. Everyone wants to know what you are looking at. Sometimes I find it a bit comical. As Mike watched in Hayden Valley, cars kept stopping and people would come over to ask him what he was looking at. I wish that I had taken pictures of all the people who stopped to talk to Mike. He was always friendly as he pointed out the elk that he was watching across the valley and on the mountain, even sharing his binoculars with strangers. Mike loves nature. Yellowstone is his favorite place to visit and I love going there with him.

Day 18: Davis County Fair

This post will be short and to the point.

Another shout-out for Endless Summer... they will be playing at the Davis County Fair tonight from 6-8:30.
It will be fun and it's FREE!!!

Blogging for 31 days can be fun, but I'm starting to run out of ideas... maybe tomorrow I'll post about laundry, unless any of you have some suggestions.

Day 9: The First and the Last

It was just over twenty years ago that we announced to our three sons (ages 14, 12 and 8) that we were going to have a baby. Concerned that teenaged boys may not be enthusiastic about a new baby, we were pleased when Andy told us that he was going to teach the baby "his ways". Caitlin was born 3 days after Andy's 15th birthday; I'm not sure if he taught her his ways, or she just followed in his ways, or they are just siblings with similar ways... but they both love music, theater, and Disney.

Every once in awhile after band rehearsal Andy will stay late and visit with his mom and dad (we love it). The other night I was upstairs when I heard Mike calling from downstairs, "your boy's here to see you." When I went downstairs Andy was already playing the piano and Caitlin was singing Carole King (and doing a very good job of it). Pretty soon Mike had his guitar out and even I threw in some harmonies as I took these pictures. I am grateful for my first and my last (Andy and Caitlin); and everyone in between (Jeffrey, Jeremy and Ashleigh)... I am truly blessed.

Day 5: What Are The Odds

Somebody, that knows Somebody else that knows Mike, emailed the second Somebody this photo who in turn emailed it to Mike. It was taken as he was running in the Timpanogos Half Marathon on July 28. It was on the Timpanogos Half facebook page, and was only 1 of 12 photos featured. 1500 people participated in that half marathon and they chose MY Mikee's picture for their facebook page... and to think I poked fun at his red outfit.

Day 3: Endless Summer at the Park

It has been an endless summer for the Endless Summer Band. They have been busy-little-banders this season; and if you haven't had the opportunity to hear them perform... you can catch them tonight at 7 pm at the Bountiful City Park (it's free). They will be performing on the stage on the corner of 4th North and 2nd West. If you can't make that one, next week they perform at Midvale Harvest Days and then at another event in Murray. On August 18 they will be headlining at the Davis County Fair, and then on September 10 they will be back at the Bountiful City Park as part of Murphy's Guitars summer concert series (another free event).   

(1/2) Marathon Man

Here is a man who participated in a golf tournament in Billings, Montana on Friday; he arrived home at 11:30 pm that night only to get up at 3:15 am Saturday to travel to American Fork where he was in a half marathon which he finished at 9:07 am. This picture was taken after he crossed the finish line.

He arrived home at 10:25 am (I was with him) and had 10 minutes to shower and get ready before his fellow band members picked him up and he headed to Ogden where they performed for a couple of hours. After the Ogden show they headed to Clinton where they performed at the grand opening of Tonyburgers for a couple more hours. He is singing to me in this picture. He got home about 8:30-ish and is currently... snoring sleeping peacefully.

Just for fun

Adam and Zach in the dunking machine at Tonyburgers.

US Open

So, I actually didn't go to the US Open... Mike, Jeff and Jeremy went with my brothers Archie and Alan. I just enjoyed three days sightseeing in San Francisco. This picture was taken on Saturday morning (June 16), the guys last day at the open. They are in the parking lot of the Embassy Suites at Burlingame. My room is on the third floor overlooking the bay.... *insert smiley face*

This is Thursday morning (June 14) as we are leaving the Embassy Suites in Sacramento. The guys left in one car and headed for the Giants game as Marivic and I left in the other car for Burlingame.

After checking into our hotel rooms, Marivic and I took a scenic drive through a forrest of redwoods to arrive at this beach. It wasn't like the beach at the beach house... there was no pier, or shops, or hamburger stands, and hardly any people around; I would never have dared to swim or boogy board in that water, the waves were rough... it was very natural and undeveloped land... it was beautiful!

After our afternoon at the beach we drove back to San Francisco via the Pacific Coast Highway. Again... not like our sea level version of the PCH at the beach house... we were driving atop cliffs.

We met the guys at Hard Rock Cafe on Pier 39. We also got to meet Tara's boyfriend Andrew.

When we went back to the car we noticed Mason Street so we stopped for a picture of Jeremy.

On Friday I went sightseeing with Marivic and Tara. We crossed the bridge to Sausalito. Has anyone been there before?  It is a beautiful little bayside town... and I had the best ice-cream cone ever there!!

I loved the hillside town overlooking the bay. All along the main road were little shops and cafes. I love narrow, winding streets... except of course when I am driving through them.

Friday night we met up with the guys for dinner. They had plenty of great stories to share about their first day at the open. Jeff and Jeremy were pretty happy about their actually meeting and visiting with their favorite... Phil Mickelson.

I did enjoy a couple of hours in my hotel room resting from sightseeing. My room overlooked San Francisco Bay, so I pulled back the curtains and opened the sliding glass door and let the breeze in and listened to the water. It really couldn't have been much better than that... I'm not kiddin'. 

It's April 15th

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US... THIRTY-FIVE YEARS!!!!!

WHAT.A.WEEK!!!!!!

Why is it that some weeks just meander on by with the daily routines and other weeks are filled to over-flowing with stuff!!?! I sometimes wish that the days and weeks could just "average" out. This past week has been a whirlwind for me. Here's my list:

Weekend- Caitlin came home for the week for her spring break.

Monday morning- I was up at 5 am to take Mike to his surgery appointment. I waited there with him for 3 hours before they took him to surgery. It made me wonder why I had to get up at 5 am. I didn't get home until about 1:00 pm.

Monday afternoon/evening- Caitlin wanted a quilt for her birthday (17th). I bought the fabrics before she came home for break and was just starting the project Monday afternoon. The picture below is of the 10 fabrics chosen for her quilt. All afternoon and evening was spent cutting this fabric into 80 squares (and I couldn't find my rotary cutter) and sewing them randomly back together. AM I CRAZY!?! Don't answer that.


Tuesday- The original plan was to take Tuesday off work and spend the day with Caitlin at Gardner Village. I really needed the time to work on the quilt, so... we spent a couple of hours at the Gateway instead. By the time evening came I had finished sewing the entire quilt top. Whew!!!

Wednesday- I went to work and I was glad to be there. I wanted to come home and forget about the quilt until Thursday. The house needed some attention and it was Andy's birthday. So I went to Andy and Kristin's for a party. I can't believe my firstborn is 34 years old!!!

Thursday- I had to be in Salt Lake at 8 am to pick up Mike. He had undergone foot surgery as part of a study. Now he was all bandaged up and in a boot. Poor guy (I haven't heard one complaint from him the entire week... seriously). My plan was to spend the day caring for him, and I think I did, but... I was running from store to store trying to find backing and batting for the quilt. So while he reclused (without complaint) I continued work on the quilt Thursday night. I did one of my favorite quilt tricks (to get the job done faster). I laid the top and bottom pieces of the quilt on the floor, right sides together, then I put the batting on the very top. I pinned it all together taking care to match and then trim everything perfectly (I am an Apollonian you know), and then I sewed it all together leaving about a 12 inch opening to turn it all right-side-out. Hence, the edges of the quilt are all finished before it is even tied. After tying it all you do is slip-stitch to close the 12 inch opening. And it is done!

Friday- Back at work (I never thought of work as a rest from my labors before). I rushed home after work because my mom (who had a small window of opportunity) was coming over to help me put the quilt on the frames. Shortly after my mom left, my niece Rebecca came over to spend the evening with us. I had the quilt tied and off the frames by 6:45, and then me and Becca went to the store to buy birthday supplies for Caitlin (balloons, breakfast food, ice cream and candles). When we got home we made Caitlin's cake. After Becca left, I slip-stitched the 12 inch opening. At which point Caitlin came home, and at 12:01 am I said, "happy birthday" and gave her the finished quilt. She loves it!!!


Saturday- Happy Birthday Caitlin!!! St. Patrick's Day. I made Caitlin one of her favorite breakfasts. Had family over at noon for cake and ice-cream. Took Caitlin to Five Alls for dinner. The house is a wreak (by my standard). Went to bed way late... as I had done every night this week (thanks daylight savings time... no LOL here).




Sunday morning- 12:45 am this morning awakened to the noise, and I mean noise, of five smoke alarms going off. Running from alarm to alarm to figure out which one started it cause that's the only one that will end it. The smoke alarms were going off every ten minutes for well over an hour, in fact, the longer it took us to solve the problem, the alarms went off more frequently. We finally solved (temporarily) the issue. My poor hubby with his surgeried, booted foot had to climb a ladder (still not a negative murmur from him) to spray the detectors with canned air and replace the batteries. I replaced some as well. It was such a commotion. We were finally in bed about 2:30.

Sunday afternoon- I went to church where I had a difficult time keeping my eyes open. But sacrament meeting was so good. I taught a Sunday School lesson and then enjoyed a wonderful relief society lesson. Church was very uplifting for me today. Much of what was taught... was just what I needed to hear.

Sunday evening- Decided to document my week on my blog. I didn't even do a classics and favorites this week... too busy. Now I'm going to sit with my booted hubby and then catch up on some of your blog posts that I've missed. Unfortunately the tone of this post sounds a bit "murmur-ish", but all really is well. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new week... and the calender is looking pretty good until Thursday. I think I'll have time to wash the dishes. Maybe.

Classics and Favorites: Grandpa Bear and William

Michael just came home from work and the second thing he said was, "you didn't do a classics and favorites today." Oops!!! How did I overlook that. I told him that I hadn't even picked a picture yet. He humbly volunteered to let me post a picture of him... he needed some "kudos". Don't we all some days? Well, I knew just the picture of him I wanted to post, but, while searching for it came across this favorite that was taken while standing in line at the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland in 2009. I love little William's smile and his little hand round his Grandpa's neck. I love the look on Michael's face too... "hmmm", you say, "we can't see Mike's face." Well, just look at what you can see, it's plain as day to me... his big smile and the twinkle in his eyes. How can you miss it!?!

Classics and Favorites: Miss Avery and Grandpa Bear

Can you say a favorite!!!! This picture is definitely one of them. Miss Avery was here for a visit one evening, and we were watching our routine-Miss-Avery-movie... "Cinderella"; of course. One minute she was sitting on the couch next to me, and I guess Grandpa looked much more comfortable, because she quietly slipped away and sneaked right under his arm and I caught one of the cutest pictures ever!!

Classics and Favorites: Impromptu Deli Performance 2008

I wish this favorite picture was bigger; but, I'm sure everyone gets the idea. Our family loves music! And when the drums, guitars, keyboards and microphones aren't available... we (they) improvise. This is an impromptu lyp-sinc performance complete with water bottle microphones. You have really missed out it you haven't seen Jeff and Jeremy perform a duet; complete with choreography. So glad this moment was captured on camera; and as you can see we start them out young in the family, there's baby Mason getting in on the act, or... wondering what the heck is going on!

Grandpa Bear Goes To School

Adam's 4th grade is just beginning to learn about the mountain men. So Grandpa was invited to school to share his knowledge about mountain men, as well as his collection of mountain man "stuff".


It isn't everyone whose Grandpa shows up at school with a coyote on his head, leather fringed pants, antlers around his neck, and a bowie knife strapped to his hip.


During the presentation, Grandpa "dressed" Adam as he explained all about what the mountain men wore.


Now that is some new outfit!


When Mike left the office after lunch, his co-worker said that he didn't want to hear on the evening news that a man showed up at a local school with guns and knives. When we arrived at the school, Andy went in to make sure it was okay. Obviously we passed. What is it about boys and guns?


Zach was able to leave his class to come see Grandpa's presentation as well. I think both both boys were pretty happy; umm... I mean, all three boys.


Following Mike and Andy out of the school was fun. As we left the building some of the things I heard were "oohhh" and "aahhh" and "cool". It was a fun afternoon.