Tag I'm It!!!

4 Places I visit frequently
1. The grocery store (Dicks or Target)
2. Homes of my family members
3. Church
4. The Doctor's office

4 People who call/Text/Email me regularly
1. Michael
2. Caitlin
3. Jeff
4. Mother

4 favorite Foods
1. Asian salads (at restaurants)
2. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (best when my mom makes it)
3. Chocolate
4. El Matador chips and salsa (to go)

4 Places I'd rather be
1. The beach house
2. Britain
3. Disneyland
4. East or west; home is best

4 Movies I'd watch over and over
1. Pride and Prejudice (BBC version, twice a year)
2. Watcher in the Woods (once a year)
3. Jurassic Park lll (rrruuunnnn!!! once a year)
4. Houseboat (every couple of years, but I just bought it so it'll move up to once a year)

4 Bands/Groups I like to listen to...
1. Endless Summer (Mike and Andy)
2. The Osmonds (I'm going to see them on 7-26-08)
3. The Carpenters
4. The Partridge Family (laugh away, but that's my favorite music to listen to on my ipod while I'm walking)

The 4 People I am tagging are....
1. Mother
2. Lilian
3. Marivic
4. Margie

Echoes of the Heart

The charm of music dwells not in the tones, but in the Echoes of our Hearts
Oliver Wendell Holmes

It was in January of 1997 that my friend Terri asked me if I would like to join with a group of women that she was organizing into a singing group. We were going to perform a sesquicentennial (150 years since the first pioneers arrived in the valley) program for a Relief Society birthday party that March. Our pioneer program was beautiful and inspired and after performing it once we were asked by someone else, then another....and the rest is history. Our group (originally known as the Daughters of Denim but then changed to Echoes of the Heart) has been performing on a regular basis for the past 11 1/2 years. Originally we had six singers and an accompianist. In 1998 we added three more singers which gave us three on each part. The Echoes have performed throughout the community for church functions (particularly Relief Society birthday parties and Christmas parties); community events; family parties; company parties; funerals (we once sang at a funeral where President Monson was in attendance, unfortunately I was at work and couldn't go); many times for the DUP (Daughters of the Utah Pioneers) and even the SUP (Sons of the Utah Pioneers); we've traveled to Idaho and to Eastern Utah and we've sung at rest homes and retirement centers. Two of my favorites are our yearly performance at Temple Square and our traditional "Stress Rehearsal" which is a dress rehearsal we perform for our families at the end of November in preparation for our upcoming Christmas season. Through the years some of the faces of the Echoes have changed causing us to say goodbye to an old friend but welcoming a new. The faces are changing again but this time it takes on a new meaning for me because I'm the one saying goodbye. I would just like to share a few memories of my years with the Echoes: weekly practices where we sometimes talked more than we sang; seeing how the seasons of our lives changed as we each experienced changes in our family dynamics (babies, graduations, missionaries, weddings, grandchildren, etc.); sharing in each others joys as well as the awareness of one anothers trials (even those borne silently); feeling the spirit as we sang sacred songs; lovely dinners and nice gifts; having a stranger in the grocery store come up and ask; "did I see you singing in my ward last night? It was beautiful."; costumes; choreography; Mother's Day programs; visits in cars as we drove to performances; quarterly parties and lunches in the effort to visit there and not so much at practice (it didn't work, we still talked at practice); finding an empty room (sometimes a bathroom) where we could pray together before a performance; "Chocolate in my Stocking"; once being introduced as "the Ladies of the Night" by mistake (big mistake). It has been an honor and a privilege to sing with these women; my friends, and to share these memories and many, many more with them. Goodnight ladies!! Love ya, MEAN IT!!

Happy JULIO Part Dos

Thanks to my family and friends this was one of the happiest JULIO's that I've ever had!! I love you guys!!

Happy JULIO!!!

A few years ago we were at the Buzz baseball game. I just happened to glance up at the huge scoreboard just in time to see the lit up digital letters JULIO. Thinking I was reading the stats of the current player up to bat, I excitedly brought it to the attention of those who were with me, "that player has the same birthday as me, July 10!(JULIO)". My son Jeff (laughing) informed me that was not the players birthday, but his name; Julio.Today is JULIO and I'm 50 years old!! What ever way you look at it (half a century, five decades, 15 years from Medicare and Social Security) it is better than the alternative. I'm so grateful for all the many blessings that I enjoy in my life and I'm looking forward to the next 50!!! I also want to wish Happy JULIO to a few of my birthday buddies; Alyssa Marsden (my neice), Brenda Smith, Lindsey Nelson, and of course Jessica Simpson!!
Here I am in one of the places I love the most; with the one I love the most (together we're 100)

Camping and Trekking; It's Gonna Be An Endless Summer

The last two weeks in June were extremely busy. It seems like that is the way it goes sometimes, a bunch of stuff all at the same time and then we have nothing to do (although looking ahead at the July calander it's looking pretty busy too). We started out with ward girl's camp in Ogden Canyon. I'm second counselor in my ward YW's presidency so I get to go to camp with Caitlin. We were gone four days and three cold nights. But it was a great experience and we all enjoyed ourselves. Mike came for one day and night as a Priesthood leader and it was fun having him there too.
As soon as we got home from camp we were rushing to get Caitlin ready for pioneer trek (a re-enactment of the Mormon pioneers who pulled handcarts across the plains). I was busily sewing her pioneer clothes every night after work and I think she looked pretty cute in them. She was a bit apprehensive about going but was determined that she would do it. She left on Thursday morning the 26th and got home on Saturday night. Friday night Mike and I went up to trek so that Mike could help out with the music while the trekkers square danced. She was happy to see us but was quite busy with her trek "family". She was a happy camper, I mean trekker.
There were about 17 "families" on trek, this is Caitlin's trek "family" (Caitlin is on the back row wearing black)

On Saturday our week ended with West Bountiful's 4th of July celebration. Yes, we celebrated the 4th of July on June 28th. Endless Summer has become West Bountiful's favorite hometown band. Hundreds gathered at the city park for the concert which was followed by fireworks. It was a great celebration!!

A Wrong Turn...Ooops!!

Twice a year we make a little trek down to the sewage plant in West Bountiful to pay our bill. I could send it in the mail but it's always been a little bit of a field trip to drive down the mile long road and see what life is like at the sewage plant. Today was the day, and so I decided to go on my way home from work. Since the Legacy Highway has been going full speed ahead, getting to the sewage plant (farthest spot west in our community) has required some detouring. The last time I went I actually drove across the northbound and southbound lanes of the new highway to a frontage road which runs along side of Legacy and I followed the signs right to the sewage plant. Today however, things had changed a bit and the signs led me to actually drive on the new highway. I was tempted to go home and get Caitlin (in years past the kids have always enjoyed the "field trip") so she could ride on the new road. It was truly adventurous. I got off the highway as directed and was now on the frontage road where I drove past the dump and the West Bountiful pond but somehow I made a wrong turn and I missed the sewage plant. I was completely surprised to see how far south I had driven when I saw a sign for a 500 south ramp (I should be at about 1200 North), and I realize that there are dump trucks coming towards me and all around me and I'm about to drive onto an overpass that they are building. I'm the only civilian driving in the middle of the work zone...ooops! I made the quickest 3 point turn in history and got out of there as fast (there weren't any speed limit signs) as I could. I finally found where I was supposed to go, made my payment and headed home. I think my sewage plant bill paying field trips are over, next time I'll mail it.

I Love T'Ocean

Traditionally this would be our week at the beach...if it was our year to go, which it is not. So in order to help ease my yearning to be there I decided to post pictures and share some of my beach house highlights through the years.I've been going to San Clemente California since 1968 (I was 10). Mike and I spent our honeymoon there in 1977. In 1984 we started going to the beach house at Capistrano Beach just down the sand from San Clemente. Here we are on the San Clemente pier with our three little boys. Andy (6), Jeffrey (4), and Jeremy (9 1/2 months).
These are our three boys and Ashleigh in 1989 pictured with children of two of my cousins. This was Ashleigh's first of two trips to the beach house.
Upon our arrival in 1999 we discovered this huge log that had washed ashore. It became a great playground toy for the cousins and a great photo shoot for the parents. Granma and Granpa are somewhere in the middle of all those kids.Here we are on our "front porch" in 2001. This was Kristin's second trip to the beach house, and Caitlin's third.In 2003 Mike and I spent a week at the Beachcomber in San Clemente. We drove over to Beach Road and parked at the public beach parking lot then walked along the private beach 'til we came to the beach house. I was happy to see it was unoccupied.Our family in our "front yard" in 2005. This was Melissa's first trip to the beach house, Emily's second, Adam's second and Zach's first.Follow the sand for a couple of miles and there you'll find our beach.Caitlin and Mike walking on the San Clemente pier in 2007. In the distance you can see both the Beachcomber and the Sea Horse (where we spent our honeymoon).

These pictures represent only some of the years we've spent at the beach house. We have a lot of memories at the beach and I'm going to ramble off a few "one liners" for the family. Family talent night, bon fires, the hokey pokey, Mr. Roboto, walks along the pier eating ice cream cones, watching sunsets from the pier, the occasional glimpse of Catalina Island, jr. lifeguards jumping off the pier, dolphins playing in the water, going to sleep and waking up to the sound of t'ocean, golfing, eating at "The Fisherman", "When are we going to the store Trix...?", peanut butter..."and jelly?", has anybody seen Chris's sunscreen?, buying Cadbury's at "The Best of Britain", toe rings and ankle bracelets, David missing the tram at Disneyland, Grunyens at midnight, rocks, boogey boarding, "The Price is Right", Jeremy's stangulated two wood, church ball, "Wicked", the buses with snow on top, going to the movies, watching "Jaws", morning walks down Beach Road, trains, Granma's Ulster fry, Pickup Stix, family testimony meeting, good food, Ralph's grocery store, Dana Point, "We're here for the week..."
So many, many memories. I vote for next year!!!! All in favor???