April Fools Day Fun

Never been a big April Fools Day lover. Usually not enough time to put into the "fooling". But, I decided today we could have some fun with it.  Since we had the day off it was perfect.With these cupcakes we could save time by serving dinner and dessert all in one. DELICIOUS!!! But, the cupcakes look so good we can't eat them. We just stare at them. Maybe they look a little too real and we can't possibly eat a meatball off of a cupcake. What do you think?

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy with a pat of Butter

Peas and Carrots

Meatball and Spaghetti

Life is Good - especially with a day off here and there.

We Seek After Good Things

Like a Pilgrimage to Mecca, the twins, friends, and I voyaged to Utah for the annual Young Women's Broadcast. Each year thousands of beautiful girls drag their mothers to the Conference Center, Stake Centers, and Meeting Houses all over the world to  listen to their spiritual leaders guide them on their journey on this earth. (OK, perhaps the mothers do the dragging.) But, there was no dragging in this house. This was an adventure with friends and their moms.We were seeking after good times and good memories - and flowers and green grass.

Adri, Katy, Grandma, and Grandpa. Those girls adore their Grandparents.

Tradition has it, in this house, that the first broadcast, after turning 12 years old, will be viewed live in the Conference Center. We rode with our friends, Taina and Shailee Gardner and Emilee and Peyton Crapo. We started the morning with volleyball games in Snake River and then headed to Red Lobster in Pocatello. (Don't you hate it when the thought of a restaurant is better than the actual food?) Then it was back on the road to Grandma and Grandpa Grant's house.

Waiting to begin. Pretty sweet seats!

I'm always in awe at the sheer size of this building. Yet, it is so easy to enjoy a meeting or production here.

Emilee Crapo, Katy, Adri, Me, Shailee and Taina Gardner. Peyton Crapo in the front.

Adorable girls ready and eager to head to In and Out.

Our seats were so close (compared to all the other times we've been inside the Conference Center) and we could actually see the speakers and all the leaders without having to watch the big screen. COOL!!! The girls loved it. I LOVED being there and experiencing that wonderfully spiritual meeting with them. I think we found some of what we were seeking.

Exhausted and ready for the lights to be turned out.

 Afterwards we sought the delicious flavors of  In and Out Burger in Centerville. Can you say CROWDED? I think nearly all 21,000 people at the broadcast had found their way to that one fast food joint. Are hamburgers sold anywhere else along the Wasatch Front? Being inside that place would lead you to think, "NO!" Good times, though.

Inside the Tabernacle. I think that the Sounds of Sunday is very fun to attend.

Still smiling but getting pretty sick of me taking pictures.

Inside the North Visitor's Center

"I love to see the temple. I'll go inside someday."

Loving our girls. These are four choice daughters of our Heavenly Father.

Next morning we were up bright and early seeking the sweet music at the Sounds of Sunday broadcast and a visit around Temple Square. (There are flowers AND green grass at this place!)  I love that place. I really enjoy the Visitor's Centers and gazing at the temple. I especially enjoyed seeing my girls look upon the temple as a place they will be in not too many years.There aren't so many years left for me to enjoy these wonderful gorgeous girls. I hope I cherish them all.

Life is Good and full of things that are virtuous, lovely and of good report.

If You Give a Moose a Bush

Today as Trent was leaving the house, something in the backyard caught his eye. A dirt pile? No, we still have a foot and a half of snow out there. It was a moose. A very large she-moose bedded down in the garden. 

 Trent sent me a message letting me know that she was there. I warned the girls to keep an eye out as they went home. Really, I thought she would have moved on. But, nope. She was still in the garden, now sitting in the shade of the trees.

"Molly" must have gotten the munchies because eventually, after many visitors came to look, she began to graze upon the smorgasbord of vegetation available to her. She enjoyed the quakies and stretched her neck to reach the tips of the higher branches. Then she moseyed on over to the lilacs where she munched much on the tender low branches. Then she chewed on the fragrant limbs of the pine trees.

 It was back to the quakies before she bedded down again, this time in the middle of the yard,  to clean up after such a big meal. She rested there until time to enjoy some rich apple twigs, just before heading out for the evening.

 Come again Molly Moose. We'd love to have you visit another day. Just don't come angry. No one likes an angry moose.

P.S. We don't allow "Peeping Toms" in this neighborhood. Keep moving!!!





Life is Good.

The Sound of Spring

A couple of my fellow bloggers from Utah just posted pictures of Spring arriving there. I'm not posting any pics. I posted pictures of our Spring last week. It was depressing. But, this evening, there is hope. Guess what I'm hearing on my roof? pitter patter pitter patter pitter patter  Can you hear it? If I didn't still have ice in my driveway I would run outside and dance in the rain. (I can't because the combination of rain and ice could make for possible broken legs or ankles in this 40+ body.) But, I can enjoy the sound. AND I AM!!!!

Trent just came back from the grocery store. He was able to use the brand new windshield wipers to whoosh away RAIN. Not snow people. RAIN. Beautiful, wet, puddle-making RAIN!!!

Life is Good - And Spring is definitely on its way. Only 2 1/2 feet of snow to go.

Spring Fever has Arrived

We had two days of  "Spring is right around the corner" weather last week - just to tease us. That was before the 6 inches of new snow arrived later in the week. But, that didn't stop the girls from participating in some Spring-like activities today. So, with the temperature around 15 degrees, they headed out to the road to toss the softball around and to ride the  scooter. They didn't last long. But, they tried. Lots of giggles could be heard and it brought a smile to the neighbors' faces.

Katy scootering along - very slowly.

Adri dressing for every season.

Kenna making a slippery catch.

Life is Good - as the hope of Spring lingers.

Who Doesn't Vacation in Detroit?

In November, Trent and I "vacationed" in Detroit. Why would anyone choose to go to Detroit? Well, because Detroit is where the conference was and we hadn't been further east than Chicago. Oh, and did I mention that Chicago was only four hours away from Detroit? We had a great time.We flew out on separate airplanes - different airlines, actually. Trent flew from Salt Lake to Phoenix and then to Detroit. I flew directly to Detroit. I had to meet up with him somewhere in the airport which was no little feat and is an entirely different blog entry. Someday, I hope to write about it. It was wayyyy too good to forget.

Detroit is an interesting place and I'm sure that at one time it was a lovely, thriving city. But, with the economic mess that our country has found itself in, there isn't much life there. What it does have is a lot of burned out buildings and empty and abandoned businesses. Some of those facilities take up more acreage than our entire town - like a Pontiac plant. That was quite haunting and extremely sad. The were a few casinos, Greek restaurants (yummy), and Ford Field that were happy spots in an otherwise depressing city. The Ford company seemed to be hanging on and I enjoyed visiting The Henry Ford (museum) and The Rouge (the plant where the Ford F-150 is built). I had to go alone, driving through a strange city even, since Trent was at his conference. I did it, though, and I survived quite happily. Too bad they don't give out free cars at the end of the tour. But, one can always dream. The Henry Ford has more history in it than a textbook. I LOVED that place.

One of only a very few surviving copies of the Declaration of Independence. More security on this thing than the President has. Not kidding!!!

The actual bus where Rosa Parks stood up for her rights as a human being. I got to step up on that bus too. Humbling!!!

The original Wienermobile. Does it get any cooler than that? Yes it does - I ate an Oscar Mayer hot dog right next to it!!!

Blue Bird No. 1. One of the first buses built.  No seat belts then , either. We got 17 kids in my bus seat once. Could that many even fit on this bus? Doubtful.

The car that John F. Kennedy was shot in. It's all cleaned up and completely bullet-proof now. They fixed all the security issues right after the shooting but the car was never used again.

Quite surprising was our out of the blue jaunt to Chicago.We hadn't planned to go there but, when you are only four hours away from Trent's favorite place in the world, we just had to hit the road and take the adventure. Since neither of us had been to Ohio we drove all across that state (seeing Toledo, interesting), the state of Indiana, and right into Chicago. On the way back, we drove all the way across Michigan. Those places are lovely and we saw some Amish settlements, where people drive horse and buggies. That was cool. So many trees and green fields and not one sage brush or cedar tree to be found.

Chicago was beautiful and FREEZING!!! I liked it because I had never driven into the city. We always ride the trains and buses from the airport so entering the city from Indiana brought a new perspective. We also stayed right on the river. It was AWESOME. I found out why expensive hotels are expensive - you pay for the valet, the parking, the television, the internet, use of the in-room refrigerator, blah, blah, blah. They probably charged us a towel fee. But, no matter we loved it.

Coming into the city. Straight ahead, the tallest near building, is Trump Tower. It's new and pretty cool. I watched The Apprentice finale when Bill Rancic chose to be in charge of that project. I think he did a good job.

Michigan Avenue. It really did feel like a concrete corridor and taxi drivers are NUTS.

Marina Towers. We call them the Corn Cobs. I think I could live there at least as my vacation home. I live in the country and would vacation to the city. Maybe someone inside would like to trade me just a couple weeks every year.

The Chicago Theater. I just love that old sign.

The view from our hotel room. The Chicago River is beautiful (and probably full of the bodies of ex-mobsters). Nevertheless, one of my favorite Chicago things. There was a guy across the way that watched ESPN Sportscenter all night long - with his blinds open. Ooh, does that make me a Peeping Tom? Nah. He's probably used to people looking in there.

We walked everywhere that night. That's how I knew it was so cold. This is a picture of the "Bean" in Millennium Park. It is one of the most amazing parks to visit. Everyone should hang out there - but in the Summer to Fall months.

The Giant Eyeball sculpture. Weird but interesting. It is 30 feet tall. It was taken down a couple days after this. 

So, a vacation to Detroit was fun. I'm glad we went. I would like to go there another time when the economy has turned around. We flew back, separately again, with me stopping in the Minneapolis airport for FOREVER. I tried to find the infamous Larry Craig restroom (Idahoans are quite familiar with this special location) but wasn't successful. hahaha

Thanks for taking me Trent!

 Life is Good - even in Detroit.

And Here's ... BUDDY

Buddy is not our favorite name for a dog, especially since that is the name we call Collin, the cat, and anyone whose name has slipped our minds (which is happening more and more often with each passing month). We'd like to change it but how do you explain to a dog, in a way that he will comprehend, that his name is now Abercrombie? (That wouldn't be his name because I'm the only one who likes it.) Seriously, any ideas are welcome. But, nevertheless, BUDDY has arrived and we adore him. Except we don't appreciate his woman's shoe fetish - four shoes in four weeks. Other than that he has fit in so well. My favorite things about him are:

* Very soft fur. His ears could possibly be the softest thing I have ever touched.
*  He sits every time you pet him.
*  His lip gets stuck behind his vampire tooth on one side or the other nearly every time he closes his mouth.
*  When you talk to him he cocks his head to one side and looks at me more intently than my children.
*  He gets right up in the morning - unlike most of the other dependents in my household.
*  He sleeps with Katy and not me.

He's definitely a great part of the family. We'll keep him!!!

Life is Good - and pets can make it even better.
  
P.S. We still really miss Cruiser!