HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 2010

OK...this year brought a few changes:

Jenn and Tom both graduated from ASU in May.

We moved to a new house, a new town, a new ward and neighborhood.

Sam and Jenn and Berkeley and Atticus moved to California and then to Texas.

I had a hysterectomy on November 10.

Chad and Meagen had a baby girl (Emily) born on the same day in the same hospital. Surprise!

I was called to be the Young Women's President in our ward. How old am I? Never mind.

I quit exercising when we moved in April and I gained a few pounds. Quite a few. Which I do without much effort at all. Hardly any effort!! Actually, NO EFFORT. Easy as pie. Umm, that sounds good. NO, NO PIE!!

You can guess what's on my New Year's Resolution list: lose weight. Nothing "new" about that! It's on my list every year, EVERY year! Including 2010. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Family Christmas Party, Part II 2009

The program was a hit, really fun!

Patty was so much help (along with Kristie). She made peanut butter balls and everything else you see here. Thanks Patty and Kristie! And thanks to everyone else who brought good things to eat and fun talents to share! And to everyone for just showing up--it's not a party without all of you being there! "Thanks for the memories..."

Gracie sang "I Ain't Gettin' Nuttin' For Christmas" and she did such a great job!! Believe me, she's getting somethin' for Christmas FOR SURE!

Smile, Tara! "Thank You!" Then there's Kristie, some unknown person (is that Aaron, maybe) and Tim in the background.

Linda, Aaron (for sure), Brianne (I think), Ed, Cheryl and Colton. And Chad and Erin Marie in the background.

Well, hopefully everyone had a good time and hopefully we can do this again next year, and the next year and the next year, etc. It's just so good to get together with our immediate family and enjoy each other and catch up on what's going on in everyone's lives and share each other's talents. Thanks to everyone of you!!!!!!!!! I love you all!

Family Christmas Party 2009

Jeff (sometimes erroneously referred to as Mark) and Lindsay and Amy.

Steve and Erin and baby Parker. Jim enjoying himself behind them. And Amy, Rowan and Heidi in the background.

The program audience. Some more attentive than others.

The eats. Colton, Krista (Patty and Heidi in the back talking) and Erin and Steve.

Baby Emily and Great Aunt Linda.

I would have added more pictures but for some reason it wouldn't let me! So I'll add a few more on the next blog, which will be Family Christmas Party, Part II 2009. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Tiny Babies at Christmas

Does this look familiar to anyone? Mom and Dad had so many little grandbabies this Christmas (1977). Chad was about the size and age of little Emily here. Check out those hairdos and the clothes. Oh, the 70's, weren't they great!! My eyes are expressing my "I give up" thoughts at that moment because I couldn't get Chad to stop crying for the picture.

I guess I should have named this Post: "Christmas Jammies are Cute on Baby Emily." This is Patty holding little crunched up Emi. She's 5 weeks old now. I got out that family picture above to show Chad what he looked like at 5 weeks old. It was really pretty funny, because we were trying to get the picture done and he just couldn't stop crying. Remember that?? He was so tiny, I had almost forgotten how tiny he was. Maybe he was only 5 days old. My memory is a little foggy (remind you of anyone?).

Aren't those just the cutest little jammies on such a cutie pie!

"Oh. I'm so relaxed in my warm, cuddly, Christmas Jammies."

THANKSGIVING 2009

This is for you and me, Cheryl. Ten people at Thanksgiving among other things.

FOOD, FUN & LAUGHTER COMING UP!!!

So here's a few pictures from last year's Family Christmas Party. Ready to have some more fun? OK Or as Alex would say, "Alrighty, then"! Let's do it!

QUEEN CREEK PERKS

Queen Creek is a great little town. I learned today that there are approximately 24,000 people in QC. This weekend I discovered a couple of novel little perks about my new "home town." As you can see on the crosswalk signal on the corner by our house, there is an extra button. It's up higher on the pole for people sitting up on their horses. Yeah, I'm serious, see the picture over the button?

Then there's this little perk:
I saw two people on horses coming into the parking lot at the Circle K that is just two miles from our house (about 1/2 mile from Tim & Heidi's). They moseyed right over to the HITCHING POST on the north end of the parking lot. I love it! All you horse lovers should consider making a move to this end of the valley. It doesn't get much better than this!!!
I may have to go out and buy myself a new mode of transportation! Unfortunately we don't have horse property, we're just in a normal neighborhood, and I don't think I could keep a horse in my garage! Dang!

Baby Emily

Emily Grace Adair was born Tuesday, November 10, 2009. Congratulations to Chad and Meagen!! She's a baby doll. They are such sweet parents. And I'm a lucky grandma. It's sort of funny that I had my surgery at the same hospital on the same morning that Emily was born. What a coincidence (since she was almost a month early) that she came on that day! Thanks for the hospital visit, Emily.
One eye open, trying to see who is holding her. "Is that you Grandma??" This was taken on Sat., she was 4 days old. Cute, cute, cute.
Grandma holding such a tiny bundle of joy!! Isn't she sweet!!! Little Emily--4 days old.

Polar Express 2008

Last year at this time, we went on the Polar Express with Sam and Jenn and the kids. It was great fun and the kids loved it. Well, they loved everything except finding out that they couldn't get off the train at the North Pole. That was a huge disappointment that was really hard to explain to them. Really hard. But we still had a great time, in spite of that awkward moment of realization for them.

We won't be going to the North Pole this year, but they are coming for Thanksgiving and that will be fun. I'm going into the hospital tomorrow to have surgery, but I will hopefully be feeling better by the time they come to visit. I'm not keen on surgery (not on me, anyway) but sometimes you "gotta do what you gotta do". So I'm doin' it. Wish me luck.

Berkeley, Jenn and Atticus

Me, Atticus, Berkeley and Papa

Jim and I

Gone but Not Forgotten

Last year while we were in St. George, we took the time to visit some old friends from Mesa, Pat and Pam Sheneman. They were our neighbors when we lived at 3810 E. Covina. We hadn't seen them in years, but stopped by their house and then went to lunch with Pat and their high school age son.

Sadly, we learned this week that Pat died suddenly of a brain aneurism and his funeral is tomorrow. They have older married children and grandchildren and also 2 younger kids. A high school boy and a little girl who is about 8 if I remember right. Pat was a vivacious, happy guy and he will sorely missed.

Here Jim is with Pat and their son (the one in high school); I think they're laughing at me.

Here is Pat and Pam. Pam is always cheerful and upbeat just like in this picture. And so was Pat. They've been married since right after high school and thankfully, their marriage is eternal. My heart goes out to Pam and their family.

I Love to See The Temple

Diane and I went to the Salt Lake Temple on Thursday and it was wonderful. Then afterward we went to the Joseph Smith Building and had lunch upstairs in the Garden Room. While we were sitting there, I noticed the reflection of the JSB in the windows across the street and took this picture. Can you see it? Down town SLC has lots of tall building now and lots of building going on.
Here we are with the Temple in the background. It's so beautiful. I was so happy to go back to the SL Temple and do a session in the temple I was married in...over 35 years ago.
In case you think a pro took this, let me just tell you: I took this one and the one below. You thought they were postcards, didn't you?
Isn't it a magnificent structure--no wonder it took 40 years for the pioneers to build it. Also, Snowbird is up the Little Cottonwood Canyon, where the pioneers went to get the granite they used to build the temple. It's just so amazing to me.

The Things You See

So this is the scenery we saw on our way up to Snowbird. The colors were beautiful.
And I looked out the window of our 8th floor condo and saw 3 moose. A daddy, mommy & baby. I was so surprised and called Diane over to see and when she looked she also saw a bobcat run through the woods. Crazy, beautiful place!!!
Publish PostThe mom and baby already left and finally, away walked the daddy. It was fun watching them.

Homeward Bound Today

It's time for me to go get packed and leave Utah today. I've had a nice, relaxing time (even with the trip home to my cousin, Steve's funeral.) The mountains of Utah are just amazingly beautiful. We went to the Salt Lake Temple and to Orem to visit Linda Howard and to Gardner's Village and to the Tabernacle Choir Broadcast and a few other things in SLC. I have to thank Diane for inviting me AND Jim for encouraging me to go. Thanks to both of you!



This is Diane and I at Gardner's Village. It was so cute with lots of fun shops and lots of little kids dressed in Halloween costumes.




This is me enjoying the hot tub on the balcony of our 8th floor condo. It took me all week to finally get in. It was nice, I should have gotten in sooner.




This is the view outside our condo window. The weather has been beautiful the last few days. The snow we had the first morning here is mostly gone. But the next few weeks should bring lots of snow. They get an average of about 500 inches; last year and the year before they had more like 900 inches. That's a lot of SNOW! GOOD BYE SNOWBIRD. GOOD BYE CLIFF LODGE.

SNOWBIRD

So I mentioned that I was off to Utah on Saturday. I am up in the mountains at the Snowbird Resort. I'm here with my friend (and once upon a time roommate from many, many years ago) Diane. It is gorgeous and to our surprise, it SNOWED this morning.

We still decided to go into Salt Lake City and go to the Tabernacle Choir live broadcast from Temple Square. It was well worth it!! It was so beautiful. The spirit was so strong and the music so FANTASTIC! I loved it!!!!! I looked for Libby Nielson in the orchestra but never was quite sure if I saw her. But I think I did.

I'll keep you all posted on what we do and where we go and how we relax and enjoy ourselves in the beautiful mountains of Utah.

BABY SHOWER for Meagen and "Emily"

She's coming soon.

Meagen below with some cute things for the baby.

Me and Patty and Kristie.

Chad and Meagen have picked a name for their baby--Emily Grace Adair. I love the name Emily.

Jim's grandmother's name was Grace Emily Chadwick and then when she married it was Grace Emily Chadwick Ashenden. Sound familiar?

Also, my grandmother's name was Violet Grace Brunt Steele. So I think it's nice that they used the name Grace.

There was a baby shower for Meagen on Sat. I could only go for an hour because I was going to the airport to go to Utah, but it was cute and her sisters did a great job. Allison's home is beautiful.

Meagen has been sick for the last week, but hopefully she's over it. It's hard to be a kindergarten teacher and not catch colds and flu from the kids. It's even worse when you're pregnant!!

Love you Meagen!!!