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This incredible woman with eight kids under the age of 11 made Master D his favorite picnic cake after calling me for the recipe. Love her and her beautiful family! He’s 21 now! and as he says “Old enough to … Continue reading
It wasn’t a big birthday, so we didn’t make it a big deal. I cooked a meal, baked a cake, hung some balloons, bought some socks and a belt and called it good. Oh yeah and promised to organize a few things. He claims it’s a perfect birthday. I’ve come up with “the interview” for my birthday blogs this year and I am excited to share the answers with you all. His employees took good care of him too.
He loves all the “hooplah”
Always wiling to carry someone on his shoulders when they need it.
No need to ask: Yes, I do realize every day just how truly blessed and “lucky” I am to be married to my B.
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So as you all know, I’m not a huge fan of New Year’s resolutions. This is where I recognize that a year doesn’t go by that I don’t learn a whole bunch of helpful new things. Some I will use again, … Continue reading
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Another trip, another adventure, another tale to be told. This time it was to Arizona to enjoy the sun, the warmth, the nephews/cousins cuteness, visiting family and hiking between Christmas and New Years. 12/30 Camelback mountain while Ari helped Michele … Continue reading
Another set of cliff notes for our holiday season. I can tell you it flew by. If time just keeps speeding up at this rate, when I am 70 I am not going to be sure anything at all is happening if I don’t write down the moments in the very next moment. I think
I must need more blueberries or ginko biloba or to join lumosity.com, most likely all of the above.
December 6th,
Wyatt’s 13th birthday. We made cupcakes for him and he wanted Michele S chicken lime tacos for Sunday dinner.
Lelu enjoyed herself a big strawberry shortcake cupcake.
December 12th – our annual girl’s night nutcracker performance with McKinley, Sierra & Kenzie and Christina joined us this time…a little estrogen needed in a house of testosterone.
Dec 15th – Our Christmas shopping to LA adventure begins with Tito’s Tacos. Good thing they don’t have those in SLC..So yummy and hard to resist.
The Grove decorated so beautifully, Cherie & Kelly
Christina & I…we saw the Hobbit and I slept through a lot of it…and I DID NOT eat any sugar free gummy bears this time.
December 16th, As we were eating dinner watching this incredible sunset, Cherie was on the phone finding out Kenzie was getting her appendix out. We drove her to the airport to put her on the next flight, sadly ending her much needed girl’s trip. On the way to the airport there was a three car pile up right next to us on the 405. Yikes – as if our nerves were not already shot.
The sunset only got more beautiful. Such a bitter-sweet moment. We went back to our little beach house and I finished my final paper and emailed it to B to print and give to one of my babysitters who drove it up to the U and dropped it off in the philosophy department. I dreamed all night long there were problems and in my dream was told I was going to get a ‘C’ for Cinnamon. Also in my dream I was crying about how many things I like with cinnamon but that “I COULD NOT GET A “C”. I woke up laughing. I went out and told Kelly & Christina, we were all laughing and the next day got better, especially when we found out Kenzie did great in her surgery and was on the mend.
December 17th Perfect breakfast with a Cinnamon spiced Chai – even if I did end up with a “C” – life is good! (I didn’t end up with a “C” – but the hardest earned “B+” in the history of my schooling.)
Crazy people in LA do crazy things for attention. Poor cat and I don’t even like cats.
December 18th Successful shopping safari – as B would say – we were ready for Christmas, if not ready to leave 75 degrees to go home to a snow storm.
December 20th Ari’s Christmas dance recital.
The most festive and out of my comfort zone Christmas nails. It’s like Christmas lights on the end of my fingers.
We went to see “Walter Mitty” – great movie! but my favorite moment of the entire season (next to talking to Master D) happened in the bathroom at the movie theatre. You all know how I love Seinfeld…I went into a stall and realized too late that there was no toilet paper, Ari was in there with me so I say to her “Please find me some toilet paper” when underneath the stall comes a hand with some TP and the woman says “I can spare a square”. If I hadn’t already been where I was – I most certainly would have peed my pants.
We made trains with the J&C and boys, opened our pj’s and dreamed of talking to Master D the next day!
I saved the best for the last….there is not better gift than when you are deprived of part of your family on Christmas day, than to skype for an hour – always emotional to say goodbye but only for eight more weeks.
The gang at Brighton on a beautiful day – minus Michelle & Aub at home ‘slaving’ away.. (Wyatt and Lelu in the helmets)
It’s a problem when you wait almost 2 months to write about stuff. I will most likely forget something. This year for Thanksgiving, we were lucky enough to have Michelle & Maruan, Aub, Jeff, Christina and their boys. The day before, however, on Wednesday didn’t quite go as well as I usually like it too. I ruined the first set of rolls that I made, then the next batch just didn’t quite raise, so the rolls were pretty much a bust for our meal and then Aub’s flight was VERY delayed and a nightmare of traffic at the airport.
Thursday morning shined anew and we had plenty to be grateful for:
1. The turkey got put in bright and early
2. We went skiing. Christina skied for the first time in eight years and didn’t fall down once – neither did I. That’s a big deal. We rocked it!!
3. Michelle and Aub prepared all the veggies and peeled the potatoes while we were gone.
The adult table with an Ari photo bomb
The table of kiddos…poor Landon & Lelu. They are almost adults
4. The food was awesome – except the rolls…. yet no one complained that the rolls sucked.
I think this is Lelu’s plate so not all food groups are represented, but you get the idea..
5. i dragged everyone to see “The Book Thief”, which I absolutely loved (in my top ten favorite books) and no one else did because it’s kind of a downer story — even though the main character triumphs in the end. I’m grateful they humored me.
6. On Friday, it was fairly nice weather and we all walked to the park. We played baseball & soccer. Aside from B pulling some kind of toe/foot muscle, it was a ton of fun!
a little soccer..
An electronic game at the park, that would be Michelle diving for the button, And the little kids just hanging around..
a friendly baseball game, with little to no bad sportsmanship from unnamed players..
Lucky little Ari got a ‘massage’ from uncle Maruan
The brothers Taylor settle in for a hold-your-tummy-long-winters-nap.
7. This is the last Thanksgiving without Master D. He had 3 meals that day. So much gratitude for the people of New York!
8. I have a nearly perfect life….just the right amount of imperfection.. for me… and it’s enough. For that I am pretty dang happy!