Lisa

Dear, Miss Spring

2010-03-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Don't be shy.

Don't you know that you charm us with your beautiful smile?

So will you please just do us all a favor?

Sit down; take your jacket off and stay for awhile!

Love,
me

LOVE

2010-02-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

Love

them!

x o

Star light... Star bright

2010-01-04T21:17:00.001-08:00

On New Years Day 2010 we hiked to the Sandy Star.
It was a steep & slippery hike that took about a half hour.

Hiking in the Winter is pretty... especially at dusk.
We were surrounded by incredible views.

Above us... spectacular snow capped Mountains,

below us....a magical twinkling city.

As the sun set, the snow turned all shades of pink, blue and purple.

It must have been cold out but I didn't feel it.

Being with my family, surrounded by the beauty of where we live,
I was filled with the warmth you receive when you are grateful for life's blessings.

Here is a short video I made of our hike so you can enjoy some of the beautiful views too!

All the lights are coming on now...

2009-12-25T20:11:00.000-08:00

In between work and school and finals Karli found a little time to be creative.
Here are a couple of her latest creations.

Santa is coming to town from Patrick Davies on Vimeo.

O Christmas Tree from Patrick Davies on Vimeo.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

12 - 12

2009-12-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

"It's a boy!" I heard the nurse say as she held my baby up, before whisking him away to an incubator where they would check him over to make sure he was breathing ok. Even though he was five weeks early he was healthy and strong and soon brought back to me to hold for the very first time. Looking down at my newborn I noticed he was tightly swaddled in a warm white blanket, and I thought to myself... "he resembles the snowy scene outside my window." Overnight the valley had been covered in a heavy blanket of fresh white snow that was now glistening in the afternoon sunlight.

They say stormy weather can bring on labor but in my case it was a blizzard that really stirred things up. It all started the night before when the snowy storm blew into town. As I sat down to put Karli's snow boots on so she could run outside with Justin and Ashley to play in the Winter Wonderland that was beginning to swirl in our backyard, something unexpected happened.... my water broke!

I called Pat at work and he started his slow drive home on the snow covered roads. As soon as he walked in the door we walked right back out and drove straight to the hospital. The doctors wanted to send me downtown by ambulance to a bigger hospital which was better equipped to handle a premature baby, but at the last minute decided the roads were just too dangerous. The new plan was to keep me, but life flight my baby if it was born with complications. After a really long labor but very quick delivery my last baby was born. We were happy that he was healthy and strong enough to go home with me a few days later.

I never planned on having a December baby, but over the years have learned that we don't get to plan everything in life, sometimes life gets to plan things for us. Jake loves his December birthday, and I do too! I can't think of a happier time of year than Christmas time to have given birth to such a sweet baby boy.

Jake Davies born 12-12-92
5 lbs 7 oz 18 inches

This Santa doll was bigger than Jake and it wasn't very big : )
(Linda please tell me you still have it...I would love to hold it next to Jake!)

Jake's blessing day

2 months old

6 months old

1 year old

Jake was the ultimate snuggler....it was AWESOME!

The starting of his Jake the Cowboy stage : )

Jazz Fan

Still a Jazz Fan...even when they lose ; )

Happy 17th Birthday Jake
I LOVE YOU!
mom

Thankful

2009-11-26T10:04:00.000-08:00

Ashley Brooke Davies
November 21, 1983
8lbs 20 inches

Thanksgiving Day 1983 I had so much to be thankful for. I had just given birth to my beautiful baby girl 3 days earlier and also had an adorable two year old boy at home. I couldn't have been happier! A boy and a girl, I thought... now my life is complete and whatever comes next is just gravy. Ironically three days later we were practically swimming in the stuff... Turkey Gravy that is.

I checked out of the hospital on Thanksgiving morning with my pink little bundle of joy and by that afternoon we were stuffing ourselves silly at the Atwood Family Thanksgiving Feast. From there we drove to Pat's Aunt Janet's house where we spent the evening eating a delicious Turkey Dinner with the Davies.

I was either too young or too stupid (probably both) but I didn't care. I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the Season of Thanksgiving than to be gathered around a crackling fire with loved ones, passing around my precious baby girl, smelling her sweet neck and smothering her cute little face with kisses.

By the end of the night my body was exhausted but my spirit had never felt so alive, and like the flames that flickered in the fireplace on that cold Thanksgiving night, it is a scene that I fondly cherish, and will forever warm my heart.

Loving the swing at the farm : )

Taking over Justin's Care Bear desk!

Stealing Justin's Knight Rider Bike!

hogging Justin's Big Boy Bike!

Preschool Grad

Taking Treats to school for her 6th Birthday

I am so THANKFUL for you Ashley
Thanks for being the wonderful daughter that you are!
I LOVE YOU!
mom : )

Love & Promises

2009-09-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

At the Center of your lives is your love

and around you is the family
held together by the promises
you made to one another

For keeping your promises
for living your love
for all that your marriage has meant
you are celebrated today

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad
I LOVE YOU!

photos by Courtney Brooke

Rising Star

2009-09-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Watch this cute video that Karli's friends made for a Post it note commercial contest.

I think the Supporting Actress is amazing... don't you? : )

Birthday Buddies

2009-09-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday to me!

Thanks for being the best side kick

a girl could ever ask for!

Dear Summer,

2009-09-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

I miss you already
xoxoxo
me

Acting half his age

2009-08-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

A few reasons why I think my husband is a stud

He loves to run up mountains

He hikes over huge boulders

He wears shorts in freezing cold temperatures

110 degrees has nothing on this guy

He doesn't need any skis when he goes water skiing:)

He has run/hiked to the top of Lone Peak a bajillion times

He can still throw a football pretty far for an old guy;)

He drives down to Moab just to exercise

He's 52 and still going strong!

Happy Birthday Patrick
I love you!

Here's hoping by the time you reach 72 the rest of us will be able to keep up with you!

Jeepers creepers

2009-08-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Where'd you get those peepers?

I can remember this day like it was yesterday:)

Justin had been napping on my bed and instead of the usual routine of waking up crying for his next meal, I heard cute baby noises coming from my room. When I went in to check on him he stared at me with his big brown beautiful peeps and was grinning from ear to ear. I grabbed the camera and snapped this picture then plunked myself down on the floor at the edge of my bed where we spent the rest of the afternoon gooing and giggling at each other.... it was a good day:)

Even though Justin was a fussy colicky baby, he was also a smart, sweet, happy, smiley little guy who made me a Mother and brought a lot of joy into my life.

The colic eventually subsided but Justin's early traits have remained...he is still a smart, sweet, happy, smiley guy who brings a lot of happiness not only into my life, but our entire family's lives as well!

Happy Birthday Justin

I Love You!
Mom

Lake Pals

2009-08-11T12:35:00.001-07:00

Since Jake & Karli are in Lake Powell this week and I'm not, I decided that the next best thing to being there was to look through old photographs from some of our past trips and reminisce. So this post is me reminiscing...out loud:) Oh and for a good laugh, click on the pictures to make them bigger...you have got to see some of these facial expressions close up....HILARIOUS! My personal favs are #7 (funny) #12 & 13 (cute:)

Ashley & Tanner vs the Lake
Summer 2006

"This is going to be easy"

big wave...

"no problem"

"lean to the left"

"we made it"

"ah O"

"hang on"

there she goes

there he goes!

Tanner & Ashley ready for round two
... acting all smug and stuff

"ha ha ha, we got em this time"

"bring it on"

"we are the champions"

see... what did I tell ya...acting all smug & stuff

"watch out"

"we can do this"

"don't let go"

"oh nooooooo"

"not again!"

Today

2009-08-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Jake & Karli left for Lake Powell

...and I'm a little jealous:)

Trevor's turn

2009-08-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

Trevor & Dayna's
Wedding Day

08.07.09

Karli tended Bennett

Jake helped

Jake & Austin waiting to greet the Bride & Groom

Mr & Mrs Atwood
(my handsome nephew & his beautiful bride)

Dad & Mom with the happy couple

Look at those smiles:)

Trev's Dad & Mom
(my big Bro & Sister-in-law Syd)

Some of the Wedding guests
Niece's daughter Mayci, Niece's son Kimball, Niece's daughter Hallie
(I have cute nieces...can't you tell:)

Ashley & Karli having fun with Navi

Taking turns with cuddly Bennett

It has been such a busy Summer with two wonderful Weddings!
Here's hoping next Summer will be just as busy ;) ;)

Bring on the Smiles:)

2009-07-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Researches say they can predict if a Marriage will last by flipping through the Newlyweds Wedding Album. A recent study from an Indiana University showed that those couples with the most intense and brightest smiles were more likely to remain married. This article caught my attention because when I think back on Ashley & Nate's Wedding day the one thing that stands out the most to me are the gorgeous smiles they had on their faces all day long. One of my favorite moments (besides the ceremony) was when they stepped out of the Temple together holding hands as Husband and Wife with these big bright intense smiles (those of you who were there to witness it know what I'm talking about... seriously it was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen:)

Most of you that read this blog have seen Ashley & Nate's Wedding pictures that were taken by the talented Jessica Kettle by now, but for those of you who haven't, you can take a look at some of them on Jessica's blog. Of course since I'm the Mother of the Bride I think they all turned out Beautiful but I want to know which one your favorite is!

p.s. Check out the Wedding video that Jessica added to the end of her post which was filmed by the incredible David Perry, who is also very talented and so nice to work with. Make sure you click on the white square of arrows next to the word Vimeo to enlarge it:)

Oh and don't forget to watch for those smiles I was telling you about:)

Wedding Day Goodness click here

Twice as Nice

2009-07-19T06:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Karli & Nate!

Karli's BIRTHday July 19, 1990

Justin & Ashley watching Karli's first bath
Look at that hat the Nurse put on Justin:)
It's says....It's a girl!

Cutest little bundle of pink you have ever seen:)

Nate's 5th Birthday... July 19, 1990 (the day Karli was born)

What a cute little guy:)

Now that Nate has joined our family, July 19th is going to be twice as...
NARLI!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATE & KARLI
I Love you both so much!

Showered with Love

2009-07-14T01:00:00.000-07:00

Ashley was the lucky recipient of Six.... yes you read it right.... 6 bridal showers that were thrown for her before the big day. The first shower was hosted by a group of her cute High School friends where they spent the afternoon celebrating, laughing and catching up on each others lives:) The second one was a trip downtown to a swanky day spa and hip cafe with a couple of her wild & crazy room mates from College...more celebrating and laughing ensued:)

The next three showers were in May, with the first one given by the Roe's. It was a family shower that not only included just girls but the guys as well. They ate a delicious dinner and played a fun game. Each guest was given a small household item and then had the chance to guess along with Ashley and Nate what it cost. Whoever guessed the closest to the actual price got to keep that item. Ashley & Nate scored big! (only because everyone ended up giving their gift to them anyway;)

The pictures from the next two showers were uploaded on our laptop instead of the desktop and the next day it crashed! This is the first time we have ever lost digital pictures off a computer and I can't tell you how sick I am about it... sick sick sick:(but I'm not going to let it stop me from telling you about them anyway:) p.s. Does anyone else have pictures of these?

At the Davies Shower we feasted on homemade Cafe Rio Pork Salad for dinner. It is one of Ashley's favorite meals, and it was sooooo delicious! We played a fun game where each guest was given a stick of gum and a question about Nate that he had answered in advance. If Ashley knew the answer the guest had to chew the stick of gum but if she didn't know it then she had to chew it. Ashley didn't do so well at this game and had the biggest wad of gum in her mouth I have ever seen.... you would have loved the picture:) They also gave everyone a cellophane bag filled with white chocolate popcorn that was tied up with ribbon and a darling silver heart charm. Such a cute idea since popcorn is the well known snack at Grandma Davies house (minus the white chocolate of course:)

Next on the calendar was the Neighborhood Open House Shower given by the 3 ladies I serve with in Relief Society and a friend that I served with in Young Women's. First we ate a delicious Strawberry Salad and homemade rolls, which reminds me... I still need to find out who made those and get the recipe! For dessert we ate the yummiest lemon & chocolate cupcakes with real pansies on top....so pretty:)

The last Shower she had was given by the Atwood side of the family where we basked in the goodness of another one of Ashley's favorite meals... Barbecue Chicken Salad. Hmmm I wonder who she gets her love of salads from:)

We finished off this delicious dinner with these cute bite sized cupcakes...
mmmmm they were as tasty as they were pretty!

The table was decorated with a piece of fabric that was leftover from the bridesmaids dresses, doesn't it look so pretty?

My niece Holly made these cute labels that matched Ashley's Wedding invitations to go on the pink cherry soda's.

The favors were these cute birds nest filled with Ashley's favorite treat...Jordan Almonds:)

Holly, Patti, Emily, Trisha, Grandma & Marcie

Linda, Robyn, Dayna Syd, Lisa, Karli, & Amy

The Roe's... Rosemary, Natalie & the future Mrs. Roe...Ashley

I promise we didn't make them sit and eat all by themselves...really we didn't :)
We like them a lot.... a real lot!

My Sister-in-law Janene played a fun game called Bridal Bingo. First she gave everyone a true and false sign and then called out a bridal word that was also on one of the squares on our bingo cards. Next she read a statement about Ashley & Nate and we had to hold up the sign of our choice. Ashley would then show her card and if our answer matched hers we could mark the matching square. We were having so much fun learning about Ashley & Nate that we played until someone ended up with double Bridal Bingo:)

Why did everyone guess false except for Grandma? Yep...she was wrong

This game provided us with some great laughs and everyone learned a lot about
the newest (and probably most romantic) member of our family!
Ashley is one lucky girl:)

Showered with gifts

Showered with happiness

Showered with Love

p.s. Coming soon...
The advice book that we put together at this shower turned out so cute it deserves its own post!

I can see clearly now

2009-07-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

the pain is gone

I had envisioned what my 4th of July was going to look like this year... Decorate my front porch in the finest 4th of July fashion, neighborhood breakfast/parade, hike to Bell Canyon Waterfall, lay by the pool, delicious barbecue, fireworks... I was going to do it all. My eye however had a different plan and it didn't include any of these fun filled festivities, especially the ones that involved sunlight or bright colorful bombs bursting through air:) Here's how my Holiday played out...

Last week I was living my life free from any kind of medication, not even an occasional Tylenol ... I just don't need it... then suddenly one day I found myself on all of these!

Eight different meds... 5 pills, and 3 different drops. Some of the pills I take once a day and others I take two and three times a day, with a grand total of around 20 pills a day. One of the drops I use 4 times a day while the other two are every two hours. There are so many different drugs and times that my doctor made me draw up a chart to keep track of everything which I thought was a silly idea at first, but quickly learned that I would have been totally lost without it.

Now I know that this post is a little lengthy so you can stop right here if you want...but here's a little heads up... if you make it to the end you can consider yourself my best friend for life:)

My ears have been plugged for a couple of weeks now...ringing and full of pressure. I couldn't stand it any longer and went to Insta Care last Saturday. They told me my blood pressure was a little high and that there was some fluid behind my right ear drum but they didn't look plugged. The doctor sent me home with an antibiotic. Sunday my face felt swollen and was hurting a little bit and by that night my right eye felt like it had sand in it.

Monday: I made an appointment with an ENT Specialist and had Jake go buy me some drops for pink eye.

Tuesday: My eye was killing me and it felt like it had been poked really hard... you know the feeling when it hurts so bad that you can't open it no matter how hard you try... ya that one:) Anyway I was feeling pretty sick and was starting to think that it was something besides a bad case of pink eye, so I made another trip to Insta Care that night. When they took my blood pressure they couldn't believe how high it was.... 212/116! no wonder I was feeling so sick! The Doctor looked at my eye and said I had 2 lesions on my cornea, wrote me out a prescription for high blood pressure, tylenol with codeine for the pain (wasn't strong enough) and an eye drop.

Wednesday: My eye felt even worse but I got up and went to the specialist to see about my ears. He ran some tests, looked in my ears and prescribed a steriod and suggested I see a Neurologist about the pain behind my ear and the back of my head. When I left his office I considered going over to the ER about my eye but found an eye doctor in the same complex so I walked in and asked if I could be seen that day. The receptionist took one look at me and asked if I could come back at 2:00. When I returned they ran some eye tests which I failed and then the Doctor cleaned the entire surface of my eye with a Q-tip and told me I had an infection on my eye that was the same virus as a cold sore... so basically a cold sore on my cornea! He prescribed two more eye drops and another antibiotic and told me to take them in addition to the ones I was already on. Luckily I happened to mentioned that I had just been prescribed some steroids for my ears which he immediately said he didn't want me to take. He called my ear doctor and they both agreed to have me hold off on that medication for awhile. Apparently steroids can make this particular strain of virus spread like crazy...ahh dang it! He then told me to come back and see him in the morning. I honestly don't know how I drove home since by now my good eye was super sensitive to any kind of light and I could barely keep it open, but as soon as I got home I curled up in a ball on the couch with a ice pack and now instead of sand it felt like I had shards of glass under my eyelid....OUCH:(

Thursday: When I woke up and opened my eye everything was blurry and it scared me. Both eyes were hurting and extremely sensitive to the light. I don't know if it was from all the drops I was using or the fact that my left eye was doing all the work (probably both) but I was glad I was headed to another appointment. After driving with only one eye that was even barely open (I'm tough but not very smart!) I made it to the office where I failed the eye test, miserably this time. After cleaning off the entire surface of my eyeball the Doctor told me that the infection had spread into my line of vision and was very concerned about it so he wanted me to come back again the next morning. I drove home and went straight to bed feeling as sick as I did the day before and praying that I wasn't going to lose my vision in that eye.

Friday: Waking up I immediately blinked my eye a few times checking to see if my vision had improved. It was blurry but it seemed a little better. I quickly jumped in the car for my 5th trip to the Doctors office that week, anxious to see what the Doctor had to say. After the same old routine he told me that it looked like the drugs were finally doing the trick:) He asked me to come back Monday morning and I left feeling relieved knowing that he didn't feel the need to see me for two whole days:)

Monday: I walked into the now very familiar Doctors office feeling like it was such a normal part of my morning routine, and when he looked up and saw me, he smiled and I knew it was going to be good news:)

Monday Night: My eye is still swollen and a little sensitive to light, but today is the first day since last Monday that I have been able to stand to look at a computer screen for longer than a second. I am finally on the mend and already planning a bigger and brighter celebration for July 4th 2010!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

4 Wheelin

2009-06-20T01:53:00.000-07:00

in a Volkswagen Passat!

During the past eleven years that I have lived on this little winding road of mine I have seen at least six or seven cars that have slid off of it and are then in the need of a tow truck to pull them from their peril. I have also heard of many more that have fallen victim to its tempting twists & turns, so it came as no surprise late Friday night when another car made that number rise once again. What did come as a shock was finding out that the newest member to experience this frightening mishap was my 84 year old Mother!

It is amazing that she wasn't seriously injured, and what is even more incredible is how she made it out of the car all by herself and up my long, dark, steep, & winding, driveway. This would have been a huge and scary feat for anyone and especially for someone her age!

You can't tell very well from these pictures but it was a lot steeper than it looks and it was a far drop from her door down to the steep slope of rocky boulders she had to climb over once she got out.

So this is what happened. My Mom was on her way over to my house since my Dad is in the hospital (his third trip within the last month) and she doesn't like to sleep alone. She was probably exhausted from taking care of my Dad these past four weeks and made the simple mistake of turning up my neighbors driveway instead of mine which is also dark, steep, long & winding. She got about halfway up and realized she was at the wrong house, so she put the car in reverse and started backing down the driveway, the only problem was she forgot to make the sharp turn at the bottom and backed straight out over the edge.

By the time she made it up to my front door she was pretty frantic and hyperventilating. We didn't know what was wrong and immediately feared the worse, until between her pants & sobs she finally got a few words out ... neighbor... driveway.... rocks. My family rushed outside to investigate and when I stepped onto the front porch and looked out into the darkness I could see in the distance the silhouette of her car as it lit up from someone's headlights as they drove by. The front end of her car was sticking up at about a 70 degree angle out of the rocky boulders that laid below. I couldn't believe my eyes and realized the severity of what had just happened. I immediately wrapped my arms around my 5 foot 99 pound Mother and cried right along with her.

About an hour and a half later the tow truck finally showed up and with the help of Pat, Nate, Justin, Jake, Brandon, & Mark they were able to pull it out without any major damage to her car. Pat had the brilliant idea to lay boards underneath so when they pulled it up it would roll over the boards instead of the rocks. This seemed to do the trick and her car escaped with only a few scrapes on the bottom.

My Mom was lucky to say the least and even though she was pretty shaken up she was more embarrassed than anything else. She can't believe that she did something so "stupid" and even called herself that more than once last night. But none of us see her that way at all, in fact we all know what she really is and that is... one T O U G H Lady!

FUN in the SUN!

2009-06-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Pat had last week off of work and since we don't have very much money for a family vacation this Summer we decided to jump in the car and head to Sunny Saint George. We had fun staying in Grandpa & Grandma's condo and aside from the afternoon that the guys went to the driving range, we pretty much spent most of our time relaxing by the pool with our long lost friend.... the Sun!

You do remember him don't you? In case you have forgotten what he looks like let me remind you... he's that gigantic good looking hottie that hangs out in the sky all day! He's a real charmer that Mr. Sun, who sure knows how to make a girl feel good:)
Anyway, back to the vaca... It was so nice to get out of the rainy weather we've been having and feel the heat on our skin again! Not all of us were quite so lazy though... Pat spent most of his time hiking & biking in Zion's & Saint George. You can read about his crazy adventures here:)

Below are a few pictures of one of our fun filled evenings playing amongst the beautiful Red Rocks of Saint George Utah:)

enjoying the view from Dixie Rock

getting ready to side shimmy through the "crack!"

talk about a tight squeeze!

go towards the light:)

cheering us on from up above

Hello down there:)

Made it through!

"that was fun, let's do it again!"

Next we moved on to a little rock climbing...

cliff hanging....

jaw dropping...

FUN!

Proof that you are never too old to play with rocks:)

Soaking in a Red Rock Hot Tub
"hey where's the water?"

Family Photo Shoot

Of course we hit Spoon Me on the way
back to the condo for a cool & tasty treat

then it was straight to the hot tub

and this time it was filled with, hot, steaming water:)
ahhhhhhhhh we love you Saint George
...you too Mr. Sun;)

LIFE...

2009-06-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

blink and you might just miss it!

05.01.09

5.29.09

6.04.09

We have been very busy lately around
our house accomplishing four major
milestones in just a little over four weeks!

Wow I'm tired!
Happy but tired:)

most of these Photos courtesy of
Courtney Brooke Photography
(aka my cute niece:)

Congratulations

2009-06-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Graduate!

Look out cute college boys... here she comes!

The happy couple

2009-05-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

Mr. & Mrs.

5.29.09

We had a fun and exciting week at our house with Ashley & Nate's wedding. Thursday night the Roe's hosted a Wedding Dinner at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The food was delicious and it was fun to hear from Ashley & Nate, along with their siblings, dads, cousins & friends. The highlight of the night was when Nate sat down to the grand piano and played a song that he composed for Ashley:) Nate you are awesome!

We also showed a montage video with pictures of Ashley then Nate and then the two of them dating. It ended with this cute date video that the incredible David Perry filmed in Park City of the happy couple.

David Perry is so talented and so great to work with. He shot this video of Nate and Ashley right after they were married in the Salt Lake Temple. Notice the big smiles that Nate & Ashley both have when they come out of the Temple, that is the one moment I have played over and over in my mind all weekend and I am so happy we captured it on film:) Filming this video I'm sure was both fun & tiring for the new Bride & Groom, but David made sure to keep them happy by taking them to the Lion House Pantry and buying them some famous Lion House Rolls and water bottles so they could take a break from the sun for awhile. After the video shoot David ran home and edited this in just a few hours and then brought it up to the reception so we could play it. I highly recommend this guy for any event that you want to remember forever:)

Husband & Wife

My Niece Courtney has been incredible as well throughout this whole Wedding process, taking engagement, shower, bridal, marriage, & reception pictures. Check out her new website and book her while you still can....(before she gets too famous:) I also want to thank Robyn for making Ashley so beautiful by doing her hair and makeup countless times over the past few months. Robyn has also been picking up a lot of clients lately, but doesn't have a website yet, so if you are interested in looking beautiful too, just leave a comment on her blog and she will get back to you asap.

I have so many talented relatives that helped me with this Wedding. You will be sure to hear all about them as more pictures become available:)

...you may now kiss the Bride;)

Here Comes The Bride...

2009-05-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

all dressed in Ivory :)

awesome bridals by Ashley's cousin Courtney

Her smile says it all

2009-05-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

I stole this picture off of my cute niece Holly's blog. It was taken at the shower my family threw for Ashley last week. It has been one celebration after the next around here and I have been way too busy to blog, but hopefully next week I will be back catching up with three showers, the Wedding Dinner and the Reception....whew! :)

Love is in the air

2009-05-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

My talented niece Courtney took Ashley & Nate's engagement pictures and I love they way they turned out. Courtney captured close to 400 hundred images of these two, so I'm sure you will be seeing more of this awesome photo shoot in the near future.

He loves her and She loves him
How Sweet!

Twenty Birthday wishes

2009-05-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

...for my sweet baby girl.

Happy Birthday Kylie!

Caps & Gowns & Wicked...Oh my

2009-05-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

It was crazy around our house last weekend...

Caps and gowns seemed to be multiplying

along with 09 tassels!

Pre Graduation march (can't you just hear it:)

YES!

YES!

YES! (well almost)

Ahhh what a feeling!

UVU Graduation

Happy Grads:)

Proud Parents!

What a GREAT way to spend a day!

I also received an unexpected but VERY
pleasant surprise when Justin, Ashley & Pat
gave me my Mothers Day gift a week early

tickets to WICKED for me & Karli :)

There are two words that describe my
wonderful weekend...

LOVED IT!

UVU-phoria

2009-04-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

D & C 5: 01-09

(Davies & College)
"And there is light at the end of the (College) tunnel!"

This Friday May 1st 2009 Justin and Ashley will be UVU graduates Class of 2009! Woo Hoo! Justin with a Degree in Political Science and Ashley with a Degree in Accounting. A lot of people are probably thinking "well it's about time!" and I must admit that I am one of those people, but I also want to be the first to congratulate these two on their hard work, dedication and determination. College life isn't all fun and games (well at least not for Ashley:) and it definitely takes a lot of stamina and perseverance, but now that it is over I think they will both agree that it was well worth the effort.

I know that I harassed them from time to time for taking so long, but in all fairness they had to work a lot of hours to achieve this accomplishment and I'm sure it was much harder than it looked. Here's why....

Ashley paid for every semester of school except for one... all of her books...two years of living expenses (the two years she lived away) including her 1st and last months rent upfront & cleaning deposits! (not to mention... paying for all of her personal expenses like.. car... gas... phone...hair...etc!

Justin also paid for six years of living expenses including all of the necessary deposits.... his own books and every semester except the first year and a half after his mission...(we helped with those since he came home from Denmark flat broke:) Also his personal expenses, gas.... food... clothes... food.... dates... food:)! Justin also got involved in Student Government and received scholarships which helped him out financially. He was Chief Justice in 2006/2007 and Student Body VP 2007/2008....Go Wolverines!!

Sorry for the bragging, but I think I'm entitled for two reasons..... I'm a Mother and a Blogger! ha ha ha:D I guess what I'm really trying to say is ....I love you both and I'm very very proud!

Congratulations Justin & Ashley....YOU DID IT!

UVU FUN...

Justin's sisters helping him with his campaign

Team UNITE

Decking the halls

and the windows:D

Sister Support

Making delicious Cinnamon Almonds

for rush week...I think we made a million batches:D

Hundreds of cones for the almonds...mmmmm

Justin speaking at the bill signing event/party with Governer Hunstman & President Monson when UVSC became UVU! Justin spent a lot of time on Capital Hill lobbying for this, so it was very exciting when it finally happened and was one of the coolest things that I have ever been to. I am still mad at myself for not checking Jake and Karli out of School for it:(

Here is the ballroom where the event was held. There is another room behind this one for the overflow of people that stood and watched. It is also where they served pizza and cake before it began. The balloons attached to the ceiling came floating down as the bill was signed while the band played along....so cool!

This is a shot of Justin speaking with the big screen above his head. He gave such a great speech that was full of wolverine pride and the students let out a big cheer when he was done:D

If you look closely you can see the President of UVU, Governor Huntsmen, and a smiling President Monson all looking at Justin as he gives his speech. I'm telling ya....nerves of steel that kid N E R V E S O F S T E E L !

Justin & Joseph presenting President Monson with his very own UVU Tee shirt. (He liked Justin's tie:)

When UVU had a contest to name the student section Justin entered it using an alias name (so the committee wouldn't know it was him) and he won!! It will be forever called....

The MAWL

(Mighty Athletic Wolverine League)

Cool name don't ya think?

Arriving early to the game when they
unveild the new name

Go Wolverines!
Thanks Justin & Ashley it's been a lot of fun
...but I'm glad you're done!

April Showers

2009-04-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

...bring May Weddings

Oooooo

La

La!

Ashley's first bridal Shower was last Saturday, hosted by some of her cute High School friends. Six girls were missing but the ones that were there had a great time gabbing and catching up on each others lives. Lindsey (Mano) announced she's pregnant, Jessica is due next month, Ali (blonde) had a baby girl four weeks ago, and Mandy ran a half marathon that morning!

Lindsay (Cooper) Ali, Lindsey, (Mano) Jessica, Ashley, Ali, & Mandy

Ashley was so lucky to have such a great group of friends in High School. I miss those girls keeping me up late at night with their fun games (Mandy) and loud giggles (Lindsey) and I can't wait to see them at the wedding!

Lost & Found

2009-04-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever lost something valuable... maybe an earring or a pair of expensive sunglasses? Don't you hate it when that happens? I know I do, especially when it is something that you love and is irreplaceable like a favorite photo. For the past four or five years I thought this picture of Karli was lost... gone forever... a distant thing of the past... it's precious imagine slowly fading from my mind. So when Pat walked in the kitchen with it in his hands on Saturday I screamed with excitement, then jumped on his back and started punching him while trying to grab it from his hands. He was laughing... the kids were laughing and I was so happy but kind of mad at the same time....it was quite the scene:D Let me explain.... for all these years this photo has been in Pat's desk drawer along with a stash of other pictures that he loves, and here is the frustrating part... I have asked him sooo many times when I needed a picture of Karli for various reasons if he knew where this photo was and guess what....he never KNEW what I was talking about!
As to what Karli was doing when this photo was snapped.... your guess is as good as mine:D

Happy Birthday

2009-04-17T07:58:00.001-07:00

....to my blog

She's one year old today:D

Here's how it all began

Jake Justin Patrick Lisa Karli Ashley

Well I finally got around to posting my first blog entry! I decided about a month ago to do this and it has taken me this long to get around to it. I was searching for a family picture to put on here and came across this one. It is about a year and a half old so I guess it's time for a new family photo shoot. Those are always fun aren't they? I have to admit they are much easier now that my kids are grown up. No more moaning and groaning and whining and crying.... Oh wait I still have Pat to deal with!

We still haven't got around to that new family photo shoot...too busy blogging I guess;D

Rising "young" Star?

2009-04-16T21:29:00.000-07:00

Check out this 47 year old Scottish Singer who auditioned last week on Britain's Got Talent (Britain's version of American Idol.) When she stepped out on stage the audience booed and laughed at her because of her appearance, but even with frizzy hair and bushy eyebrows Susan Boyle wasn't nearly as ugly as the crowd's reaction.

Happy in her own skin.... Susan proves that beauty isn't only skin deep:)
You Tube's newest sensation with over 30 million views in less than a week. Grab a tissue and watch it here

Rockstar

2009-04-10T16:34:00.000-07:00

KARS!

I think Karli "rocks" and here's why....

As a precaution Karli was put on blood thinner medication while she was in the hospital for Pneumonia/Pulmonary Embolisms this past December & January (read about it here here and here.) The plan was for her to stay on the drug for the next six months and have her blood tested once a month to make sure it was thin enough so blood clots could not form. Unfortunately it wasn't that easy and she ended up having her blood drawn once a week instead of once a month. It took about 2 months to adjust her medication to the right dosage. During this time the Doctor suggested that we take Karli to a specialist who would be more qualified to regulate her blood for the duration of her treatment.

No big deal.... or so we thought, but at her first appointment the doctor revealed to us that one of the blood tests they took while she was in the hospital had come back positive for an auto immune disorder where her blood cells fight against each other and cause blood clots to form. The Doctor also told us that there was a chance the test was inaccurate because of how sick she was when it was taken, and asked her to come back the next week and retake the test and maybe possibly rule out the disease for good.

A week later Karli went in and had her blood drawn yet AGAIN and the next day we went back to hear the results. Karli was worried and thought it was going to be bad news, but I kept reassuring her to think POSITIVE for a NEGATIVE result:D After waiting anxiously for about 40 minutes, a couple of Doctors came in and told us that the results had not come back yet and then spent the next 40 minutes telling us what to expect if she does have the disease. I was getting a little nervous and kept thinking "why are they going into such great detail and scaring us with all this information... why don't they just wait and tell us this later if necessary? After drawing diagrams and showing us charts and throwing out words that went way over our heads we finally heard something that perked our ears with excitement, "if the test comes back negative you will be able to go off the blood thinner by July 1st, maybe sooner!" I said a little prayer and kept my fingers crossed.... it didn't help.
Karli was diagnosed with Cardiolipin Antibody Syndrome the next day. We will be meeting with the Doctors next week to discuss it with them further but for now they are saying that she will be on blood thinners for the rest of her life:( She was devastated and it broke my heart to hear her cry. She is so young! Why her? Why couldn't it be me instead?

One of the things she is the most sad about is not being able to do some of the things she loves to do like snow ski and wake board:( It definitely will take some of the fun out of her Senior trip to Lake Powell.
Nobody adjusts overnight to something that will significantly impact the rest of their life, but Karli has a stiff upper lip and is dealing with this like the true Rockstar she is!

Show & Tell

2009-03-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

My talented niece Holly (daughter of big sis Patti) was at the Expo last week selling her cute stamps sets. These stamps come with a clear acrylic block and a dozen or more different designs & phrases that you can stick on and peel off for later use. Clear block + cute stamps = perfection :D

These are some of my favorites.... but you can check out the rest of them here.

Holly is so creative that she has another website where she sells her fun and fabulous Vinyl Wall art. She has had orders from lots of cool places like... Sac's fifth Avenue, J Crew, Limited Too, Major hotels in NYC & Chicago, A Museum in San Francisco, Brides magazine & a variety of scrapbook magazines just to name a few. Some people have even stole her illustrations and resold them as their own!

I know I know it's crazy... some people just get all the talent :D

Oh and these are only a few of the fun things you will find at Vinyl Wall Art so take a little look and see for yourself :D

Pretty Penny Prom

2009-03-23T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hair and make up by Robyn $0.00

Earrings loaned by me $0.00

Dress... borrowed from Karli's friend Anna
Gold bracelets... Christmas present also from Anna
Shoes... A pair of slingbacks she already owned $0.00

Fresh Lilies... $7.00

Looking like a Million bucks but only spending Seven
.....Priceless!

Spring Chicken

2009-03-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

Born the first day of Spring 1926

No wonder she likes to CLEAN so much:D

Happy Birthday Mom you are the best!

Love the red lips ;)

Design-her-gown

2009-03-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

We liked the top of this dress but not the middle

loved the middle of this dress but not the top

the bottom of this dress was also really nice

put them all together and they make
one gorgeous Wedding dress:D
sigh.... if it were only that easy!

What snow?

2009-03-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

I'm in Saint George enjoying...

the warm sun

blue skies

green grass

and beautiful blossoms
...try not to hate me;D

Sweethearts for my Sweethearts

2009-03-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

Alta High Sweethearts Dance February 7, 2009

Jake went shopping and picked out this outfit all by himself! Thank goodness he inherited my fashion sense and not his Dads:D

I made Jake pull some poses for me... he was a good sport;)

Jake was a little nervous about getting asked to a girls choice dance, and even though he didn't know his date very well she was darling and he had a lot of fun!

We found Karli's dress at Banana Republic. It was a $200.00 dress on sale for $24.99! Talk about a great bargain!

Robyn came over and did Karli's makeup and hair (she looked gorgeous:) thanks Robyn! Courtney also snapped a couple of pictures for me as Karli was rushing out the door to pick up her date. Thanks Courtney....you are awesome!

Karli took her friend Alec to the dance. Not only is he handsome but he is also a lot of fun... she had a blast!

I'm addicted to...

2009-02-26T22:21:00.000-08:00

While spending a lot of time lounging on the sofa these past four weeks (trust me it's not as fun as it sounds) there is one thing that has helped make my time more enjoyable.... HGTV. My family was pretty patient with me until one day they decided enough was enough and rescued the remote I had been holding hostage for more than a week. During my recovery I found great comfort in watching shows like "Spice up your kitchen" where I can watch a kitchen be instantly transformed from ho hum drab to oh so fab in just thirty minutes! There is something very gratifying about watching someone demolish their ugly outdated kitchen adorned with broken appliances that were all the rage when I was a young girl (think avocado green) and welcome it into the 21st century. Hello double ovens and sub zero's larger than my first house:)

Another fun show is "Design on a dime" where they spend a thousand dollars to recreate someones boring and messy space. Even though they work within such a tight budget the outcome is always so much nicer than it was before, and it turns out surprisingly well considering the limited funds:) Talk about thinking outside the box... they get pretty creative!

My favorite show on this awesome network is Divine Design with Candice Olsen, I Love her, I want to be her, I want to work for her! Too bad she lives in Canada:(
I could watch her work her magic all day long, designing, decorating, waving her magic wand and voila... gone are the 80's green & pink florals and stripes along with the lovely forest green carpet, and in it's place... an eye boggling, mind blowing room that is so hip & modern & fresh with just the right touch of sparkle:) I LOVE it!

These aren't my favorite rooms of hers but they are all I could find, and as you can seen they're not too shabby!

A before shot of someones family room

and here is the after

She turned this dusty attic into a chic living space

makes me wish I had an attic

This room turned out great considering she had to
decorate around a family heirloom.... a gold piano.
I love the bird cage!

As you can see I could watch this stuff all day long...

or at least until my family takes away the remote;D

Three more weeks

2009-02-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

and I get to do this,

I can hardly wait!

Silk, Satin or Lace

2009-02-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

One would think shopping for a wedding dress
would be easy here in the Wedding Capital of the world

but it isn't!

I Heart Hearts

2009-02-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

Look at all these Hearts to be found
if we'll just take some time to look around!

Hearts in the trees

Hearts in stone

Hearts in the Sea!

Hearts in the Desert

Hearts!

Hearts!

I Heart Hearts!

Warm + Cold = Nice

2009-02-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Hospital Luxuries

Ice chips

Warm blankets
and this sweet little thing

I named her Betty.

All I had to do was push her red button and whatever I wanted was delivered right to my bed. Sadly though it usually consisted of just a few things... ice chips, warm blankets and of course pain killers! Betty and I developed a fast but fleeting friendship and I have to admit at times I really miss her:(

But here is something I definitely don't miss....

THE FOOD!

These two

2009-01-25T23:01:00.000-08:00

are engaged!

Ashley's left hand is nice and sparkly
thanks to this sweet little bling
...isn't she lovely?

Congratulations Ashley & Nate!
We love you guys and can't wait for
Nate to join our family :D

May 29, 2009

Here's the skinny

2009-01-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

Need to lose some Holiday weight?

I have discovered a new diet that guarantees a

15 -18 pound weight loss in as little as 3 weeks!

It's called Pneumonia!

Warning: This diet is VERY dangerous, VERY scary, VERY painful and VERY expensive, therefore it is not recommended by the Davies Family Food & Drug Administration:D

I guess you will just have to lose weight the EASY way....

eat less & exercise more!:D

It's January 7th...

2009-01-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

and my Christmas Decorations are still up!

Please don't judge :D

There's no place like...

2009-01-04T22:27:00.000-08:00

Home!

After spending the last nine days and 8 nights in the hospital Karli is finally HOME! She was so happy to sleep in her own bed last night! (Thanks Ashley for cleaning Karli's room and washing all her bedding, it smelled so fresh and clean and made me us both smile as she was climbing into bed:)

In my last update I was feeling great about Karli's progress, but when I arrived early on Thursday, New Years Day I found Karli in a very groggy state. Pat said she hadn't slept very well during the night so I just figured she needed more sleep, but after sleeping all morning and into the late afternoon I started to worry. She seemed to be doing better the day before and now I felt we were going backwards once again. Even after eating her lunch she wasn't snapping out of it. I told the nurse that Karli seemed extra sleepy to me today and was a little worried. She responded by telling me that Karli's hematocrit was 25 (it is suppose to be in the low to mid 40's and that the doctor was considering a blood transfusion.....what!? that is the first I had heard of that. "What is making her blood count so low" I asked. "We don't know, that is what the Doctor is trying to figure out." The doctor had also ordered blood tests the day before to check for any auto immune diseases which hadn't come back yet because of the holiday. I was really starting to worry that maybe there was something else going on besides her pneumonia. A little while later the nurse came in and started injecting a drug through Karli's IV tube, when I asked her what the drug was she said they were steroids and that they were going to start giving them to her every eight hours. Apparently they help with swelling and make you feel a lot better.

Karli had been trying all morning to get up enough energy to shower, it had been eight days since her disastrous shower she took on Christmas Eve. She had been wanting to shower but simply wasn't well enough to take one. At around 4:00 in the afternoon she finally felt strong enough and hopped in the shower (well she didn't really hop but you get the idea:) There was a seat for her to sit on and while she was showering she felt so good that she was even able to wash her hair!

I don't know if it was the nice warm shower, or the steroids kicking in, or maybe it was just her body finally turning that long awaited corner.... but whatever it was she came out of the bathroom a new person and everything started to go uphill from there! For the next day and a half her vitals slowly improved. Her heart rate slowly started to drop, her fever finally subsided and they started weaning her from her oxygen.

Fast forward to Saturday. We felt pretty confident that even though Karli was still very weak she was well enough to go home. They started turning her oxygen down the night before and took it off completely this morning. We figured the Doctors would be in early and we would be out by the 10:00 am checkout time. The day dragged on and then sometime around 4:00 both of the Doctors finally showed up. They came in and told us that her blood tests came back negative for Auto Immune Diseases....whew!!! Then one of the Doctors said that Karli could go home in the morning. We sat there in silence for about two seconds when I said ..."Tomorrow? How about Tonight!" The Doctor stared at us then said... "Well why not... we're not doing anything right now lets get her out of here!"

Here are some pictures we took in the hospital a few days before Karli was released. We didn't take any for the first five or six days she was there so it's hard to tell by looking at these how sick she really was! But trust me....Pnuemonia + Pluisy + Pulmonary Embolisms make you very sick + they are very scary!

This is how Karli spent her time when she wasn't sleeping...Hooray for laptops!

Justin taking Karli for a little tour of her hallway the day before she came home.

Ashley getting cozy in Karli's bed:)

Jake was happy to see Karli finally feeling better:)

Karli had tons of visitors while she was in the hospital, 74 to be exact! Her cute friends came almost every night and played games with her which lifted her spirits a lot! Some of the Senior Class Officers from Alta even came by and brought her flowers. Other visitors included Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandma's, Grandpa, Neighbors, Friends of mine & Pat's, Her Boss, some of the Young Women and their Leaders, Her Sunday School class, Home Teachers, The Bishop & his wife, and even our Stake President. We also got to meet Ashley's boyfriend Nate's parents when he brought them for a visit....so nice! She had friends of her siblings and a cousin of mine send flowers to the hospital and one of her friends even started a facebook group called Prayers for Karli that at last count had over 100 members:) A big Hug to everyone who took time out of your Christmas/New Years Vacation to stop by and say hi....You will never know how much it meant to Karli and the rest of us!!

Karli is still in the recovery stage and the Doctors want us to keep her home from school this week. She still has a little ways to go to regain her strength (she lost 18 pounds!) but is slowly starting to look and feel like herself again:)

We all agree that is feels like Karli has been missing from our family these past three weeks but after making us laugh....HARD.... more than once yesterday, we can tell she is finally....Home Sweet Home!

Cute sign courtesy of Karli's cousin Courtney

Wishing you a HEALTHY and...

2009-01-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Karli Update...

I wish I would have been better about updating this blog day by day because now that I'm trying to look back on this past week it is one big blur. Karli has endured a lot these past three weeks and through it all has been just as sweet as she always is. Not once have we heard her complain about anything... this girl is definitely not a wimp!!! Here are some of the things that Karli has tackled with the strength & dignity of someone well beyond her years.

Due to her small veins she has had six different IV's!
Countless vials of blood drawn, sometimes as many as 10 and up to three times a day!
Injections in her stomach twice a day that the nurse's say burn like a $@%#!
Monday Morning: To the shock of the doctors the CT scan revealed multiple blood clots in both lungs, no wonder she has been in so much pain! (Now maybe the nurses will pay a little more attention to her!)
Chest X-ray came back worse than the ones taken last Friday.
Monday Afternoon: The doctors were sure they wouldn't find any blood clots in her legs but wanted to test them anyway. The Ultra Sound showed blood clots in one of her legs (Karli did roll her eyes when they pointed one out to us... see what I mean.... she's sooooo difficult! ha ha ha
Tuesday: 24 hours of strict bed rest = bedpan = no fun!!
Wednesday: Echocardiogram test thankfully revealed no blood clots or hole in her heart:) It did reveal fluid in the lining around her heart and lungs....more pain!

Karli is feeling and looking better than she did a few days ago. She no longer has an IV hooked up and they might even take the heart monitors that are stuck all over her chest off today. She isn't ready to get rid of her oxygen anytime soon....she loves that stuff:)

Getting up to go to the bathroom is no longer painful for me to watch. It is still a struggle but she is improving every day. The Nurse wants her to try and shower today and she is going to try and take a short walk.

The Doctor said as soon as they can keep her fever from coming back and get her Heart rate to lower they will let her go home. They can't really predict when that will happen but we are hopeful that it will be by Saturday.

Karli is so sleepy today but seems to be feeling a little better. We are still waiting for results on some blood tests they took yesterday. After a very long and painful three weeks Karli is finally breathing a little easier..... and so are we:)

Thank Heaven for....

2008-12-28T23:30:00.000-08:00

Hospitals!

Karli has been really sick these past few weeks, here's a little break down of what has been going on.

Dec 13th: It all started on Saturday the 13th when Karli woke up feeling a little under the weather. We knew right away she had obviously caught the nasty bug that has ravished our household since Thanksgiving. I kept my fingers crossed that she wouldn't get as sick as Jake had been but by Monday night I could tell she was just as bad.

Dec 16th: Tuesday morning it was off to the Doctor's once again to see if Karli had pneumonia this time. After blood tests and x-rays it was confirmed that she definitely had Pneumonia and it looked even worse than Jake's:(

" At least she will be better for Christmas," I said to myself. For the next five days all she did was sleep and cough... exactly like Jake, but by Sunday instead of turning a corner and getting better she seemed to be getting worse!

Monday Dec 22nd: It was back as usual to the Doctors for more test....her x-rays seemed about the same but both ears were infected just like Jakes.... boy this nasty bug is so nasty!!! They changed her meds and gave her a very painful shot in both of her thighs at the same time ....OUCH! Then it was back home for more of the same routine...sleep cough...sleep cough.

Wednesday Dec 24th: Karli woke up covered in hives so we called the Doctor and they wanted us to bring her in to see if she was having an allergic reaction to her new medication. They checked her out and didn't think she was but told us to watch her closely for any signs of change, so it was back home to the sofa for the rest of the day. Around 4:00 I asked her if she wanted to take a shower to see if it would help her feel better, since she hadn't showered in more than ten days. She was actually looking a little more like herself and was more coherent than she had been since getting sick. The shower was a disaster though and she ended up getting chilled and started shaking uncontrollably, so once again it was back to the sofa for the rest of the night:(

Thursday Dec 25th: Karli woke up on Christmas morning looking like a movie star! Her lips looked like she had been injected with double doses of collagen! We all got a good laugh out of it... even Karli:) She was pale and pasty but perked up long enough to lay on the couch and open her gifts. (I think she was being fueled by some Christmas morning adrenaline.) She even tried to sit up and eat Christmas dinner with us but after a few bites went into a coughing fit and had to go lay down:(

Friday Dec 26th: How are you feeling this morning Karli? "I'm fine" she replied, but I knew she wasn't. It was almost noon and she didn't want to get out of bed. Her face was gray and she couldn't keep her eyes open. I called the doctor and asked "shouldn't we have seen some kind of improvement by now?" "Can you bring her down within the hour, I want to see her before I head out of town?" "We'll be right there I said!" Karli didn't want to get out of her warm bed and I didn't blame her one bit but I told her she needed to go. It was the only way she was going to get better and boy does she want to get better!
At the Doctors office they took one look at her and said "we need to check your oxygen level," then hooked her up to a monitor. The machine went crazy... beeping and blowing whistles... they quickly put her on an oxygen tank. Ahhh finally some relief...she loved it! Then it was more blood tests and x-rays which both came back worse than the last time she was in. "Im sorry, I have tried to keep Karli out of the hospital but there is nothing more we can do for her, she neeeds to be admitted right now."

Sunday Dec 28: So here we are at Alta View Hospital going on her third day and she is in more pain than when she first got here! They are pretty sure her pneumonia is viral and that she also has pleurisy...an infection in the lining of her lungs and possibly the lining around her heart, which would explain the extreme pain she is in. They are FINALLY going to do a CT Scan and more x-rays in the morning so we should know more about her condition then.

I will end this post with this..... I love Karli so much! She is so brave and has endured a lot these past 15 days. The nurses all love her and tell her she is their favorite patient! Quote from nurse Colleen..."she's not a whiner!" Quote from nurse Mallory after asking Karli how she feels.... "She always says she's good":)

ps whoever invented Lortab....Thank you very much :)

*Update since I wrote this... Karli didn't have a very good day today and it made us all cry to watch her suffer. She was in a lot of pain and crying and the nurse came in and asked her to rate her pain on a scale from 1 to 10, her answer... "a five" Karli... you are soooo sweet!
They are now being better about giving her a pain pill every four hours before it wears off. Also she has a fever and her heart rate is way too high. The doctor ordered a drug for her to lower her heart rate but the nurse doesn't want to give it to her and is trying every thing she can to bring it down. It is almost 4:00 in the morning and the nurse is still working on Karli. Ahhhhh I can't wait until morning so she can get her tests done now!! Please pray for her:)

Cuckoo for Christmas!

2008-12-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

On the fourth day of Christmas my true

love gave to me....

Four COUGHING birds!

My little birdies...Justin, Ashley, Karli & Jake have been (for lack of a better term) Coughing their guts out for the past three weeks! I am happy to say that most of the coughing has quieted down to just one last little birdie.... Karli. After being on her medicine for 5 days with no signs of improvement, I took her to the doctors again yesterday and not only was her pneumonia not getting any better she had an infection in both ears! Doctor Schmidt put her on some new antibiotics and had two nurses come in and give her a shot in both her thighs at the same time! When they were done one of the nurse's apologized to Karli and told her she has nightmares of getting that shot....Ouch! It is a very painful shot because the serum is so thick...I felt so bad for her that I wanted to cry!l Ok... so maybe I DID cry a little:) She was so sick that she could hardly sit up and all she wanted to do was go home and go to bed. As soon as we got back that is exactly what she did, and she has been there ever since! I have to call the Doctor in the morning and if she hasn't shown improvement he wants to put her in the Hospital! I sure hope she gets better quick.... we need a Christmas miracle:)

Between the six of us we have been to the Doctors 13 times in the past three weeks... but who's counting?! I'm guessing that is more sick visits for us than in the last twenty seven years of raising my kids!!!

Visions of healthier days danced in our heads

2008-12-21T17:12:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa,

Do you make house calls?

You know you are really sick when....

You haven't showered in over a week
You sleep all day and all night
You can't sit up
Your diet consists of a saltine and a couple apple slices
The only time you get up is to go to the bathroom
You don't watch any TV!

Karli has been taking antibiotics since Tuesday and is still sick! Shouldn't she be feeling better by now? We missed having her at Church with us today for our awesome Christmas Program. We missed having her sit up to the table and eat Sunday dinner with us. We miss her witty comments and fun personality. I am calling the doctor in the morning to see if we can get her better in time for Christmas....the Holidays just wont be the same without her sweet smile:)

Deck the halls with Nyquil and coughdrops...

2008-12-17T20:42:00.000-08:00

cough cough cough

sniff sniff sniffle

COUGH COUGH COUGH up a lung

oh me oh my

sigh sigh sigh

I think I'll die!

Everyone in my house has been sick over the past three weeks.... well everyone except me that is... I have enough problems of my own right now, so believe me when I say.... WHATEVER THEY HAVE I DONT WANT IT! Justin started it... Jake followed shortly behind... then Ashley and Pat joined their pathetic little party, but Karli and I held strong... Woo Hoo! Sadly for Karli her victory was short lived... that's right she whimped out...threw in the towel... succumbed to post nasal pressure... call it whatever you'd like but I feel so betrayed! Now it's just me... a lone wolf... trying my best not to join this sad, drippy, hacking, wheezing, coughing, aching, pitiful,

obnoxious bunch of weirdos!

On a sad note... Jake and Karli both have Pneumonia :(

On a postive note... They all have a nice set of six packs:)

On the first day of Christmas

2008-12-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

My true love gave to me....

a partridge in a pear tree

I'm changing it to...

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me

a well deserved...

HYSTERECTOMY!

Happy Sixteenth!

2008-12-12T09:29:00.000-08:00

Jacob Christopher

My early Christmas gift 12-12-92
Born 5 weeks early
5 lbs 7 ounces 18 inches long

This little Santa doll was bigger than Jake!

Blessing day (2 months old)
He sure got chubby fast!

Jake 7 months old...he was such a happy baby!

Jake could nap anywhere...dangling off the couch

in the car:)

even standing up!

Easter Egg hunt at the Farm
(too bad this kid had zero personality! ha ha ha:D

Here is a little cleaner Easter pic:)

Three years old

Jake loved cars & trrrrrucks!

Jake the Cowboy... I loved this phase :D

"Riding the wave Saint George style!"
Jake's creative eye found this "wave" while hiking:D

When Jake was a little boy he loved anything
that had a steering wheel

.......still does!

Jake with his Dad and "big" Brother

Jazz Fan Jake with his Sister's and Cousin's

I love you Jake !

Thanks for being such an awesome son!

Thanks for being a good sport... most/some of the time and putting up with all the nonsense you get from your older siblings by being the "baby" of the family. Thanks for the energy you bring and for keeping us on our toes! We love you and our family would not be the same without you!!!

A moment of silence for....

2008-12-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

my pretty kitty

Tabby

June 1992 - November 2008

Thanks for not biting the little kids when they would pull your tail or carry you around by your neck.

Thanks for making us laugh every Summer when we had you shaved against your will, resulting in the glamorous but humorous Lion Cut that we all loved! ....Well everyone except Jake that is! ha ha ha

Thanks for taking a back seat to the two Dogs that so rudely interrupted your solitary world of kitty bliss

Thanks for being the easiest pet to take care of and keeping our property rodent free:)

Meow for now

We will miss your sweet purrrrsonality!

Gobble Gobble

2008-12-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2008

Table for thirty please

Dave & Patti dishing up

Looking good Robyn!

You would never guess she just had a baby three weeks earlier:)

Justin 's first decent homecooked meal since August!

Ashley getting ready to dig into Grandma's
delicious gravy:)

Ryan ate more food than Karli & Jake combined :D

Three hungry boys!

The grown ups :)

Ashley trying to join in on mayci's fun

Winding down the evening with a lovely piano duet by
Ashley & Karli...ha ha ha:D

Late night Thanksgiving Photo

(Proof that you can fake a big smile even though you feel like the Thanksgiving Turkey you just ate:)

Tis the Season to be jolly

2008-12-06T15:23:00.001-08:00

.....fa la la la la la la la la

Set four tables for Thanksgiving Dinner
Cook Turkey & Mashed Potatoes
Surprise visit from Justin....best surprise ever!
Thanksgiving dinner for 30

Car serviced ....need new tires & brake pads:(
Justin sick!
Ward funeral dinner for 120 people

Make 130 invitations for RS Christmas party
Drive Dad to emergency room at 1:30 in the morning
Spend all night at the hospital with Mom

Jake sick!

Pray that I don't get sick
Take Jake to Dr. Schmidt....Pneumonia!
Drive Justin to the airport

Pray that I don't get sick

Pat sick!
Deck the halls

Stake RS Presidency Luncheon...Yum!

Ashley sick!
Pray that I don't get sick
Deck the halls

Table decorations for RS Christmas Party

Doctors appointment for tests
Back to the Doctor for more tests
Decorate for RS Christmas Party
Christmas Caroling & RS Christmas Party....Fun!
Deck the halls
Pray that I don't get sick!

whew....what a week!!

fa la la la la la la la la

It's all gravy baby!

2008-11-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

Conversation at our dinner table this past Sunday

Jake: "I don't think I have ever tasted Grandma Atwood's gravy."

Ashley: "Oooooh Jake you are in for a TREEEEEEEEEAT!"

Grandma Atwood is famous for her Turkey gravy and Ashley is eagerly awaiting with salivating anticipation for this annual tasty treat! The dreamy effects such deliciousness had on it's eager fans Thanksgiving 2007 is evident below...

Happy Turkey & Gravy Day!

Happy Birthday to you...

2008-11-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

Ashley Brooke

November 21, 1983
Born: 4:14 pm
8 lbs 20 inches

One day old

My sweet baby doll

Hanging out at the farm

Taking over Justin's care bear desk that he got for Christmas, while clutching her Cabbage Patch
by it's hand

She loved that desk....and that doll! (1 year old)

Trying to wake Justin up by rolling over him with her bike...you can tell who the boss is in this relationship:D

Taking good care of "Maymee"
(her baby doll Amelia) (2 years old)

Once again taking over something of Justin's... this time his new birthday bike:)

"Hey who drank all the diet Coke?"

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Ashley was a girlie girl but tough as a boy (evidence... bruised legs and scabby knees as seen through her fish net tights:)

Dressed up for the Holiday's

Easter 87

Summer 88

Ashley doesn't think she's artistic but I found
some proof that begs to differ!

I think this is the only picture that exists where one of my kids has drawn hair on the top of Pat's head:)

Ashley is silly
(yes those are smiley faces on her toes:)

Ashley is brave

Ashley is athletic

Ashley is playful

Ashley is cool!

Ashley is nice!

Ashley & Marcie are Foosball Champions

Ashley is a Rock Star...so is Tanner

Ashley is a Jazz Fan!
Playoffs 2008

Ashley has a cute boyfriend!

Birthday girl

Ready for a surprise date with Nate

Birthday Girl

2008-11-21T09:46:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Ashley Brooke!

Check back later for a better Birthday Post.
Karli & Jake were hogging MY computer all night doing homework. I told them not to do it but they wouldn't mind their mother...silly kids!

Birthday Boy

2008-11-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

John Rae

Happy Birthday to the best Dad in the world!

Traits I got from my Dad....straight hair, straight teeth, skinny ankles:)

Traits I didn't get from my Dad...quick wit, brown eyes, dark olive skin:(

Things I love about my Dad....

I love that my Dad doesn't act his age (87) but more like he is 77 or should I say 67?!

I love that my Dad went to work on his 87th birthday, driving to Brigham City to deliver a paper cutter

I love that we have to TRY and talk him out of climbing on his roof to put up Christmas lights!

I love that he has been an avid photographer for more than 60 years

I love that he sometimes has 3 different cameras around his neck

I love that he wants to go skiing

I love that he is always happy

I love that he loves a good fire

I love that every Season is his favorite

I love that he is smart

I love that he is witty

I love his sense of humor

I love his positive attitude

I love that he was a pilot in World War II

I love that he loves airplanes

I love how he tells jokes

I love that he was the quarterback for Pleasant Grove HS

I love that he is computer savvy

I love that he loves his ipod

I love that he is constantly reading a book or two or three

I love that he is always working in the yard/garden

I love that he loves to travel

I love that he has a good memory

I love that he can make his Grand kids laugh

I love that he can tell a good story

I love that I could go on all day listing things that I love about him

I LOVE THAT HE IS MY DAD!

....Bye now

"The Big Apple" of my eye

2008-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I day dream that I live in a cozy loft

somewhere in Manhattan.

A loft that looks a little something like this

with a balcony that has a view

of this!

Since the odds of me ever living there are pretty much zero to none, I guess I would be happy just settling with a trip to the big apple.

I would love to see Central Park in Fall

I would rent a boat from the boathouse that was

featured in the movie Twenty Seven Dresses

then float along the river to see the beautiful fall foliage
.....ahhhh

I would like to stay at the Plaza Hotel where Kevin lived it up in the movie Home Alone 2

Which is conveniently located across the street from Central Park making it easy for me to spend a couple of days just wandering through it searching for all the famous landmarks.

Of course I would also visit the regular historic sights that are mandatory while in Manhattan, but here are some other things I would like to do while I am there....

Go to Carmines in the Theater District for a delicious Italian dinner...Family style:D

Then after dinner walk down the street to the theater and see the play that I have been wanting to see since it opened... Wicked!

I would also like to visit the LDS Temple. Last time I was there I went to a Sacrament meeting that was held in the same building. We took an elevator up to the Chapel, where we had a nice view of the city during our testimony meeting....it was awesome! We also introduced ourselves to Jane Clayson who was a member of the ward we were visiting.... she was nice:)

I would grab a quick lunch at Grays Papaya's
while shopping in SoHo

Then treat myself to a nice dinner at Mr. Chow's

and hope that Mr. Chow would bring me the Chicken Satay's again:D This is how it works....he comes out to your table to meet you and get a feel for what kind of food you like, then a little while later out comes your meal which is a total surprise! I lucked out and got these tasty treats that are melt in your mouth delicious!!!

For my sugar fix I would get some cupcakes

from Magnolia's

and stop at Dylan's candy bar... not so much for the real candy but for the eye candy!

Then on to Serendipity's for.....

their famous frozen hot chocolate! If you haven't seen the movie Serendipity you need to watch it.... I Love Love Love it!!

The window displays in this town are magical, making window shopping almost every bit as fun as the real thing!

In fact I had my first Anthropologie
encounter in Manhattan

It happened several years ago on a cold and snowy December night while trying to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the Holiday crowd. The pavement was slightly wet from the gently falling snow when suddenly it started to glow. Glancing up....there it stood shining like a beacon signaling me from across the street. It's giant window display's beaming like a glittering star inviting me to step inside to get warm and shop for awhile....which I cordially did;)

Another really cool store I discovered was
ABC Carpet & Home.

It is located in this really cool old warehouse a few blocks from where our taxi driver almost ran over a pedestrian (but that is a whole other blog post)

anyway this store was a fun discovery that was filled with 5 or 6 stories of overpriced gorgeous eclectic goodies, all of which wanted to come home and live with me

....or maybe I could just live there:D

Room with a view

2008-11-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through

the mountains, a torch flung to the trees.~ Faith Baldwin

Autumn, the year's last, lovliest smile. ~ William Bryant

Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering

from the Autumn tree.~ Emily Bronte

For several enchanting weeks this fiery
Autumn tree danced outside my window.

Each day her lively performance
more charming than the last

Then overnight she was gone

Silently slipping back stage, trading her glamorous
dress for a woolen scarf.. gracefully rehearsing
her encore for Winter's grand performance.
~ Lisa Davies ~

Pumpkin Porch

2008-10-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

I wanted to decorate my porch like this for Halloween

but I didn't:(

maybe next year:)

Happy Halloween!

Look whooo's joining our Family Tree

2008-10-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

My Sisters Patty and Linda along with my Sister-in-laws Janene and Syd helped me throw a baby shower for my nephew's wife Robyn a few weeks ago. When I called my niece Holly about drawing up some invitations and told her what we had in mind, (a baby owl in a pink diaper standing on a branch with the words Look whoooo's baby is joining our family tree written on it) she laughed and said I have something that sounds just like what you described. All she had to do was make a few color changes, rewrite the text and voila we had these adorable invites!

The centerpiece for our food table....owls of course!

Since Robyn loves pasta we had a Pasta bar with grilled chicken and three kinds of sauces... Pesto, Alfredo and Marinara. We also had salad and bread sticks from Olive Garden....Yum!

Cheery Cherry Italian Soda's

These are the favors we made to match the trees on our invitations. We filled them with pink chocolate covered sunflower seeds, then placed them in a container from pottery barn that was covered in aspen bark resembling the trunk of a quaking aspen tree.

I set up 5 folding tables in my living/dining room so we could play baby bunko. Some of our guest have never played before including my girls, some of my nieces and my 82 year old mother! We had a blast! The prizes were gift cards to use at some of the places Robyn has been craving during her pregnancy, like.... Noodles, Cafe Rio, and 7-11 for hot chocolate:)

Besides playing baby bunko we played a game where everyone was given a binky necklace to wear at the first of the night. If you heard someone say the words baby or cute you could steal their binky. This was hilarious because trying to take the word cute out of the Atwood family vocabulary is just....well wrong! Karli came in second place with 8 binky's

Trisha beat her with nine!

Ashley & Jamie waiting for Robyn to open all her presents

"Look at all these presents!"

Presents....presents

and more Presents!

This present is from future grammie linnie winnie, the tag says.... For your night owl! Inside.... lots of bedtime stuff that will hopefully help baby zzzzz

This one says... For your hOOTer's ha ha ha....yep you guessed it....nursing essentials... nice!

all the baby goodness!

All dressed up and somewhere to go

2008-10-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday my neice Courtney called and asked if she could tag along with Robyn (her Sister-in-law) who was coming over to do Karli's hair for Alta's Homecoming dance. Courtney said she wanted to bring her camera and take pictures of Karli getting ready and also told Karli she should invite some of her friends to come over as well. Now if you have seen any of Courtney's pictures you know we would be crazy not to take her up on this sweet offer. Karli was so excited and quickly called some of her friends, but unfortunately only Emily was ready in time to come over for a quick photo shoot. Karli absolutely loved every minute of it and we both want to thank Robyn and Courtney for making this day extra special!!

Here's a peek of Karli and her crew

Slathering Karli's legs with lotion

Emily thought this was hilarious!

Black House White Market..... here's your next ad

You're welcome:)

Karli & Preston

Talking Trash

2008-10-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Taking the trash out at our house can be quite the adventure. Our driveway is long and steep and if the trash cans are heavy it can sometimes turn into an involuntary tug of war of sorts. We also have small and large creatures lurking around our neck of the woods at night making the trip a little spooky and needless to say, not a very fun chore. Well that all changed last night, let me explain. Pat asked Karli & Jake to take out the trash so they jumped up from what they were doing and walked out the door (in my kids defense, they are all pretty good sports and never really complain about doing this.) Anyway.... I was cleaning up the kitchen and suddenly realized that a lot of time had gone by and Karli and Jake should have been back in the house by now. I even said to Pat "I wonder what is taking the kids so long?" "I hope they didn't get eaten by wild coyotes!" Pretty soon they were back inside and I didn't think any more about it, until this morning. As I was looking through i photo I came across some evidence of why it took these two so long to take the trash out last night:)

Click on video for added audio effect!

I feel so blessed to have such great kids who can turn a smelly chore into a fun photo shoot!

So the next time your kids complain about taking out the trash ..... hand them a camera:)

Get me to the Temple on time

2008-09-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

Mesa Arizona Temple

September 15, 1944

With World War II in full swing and my Dad in Flight School preparing to become a pilot in the Air Force, my parents decided to get married. Mom was eighteen and Dad was twenty two. Times were scary and money was tight but they knew they wanted to be married before Dad left for the South Pacific. When the time came to set their wedding date they found out that the Mesa Temple was closed for repairs but would open for one day in September....the 15th.
Dad asked his flight instructor if he could have the day off so he could get married. His instructor told him that he was scheduled to take his final flight test that very morning and if he passed it he would not only give him the afternoon off but Saturday and Sunday as well. The test took longer than anticipated but he passed with flying colors and was quickly off to catch the bus back to Mesa. Dad's heart sank when he realized he had missed the one and only bus back into town, but true to John Rae fashion he wasn't about to get discouraged, so he stuck out his thumb and started walking with high hopes he would make it back in time.
Pretty soon an ambulance pulled up and the man inside said...."hop in." When Dad described his dilemma the driver flipped on the siren and away they sped all the way to my Grandparents house.

Knowing that my Dad was in the air taking his final test that morning, you can imagine the look on my mother, her parents and sibling's faces as they rushed out to the front porch. Lights flashing and siren's blaring they stood there horrified, then watched my Dad hop out of the ambulance, salute the driver, and with a big smile on his face.... turn and walk towards his beautiful young Bride:)

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad! Thanks for being the best parents anyone could ever hope for.
I love you!

Thirty years ago today....

2008-09-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

September 21, 1978

Thirty years ago today Pat & I went out on our first date! He had only been home from his mission a couple of weeks and I had just turned 18 sixteen days earlier ....Wow! While it is hard for me to believe that it was really that long ago, some of the details of that night seem like it was only yesterday. Here are some things I remember....

Movie we went to: Heaven Can Wait
He was driving: His brother's stupid truck
I was wearing: Black dress with cream lace yoke
He was wearing: Black corduroy dress pants with matching vest, white shirt & tie
Why we were so dressed up: We went to a wedding reception of a close friend of Pat's before the movie. It was a pretty exciting Wedding reception, considering that back then all wedding receptions were pretty much created equal and a little on the boring side. Anyway.... the Bride & Groom jumped from an airplane and parachuted down to the golf course to the cheering crowd below.....Us!

Here are some things that I wrote in my journal that night.... Pat held my hand during the movie.... alright! The movie was great ! I loved it so much. He was so good looking, cute, nice etc... I hope he calls me again:) ha ha ha obviously he did!

National Jake Davies Day!

2008-09-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

Happy National Jake Davies Day!

Last year on September 14th some girls at Indian Hills made heart shape stickers, wrote National Jake Davies Day on them and passed them out during school. Jake had no idea this was even happening until he started noticing stickers on the shirts of lots of different kids, some that he knew and others that he didn't. When the word got back to his family (particarly his brother Justin) the teasing began. So when my Sister-in-law Becky called me yesterday and asked if I was planning anything special to celebrate the anniversary of this significant day, I told her I thought that it was a good idea and I would try to think of something. She was so excited that she could hardly contain herself, and I got the feeling that she has probably been anxiously awaiting this day since last September. I planned a barbaque in Jake's honor and when the doorbell rang the next evening as the party was starting this is what Jake found when he opened the door! ha ha ha....FUNNY!

National Jake Davies Day sponsored by the U of U

(Jake hates the U!)

Jake with his funny & awesome Aunt Becky

I made buttons with Jakes picture on it and pinned

them on the guests as they arrived

Part of Jakes fan club

Guest of Honor pulling the heisman pose while playing football with his cousin Mason

Happy National Jake Davies Day Jake!

You are awesome.... you really do deserve your own day!

Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to me...

2008-09-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my "womb" mate

Waking up on the cute side of the crib

Birthday cake fun

Blowing the candles out in indentical order... ha ha ha

Partners in crime!...... for life:)

DC ya later!

2008-09-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

Justin left for Washington DC early Labor Day morning, and starts his four month internship in Senator Bennett's office today. It feels strange knowing that he is so far away and wont be able to meet us for a movie or come home for Sunday dinner. I know the time will fly by, but we are really going to miss his positive personality, his witty remarks, and of course his awesome singing! Good Luck Justin, I know you will do a fantastic job!

We made sure to party it up before Justin left and had three parties back to back a couple of weeks ago. Justin had about 50 of his college friends show up on Saturday night, Sunday we celebrated with the Davies Family and then partied with the Atwood's on Monday night! whew!!

Friends from UVU

I wanted to take a picture of everyone who came, but the night got away from me and I didn't accomplish my goal :( Sorry about that Justin, I guess we will just have to do it again!

Davies Family Party....

August Birthday Boys

Aunt Becky's present to Justin.... a portrait of herself for Justin's desk in Washington:) The funniest part.... it wasn't the most flattering picture of her! ha ha ha hilarious

Jared had fun picking vegetables from the garden

Josh loved all the toads

Atwood Family Party

Brody and Chandler loading it up!

Hallie Babe

Saying hi to Lily

Cuties Caitlin & Ella

Jake & Austin chowing down

Marcie keeping everyone on the edge of their seats!:)

A surprise visit from Obama welcoming Justin to Washington!

ha ha ha Thanks Shaun!

"Labor" Day... John & Norma Style!

2008-09-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

September 5th 1960

Mom gave Labor Day a whole new meaning

when she gave birth to my twin sister and me!

Surprising everyone, especially herself and my Dad:)

Garden Goodies

2008-08-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

I love my garden cucumbers but couldn't keep up with the growing collection that piles up in our kitchen each day, so I decided to make some Bread & Butter pickles to go along with one of my favorite things to eat....grilled hamburgers!

Here is the recipe... now you can make some too!

16 cups sliced cucumbers

8 small pearl onions

1 green & red pepper cut into strips

Place in 9x 13 pan and sprinkle with pickling salt

Let stand for 3 hours (stir occasionally)

Rinse & drain

In large pot add 5 cups sugar

5 cups cider vinegar

1 & 1/2 tsp tumeric

1 & 1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 Tablespoon mustard seed

2 Tablespoon celery seed

Add cucumber mixture and bring to a medium boil. Boil for 2 - 3 minutes and pour into glass jars that have been sterilized. Sterilize the lids in boiling water and screw them on while they are still hot. (I cut the recipe in half since I only had eight cups of sliced cucumbers.) This filled 7 half pint jars.

Enjoy!

Friendship Cruise

2008-08-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

FRIENDSHIP!

Friendship Cruise was the theme for our Relief Society Summer Social this year. It was held in Jan England's gorgeous backyard and the weather couldn't have been nicer!

Cute ladies in my ward

Dan grilling hamburgers for our delicious dinner

Ladies in red

The new mommies

Dinner at the Captains tables

After dinner Paula read a cute poem about friends and then we played a fun game. She had everyone write down something that only their best friend would know, then called some of the ladies to come up and read what they had written. We all tried to guess who's was who's. It was fun to learn some interesting things that we didn't already know like.... Susan's worst date was one of the Osmond brothers....glad to know it wasn't Donny (I have a little crush:) Allison out ran a police officer....what? Golda Lenord shined John Wayne's boots...pretty cool!

Dessert was sorbet in the actual scooped out shell of each fruit that we decorated by sticking a cute little drink umbrella in them. If you look close in this picture you can see Paula's pineapple sorbet, and in the background Eileen's coconut sorbet with the turquoise blue umbrella sticking out of it. The flavors were pineapple, coconut, lemon & orange mango...mmmm delicious!

After dinner Libby Hargrove's group came up and performed a medley of songs about friendship. As usual it was darling and added so much to our night on the friendship cruise.

I tried to record it but my battery was going dead. I thought I only missed a few seconds of it, but it only recorded the last little bit! arrrgh!

Here are the lyrics instead....

First verse was to the tune "On the Good Ship Lollipop." Second verse was to the tune "Getting to know you" from Oliver. Third verse was to the tune "I'd do anything for you" from The King and I.

1. On the Good Ship Friendship where the sisters meet, they're so cool and hip no matter the stage, Relief Society is all the rage. Newly married, student or single, young family or empty nest, where ever you are, you are simply the very best! This is your night on the Frienship Cruise, kick your shoes off....it's time to schmooze don't worry a titch- we'll be sail'in without a hitch.

2. And we're.... Getting to know you, getting to know all about you, when life's topsy turvey we will be there to see you through. Getting to know you, only a cell phone away, chat-text or email- can chase the blues away!

3. And.... We'd do anything for you sisters - anything for you sister's any thing at all. Would you tend my kids? Anything! Would you sew for me? Anything! Laugh or cry with me Anything! Bake a pie for me? Anything! Any Any Anything at all!

The evening ended with entertainment by Cole Barnson and Ryan Darton from the band Kid Theodore. These guys rocked! First they performed a couple of familiar tunes, then a few from their albums, and ended by each taking a turn performing a love song. They did such a great job and it was fun watching them perform! (especially since they are from our very own ward:)

Happy Birthday Patrick!

2008-08-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

August 21, 1980

Random thoughts....

*Pat looks young

*I look younger

*Cool Hawaiian shirt

*Wish I still had it

*Pat hates opening presents

*Loved my gold charm necklace

*Wonder what was in the box

*Miss my "real" blonde hair

*It was long

*Classic 80's wrapping paper

*Matches my first couch

*Pat's mustache

*He thought it looked good

*I thought it was ugly

*He was wrong

*I was right

*We were young

*We were poor

*We were tan

*We were thin

*You know you're getting old when you can use the phrase..... "The good old days!"