SCUBA

So last month I received an e-mail from our friend Stephanie Brewer that said, I don't know if Justin told you or not, but when do you want to start SCUBA classes?  So, after talking with Justin I found out that he made a trade with Stephanie, and the girls and I were taking SCUBA classes!  The girls have wanted to do this for a long time.  I was not sure if it was something I wanted to do or not!  But, I have to say after spending 5 hours in a pool yesterday, I think it is going to be really fun!  Tanner will have to wait a couple of years to take lessons, you have to be at least 10 years old to become certified.  Justin is already certified, he went through the certification 20 years ago!

The girls and I with all of our gear getting ready to leave for class.  The gear was also part of the trade!

Amanda underwater practicing clearing her mask

Alyssa posing for an underwater picture

Look at Addy's hair, it's everywhere!

All of us with our 2 dive instructor's

12 to 14 days

So, as most you already know, I had sort of an accident happen to me 2 weeks ago.  We were all done packing and loading up from girls camp and were just cleaning up the last few things when I decided to help Kay get "the piece of pink paper" out of the window in the lodge.  So together, Kay and I were working the paper out when all of the sudden there was a loud sound and my left hand went through the window.  I looked at my hand and saw that I had cut my wrist.  I grabbed my wrist really tight and went into the kitchen, trying to make sure no girls saw.  I knew it was bad.  The camp nurse heard the loud noise and  was right there.  She looked at it and said take her to the hospital right now.  Luckily Justin was there.  They gave me a blessing, and we were off to the Payson Hospital.  16 miles has never seemed so far away!  Anyway, I was told that I was very lucky that I had only cut 1 muscle.  I received 47 stitches, 3 layers deep.  I was told to have the stitches removed in 12 to 14 days, so today I am going to have them removed.  I'm a little nervous, and I don't know why!

The window in the background of this picture is the one I broke.  You can even see "the piece of pink paper"  stuck in the center, top part of the window.

Here is a picture of the stitches.  I decided against posting a picture of it before it was stitched closed!

  

Lake Powell - Week 2

We just returned from enjoying another great week at Lake Powell!  This time my brother Jason, his wife Regina, and their 3 kids joined us for the first time.  Their kids experienced their first boat ride, their first time to wake board and take a wild and crazy tube ride!  I think they are hooked!

Tubing pictures are the coolest.  I think this was the highest I have ever seen the tube bounce.  All 4 pictures were taken in less than 2 seconds!

And they land it!

Here are 2 of the 4 new friends the kids found living in the couch on the house boat!  They played with the baby mice all day then put them in a Twinkie box when they went to bed that night.  We awoke in the morning to find that the mother mouse had rescued all 4 baby mice from the Twinkie box!  I know - inconceivable!  I think our kids still think that we got rid of the babies, but no such luck for the Matthews family that is on the boat this week!  We wish them luck in finding the little friends!

Rainbow Bridge

Cruising through my favorite canyon - Cathedral Canyon. 

Girls Camp 2009- Camp Cooks

Camp food was a huge success!  Justin and I were called as the head cooks for girls camp this summer.  I was a little worried at first, since I had never done anything like this before!  We had a great committee.  Becky and Amanda Cook, Tricia Hansen, Kay Meyer, and Donna and Terry Colyar.  Everyone worked sooooo hard.  The food not only tasted great, but looked amazing!  The theme for camp was Once Upon a Time, They Lived Heavenly Ever After.  The first nights dinner was THE ROYAL FEAST!  And we made it look like a Royal Princess Feast!  They LOVED it!  So fun!

My two favorite girls at camp!

The making of Indian fried bread, one with beans, another with honey and sugar!

The Royal Princess Feast

The Royal Princess Feast

Working in the kitchen

All of the great helpers loading up camp food!

Lake Powell - Week 1

The second week of June we spent a week at Lake Powell, with friends and family.  The weather was not normal AT ALL!  IT WAS COLD- THE WHOLE WEEK!!  Crazy!  We still had a really great time, playing on the beach!  We tried to do another set of family pictures, but they are not my favorite.  Maybe we can try again later this summer.  Justin's cousin Rick is married to Kim and she and her 3 kids came with us.  They brought some friends of theirs with them, which included Tiffany and her 3 kids.  Both Kim and Tiffany's husbands were at a scout camp and couldn't come.  So when we would go into the marina for ice cream each day, there was Justin, 3 women, and 13 kids!  Classic Mormon Family!! lol!!!

One of the family pictures we took.

The home away from home.  My house always seems huge when we get home from spending a week on the house boat!  You can actually walk past someone and not have to throw yourself against a wall to let them past!!

Sleeping on top of the house boat under the stars!  

Sunsets at Lake Powell are so beautiful!  I love the coloring in this picture.

Some Of Our Favorite Memories!

Sunday we leave for Lake Powell to enjoy a week of great fun!  It really is one the coolest places in the world!  With so much to do, and so much to see, our family, along with many great friends and family have shared 5 years of great memory making!  I LOVE to sit on top of the houseboat and watch the sun set while eating dinner, INCREDIBLE!  I LOVE to watch my kids have so much fun, wake boarding, hiking, climbing, jumping, swimming, dancing, kayaking, and jet skiing, INCREDIBLE!  I LOVE to go on long boat rides, especially at sunset, INCREDIBLE!  I LOVE spending time with my family without any phone, TV, or computer, INCREDIBLE!  I can hardly wait!

S U R P R I S E ! ! !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALYSSA!

Amanda came to me Friday afternoon and asked me if she could plan a SURPRISE Birthday PARTY for Alyssa.  I thought, how sweet, and then said of course you can plan a party!  GOOD LUCK!  And good luck is what she needed, because all of the phone numbers she needed to contact Alyssa's friends are in Alyssa'a cell phone.  We tried all kinds of lies to get Alyssa's phone away from her!  But in the end Amanda was able to get a hold of enough people, and there were 22 teens at the party!  Amanda knows how to throw a great party!  They BBQed Hamburgers with the fixings, went swimming, roasted marshmello's, danced, and ate lots of cake!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY Alyssa!  and  GOOD JOB Amanda! 

Getting ready for the SURPRISE!  I took Alyssa shopping while, Amanda, Adyson, and Justin set up and decorated.

Graduation - CLASS OF 2009!

Tuesday, May 19th Alyssa graduated from 8th grade!  I cried a couple of days ago when she graduated from kindergarden, and I worked really, really hard to not cry Tuesday night!  I really can't even comprehend how fast time goes by.  I am pretty sure that time went A LOT slower when I was a kid!  The graduation was really nice.  For the first time ever Marshall Ranch held their ceremony at Ironwood High School, instead of outside in the grass at Marshall Ranch.  I was really very grateful for that, I think we were experiencing record breaking heat for the month of May!  (113 degrees is what was showing on my car thermometer!) 

This limo belongs to the dad of one of Alyssa's friends.  They got to go for a ride in it to Peter Piper Pizza after graduation.  Lucky Alyssa, I didn't get to ride in a limo until I was 36!

Alyssa and all of her friends posing for a picture before leaving in the limo!

Finding a beautiful graduation dress with sleeves was IMPOSSIBLE!  My friend Linda Bennett once told me, "A modest dress"  "PRICELESS".  She was right, if you want a dress with sleeves, you are going to pay for it!  Did I really just pay $60.00 just for the sleeves? YEP  ($30 for the fabric to match the dress, and another $30 to have them made!) OUCH!!

She looked BEAUTIFUL!

18 years and counting!

Justin and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on Sunday the 17th of May! YEAH!!  It has been a good life together!  I love him more now than I could have ever imagined 18 years ago.  Sometimes I just look at him and can't help but think "He is ALL mine!"   Here's to forever!!!!  

This picture was taken on our honeymoon at Sandal's in Jamaica, May 1991.

This was taken in Las Vegas 2 weeks ago.

I wish this was taken in Paris, in front of the real Eiffel Tower!  Someday we WILL go there!

Promotion Festivities!

The Marshall Ranch Promotion dance was in our backyard Friday night.  The turn out was fantastic (75 of the 90 something kids attended) and everyone had a great time!  I have to say that it looked beautiful!  We have a lot of really great parents at Marshall Ranch that helped pull this event off!  And then we have my great friend Bethany that came over on Friday and spent 6 hours helping me clean my house, and set up the amazing food table and tables!  THANK YOU BETHANY!!!  It was so much fun, I hope we get to have it here again next year when Amanda graduates!

Alyssa with some her friends.

A side view of the food table.

An overall view of the party/dance.

A front view of the food table.

Friday morning started out with the 8th grade awards ceremony.  Alyssa received 2 awards,  Honor Roll, and the Presidential Award for Fitness!  Way to go Alyssa, GOOD JOB!