Happy Easter

Easter was a wonderful time of faith, family and fun...we watched our Church's General Conference on TV, then got together for dinner and birthday celebrations for Cache, Missy and Kip.  We had to have an egg hunt for anyone who wanted to participate...bunny Bailey hid the eggs then cheered and directed the fun.

                                 Brothers and sisters...dressed up for Grandma's benefit...then it was time to change and get comfy...

                                    Uncle and niece...guitar lesson in progress,,,

                                       Sisters...

                                          Brother and sister...

                                    The egg hunt...ready...

                                        GO... and then when mom tackled son to let daughter get one more egg, son tackled mom ...all in fun and love!  THE END

Spring Break in Florida

We went to Orlando to join Missy, Kip and McKena for a fun-filled vacation.  We stayed at the Reunion Resort, which was our base for 4 very different daily excursions.  We had never been to Florida, so we wanted to see as much as our limited time would allow.  SO, first stop was EPCOT...

                               Free "sodas of the world" ?  Yes, please. 

                             Butterfly garden was part of the seasonal Garden Show

                                   Highlights from my favorite "countries"...France

                                  China...the terra cotta warriors...about 1/2 the size of originals

                                       Mexico...on the 3 Caballeros ride :)

                                          The grand finale...

                                         At Clearwater...the white sand was spectacular

                                           and the water was WARM in the Gulf of Mexico

                                        St. Augustine...Cafe Alcazar in what used to be the largest indoor pool in the world...the water level was about a foot lower than the arches under the banisters.  This is the deep end!

                                        History was our focus...

                                                       

                                            And then the rains came...buckets and buckets and no umbrellas!

                                          I love lighthouses...and black and white stripes:)

                                         NASA...Cape Canaveral...Kennedy Space Center

                                         Mission Control...remember the anxiety and excitement?

                                        Cocoa Beach in the rain...we had it all to ourselves!  Super trip!!

Cache's Basketball Season

I wanted to give Cache some space here...he has played on a club basketball team for the past 2 years, the Boise Slam.  It takes a huge commitment from him and his family to keep him practicing during the week, and playing in tournaments on weekends.  We love to watch him play...he is a hard worker, unselfish with the basketball, a great rebounder, has a nice outside shot and can drive to the hoop.  He has a great instinct for where the ball is going to be and he gets himself there!  We had him one weekend when Eden, Dan and Brooklyn went to Cedar City, UT for Dan's induction into the Southern Utah University Hall of Fame with his basketball team from 2000-2001. (The only team from SUU to play in the NCAA tournament) So, on my watch, Cache ends up with an injury!!  Poor guy, there wasn't an ice cube, or first aid kit, or even a paper towel in the whole middle school in which they were playing...going clean and green with only automatic hand dryers can leave a question of how to clean up blood spatter...he was a mess!

                                        This weekend,  playing hard...having fun.

I Like That Old Time Rock 'n' Roll

When I found out that Bob Seger was touring again, and he would be playing in Las Vegas, it was time to go!!  I first saw Bob, in person, in Columbia, MO in 1969.  My college roommate was friends with him and some members of his band...she suggested we walk over to Mizzou and look for them.  We ended up spending the day with them as they set up equipment for their concert that night.  We got front row seats, and Bob asked me what song I would like to hear.  I said, "Heavy Music!"  That evening, Bob dedicated the song to me.  A MOMENT in my life that I will never forget.  It has been 46 years, and I was ready to rock again.  We arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday...Eden and Dan flew in on Saturday to attend the concert with us.  So, here is a recap of our adventures in LV.

                                        Billboard at the airport...perfect greeting!

                                       At the Dale Chihuly gallery...

                                        We go to Vegas to EAT...Bobby Flay's burger joint...

                                         Cirque du Soleil...Zarkana...fantastic!

                                         At the Bellagio, the conservatory is decorated for Chinese New Year...the year of the ram.

                                       Before they announced no photography of the show...Cirque du Soleil "O"...the water added such an unbelievable element to the already spectacular performance.  How do they do that?? The pool fills and empties, during the show, allowing the swimmers to perform and then creating a stage for the other characters. 

                                        Saturday night at Mandalay Bay...11,000 senior citizens (plus Eden and Dan) got a little rowdy.  Bob was in fine voice,  he seemed so happy to be performing...we enjoyed every note!! 

                                    

Basketball!

 Bells plays in a league sponsored by the Nazarene Church...they go all out: cheerleaders, half-time entertainment, and introductions with music and fog machine!  Here she comes.

                           A steal and a fast break...

                             She had 28 points today...I think the girl in front of her is not happy about that.

                             She is a shooter like her mama:)

Somebody Loves Somebody

Happy Valentine's Day!!  I subbed today...reading specialist...such a fun day for kids in school;  decorating boxes, delivering Valentines, yummy treats.  I had so many offers of candy (trying not to do sugar), and the teachers' lounge was filled with delicious temptations.  Ha!  I resisted and feel victorious! And then...I came home to my sweetie, who bestowed a beautiful bouquet upon me.

Christmas Wrap-up

                      We had a WHITE CHRISTMAS here this year...when we left the house, it was raining.  By the time we arrived in Star, it was snowing and kept on through the evening.  We had a lovely dinner at Jay and Christa's...

                           Durham thought it was his birthday again, so he kept blowing out the candles!

                            Eden tried to steal a kiss under the mistletoe...Durham wasn't having any of that!

                              Bellamie came to the rescue ;)

                               After 17 years of playing the "Danish Pudding" game...(hide the almond), Dallin finally won!! 

                                How else can we "say" Merry Christmas??  With a "selfie", of course!