Big Dan's Birthday

Yesterday was Dan's Birthday. I drove back to St. George to be with him on his big day, as I have been in Provo. I told him he gets to pick the restaurant and a movie of his choice and that I would even go on a hike with him!! Well, he was so excited that I would go on a hike of his choice, minus Angels Landing (as I love that hike but it kills my knee's) that he about flipped out! He immediately wanted to head for Zion and soon we were off.


Weeks before his Birthday he told me he wanted the movie "Eiger Sanction" with Clint Eastwood for his Birthday present. Well it is sooo old I could not find it anywhere but on Amazon.com. It's from the 70's. He was so excited to watch it last night after we got home from Zion.
It is about rock climbing of course. It's a little cheesy because Rock climbing is so much more advanced then it was in the 70's I was laughing at the gear they had back then.


We decided to go on the Canyon Overlook Trail
Is Dan happy or what to be hanging out in this place for his big day!
He was running and jumping all over the place. Seriously he was just like a little boy at Disneyland!!
























This was taken at the Overlook!



Us just
hanging out in Zion!


After the hike we went into Springdale and ate at the Pizza Noodle. I now LOVE the bar-b-que chicken pizza there. It was YummY to say the least!
I surprised Dan with some chocolate cake from Magleby's in Provo. Well, that was gone in about 10 seconds. I should have got some just for me!
It is the best chocolate cake I have ever had.
I think Dan had a very Happy Birthday it was fun watching him be so happy. I think that no matter how old guys get they are still little boys inside!

HaPpY BiRtHdaY DaN!!

HaPpY HaLLoWeeN 2009

Our annual costume photoshoot. Everyone say "spooky"











We had our annual Halloween party last night and also celebrated mine and Shari's Birthday. It is so fun to see what everyone shows up as.
Thanks for being good sports "Fam"! We had a yummy dinner and played a couple of games. Sorry my games were lame, I plan to have some much better ones for next year!
I included a few more shots of my decorations. The fake witch below is a hit with the grandkids. when you walk by her she talks and the boys love to make her do that. Last year Thaxton did not like her at all, this year he squeals with delight around her. Even though his parent's don't believe me.
It's time to retire my Dorothy costume, I'm sure you are sick of seeing me in this for the last few years. I don't know what I'll be next year. I really don't like dressing up unless I have a costume I like or am excited to wear. Dorothy has been "My" costume for a few years now. Time to move on to something new.
Thankfully I have a whole year to worry about it.

My Birthday Halloween dinner was a real treat!

Happy Halloween


Dan and Landen

Chelsea and Justin

Jan

My Friend Jan looking great as a very glamorous witch!

I love this picture of Dan. I felt like I was looking at my high school yearbook!

FaUx PaiNtiNG BuSiNeES

I have been wanting and needing a job to get through these hard economic times. Dan wants me to find something flexible as he would like me to be able to still go with him on great adventures at the drop of a hat. That is hard to make happen when you have to pay the bills these days I know. I like being optimistic instead of pessimistic though. A virtue Dan has and is wearing off on me.
Well I have been racking my brain and looking for jobs here and there. Working on getting my Real Estate license, applying for jobs, wanting to be creative and use my talents.
Well, something wonderful and exciting and creative is starting to come to life. While brainstorming with a friend that needs the same kind of flexible job we were inspired to do faux painting and are taking action and moving forward with our idea of doing faux painting and finishes. She had done it before so we are not totally going into this blindly. Yes the economy sucks and people are cutting back but people are also staying put and fixing up their homes that they are in now since they can't move to a bigger and better home. They are finishing the basement for more room, and you know what there are people out there that are doing OK and have money to spend on some faux painting.
If not today somewhere in the future. My friends sister lives in Nebraska and does this for a living and has done it for years. She is a master faux finisher and does the most amazing murals and artwork on the walls too. (Megan, you would be so good at this too. When I saw here artwork I thought of you). Yes, it has slowed down but she still is getting plenty of work. Her name is Joyce and she has offered to train us and teach us the newest techniques that are out in the market today. What a blessing to have her do this. She cracks the whip and we have classes and take notes and everything!!
We have been in Nebraska all week working all day and into the night learning these techniques. I am blown away with what I have learned and what I can create with paint, plaster, glazes etc. We are making 20 sample boards each to start out for our business in a week. I feel like I am learning 20 dances at a time like "Dancing with the Stars" My head is spinning.
We are so excited to bring these styles to Utah. What a blessing.
Stay tuned for an open house to show off our stuff. If you are interested in a little Faux painting for your house give me a call. You will be blown away.
I will be busy in the meantime doing all these techniques in my house so you can come over and see how cool they are. You will want some of this in your home. I promise
I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to do something so creative and fun, it is almost as fun as scrapbooking. It's harder or I would say it is as fun.
Anyway that is what I am up to and I will keep you posted with all the details.
CALL ME for your free consultation today:) cause we're in business baby!!

My Dad

Dad used to pump gas out of pumps like this

My home town

A view of main street in Mt. Pleasant


In front of Zion Lodge in the Park


walking down to the river

Dad and Afton


I love my dad. The only problem is I have never got to spend alot of time with him so there is so much I want to know about him. When I was young he was always working and just never got to be around us kids very much. As a teen he lived in Idaho and I only saw him once a year for a few days. It didn't really make for much bonding time and I really needed my dad.
Lately I have been doing lots of genealogy and I decided I really wanted to know more about my dads childhood and where he lived in Manti growing up etc. So I set up a weekend that I could take him to Manti where he grew up and to Mt. Pleasant where we lived when I was young.
I invited my sister Peggy to come to. I had some graves I wanted to find also. I love finding headstones of Ancestors that I read about. Once I find them I take a picture of it to put with their history. I like to make sure the dates all match up also.
Anyway, to say the least the trip was a huge success and I had so much fun learning lots of things about my dad. First of all he can talk alot!. Once we hit Nephi he opened up and did not stop talking all weekend. The memories started pouring out of him and I was loving every minute of it.
He showed me homes where he lived,where my Great Grandparents lived, Aunts & Uncles lived, where people worked, where he flew his airplane, where Lowry Hill is in Manti, we found graves and much more. I should have done this years ago.
We went on to St. George and they stayed a couple of days. We took them to Zion too. I found out my Mom and Dad spent their honeymoon in Zion and stayed in the lodge. I had never been told that, if I did then I had forgotten. He has hiked to Emerald Pools and I was so happy to know that Mom had got to do that hike as I LOVE that hike. I had just discovered it and hiked it for the first time this year.
He kept talking all weekend and realized he had forgot to show me the house the they lived in when Peggy was born so I said " We are going back through Manti and Mt. Pleasant on the way back home as I don't want to miss a thing. Who knows when I will get him back down there. He is starting to lose his eyesight and I wanted to make sure he saw all those things from his childhood before he won't be able to.
I will keep gathering info about him and can't wait to write his and mom's history for all their posterity.
I love you Dad, thank you for getting out of Rupert, Idaho and away from taking care of Grandma, for opening up and talking, for getting out of your comfort zone, for spending some time with your kids especially me and getting back to your roots!
I am finding out that you are a very strong, patient, loving, kind, talkative dad.



Out at Zion with Aunt Lucy also.


Dad traded his bike when he was 15 for a car like this. I never knew this either!!



Meeting up with Bart, Rachelle and the boys for Lunch.




Dad getting to know Crew!

The Narrow's at Zion.

I had heard alot about the Narrows in Zion the past few years and kept telling Dan that I wanted to hike that sometime. Well, we finally made it down there! We not only hiked it once but we got to hike it twice because we took my sister Peggy and her husband Larry there too.
We loved it. The only crazy thing about it is the best time to hike it is in the summer when it is hot because of course you are in the water most of the time. So I patiently waited until August to go the first time. The Temp's had been in the 100's. Well the day we decided to go we woke up to a cloudy day! What! I don't want it to be cloudy. Dan convinced me it would still be plenty hot in the 90's. We were following rain all the way to Zion. I was getting freaked out as I HATE to be cold. I had decided if the water was freezing when we got in the river I was DoNe. When we arrived in Zion it was the coolest day they had had for a LONG time and it was barely 80 degrees. Sounds warm but it really wasn't in the canyon and with the cloud cover. I was shocked at how comfortable the water felt when we got in. Thankfully I could handle it. I was sad that it was not all hot and sunny but we ended up loving it and had a great, great day.
about a month later we went again with Peggy and Larry. It was very nice that day and it was soooo fun to share this experience with them. Peggy was a trooper going through the waist deep water.
The first time I went I had regular cotton shorts on. They sucked! So I bought some shorts that repel water. Well, I have to tell you that these shorts are like magic. I went through the deep water and when I came up out of the water my shorts were dry!!!! I was freaking out with excitement. It was so cool. I highly recommend anyone who does alot of this kind of hiking to go get these shorts. I will have to post the brand later as I am not home to go check that out right now.
Enough of the info. Just know that it was amazing and if you have not done this you need to put it on your bucket list of things to do before you die.

I got the two trips out of order but you'll get over it.

HaLLoWeeN DeCoRaTioN's

I love to decorate for Halloween, alot of people hate Halloween but I have always been a fan. A couple of years ago I got way into bones.....I had a really fun Halloween party and went all out decorating. I had spider webs everywhere! I will have to find those pictures and post them as I did not have a blog then. I still love my bones and skeletons.
Don't worry it doesn't scare the grandkids, they are all boys they love it!





I love my Queen Mummy and all my bones..
A close up of my hutch in my Provo home. Sorry it is not very clear.

Boot-e-ful.........


Just wanted to show off the witch's boot that I made this year. I think it is so cute. Rachelle made me the cute Happy Halloween vinyl. Love it!

Cutest Picture Ever

I found this picture on Becky Higgins Blog today and thought it was the cutest idea and just had to steal it and share. Don't be mad at me Becky, I give you all the credit!!!
I would not be able to do this as I am lame at photoshop, but I know all you talented girls out there can!
Enjoy! and spread the LoVe.................