My, how time flies when you're having fun!

I guess I need to catch up on a few things! April just flew by so quickly for me.

We had a very nice Easter Sunday with all of the kids except Jana and Dave and Brandi with us. Tiffany and the baby were even here! Zak had surgery on his knees a few days before but he still wanted to be here (probably 'cause he likes my cooking).

Caleb had his graduation for boot camp and will be home the middle of May. His little guy, Bryler, is sure growing. Brandi Z, Tiff and the baby were able to go to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for the graduation and spend a couple of days with him.

I was able to go to Orlando with Jana for about 6 days! One of the hip hop teams that she coaches won a bid at the Dance Worlds. This was a very big deal as the teams have to qualify at a national level and win a paid bid to compete. There were over 500 teams from 47 different countries competing in dance and cheerleading, so about 15,000 competing! It was very well organized and we stayed at the Disney All Star Movie Resort. We had 4 day park hopper passes so was able to see and do alot. We had a great time. Jana's team did very well and ended up 23rd! This was the first time that the Viper gym has won a bid to go and so it was quite a feather in Jana's cap to accomplish this her first year.

We ended the month with our 42nd anniversary on the 29th. Wow, can you believe it? Tera celebrated her 26th birthday on the 30th! We moved her to American Fork, Utah a couple of weeks ago to live with Kelly Hansen-Huffman, her best friend from high school. She's working at the Ruby River in Provo. This is her first venture away from home and it's been quite an adjustment for her. We sure miss that little Tenlee though.

All in all, it was a very busy month. Now we look forward to those May flowers after all of the April showers!

My Dad

March 16th was Dad's birthday. It made me think about how grateful I am to have him in my life. I was nine years old when he came into my life. Growing up was a little rocky at times because the gospel wasn't in our home. I joined the Church when I was 12 years old and he always supported me in my activities. After I got married Dad quit his bad habits (he claims I was the cause!) and started going to Church. Watching mom and dad grow in the gospel was an amazing transformation. Once he made the change, he never looked back.
Whenever I hit bumps in the road, I would call home and mom would give the phone to dad so I could cry on his shoulder and get the advice I needed. I knew that I was loved unconditionally.
I broke my fermur shortly after mom died. I was in the hospital for a week. One night about midnight I was feeling so miserable that dad came in a washed my hair for me. He's just like that...
Things I have learned from my dad:
How to work hard and do a good job.
How to give service. He was always stopping to help someone that was broke down on the road or giving someone a ride.
How to work at making my marriage work.
How to love the gospel.
How to take care of things. He's always fixing something up.
How to appreciate what I have.
How to appreciate antiques and treasures we would find on the desert.
How to treasure your spouse.
I could keep going... I truly hope he knows how much I love him.

Our New Church Calling!

Frank and I received a new calling a couple of weeks ago. We are now teaching the 6 & 7 year olds in Primary! It's only been a couple of years since I was in the Primary but it's been about 15 years since Frank had a Primary calling. About 17 years ago we had a joint calling for the 8 year olds when Tera was that age. A couple of years after that Frank and Bryan were called to be nursery leaders, a calling he really liked.

In our new class we have five kids. Three girls and two boys. They are such cute kids. Right now we are teaching them the steps to become a member of the Church. This week it was about reaching the age of 8 and getting baptised. It's nice for us to have this refresher and to help our own faith. I'm also glad to have a Sunday calling because it gets too easy to stay home and not go to our meetings. Frank has even said he will take his turn to teach one Sunday.

A New Hobby!

I discovered a new website - eHow.com! We all know how to do all kinds of things and now you can write articles about it and have them published on this website. It's been kind of fun to do. I have done seven articles on my first two days. Of course most of the articles were ones that I have already written for the workshops that I do for rodeo and junior miss pageants.

I guess you can also make a little bit of money while doing this as well. I guess we will see on that part of it. The more people that view your articles and rate them earn you points! So, please check out my articles and rate them for me. Comments are more than welcome.

It's also a great website if you need to learn how to do something. I think everything you can image has been covered and written about by someone. Most articles are short and quick and easy to read. Check it out. Start writing!

Grandsons...

This past week I have come to really appreciate my grandsons, not just love them.

Caleb is in South Carolina in basic training. We had a letter from him last week and it sounds like he is adapting pretty well. Of course not having any candy or pop is really, really hard on the kid or should I say man? It's early morning hours and hard days but just what every young man needs! One thing he said was that they have good breakfasts but they have to eat fast with their feet up??? That's a new one!

One very touching thing that he wrote was that he was going to Church every Sunday and that he has set his goal to go through the Temple when he gets home. In a situation like this he probably could make friends that will be a positive influence or a very negative influence but it sounds like he's going in the right direction. Go Caleb!

Yestday we drove up to Driggs to watch Zak, a junior, in his district wrestling meet. He ended up taking 4th place. I know he was disappointed but I couldn't have been prouder of him. He is such a good young man. What a great experience for him. You could see the comaradie between him and his friends and the encouragement they give to each other. Zak's knees are really bad, he will be having surgery on both of them April 1st, and I'm sure wrestling isn't the easiest thing to do with bad knees but he never complains about it. He's had a good season, his record was 13-2 going into districts so he should be proud of himself. I can't wait to support him and Tanner both next year! Go Zak!

Women...

Last week a friend and co-worker told me that my name was included in a letter to the editor. It was a list of women that "make a difference" or something like that. At first I just laughed but then had a couple of phone calls telling me about it as well. Okay, by then I was smart enough to be flattered by the letter and the attention!

But it got me thinking about all of the remarkable women I know and how much each one contributes to our world.

Theresa. Would she be as remarkable if she wasn't a person with a disability? Absolutely! She's smart and very determined. How she handles her job, community service, and family is amazing. From her we have learned that if you want something you can always find a way to accomplish getting it!

Brandi. Is capable of doing anything. Through the years I have encountered so many people who have known Brandi and every person tells me how much they enjoy and love her. Personality wins everytime.

Jana. True beauty and goodness IS from the inside out. She has always taught me to look for the best in others and in myself.

Tera. Life is a roller coaster and you need to learn to enjoy the ride. She will make mistakes but takes ownership of them and does what she can to put things right. She has faced her challenges and has conquered them all!

I could go on with my list of remarkable women in my life from my mom, grandma, sisters, friends and all of the others that have helped shape me into the woman I have become. Thank you all.

Wow, It's 2009 Already!

It's been a month since my last post. I can't believe how the holiday's flew by. I guess that's what happens when you are busy (or just old!). I certainly had my share of planning holiday parties this year. I planned and organized the management staff party for Walker Farms and Produce. I had the dinner catered but set up at Keith's cycle/scooter business for it. I just had a Santa Bingo game with $1 gifts which was a lot of fun. We then presented plaques and certificates to all of the employees, some had been with them for 38 years!

Other parties I did was to have Frank's brothers and sisters and Nile and Barb over for dinner. It was nice to visit with them. Cindi wasn't able to make it but everyone else did. I also planned Bryan's Diggin Wild business party and cooked the food for it. I think the employee's and their wives had fun . I planned the little party for the ladies that work here in our offices and we had a great potluck lunch and fun gift exchange. Of course I did the carnival for the warehouse employee's and their families. This year we also included the trucking and farm employee's. We had a good 150 people attend!

We also had a few Christmas get togethers at our house so the week of Christmas just seemed like one big party! Especially since Jana and Dave were here!

Of course everyone got really spoiled for Christmas again this year. Frank had his dad make me a beautiful cedar chest. I have never had one so it was really special. The funny part was that Rich had called and asked if I would help him get one for Theresa so all the while I was talking to Nile about hers he was actually quizzing me about mine! Frank had planned this in the summer when they were fishing. What a thoughtful and wonderful gift.

It was great to spend time with family. It seems like we all get to running in different directions and so this time of year is so special because we actually sit down and play games and visit.

Tera bought me the Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck which I read the week after Christmas. It really does bring the true meaning of the atonement home and how our Savior paved the way for us to bring our lives back to him. The true meaning of Christmas...