The Williams'

A little more of Elder Williams

2011-04-06T13:08:00.001-07:00

Here is a little bit from Andrews last letter home. He is doing great! Five more months and he will be home!----------------------------------- Savannah has been on fire. Let me tell you about it. It first started out us biking to someones house and she was walking across the street and was wearing a Bullet For My Valentine shirt. (Whoever said my music is bad better take it back haha) and so i started talking about her shirt and music. Chiodos, ADTR, BFMV, all the music i listened too. And then i turned it into who we were and what we did and set up a time to come back. We went back and things seemed really iffy. Her mom didn't really like us but we decided to come back. So we came back and started teaching her. She said that she was curious but probably wouldn't join if she didn't like it. We kept teaching her and finally she got an answer it was true. Then the flames began. She started talking to her friends and family and things. We taught the Law Of Chastity up at the VC with Sister Mortensen, it went very well. Then things slowed down because her friends were making fun of her. So we taught about Lehi's Dream and she loved it. Everything just kept getting better. yesterday we found out that she broke up with her boyfriend because he wouldn't come to her baptism. She says that's a very important event in her life and if he isn't going to support her then there is no need to be with him. Then her mom was going to have her buy things on Sunday and she pulled out the Book Of Mormon on her and told her she couldn't. She also went and cried with Sister Mortensen because the whole boyfriend thing is really hard but she knows its true. (THANK YOU SISTER MISSIONARIES) haha and so far everything is going well for her to be baptized this Sunday, the 27th. YAY!!!! so I'm excited for that.

Elder Williams in LA

2010-06-05T12:47:00.001-07:00

Many have asked how our missionary, Andrew is doing.

Well, take a look.

At the MTC.

That was almost nine months ago.

Still can't keep clean.

Look Close!
Beautiful flowers in the Ghetto!

His companion making Tortilla's

OUCH!

Recovering from bike crash!

"P" day

Look how happy he is!!

His first Baptism!

Holly and John

2010-06-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

It's raining, It's pouring

What a day for a wedding!!

HOLLY'S BRIDAL PICTURES

2010-05-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of Holly's Bridal pictures.

As soon as I get pictures from the wedding I will post them.

Such a beautiful bride!!

Trip to Texas

2010-04-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

I went to Texas to Help tend Henry while Heidi took her finals.

We also had time to have some fun!

We played "Hide in the Box"

We went to the ocean!

Got lost on our hike???

Went to the Zoo :)

I had a blast and loved spending time with

Heidi, Daniel and little Henry.

Can't wait to see them again!!

Wedding Day!

2010-03-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Ann
March 19, 2010

Here are a few pictures from Ryan's wedding. It was a beautiful day.

They are such a cute couple.

They are doing great and living in Billings, Montana now.

Thank you family and friends that help with all the wedding stuff.

Thanks McKell for the great pictures.

One down, another one in five weeks!

Wedding Plans

2010-03-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

One week to go!

If you haven't gotten an invitation to Ryan's wedding-

Here it is- you are invited.
March 19th at the Summerset LDS Church-

1885 No. Summerwood Dr. Farmington Utah

7-9 pm

We are all very excited for them!

2010-03-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

Since it is almost spring I thought I had better post some winter pictures of our fun day trip to McCall Idaho. It was a short two hour drive to a winter wonderland. Because McCall is further North than Star Idaho, there is snow. They have a snow sculpturing contest every year. We got there on the last day of the festival and because of the warm weather, most of the sculptures had started to melt. I think the best part was I didn't have any boots to wear so I tip toed all around in slushy snow and my feet got a little wet walking around. (Better get me some winter clothes)

Not bad for little Idaho.

It was lots of fun but it drove me nuts that people can't read. There were signs all over the place to STAY OFF the sculptures and still everyone was climbing all over them.

No Respect- one of my biggest pet peeves.

Ron's favorite part was as we drove past the ski resort we saw a big wolf running across the groomed slopes.

Our New House

2010-02-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

This is a video our daughter made of our new house. Hope you like it!

THANKS FOR THE HELP!!

2010-02-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

I found some more pictures of our move. We had so many wonderful friends help us load up the two BIG trucks that I had to say Thank you!!

Holly and John checking out how big the trucks really were.

Ryan's little girlfriends, Laura on the ramp and Emma in the truck helping out.

He will really miss those two little girls.

Ward members trying to figure out how to squeeze everything in the truck.

They did such a great job, nothing got broken on the trip to Idaho.

Almost done!!

Ryan ready to go!

Saying good-bye was the hardest part.

LEAVING FLORIDA

2010-01-30T15:38:00.000-08:00

Before we left Florida, we had to eat once more at the beach. The little pink cafe on the beach has the best fish and chips. Burdette had flown all the way to Florida to help us drive back to Idaho. The least we could do was take him to the beach for fish and chips!!

After two long days of loading truck!!

Ready to go! So sad to say good bye to friends!!

Pit stop!

Ron high centered the truck trying to go up a hotel's parking lot in Arkansas. Here is a picture of the tow truck getting us unstuck. We are blocking a 70 mile per hour highway.
The picture is kind of blurry because Ryan was laughing when he took the picture.
You just had to be there to really enjoy the story!!

Here is the man- Burdette
Ryan and Burdette drove together to catch up on old times but
the truck was so noisy that they couldn't hear each other very well.

We hit snow in Cortez, Colorado. One of our trucks froze and it took five hours to get it fixed.

Getting ready to leave Utah. Heading for Star, Idaho

Bridger loved the big trucks!!

Christmas at the Beach

2010-01-22T11:33:00.001-08:00

Christmas day in Florida was so nice that we decided to go to the beach. It was a little breezy but warm enough to enjoy a stroll down the beach.

Henry didn't know if he like the cool, wet sand on his feet.

He wanted his mom to carry him so he didn't have to walk on the sand!

Such a cute boy!!

Cute Family!!

Christmas Morning

2010-01-22T11:14:00.001-08:00

Now that I have unpacked my camera/computer cord, I can update my blog.

I will start with a few pictures of Christmas 2009

We were so lucky to have Heidi, Dan and baby Henry here for Christmas. They drove all the way from Texas to spend a week with us. Holly and her boyfriend John also came but they went to his grandparents house in Melbourne Fl. until after Christmas.

Henry was excited for his very own "cell phone".

Because this was Henry's first Christmas he was not sure what to do.

Our cute little Christmas boy!!!

Handsome Henry!!

I just wished we weren't packing things up to move and had more time to enjoy the sites.

We are Moving!!

2009-12-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

Most of you know by now that we are moving to Star, Idaho a few days after Christmas.

I have mixed emotions about moving, so here is a list of things I will miss and things I definitely won't miss about Florida.

Top 5 things I WILL miss about Florida

1. All my friends I have made. Especially Grandma Ophelia

2. Sunshine most of the time.

3. My new house and pool

4. Beautiful beaches and Collecting Sea Shells

5. Disney World

Top 5 things I will definitely NOT miss about Florida.

1. FIRE ANTS!!!!

2. Humidity

3. Scratchy St. Augustine grass

4. All the Bugs and Did I mention Fire Ants!!

5. My Water Bill

(I know there is more but I have just listed the top 5 reasons)

Good-bye Florida- We will come back to visit!!

THANKSGIVING IN FLORIDA

2009-11-29T17:32:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to have a quiet Thanksgiving for three. I didn't want to cook a big turkey for just the three of us so I cooked a whole chicken. We also had ham, yams, green beans, sweet potato pie, rolls and cranberry sauce.

We sat by the pool and enjoyed our lunch. It was'nt until a few days later that I realized that I hadn't made stuffing. I love stuffing. That is one reason I love Thanksgiving!

It is all about the stuffing. Oh well- maybe next year!!!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2009-10-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

WARD PARTY HALLOWEEN PARTY

WHERE'S WALDO AND LITTLE LAURA

WALDO AND CAT IN THE HAT EATING DINNER

A vacation (ha ha) to Utah

2009-09-17T16:48:00.000-07:00

I went to Utah to help Rachel with a new baby and send Andrew off on his mission. What I got was much more.... Fun!!

The first thing I did was help Rachel can 70 bottles of tomatoes. This was fun for me because I don't can anything in Florida.
The next thing fun for me was I got the opportunity to substitute teach in my old classroom. Yes I went to work on my vacation. But I don't work in Florida so this was real fun for me. I felt like a movie star!! All my old students were so happy to see me. Next we welcomed little Quinten into Rachel's family. I love being a Grandma!! The FUN got even better when Heidi surprised us and came up to Utah for a few days. It was so fun to see little Henry again. We had a great time seeing all our friends and family at Andrew's Farewell. To top off the three weeks I was in Utah we took Andrew to the MTC. The new "drive through" method worked really good for us. No time for tears!!! I loved all the FUN I had in Utah... I can't wait to return and have more FUN!!

Oh yea- I was told I am the worst blogger ever!! I will try to do better!!

GRANDKIDS ARE GREAT!!

2009-07-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

Rachel brought Annaka and Bridger out to see us. We had a fun filled week at the beach and swimming in the pool. I think Bridger liked playing in the Legos without having to share them with his brothers the best. We all had a blast. We loved having the kids here. Thanks Rachel for bringing the kids to visit and THANKS Brent for taking care of the other three boys at home so Rachel could come visit. Here are a few pictures of all our fun.

Our lego boy!

Swimming in Grandma's pool

I have my net, where are all the fish?

Mote Aquarium

Look at this BIG leaf

Can I take him home Mom?

Splashing in the water

Maybe if I hold really still I can catch a fish!

Learning about sea life

So Cool!

Fun With My Friends

2009-07-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time with my friends from Utah the second week of June.

Some of my "teacher" friends came out and visited. We had a blast!!!Tauna, Peggy, Jeanie and Debbie

We saw real live alligators

Can you see his nose? He is one big alligator.

Debbie is either really brave or crazy, but she wanted to pet an armadillo, so I stopped the van and she jumped out and was able to pet some baby armadillos. Everyone else stayed in the van laughing and taking pictures!!

Walking through the "jungle" to see the alligators

Can you see all the moss hanging from the trees. I see where they get ideas for scary movies.

We did a lot- I mean A LOT of shopping. We shopped at the beach shops and the outlet malls and even the flea market. We bought so many pairs of shoes I think they were going to open up a shoe store when they got back to Utah.

This picture is looking down from the look-out tower.

Can you see us on the tower- This is real exercise getting to the top!!

We made it to the top!!! What a view. Who knew Florida was so flat I can almost see Texas.

When we weren't shopping, we were at the BEACH. Beautiful white sand and blue, warm water made for great days to sit around at the beach.

Fish and Chips at the Beach

(Sorry Jeannie, I guess that is what we get when we ask someone who doesn't speak English to take our picture)

Friends that play together stay together! Let's do it again!! I can't wait until next year!!

LOS ANGELES HERE HE COMES

2009-06-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

Andrew received his Mission call to serve in the Los Angeles California Mission- Spanish speaking. We are so very proud of him. We know he will be a great Missionary.

He will enter the Mission Training Center on

September 9, 2009

(9-9-09, Cool huh?)

His farewell will be on Sunday August 30, 2009 at the Huckleberry Ward in Syracuse Utah at 11:00 am

1273 South 2500 West

Everyone is invited!

Come early for a soft seat!

What Is All That Noise??

2009-05-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

If you lived on a farm, you would hear the roosters crowing in the morning but in Florida almost every morning I hear a noise that sounds like a roster with a megaphone. The Sand Hill Crane is a very large bird at makes a very loud sound as it walks through your yard and even a louder sound when it flies over your house. Think of a pterodactyl on a horror movie. That will give you an idea of the sound I hear in the mornings.

So much for sleeping in!!

(The pictures are kind of blurry because I took it through the screen on my porch)

Sunday in Florida

2009-05-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Just us dressed in our Sunday best.

Wash and Wear???

2009-04-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last week I tried something new!!

I washed my cell phone in the washing machine.

OK I really didn't mean to do it but needless to say cell phones don't work very well after a lot of soap and water gets into them. We even took it apart to dry it.

Oh sad day for me.

I went almost a week with out a cell phone and I thought I was going to go nuts. The reason why... is all of my phone numbers are stored on my cell phone. I had to look up every number I called. Yes, I am lazy. What did I do without a cell phone?? Now that I have another cell phone to use- I still don't have all the numbers on my old phone. My advice to everyone.

#1 Don't wash your phone- they don't wash and wear very well.

#2 Write all your contact information done somewhere else besides on your phone.

(Yes, I know I can go down to the phone store and get everything transferred but that takes time and effort- we live a long ways from the cell phone store.)

Our Quick Visit To Utah

2009-03-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

We had a great time with family and friends in Utah a few weeks ago.
We came to Utah for Henry's blessing and Corbin's Baptism.
Our trip was only a few days long so we didn't get to see everyone we wanted.
The weather was a little cold for us Floridians but we kept warm with all the hugs and kisses from our Grand-kids.

Here is Corbin and his Dad, Brent at his baptism.

We are so proud of you Corbin.

This is Rachel and Brent's cute family. They are growing up so much!!

Noah lost his front tooth while he was brushing his teeth. I think he just didn't want grandpa to pull it out!! (and Grandpa wanted to real bad)

We tried to get a family picture taken while everyone was together. It looks like a nice, sunny day but it was so cold and when the wind blew, it was miserable. We are not really smiling, we are grimacing from the cold. Now as I look at all the pictures, none of them have everyone with their eyes open or everyone smiling or even happy but that is life I guess.

Holly and little Henry

Peek-a-Boo
Annaka is at such a fun age.

This is a picture of Henry after his blessing with his three Grandpas

On the airplane to Utah, Henry learned how to stick out his tongue. Here he is showing off his great talent. He is so cute and fun.

Here is some cute boys!!

Sorry there is no pictures of our gut wrenching laughter at the Barker's house or Henry & Sue or any of our other friends, but we have those memories in our minds and hearts.

It is always hard to leave everyone behind. We love and miss all of you!!

Come see us any time!

Move over Martha Stewart

2009-02-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

I have been trying out new recipes that I have found in all my magazines. Thanks to Holly for sending me a bunch of great magazines. I don't remember what magazine I got this recipe out of but it was GREAT!!! Chicken Pot Pie

This is what it looked like before I cooked it. I didn't get a picture of it after it was cooked because by the time I came back from my Relief Society meeting it was almost gone.

Here is the recipe I used. I made a few adjustment from the original recipe. It is really easy to double the recipe and freeze one of the pies or give one away. (That is what I did) Also add some rolls and it is a very inexpensive dinner.

Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cooked and cubed.

1 Tbl. olive oil

2 onions, chopped

4 carrots, sliced thick

2 stock of celery

2 large potatoes

3 Tbl. flour

1/2 c. chicken broth

2 cups milk

8 0z. frozen peas

1 Tbl. fresh thyme (I used 1 tsp. dried thyme)

Salt & Pepper

Pie Crust

Heat Oven to 400.

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook until tender. (Not too soft)

Add potatoes and cook for a few more minutes. Potatoes will still be firm.

Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add broth and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add milk and simmer until sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in Chicken, Peas and Thyme. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Transfer to a shallow 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Lay crust on top, press to seal to dish. Cut several vents in the crust. Brush with milk. Place on baking sheet and bake until bubbling and crust is golden. 30- 35 minutes.

Note: I like all my vegetables and chicken cut chunky, using more veggies than chicken.

Pie Crust ( You can use a store bought crust but I made mine from scratch)

1/4 cup butter

1 cup shortening

1 Tbl. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbl. nonfat dry milk

3 cups flour

1/2 cup cold water.

Mix dry ingredients together with shortening and butter until crumbly. Add water a little at a time. Mix well. You may not need all the water. Flour the table before rolling dough out.

Make two pie crusts

Note: the sugar in the pie crust really add to the over all flavor!!

YUM YUM ENJOY!!!!

THE MANATEES ARE HERE

2009-02-10T14:54:00.000-08:00

As most of you know Florida has had some very cold weather in the last few weeks. The farmers have had to work endlessly to keep their crops from freezing. They keep the sprinklers on all night to coat the trees and plants with ice and that prevents them from the frost. The oranges and strawberries made it through the cold weather but my grass and bushes did not. I hope they come back in the with the warm weather.

But the cold weather also bring a delightful sight!! The manatees!! They come close to the shore to get warm when the water temperature drops below 68 degrees. Take a look at some beautiful manatees. A mommy and a little baby

Today on the news, they said that this year we have had the biggest sighting of Manatees ever.
Over 300 and still counting.
If you would like to watch the Manatees for yourself. Go to this website http://www.tampaelectric.com/manatee/funstuff/webcam/
It is a web cam at Teco Power Plant's Manatee Visitor's Center.
You have to be patience and watch for a few minutes and you may see a nose, a tail
or even a whole head peeking out of the water.
The rest of the website is very interesting too.
Enjoy the Manatees of Florida

HOWDY TEXAS

2009-02-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I went to Texas to visit Heidi and Dan and their new baby Henry. I have never been to Texas so this was a fun trip for me. The best part was to hold little Henry. The weather was a little cold. But we did have a chance to go down to the ocean. We went to this pier that has lots of stores and few rides like a mini-mini amusement park. A lot of the pier was under reconstruction from hurricane Ike. Even with the cold weather I had a great time visiting!!

Here is cute Heidi with little Henry!

Henry is peaking out of his car seat cover-up that Jan Barker made him.
It sure came in handy on those windy days. Isn't he cute?

Cute little baby!!

I couldn't get enough "kisses". Henry was probable ready for me to go home and stop kissing him.

Miracles really do happen- just look, his name is Henry!!

Is It Christmas Yet?? Better Late Than Never!!

2009-01-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

Here is a few pictures I took of our house after Christmas with our new camera. My computer is still not working really well so I hope this turns out!!

Technical Difficulties

2009-01-05T13:09:00.000-08:00

After a three week trip to Utah in November. We returned home to a very sick computer and two broken cameras. I had big hopes of sharing my Christmas with everyone. But with no camera to take pictures of my beautiful house and a computer that runs in slow motion, what could I do? I can't believe we really lived before there were computers. I am having a hard time.
We did get a new camera after Christmas and I took a few pictures of my house before I took down my decorations. Maybe we will have Christmas pictures in July??? I can't post any pictures on my blog because my computer is too sick. So until I get my "life" up and running, Happy New Year to all and may you always be able to blog!!!(Thanks Rachel for posting my last two blogs.)

Another GrandSON !

2008-12-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

Here is newest grand baby. Heidi and Dan had their first child, that doesn't have four legs, the day after Christmas! We can't wait to see you little Henry.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH!!

2008-12-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

Happy 6th birthday to my cute grandson NOAH!! This is Noah enjoying the Beach when they came to visit us!

ROCK, ROLL AND CRUISE

2008-11-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

Ron and I took the "Big Step" and went on our first cruise.

Everyone had always told us how much they LOVED going on cruises. I have been very, very leery of going because I get SO motion sick. I can't even watch some movies without feeling sick. And then there is my HUGE fear of the ocean. Why would I ever go out in the middle of the ocean on a moving boat.

Ron, along with others, convinced me that "the ship is so big, that you will never feel the waves", and besides they have those nifty patches that you can wear just in case. So I agreed to give it a try... We got in our car and drove down to Miami. (A benefit of living in Florida) As soon as we parked the car it started to rain. We got all checked in and found our room. Ron trying to make this a great experience got us a balcony room on the Lido deck, the ninth floor. It was a beautiful room.

Here I am standing on our balcony before we set sail for the Western Caribbean, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios.

Well, needless to say the rain and wind continued. We did our share of rocking and rolling that first night. But I was holding my own and fairing pretty good. Our first stop was Cozumel. We had booked a tour to go see the Mayan ruins. Our boat docked on a little island, so we had to ride a ferry boat for about 45 minuted to the main land of Cozumel. You know I should of got a hint when they passed out "barf" bags as we took our seats. We were sitting on the upper deck (not the very top) in the middle. The waves were so large that everyone sitting by the windows we soaked to the bone. And then the barfing began.... I will spare you all the details but lets just say I am glad Ron did not take pictures of me or the other 400 people loosing their breakfast. It was sooo bad. I staggered off the ferry only to get on an hour long bus ride to the ruins.

Our guide was wonderful and very informative and once we got to the ruins, we had a great time. The clouds had parted for a few hours and we saw some amazing

"Book of Mormon " history.

We ate some great homemade fish tacos at a little restaurant.

It was a good day!!

As they say, "All good thing must end". After our tour. We decided to take our bag with our umbrellas back ship before we went for a swim in the ocean. There was one huge problem...I had to get back on that ferry to get back to the ship. We decided to try the lower deck on the way back and I made it. I didn't loose my lunch. (I think the wind had died down a little too)

As soon as we got on the boat, the heavens opened and the rain came down. So we took a nap instead of swimming. The weather continued to get worse and the ship was so bouncy that I decided that I would never make it the whole week like this. So I took my "sea sick pills" along with the patch I was wearing. The wind was so bad that they closed off all the upper decks on the ship and drained the pools because they had become dangerous wave pools.

Our next stop in the morning was Grand Cayman. We woke up early and had our breakfast just to find out that the coast guard would not let us dock. The water was too rough. So the captain went to the other side of the island to dock. No luck! They announced that because we could not go to Grand Cayman we would have another "fun day" at sea.

YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING!!

Another day on a boat with no pools, can't watch movies on the outdoor screen because of the rain and wind. Well our choices were 1. Pay to play bingo. 2. Go to the casino 3. Eat with the chance of loosing it later or 4. Take a nap. We picked the nap!! As Ron said, "I have never taken so many naps in my life". I was glad that we a nice room with a view of the big waves. No, really I loved standing outside where the cool breeze could blow on my face.

Our next stop was Jamaica. We had booked a tour to climb a water fall and float down a river. We were able to dock and go with our very nice tour guide to the Dunn's Falls. The weather was a little cool and the water was really cold but we had a good time. Then we floated down a river. We had a fun time. We then decided to go back to the ship to eat lunch because I wasn't sure I trusted to eat anything on shore.

As we got onto the pier the wind and rain came down so hard that I felt like I was getting hit with pellets. I got wetter walking down the pier than I had all day.

Good thing I had my suit on. It was crazy.

We were in for another raining, windy night.

So there you have it, our Rock, Roll and Cruising experience.

The minute we docked back in Miami, I sat up in bed and said "We are home, the rocking has stopped" Over all we had a good time. I think if I ever go again I would go with friends so if you are stuck inside you can play a bigger variety of card games, and I would defiantly go in January or February.

FALL AT THE NATIONAL ZOO

2008-11-06T19:37:00.001-08:00

While Catherine and I were in Washington DC, we decided to go the the zoo!

It was a cool, crisp, fall day. Unlike any we have had for a while in Florida. The two of us had a great time looking at all the animals but the highlight of the day was a little boy about two years old. He was gathering arm loads of colored leaves and filling up his umbrella stroller. His mother was so frustrated with him because he could care less about the animals, all he wanted was those leaves. Both Catherine and myself looked at each other and said, "We don't blame him, we love those colored leaves too". Needless to say we gathered beautiful colored leaves and filled our purses with the best ones. (I will have you know our husbands thought we were crazy!) But just so you know we did see all the animals and we even took a few pictures to prove it. This is some kind of bear but I forget what kind.

I just thought he was beautiful.

I took this picture for Corbin, my grandson, who LOVES panda bears.

When I saw this little Llama I instantly thought of Heidi.

She has always loved Llamas

As we were walking down the sidewalk, I looked up and these Orangutans were above us on some cables. It was getting cold so they were heading inside.

We heard this loud noise and couldn't figure out what it was. Then we saw this Tiger in the water playing with a barrel. He was knocking it against the cement trying to steady it so he could climb on top of the barrel.

We had a great time. Colored leaves and all!

No Cameras in the "White House"

2008-11-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

Ron's company had a convention in Washington DC the second week of October. I had the great privilege to accompanying him. While Ron was in meetings, I went with my friend Catherine to see all the sights. She had made arrangements to go on a tour of the White House. This entailed a background check and all. They would not let you carry a purse or camera. The only thing we could have was a cell phone and of course our "photo ID". That left us with one problem... No camera for the rest of the day. So the following pictures were all taken on my cell phone. This is the outside of the White House. If you get a chance to take a tour of the inside....skip it.

It is not worth the hassle. (Unless you can get a private tour). You really don't see much.

And then you are left without a camera all day!

Catherine also arranged for a tour of the Capital building. This was a very interesting tour. The inside is very beautiful. I am glad I went on this tour.... wish I had a camera.

This is the celling in the Capital Building. It is all hand painted. It was unbelievable.

This is my favorite Monument in DC. I love this huge statue of Abe Lincoln.

I took this picture for my dad who fought in the Korean War.

This is the Korean War Monument.

My Son The Artist

2008-10-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't know, Ryan is a very talented artist. He has now expanded his talent beyond the paper to painting murals on his walls. Here Ryan is painting a "watermark" design across the top of his bedroom wall.

He freehands all of is work.

This is a painting of a yin yang on one of his bedroom walls.

One day Ryan was spending a lot of time in his room, so I went to check on him. There he was painting again. He said that "this corner needed something". So he began painting a crumbling wall with bamboo growing behind it. This took his several days to finish painting all the little leaves on the bamboo.

One night Ryan couldn't sleep so he painted the bathroom. We woke up to a newly painted bathroom.

What a great gift he has!!

Where did the Hurricane Go?

2008-08-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

The buzz on the news was that Tropical Storm Fay was heading right for Florida. It was predicted to hit just South of Tampa. That is right where we live. So, we took the necessary precautions to make sure we would be safe through our first HURRICANE. First I made sure we had lots of food in the house and had fresh batteries for the flashlights. Took down the trampoline and brought inside all our patio stuff. Then there was the task of putting up all the shutters on our house. I had never counted how many windows we have but now I know that we have too many. With lots of help, it only took us seven hours to finish the job. Now all there was left to do was wait.... This is Bryan, he works with Ron. Bryan and his brother, Rob (who works with Ron too) came from work to help us put up the shutters. They worked so hard to help us. Thanks
Even the Missionaries showed up to help us. They really just came by to visit so we put them to work. This is Elder Cheever helping us put the shutters over the kitchen window.
Elder Mounteer is hold the shutter in place while Ron tightens it up.

Both the missionaries were a great help.

After Ryan got home from work at 11:00 p.m. He helped finish up the last sliding door.
This is what the outside of the house looks like all closed up.

Now we live in a dark cave. It is amazing how dark it is when all the windows are covered up. We could hear the wind blowing outside but could not see anything. We finally opened the garage in the morning to let the dog out and to our amazement there was no storm. Just a LITTLE wind and rain. The storm had turned and hit land south of us in Naples. So there you go....If ye are prepared you shall not fear!! Now is the time to get prepared for all the storms in your life.

Family From Utah Come to Visit

2008-07-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

Kenzlee and Ryan went out swimming and came back with

a sea urchin, sharks teeth, sand dollars and shells.

Andrew and Garrett taking a rest from the hot sun and turfing it on the skim board.

Dallas relaxing in the shade at Siesta Key Beach.

Jaycee keeping her head above water in our swimming pool.

Kenzlee and Jaycee enjoying a hot, sunny day at Siesta Key Beach.

I had so much fun with my sisters and their kids that I hope they come again next year!!!

I think Jaycee has the best end of this ride....

Dallas the pro......

Graduation Day!!

2008-06-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

After twelve long years, we finally made it!!! We are so proud of Andrew's hard work.
Thanks for making us proud!

It's Always Fun When Friends and Family Visit

2008-05-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

The fun part of living in Florida is having my friends come and visit. One of the down falls is I usually use their camera's to take the pictures so now I have very few pictures on my camera, OR maybe they are some pictures on my other camera, if only I could keep things straight. My friends, Peggy and Tauna, teachers from my old school came to see me the end of January. I have never laughed so hard in the last 20 years. Ron finally had to say,"we will not eat until you girls control yourselves." We had a blast!!!
Then Jan and Katrina came to see us. They brought Holly with them and we had a totally magical time.(You had to be there to understand the "Magical" part). All I can say is Holly needs some Cinderella slippers!! It is so fun to have them come but SO hard to have them go back home.
When the grand kids came the fun started again. They loved the swimming in our pool the best. We would go somewhere "FUN" and all they wanted to do was go back to "Bamma's Pool". They swam in the pool at least three times a day!! Saying good bye to them was the worst thing ever. I must of kissed little Annaka's face a million times. Then the boys all started crying. Oh that was hard. I miss them. Thank heavens for web-cams.
Around the first of April Ron's work sent both of us to Las Vegas. Everyone around here thinks Las Vegas is "the place". I was only excited because I was going to meet up with Heidi while Ron was in meetings. She was in Las Vegas to move her things down to Texas. (Good Timing)

Heidi and I took a short trip to St. George to see my mom and sister, Beanie. We both had a good time visiting them. Last but not least. The ALLIGATOR! OK look real close. I know it is just a baby but where there is a baby there is a MOM!!! Most mornings I take the dog on a three mile walk around my neighborhood. About a month ago I looked over and there was this alligator sunning himself by a small pond. I bet I have walked by that thing a million times but never saw it, so that tells me that there is other "THINGS" lurking around that I haven't noticed before. Maybe a flying squirrel. No, really I have seen bigger alligators but you really have to look for them. This on is a little scary because it is pretty close to my house. I will be on the look out and let you know!

Just a note: My nephew Justin and his wife Rachel, my mom, Marla, Heidi and Dan and Ron's parents, Jay and Myrna have all visited us. I just haven't found those picture yet. Keep posted.

Come one Come all...we have a blog!

2008-04-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are in our warmth of the Florida sun, and I have started a blog for my parents. In the hopes that they will be able to keep in touch with us a little bit better. If not, oh well I tried my hardest. So after twenty years in Fruit Heights, Utah, my parents moved across country to Beautiful Florida.
Where my Dad will never have to shovel his walks and deal with an inversion. Where everyday you can go to the Beach, my goodness they are pretty. My Mom is tanner than I have every seen her. And Andrew has cut his hair. WOW how Florida changes people...ha ha.
The weather is nice this time of year..not too hot, or humid. We have had so much fun with bama and papa this week, My kids don't want to go back to SNOW.
They do miss us all I am sure, but it is really fun to come and visit. So everyone come and visit..jump on the next plane and come feel the warmth. Their new house is wonderful, my kids love the pool. The zoo is awesome and the beaches are fantastic.