Birthday Weekend.....

Sorry this is late, I tried to post it a couple of days ago but my internet was freaking out on me. 

This last weekend was Cambria's and my birthday, the 28th is mine and the 29th is Cam's.  We have started when possible to have a birthday sleepover. 

So Saturday Miss Cambria came over and we went to see "Despicable Me" in 3d.  It was very cute and Cambria really enjoyed it.  Then Cambria wanted to go to Walmart to look at board games.  We bought Yahtzee (I used to have it but I don't know what ever happened to it).  Then she wanted to check out the DVDs to see if there was something good for us to watch. We found "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squequel"  After that we of course had to find a snack for later, we got ice cream.  Yes I know, I'm a sucker.  But what are grandma's for?!

After a quick trip home to drop off our goodies we went to Beijing Buffet for dinner......YUM!

When we got home we played Yahtzee.  I have never rolled so many Yahtzee's.  Cambria only rolled one.  When we play we fill up a whole scorecard.  By the end of the game Cambria was getting quite creative on how she shook the dice, with just one thing in mind....GET A YAHTZEE!

After our game we got our jammies on and put on the movie and ate our ice cream.  I'd like to tell you if I liked the movie or not but Cambria fell asleep about 20 minutes into it and I fell asleep shortly after.

The first thing Cambria wanted to do the next morning was have a rematch at Yahtzee.  She declared because it was her birthday, she would get ALL the Yahtzee's.  Right off the bat I rolled a Yahtzee.  After that she was trying everything to roll one. 

She said the kitchen towel on her head gave her good luck...who knew?  She did roll 5 Yahtzee's.

Then we got ready for church.  Here she is looking quite cute, if I do say so myself.

Afterwards we went to her house were Leslie was having a family birthday party for Cam.  Cambria didn't want a regular birthday cake, she wanted either peach cobbler or apple crisp.  Leslie made apple crisp with vanilla ice cream....heaven!

When everyone went home, Leslie and the kids invited me to go to Denny's for dinner with them.  Denny's is not one of my favorite places to eat, but to spend time with my family I made the best of it. :)

My Weekend.....

I keep getting stuck watching Mister (Jamie's dog).  Friday Jamie came into town because she was getting together with her Brigham friends and their kids to have a BBQ/Birthday party for Jax (whose birthday is the 18th). She came by the store to pick up a few things and told me I could come over to have some dinner.

Hey,  I'm always up for a free meal.  I headed over to Lisa's house and got to see Jax and Trevon.  A lot of Jamie's old friends from when she was in high school were there.  It was fun to see them all grown up and with their kids. 

But I never got to eat.  They didn't get the kabobs on the grill until 8:30 and I was getting tired and they were still waiting for a few friends to get there so I went home.  But Jamie made me take Mister with me. 

First she didn't bring his leash (my yard is not completely fenced in) and she said that he wouldn't run away, and if he did he always came back when he was called.  WRONG!  He ran away every time I had to take him out and he didn't come back when I called.  I would have to chase him, he would let me almost get to him and then he would start to run again.  D@#* dog!

I tried to get him to sleep on a blanket on the floor (because Jamie said he would) in my room but he would have none of that, so he slept with me.  Jamie and the boys came over about noon on Saturday.  We just hung out and watched movies and talked.  It was nice to spend time with them. 

They are doing some remodeling to our church house.  Today was my turn to play the organ for Sacrament meeting.  When I walked in Brent W. our 1st counselor in the bishopric stopped me to tell me that there was NO ORGAN to play today.  They have torn apart the pulpit area and the organ was sitting in the cultural hall.  Aw shucks, I was sooooo disappointed.........(not).  I would so much rather play the piano than the organ.  So they had a make shift podium and the grand was still in the chapel.  So I got to play the piano for the hymns. 

I also had to provide the musical number, I played Paul Cardall's arrangement of "Book of Mormon Stories".  It went well.  Before they tore up the pulpit area when you played the piano you were facing the congregation.  It was a little unnerving to try and play a musical number being able to see everyone staring at you.  Us much as I tried to block it out I could never quite do it totally.  Today the piano was turned sideways!  Yea, I didn't have to see hundreds of eyes staring back at me while I played.  It truly helped my nervousness (word?).  I know I have played A LOT of piano solos in my lifetime but I still get nervous, I try to get in my "zone" and block everything out and pretend like I'm playing in my house.  But that is a little hard when you have faces looking back at you around the music.

It was also my week to teach my cute little Primary class.  I love them to death!

Bill (Carol's husband) and Gary (Maron's husband), my home teachers, just left a little while ago.  We have a great time talking, and they are the best.

I am currently reading "The Way of Shadows" by Brent Weeks.  My friend Mo from work who reads constantly (he even reads as he walks) came by my window the other day and dropped this book on my desk and said that I should read this.  It's not too bad, fantasy/adventure, it's the first book in a trilogy.

Adventures in babysitting.....

Yesterday as I was driving home from work, Leslie called, she was coming into town and was wondering if I could take Cambria to gymnastics because she was watching her friend Jamie H.'s two little boys, Bode and Braken, plus she also had Gunner.  She would stay at my house with the boys and besides Cambria wanted me to come and watch her.  So I of course said, "sure".

I still hold true to an earlier statement I said about kids....."they are better than TV!"  This day was no exception.

First when they came into the house I of course got my hug and kiss from Cambria and Gunner (Braxton was at football practice).  While I was picking up and hugging Gunner, Bode (who is 4) said "I can hug and kiss too!"  So I put Gunner down and turned to Bode and he jumped in my arms and about strangled me with his hug.  I thought he was not going to let go of my neck.   I told him he was a very good hugger and that made him very happy.  Braken just stayed in Leslie's arms, he was too shy for a hug and kiss.

Here is Leslie and Braken.....

Everything Bode said he could do, Gunner had to say he could do it too.  At one point Bodie asked me if I wanted to see his muscles.  Of course I want to see his muscles, so he pulled up his shirt and flexed his arms. Well Gunner, not to be outdone, wanted to show me his muscles too.  So he tried to pull his shirt up and do exactly as Bode was doing.  It was so funny because Gunner couldn't quite figure out how Bode was keeping his shirt up without his hands. 

Here is the picture I got of them....Gunner, looking at Bode trying to figure out how to hold his shirt up,  and Bode.  Can I just say....LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!!!!!

Then we went downstairs so the boys could play with the toys.  First Bode would show me how fast he could run and the of course Gunner would have to run too and so it went on and on.  Leslie and I just sat and laughed.  The boys starting getting louder and rowdier just in time for me to leave with Cambria and go to gymnastics. 

Cambria is quite the tumbler.  Plus she has so much energy I don't think she ever gets tired.  Leslie and the boys came up for the last half hour of her class.  While we were there, Bode and Braken's dad came and picked them up.  Gunner was very upset that Bode was leaving and stood there with his arms folded with a big frown on his face.

It has begun!

This morning I attended the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Brigham City Temple.  It is the first one I've ever been too and was quite excited to attend.  It was being broadcast in all the Stake Centers and the Tabernacle but I wanted to be there to see it in person. 

Each ward received 20 or fewer tickets for the seating on the Temple site.  I was not lucky enough to get one but my friend Connie and her husband got one.  We even waved at each other across the street (she's such a brat).  I was happy were I was sitting, right on the park strip in front of the Tabernacle.  I could see the stage and they had the sound so it went across the street.  So other than seeing every one's backs it was okay.

This is what it looked like at about 7:30 this morning.  Everyone just starting to get there and still setting some things up.

Here is President Boyd K Packer and his wife arriving.

Everyone standing while he was being seated.

Just a picture of the Temple site with all the people waiting for it to start.

We sang "High On the Mountain Tops" for the opening song.  So cool to be singing it with the mountains behind us.

This is Elder William R. Walker, the Executive Director, Temple Department.  He conducted and spoke.

This is Elder Steven E. Snow, Presidency of the Seventy.

This is Elder Allan F. Packer, of the Seventy.

This is the choir that provided the music.  They were from Malad, Fielding, Garland, Tremonton, and Tremonton South Stakes.  They sang "Let the Mountains Shout for Joy" and of course "The Spirit of God".

This is Sister Donna Packer, Pres. Packer's wife.

This is President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

He and his wife are from Brigham City.  He spoke and then gave the Dedicatory Prayer.

Shovels ready..........Pres. Packer is the 3rd one from the left.

Posing for the photographers.

The man on the end is my friend Mayor Dennis Fife.  He also used to be our Bishop.

This is all the Stake Presidents of the area in the Temple District.

They also had all those who had been Stake Presidents come up, then all the Bishops, then all the city officials to participate in the ground breaking.  After that they had children come up and shovel some dirt.  Then anyone could stay and shovel some dirt too and take pictures. 

When I first arrived another lady came and put her chair by mine, her husband was working the event.  She had brought an umbrella and shared it with me through the whole thing.  We had nice conversation, she was very friendly, but I never got her name. 

The weather stayed in the 70's with the sun going behind the clouds periodically to give us a reprieve from the heat and there was a nice breeze to make it perfect.

I enjoyed the talks and the spirit and was very glad I went to be a witness to history in the making.

Vacation....Day 6.......

Saturday started out with Debbie making us scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast.  Then we headed to the Farmer's Market at Pioneer park.  I didn't know such a thing existed.  It completely surrounds the park, one side farm produce the other side crafts and things and a huge section of food vendors.

Can I just tell you the people watching was at it's best.  Everyone from bikers to yuppies and dogs were there. It was just fun walking and looking.  I forgot my camera and was so mad at myself because you would have loved the pictures I would've shared. 

There were assorted musicians all around with their instrument cases or hats out in front of them for tips. There were several violinists, several guitarists, a few folk singers. But the two most interesting to me were the harpist (with at full sized harp) and this guy.....

They say the piano is not a portable instrument but this guy proves that fact wrong.  He had made a makeshift cart on which the piano sat and pulled it with his bicycle.  You can see it in the picture.  I took this with my phone so it could have been better but I could NOT pass this up without recording it on film.

He was actually quite good and he had another guy that was with him and they took turns playing.  You can see the big tin on a pedestal for his tips, it was pretty full.  Hmmmm wonder if I should give this a try....... I'm sure there were even more musicians to see but we only walked through the produce part of the market.

The fresh produce was wonderful and the selections were plentiful.  I picked up 3 zucchini, 3 yellow squash, 2 Mexican zucchini, a bundle of garlic and a pound in a half of baby red potatoes for under $10. Charles and Debbie got some sweet corn and shared it with me.

If I lived closer I would go to this every Saturday morning.  Debbie says they do and now the market is going to be open on Tuesday evenings too starting this week.  It is the ONLY way to buy fresh produce and a lot of it is organic. 

When we got home Charles and Debbie had to take Puddy to Angel's condo so that he would be there when she got home later that afternoon.  They also had to go to the grocery store to pick up some things for the dinner they were planning.  I stayed home while they did this and just relaxed and read my book.

When they got back we just hung around and talked and watched TV.  For dinner they made a great salad, grilled the corn we got from the market, and grilled black bean burgers and mushrooms.  The black bean burgers were really good.

Earlier Deb and I had gone to the red box and picked out a couple of movies to watch.  So we watched "The Blindside"...Awesome movie!  We also watched "Sherlock Holmes", I loved this one too.  I have always been a fan of Robert Downy Jr.

This morning they brought me home and now I get to spend the last day of my 'stay-cation' relaxing and probably not doing much of anything (unlike the rest of my week?)

Here is my 'little' brother and his cute wife Debbie.  Thanks again guys for the invite and the company! 

Well it's back to work tomorrow..a little mixed about this.  Ready to get back to work and out of this house, but also Jamie and Leslie are back so now I have them to see and at work there will be a lot for me to have to catch up on.  Oh well, life goes on!

Vacation......Day 5.....

So.....I started out my day with a doctor's appointment.  It went well, he is cutting back my high blood pressure meds.  YAY!!!!!!  He was very happy with the lifestyle changes I've been making.

Then I ran to Kent's to pick up a couple of things.  I have always made it a policy of mine that when I'm taking time off from work I do not go into the store at all.  That means even if I need something I go somewhere else.  Plus Kent's is 3 blocks down from my house verses W'mart that is across town.

 I watched some more of "Jack of All Trades" while I did my laundry.

Then I packed up a bag and headed to the bus stop.  Caught the bus to the Ogden Front Runner station. On the way we got to witness a car wreck on Wall Ave.  So the bus driver had to pull over and wait for the police to come.  I have yet to have an uneventful bus ride to Ogden.

Even with the delay I did get to the Front Runner station on time for the 4:15 train.  The train was pretty full with it being the 24th of July (a Utah holiday) weekend.  Debbie picked me up at the Woods Cross station.

I was greeted by Charles and Angel's dog Puddy, who've they have been watching while Angel has been on vacation.  We mostly just sat around and talked, Puddy fell asleep on my leg.

Debbie made us a great dinner of BBQ chicken breasts, roasted red potatoes and a yummy green salad.  After dinner we watched "Harry Potter, The Half Blood Prince".  Charles ended up going to bed before it was over and I think Deb fell asleep a couple times too.

Everyone went to bed and I fell asleep reading my book.

Vacation.....Day 4......

Yesterday I went and had my hair trimmed and colored.  I usually go towards the darker colors but this time I've gone blonder.   After much discussion with Jen and her boss we decided that because of my ongoing battle with my gray that if I went lighter it would blend better. So Wa-La, I'm blonde.  Not totally blonde, but it is a shock every time I look in the mirror. They do say, "blonde's have more fun".  I guess I'll find out.

It was great talking to Jen. I just love her.  She told me all about their recent honeymoon to Mexico and what they were doing now.  After her first disaster of a marriage it is so good to see her so happy.

After I was through at the salon I took my 2 bulging bags to the D.I. Then I decided to go inside and see if they had any books I'd be interested in.  Shopping at the D.I. is always an adventure.  You never know what you will find.  Today's visit was a bust though, so I came out empty handed.

While I was perusing the paperbacks for the third time (just to see if I missed anything that screamed "READ ME") a lady carrying a metal shelf (something you would probably see in a kitchen) under her arm so that it stuck out in front and behind her,came around the display case behind me.  As she did she hit the glass display case with the shelves making quite a clatter.

She was heading right for me (there was not a lot of room between the book section and the display cases). I looked at her with surprise and she simply said "Oops" and kept coming towards me.  I had to jump back out of her way.  I moved down further and was going to go back to reading book titles when she swung those shelves around almost hitting me and managing to hit the display case AGAIN!

So I moved a little further down and then she swung around and hit the display case a third time and then she hit the book shelves. Every time she hit something I'd hear her say "oops".  Picture those comedy sketches where they are carrying the ladder and everyone is dodging it.  That's what this was like....I just stood there watching her wondering just how stupid she was or if she was drunk.

After my comical visit to the D.I. I returned home.  I was going to go to the matinee but I was feeling light headed and decided to just relax on the couch and I watched more of the "Jack of All Trades" series.

I've been making some huge changes (good ones) in my life and I think some of that is catching up to me.  I've been light headed a lot this week. So I made a doctor's appointment for today.  I think some of my medicines might need tweaking.

I went visiting teaching with Sharon in the evening.  We had a nice visit with Kelly (the only one we could get a hold of this week).  After I got home I called Charles and Debbie to talk about when I will be there (I am spending the weekend at their house).  Then Leslie called a little later and I got to talk to Gunner.  They were at Sea World again catching some of the things they missed yesterday. 

Wow!  Can you stand it?!  My week has been so exciting.....I can't wait to go back to work Monday.