Great Aunt Mary

This beautiful lady is my Great Aunt Mary.  Daughter of Great Grandma Mary who started the quilt mentioned a few posts ago.  She's about 90...we should all be so beautiful!

You snooze, you lose...or WIN in this case.

Since only one person attempted my quiz--granted I didn't give you a ton of time, but I'm off line for the next few days so...

We have a winner, and that winner is SHELLEY!  What does she win, she's wondering?  Well, hello!  You just got your name in capital letters on my blog.  And yes, I would have given you the jingle bell rock, but I don't have it...your daughter-in-law does.  So it is not mine to give.  Instead, I will promise to post only good photos of you for the next year.  Oh wait, that's too long.  For the next month!

And so here are the answers, in case you didn't read SHELLEY's comment!

photo1: Rich, Marty
photo2: Cara, Jared (I'm with you Shell, I'm pretty sure it's her.  Her or Becky.)
photo3: Chuck and Mom
photo4: Andy, Shelley, Mitch

Reunion Quiz

Below are photos of feet.  Feet from day 1 of the reunion.  Be the first person to correctly identify ALL the feet, and you will win a prize.  But hurry.  I'll be listing the correct answers in a day or two...before I forget!  

Photo1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

About "In One Person"

I gave "In One Person" by John Irving 2 stars, if for no other reason than I deserve 2 stars for muddling through it.  John Irving wrote "The World According to Garp" and "The Hotel New Hampshire" which were both made into movies 20+ years ago.  I read and enjoyed both books, so when this book came out, I thought I'd give it a go.  I put it on hold at the library, and when it became available, it was a 14 day loan.  Yikes!  I was only 125 pages into it when I had to return it, and it had only gotten good at about page 100.  So I put it back on hold.  It became available this past week--along with another 14 day loan book I had on hold (it always happens that way), so I've been reading diligently to finish this.  And I felt compelled to finish it after having it on hold twice!

I didn't like this book nearly as well as I liked the other stuff I've read by him, but what I really liked about this book is that it had several quirky characters (as most John Irving books do).  Unfortunately, the main character wasn't too quirky (aside from his being bisexual), and parts of this book really dragged on.

This is the life story of that bi-sexual man and the people in his life.  Some of them heterosexual; some of them not.  This is really the story our country's acceptance of gays and their progress over the past 70 years.  The most moving part of the book was the coverage of the aids epidemic in the 1980's.  Still the ending was anti-climatic, and I am sort of glad to have this book done.  Maybe I should have given it only 1 star???

Scorned and Bitter

I have added a new blog to my blog roll.  You might have caught some of the recent media hype on this woman.  Her husband left her for a young 'un, and her attemp to sell their house is humorous, to say the least.  She's gotten much negative press as well, but I find her a good writer and quite funny.  So it's over on the right, on the blog roll, if you are interested and will stay there until I tire of it, or until she quits blogging, or until she moves on.  Personally, when it's all said and done, I wouldn't be surprised if she's offered column work at a newspaper or two.  Check it out!

La Fiesta

The princess danced at La Fiesta today--we do this every summer, and every summer we say, "never again", but here we are again!--and did a great job.  She was in two dances: Fancy Footwork and an improv piece.  The girl on the far right in the 1st photo is going away to college this fall, so their group will change a bit next month.  Great job, ladies!

I Spy

I spy with my little eye...Grandma's pool in Sparky's goggles!  Cool!

This Guy!

Who was named Employee of the Month at work?

This guy!

Wahoo!

About "The Almost Moon"

I gave "The Almost Moon" by Alice Sebold one star.  It was hard to give it even that, but the end sort of saved it.  The end almost ruined it, because I ended up jumping ahead and skimmed some of the end, not correctly interpreting events.  My bad.  Still, feel free to skip this book.

It is written by the same author who wrote, "The Lovely Bones" which is a really good book.  Just goes to show...And I probably should have been clued in when the book jacket quoted reviews for her other books but not for this one.  I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes.

This is the story of a middle-aged woman who is taking care of her ailing mother who has been mentally ill all of the daughter's life.  After her dad kills himself, it falls on her to take care of mom.  As she is realizing it's time to call hospice, she kills her mother.  Not nicely, either.  Thus begins the book and the many flash-backs that have lead her to this point.  Skip this one people, it's a train wreck...but like all good train wrecks, once you start watching, you can't stop, which is why I finished this book.

All healed!

Remember that one time when the prince broke his arm...TWICE?  It looks like he's all healed up.  Our Vet friend took his x-ray the other day and thought it looked good.  And yes, that one screw is supposed to be angled; it's protecting the break.  

Parade Fun

Look who got to ride in the Founder's Day parade.  They threw out taffy and t-shirts.  Very fun!

Costomer Service Heaven and Hell

Yesterday was one for the record book.

Driver's ed called to say the princess' permit is not valid.  Misinformation from the teacher lead to this, but long story short, I was told to get to the DMV by Wednesday to rectify the problem or else she would have to retake driver's ed (at another $200).  So off I went, and met the evil, wicked witch of public service.  Not my fault that they don't mark their entrances well so I went to the wrong counter.  Not my fault that the teacher gave us the wrong information.  Not my fault that driver's ed lady said we had to fix it by Wednesday when, in fact--and I didn't know this until the evil one told me--yesterday was the last day.  Phew!  Glad I got there at 3pm--two hours before the deadline.  But here's the kicker.  There were 4 employees at the counter.  The evil one, helping me, and 3 others watching...from a safe distance...while some guy stood in line waiting to be helped!!!  Ridiculous! 

So evil one hands me a form to fill out.  I ask, "Since my husband's name is on all the paper work, is that going to be a problem?"

Rude answer, "Just read it."

Deep breathe by me.

Read and fill in various parts, get to the bottom to sign my name and then start to fill in the date, and am interrupted by evil one:  I HAVE TO FILL IN THE DATE.  IT'S NOT VALID IF I DON'T FILL IN THE DATE.

Another deep breathe as I think to myself, "Why didn't you tell me that?  You told me to 'read it' but nowhere does it say that you have to fill that part in."

As I'm calming myself she says, "Now I have to write over the top of it because it has to be in my handwriting."

Deep breathe and stop myself from asking, "Don't you have another one I can fill out?"

I quickly got the heck out of that HELL ON EARTH.  The sad part is that I have to go back there in 6 months so the princess can get her license.  Scary!

But on a positive note:  I had to call to make a hotel reservation with some rooms that are blocked for a dance event.  The nicest man (La Quinta group rates) helped me, gave me a bigger room with river view/microwave/frig for the group rate, and restored my faith in humanity. 

Peacock

When Katy Perry sings, "Come on baby, let me see your peacock," what does she really mean?  Do I even want to know?  I don't think that song is going on the school playlist. 

You're brave, Grandma!

I didn't get a photo (this comes from the web), but when at Lagoon, Grandma went on the Samurai!  You get strapped in, and it spins as your spoke also spins.  I did not go on this, but Grandma did!  She is very brave.  It reminds me of when Becky took her on the Rockin' Roller Coaster in Disney World.  After the ride, Becky asked if she wanted to go again.  Grandma's response:  ARE YOU CRAZY?  Gotta love that Grandma!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Yeah!  Lynelle got a good photo of these guys!

We love you, Grandma!

Grandma's Birthday Party

Yesterday we celebrated Grandma's birthday (her birthday is really tomorrow).  Thanks to Kathi and Rick for hosting!  Lynelle and the kids were able to make it too, and the only one missing was Tom, who had to work.  We had a nice dinner and lots of fun conversation.  Today there will be left-overs too!  Happy Birthday, Grandma!  We Love You!

My pictures of Grandma with the grandkids weren't all that great,

but this one isn't too bad!

About "Lemon Tart"

I am giving "Lemon Tart" by Josi S. Kilpack 2 stars.  My sister gave it to me to read on the way home, and it was a fun little read.  It was a quick read too, which was what I was hoping for.  It is the story of a woman in her 50's who sort of meddles in other's business, and in this case, she helps solve the murder of her neighbor.  This was just good, clean-cut fun.  I thought I had it figured out early on (and I did have part of it right), but I didn't get it all right.  If you're looking for a fun, quick mystery, check this one out.  By the way, it's the first in a series, so if you like this one, you'd probably like her others too.

Credit where credit is due.

I've had a couple of comments on the "awesome" photos I took and posted from the reunion.  While some of them are mine, they are not all mine.  There are some from Shelley, Mom, Blake, and Becky.  I'd like to take credit for them all, but I cannot.  :)

The Awesome Family Reunion

We gathered in Logan, UT for our family reunion.  We planned tons of fun for everyone.  Everyone was able to make it except Tyson, but we hope to see him at the next reunion.  Matt was suffering from some nasty, chicken-gone-wrong intestinal disaster, but he graced us with his presence when his body allowed.  A special thanks to the Loganites who did all of the prep work for this fiesta.  Thanks to Becky for being so great to the girl cousins.  Thanks to Liz (the cousin-by-marriage but truly one of us) for all your help/work planning.  And thanks to Mom and Chuck, who took such good care of us all and really made it happen.  It was a BLAST!   

I got a group shot--starting at the top:

Jared, the prince, the king, Isaiah, the princess, Becky

Andy, Liz,Marty, Mariah, Ariana, Jujuan, Shelley

Grandpa and Grandma,

Libby, Robin, Blake

Matt was missing, and I was taking a photo, but Shelley found someone to take a group shot so Matt and I could be in it.  Somehow, while making the switch, Ariana and Isaiah disappeared.  Go figure!

From the top:

Me, the king, the princess, Becky, the prince

Andy, Liz, Marty, Jujuan, Shelley

Grandpa and Grandma

Matt, Libby, Robin, Blake

The Matriarch and her kids!

Libby, Blake, Mom, Shelley, Me

Cousins!

We missed Tyson but were lucky that everyone else could be there most of the time!

 Jajuan, Ariana, Isaiah, Mariah, Andy,

Liz, Jared, Matt, princess, prince, Becky

 Girl Cousins--ready for the pool!

Mariah, Becky, Ariana, the princess

Most of the boy cousins doing their best "Men In Black" impersonation:

Andy, Jared, Jujuan, Isaiah, the prince

Grandma Mary's Quilt

Our mom's grandma was named Mary.  She had many talents, among them quilting.  At some point before her vision started to fail she decided to make quilts for each of her granddaughters using fabrics that had a connection to her and them.  She got the center and first circle of fabric done on each "square" before she was unable to finish.  Some years later her daughter, also named Mary, gave the beginnings of the quilts to each granddaughter, knowing her mom would never be able to finish them.  My mom's quilt pieces sat in a closet until several months ago when she passed them on to Shelley.  Shelley is not a quilter, but she is a sewer and is crafty.  She began the process of piecing the quilt together, finishing each "square" with the white and green edges.  Each piece is a hexagon and each small hexagon is hand-sewn to the next one.  She spent hours and hours and hours trying to get it done before the reunion so she could give to mom.  It is absolutely beautiful.  It still needs to be bound and quilted on top, but the bulk of the work is done.  Many thanks to Shelley for all her time and effort in finishing this for our mom.  As we sat admiring it, Mom was able to tell the story of some of the pieces of fabric including dresses her grandmother made for her and a maternity smock her grandmother made for her mom when she was pregnant with my mom's little brother.  "Awesome" doesn't even begin to cover how cool this is!

Shelley, Grandma, the princess

Bocce Ball and Shenanigans

Our Logan family introduced us to Bocce ball.  If you haven't played it, all you need is the Bocce set and a rock-free area.  You throw out a white ball and then each player throws their colored ball, trying to get closest to the white ball while not being knocked out by someone else.  The kids played for hours and probably every day while we were there!  I think we'll all be purchasing this game. 

 Jared, Mariah, Isaiah, Jujuan, the prince, Andy

There was much Shenanigans at our reunion too...including some nice white elephant prizes and a cool "ginger" mustache.

 The prince and his gator hat.

 Matt and his pirate hat.



 Ariana

Grandma

Tuesday at the Pool

Tuesday we rented the covered area at the aquatic center, brought in a little lunch, and had a GREAT time.  Everyone got a little sunburn--even those of us smart enough to use sunscreen, but we had a blast!

 Mariah and Ariana

 The princess, Becky, and Mariah

 Andy, Becky, and Ariana

 Libby and Jajuan

We are going to pretend I cropped Ariana out of this one!

 Jared and Isiah

The Great Arm Wrestling Tournament that Jared barely won!

 Liz and Matt

 Robin and Blake

Mariah, the king, and Grandpa

Baseball and Ice Cream

After a fun afternoon at the pool we had dinner and then headed out to watch Matt play in a baseball tournament.  They won, which meant we got to watch him Thursday too!  He didn't feel great, but he played like a trooper--who wouldn't with 20 people cheering, "Matt, Matt--don't break the bat!"

Matt waiting on 3rd and about to score a run.

After the game we went back to the house so the king could make us some DELICIOUS home-made ice cream.  He had some great helpers.

 Andy, Isaiah, the king.

Ariana, taste-testing for us.

Lagoon!

Wednesday was Lagoon Amusement Park Day!  We were so excited.  And although we knew it would be hot, we over-estimated how the heat saps you of energy.  Still the teens and Becky took off for the extreme rides.  Shelley and the king did most of them as well.  The rest of us were happy to Tilt-a-Whirl all day!

 The princess, Jajuan, Mariah, the prince, Jared

These guys had a blast, and since there were 6 of them

 (Becky took this photo),

they easily rode all the rides together!

 The rocking pirate ride.  It's the king's favorite, but twice on it was all Andy could take.

Grandma, the king, Isiah, Libby

Shelley, Andy, Marty

What you don't see is Ariana, Me, and Blake-who took this photo.

 Marty, Andy, and Isaiah on Rattlesnake Rapids--getting drenched.

That didn't stop them from going again TWO MORE TIMES!

And at the end of the day the "big kids" rode the SKY COASTER!  It takes you up in the air about 150 feet.  You pull the ripcord and then you fly at 40-80 miles per hour!  Jajuan wasn't going for it, and Matt wasn't well enough for it, but the others had a blast!! 

 The prince and princess.

 Mariah and Jared

Liz and Becky

There is video on facebook if you want to see the prince and princess' flight!

More Swimming

After an exhausting day at Lagoon, we met in the evening for some pool fun at the hotel.  We made sandwiches and did a White Elephant exchange.  Somehow no one was willing to trade Uncle Blake for his pink pig scrubby. 

 Some guy we don't know, Ariana, Jajuan, prince, Jared, princess, Isaiah.

Jajuan, the prince, and Jared, throwing Isaiah.

Matt and Grandpa.