Happy Birthday to Preston.....

I can't believe how the last 25 years has literally flown by!  It was a beautiful spring day - much like today.  We ended the day with our first baby and two days later we went home in a blizzard....

Preston is a great son.  He has a great wife in Katie, and as his Aunt Judy says...."she is his eternal cheerleader".  They have been married almost 3 years and will be moving into their first home this weekend.

They have many great adventures ahead of them as they set down some roots and finish school and take the next steps in the natural progression of life! 

Preston has always had a strong testimony, has been obedient in keeping the commandments, and is a worthy priesthood holder.

As I was sitting in Nursery yesterday - I told the two Moms that were struggling to get their kids to stay -- before you know it your kids will be 25 years old!  Enjoy them!!!!!

Retail Training

Last night we went to get Parker's tennis racket strings replaced and had about an hour to wait so we visited the Red Zone, Nike, Pier 1, Bed Bath & Beyond and the Dress Barn.  Retail people are a unique group.  They apparently all take the same training course "Let me know if I can help you".

By the time we got to the Dress Barn - we had been in and out of the car and my hair was a total mess and I probably looked stressed out.  After looking for about 5 minutes - in the "fat lady section" a cute young girl came up to me and said "Is there anything I can help you with".  I responded "No, I'm just looking".  She stood there for a few seconds when she finally said "I really like your hair"......

I should have said - YES -- you can help me...

"Help me lose 20 pounds" -

"Help me look 10 years younger" - and finally -

"You've got to be kidding....my hair is a mess!" 

I got out to the car - told Parker - and we had a good laugh!!!!!

Vacation and a Field Trip - two posts in one.

The Vacation.........

Last month we took a little vacation to the happiest place on earth - aka - Disneyland.  We love going there.  It was a little different without Preston/Katie and Meranda but we tagged along with the Petersen clan and had a good time.  The weather was great, the crowds weren't too bad, the hotel was good and the churros and Diet Cokes were awesome. 

We had a day to do some sight seeing - went to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and then headed to find the UCLA campus.  Well - while at UCLA we also found the softball field - actually we were in a maintenance area behind the softball field - and they were having a game - so we decided to change our plans and watched a softball game.  It was a great end to our vacation - we are softball fanatics!

The flight to LAX included a layover in Phoenix - I know - why a layover - well the flight was cheaper.  The flight crew from Phoenix to LAX was hillarious - obviously they tried to make the best of a mundane job.  The flight back was eventful - we boarded the plane which only had about 50-55 passengers - and then we sat and waited.  The last time we flew was in January to San Diego and we boarded and sat and waited experiencing an ice storm, etc. (which was reported in a previous post).  Well there we sit in the plane in LA - a balmy 60 degrees outside - and they had the nerve to come on and say that they were "de-icing the plane".  I leaned over my chair and said the flight attendants "You've got to be freaking kidding me"!!!!!  Some lame story from the pilot - and then a couple of passengers boarded and we were off.  Whatever!!!!


The Field Trip.....

Yesterday, April 16th was the 108th birthday of my Grandmother - Fern Elizabeth Jones Eccles.  Each birthday my Mom would make the effort to visit her grave and decorate it with flowers.  Well, since Mom has been gone, Dad has taken over the visiting and decorating.  So since Tuesday is our day for dinner with Dad, he asked me on Sunday if I would help get him to the cemetary and then also go visit Mom's grave.  So after the tennis match - we went and picked Dad up and headed to Elisian Gardens.  It was freezing cold!  We made the trek over the ups and downs of the cemetary and the cold just about did us in.  After making a bathroom stop at Wendys we headed to Wasatch.  Luckily Mom's grave is closer to the road - but the little hill up can be a bit of a challenge.  It was still freezing - surprise, surprise......and after the visit headed to Crown Burgers.  It was a good night and a bit exhausting and I was happy to be there.

Last night I started to think about my Grandma - I was only 7 years old when she died - but I do remember different things.  I remember going to her house and picking up walnuts off the ground from her Walnut Tree.  I remember that her kitchen was pretty big and that they had a screened in porch.  I remember when she got sick she came to our house one night in her pajamas - no sweats in 1964.  I remember going to the hospital and waving at her through the window - kids weren't allowed in the hospital.  I remember some parts of her funeral and that there were a lot of people there. It's hard to believe that Mom was only 33 years old when she died and I know that she missed her alot. 

It was many years later at my Grandpa's funeral that I actually heard someone talk about my Grandma - it was my great aunts - Pearl, Hazel and Ellen - they said how my grandma was like a mother to them.  That she was a lot of fun and had spunk and that she could keep Grandpa in check!!!!

The field trip ended up being a trip down memory lane.  I know that even though my Grandma died when I was just a little girl, she had an effect on my life because my Mom was the person she was because of her!  I love my Grandma because my Mom loved her!!!!!

Mom & Dad's Anniversary

62 years ago today Mom and Dad were married in the Salt Lake Temple.  Their wedding reception was at the Garden Park Ward - the happening place at that time.

Mom's dress was beautiful - Dad was handsome in his Tux.  My grandparents looked amazing.  The entire wedding party looked wonderful!

They had eight great kids....and now have a posterity totalling almost 60 with many more to come.  They taught us right from wrong  - they knew when to push and when to hold back - they held their tongue when they needed to.  Dad would always send Mom roses on their anniversary.  On her birthday, he would go to the Tall Shop (yes she was tall) and the women there would help him choose the latest fashions for her.  Mom made sure they looked good when they went out - usually with coordinated outfits. 

Mom and Dad are a great story....Today if you were to talk to Dad about Mom he would get tears in her eyes - he loves and misses her so much.  They were a couple! 

Even though Mom left us two years ago, we are together forever as a family! 

Tennis Groupies

Parker had his first two tennis matches this week. 

He is playing Varsity #2 doubles.

They lost to Skyline and beat Cottonwood.

Tennis is a sport that doesn't have a huge following and not much cheering goes on.

UNLESS

you are Parker Wood and...

Your "groupies" come watch and cheer - or drive by the courts - and shout your name!

February is in the Books

February 2013 is now in the books.  So what happened?

**Meranda celebrated eight months in the mish.  Only 10 more Fast Sundays and she will be home.

**Winter was still here during February...cold and snowy most of the month.

**Short day trip to St. George to watch softball and Parker's future wife...Ivy Renfroe pitcher for Tennessee.  Trip down was good - games were cold - watched BYU vs. Tennessee, Utah vs. Seattle, Weber vs. Arkansas.  Trip back was not so good - snow most of the way and we finally arrived home at 2:00 A.M. 

**Booked trip to Disneyland - will be there the end of March!

**Hired contractor to start on Phase 1 of basement project - finish room in basement and add additional storage.

**HHS Parent Teacher Conference - always a fun time....

**Spoke (Evan and Cindy) in Sacrament meeting  - topic of personal/family/ward history.  Sometimes I am good at this..sometimes I'm not.

**Followed HHS Basketball team - Region  2 Champs - going undefeated!  Willie is the enforcer! The team is really fun to watch.  I have never seen so many dunks in high school games!

**Got a new ward calling - NURSERY LEADERS............

**Went to Weber State to watch HHS Basketball in State Tourney (me, Geneil, Parker) - they lost....

**Went to Allen Rasmussen's funeral - Dad spoke and gave an amazing talk.  Allen was a good person - I think I've known him almost my whole life.....

**Got backed into by some ditsy girl in Smith's parking lot. 

**Parker started Tennis - well actually they started snow removal to get the tennis courts ready.

So there you go!!!!!

Parker and his Women

Parker has this thing for pretty women and kind of gets into their lives... 

Maria Shariapova is his favorite tennis player.  He watches reruns of her matches when she isn't playing live. He knows when her birthday is, was devastated when she got engaged and was thrilled when she broke it off!

Ivy Renfroe and Tori Almond are his favorite softball players.  They are both pitchers and are tall and cute.  He follows them well enough to know their stats.  We even went to St. George a few weeks ago to watch them play. A couple of years ago, we went to Las Vegas to watch games (and see Meranda who was traveling with USU) and Ivy was just a few feet away from us.  I thought he was going to die.....

He also follows the Kardashians.  He knows all their names, knows what kinds of cars they drive and where they live.  We were at Olive Garden the other night and he got so caught up in telling us something about them that he was talking VERY LOUD and we had to back him down and tell him to breathe deep.  It was only this last weekend that I found out that he had been blocked from following Kim Kardashian on Twitter.....I guess by Kim herself!

Oh my - I guess it's kind of like when I was in love with the Osmonds, Bjorn Borg, and Clayton Leavitt!!!