Gold

This stuff is SO GOOD. Does anyone know if you can freeze it without the quality or taste being effective? I've emailed the website. We shall see. OH SO GOOD!!! Going to make scones... just because we have this! We also have the honey butter in raspberry flavoring!!


Maybe if you are nice.. we'll invite you over. Maybe... we're pretty greedy with our honey butter from Utah.

The time has come

Friday around 11am the mechanic called to let us know our car was done. Done, as in running working done, not finished bury done. WOOHOO!! We picked it up and I drove it around for an hour or so, just to make sure it was working well (YAY!!). Then I went back and packed up the car. We waited until John got home so we could say good-bye to him (there was no way we could leave without saying good bye!).



While waiting to leave, Kaylee and Grandma 'Salad' played Phase 10. This was Kaylee's first time playing with Gma Salad... it went over much better when Kaylee won her then when I did. :-)

And then John came home...

Goodbye Trip....

Goodbye Horses....

Goodbye Grandpa Great

Goodbye Grandma Salad....

Goodbye Jo-NANNA.....

Goodbye Ammie and John

Goodbye Utah.....we have had fun!









After visiting Grandpa one last time and having a quick dinner with Jo-NANNA, off we went! We stopped in Boise for gas, and again in Pendleton (though we did not need to, I needed to get out and walk!). We made it home around 7:30 Friday morning. We had a GREAT time, and now it is great to be home.

More time.....

There are horses in the backyard here. The girls LOVE them!




John's dog, Trip, is awesome! He gives high 5's.









We went to see Grandpa yesterday. He seems to be doing well, considering. He has such a positive attitude right now. We had a fun time! The girls are holding his 'dogs', Cindy and Buddy. The only type of dogs Grandma would let him have. :-)


Still waiting on the mechanic. As of this morning he had to special order a part in. Woohoo! Pernell flew home this evening so that he can go to work and classes. We will wait until our car is fixed, then the girls and I will head out. Yay!!

If you can't beat 'em....

Last night we were went Pernell's Aunt and Uncle's home and had a fun evening with all the cousins, their wives and kids. There were about 25 people total there. Lots of Pizza, lots of cake, cookies and ice cream. A fun night!!


Today we should be home. But, remember our luck, that just does not happen. Pernell's cousins worked on our car some today, but came to the conclusion it is the timing in the car that needs to be fixed. So now, the car is sitting at the mechanics, waiting for it to be fixed. Here's hoping that tomorrow we will be able to drive home!

So what, you may ask, did we do today? Being that we were planning to go home, we did not go to church today. We thought we should get some church in. After we had a nice lunch at Red Butte Cafe in the Foothill Village, we went to Temple Square. The girls really loved it!

We went into the North Visitors Center, and the girls loved it! The two things they really liked a lot was the Christus. Amazing!

After that we went through a section that was about the Proclamation to the Family. Here are the two sister missionaries that walked us through. One was from Vancouver, BC and the other was from Hong Kong. They were really nice and we had fun with them!

Just after we did that, we received a call from Pernell's cousin and we needed to go help tow the car to the mechanic, so we had to cut our visit short. But now without running across the street to see the waterfall at the Conference Center. It was such a beautiful day today, and I am glad we had the opportunity to take the girls to Temple Square.





So we are doing great. Just waiting. Ever so patiently waiting. Sam does not want to go home and keeps trying to convince us to leaver her here. She loves loves loves her Aunts and Aunt Ammie's boyfriend, John. He's a trooper! I'm pretty certain they are going to go through shock when we leave. They are giving John a run for his money!



So until we get home, we are smiling and loving life! Here's hoping we can get home tomorrow. See... still smiling.. even if it looks fake! HA!!

You can't make this stuff up....

In the last week and a half..... we have had strep throat, Pernell's grandma died, came to Utah for her funeral, and tonight, the night before we leave to head back, our car breaks down. Pernell's cousins have been working on it and we hope to have it fixed tomorrow. Hmmm... I've missed three classes because of this, and now maybe a fourth if we don't get back.

How do I tell my professors this? I mean, really? This sounds like a joke! I am prepared with receipts, funeral programs, obituaries and doctor's notes.

Seriously... you can't make stuff like this up.

I say BUUURRRR it's cold out here....

Driving to Utah. I've done it several times. I've done it in the best of weather, I've done it in the worst of weather. I've done it with an old dumpy car, I've done it with a new fast car. This time, we had the 'middle road' trip. An OK car, and the weather, could have been better. We got to the pass and headed over the Blue Mountains. We were about to the top of the mountains when the fog got horrendous and the snow was coming down really hard. It got to the point that I could not see two feet in front of me. CRAZY!! I finally pulled over and woke up Pernell. We sat on the side of the road till another vehicle came, which ended up being two semi's. We were able to follow them down. One the down hill part of the pass, the fog went away and it was just snow and ice. Amusing! It was clear for a bit, then we hit just past Boise and it was snow snow snow all the way to Ogden.

But we made it safe and sound. It has been a good trip. Tonight was the viewing. It was nice to see all sorts of family and friends whom we have not seen in a long time, including my most favorite doctor of all time (the one who delivered Kaylee). Tomorrow is the funeral.

More to come... and maybe even pictures! (but no promises!!)

We'll start with the good....

The Good:

Yesterday we got a call saying that Kaylee won a coloring contest at Del Taco!! We picked up her prize today - this huge, awesome Easter Basket. She was so excited!! Her picture will be hung for a week or two at Del Taco. WOOHOOO!! Way to go, Kaylee!!

The Bad:

Wednesday I started feeling crummy. By Thursday evening, awful! Friday went to the Doctor and I have strep throat, as does Pernell. We are thinking (and hoping!) that the Girls have missed it, as both are feeling good and show no signs of strep. I've been on antibiotics since Friday AM, so not contagious anymore. Hallelujah!!

The Ugly:

The girls are asleep. Or, so we thought. Sam was sound asleep, or so she pretended. This child. She took the art supplies that Kaylee won in the Easter Basket and decided to paint. All over.

OH LOOK!! Look who could that be asleep....




OR NOT!!! Don't let those EYES fool you. She knew exactly what she was doing!!! *sigh* I should mention, Kaylee was sound asleep on her bed... the very bed Sam was painting. AGAIN.

AGAIN YOU SAY?? Yes, this has happened before. You are now thinking, "Didn't you learn your lesson?" After the second time, YES, yes we did. We threw away all paint! Gone! How did it happen again? Ms. Sam figured out before we did that Kaylee's basket included paint.

Child 1, Parents 0

BOO!!!

Grandma Stromness

Today is a sad day. Pernell's sweet Grandma Stromness past away this afternoon. She had a bad stoke on Wednesday, and never recovered. She passed away in a hospice this afternoon with family around her.

This woman knew how to stretch a dollar like no one else I ever have met. She was very kind and sweet and never judged or said a bad thing about anyone, ever. And believe me, there were times she could have! She led a very simple life with her husband, and they married for 60 years this past March. Amazing!!

This picture was taking in July of 2006. The girls adored her and we had such a good visit. We are waiting to hear about the funeral arrangements and then we will head out to Utah. We are excited to see the entire family, despite the circumstances.

Tonight I drink a glass of eggnog in her honor. She did, after all, make the best eggnog ever.

Coolest Dad EVER!!!

Today was Pajama Church Day (LDS General Conference... we watch it on TV!), and my Dad came over. Conference was FANTASTIC!!!!

If you remember from this POST, he made these awesome shelves in my garage. When he made those shelves, little did we know, he had more plans! And now, well, he has done it again!! Our ward has been very active with getting food storage. I told me dad this, and the Super Awesome Dad that he his decided to make my life a little easier. Look at what he did today:




So awesome! The garage door is just a few steps from the kitchen. The can holders hold around 16 of the large fruit cans, and there are 16 can holders. Then we have all the cool little shelves for storage. The top is high enough to fit a Honeycomb Box (yes, we did pull the box out to make sure it would fit! LOL!!!). He made it all on a platform so we do not have to go down to the garage floor to get it. It is as quick as opening the door and grabbing what we need. This is great!!! And it makes me look.... ORGANIZED!! *GASP* I now just need to get them all filled so they don't look so empty! HA!

Seriously, I have the coolest Dad there ever is!!!! I think we'll paint. It will be entertaining.