Class Reunion

June 11-12th:

I was able to go to my 10 year class reunion in Vale, Oregon. It was so fun to get to see everyone. I was very impressed with the turn out and I thought that Sarah Arritola did a wonderful job of organizing and contacting people. There were a few people missing, but the majority of the classmates were there. I just loved recalling old memories and meeting spouses. I brought my classmate hand print quilt. I had to add a few hands and hopefully at our 20 yr it will be complete.

I was able to stop by and see some good family friends of mine, the Carpenters. Ben, Kerri, and Susie.



We also went and visited the Johnson family. I just wish we had had more time, but it was great to be in there home for the short time we were there.

Trujillo and I were able to stay with the Saunders family. It was just wonderful. Sue really took out the red carpet for us. She cooked up a storm of the most yummy foods. My favorite was the breakfast doughnuts that she is cutting out here. They have 13 kids and all of them are awesome. Ace had never met such a big family, and he was highly impressed. He bragged about meeting the most amazing family for weeks afterward. I am very grateful to Brenda's sisters who babysat my kids, they are the best. I am also grateful to the whole family for giving up their beds and sleeping on the floor and couches. We had some fun times, great conversations, and very wise advise.



Brenda and I. She is a doll. We were best friends in high school and then we went to BYUI together. She knows my whole story. We hadn't seen each other in years, yet nothing had changed, except she is ever more beautiful. She is the biggest farm girl and guess where she lives........on Wall Street in New York City. She is an accountant and she is single. Call me for her number.



Friday night all of the classmates and their spouses met and ate dinner in Willow Creek. It was awesome to see each other. Ace cracked me up. He is so friendly and outgoing. He would walk around and ask,"Are you Timber's classmate?" "What did you do in high school?" He asked one classmate, Diana, "Did you dance with Timber?" She thought he asked if she wanted to dance with me. She was confused and said, "Well I haven't danced with her yet, I guess I could."








\




Kirk Maag and Ace had fun talking. I told him to call once a week and have a political conversation with my husband. He is also single. I'll hook you up, he's a cutie.



Ali and Lacy. We had such fun memories. Ali and I were night owls. Lacy always fell asleep 1st. One time in Junior High we froze her bra in the freezer. Now they are all grown up and mommies.







We were all hiding in this booth, nursing. We called it the nursing table.



Holly Child Stepleton and I. We danced all four years together. She is the same, but a very sweet mother of 3 now. She married her high school sweetheart and our classmate Wayne. They are happy as ever. She is a dear friend.



Mr. Eyler decided to join the nursing table. He taught a very fun history class.



Saturday was the family day. They rented this bounce house for the kids. Adam and Jennifer Tolman barbecued for us. Adam has his own terriaky sauces. They are yummy.



GOOD JOB SARAH! Thanks for all the work. I had a wonderful time.



Chillin on the grass. Gary, Matt, Eric, and Jasin. I tripped as I was taking this picture. I said, "We just stay the same, I'm still a cluts." They laughed in agreement.



Linda McElroy stopped by. My senior year, I dated Gary McElroy. We have some wonderful memories. I was good friends with his mom, Linda. Gary called her and she brought in and gave me the dress that I wore to my senior Prom; A 70's outfit that was hers. It meant a lot to me.



Ryan was one of my best guy friends in High School. We just had fun and did stupid stuff together. I think he always understood me. He threw a big swim party for Trujillo and I on our 18th birthday. We went together to my senior homecoming dance.



There are just too many memories to write all of them, but I did have a wonderful High School experience with amazing class-mates.

To Brenda, Amber, Karli, and Mandy. I found the picture at my mom's house. I REMEMBER!! I made you guys do that and it was HILARIOUS! I almost posted the picture, but then realized that my children need me alive at this point in my life. HA HA!

To Angela. Do you remeber the seminary video with Poopsi the dog. You crack me up.

To Courtney. Thanks for coming. I am so glad that I got to see you.

To Ali and Lacy. Long live the dog sled video.

To Ron and Andy. Navy Seals baby.

To all those classmates that couldn't or wouldn't come (you know who you are), I missed you terribly and wished I could have seen you. Andy, Dan, Nicky, Lacey, Ethan, Stephen, Dennis, Veronica, Shelby and all others.

On Sunday we went to our old ward. The thing that I thought was hilarious was that people still sit in the same area as before. I knew right where to look to find the different families. All of the people made such a good influence on my youth, it felt like coming home.


On our way home we stopped and saw Kevin and Crystal. Crystal and I were roommates in college. Kevin came off of his mission and swept her off of her feet. ha ha. She fell in love at first sight. They have 5 adorable children.



This one is hilarious. The world turn for her.



Crystal and I . She is such an example to me. She is a great mom and wife, and she deals with her trials like a simple grain of salt. I am going to be more like her. I just love Crystal and her laugh is addicting.



It was a long long long trip, but it was worth it.

Down Memory Lane

June 12, 2010

Take a walk with me...

Back in time...

To a wonderful place...

That holds some wonderful moments...

Down my own memory lane.





My family moved to Vale, Oregon when I was 13 years old. I started the 7th grade, Junior High School there. We lived in Vale until I graduated and went to college. Since my parents moved to Southern Utah the summer following my graduation, I haven't been back in nearly 9 years. I had the opportunity to take my family back and let them experience a little bit of my life. It was very wonderful.

Trujillo and his family went with my family through our old house. The family who owns it now was kind enough to allow us to have a walk through. They were so very gracious. It used to be blue, new white siding has been put on. The trees are HUGE. They used to be only about 2 stories.



Our pasture. Dad put in these sprinklers to have grass for Shalena, my mare, and some sheep and a cow.



There are two sheds because one day I was playing with my sisters, house, and I left a candle burning inside. I burnt the whole insides. From then on we used the left burnt one as a milking barn and dad bought a new saddle shed.



Dad made the hitching rails, they still look exactly the same.



They new family has improved a lot of things. The front walk used to be a straight cement walk. They put in a new door.



I remember walking through this front entrance and jumping up the stairs, "Mom, I'm home." Trujillo used to slide down the railing, and on the right wall we had rodeo pictures of us kids.



The living room. It used to be all carpet. New windows have been added and all the dark panel has been removed.



This is the kitchen area. It is still pretty much the same. A few decorations have been added, but for the most part walking in the kitchen felt like coming home.





The owner told us she had something we might like to see. She took us to mom and dad's old room and opened the old doors. On the door, just before Trujillo's mission we had all stood and marked our height on that door. The marks and names are still there.



McCarty's name was to my waist.



I haven't grown an inch since I was 19, but Trujillo had.



I got behind the crowd. When I walked into the upstairs bathroom, I became very overwhelmed by the presence of my grandmother who died of cancer in our home my Junior Year. I remember taking care of her. Up to this point, Darlin had been a tad fussy. When we walked into the bathroom she stopped. I didn't realize it until I looked at the pictures, but she is smiling. I wonder if she is smiling at Grandma.



Syringa's and my room. My closet was the left one. Our room was always spotless unless Syringa didn't clean her part. Ha Ha!



Trujillo's room. Sierra and McCarty often slept in Heo's room. I remember the drum set in the corner.



Our pantry. The square little door dad jigsawed out to be able to load food storage from the garage.



The deck hadn't changed at all. It was still the old stain. I wanted to leap and dance on it like old times. I did contain myself though. The owner told us that she had heard countless stories of my younger sisters jumping off onto the trampoline. Man I can't believe someone didn't break a leg. It seemed a lot higher than before.



The good old silage pile next door. The wonderful aroma brought back more fabulous memories-that one I didn't mind forgetting.



Mrs Albert, Trujllo, Me, and Darlin.



I must say that our spouses were real troopers, following us into our memories. Charlotte and Heo.



Darlin, Me, Ace, Denim and Blazen by the front door. Yes, I was cheesy and dressed us all in yellow. Ace refused, but he was wearing a shirt with a few (nearly non-existent) yellow stripes in it.



I also took my family on a tour of Vale. I took them to the football field. VIKING PRIDE!! I took them to the schools, church, and down streets. I even took my kids inside the swimming pool.

Cat

June 10, 2010

Ace, the kids and I were loaded up and ready to leave for a big trip when we got a big surprise.

Yep, baby kitties. So if you have never seen a live birth, you have now. Ace came out to the truck, shut it off and said, "Well guys I think the trip is on delay, you had better come in the house." We all came in to find the cat birthing under the couch. Did I mention that I DO NOT HAVE A HOUSE CAT! This cat was one of the kitties born two years ago in the house. She is wild as a march hair and snuck back in as we were loading bags apparently. Denim and Blazen thought it was the coolest thing ever, Ace and I just thought it was disgusting. We moved her to the play house outside and cleaned the mess. Denim and Blazen couldn't wait to get home to play with the baby kitties.
Life throws all sorts of experiences at us.

29 years old

June 1st-5th:

It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to, cry if I want to. You would cry to if it happened to you.

I am 29 yrs old. I can't believe it. Life goes so fast.



For my birthday I bought my own presents. The kids sang to me and got very excited for it to be my birthday. Denim was distraught that I knew what my gifts were. I told her, "I will forget what they are and act very excited when I unwrap them. I will close my eyes when I give them to you, and you and Blazen can wrap them for me." They spent a long time in the room wrapping my gifts-fighting over the paper some. Then they came out of the room with my gifts. Of course they had to do hang over, hang over. They about broke my head they bonked me so hard. I REALLY played it up when I unwrapped the gifts. "Oh my goodness, this is amazing, this is wonderful. I am going to be sooooooo beautiful with this gift. It is just what I needed. (A mascara) Thank you Denim." Denim, "You are welcome, Mom." Then Blazen's gift. "Oh my, a fragrance, my favorite, how did you know? I am going to smell so good (squirt, squirt)" Blazen said, "Oh mom, you are welcome." before I could say thank you. Ace laughed. It was so fun, I am going to buy them gifts to give me every year.



My mom sent me blingy butt jeans. I put them on and pranced around singing, "Look at me, I have blingy butt jeans, blingy butt jeans." Blazen looked at me and said, " Oh Mom, DANG you look good." Where he got that one I will never know.



Ace got me a dress that I ordered, but it didn't come in yet. Nelda gave me shoes and money and had Israel come mow my lawn for me. I bought flowers for myself with the some of the money.

I cooked myself fish tacos, yummy.

I also threw a little party later on in the week. I made sweet pork salad and fruit pizza dessert and had chips and dips. The kids had a blast. Denim was so big and invited everyone in. I put everything on the deck. It was nice. We watched the movie, Young Victoria, after.

Ace has been helping Jerry grade roads this week. He nearly tipped the grader over by the lodge. It was pretty scary. He had to dig the tires out on the one side, then back it up. That man-oooooooooo he scares me sometimes.



Darlin has two 1sts to boast of this week. She bounced in the jumper for the 1st time and she rolled from her tummy to her back for the 1st time. She has also started laughing a ton, since we were in Hobbs. (Kaylynn taught her how, watching Blazen jump on the tramp.)

memorial day

We had a very fun filled memorial day weekend. Denim, Blazen, Darlin and I went with Granny and Auntie to Hobbs, NM. Whitley had her Junior High School State Finals Rodeo. We drove my Mega-cab because Papa took their good truck to Oklahoma to a roping. We stayed in a motel with a pool and the kids got to swim, which they thoroughly loved. We were able to spend some fun quality time with our cousins, play in the dirt, eat yummy food, and watch Whitley.

On the way to Hobbs, Denim and Blazen got big lollipops.



Tristan is always so good with the kids, he plays video games with them. Denim started figuring it out this time. She was upset that she didn't have a light on her control.



Looking at stuff on the internet with Duwana Gay.



Kaylynn and Duwana made us a wonderful dinner one evening.
It was a feast.



Darlin felt good this trip and enjoyed all the activities.



Blazen sure likes his uncle Will. Will and he are watching the roping.



Tristan is only 10, but he is so handsome and grown up.



Whitley placed 4th in the poles, so she gets to go to Nationals. They give 10 prizes, but only the top four in each event get to go to Nationals. She is very excited!

Other events:

*Granny and Auntie got sick with the stomach flu. Not fun.

*Granny backed into a pole and knocked out the tailight in the megacab, which she felt horrible about.

*I got pulled over by a cop at the arena. He had seen Darlin out of her seat. Ike and Denim got out of the truck with Tristan on the cop side. They were crying, "Oh, no, we are going to jail, we are going to jail." I seriously thought it was a possibility for me. The cop let me off without even a ticket, just a reprimanding. I could not believe it. Maybe he felt sorry with the kids crying.

*The kids got to ride their bikes all weekend at the arena.

*Nalynn brought about 10 friends to swim at the motel pool. That was loads of fun for about 10 min until they got kicked out. They finished their rowdy fun at the public pool down the road.

*I got to tan twice with so many babysitters and found a fun store with lots of bling bling.