Nana Sue's News

It’s Official – I’m Back!!

2009-09-06T21:35:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Janetha for setting me up on a writer thingy, should make this whole post thing a lot easier for me!!

June was a wet month here in Utah, summer just wouldn’t show up at all. We waited for the Bills to arrive at the end of the month to bring us some warm weather!

We decided to have a stacation, our first stop was Raging Waters!

I know I’m missing some kids and grand kid photos, hopefully I will get more as we go.

We hit Lagoon the next day – fun all around! The little ones liked the rides and the big ones had fun on the Catapult and Sky Coaster, wahoo!!

We also were able to go to the open house of the new Temple in the Daybreak area (I can’t spell the real name of the temple!)

It was a great time to be with our family. We had a BBQ day, fashion show – you can see more of that on Marisa’s blog.

July 3rd brought a sad event into our lives. Doug and Lindsay lost their sweet little peanut – he was too perfect to even get into this world. This was quite an emotional roller coaster that none of us ever expected and we certainly weren’t prepared for the ride. We rejoice in our knowledge of the plan of salvation and the comfort that comes through sincere and constant prayer and great faith. My heart is heavy as I watch my sweet kids deal with this loss in their lives – they are strong beyond belief and darling Isabella helps us all keep going – as she says “it’s ok to be sad”. All my love to my awesome kids and grand kids!!!

Steady as You Go!

2009-09-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been shamed into getting back into the blog post world, instead of just the blog read and comment world!!

This is just me saying out loud "I will begin posting again". There I have said it and as you all know if you say it then it REALLY will happen :)

This is a just a notice, more to follow, I promise.............

My Boy Douglas turns 29!!

2009-06-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

Just take a look at these two cute faces, can you see the love and joy they have by just being together?!! Happy birthday to Doug, what a guy!! Where to begin when talking about Doug, he's always on the go.

Doug married this darling gal 6 years ago and they are living happily ever after!!

Kind of like flash back Friday.........me and Doug celebrating at their reception, love those hugs Doug!!

Doug and Janetha both have June birthdays, the 1 and 3rd. They are great sports when I lump their celebrations together!!

Here are a few things I love about this boy:

1. He is SO good looking!!

2. His smile lights up a room not to mention his laugh!

3. He loves cookies and can easily eat a dozen!

4. What a terrific dad!

5. He's kind hearted!

6. Work, work, work!

7. Play, play, play!

8. He makes a great chocolate shake!

9. He's quite an accomplished artist!

10. Full of great ideas!

11. Oh those brown eyes!

12. Loves Lindsay to the moon!

13. Awesome brother!

14. Crazy faces!

15. He's forgiving!

16. Very kind to others, always!

17. Always on the go!

18. Loves the beach and surfing!

19. Dirt bike!

20. He loves Izzy and Peanut to the moon and back!

21. He can eat more junk food than anyone else I know!

22. Considerate of others!

23. He's an honest young man!

24. D-Benson Tile!

25. Whiskers now and again!

26. He loves Lindsay's family!

27. Fly fishing, golfing, snow boarding, hiking, etc!

28. Cooper Dog!

29. He's still alive!!

Doug is one of the best and I'm so proud to be his mom!! Happy birthday Dougie, I love you to the moon and back too!! xoxo

Janetha's Big Day!

2009-05-31T20:52:00.001-07:00

I am so proud to be the mother of this beautiful young lady!! There are SO may incredble photos of Janetha and I would love to post them all but I am not a great blogger (finder of photos) and I want to get this up to celebrate her big day!! Let me tell you a few things about this remarkable lady!!
She LOVES to give and receive great cards!!

She LOVES her pup, Penny, as well as her neice and nephews!!

She has friends all over the whole WORLD! No kidding, here are two young fellows from Austrailia!

She had a huge gray cat named Blue for over 14 years - rest in peace - we have a lot of Blue stories and even more photos of him being "mr chubbs"!!

She totally adores Marshall, Randy and Penny (in no particular order!!) and I believe they adore her too!!

She loves presents (who doesn't), shoes, bags, small things, etc!!

She loves anything hounds tooth, even these terribly uncomfortable shoes!! But oh aren't they so, so cute!!

Out of photos-- but not out of all of the things we love about our Neef and what she loves:

1. Fabulous chef, yumm!

2. So thoughtful and considerate!

3. Smart beyond her years!

4. People watching and reporting!!

5. Loves her family and loves to be with us!

6. Exercises and loves it!

7. Eats so clean and healthy!

8. Works so, so hard!

9. Great common sense!

10. Beautiful blonde hair!

11. Words, words, words!

12. Loves a great bargain!

13. Shop, shop, shop!

14. Sunglasses and hand bags!

15. Marshall!

16. Has at least a million friends!

17. Olga!!

18. Wants onlyl the best for others!

19. Shares her knowledge!

20. Loves ALL animals, but especiallly pups!!

21. She's a great listener!

22. Thoughtful beyond measure!!

23. LOVES to cook for herself and others!

24. She gets more done in 24 hours than most do in a week!!

25. Loves color, blue, green, yellow, etc!

26. She has great faith and KNOWS that prayers are answered!!

Janetha, you are without a doublt an accomplished gal! We are so excited to celebrate your birthday today, thanks for all you do for us and your siblings, nieces and nephews and others, the list could go on and on and on!!

Have fun and be safe!! I love you too much xoxoxoxo!!

HapPy BirThDaY LiNDsaY!!

2009-05-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to have this darling girl in our family!! She celebrated another birthday April 21 and here are just a few things that are so great about our Linds:

1. She is beautiful, pregnant and pretty!

2. Can you say peanut butter!

3. Exercise junky!

4. Wonderful mom!

5. Understanding wife!

6. Caring friend!

7. Honest!

8. Shop, shop, shop!

9. Serves willingly!

10. Has great faith!

11. Loves Doug, Izzy and Peanut!

12. Enjoys the outdoors!

13. Long lovely legs!

14. Loves her extended family!

15. Corn on the cob!

16. Great testimony!

17. Patient!

18. Neat and tidy!

19. Daddy's girl!

20. Very crafty!

21. Thoughtful of others feelings!

22. Awesome teacher!

23. Scipio and Kanab!

24. Family time!

25. Strawberry short cake!

26. Loves handbags!

27. Very stylish!

28. Loves to read!

It is so great to have Linds in our family - she puts up with all of our odd quirks!! We love you to the moon Linds!! Happy, happy birthday!!

Sofi Girl Turns 3!! (April 20, 2009)

2009-05-02T23:20:00.001-07:00

This darling little lady turned 22 - oops I mean 3!! She will tell EVERYONE that she is 22, it is so very Sofi!!

Here are a few things I love about this gal:

She is so, so independent - she gets an idea in her head and it is full speed ahead, doing it her way - she loves to pick out her own clothes and shoes for the day!

She loves to give hugs and loves - when I stayed with them in November she would hug and love me every morning - she really loves her mom, dad and sisters!

She has a smile that will melt anyone's heart - I love, love her darling grins with her cute eyes all crinkled up!!

She keeps her mom on her toes ALL the time - just check out Marisa's blog if you want the whole story!!

We love you too much Sofi girl!!

Izzy's Big Party!!

2009-04-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

This sweet little gal turned 3 on April 12, 2009! She had a huge party with hats, balloons, cupcakes, presents, dinner and even an Easter egg hunt!! Izzy knows how to party!

There are a lot of reasons why I love this little lady and I will share a few with you.

First of all take a look at that smile.......have you ever seen anything cuter!!?? She always has a smile for me and I love it when she crinkles up her nose :)

Second Izzy is SO well mannered.....holy cow, she has better manners than most grown ups!! She knows when and says "no thank you" or "thank you" and of couse always "please"!

The third thing I love about Izzy is how thoughtful she is. She has quite a menagerie of plush animals that she loves to play with. It is critical that they ALL be put to bed and that they ALL have blankies to sleep with. Well one day at my place she was putting 3 or 4 of them to bed and needed more blankets....we didn't have anymore so I gave her a towel instead, seeing this she pondered for a minute and said "no Nana Sue, I need a blanket this is a towel". So off to the chest I went in search of more blankets. Here she was with huge fleece blankets covering up her Flossy friend, Teddy Bear and Big Bird, all in different rooms and we had to be very, very quiet and whisper.

She is thoughtful in a lot of other ways too, she is a doll and we are lucky to have her in our family. She has such a loving daddy who plays with her and teaches how to make all of those funny faces and sounds!! And she has an absolutely incredible mommy who loves her to the moon teaches her how to be such an awesome little lady!

Love and hugs to this darling little family!!!

Happy Birthday Marisa!

2009-03-23T17:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, can you believe it! This darling daughter of ours is 34 years old, as of February 26, (makes me feel REALLY old haha) It was fun to be able to celebrate Marisa's birthday with her this year. I was in town for Kaylee's baptism and enjoyed the day with Risa and her family.

We had her birthday dinner at Mexi's, a cute restaurant that is one of our favorites. They even brought her some churros and chocolate for her birthday!

Eric is always full of surprises and this birthday he gave her a beautiful mirror for their new home AND the hardware to put it up with, wahoo!! No more finish nails that we usually use to hang her pictures with!

For a lot more fun photos and posts check out Marisa or Janetha' blogs!!

I must post my 34 reasons why Ree is the one of the very best:

1. Terrific mom

2. Great wife

3. Devoted daughter

4. Loving sister

5. Bargains!

6. Practical

7. Creative

8. Compassionate

9. Friend to all

10. Cheerful

11. Missionary

12. Curious

13. Teacher

14. SO smart

15. Great hair

16. Stylish

17. Thoughtful

18. Fun

19. Determined

20. Committed

21. Beautiful

22. Frugal

23. Patient (after all she has a 2 1/2 year old!)

24. Considerate

25. Street smart

26. More daring (after Costa Rica!)

27. Reader

28. Deep thinker

29. Words!!

30. Numbers!

32. Easy going

33. Calm

34. My oldest child who I am very, very proud of!!

Happy -even if it is late- birthday Risa!!! xoxo

Spring Is In The Air and On The Blog!!

2009-03-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Many, many hearty thanks to my youngest child, Janetha, for helping this poor blog of mine get into the spirit of Spring!!!

This really makes me want to get posting again......if my work wasn't in the way then I could post up a storm! Don't get me wrong, I am SO glad to be busy in this crazy economy.

Thanks again Neef, I LOVE this new look, and I love you :)

So here is my wish for you all to enjoy this glorious time of year and no worries, I WILL be back!

xoxoxo

Kaylee Bug is 8!!

2009-02-09T16:40:00.001-08:00

Our sweet Kaylee turned 8 on February 8 and is she ever a doll! Here she is this past Christmas in her new (and large!) new jammies - with her darling signature smile!!
Kaylee LOVES all animals, but I think she has a special spot in her heart for dogs. Here she is with our sweet Mable dog, giving her a kiss, well what else would you expect a dog lover to do!!
Can you see the look of concern in her darling blue eyes?? She is very curious and wants to know EXACTLY what's going on at all times - so you can imagine what she must be thinking when Grandma Shirley came at her with those really sharp scissors!!
Here she is with her ever faithful Buckets (just before the hair cut). This darling pup has helped Kaylee through thick and thin and something tells me she may still have buckets for at least another 17 years or so!!

Here we go 8 wonderful things I know and love about my Kaylee Girl:

1. She loves to talk, she can strike up a conversation with anyone and really enjoys finding out about other people and what they are doing and what they think. This would also mean she is someone who makes friends easily!

2. She loves to write stories and songs, she can also memorize and then perform her works of art!! This would also mean she has a great imagination!

3. She is a terrific big sister to Lucy and Sofi, she is pretty patient with them and likes to play house and school with them too! This would also mean she knows how important her family is!

4. She is so athletic, she rides a motorcycle, plays soccer, tumbles, dances, jumps on the tramp and rides her bike and scooter! This would also mean she is super coordinated!!

5. She is absolutely darling with her bright blue eyes, cute freckles and incredible smile! This would also means she is VERY photogenic!

6. She is so considerate, especially when I visit, she is polite and concerned about how I am doing! This also means she cares a lot about others feelings!

7. She so totally loves animals~all of them and she even struggles through with allergies! This also means she is getting prepared to have even more pets of her own!

8. She has a sweet testimony, she loves Heavenly Father and has had some wonderful experiences where her prayers have been answered! This means she is a child with great faith!

Kaylee talked at an early age and some of the things she said just stuck. One of the phrases was "I love you too much". This is something I say a lot and remember her saying it to me on the phone when she would call just to say "hi".

She is growing into a super young lady, she is excited to be baptized in a couple of weeks and we are excited to celebrate this special occasion with her.

So Kaylee, happy, happy birthday! We love you too much!!

Papa Randall and Nana Sue xoxoxo

Michael T Mason - One of the Best

2009-02-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

Michael T. Mason - December 27, 2008 (see I am SO behind!)

Well this is terribly late, but I can't let Mike's birthday get away without letting everyone know what an awesome guy he is. I am having huge computer issues (another post) so will maybe have to steal a photo from Suni's blog :)

37 Terrific things I know and love about my son - in - law:

1. Handsome!

2. Funny!

3. Polite!

4. Considerate!

5. Understanding!

6. Great Dad!

7. Super Husband!

8. Terrific Hunter!

9. Hard Worker!

10. Loves to Play!

11. Grows a Mean Garden!

12. Drives A Cool Old Mercedes!

13. Avid Fisherman!

14. Great Camper!

15. Super Cook!

16. Cooks a lot of Sunday Dinners!

17. Irons Clothes! (his and Suni's)

18. Loves His Boys!

19. Level Headed (no not a flat head, he is sensible!)

20. Willing and Able Coach!

21. Loves Sushi!

22. Little America!

23. Loves His Mom and Dad!

24. Teaches His Boys how to Work Hard!

25. Calm Under Pressure!

26. Plays Games!

27. Scrabble Anyone!

28. Loves My Suni Girl!

29. Kisses Me on the Cheek!

30. Working Hard to Finish the Basement!!

31. Is Patient!

32. Has a Great Laugh!

33. Gives Sweet Cards!

34. Sharp Dresser!

35. Honors his Priesthood!

36. He LOVES Horses!

37. In Fact I think He Loves All Animals!!!

Mike you are a keeper and we are SO SO happy to have you in our family!! We love you too, too much!!

BIGGEST LOSER BLOGGER!!

2009-02-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's me, the most biggest loser blogger in the whole world. I have missed posting a lot of stuff and I am now way too old to even remember what I should have posted about.........as my mom would say "woah is me".

I really have been busy in the real estate world, and I have to take the business when it comes my way, so that is good.

I do have a couple or three things to get thrown up on the blog station so here we go:

Christmas Celebrations!

2009-01-04T17:02:00.001-08:00

Many years ago, about 23 or 24, the Johnson family moved into our neighborhood. We started a few traditions - one was going to Temple Square to look at the lights and then go get dinner together. We started out with babies, worked our way up through grade school, junior high and high school and we decided it needed to be the very coldest day we could find just so we could really appreciate getting into the Christmas spirit - we really were sick!

Over the years as our families have grown, married kids, grand kids, work schedules, school schedules, etc......we've been lucky to find a night when each family could simply get their own members together to go.

The Monday before Christmas, our family decided to meet at the North Visitor's center at 6:30pm. It was a very cold, frosty night, just perfect to bundle up and zip through the square and ohh and ahh at the lights.

Imagine our delight and surprise to find the Johnsons there waiting for their family members to arrive!!! We snapped a few photos and headed out, just like old times, with Marc forgetting just which family he was with and walking with us for quite a while!! It was a fun night to be together again, we love Marc, Janet and their kids and grand kids!!

Santa's Little Helper!

2008-12-18T08:16:00.001-08:00

Papa Randall works at a bank. Every Christmas they collect gently used and new Teddy Bears. Sometimes other stuffed animals get donated, they accept them all and then give them to children who wouldn't otherwise get any presents.

I was hanging with Izzy on Monday and we had just done an inspection of a home (yes, my grand children do go to work with me!). We were near the bank so I asked Izzy if she would like to go to the store and buy a bear and then give it to the bank so they could give it to a little boy or girl, Izzy's response was "I don't understand". I am not kidding, she must have said that same line 3 or 4 times. I tried another tactic about how sad it was if other little boys and girls didn't have any toys for Christmas, so now she was really confused with sad, giving it away, etc !!We found a Wal Mart, I told her it had to be a soft bear and she kept repeating a "soft cuddly bear" - and then I would again explain what we were going to do with the bear only to get the "I don't understand" ...... We found just the perfect bear, Blacky, is what we named him (I was worried about naming him for fear she would become too attached, what do you think???)

When we got to the bank and went in Izzy was totally blown away by the amount of stuffed animals (so was I - probably 3-4 hundred!!) It was absolutely astounding how many they had spread out under and around the Christmas tree. We took Phunt Phunt in so he could learn what this giving season is all about too!

Isabella was so excited to sit amongst ALL of the animals with her Phunt Phunt, in fact she is sitting ON top of Blacky (how quickly we forget!!)

We talked some more about how she had a lot of toys and we were going to leave Blacky at the bank for some other little boy or girl. I believe she finally began to understand just what was going on!Blacky ended up being the one and only black bear under that Christmas tree, good choice Izz!

Of course before we could go she needed to hug the puppy, Tigger and Curious George good bye!

And last but not least, she gave her Blacky a big hug and kiss, and left him for another little child to enjoy!! Thanks Izzy for being such a giving little girl and for helping another have a toy for Christmas!!

This was a fun opportunity. I was going to take Luke to get a bear on Friday but found out the animals were donated on Wednesday :( Just a shout out to you kids, I will be planning a day with each grand child next year and we will go get a treat, an animal and go donate it to Papa Randall's bank! Another tradition in the making. xoxo

We Had 'em for 17 Hours!!

2008-12-14T18:23:00.001-08:00

Yes the Bills family arrived Thursday, December 4 around 6:00pm and were scrambling out the door the next morning and off to American Fork by 11:00a.m.!!

We crammed as much fun in as possible, rallied the rest of the family, ordered Cafe Rio, opened Christmas jammies, took photos, met Penelope Jane for the first time (they all loved her!) Visited, hugged, laughed and stayed up way too late but enjoyed every minute of it!

It's obvious I am a very proud Nana Sue! Please be sure to get a good look at all 7 of our darling grand kids as my terrific blog header!!

These two little gals are almost twins!! Izzy came April 12 and Sofi April 20. It's always so fun to watch them get re-acquainted - at first they're not too sure of each other and then they finally warm up and play.

Thanks Bills for coming for a short but fun visit! We love and miss you all!! xoxo

Max and Mother Goose!

2008-12-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

Max has a terrific kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Wallace. I was lucky enough to be able to attend his Mother Goose Program!

We arrived ALL of the students were in their place on the platform stage and were as STILL as could be, were these kids REALLY 6 year olds!

As soon as everyone was seated Mrs. Wallace began her magic, wow, what a talented and loving teacher she is! This darling children sang their hearts out, had great action moves for the songs and also displayed their art work for other songs.

We were treated to cookies and milk when it was over! Congratulations Max your program was a wonderful success and I loved that you knew the words to ALL the songs!!

Happy Birthday Blog!

2008-12-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

Somewhere last month, November, my blog turned 1. So happy day to this delightful way to share memories with friends and family!

I know I have sorely neglected my record keeping, but the way I figure it, ALL of the posts on this glorious blog are more than what I would have done in a normal journal - so hey - this has been a success, right!!??

On to other family excitement! I also challenge some of my friends out there to leave a comment once or twice so I know you are out there and alive.

Love and hugs to you all, xoxo!!

Pura Vida: Dublin, California!

2008-11-28T14:06:00.001-08:00

We had our own brand of excitement in Dublin, Ca while the girls' mom and dad were away in Costa Rica! Here is Miss Sofi at the Golden Apple checking out one of those musical jewelry boxes, the girls love to hang out and look at all the fun toys. Lucy was certain she could find just the "right" work book, no luck. Kaylee had her eye on the Calico Critters. We tried to get to Golden Apple the first evening I was there......Gladys (GPS Gal) was out of sorts and we just kept going around in circles doing u-turns......Kaylee wondered why all the people kept honking at us - I realized I didn't have my head lights on, whoa is me!! We went home and tried Golden Apple the next day in the day light, Gladys performed like a champ! Unpacking boxes was something we tried to do "some" of, we didn't get many emptied out, in fact this one just happened to have a little 2 1/2 year old in it!!

Occassionally a few things would go missing while I was at the Bills' home......I learned real fast that Sofi would quietly "save" things on this bottom shelf of Marisa's bakers rack!! (such as the car keys!!!)

Sunday morning was the Primary Program. Lucy had to learn her part quick, we got it from the Primary President on Thursday and Lucy had it totally memorized by Friday. Kaylee already knew her part and they both did a terrific job. Sofi was a great sport and made it all the way through the program!

Since we had Gladys, I decided going to a pond to feed the ducks would be in order. After Sofi's nap and the girls rested on Sunday I googled "feed ducks near Dublin, Ca" well what do you know, a park came up not too far, I think it was called Oak Hill Park. We grabbed the bread and headed out, cheering Gladys on!

One day I needed to get Lucy to her pre-school and I couldn't find John Knox in the GPS - Lucy assured me she knew just how to get there.....then she said she could maybe tell me how to get there and then she said she wasn't really certain how to get there, haha, I checked with information and got the address, again, Gladys to the rescue!! Lucy was happy to get to school on time!

The ducks were in seventh heaven and FLOCKED to where the girls were feeding them!! It was a fun time with the ducks, some of them even started following us out of the park!

Sofi is a very, very smart little girl. Often when I would ask her if she had a poopy diaper she would say "no way Jose"! That was her standard answer to most things - with "though" stuck on the end of her sentences.......this particular day as I walked by her in the living room and saw her hands I thought "gee I don't remember them having any chocolate to eat......" Upon further and closer inspection I determined much to my dismay that it was NOT chocolate, not even close--- yuck and yikes though, she had decided finger painting was in order!! Luckily I caught up with her BEFORE it got spread anywhere! I have to admit I was laughing pretty hard as I cleaned her up and tried to explain why this was NOT appropriate behavior haha!!

Here we are waiting at the Bart for Mom and Dad to return. The girls were so excited for their folks to be home! They really were great helpers and got along with each other the whole time I was there. We worked hard to clean up the house, they helped me fold clothes, clean out the van and tidy up their rooms. Lindsay had made them job charts and they did a good job getting things done everyday so they could earn different things.

It was a joyous reunion for the Bills family, welcome home mommy and daddy!!

What a Guy!

2008-11-08T10:36:00.001-08:00

This sweet man, Don Benson, Randy's dad, passed away Thursday, November 6. He had just seen Pepper and was scheduled to have his rotator cuff operated on in December. He also had a case of walking pneumonia. He went to bed on Wednesday and decided not to wake up on Thursday.....oh that we all could leave this world so peacefully.

I will post a few more photos later, but just had to let everyone know what a quiet giant of a man Don was. He was forever building and/or remodeling things, even in their condo! He loved to be "doing" all the time. When his drivers license was taken from him for 3 months he bought a 3 wheel bike and rode to the church, Albertson's and even to Shopko from their home in Centerville, that trip alone was 7 miles round trip!!

He served as ward financial clerk for over 30 years and was meticulous about this job. He was also totally deaf for most of his adult life, he was great at reading lips and had a terrific sense of humor about his handicap. What he lacked in hearing he more than made up in the service he rendered to others.

I am so thankful I have this man as a father in law. I am also so greatful that he is with family and friends and that he can HEAR now! What a blessing the gospel is in our lives!

I love you Don and will miss you--until we meet again.....

Oooh---- HaPPy HaLLowEen!!!

2008-10-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the warmest days we've had, up to 73 degrees! Perfect for those little spooks and goblins out trick or treating!! I spent some time with Doug, Linds and Izzy on Main street in Bountiful. The merchants hand out candy, some are dressed up, others read stories but most just hand out a lot of treats for the kiddies! Izzy had a pretty great time!

Lickin' her little cat lips, can't wait to get to that chocolate candy!!

Izz and her dad listening to a crazy story! Looks like the storyteller kept them BOTH interested!!
Lindsay and Cooper dog watching the lady tell the story, haha!

The cute Benson family, another Halloween for the books. Thanks guys for letting me tag along!

Then I headed over to Suni's place to catch Max and Luke, oops, I mean Batman and Batboy, before they started their night of trick or treating. This is what I found, oooooh scary!!

Such a darling little bat, Suni was just thrilled that he would put the costume on AND leave it on!

Ooooh, big bat wings!

Max was a very convincing Batman!

Suni and her cute boys!

As long as Luke had a sucker in hand, he knew it was ok to have on a bat costume!!!

Whoa, what a wing span!!

The cute boys and their darling "witch" momma!! Happy Halloween kids!!

Janetha, Marshall and Penny had a great Halloween party and other festivities this past week - here is Miss Penelope Jane - what a cute lady bug!!

Of course, Marshall is a milkshake......and cute Neef is a lovable bumble bee with Penny the "bug"!

I will let this photo speak for itself!! Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Lu-Lu Girl turns 5 Today!!!!

2008-10-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

Happy, happy birthday to our Lucy girl!! Today she is 5 years old and so very excited for her special day! We are lucky to have such a cute 5 year old grand daughter in our family.

Lucy loves to help and make others feel good. I was the recipient of a great "medicure" on one of my trips to Dublin!

Lucy absolutely loves to go to the beach, swimming pool, water park, just about anywhere there is water or sand to play in! She likes to dig in the sand, Uncle Doug and Uncle Mike even buried her when we were at the beach last year!

Lu LOVES her sisters! They can be the very best of friends whether it is watching Sofi's shows, jumping on the tramp, riding scooters and bikes or just paling around the house - she is a good big sister and a great little sister!!

Lucy has the best big brown eyes!! We also are pretty impressed with her darling dimples!

One of the most endearing things to me is that Lucy can put anything on her head, whether it is a hat, headband, barret, clip etc. and look so totally darling - she also can pull off any style of clothing and yep, you guessed it, look darling!

We love you Lucy! Have a super terrific birthday today, eat lots of cake and ice cream, have fun opening and playing with your presents - this is YOUR special day!!! xoxoxo Papa Randall and Nana Sue

Alison May........turns 31!

2008-10-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here it is, Suni's 31st birthday! I thought it would be fun to take you all down memory lane for a minute and let you know at least 31 reasons why I love my Suni May............

1. She is an absolutely great friend to ALL, family and friends!

2. She really, really loves her family (even though some of us are totally crazy)!

3. She was and still is a wonderful missionary and isn't afraid to stand for right!

4. She has a beautiful singing voice and loves to be in the choir!

5. She is a terrific example of service to EVERYONE!

6. She totally 100% absolutely hates these little and/or big critters: (see below)!

7. She is beautiful, every part of her--even those darling knees :) !!
8. She loves Mike right down to his cowboy boots!

9. She is a fun and involved mom to 3 of the cutest most handsome boys I know!

10. She loves to make lists, get the job done and then cross it off!

11. She is SO organized!

12. She is kind and generous with her time AND talents!

13. She is absolutely the craftiest gal I know - and the craft project is always CUTE!

14. She shares her wisdom and life lessons with others!

15. She loves vanilla ice cream!

16. She is strong willed, when she makes up her mind she can accomplish anything!

17. She loves to travel and be on the go!

18. One word - pedicures!

19. She is surrounded by wonderful friends!

20. She is a perfectionist and it shows in her home and her life!

21. She can plan and pull off great parties!

22. She can get more done in a few hours than most can in a few days!

23. She has a strong testimony of the gospel!

24. She is patient - especially with her cute kids!

25. She plays the piano and loves to listen to good muscians!

26. She is a "mean" Scrabble player!

27. Laculator, embasserate, lenomade, engerny, cafilornia, energency.......and on and on!

28. She can decorate her home on a "dime" - and it looks beautiful!

29. She loves those cute little Peeps candy - anytime of the year!

30. She has a gorgeous smile and her eyes twinkle!

31. She is a terrific wife, mom, sister, daughter and friend, what would we ever do without our Suni!!!

Happy birthday to you Suni! I am so happy to be your mom and friend. I count it as an incredible compliment to have people say I look just like you! Thanks for your love and friendship and all you do to make our family unit so complete!!

Lucas is 2!

2008-10-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Here he is, Lucas Jay Mason my youngest grandson!! As you can see in this photo his hands, both of them, are full! He ALWAYS has something in his little hands, Lego parts, sticks, little action figures, larger action figures, and yes an occasional straight pin........I do believe the house is almost pin free!! :)

This darling little guy is so expressive. When he comes to our house he always points to his shirt, I notice and say something about it, then he points to his pants, I notice and comment and then he likes to show me his shoes, I of course comment about them too!!

In fact he LOVES to sleep in his cute camo crocs. He has certain routines and he makes sure who ever is looking after him knows what comes next!!

We love you Luke and are so glad you are 2! You are a sweet and lovable cuddler - I don't see any of the "terrible" twos anywhere near you.

Happy, happy birthday!

Love and hugs :)

The Santa Fe Trail!

2008-10-23T16:39:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to post about our trip to New Mexico for almost two weeks! I really need a tutorial about the whole photo finding and uploading thingy......anyway, we traveled with Marc and Janet to Santa Fe for a few days of R and R!

We stayed at a bed and breakfast right downtown called the Territorial Inn, it was very comfortable and we were within walking distance of the Plaza and all the shopping!!

And boy did we shop! Randy and Marc were great sports, finding a bench or a concrete wall to relax on until we were ready to move on.

There were SO many sculptures, all over the place and I was forever having Janet take my picture by the burros, elephants, horses, turtles, etc, etc!! So enjoy the endless photos of ME and my animal friends!!

Janet with a real American cowboy!

Darling little girl with her puppy, if I didn't know better I'd say it could be Janetha and her little Penelope Jane!!

I love taking photos of flowers, here we are near a beautiful daisy tree/plant at one of the art galleries, they have miles and miles of art galleries!!

Wouldn't this cute gal be darling in my front garden? I could have had it for a mere $14,500 (I think they would have shipped it for FREE!!)

Incredibly beautiful sunset, taken from the car!!!

Here is the Rio Grande Gorge!!

Here we go - what do you think my Body for Life before and after - front and back, no?!!

Yummy, yummy food! Randy ordered this French Onion soup and they served it with 4 spoons, it was funny because he typically does not order food to share (we let him have it all!)

Here I am with my very favorite sculpture, a old raggedy horse outside our bed and breakfast. The last night we were there Marc and Randy turned in early and Janet and I did even MORE shopping! I needed my photo by this guy to round out my photo album. I got a great idea to get ON the horse. Janet is a great sport, she had to give me a boost onto the horse. We laughed so hard and could only imagine getting arrested and then having to call the guys to bail us out of jail! Fortunately we got the photos and scurried back to our rooms!

Well I think I have about 20 or 30 more sculpture photos, but you get the idea and besides I need to get to bed!!

What a great time we had, good friends, good food and good fun!!

HApPy BiRTHdaY MaRshALL!!!

2008-10-16T16:03:00.000-07:00

Happy day to Marshall! This handsome young man turned 25 today (that makes him just a tad younger than Janetha!! haha)

Let me tell you a few things I know and love about Marshall:

1. He is the sweetest guy around!
2. He treats Janetha like a queen!
3. He is so respectful!
4. He carries salt down!
5. He puts water jugs on! (without being asked!)
6. He has such a cute dog!
7. He cares about others and their feelings!
8. He is patient!
9. He is a hard worker!
10. He loves his family!
11. I think he even loves Janetha's family!! haha
12. He has colorful limbs!
13. The grand kids love him!
14. He likes to try new things!
15. He loves funeral potatoes!
16. He hates mushrooms and shrimp! (all seafood I think!)
17. He loves a nice thick steak!
18. He is honest!
19. He is frugal!
20. He LOVES Puma - anything!
21. He loves corny cards!
22. He loves video games!
23. Sunday Movie Night!
24. He loves to watch TV!
25. He is just so dang cute!!!

Happy Birthday Marshall - thanks for all you do for Janetha!! We love ya!! xoxo

Do Something About It!!

2008-10-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

I can not tell a lie.....I have been wondering just what I could post to leave up for a few days while I am out of town. I happened upon Janetha's blog and found my answer. I have stolen her post for my very own blog!! So sorry Neef, but thank you so much for your inspiration!! xoxo

Do something about it.

When something is troubling you, make the commitment to change it. Then begin to act on that decision right away.

Some of the influences in your life are under your control, and many of those influences are outside your control. Yet you can always decide upon and put into action a positive response to anything.

Don't sit around being amazed at how miserable you are and at how unfairly life is treating you. Instead, be amazed at how quickly and effectively you can do something about it.

Don't complain to others about how tough it is for you. Instead, inspire them with your positive and enthusiastic attitude and actions.

When the world feels all wrong, that's a valuable signal. It's your way of telling yourself to get going and make a difference.

You have plenty of good options if you'll simply make the effort to find them. Pick the best one, get busy putting it into action, and take positive control of your world.

~~Ralph Marston

Bills Turns 32!!!

2008-09-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well it just occured to my blond head that I had better post about my son-in-law! So here we go, 32 pretty cool things we know and love about Bills:

1. He's a great dad, 3 darling girls!

2. Terrific husband, supports Marisa with all she does!

3. Good cook, tri tip, yum!

4. Sometimes odd, but wonderful, sense of humor (see above photo)!

5. Low maintenance, happy with hand me downs!

6. Frugal, "budget Sundays"!

7. Hard worker, HP!

8. Kind hearted, loved dogsitting Cherrio!

9. Crazy, whacky friends, "Cra(p)ft Night"!

10. Loves his elderly relatives, see photo above, and Gma/Gpa's Taylor and Benson!

11. Determined, Body for Life and triatholons!

12. Lives with interesting skin issues!

13. Never complains (not within my ear shot anyway!)

14. Can keep confidences, esp. with his church calling!

15. Loves to spring surprises on others, Marisa's birthday!

16. Enjoys pulling tricks, pranks or practical jokes - Super Size it in Spain!!

17. Loves motorcycles, Kaylee even has one!

18. Really likes to "nap"!

19. Could probably do some serious clogging if he just had the right kind of shoes!

20. Is fun and easy to be around, family vacations, 7 of us in a 1 bedroom condo....!

21. Honors his Priesthood, willing and able to give his family blessings!

22. Is a HUGE TEASE!!!

23. Can and does do household chores, mops the kitchen floor!

24. Mint chocolate chip ice cream, only on your Free Day!

25. Can tell I'm visiting just by the amount of garbage that accumulates!

26. Tastes the good treats, "just to make sure they aren't poison"!

27. Gives terrific hugs and shares my birthday month!

28. Good friends with his siblings, they enjoy talking, visiting and pulling pranks!

29. Is a perfect match with Marisa!

30. Screaming good on the Wii Fit!

31. Also very good on Karaoke, again see photo above!

32. Is a very quiet giant when he wants to be!

Eric, we love you and I realized that I have a lot more photos of your girls than I do of you. Sorry you have to share your birthday post with me, but hey, I know I am your FAVORITE mother in law!! Happy, Happy Birthday!! Hugs and love to you! xoxoxo

After School Smoothie!

2008-09-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to watch Mike and Suni's kids today. Luke and Max were playing downstairs and in walked Jake from school with his friend Clay. He asked me if it would be ok if they made a smoothie, well you bet, go ahead. Well little did I know they had something more in mind than just ANY smoothie!

Once we made a call to Mike to figure out the Bosch blender deal the guys were ready to get started. The next thing I know Jake walks up to me with a coconut in hand and says "Grandma, we need to figure out how to get the milk out and then get the coconut open" I rose to the challenge and told the boys I knew just what to do, get me a big hammer and big nail! Jake was certain REAL coconut milk would be a lot tastier than just plain coconut flavoring, right on, this guy ought to be a chef! I can see it now "Janetha and Jake's Place"!!
After much hammering and draining, we got the hard nut cracked, Clay is busy slicing limes, mango, bananas. They added some ice and Sobe.
Jake knew just the right amount of flavoring to dump in the blender, he kept having me smell it and WOW it really smelled great!

Here they are, Jake and Clay enjoying their "after school smoothie". I think it took them almost an hour to get it concocted. They shared a taste with me and after some straining of the juice we all pronounced it DE-licious!! Way to let your creative juices flow guys! Oh, I need to add that they cleaned up their mess rather neatly. Thanks guys for a great after school experience!!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2008-09-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family out there in blog-land! Yes, today is my birthday and I am turning 56, wahoo!! I decided to post a bit about myself for posterity sake and to make a HUGE request of my friends.

There may be a few things about me that some of you don't know - I will try to think of some interesting facts to share with you:

I was the first baby born in the Kennewick Hospital - however, I did NOT get any prizes because another gave birth in the front yard of the hospital and I was actually IN the building, bummer huh?

I grew up at 1807 West 6th Avenue in a very tiny 2 bedroom home with my mom, dad and older brother, Gary. We had a floor furnace that was right in front of the bathroom door and in the middle of the two bedrooms.....I was just as clumsy then as I am now and managed to roll right over that furnace, burning my left arm from the back side of my elbow to my wrist. This resulted in some pretty "sick scars", I still can see a faint brown X on my arm, even after all these years!

In junior high I was teased a lot about my last name, Hutteball.......go ahead rhyme it out a few times, you will get the picture quick! So for some reason I took up arm wrestling, no not just my family but all the guys that were brave enough to take me on during the lunch break, can you even believe that! It is true, I would arm wrestle them and BEAT them almost every time!!

Then in high school I wouldn't wear sleeveless shirts because I was now embarrassed by my muscular arms plus I was still teased about my name, go figure, it made me sad.....

I was always proud of that crazy last name, it used to be Hansen, but when my Great Grandpa was getting ready to move from Denmark to the U.S. he changed it to Hutteball. Supposedly it was a county in Copenhagen, I have yet to find the actual county! So needless to say there aren't a lot of us out there anymore!

Jump ahead to about 15 years ago. I needed a name for my real estate and property management business, not having a really great imagination, I decided to simply call it Hutteball, Inc. So I am still able to carry that name with me and I am still proud of it, even though there was a lot of teasing and even fighting for my dad when he was little, it is a great name!

Ok folks, now the real reason for this post. Blogging is fun, it is a riot, it is a great way to record your life happenings and it is a great way to connect with people you don't normally see a lot, or people you may never see or meet, or a friend you see everyday, once a week or every few months. HUGE REQUEST: In short, I know there are some of you who read this terribly interesting blog sometimes, and for my birthday I would like you to go the extra mile, please stretch just a little and post a comment, say "hello", or "hey I remember that", or "wow that was a lame post", or "that's cool", or "I would have done it this way..." do you see what I mean here!! :) The comments are as much fun as the post. So make me proud family and friends, give me a shout out for my b-day!

Much love and hugs to you all, please know how much I love my family and friends!!

2008 Utah State Fair Extravaganza!

2008-09-06T19:55:00.001-07:00

We have a Benson family tradition of going to the State Fair every year - and we have been at it for over 30 years!! We LOVE the fair! It all starts at the Brighton Bank parking lot where parking is still a cheap $5, a lot of us park there, in fact I have even received birthday presents in the parking lot. The fair is usually around my birthday and sometimes we've been lucky to go on my birthday, what a great present! This year we had every one but our Dublin kids :( we missed them!

I downloaded these photos out of order and it takes way to long for me to move them around, so please enjoy this random sampling our our 2008 adventure at the fair:

Max rode out with me and we were hanging out waiting for everyone else to arrive, as you can see Max loves to climb and was busy on the fence that surrounded these giant cats:

Yeah that's right TIGERS at the fair, you have got to be kidding me!! Not just one either, there were three in this tiny cage and about 4 or 5 others in even smaller cages. This poor guy just kept pacing back and forth, back and forth. They do shows with them in the evening, we didn't stick around.

Janetha loves the fair too! There are way too many photo opps for her and we usually try out all of them, however, the line for the cute piggy, goat and cow was too long with babies and toddlers!!
Luke hung out in his stroller most of the night, he was cute when he saw the goats and the baby pigs!
Here is Maxwell getting a ride from his dad, this was near the end of our night and we had done plenty of walking......no one offered me their shoulders to sit on!

Randy loves to eat and especially at the fair! This was his "after" dinner snack!

One of the things we ALWAYS do is the BIG YELLOW SLIDE, wahoo!! I always try to get all of us lined up together in an organized manner for a perfect photo......wow this is the best I could do! All of the kiddos love the slide, old and young.

I would love to have a tractor like this someday, really, isn't it the cutest thing?! Since Janetha and I have been working hard on Body for Life, my muscles are not cooperating with me, hence the awful grimace as I try to get down off the tractor! haha
Ohhh, here they are, the darling baby pigs! A little bigger than other years but they were so funny chasing each other around the pen while the mom just lies there ignoring them all!!

I'm sure these two little guys were suffocating as they tried to get a bit more nourishment!!
Izzy loves to be on her dad's shoulders. This was a bit of a problem because she latched on to this bar while looking at the piggys and would not let go!! I have a few other photos of Doug trying to walk away but Izz was bound and determined to hang on tight!!

The bunnies have been a favorite of mine. Probably because they usually have the giant gray lop eared bunnies that remind me of our cat Blue.......I know that probably is hard for most to imagine, but trust me on this one! Well no huge blues this time, but we found some other cuties instead!
Look at these darling triplets!! I think we should name them Sofi, Lucy and Kaylee, they were just so cute and snuggly!!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman......not quite but it was a lot of parachutists, and they got most everyone's attention.

In the first exhibit building we go through there is always a butter sculpture. This year the sculptor decided to do something a little more "out" there and the photo below is what the butter sculture ended up being. When Max and I arrived he was still working on it and then when we left he had just finished it. We talked to him for a few minutes and he told us the dog on the left was supposed to be a weiner dog, but he wanted a dog with more spunk and class so he changed it to a basset hound - modeled after Randy the Dog I am sure!!

Well there you have it, our night at the State Fair. We all felt a lot like Izzy, tired and ready to go home to bed!!

Fruit Flies and Mice!

2008-08-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

Suni was working hard in their booth at Swiss Days and I got to pal around with Max and Luke for a day! I was left strict instructions to figure out a way to get rid of the fruit flies in Suni's kitchen. At first I thought, gee what is she talking about........well yeah until Luke left half of his banana on the kitchen counter, WOW, I'm surprised they (the fruit flies) didn't cart us all off!! I knew there was a homemade trap, I called LaVon and got instructions. I also needed some sticky mouse/rat traps, seems like I have mice living in the base of my hot tub, yikes! So the boys and I headed out to Smith's to get our supplies for our traps! Along the way we found a couple of hot wheel cars that were 60% off the lowest price, hey, they were practically free! I did find a fruit fly trap (jars that you fill with water, fly bait, dish soap), we threw that in our cart as well. First we had to get to my place and fill the hot tub and set those sticky traps (I can't buy the "real" mouse traps because I always am afraid I will set it off and catch my finger.....I talk from experience!!) Max was SO excited to look in the hot tub for the mice, he is such a character. He was pretty bummed that there were no mice. I took the hot tub apart and showed him where they were trying to make nests and stuff. We got the hose started and Luke and Max played while I worked on the hot tub. We never did see any mice - thank goodness!! However, Max was certain they would turn up in the water!!

We headed back to their house to set out fruit fly traps........first Max got me a piece of computer paper, we cut it into a square, then wound it into a cone, secured it with tape (Max found that for me too), put some ripe fruit in the bottom of a fruit jar - in our case we used ripe plums Suni already had on hand! Then you put the paper cone in the jar, pointy side in the jar, tape the cone all around the top of the jar, walaa, a fruit fly trap........they smell the ripe fruit, fly in the jar and they just can't figure how to get out of the jar! Max made his own trap too......he cut a chunk of paper, put a l-o-n-g piece of scotch tape hanging from it and then we taped that to the cupboard. The store bought traps went on the counter and under the sink. Then we waited, sure didn't take long until we were catching those pesky little devils!! No great photos of the traps! Just reallly cute guys playing in the yard and helping me out! Love you boys!

Dublin Diversion!

2008-08-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, August 19, I flew to Oakland to visit our Dublin kids! Marisa always has a lot of fun stuff planned to keep us all busy and happy! We went to a fun area where there was this Little Farm, as you can see my FAVORITE animal of the day had to be this beaut of a turkey!! You can tell that the animals are well loved and taken care of in quite a high quality fashion! They are only allowed to be fed celery or lettuce (of course we didn't bring either....but a real nice mom there shared their celery with the girls, Kaylee & Lucy were excited to feed the cows and sheep!)

Here are the four Dublin girls! Lucy always manages to have something great going on with her hair and/or head wear, I LOVE that she is such an independent little gal, and she can pull off any look at all and still look GREAT!

We also got to ride on a steam driven train. It was fun to feel the mist from the steam engine and of course scream in the tunnel!! This was such a cute miniature caboose, everything was so tiny!

There is a great car show in Danville, Ca that happens every August. It was fun to be able to see all of those old cars. I remember when my dad taught me to drive a standard transmission with the shifter on the column, yikes, it was quite a wild ride! The car was about a 1945 Chevrolet (ancient!)
The people watching was another terrific sport we engaged in, tall shoes, tight clothes, the lack of clothes, lots of people trying to be younger than they really were...you get the picture, it was entertaining!!!

Kaylee and Lucy are so cute to pose by their favorite cars! Here they both are in front of the one Kaylee loved, purple of course!

Give this little gal, Lulu, anything orange and she is in heaven!! There were a few orange cars, we snapped more than one photo while Lucy flashed us that great smile with the dimples!!Well we ended my stay with a quick trip to the bowling alley. Kaylee and Lucy earn free bowling from their school and for me to bowl was only $1.98, not quite sure how that worked out, but hey what a cheap date, huh??! There were a few highlights, but I think perhaps Sofi took the cake with her bowling technique. She would rub her hands over the air vent, pat her hands on her legs, walk up to the line and give the ball a mighty push (with a little help from me!) then she would turn around and throw her hands up.......of course everyone was cheering her on!
The main reason I went was to buy some school shoes for the girls. We DID get the shoes, I don't even have any photos of them, trust me they were cute! It was a fun trip, thanks to Marisa, Eric and those cute girls for showing me such a good time, hugs and love to you all!!!

A Wakeboarding Fool!

2008-08-15T11:02:00.001-07:00

We had a great Young Single Adult activity Friday, August 8, 2008 - skiing at Pineview! Janetha went with me and we had a blast! I was so excited when the Stake leaders started to plan this event!

I grew up in Kennewick, Washington on the Columbia River. My best friend, Kathy Robertson and her dad, Robby, would take us skiing everyday in the summer, it was heaven! Robby was a milkman and would finish delivering the milk about 6:00 a.m. and then come get us, the water was smooth as glass and just perfect for skiing. We would usually ski double and always had such a good time!

My brother, Gary, taught me to ski behind our tiny wooden boat when I was about 10 years old. I would ski a lot with my friends as I got older, they had nice ski boats and we would make a day of it! When we couldn't get a boat we would hook our ski rope to the back of a truck, put on our skis and ski in the canals, now that was really "the good old days"!

About 10 years ago we went to Lake Powell with friends and family. This was the first time I was able to see Doug in action behind a boat, what a treat to see him flying high, jumping the wake, doing flips, etc. Well-my mind always being way younger than my body decided it would be a fun thing to try.........after quite a few times of trying with a great teacher, Cecily Gubler, I finally got the hang of wakeboarding and WOW it was so much fun! I was a little timid and couldn't get across the wake very well, but just skimming over the water was exhilarating!! (of course in my mind I was doing the jumps and flips!!) Janetha also took up wakeboarding and would go as often as she could.

So fast forward to now, 10 years later, a body 10 years older, but a mind that still thinks the body is 25 and this is what you get:

I am sure I am giving the driver of the boat some very serious instructions!! The water was warm, but hey this was a BIG guy's board and this big guy had BIG feet too! I figured I could give it a try and after just one spill was able to pop up.

Well I was a little shaky at first, I was using muscles that seriously I didn't even know I had!

I really am enjoying myself here, even if it looks otherwise! I absolutely love the feeling of being on the water and not in it! We didn't get other photos, but Janetha and I discovered a beautiful red boat that had a girl's wakeboard, smaller, lighter and just the right shoe size. Talk about a different experience with great equipment, can I just say WOW! We had a terrific time with the Powell girls on their boat, thanks!

This cute gal didn't need much coaxing to hop in and get that board on! Since breaking her arm Janetha had only been wakeboarding once last summer, she was incredible!! Behind the red boat she was really able to show her stuff, trust me she was great! Her arm wore out before she did, so she stopped, didn't want to risk an accident the day before she was leaving for Hawaii!

I managed to try out 2 or 3 more wakeboards, I was totally exhausted when the sun went down and we HAD to get off the lake! There were just so many boats and not very many kids so I figured I better put the boats to good use! By the time I got home I realized that those muscles were going to be hurting Saturday morning. I fell into bed and felt pretty good in the morning. However, as the day wore on I absolutely could not walk, lift my arms, squat, turn my steering wheel, or open a bottle of water (are you getting the picture here!) By bedtime my skin even hurt, lying down was painful, but wow would I get up and go again??? you bet I would!! It was crazy but oh so worth it!!

I haven't gone out and bought my own equipment (yet!), but if any of you out there need an extra hand on the boat, just give me a call!!

Maxwell Thomas Mason Turns 5!!

2008-08-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Well Max hit the "Big 5" today!! He was lucky enough to have not just one party but two, a friend party and then a family party (I was lucky enough to be invited to both!!). I stopped in to say hi on yesterday, he and his cute friends were having a super time doing the slip and slide along with Mike helping them do the zip line.

Today we went to the Mason's for a yummy Sunday dinner (Mike's a darn good cook!) and then celebrated with cake, ice cream, balloons and presents. Max is always ready to say "cheese" (see above photo) but I don't think he took time to even look at me (in the following photos), he was so excited to open more presents!

Max is a terrific guy! He LOVES Star Wars anything! He is a great big bro to Luke and even shared his birthday balloons with him! He always has a hug for us (not real big on the kissin' part!), he tells us "thank you", and "i love you", he is always on the go until he finally conks out for bed at night! He can make really great noises for a lot of his Star Wars guys/stuff! He's real excited to start kindergarten in a couple of weeks!! Happy, happy birthday Max, we love you tons and thanks for inviting us to your party!!! Papa Randall and Nana Sue xoxo

James Taylor......WOW after all these years!!

2008-08-07T21:45:00.001-07:00

Thanks to our kids Randy got tickets to see James Taylor in concert at the Usana Ampitheater for Father's Day and his birthday, wahoo! We rounded up Gary and Annie Robertson and made it a great night! We headed to Takashi for some wonderful sushi, this is the best place ever, we ate til we were stuffed. However, when I have sushi and eat a lot I never really feel THAT full, weird huh?
Then off to the concert. Hey do you have any idea how far the Usana Ampitheater is, I think we could have gotten to Wendover in the same length of time, oh well. I had my camera and was so excited I had 1)charged the battery :) and 2) remembered to take it , boy I was set to take some great shots and then we saw a sign that said No Audio Visual Equipment allowed. Like a dummy I left my remembered camera in the car.......after walking forever, we finally made our way to the ticket gate only to find out I could have taken my remembered camera in, boo! No way was I trekking back to the car!

It is always so exciting to have tickets that say something like "Section 101, Row L, Seat 6" you know it could go either way huh? Well can I just say the seats were UNBELIEVABLE, literally about 45 feet from the stage (yep, and me without a camera.....) James Taylor started singing at 8:20 and with only about a 20 minute intermission sang until 11:00pm, and WOW can this man sing, even after 40 years of performing! He has such an incredible trade mark sound and it is still so beautiful to listen to, whether it is his mellow songs, the oldies, or rock and roll, it was all so, so great!!

Annie and I went and got t-shirts during intermission and when we got back to our seats we noticed he was signing autographs.......off we went to get our shirts signed. Fortunately Annie is about 5 to 6 inches taller than me so she was able to reach up high to hand him our shirts, in the mean time all the other people were using my shoulders to lift themselves up to get their stuff signed, so glad I could help them out! Yep, we got his autograph and boy could I have used my camera then, oh well!!

We had such a fun time, thanks kids, we love you all!!

RDB Turns 57!

2008-08-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

Randy loves to have something fun to look forward to, he loves to plan, plan, plan and he is TERRIFIC at it! I am a lucky lady to be his companion and the recipient of a lot of his planning, we continue to have a fun time going and doing! Here he is enjoying our outdoor shower in Costa Rica. If you let him, he would probably be catching a flight down south every few months. He served a mission there over 35 years ago and we have enjoyed going back over and over again. Can't wait until we can take our whole family there and experience it together!!

Janetha posted a great tribute to her dad and pretty much hit on every little detail that is specific to Randall. I too agree, he thinks through everything, he ponders an awful lot, but to his credit I don't think he has ever made a very big mistake, has he kids? He certainly measures twice and cuts once, unlike his eternal partner who doesn't even bother to measure and ends up with a real mess on her hands!!

He LOVES to be with family and friends. Randy loves unconditionally and is quick to forgive.He love to EAT!!! We have a great time deciding where we will go out to dinner. He is not picky when we eat at home. I usually stress about what to cook and in the last couple of years I have realized how easy going he is when it comes to dinner. Many times he is happy with a bowl of Raisin Bran as long as we have half and half in the house!!
He makes me laugh everyday!! Corny jokes or poking fun at one of my many crazy rants!!
Randall, you're a gem, thanks for so many years of love and happiness. Thanks for being a good dad to our kids, Papa Randall to our grand kids and a terrific husband and friend!

Happy, happy, birthday to you!!

Jake's the Best!!

2008-07-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

I had a terrific day today with this handsome young man, my oldest grandson! Jake turned 12 this past Saturday, July 26. He was off playing at Flaming Gorge with his other grand parents so we are still celebrating his big day! When I asked him what he wanted for lunch he said "well I haven't had sushi for a long time".......you're kidding right, when was the last time a 12 year old you know preferred sushi?! Well, not having any great sushi bars in B-town, he opted for Pei Wei's. We had my favorite the Pei Wei spicy salad and Jake ordered the Thai dynamite with shrimp. Neither dishes were too spicy on their own, but wow, when we finished BOTH dishes, I have to admit my mouth was firey hot!

So off we went in search of some new church shoes. Jake will be ordained a Deacon this Sunday and we wanted to make sure he had comfy shoes. We headed to Ross' just because my secretary, Susan, bought some darling shoes there and I thought hey they might just have some cool guy shoes.......no luck. Then over to Famous Footwear......again no luck. On main street in Bountiful is Barton's Shoes, they don't carry young men's shoes, but at least we got them to measure his feet, now we're on a crusade for a size 7. Both of us are wondering just why shoes are so hard to find. Not to be deterred we went to Kohl's and found a pair that would do if we absolutely couldn't find anything else. I suggested we go out to the Layton Hill's mall and try Mervyn's or Penney's.....on our way out of the parking lot we decided to give our trusty Super Target a go (neither one of us were very hopeful). Well were we ever surprised, first box we snagged were these good looking shoes: Wow! Aren't these just perfect for the Jakester??! He was glad to finally find some shoes that looked good and fit!

I am so impressed with this young man, he has great manners, even opening the door for me. He is a big brother to three other brothers and one sister, he loves them and takes time to play with them. He's a great example too. Jake loves to play golf, hunt, fish and play the Wii he just got for his birthday. He is a sensitive young man and has a lot of friends and realizes how important good friends are. He'll be starting seventh grade and is going to wrestle (and study!) He has a ton of family who love him. Jake ALWAYS gives me a hug and tells me he loves me, he has done this since he was just a tiny little guy, thanks Mike for teaching your sons to love and respect others!! Jake prefers fruits and vegetables to candy and water instead of soda (can you believe that!), he eats pretty healthy food most of the time, however he does love ice cream!!

Hey Jake, Happy Birthday, I sure do love you and thanks for spending a couple of hours with me today, it was a great date!!

Yvonne May Davis Hutteball October 18, 1924--July 28, 1975

2008-07-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

This terrific lady contributed greatly to the other half of why I am who I am today! My sweet mom was only here for 50 short years, but she managed to cram a lot of life and teachings into those years. She was my very best friend, we laughed until we cried on many occasions, how I wish I could remember what it was that set us off, then I realize it's the laughing that counts, not the why. She gave me her clumsiness, she and I would trip on almost anything and don't even get me started on the toe stubbing thing!!

She taught me to "kill others with kindness", especially those cranky sales clerks! She would do anything for anyone without question, she loved to serve others. She was good with numbers, words and cards and she passed those traits on to me and our kids! She loved to get dressed up and go to dinner at the Elks Club with dad and their friends, then she would dance the night away!! Both mom and dad were very good dancers!

She LOVED to move the furniture around in our living room, she would even move our piano almost every week......she was pretty happy to send the piano to Utah when I got married!

She loved to go camping, but what was even more fun was to find all of those darling minature things that go so well in camp trailers.......you know the little peanut butter jar, jam jars, hershey syrup cans.....this is where I must have gotten my LOVE for tiny things huh? She loved to salmon fish and caught a whopping 52 pounder (wish I could find that photo...)
Can you stand it....here I wished for the photo and wall-ah, our terrific family history extra-ordinaire expert, Suni May, sent it my way!! The whole fishing trip is worthy of its very own post someday!!

She waited so long for grand kids and then was so HAPPY when they finally arrived, she lived for those darling grand babies!! Curt and Emily came along first, they would have fun sleeping in the "big" bed reading with Nannaw and Gramps! When Marisa was born mom and dad drove from Washington to Utah to help out, we didn't know at the time but mom was suffering the first effects of the cancer that would ultimately take her from us. She NEVER complained and I mean NEVER! She lived with terrible headaches and then the pain of cancer, she was so strong and would smile and tell us she felt just fine.

Her desire was to be in her home near the end. I watched my dad work furiously to find a hospital bed on the weekend so he could put it in the living room to make her more comfortable. The bed was delivered and we brought her home from the hospital. She knew immediately where she was and felt good with her surroundings. She had a peaceful night and woke early. Then with grace and style, she smiled, took a few breaths and was gone.....just like that-- I lost my mom and best friend........

A few years ago Randy gave me the best compliment I could ever receive, he said "Sue, you are your mom!!" It was probably after a really great clumsy move no doubt!!

Somewhere along the way she gave me the gift of being able to have our kids be MY best friends..........I am such a lucky lady to have 3 beautiful daughters and one very handsome son who I can honestly say are my very best friends!! I know they would do anything for me and I for them (and they know that!)

Thanks mom for being such a huge example of what is good and right and more importantly for passing on so many great qualities. It's so exciting to know that you live on in all of us!!!

xoxo

Douglas Ray Hutteball-- October 4, 1923-July 24, 1991

2008-07-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

This wonderful man is half of why I am who I am today! He was a hard working Ironworker, he endured more on the job accidents than most, he almost lost his life fighting in the war, he loved to camp, fish and hunt, he was an avid poker player, he played golf and got me interested in playing when I was 12, he LOVED his grand kids, he was proud of his son and daughter and what we've been able to accomplish, he taught me about tools and how to fix things, he taught me to hunt and fish and how to play cards, he taught me to be responsible and honest. He respected my desire to be active in the LDS church, he knew it would keep me out of trouble (and it did!). He smoked a pipe, could blow smoke rings, loved to drink coffee (black), and have a drink before dinner and sometimes after!

Our Doug is named after Gramps, he was so proud to have a grand son with his name! I have a company now and it is called Hutteball, Inc. The name used to really haunt me as a kid, I endured a lot of teasing, but I am very proud of my heritage and enjoy telling people where the name came from. My great grandpa changed his name from Hansen to Hutteball before he immigrated from Denmark to the U.S., needless to say, genealogy can be a real challenge!

He passed away 17 years ago today after playing 18 holes of golf. He didn't suffer and in fact probably didn't even know what hit him, what a way to go!!

He was not a perfect man, but he was my dad and I love and miss him everyday!

Everyone, meet Gladys!!

2008-07-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well good heavens! Here I have been suffering and looking like a fool trying to find my way around when I show homes, especially in Herriman. Marisa and I have been buying GPS units trying to figure out which one would work the very best. Finally the verdict is in and the Magellan 1412 won, it is awesome!! I found one at the Murray Costco and Risa helped me do the Trip Planner for the seven homes I was scheduled to show in Herriman last night. WOW! At first I was very nervous, because Gladys* does have a mind of her own, and would emphatically tell me to turn left at .........., well I followed her every word and hey she would say, destination on your left (or right) and guess what, SHE WAS RIGHT EVERY TIME!! Can you tell I am so totally excited about this new addition to the family?! Now I am excited to go show homes in Herriman, Layton, Timbuktu (I know a couple of you should know where this is!? :) just about anywhere anyone would want to go, I can find the place!! Makes me want to just hop in the car and go, go, go.......except for the awful gas prices! Happy traveling, everyone needs a Gladys in their lives, welcome to the Benson family Gladys, we love you already, wahoo!!!

*Named after the ever nosy, loving, Gladys Kravitz on that crazy sit com I can't remember (Janet where are you?!) Also please note, the GPS does not come already named, that is something each owner has the right to do.....sort of like a WebKinz!!

Tending My Boys......

2008-07-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

Suni and Mike took a short trip to float the Green, see her great post at Thumbs, Toes and Thursdays. We had a fun field trip planned for Friday, but Thursday evening Luke spent some quality time in one of his most favorite places, the tub!! As you can see by this huge smile, he was having a great time, I had to convince him that squirting water with his mouth really needed to stay confined to the bathtub and NOT the back of my legs!! He went off to bed like a champ!
Friday morning I had to wake up said "champ" at 9:35 am to get ready for our field trip to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. Wow, this place is absolutely terrific, just take a look at Max's happy grin, I love to take this boy's photos, he always says "cheese" for me! He has his hand on a huge fossilized dinosaur foot (I think).

This shark was my all time favorite!!! Not even close to real, but when Max had already gone around the corner and said "Wow, Nana Sue you won't believe this!!!" I was pretty impressed with this toothy guy lookin right at us!
We had this area all to ourselves so I had Max take my photo with Luke and my shark friend! (oops, I think I still have my bluetooth (no pun intended!) in my ear) oh well, I think Max did a terrific job with the camera.
Max and I loved this metal dragonfly. The photo was taken through the glass so is a bit fuzzy, still pretty cool.

Gosh, hmmmm, don't know where the actual dinosaur photos went......maybe it was just too dark in there. You will all have to go experience this on your own, I highly recommend it. If you can get into the movie that would be a great adventure as well. Max's favorite part were the HUGE dinosaurs and Luke was happy to get a pretzel and popcorn on our way out!

For dinner Friday night we got pizza and had a picnic in our front yard with Papa Randall while he mowed the lawn, the boys had fun running and rolling around on the grass, did I ever have that much energy??!!

Thanks Max and Luke for being such great companions for a few days, sure do love you both!!!

Hours, Days, Weeks, etc.......

2008-07-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well time, days and weeks keep continuing to fly by and I am left wondering what I am doing will all of MY time, days and weeks!! I will try another recap. I really have been busy. I have recently take over management of a really neat club house, swimming pool and sales office building. It is about 35 miles away and I have been out there at least three times. I had to fill the swimming pool up to the full line, it was probably about 7 inches from the top......a 60,000 gallon pool!

I spent 7 hours one day with 2 garden hoses.......well needless to say I really didn't make a dent in it. I did some research and found a great company called Water Movers (catchy huh?). Here I am with a much BIGGER hose, 4" to exact and boy can it every "move" the water!

These two helpful guys met me there and we used the fire hydrant to fill this huge pool, even so it still took almost 3 hours!! Below you can see the wonderfully FULL pool. It was important to my sanity that I post plenty of these full pictures. The pool is not supposed to be clean, only full so the gunite doesn't pop out of the ground. Some of you may say it is dangerously full, I say nah, it now has plenty of extra water to aid in the evaporation process. Thanks to the Water Movers and of course my garden hoses!!

Family Togetherness......I Love It!!!

2008-06-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here I am catching up again, seems like I do a lot of that on this blog o' mine! We were happy to have the Bills family with us for a few days, and we certainly manage to cram a lot of "going and doing" when they are in town. We had a great day with almost all of the grand kids (missing Jake) on Monday. We headed to the Family History Museum. The kids enjoyed a lot of hands on activities, Max is always up for a terrific "cheese" smile for his Nana Sue! The little girls loved the babies and the woolly lamb. Luke was happy to push the chairs around and tried real hard not to tip over!!

Water activities were in order because of the heat that FINALLY arrived. We made an evening of it at Cherry Hills and I had a great time taking different kiddos down the water slide, it was a blast.......but when I got up the next morning, I realized sadly that my brain is still about 17 or 18 and my body is all of my 55 years!! I was actually sick most of the day, poor Nana Sue, maybe it was something I ate! haha You will need to go to http://www.ermakaluso.blogspot.com/ to get a better idea of just what went on at Cherry Hills!!! You can see what a great time Doug, Linds, Marshall and Neef had!!

Bits and Pieces.....

2008-06-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

Well where does the time go?! First some good news, I have gone almost 2 weeks without locking my keys in my car, I also had 3 keys made and they are in various different places, just in case I do it again!

I have been making quite a few runs to Herriman, Sandy, Draper, Layton back and forth. I'll tell you this gas thing is making me crazy! I am trying to slow down, it really does improve gas mileage, I tested it on one tank. Then I was totally late and of course since I had a new full tank of gas I decided going a little faster was in order so I wouldn't be too late!!

LaVon invited me to play in a golf tournament June 17 and she wanted us to go out and practice before the big day. Here we are at Lakeside having a great time! She is so much fun, we laugh and cry together a lot! We both played pretty good. For my first time I actually played real well. I was pumped up and ready for the tournament.......well the first 3 holes I did ok and then I really fell apart, taking 8, 9, even a 10 on one hole. I was pretty discouraged. Even so we won $10 each! We have also decided to try to play each week with Joe and Randy. This past Thursday was our first time out with them......well I had a couple of good holes. I have definitely decided to call and get some golf lessons going!

The Lost Week.....

2008-06-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well here I am again playing catch up! Last week seemed to fly by and I was doing ok until I hit Thursday. I had spent Wednesday in Herriman showing homes and needed to go back out on Thursday. I was racing to Office Max to get a few office supplies, mainly small three ring notebooks and some ink for my printer. I was on the phone, jumped out of my car, pushed auto lock and slammed the door........oops, keys were not in MY hand or purse, keys were still in the ignition IN the car.

No worry, I have On Star, one easy call that's all. Imagine my surprise to be told "ma'am, you no longer have the on star service, your vehicle is an old school analog piece of junk and you need the high tech digital mechanism so we can find your junky car and unlock it for you!" So they transferred me to road side service and I realized after about 5 minutes that I was glad I wasn't bleeding to death because it was taking way too long to be connected. I hung up and called my dear friend Susan at the office and begged her to bail me out.......as always she cheerfully said she would be right there. We made a run to our home, I found Randy's extra key (thanks RDB for confirming the location of said key!) and then back down to Office Max, oh by the way, while waiting for Susan I ran in to buy my supplies and was so ruffled that I FORGOT the binders, I did however get the printer ink! I was able to hurry to Herriman for my appointment.

The buyer's in Herriman have decided to rent for a little while and then look for a home. It was good to make a connection with past clients, they are awesome people! Her name is Tracy and she has a hair bow business, it is http://www.harebows.com/ and has super affordable hair bows, check it out!!

I tried hard to find a photo of a cute set of car keys, no luck, but you all know what keys look like anyway right?

Then on Friday I was able to help tend this cute doll, Izzy, while Linds was out of town and Dougie was getting some work done. Izz is a terrific shopper. We ran out to find my friend LaVon a birthday surprise and found ourselves at Deseret Book. Isabella LOVES to read books so I told her to pick one out......she couldn't decide on one to buy so we ran over to Seagul Book, much better inventory of really cheap books!! Izzy picked up one right away and then I got a few things, but alas she spotted one green stuffed bunny and 2 purple ones, she carried all three around for quite a while, looked at a few greeting cards. I could not sway her to a book, she really liked the $2.49 bunny and she finally chose the green one, what a pill. She did not want to give it up for the clerk to scan it, so we held up the tag and the clerk had to "shoot" it with the gun to ring it up!

Now it was lunch and then nap time, we headed out to my car and can you even believe it.......... the keys were NOT in my purse-they were hiding in the ignition AGAIN!!!

How does this happen to someone as well put together as me you ask??!! Well I am certain I am totally losing it. This time I called my terrific daughter Suni to see if she could bail me out (again), hooray, she was available and ran right to the house, got the key (good thing I had put it away!) came right over and for her time and trouble we all went to lunch at Wendy's! Thanks a ton Suni you're the best! Her sweet husband had a great solution to help my "locking keys in car" syndrome, this cute handy and ever so sylish retractable key chain. Don't you all think this would look just grand hanging on my waistband?? Knowing me I would inadvertently unhook it and leave it in the car as I am talking on my phone, getting out and locking the door, again...!!

I almost didn't tell Randy about the second time. He was so sweet the first time, making sure I found the key, checking back to make sure I was able to get in the car and not once did he ask me how I managed to do it or WHY did I do it. But boy oh boy, I was sharing the stories with the Johnsons and told them about the second time and how great Randy was the first time, well after telling my story about the second time, dad smiled at me and quietly said "idiot"! I had to agree, I was a total idiot for doing it the second time!! So I will be making my way to Mac's lock and key, have them make oh, maybe 5 or 6 keys and place them in stragetic spots around town, you may all end up with a spare key to my car!! Maybe even make one into a really cool necklace!!

So another week in review. Happy traveling to you all!!

This Handsome Guy is 28 Today!!

2008-06-03T10:41:00.001-07:00

Isn't he just the best looking guy ever!! I am proud to say I gave birth to this fellow 28 years ago today in the basement of the new Payson hospital! We were so excited to get a boy after our two girls, and believe me, from the very beginning he has been ALL BOY and going 100 miles per hour all the time! Here are just a few things I know and love about my Dougie boy:

He is so coordinated!

He loves Lindsay and Izzy and it shows!

He is honest!

He works so so hard at everything he does!

He plays even harder!!

He is very athletic!

He doesn't like pie!

He thinks writing is a waste of time!

He is a perfectionist with a lot of things!

He is a terrific dad, Izzy is a lucky lady!

He loves his mom, dad and sibblings!

He has two speeds: super fast/sleeping!!

He loves dogs!

He enjoys fly fishing, golf, skate boarding, snow boarding, surfing, wake boarding, soccer, etc!

He is naturally good at all of the sports listed above!

He loves Iron Maiden!

He is a good business man!

He has a really big truck!

He has a great smile!

He has had a couple of near death experiences (thay I know about!), and lived to tell the stories!

I love to hear him tell stories, dude!

He makes me smile when he walks into our home!

I love to see him play and be with Izzy!

He loves little kids!

I think he is still a kid and will ALWAYS be young at heart!!

Way to go Doug! I love you and am so proud to be your mom!!

Happy Birthday!!

Had to get a photo of the June birthday kids!!

A Beautiful Girl Turns 25 Today!!!

2008-06-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

I am proud to say I gave birth to this beautiful girl 25 years ago today! Whew, glad I lived through my 4th natural child birth! Janetha Ann was born just after the infamous floods of '83 (not a word in any Salt Lake papers about this incredible event) She was beautiful from the very beginning, she was even pretty cute when she was eating dirt that had spilled on the floor from the flower pot she had pulled over! She has experienced a lot in her 25 years. I want to share some things I know and love about Janetha:She is always smiling, a very beautiful smile too!

She loves pedicures, but her feet are ticklish!

She loves animals, especially dogs, it used to be cats, in fact I don't think she ever did own a doll, only stuffed cats, pound puppies and purries!

She is a TRUE friend and will go to bat for the people she really believes in!

She is full of energy, but loves a good nap too!

She loves words and word games!

She has a counting fetish (inherited from her mother)!

She has such beautiful blue eyes!

She may have short legs, but the gorgeous long hair makes up for them!

She loves clothes and shoes!

She also loves hand bags!

She has a million friends!

She has lost too many friends to death......

She has a superb memory!

She loves to have a good time indoors or out!

She loves her family and loves to spend time with all of us!

She is a great organizer (when she wants to and when it is needed)!

She is a "people person"!

She has learned from her mistakes and is a stronger person because of them!

She loves ALL food, especially Trader Joe's!

She can be trusted!

She is a blast to be around and can make those around her feel comfortable and welcome!

She is very, very smart and can put ANYTHING together with or without instructions!

She is passionate about many things!

She is wise beyond her 25 years!

I could go on and on, but as you can see she is a pretty special lady, one thing is for sure, she will always be my baby!!

Happy Birthday Neef, I love you too, too much!!

Mom

I Have Witnessed a Miracle!!!!!

2008-05-29T22:43:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of none other that the "elusive" Allen's car parked in front or OUR HOUSE!!! Can you even stand it, he was to be here at 6pm, showed up at almost 7pm, but he actually SHOWED up!! Dad is thrilled to have the TV in and working. Allen does need to come back tomorrow night, same time, 6pm to install the speakers. The question is still "Will he really show up??"

Janetha's bright smile is how we all feel now that the TV has been installed. Yep, he made it back Friday night to install the speakers, WAHOO! There is one that has a wiring problem and he PROMISED to be here this Tuesday night.......even if he doesn't show, the TV, DVD player, ipod docking thing, and 3 speakers has relieved the stress in our home by at least 100%!!!

Thanks Allen :)

Nana Sue's Last Week's News in Review!

2008-05-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Whoa Neef, how's that for a mouthful title!

Well, I have had a blogging revelation (again!) Realizing this really is MY chance to keep an account of what I am doing in my life and what is going on around me. Hey if I don't have photos for every little thing, that is going to be just fine. There is a neat blog I like to peek at called 100 per cent cottam. She does a review and it is always first class with photos, links, great info, etc.

I decided during my revelation that we are not here to compete or compare ourselves with others, rather we are here to prepare ourselves to meet God. There are so many things we are expected to do (even commanded to do) and I certainly want to try to be a better person everyday I live. I learn from my children and grand children how to be more caring and loving. I learn from my clients to be more patient and to continue to serve with a smile, I learn from the hectic pace of the world around me to slow down and enjoy the journey. One thing that I have always wanted to do better is to record the comings and goings of myself and my loved ones around me. I know this blog thing is a super way to do that. So I have decided no matter how random or weird, with or without photo back up, I am going to just simply post!

So here we go, my week in review with and/or without photos!

Mother's Day was a treat as it is EVERY year! My kids have to be the very best! They gave me a wonderful necklace that has Blessed stamped on it and then their birthstones are also on the necklace, it looks like this

Max is looking a little trouble by what's going on and I'm not sure what's going on, Papa Randall looks happy though!!

Can you say "strawberry shortcake with whip cream?" All the kids seemed to love this dessert!!

I also got this sassy black Volcom purse thanks to Janetha, it is so much cuter in person!! I will be very cool when Fall gets here and I can use this terrific new bag!

The Bills and Benson families gave me a great gel filled bicycle seat, sure makes cycling a lot more comfy!And from the Mason family a darling apron that our talented Suni whipped out in about 10 minutes!! I even have a great pocket on it!! Modeled on a chair just does not do it justice, it is so very cute and makes me be such a cute cook!!Lots of hugs, cards, kisses and loves and a wonderful bbq dinner (thanks Papa Randall and guys) made it another special day. I am so thankful to have such a tremendous family, I love you all so so so much!! As always we missed the Bills, we wish they were closer to us-thank goodness for the phone!

Monday was supposed to be the day the Comcast redeemed themselves and came out to fix a terrible mess that the tech on Saturday made at my house. Whew, I didn't really have phone service and my fax machine didn't work. It was a week end when I really needed to fax important papers. Well Comcast failed to call my cell phone for the service call and yep, you guessed it, they simply left a note that said basically "oh well sorry, I guess you don't have a problem after all". The reported it as "problem solved". Well I went a little balistic (again), they said sorry, Tuesday morning is the best they could do. I took it and stayed at home the entire time. A tech arrived, I was very kind to him and decided I needed to get a little something more out of this whole ordeal. When he had finished fixing my phone and fax machine I coaxed him into installing a DVR recorder (as per Marisa's urging!) Wow, he did it and I was able to record American Idol that night and watch it for the first time ever the next day while folding laundry! Thanks Comcast, you are now officially out of the dog house and thanks Marisa for the push!

Dad and I worked hard Monday and Tuesday reclaiming our garage. All of our storage has been hiding there while the gym and storage area was being finished. We have a lot of "stuff" and it is now proudly tucked away on our ever sturdy shelves. The problem now, as I see it, is that I only have 2 or 3 shelves for ALL of my storage bins of clothes and shoes, sounds like a lot, but I seem to have Janetha's disease for collecting and keeping every shoe and piece of clothing I have ever owned for the last umpteem years.....so this was my brilliant idea, well actually Linds mentioned it to me. Taking my clothes to a consignment store and getting PAID real MONEY for my stuff, wow now that motivated me to get busy, plus I knew that Suni had just recently taken some stuff there. I called the store in Bountiful, they are going out of business, sorry. I called 3 stores in Salt Lake, sorry, they are also going out of business......for just a split second I thought about opening my OWN consignment shop, then regained my senses and figured out there was a valid reason they were all going out of business, too much work, no money. Now I will box them up and give them to my dear friend Susan who can ALWAYS find new homes for our gently used clothing items!!

I got a call from my hairdresser, Shirley, wow she had a cancellation for next week. I snagged the appointment fast. I am going back to the short, short messy look again (I know you all think I still have that look, but my hair has grown about 2 inches, really) I have finally figured out why I have such fragile hair.......I was gracious and generous enough to give ALL of my great hair genes to my beautiful daughters and handsome son, thus leaving me very gene deficient when it comes to thick luxurious hair. So when you all are blow drying or styling your beautiful locks, you can think of me and thank me for making such a sacrifice for you!!

Our good friend Marc turned 61 on May 20. We were able to head out to Lone Star Wednesday night to celebrate his birthday. We had a great meal and then of course needed to find some dessert. Marc was a little embarrassed to show up at a restaurant and just order dessert. Kelly, Janet and I told him not to worry, people do it all the time! We dropped in at Chili's, Randy let them know it was only for dessert and they were very KIND and seated us quickly (helped Marc from being TOO embarrassed)! We got two yummy desserts, the chocolate something and the cookie/ice cream with caramel something, they disappeared in no time! Happy Birthday Marc, we love ya!

Friday night we were able to celebrate Joe's 63rd birthday in style by going to Fleming's Steakhouse at the Gateway. Oh my what delicious food!! For the past 3 years Dad and Joe get $100 gift cards from being on the board of trustee's at Lakeview hospital. We go together and pool our cards. We had a yummy dinner of filet medallions, mashed potatoes, gazpacho, grilled shrimp and chocolate lava cake/ice cream for dessert (I was able to substitute my steak for salmon, I was in heaven)! The check arrived and it was for $201.38 - we left our tip plus the $1.38 and headed out, what a delicious meal, thanks Lakeview Hospital, so sad this was their last year on the board, no more free meals!! We are so glad to have good friends we can make memories with, thanks Joe and LaVon, Marc and Janet and Danny and Kelly (even if Danny was in CA, absent from our dinner)

I showed homes in Layton and listed one in West Valley on Saturday, then ran home and started planting (again)! That's another disease I have, I keep buying more and more plants, I love to plant them in my pots and garden, however, I am now running low on space! We tended Izzy so Doug and Linds could go out and celebrate their anniversary. That little lady LOVES to read books, so we read and read. When it was time to get to bed, she gave me a kiss and love and got situated on her little pillow with binky, blanket and baby-that was it, not a peep!

Also during the week I managed to exercise almost every day! I love the gym, going downstairs in my jammies is the best, if we happen to get a T.V. tonight (crossing fingers) it will be even better. Right now I use my ipod which really helps the time fly, but hey a TV show once every now and then would be sweet too! Now may be the time for the "elusive Allen" story: We have a sound guy who has helped with ALL of the TVs, VCRs, DVD players, etc. in our whole house. He came out a couple of months ago and wired the gym, got a check and ordered the TV. Great, he said call him when we were ready for the install. So a month ago dad called, no answer for almost a week and no returned calls. Finally, an appt. was made, it was for 3 weeks ago (the day after I had the first melt down with Comcast) well 7:30 came and went as well as 3 whole weeks with not one word from this crazy guy. I put the super sluths on it to try to track down some dirt on him, nothing....Janetha even went to his home, encountered a creepy room mate, but alas, no Allen. Unbeknownst to me, dad went to Allen's home Friday morning and sat out in front from 8:30 til 10:00 when Allen finally showed his face. No embarrassment, no surprise, nothing....so dad set up yet another appt with him, today (Monday) at 5:00. We are not holding our breath, just hoping he really does show up!

Well there you go, that sums up a week in the life of Nana Sue. Not too exciting, but it is now documented so when I kick the bucket and you kids are reminiscing about mom and that crazy cable story, you can flip right to this page of my blog and re-read the actual account!!

P.S It is 5:34 pm......still no sign of Allen (am I surprised???)

5 Great Years!!!

2008-05-23T08:27:00.001-07:00

Well I'm only a day late. I want these two kids to know how proud I am of them!! They are both so hard working. They care about others and most of all they are terrific parents to our Isabella Mae, she is one lucky little lady!! On their wedding day it was a blistering 98 degrees (maybe a little too hot!), sunny, blue skies, no rain or wind, it was a perfect day in everyway! Love and hugs to you both!!!

Meet my new best friend.....

2008-05-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

I have felt the pain of being a lame blogger, I promise to try to do a better job. I really do have a pretty interesting life, just not sure you would want to hear ALL the gritty details!

I finished my work-out today and was sitting here trying so hard to come up with a post. This great machine came to mind! Now realize I had to get a photo to post and we lovingly call this the "shaker" machine (thanks to Marshall). The technical name is a vibrating exercise plate........let me warn you right now, you do NOT want to google "vibrating photo"!! After I revised my search I was happy to find this photo.

This gem of a machine really is terrific. It helps with bone density, circulation, back problems, stress, sleep disorders, cellulite (really), etc (no girls, it does not fold my laundry, dang!) I try to use this twice a day. I sometimes will lift weights while I stand on it, this intensifies the weight training. Too bad I can't get paid for my sales pitch to everyone about this machine, give me a call you can stop by and give it a try!!

Hooray For Spring!!

2008-05-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

On that blustery, snowy, cold and nasty May 1, the day after my unbelievable "rant", I came home to find these darling flowers visiting at my neighbor's home. They were sent to me by an anonymous loved one! The note simply said "to brighten your cold day"-and that they did!!! I LOVE flowers, they bring warmth, love, cheer and an overall sense of comfort to me. So I'm sure the flowers being sent contributed to the warm weather finally arriving - today is a beautiful, sunny day! Wahoo!!

So, many, many, many thanks and love to my anonymous loved one, I love you so, so much!!!

You know me, can't just post one photo!!

P.S The roses have bloomed beautifully!! Love em!

I Should Have Stayed in Bed!!

2008-04-30T19:34:00.001-07:00

You know when you have one of THOSE days.....? When at the end of the day you realize staying in bed would have been a better alternative....? Not to make this a whining post, but no one would believe what's gone on, so I decided to record it here:

8:35 a.m. Got to my office. I had purchased light bulbs from Gerry the handicapped worker yesterday, $32 for 6 bulbs (no this is not a typo!) They were delivered, I opened the box after hearing some serious rattling going on and this is what I found........

Ok, fine, no problem right, they have a 5 year guarantee on them, great!! So they go into my back seat where they continue to rattle around most of the morning. I realize, hey you know, I don't need to keep buying from this fellow, although it does make me feel nice to purchase from time to time. I went nuts though and called and actually complained and had my name taken off of the list.....hope I don't feel too guilty!

I have a deal going with Wells Fargo, we are moving into the 8th month of waiting for them to "approve the short sale package"........really what in the world do you think they have been doing for 7 1/2 months?? I am able to use a different identity and call the bank myself ( I represent the buyer) so today I decided to call every hour, yikes, good thing I have unlimited minutes on my cell phone. Each call took a minimum of 20 minutes and a couple took 35 to 45 minutes. Basically I am right where I was yesterday, with absolutely nothing. I will call again tomorrow, why not, I may just get an answer!

Last evening I called Comcast and bundled my cable, internet and home phone, what a great plan. I will end up saving almost $100 per month, great idea huh? I was told to pick up an HD cable box at Comcast in Layton today (I need it before Thursday evening since our sound guy will be here to install it) So after showing 4 more homes I ran out to Layton to pick up said HD box......after waiting in line for 10 minutes it was my turn. I asked for the box and rescheduled the time to have them come out to change over the phone service only to be told, sorry I can't give you a box today.....What??!! I need the box today, I was told I could pick up the box today. She was pretty adamant and told me since I had an "open" order I had to wait until 7 days after the order was completed before I could pick up the box, well that would be about 2 weeks from now, not even an option. So as I was gritting my teeth, I asked what exactly would I have to do to walk out of there with a box TODAY??! Oh no problem, we will cancel your phone order, give you the box, re-do all of the paper work, reschedule your phone change over for May 10. By now there were about 8 to 10 people behind me (only one clerk!) and I said ok, fine then that's what I want to do. Well I don't think I came out the winner totally, but 40 minutes later I did walk out with this little beauty - "the box:! Whew! I avoided the stares from the people in line!!

I'm really into "dove-tailing" my car trips. I needed to return a shirt to DownEast Outfitters in Layton. I was glad the shirt was still in my car and I ran in, looked around, didn't find anything I "needed" so I went to the counter to do the return.......couldn't find the receipt (go figure!) and of course they just look at you like you are stupid and send you on your way. Back to the car, tore through my purse and wallet, wahoo, found the receipt! Ran back in to get a credit on my bank card, again she looked at me like I was nuts, sorry, we only give store credit, so girls, let me know if there's something cute at DownEast, I have credit! Did I mention it was snowing in Layton while I was running in and out, honest!

Finally, I was on my way home and was on the phone. I kept hearing an odd beep in my ear...discovered that the BlackBerry was going dead, just too much phone time with Wells Fargo I guess! I stopped in at Albertson's to pick up a prescription for Allegra-D, they rang it up and said "that will be $45", are you kidding me? What happened to the $5, $10 or even $25 co-pay, since I was in the middle of yet another allergy attack, I swiped my card, grabbed my pills and rushed out!!

Finally home! Dad had spent the day home helping the gym guys unload and assemble the gym equipment. It took them 8 hours (guess my problems were ok compared to putting all that stuff together)! Here you will see the gym before equipment and then after. I'm sorry I didn't get a photo when the area was still the "movie room". But you kids can all remember how great it looked huh?

You know dad, on his hands and knees scrubbing the gym floor, it took him a long time!! Thanks Randy!

The TV and of course the HD cable box will go in Thursday night!

Last but not least, Thursday, May 1, 2008 arrived with an inch of snow on the ground. Yes, the white stuff on Jolley's roof really is snow, brrrrr, it is only 28 degrees and still a few flurries. Spring and summer where are you!!??

Okay, Enough Already!!!!

2008-04-24T11:25:00.001-07:00

Can you believe this!! Taken from my front door this morning! Yes I know - I was the one who prayed for snow way back when and was even guilty of saying "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" However, this is Spring, it is April 24, not December 24!! Snow is not an appropriate item for Mother Earth to be wearing at this time of the year!! She should be in at least partial sun and beautiful blue skies, capris and flip flops!
This one off of our back deck, brrr, heat in home is set at 75!!!

What! Tag at my age?!

2008-04-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's the ABC's about me!

A. Attached or Single? Attached.

B. Best Friends? My mom and my cute daughters and of course Randall!

C. Cake or Pie? Cake, chocolate mayo cake, red waldorf cake, Costco chocolate cake, yummm

D. Day of Choice? Sunday a day to relax and generally get some of the kids here for dinner

E. Essential Item? My cell phone of course, no wait, it's my BlackBerry!

F. Favorite Color? Yellow (wait til you see the exercise room!)

G. Greatest Accomplishment? Raising 4 successful, beautiful, handsome kids!!

H. Hometown? Kennewick WA is where I grew up. Bountiful is where I have been for 30+years

I. Indulgences? It would have to be REALLY good Tiramisu, like at Cafe Madrid/Neilsen's choc/almond concrete, extra choc and extra almonds would be a close second!

J. January or July? July

K. Kids? 3 daughters, 1 son, 2 sons in law, 1 daughter in law & (one boyfriend) love 'em all!

L. Life is incomplete without? Family, so glad to have 3/4ths here in Utah!! We miss the Bills in CA!

M. Marriage Date? February 8, 1974 (well before most of you were born!!)

N. Number of siblings? 1 Gary, he is 64 this year and lives in Las Vegas, I haven't seen him in so many years, but we talk often

O. Oranges or apples? Well for awhile it was a run on apples, especially dried ones, then I got on a real orange and string cheese kick, probably a toss up

P. Phobias or fears? Spiders!!!

Q. Quotes? I have a lot I love and some things I say a lot, does that count as a "quote"? "Be happy everyday!" "I don't care which car we go in", "And the lesson learned from this experience is what?" "Kill them with kindness" There, that ought to just about cover it!!

R. Reason to smile? I am breathing and do not have a headache, hopefully today was the last snow storm, yeah!!

S. Season? Spring and summer, I love planting flowers and coming out of a movie theatre at 11pm to 80 or 90 degree weather, can't wait! Oh, but fall in Utah is spectacular!!

T. Tag three friends? Hmmm, I wonder who reads my blog besides my kids? Any of you reading this, please consider yourself tagged, I'd LOVE to hear from you! Especially, Suni, Janetha and Linds!

U. Unknown fact about me? I have always wanted to work at a mortuary helping the dead and comforting the living...weird huh?

V. Very Favorite Store? Costco and TJ Maxx, I love a bargain!!

W. Worst Habit? Piling stuff up, not putting stuff away, just being a slob in general!! I am trying to reform, one drawer/cupboard at a time!

X. X-ray or ultrasound? Ultra sound, it seems like a miracle to me!

Y. Your favorite food? Mexican, especially Enchilda Suisas from Blue or Red Iguana, yumm!

Z. Zodiac? Virgo

Mmmm, I'm lovin' the blackberry!!!!

2008-04-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me real well (all of you 5 or 6 blog readers!) know I suffer from techno-phobia, the fear of moving forward in the huge world of technology......well dad got a BlackBerry a few months ago, I watched him study for well over 3 or 4 hours a couple of nights in a row and I thought, Whoa, no way, if he is studying that hard I'll NEVER figure out something that complicated. Randy just kept saying how much he LOVED his BlackBerry (I thought he was nuts!) Then I started calling Verizon to see what it would cost, what the plan would be, just in case by some small miracle I actually decided I might sorta want to take this big leap forward. The date was March 24, I could get an upgrade. Well the date came and went, I called Verizon again to ask even more questions, gads this is not rocket science or brain surgery, it is a phone!! Finally on April 1 (how appropriate, All Fool's Day!) I spent over 2 hours in the Go Verizon store with their very young techno geeks (who could almost be my grand kids) who helped set me up with my very own BlackBerry (I really love raspberries and feel inclined to call mine just that since it is red!) So about 6 or 8 months ago I really thought the following photo was just what they look like, blueberries and blackberries. Never did I think that word would also be attached to something that doesn't even come close to resembling a berry!

So here we are folks. I am now into my 16th day of BlackBerry use. Can I just say I LOVE it (and I am not nuts!!) It really is pretty awesome. The best part is that I can get and send e-mails all day long right from my car, office, store, etc. Then there are other "best" parts like being able to check every one's blog and seeing those darling photos of all of my grand kids as soon as their mom's post them. The cut and paste feature is pretty awesome too. Oh, I can't for get the darling ring tones they have that I have set up to alert me when I have a text, or an e-mail. It is even set to send a ring tone 15 minutes before all of my appointments, wow, can you stand it!!! I have the old school ring for when someone actually calls me, I have wanted that tone for a long time! It really is amazing. I was at Institute last night and a fellow wondered about a price of a home, I told him I'd find out and let him know.....then my feeble brain kicked in gear, I pulled out my BlackBerry and got on the inter net, went to the Multiple Listing Service and pulled up the whole listing, wahoo!! No more waiting for an agent to call me back or calling my wonderful daughters to say HELP, CAN YOU LOOK UP AN ADDRESS FOR ME!!! I am forever grateful to my girls for helping me, now you guys can call ME for addresses, numbers, etc!! So there you have it, my giant leap into the techno world, I'm sure this little device does many other things I have yet to discover, perhaps I will post again when I have discovered other amazing features!!

Isn't the red one just the cutest thing you have ever seen????

My Journey to Dublin!

2008-04-06T12:51:00.001-07:00

March 24, Monday morning I was waiting to get on the plane to Dublin to visit the Bills family. I heard them announce my name TWICE over the loud speaker, I wondered what in the world they wanted....well everyone had already gotten on the plane, they wondered where I was since they had evidence that my bags had been checked and loaded.....well I guess I was to engrossed in my book and didn't hear the call to board!! Fortunately I made it! Kaylee and Lucy are real performers. They spend a lot of time getting their programs just right, then we are asked to join them for the performance, they are so cute and creative. This one involved all of their web-a-kinz!!
It was so warm one of the days that we were able to go to the park, the girls enjoyed playing in the sand, Kaylee wanted to add water......we caught her just in the knick of time or we would have had a real muddy mess!!

Poor little Sofi! So tired, we were trying to keep her awake until we got home. She had the phone to her ear and just couldn't hold those baby blues open one more second!!
On the top of Mt Diablo, and brrrrr was it ever cold!! It was so beautiful to see for miles in all directions. Marisa is always looking for new and different things to do with her kids, thanks for letting me tag along! It was a fun few days. We also made our pilgrimage to Trader Joe's, I managed to bring home almost 90 pounds of total luggage weight, I'm sure 80 lbs was just the stuff from Trader Joe's! We sure need one in Utah! Thanks Eric, Risa, Kaylee, Lucy and Sofi for making my visit with you so much fun!! Hugs and kisses to you all!

Easter Sunday at Papa Randall and Nana Sue's

2008-04-06T12:36:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday we had Doug, Linds, Isabella, Janetha, Marshall and of course Randy the Dog here for another hunt and dinner. I think this was Izzy's 3rd hunt of the week end, she really knew what to do!! She would chuck the egg in her basket and scurry on to the next colored egg, of course the "lellow" ones were her favorite!!
What can I say, cute photo!!
Izzy is always so willing to share her dinner with Randy the Dog! They get along so well and are great pals!!! They had a rather stinky bonding experience at our home I can't really document with photos, trust me on this one!!
Another cute photo of these three!
I am such a slacker blogger! I'm so glad my kids are so good at documenting their lives for us!

We miss the Bills family at our gatherings. Thank goodness for phones, blogs and visits to California!! We love you all!!

Easter at Papa Randall and Nana Sue's

2008-04-06T12:21:00.000-07:00

On the Saturday before Easter we had the Mason clan up for an Easter egg hunt! Here are the three handsome guys with their cool sunglasses, don't know if they'll be able to use them, it is still so cold out!! It is so fun to have 3/4ths of our family so close by, thanks for a fun day!! Max wasn't even worried about finding the eggs in our scary wood pile, way to hunt Max!!
Luke was so excited everytime he spotted a colored egg, he knew there was candy inside and couldn't wait to open them!
Jake is always such a helpful big brother, he's a great sport at these events that are so magical to the little ones!! Thanks Jake, we love you!!
See following post for Miss Izzy's hunt!!

Signs of Spring!

2008-03-17T15:42:00.001-07:00

These darling yellow pumps just scream "SPRING" don't you think?? I was wandering through Macy's trying so hard to use my 20% off coupon and naturally was drawn to the shoe department. These cute guys just reached out and grabbed that coupon from me, hey, what could I do! I have even found a great Lucille Ball dress to go with them, now if we can just hold the snow at bay for a few more days!!

The Rest of the Trip.......Pura Vida!!!!

2008-03-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

I love this photo of the shadow of our plane. We were leaving the jungle and heading for dryer ground, back to San Jose and then on to the volcano. Here is the Arenal volcano. This was probably the highlight of the trip for me (well besides the crab in my shoe!). When we have been here before it is almost always covered in a thick layer of clouds, this was spectacular just to be able to see it during the day. We checked into our rooms at the Observatory Lodge, this was the view from our room, no kidding full out glass windows with such an awesome view!!! We could see large bolders bouncing down the mountain side, sometimes breaking open to reveal the orange lava inside, we could also hear this incredible rumbling noise as they careened down, full speed ahead!!
The evening came and WOW, what a spectacle!! We were able to see the orange/red lava traveling down the side, exploding on the way and making quite a beautiful sight!! Try going to this web site and you will see what we saw (my photos all turned out very black!!)http://www.arenal.net/photo/latest/2007-07-22-observatory-lodge/ I kid you not, this is what it looked like. I watched until after 1:00 a.m. and then only slept with one eye closed so I could enjoy a once in a lifetime experience!!! There was a darling shop called the Lady Bug, it had cute pottery, art, trinkets, etc. Couldn't resist getting my photo by their cute sign!
I should have ended with this story, but oh well, still not good at placing my photos!! We stayed in a beautiful hotel the last two nights in San Jose. It is two mansions that they have converted into an incredible hotel. Very reasonable at only $85 per night!! This link will show you some nice photos.http://www.hotelgranodeoro.com/printable.htm I am a bathtub junky! When we arrived our room wasn't ready so we put our stuff in Joe and LaVon's room, ahhh, they had a HUGE bathtub, wow, I was so excited! I also noticed Gary and Annie's room also had a HUGE bathtub. Well we stowed our stuff and went out to explore. We went to a tiny town called Escazue to shop......well no shopping at all, but dad enjoyed walking and walking and walking up and down the streets, some very steep. I was able to keep going because I knew I could soak in that huge tub later that night. A few hours later we were back at the hotel, got our luggage and moved into our own room. Dad went downstairs to get the key to the safe and I walked into the bathroom to take a look at our HUGE tub........well, the photo is what I saw!! No tub, not even a small tub. I may have had a hard week, who knows, but I actually began to cry, can you believe it over a stinkin' bathtub!! Then I did what any blonde would do, I walked out of the bathroom, took a breath and walked back in the bathroom to see if I had somehow missed the tub, really!! I did this two or three times, and every time it was still an over sized giant SHOWER....This had to be the only bummer of the trip and it wasn't even that big of a deal!!

Dad having a great time on the Tarzan fall! A free fall of about 15 to 20 feet and then a huge and exhilarating swing until they grab your feet to stop you. A lot of us lost our shoes and socks as the guys tried to pull us to a stop!
Happy Sue, after the free fall!
Totally freaked out Sue in the middle of the fall!!!

The butterfly farm had a lot of beautiful and colorful butterflies all around as well as a lot of flowers. I will not post my 300-400 flower photos, just let me know if you ever need a foliage shot for anything, I'm sure I've captured it on my camera!!

I have oodles of photos, too many to post. We had a terrific trip, dad had it planned down to the very last detail, something only he is perfect at!! The weather was wonderful, great food and fun with our friends. Now kids, let's put our heads together and figure out how to get the family to Costa Rica! Pura Vida!!!

More of the Adventure.....

2008-03-09T20:48:00.001-07:00

This is the beautiful Marriott in San Jose. It is a couple of miles from the Temple and is always a great place to begin and/or end our stay in Costa Rica. Everything is out in the open and the weather was PERFECT! A view from the little "puddle jumper" plane we took from San Jose to the Osa Peninsula.

Here's the cute little plane with Joe and LaVon nearby. We had great seats-right behind the pilots and were able to watch them, not a lot of security on these airlines!

Randy is always in fear of losing luggage (well I am too!!) We all took North Face duffles, not to exceed 25 pounds and we carried them on the flight from Salt Lake to San Jose. Well as luck would have it, we had a slight problem...... here is a photo of dad's bag, yep the red one, let me just add we are ON the plane taxing down the runway when I snapped this picture!! Poor dad, the flight was too heavy and his bag (only 21 lbs) just wouldn't fit!! He was pretty nervous, but they promised it would be on the next plane. It actually didn't arrive for about 4 or 5 hours. Once he got the bag he was able to relax!!

What.....?? There's a crab in my shoe!!! or Another Costa Rican Adventure!!!

2008-03-07T11:13:00.001-08:00

We had the privilege of taking another vacation to Costa Rica. Something tells me this will be a month long post! Be patient! We first went to the Osa Peninsula, very much a jungle! This is where we stayed, dad and I were in the bottom room and Gary and Annie were above us. At least there were screens on the windows this time! After a HUGE down pour, and I do mean huge - it's like the rain drops are as big as a baseball and it is very warm rain. Also after a full moon and a rain these beautiful (?) orange and black crabs are EVERYWHERE!! The paths are full of them, they are scurring all over....well we got back to our bungalo and had a visitor, I know the photos aren't great, but you get the idea. I reallly wanted dad to sweep him out and finally he did get a broom and we let the little guy outside.

I had washed my shoes out and set them on the bathroom floor and then decided, hey I think I'll hang them up, maybe they will dry out a little. I picked them up and thought there was a pebble rattling around in one of the shoes and as I looked (in very limited light) I saw a black and orange claw come creeping out of the toe of my shoe. Now mind you I remained very calm because we have people above us trying to sleep and said between clenched teeth "Randall, please come here I need help, there's a crab in my shoe!" He shook and shook the shoe and that little critter was NOT giving up his home that easy! So we ran hot water over him and wahoo, he decided get outa town! Dad manuevered him into a glass and we sent him outside with his brother, cousin or what ever! I managed to go back outside later only to have a few of them scurry right back in, yep, we had the broom handy!
This was how dad did some of his laundry!! The dark you see really is the great out of doors, very primitive, but highly functional!

Here is the one and only spidey we saw on the whole trip! I think he's a gem! (not on my shirt, only posed behind for a great photos!)
Here's the bed in our bungalo complete with bug net, and yes we used the net every night. I tucked mine in so you can imagine what a fight I had every time I needed to get up and go to the bathroom.....I know my kids are laughing now!
Here's a shot of our cute bano during the day, it really was a fun experience!
Sorry, I don't know how to get rid of this duplicate of dad!! Just enjoy it and know that there will be a lot more photos coming!

I have a home, but I need a name....

2008-02-20T15:54:00.000-08:00

Well I'm really reaching here for something to post.....We have this darling giraffe, from Africa, that our friends the Brocks gave to us. He stands proudly in our home and Randy thought he needed just a little more class, so he gave the little guy one of his very own bow ties. Now I seem to think the giraffe needs a name. I know I have SO many people watching my blog, I am sure I will be overwhelmed with suggestions!!! Can't wait!! Get those names sent in now!!

Random News Posts....

2008-02-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

February 8, 2008 Randy and I celebrated our anniversary.....34 years!! He is always so thoughtful, this year I came home to this beautiful stained glass "love birds" hanging on our door going out to our deck! It is so fun to see whenever I'm in the kitchen, I love the views from our home, and now when I see these love birds I am reminded of a day 34 years ago when we both said "yes"! Can I just say we have the most terrific kids in the whole world!! They always remember those special days and our anniversary was no exception. They pooled their resources and got us this beautiful plant (they know I can only keep indoor green plants alive for just so long!) We really needed a spot of green on our table! Suni delivered it to my office on Friday, what an unexpected treat (yes, I got a little teary eyed ((so what's new!)) The girls each posted a tribute to us on their blogs, that was a great surprise and yes, more tears!! We are so proud of each one of you, your spouses, your boy friend and your children and are so blessed to be your mom, dad, Papa Randall and Nana Sue and friend!! Thank you for your love and thoughtfulness everyday!!Another milestone, our darling Kaylee girl turned 7 on February 8, 2008! What a terrific celebration she was able to have with her family. (if I knew how to throw in a link to Marisa's blog I would....hey try this... http://www.ermakaluso.blogspot.com/ and you can read all about it!!) I talk to Kaylee occasionally on the phone. Just the other day after a brief conversation, I said to Marisa "Wow, when did she grow up!!" She is a great big sister and keeps her folks on their toes with her insightful questions and experiences in first grade!! Happy, happy birthday Kaylee bug, we love you too much!!

WATCH OUT DAVID LETTERMAN...!!!
Yes kids, this is your dad! He was asked to be the MC at the Bank's winter party last night. He did a terrific job, only embarassed me a couple of times, made a few jokes and kept the evening rolling on in a very punctual way!! (I think he will keep his day job at the bank - he loves it there!!)

Love and respect for this Great Man!

2008-01-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love this sweet man! He has done more for humanity than any other person I know. If we all would listen to his words, take them to heart and let those words help make us better, wow, what a better world we would have! He never judged, never criticized, never ridiculed, rather he was a light to all, lifted people up, praised others and shared his wit and humor and loved us all! He lived as the Savior would have us live! I can just see and imagine him and his sweet companion, Marjorie, embracing, maybe dancing and of course laughing together. Thanks President Hinckley!!

Deal of the century or "so ugly they're cute"!!

2008-01-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, here we go. Since the only winter shoes I wear now are these wide Dansko style I decided I needed more than just the plain black and brown. I got a cute pair of mary janes last week and then accidently bid on some on e-bay. They were green suede with brown insets, very cute and very different. I have been patiently waiting for them arrive......the door bell rang and there was the box, I tore the box open and this is what I found....the shoes in the photo. My first reaction was "oh heck, these aren't the cute green shoes I bought!" Well I happen to have on a lime green shirt with my brown furry vest, the wrong shoes just happen to have lime green and brown suede around the edges.....I thought well I can just try them on and see how they fit.
I walked around a bit and then got on the phone to shoemetro.com and had a great conversation with a fellow there. Told him I got the wrong shoes and what could he do - he finally tracked down the real shoes I purchased and by then I kind of liked these mistakes. I asked him what kind of deal he could give me if I kept these.......well they are brand new and I got them for less that one third the actual cost, pretty good wheeling and dealing wouldn't you say (because remember, I have to build my winter Dansko shoe wardrobe, right?!) Now I still get to wait (again) for the cute green ones to arrive, I'm sure they will be worthy of yet another "shoe" post. Is it time to change my blog name to "Nana Shoe"?

Oh my human-gosh!!!!

2008-01-24T14:15:00.000-08:00

Now this is what I call a REAL man of a snowman!! I was meandering home the other day and did this ever catch my eye! Being the conscientious blogger that I am, I immediately did a u-turn and came to a quick stop and snapped away!! Isn't this the biggest and cutest snowman ever?! I sat there for a few minutes and tried to figure out just how they hoisted all that snow to the top and then managed to get all the gear in all the right places (duh, maybe a ladder!?) Anyway, enjoy before the big melt comes!!

Words Rule!!

2008-01-20T14:19:00.000-08:00

About 10 or 12 years ago Randy and I went on a Harley trip with some friends to Sturgis, South Dakota....home of the big Harley ralley they have in August every year. When we left Bountiful it was about 80 plus degrees and just kept getting hotter that day and the next. I can remember I had on jean shorts and the sweat would drip down the backs of my knees....real great image huh? Well you get the idea, it was HOT! As we got into Wyoming it started to cool off.....so much so that we had to stop at a local sporting good store and buy wool socks, hats, gloves, etc. It actually started snowing over one of the passes, brrrrr!
I love to read and because of the kind of Harley Randy had I was able to read novels on the back, it was a very smooth ride. I had finished one Michael Palmer medical thriller and was starting another when the weather got in the way of my reading! The snow turned to rain, we all stopped and got on our rain gear and this is the logo that was on the back of Randy's rain jacket (well almost, the "Motor Cycles" was in black so it was harder to see and the Harley-Davidson was in orange, much easier to see.
So here we are traveling down the highway about 70 miles per hour, in the rain and wind and I can't look up or down much less side to side without getting a face full of rain. Being the word freak I am and needing SOMETHING to do, I looked straight ahead and saw my opportunity to shine!!! I started making words out of the "Harley-Davidson" letters, beginning with the H so I could somehow keep track of the total number of words made (3 letter minimum for you Bogglers!) Wow, this was a challenge and it was FUN! So for all of you other word freaks out there (and you know who you are!!) I want you to get out your paper, sharpen your pencil and see just how many words you can make out of the "Harley-Davidson"letters, you can only use each letter how ever many times it appears in the logo, have you got it? Here's a hint the number I got was more than 200 but less than 500. You're going to need some serious down time to play this game, you don't need to post your words, only the number you get. The challenge is on!!

Here's to a great 2008!!

2008-01-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

My girls have done a beautiful job posting Christmas photos as well as their thoughts about the holiday, if you want to see some darling photos just go to my kids' blogs--there you will find Marisa, Suni, Linds/Doug and Janetha's families.... and I second everything they have posted!! We had a terrific holiday with everyone at home, it is so great to have a family where we all love and care for each other so much, I must have the best kids, in law kids and grand kids ever!!
I ran across this on an e-mail today, not sure who sent it to me but I am glad they did. I hope you enjoy it and can resolve to be kinder to others, let go of the hurtful stuff and hang on to the good and make it a wonderful new year! I love you all!

Sand and Stone
TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING
THROUGH THE DESERT
DURING SOME POINT OF THE
JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN
ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND
SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE
IN THE FACE
THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED
WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT
SAYING ANYTHING,
WROTE IN THE SAND

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE

THEY KEPT ON WALKING,
UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,
WHERE THEY DECIDED
TO TAKE A BATH

THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN
SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE
MIRE! AND STARTED DROWNING,
BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.

AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM
THE NEAR DROWNING,
HE WROTE ON A STONE:

'TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SAVED MY LIFE'

THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED
AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND
ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU,
YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW,
YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?'

THE FRIEND REPLIED
'WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US
WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN
IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF
FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.
BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES
SOMETHING GOOD FOR US,
WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE
WHERE NO WIND
CAN EVER ERASE IT'

LEARN TO WRITE
YOUR HURTS IN
THE SAND AND TO
CARVE YOUR
BENEFITS IN STONE.

THEY SAY IT TAKES A
MINUTE TO FIND A SPECIAL
PERSON, AN HOUR TO
APPRECIATE THEM, A DAY
TO LOVE THEM, BUT THEN
AN ENTIRE LIFE
TO FORGET THEM.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

2007-12-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

Here it is Christmas eve, with another raging blizzard outside, wahoo!! (no, I did not pray for this one!!) Randy is out running the snowblower, the kids are all trying to make their way to our home for our traditional clam chowder, rolls, custard, pie, cake, etc, etc!! The roads are a mess, but wow - we're really having a white Christmas, I can't remember when it was quite so snowy and perfect for the holiday!

The girls had a fun time sledding in our backyard Saturday. Sofi wasn't happy about any of it, although Risa got her to take one run! Kaylee and Lucy enjoyed the small hill, Eric packed it down so the sleds would run a little farther. After a few runs however, Kaylee informed me she was tired of dragging the sled back up to the top, she was ready to go in!! Lucy was scared at first--- I reminded her she was the one who rode all the scary rides at Disneyland, this hill was nothing!! No luck with a snowman, maybe another day! We missed Max, he was home helping his dad get a present ready for Suni (besides snow is old hat for him!!!)
I send my love to you and your families and hope this evening and tomorrow you are surrounded by those you love, Merry Christmas to you all!!!

Please, just enough snow to go sledding....

2007-12-21T07:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, it was 45 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, any snow we had was pretty much gone. The Bills arrive tonight from California and we really need some snow, otherwise how in the world would we be able to go sledding Saturday?? Well you know me--- I prayed for some snow. Well holy cow, am I ever blessed, take a look at these photos....it started snowing last evening and hasn't stopped yet! Now I turn my prayers to making sure the flight can land tonight! Merry Christmas to you all, may you enjoy your family and friends at this wonderful time of year and cherish the birth of our savior! Enjoy a cup of cocoa and be safe everyone!!

The cats (or Bills) are out of the bag!!!

2007-12-13T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well, enough with the laundry room post! Now on to more important things.....our out of state family, the Bills, are coming home for Christmas!! Marisa and the girls gave up the secret yesterday to the family and we are all SO excited! They will arrive next Friday and we'll have Eric for just a few days and then Marisa and the girls for a few more days!! It will be a great time to have all of my kids under one roof again, families are what it's all about!! I am a richly blessed Nana Sue and hope all of you are able to have your family near by this holiday season!! Many photos to come, stay tuned!!!!

The calm before the storm....

2007-12-10T07:01:00.001-08:00

My kids are saying "Oh my gosh!!" The rest of you are saying...."Is that her laundry room?? And why in the world is she posting a photo of this room?" The door to this room is ALWAYS closed, you are not allowed to see this room because it is where I stash EVERYTHING, important papers, unimportant papers, books, clothes, make-up, hair products, receipts, oh and of course laundry supplies, well you get the picture!! Randy told me if he would have known that the room would be a magnet for everything he only would have designed a laundry closet, very small! With Christmas approaching you can only imagine what it might look like in just a few days!! So soak up this photo, burn this image into your brain, it may be a long time before I dare post a photo of my favorite room!!

Cold pillows and clean sheets.....

2007-11-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

These are the wonderful people who gave me life and raised me, Gramps and Nannaw (Doug and Yvonne), my cute mom and dad. It was almost like being an only child since my only brother is eight years older than me. My folks didn't have a lot of money, but I always seemed to get great gifts for my birthday and other occasions. One gift turned out to be one of my very favorites of all time and has led to another simple pleasure!!! Thanks mom and dad, I miss you both!

One year they gave me an awesome new sleeping bag for my birthday.....it was awesome because it did NOT have that heavy flannel on the inside, instead it was soft, slicky material. I was anxious to use it, so I took it into my bedroom, put it on my bed, unzipped it, pushed my window wide open, walked out and closed the door. It was a very cold fall night. When it was finally bedtime, whoa, was my room ever cold and was that slick material even colder!! I closed the window and snuggled down in my new sleeping bag......it was heaven!! My mom thought I was really weird, I think I slept like that for quite a few days!! Now I love to have a cold pillow to sleep with, I'll even turn mine over during the night!! That along with clean sheets, ahhh what a great night's sleep zzzzz! Simple pleasures anyone??

Thanksgiving Day with Family and Friends!!

2007-11-22T17:37:00.001-08:00

I got up at 6 to stuff this huge bird and get it in the oven. I'm no Martha Stewart, but I think the finished product looks pretty good. My helpers look pretty good too!! Max was so excited to see the BIG turkey!!

I always seem to forget at least one item for the Thanksgiving feast and this year was no exception.......it was the yams! I realized this just as everyone was sitting down to eat. I was trying to sneak into the pantry to find a spare can when I was intercepted by Papa Randall. Well I was forgiven and we simply had a great meal without those pesky yams!!
Here are a couple of our friends, Marshall holding Randy the Dog!! Randy loved all the turkey that I managed to get on the floor during the carving process!! Ya gotta love those ears, he even puts mine to shame!!
What better thing to do on Thanksgiving but catch some fast action football, Papa Randall and Marshall enjoying the game!!

After the big meal, a little rest, some pie and more football, we headed to Bountiful Bowl for some fierce competition!! Teams were as follows: Papa Randall, Suni, Janetha and Jake against Nana Sue, Marshall, Mike and Max (we all took turns holding Luke). As you can see Max has fine form and is able to actually throw the ball a long way down the alley!!

Suni, Jake and Luke checking out the score. The first game was tied right down to the last ball Max rolled.........oops, he missed getting his spare, so we remained tied going into game 2!!
Here's Mike trying hard to figure out just what we need to inch our score even higher. He tried giving Luke to Suni, Papa Randall and Jake to hold so they would be too worn out to throw their bowling balls!!

Finally I found the bowling ball that worked (a little too late into game 2)!! I got a strike, and another and yes ANOTHER!! How's that, a turkey on Thanksgiving!! It wasn't enough to help us pull ahead, the games were close but Papa Randall's team won!!

It was a great day, however, we were missing a few very important people to make this an even greater day. We had to share Doug, Linds and Izzy with her family this year - we missed having them here and Doug complaining that he doesn't even like turkey! Eric, Marisa, Kaylee, Lucy and Sofi were missing from our table too, they stayed in Dublin, Ca and enjoyed dinner with a family in their neighborhood.
Oh how we love all of our family members!! This is such a wonderful time to think about what we are thankful for. My list could go on forever, wonderful kids, spectacular grand kids, terrific husband, great friends, good health, warm home and the gospel of Jesus Christ which keeps us together forever!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

A Glorious Day in San Francisco!!

2007-11-20T22:36:00.001-08:00

We started out bright and early but needed to stop to feed our little "bird"! Sofi is such a character and always has a happy and/or unpredictable expression on her cute face!

Touring San Quentin Prison has always been at the top of my list of "things to do". Little did I know that today was going to be my lucky day (or so I thought)!!

Here is a bird's eye view of the prison where Eric is working with Hensel Phelps to build a new hospital. We started our tour with much anticipation.......

We were able to make a quick drive through the prison yard (sorry no photos inside the slammer). The fence and barbed wire looked like a terrific deterrent to me, very scary, pointy and sharp!! Enough prison life, on to see the beautiful Golden Great Bridge (Lucy was so excited to see the Golden Great bridge)!

Looks like the slide at Yerba Buena Gardens got the better of Bills- he tried it out first to make sure it was safe for the kids!!

The Bills' family photo op on the slide!

Ahh, a little shut eye after our big day in the city. I think Eric may have had a small doze around as he drove us all home!!

We're home safe and all awake! Nana Sue got hugs and loves after a fun day in San Francisco!!

Here I am!

2007-11-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

Well I am officially out of the blog stalker closet-- wahoo! It took a push from my blogging girls and help from Marisa to actually get it going. I went through a lot of different blog titles, it was painful....wake me at 8, i know it's here someplace, now where did i put it? and i don't care which car we go in, just to name a few. I'm sure all of these discarded titles will become posts someday! I decided that simple is better thus Nana Sue's News was born!! You will note that I LOVE using !!. I'm pretty excited about almost everything!

Well let me introduce my family to you from the photo: Front left to right, Lindsay holding Isabella (18 months), Doug, Jake (11) Max (4), Lucy (4), Kaylee (6). Behind Doug is Luke (1), Mike, Janetha, Suni, Nana Sue, Marisa, Sofi (18 months), Eric and behind us all is Papa Randall!!

I think this is a terrific way to keep a journal and share our lives with friends and family. I look forward to hearing from all of you, so welcome to Nana Sue's News!!