Weekend Getaway

It was our turn to have the boat for Memorial Day weekend. We have a history of very poor weather at Lake Powell when we take the boat out on this weekend. Fallen trees, bawling girls and a very tense father in the windy channel etc. But, we were all so desperate for a break from the daily grind that we took our chances.

Turns out we had a beautiful weekend! A bit windy the first day, but we survived and had a great time!

Our friends the Abrahamson's were kind enough to share their trailor with us. We were camping in style!

Lovely sisters! We missed you Courtney -

The men did their fair share of work! Danny caught on very quickly to the whole boat thing. I was glad to have him!

Kennedi and Mom

Katelin tried getting up on one ski for the first time. No problem!

Our Baby is Nine

• Collette turned 9 last week and since Mom and Dad were at Lake Powell with some friends, her older sisters helped her have a great weekend! (See Kelsey's blog) The previous week mom and dad threw her a big swimming party at Dimple Dell. We had 22 girls there and 3 helper girls! It was a tropical island theme, and Kennedi and Cassidy taught the girls the Hukilau. It was lots of fun!

Favorite Holiday

Why do I love Mother's Day so much?

Lots of reasons - Easton comes to play.

People give me flowers.

People grill for me.

And people cook and clean for me. Truly, it's a bit ridiculous. But, I think it has become my favorite holiday! Thanks guys!!

It's that time of year!

History Fair and Science Fair come around way to fast! This year Collette proved that dahlias grow better while listening to classical music. Kennedi chose to research the history of photography, because she wants to be a photographer. They both did great! These days we simply go for an A, rather than breaking our necks to go onto region. I know Courtney and Kelsey, the little girls have it so easy! (As memories of the history of the sewing machine go fondly through your heads.)

Repentance

Alright I am repenting. I have not blogged in forever. I'm not even sure I remember how! I love reading everyone else's and know that if for no other reason I am creating some sort of a history - but nothing has seemed blogworthy lately! I am however, reminded by my younger daughters that they are doing lots of cool stuff that actually is blogworthy- and I will do a much better job of showing that not all of the interesting people in our family have moved out of our house!

24 Years of Bliss

Back in 1985 Roger and I thought it would be just a great idea to get married in December. On December 20th actually - wow my mom was nice!!!! And 24 years later I don't think there have been more than a handful of years when my devoted husband has not taken me out of town to celebrate the anniversary. This tends to cause a lot of anxiety as the holiday deadlines are always pushed up a bit for me. But, once we get to our destination it is always so wonderful to be able to spend time together and just relax. This year our destination was Washington DC as Roger had a bit of business there. I love that city and was more than happy to tag along. We checked into our Presidential Suite at the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue. (Roger has connections at Marriott. The first thing I said when we checked in was, "You better go down and make sure we're not being charged for this!")

That night we had dinner at one of Roger's favorite places, The ChopHouse. It was great. Then on Saturday we woke up ready to spend some time at the Smithsonian when we discovered the city was completely shut down because of a snowstorm. COMPLETELY!!! We found a diner still open around the corner and got a late breakfast, and then we got that relaxing time we always wanted with a few good books! It snowed about 21 inches that day!

Sunday we had planned to attend the Capital Hill Ward but of course all church was cancelled. We had tickets to the Messiah at the Kennedy Center and were happy that they did not cancel the performance. By then, the sun was out and the roads were beginning to clear. After the performance, we drove to Alexandria where my cousins live. We had dinner with the Heiner's - Brandon, Rachel, Ellie, and twins Corbin and Shannon. Then we drove over to the Coffey's- Valerie, Nate and Karston. It was fun to see them and their cute families and homes.

Monday, I shopped at Filene's basement which was just around the corner from the Marriott. Roger was anxious to show me their good deals and I quickly became a fan. That afternoon we headed out to Fed Ex Field to watch the Redskins play the Giants. We got to sit in the Marriott suite surrounded by fabulous food and great company. The game was secondary entertainment. Our friend Steve Young spent the evening visiting with us after he did a couple things for CMN. (He is an ESPN commentator, but only works before and after the game.)

Tuesday we went to the Holocaust Museum which is a must see for anyone who hasn't. We hadn't, and although it was awful to be reminded of how cruel human beings can be to one another, it was full of incredible history. We then flew home to our wonderful family. Katelin did a great job holding down the fort - which included a quick round of the flu! Thanks Kate!!!! We owe you one!!!

Children's Miracle Network Classic

Roger spent last week in Orlando working and playing! He got to have his big brother Stan go with him. Stan actually golfed in the tournament and Roger was his caddy. They had a lot of fun and found out they are an awful lot alike! Funny how that happens -