Two Year Mission for Mars

What's So Big About the Big Island?

2012-02-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

We generally took it easy spending most of our time exploring the beaches or the roads. We drove enough miles to circumnavigate the island over three times. When walking found honua (green sea turtles) to be plentiful.

We attempted to scale (by car of course) Mauna Kea, the tallest volcano on Hawaii at 13,796 ft above sea level (33,500 ft from the mountain's base), on Sunday. Unfortunately, 70+ mph winds on the summit forced its closure. As a poor backup, we did some 4-wheelin' up to the observatory on Mauna Loa (the second tallest volcano on Hawaii at 13,676 ft). It was a virtual moonscape with acre after acre of barren lava flows. Following several hours of viewing lava flows, we needed some green so we drove to Hilo for an early dinner. Hilo was a ghost town, probably due to the Super Bowl, but we found a nice "organic" restaurant where we had a healthy meal while watching some interesting locals. Our drive home via the lush Hamakua coast offered a beautiful contrast to the lava flows earlier.
On Monday, Joni mustered up the courage to attempt some kayaking. She proved to be plenty strong for rowing a few miles in Kealakekua Bay. This is the bay where Captain James Cook, the great British explorer, was killed in 1779 and the site of some pretty good snorkeling. We did not think of getting a picture of us in the kayak until we had returned so settled on a picture of Joni in dry dock. To prove we really did kayak to the north side of Kealakekua Bay (the only way you can get there is to paddle, sail or swim the 1.5 miles), I have included an up close picture of the monument to Captain Cook raised by British sailors. The land where the monument sits was granted to the U.K. by the Hawaiian Queen Likelike in 1877 and remains U.K. territory - right here in the 50th state of the U.S.A.

The next several days the winds blew quite hard across the islands raising the surf and making swimming and snorkeling challenging. We visited a couple of parks (e.g., Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park where Joni added another National Park stamp to her new book)

A state park which protects the ruins of an ancient Hawaiian village (reportedly 600+ years old) on the Kohala coast was another interesting stop. But we also saw the original statue of King Kamehameha in the northern Kohala town of Kapa'au and the southernmost point in the United States at the very windy southern tip of the Big Island.

And then it was, as they say in the islands, "Here today, gone to Maui!"

Feeling the Aloha!

2012-02-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

It has obviously been a loooooooong time since we added to the blog. Our plan to retire from Mars at the end of 2011 was replaced by a 31 March retirement date. That meant Mick would continue to commute to the East Coast each week and that Joni's recovery from surgery would be largely unsupported by her mate. Joni is now four weeks past her surgery and recovering well but still sore and tender. What better way to complete her recovery than to spend a couple of weeks in the sun of paradise Hawaii. We had planned this trip as our first trip in retirement and did not alter our plans in spite of extending at Mars or Joni's surgery.

So here we are, spending the first week in the Kona sun on the Big Island. We are staying in Waikoloa on the Kohala coast.

On day 1 we spent a few hours relaxing at Spencer Beach just up the coast. Then walked next door to the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site where after watching a video about Kamehameha conquering the Hawaiian Islands and walking the site, we scored Joni's highlight of the trip - on day 1 no less! We bought her a super deluxe National Park Service stamp collecting book. She is soooo excited! Here she is proudly displaying her new book in front of the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site sign. By the way, that rock formation in the background is the heiau.

Hungry, but excited by our find, we left the monument in search of some local fare. We happened on an "Ocean Fest" local event in Kawaihae Harbor so we took a chance on finding something tasty. Again, we not only scored big on lunch (poke which is marinated raw fish, fish tacos and fish salad which were all very good) but Joni was able to push some kids out of the way to get a good spot at the "touch tank"! She handled some sea slugs, several varieties of anenome and other creatures from the local sea. You can tell that the children in the picture weren't being very good sports about this big kid taking over the touch tank!

Stay tuned! Mahalo!

The BIG 50!

2011-11-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

This post goes out to my brother in law Steve Ward. He doesn't do facebook, but when we get together he reminds me about updating my blog. So since today is his Big 50th birthday, I thought it was only fitting that I give a HUGE Happy Birthday to him.
Happy Birthday Steve. Enjoy your 50's....every thing they say about them is true.

Farewell Mountainview Drive!

2011-05-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

As the crocus and daffodils burst from the earth in bloom and the pear trees lining Mountainview Drive exploded in blossom, we were inside imploding our things into boxes to organize for our departure at the end of April. It is times like these that remind me of some of the personal characteristics that stand between us and perfection. For example, we cannot shed the old unimportant for the new important and therefore do not throw much of anything away. We collected all of the empty boxes stored throughout the house and abandoned in the basement and easily filled the truck bed (even after filling the intact boxes with flat corrugate and compressing everything else) for a run to the county recycling center. Upon arrival at the center, Mick was escorted to a special bin reserved only for the high volume contributors - the HOV lane for the recycling center.

Joni posted a number of items on CraigsList.com and sold many of the items she had gathered after our arrival in NJ. A living room couch, 3 office desks, 2 office chairs, a dresser, a 5-piece bedroom set were among the items sold. We even sold the old mud terrain tires from the truck (stored in the basement for the last three years!). Joni is so proud that she either broke even or made money on each of her sales.

Mars arranged for the movers to pack us up and move the house goods to storage for a few months as we sort out our plans. As three men packed things out to a truck, Joni and Jessica Craig (a wonderful young lady from our church here) thoroughly cleaned the house. When everything was out of the house and every corner was cleaned, we walked through the empty house reminiscing and saying good-bye. It was striking how large the empty house seemed.

From this, we move into the Marriott Residence Inn. We'll keep you posted as the plans develop.

A view into the entry way from the 2nd floor landing

The roller rink (basement).

The master bedroom (part of it)

The kitchen and its queen!

A view of the family room from the 2nd floor landing.

7,000 Miles and well worth it!

2011-05-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

The first of April we flew to California, spent the night with the Rosells and then jumped on the I-15 racetrack for the trip to Idaho. We were bound for a long anticipated event - Graig's graduation from BYU Idaho. The trip was smooth enough that the cruise control was nearly always engaged, even through Vegas. We stopped in Provo, UT to have an early dinner with Jamie and David. Our stop gave a spring storm sufficient time to build up for a dumping of snow to entertain us for the remainder of our drive through UT. From just outside Provo to Brigham City we drove through a blizzard where the visibility was often measured in feet. Welcome to springtime on the Wasatch Front!

Friday we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. One that Graig enjoys, then rushed
to graduation where he received his diploma. It was a proud day for Mama and Papa Ward!

April 8, 2011, big day for the Ward family. Nicole's mom and sister and children were able to be there along with my parents and also Graig's friend Josh. What a great evening!

Saturday morning was the commencement exercise in the new BYU-I conference center. The new building is beautiful and the speakers were excellent. I loved how they allowed no yelling or calling out and held the applause to the end. I always get chills when I hear the graduation song. Congrats Graig!!!

And it wouldn't be a memorable event if we didn't get the Granddad/Graig pose.

We had a fun weekend with family and friends playing games, eating, and seeing the "sights" in Rexburg. On Monday Janelle, Jamie and I helped Nicole in her first grade classroom. I walked the track with the children and earned 4 coins. I then read a story to the class - I absolutely love doing that! - and we also helped at stations. Nicole is a great teacher and you can tell her students love her.

We left for Provo/Springville after school was out. We spent the evening with the Harmers and had a great Cafe Rio style dinner at Bob and Karyns. Tuesday morning we drove back to Brea and Wednesday afternoon flew back to New Jersey. Now only 2 weeks until we are out of the NJ house.

Happy Birthday!

2011-04-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

When you get to be my age....55....you just don't want birthdays to happen. But the Frugone's were insistent that we celebrate. Boy am I glad we did. Christiano made me this beautiful pen and little notebook.

Angelo did this mosiac picture.

Gio made me a beautiful flower pot complete with special flowers.

And....due to my kids and one of their movies they enjoy at the moment, Just Friends, I can remind all who enter my home to "Be Yourself". For some reason they think I am just like the mom in that movie and get a big laugh from it. Megan found this little cute out and just couldn't resist. Carlos made the most awesome to die for chocolate cake complete with dove dark chocolate candies.

So....even if your old.....celebrate......BE YOURSELF......it's fun!!!!

Hurrary for Graig!!!

2011-04-18T03:59:00.000-07:00

Big news for the Ward family. Graig graduates from BYU-I on friday, April 8, 2011.

Endless Winter!

2011-04-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

It has been a long cold winter for us Jersey Wards. It started snowing later this year, but it has been one storm after another and so bitter cold. It was not unusual to wake up to -12, -9 we even had a -15 one morning. I have to say I am soooooo ready for spring.

Just look how high the snowbank was getting at the end of our driveway. You really get a workout throwing the snow up on top. The snow was so deep this storm I had to bring out the rainboots.

I am so sick of shoveling this driveway. Next house will have less property and a shorter driveway if we ever move to another home in Jersey. I've decided that property is so over rated.

This is my new best friend. I waved him down to clear the driveway after a huge storm that left over 12 inches. Mick had to head out of town, so I waited until the storm had stopped AND the snowplow had come through the neighborhood. I hate it when you get your drive all cleared and the snowplow berms you in. I thought for sure I had him outsmarted this time. My friend came at 10:30pm and got the drive clear. The next morning I went to work and smiled as I drove down the clear driveway with no berming.

I came home from work to find this!!! I am so mad at the snowplow guy. I hate the way he berms me in. I had to park the truck and then walk up to get the shovel. Janelle was at home and so proud that she had spent a good amount of time clearing a way for me. Yep, that might just work Janelle if the truck is 3 feet wide. Can you see the mailbox to see how high the berming is. See the nice cleared driveway on the other side!!!! Why did he feel it was so necessary to plow the road back another 12" closer to the curb. I think it is just to see the hair on the back of my neck stand up!!

But with the snow comes some fun times too. I took the Activity Day boys and girls sledding with the YW and YM. We had such a good time, that on the following saturday the Whitehead family and the Townsend family invited me to go again. This is me sitting on the Pony Express that Dustin Townsend created. It is an old hobby horse that he put skis on. Let me tell you, that pony can GO!!!! I love this ward and how they let an old gal like me hang out with these young moms and families.

But, thank God for spring!

The Big Cheese

2011-02-06T17:23:00.001-08:00

The local grocery store had a contest during the holidays. It was to guess the weight of this block of cheese. Hey, I am a sucker for contests and trying to win things. I enter any contest I come across. So when we saw this one, I tried to get everyone to enter to increase our chances of winning. Well only Janelle put in an entry, couldn't get Graig, Nicole, or Jamie to give it a try. Three days later the phone rings early in the morning....caller ID shows ShopRite. Umm, I'm thinking, why is the grocery store calling me?

Well they asked for Joni Ward. That's me I said. We are calling to tell you you have won the cheese contest. What????? Me???? I was so excited. Really????? Yes, they said, come in with your ID to claim your prize. OK, hey how far off was my guess, I asked. You missed it by only 4 pounds they said.

Graig gets up and asks what I was so excited about. I won the cheese contest. Mom, he asks, what are you going to do with all that cheese? Oh I wish I would have won the cheese......I won a $25 gift certificate to Shop Rite. I think I would have rather had the 586 pounds of cheese. Everyone would have had cheese for Christmas.

So when I dragged the kids to claim my prize, and to have them take a photo of me with the cheese, A local shopper gave me a funny look while Jamie was in the middle of the photo shoot. I won the cheese contest I told him. Oh he said, I thought you were from Wisconsin.

Cookie and Ugly Ornament Exchange

2011-02-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

In California we do an ugly ornament exchange every year after Christmas. It is so much fun to see the "uglies". So when Megan and I decided to do a "cookie exchange" this year I also suggested an ugly ornament exchange. We laughed so hard and had a great time unwrapping and swapping ornaments. Everyone loved it. The theme of this years uglies was feathers. After our games and ugly exchange it was cookie time.

There were so many good cookies that we had to do the "cookie shuffle" when going around the table. What great fun we had. Can't wait until next year. Hey, I just might have an easter cookie exchange.

If you want to see some additional photos of the night, go to Jamie's blog....A Day in the Life located on the right hand column of my blog.

Two Year Mission for Mars...........going on three.

2011-01-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

Yep, you read it right. Mick has agreed to work another year here in Jersey. So our two year mission is now going to be at least 21 more months longer than originally planned. Good news, bad news......

Good.....getting to enjoy the seasons for another year.

Bad.....another winter shoveling the looooooong driveway with snow. It has been really cold this winter and it is only January. Some days the overcast and low ceilings get a little depressing. Good thing we have lots of lights. Missing the sunshine and nice days...almost everyday when you live in Southern California.

Good.....Church is always at 10am since we don't share the building with any other wards.

Bad....get to clean the church at least 5 times a year.

Good.....living in a rural area where we pass farms and lakes and ponds and Mick's commute is only 8 miles and 2 stoplights.
Bad....takes 12 miles to get to the closet grocery store. Costco is 20 miles away. Mick hit and killed a black bear only 1 1/2 miles from the house. Truck still isn't the same.

Good....Jersey Girls don't pump gas. Yeah...gotta love this when it is pouring down rain or freeing cold outside.
Bad....go to the gas station at least once a week because everything is so far away.

Good.....Made some great friends here in Jersey, have a fun job at Kohls and going to start teaching piano again to 2 new students. Also the adopted Grandkids are here.

Bad....missing all my good friends in CA and all my piano students there.

Good.....summers we have daylight from 5:30am until close to 9:45 pm. Lightning bugs are fun to catch and put in canning jars.
Bad....hot humid summers.

Good.....deer can be seen daily in the yard. We have a group of 6 that come in the front and backyard. A good size buck is with them. They love the bread and carrots and things I leave out for them.

Bad.....Lymes disease......the deer cause this great little disease. First spring here had a little adventure with this. Also the deer love my pumpkin plants and pumpkins.

Good.....the stars are amazing at night.
Bad....it is sooooooo dark at night with no streetlights.

Good....historical buildings, old churches, old barns and historic sights.

Bad......hard to find the latest and greatest.

Good...having lots of company since we live so close to NYC.
Bad....not having enough company since we live so far away from family and friends. Come on everyone, come out to see us. The next 12 months will go by way to fastr and you will have missed out on the cheapest bed and breakfast you will ever stay at.

These are just a few things off the top of my head. I need to get out the camera and take some pictures of the things I will miss. The past 31 months went really fast.....I'm sure the next 12 will go even faster.

Thanksgiving Twice

2011-01-09T12:10:00.001-08:00

We were in California this year for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Mick had surgery on his knee and also had a lypoma removed from his right elbow the Monday before Turkey Day. He did really well, so as soon as he was alert from his anesthesia we headed out to the desert house.

This was Mick's favorite chair while recovery from his surgery. Notice the remote in his hand. He watched a lot of soccer games. I swam each morning and enjoyed my walks and Jamie finally made it out to California a day later than planned, due to snow causing her flight from Utah to be cancelled. She was with us Wednesday through Monday morning.

Even though it was cool for Palm Springs, we enjoyed the sunshine and blue skies of the desert house. The mountains even had snow on the tops. It was really a pretty sight.

We were able to go out to dinner with Ashley, my niece who is attending Pepperdine University. Afterwards we went to see the lights at the LA temple.

Since it was just the 4 of us for Thanksgiving we decided to go out to Marie Callendars for dinner. The past two years I've done Thanksgiving at the Desert House or St George and it was harder to do without all the big pots and pans, plus we had sooooo much food we ended up throwing so much away. I thought going out would be best, but......it was NOT THANKSGIVING to me. Yes we had turkey and all the fixings, but the yams were not prepared like Mick does them, the pumpkin pie wasn't my pumpkin pie, the dressing was mushy. I asked the waiter to take our picture and when he handed the camera back to me and I looked at the picture, I started crying. This is not Thanksgiving, I said. SO......

Since Thanksgiving was such a let down to me, I decided to have a big Thanksgiving Dinner here in Jersey when the family all got here. We had it the sunday before Christmas and had the Frugone's, Kathy and Steve Wilson, Cory and Sophie Grillone and all of us. It was great fun and was more like Thanksgiving with turkey, ham, pumpkin pie and all the goodies and smells that go wtih the holiday.

Fun activities included Mick tying up the boys, the boys tying up Mick, hide and seek, games, and trampoline time. Now this is more like Thanksgiving. A big crowd, lots of food and fun.

3rd Annual Pumpkin Weight Contest

2010-10-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

Look closely....I think that is pumpkin juice on his lips!!!!!

In anticipation of growing the biggest pumpkin this year, I lovingly started my pumpkin seeds in early april. I had Jack be Littles, Cinderalla, carvers, and of course the BIG MAX for the 3rd annual contest this year. I had so many pumpkin plants I filled every dirt spot I had around the house. I planted over 26 pumpkin plants in hopes of a record year of growing pumpkins. I had so many plants I gave them to neighbors, friends, church members....anyone who would take one and promise to plant them. They were growing well and I lost a few plants to rabbits, deer, and who knows what else. But never fear, I had several plants to replace those eaten. When we headed to Italy and Greece in late July I had a fairly good number of pumpkins growing. I hired the neighbor kids down the street who so lovingly took care of my garden last year. Well lets just say that when I got home from vacation.....EGADS!!!!!!!!! All the plants were eaten except for 3 pumpkins. No problem.....I will concentrate on those 3 and we will have the biggest pumpkin ever. Well would you believe the very next morning I woke up to this...........

My mom comes by her green thumb from her father who loved planting a huge garden every year. Mick and I when we were first married canned beans, tomatoes, and corn from his garden when Mick was going to school. Here is some of the beautiful flowers she had this year. When I was having such a terrible time with the deer eating my pumpkins I convinced her to plant some pumpkin seeds at the lakehouse. She started them the end of June and got a very large and fun crop.

Here it is the biggest of the many pumpkins my mom grew this year. This is the pumpkin for the contest this year. You can post your guess on this blog or e-mail me at mjjgjward@roadrunner.com by friday Nov 5th. Good luck. I have several candy bars, all Mars of course. Even have the new coconut Twix, coconut M&M's, pretzel M&M's etc.

Good Luck and Happy Halloween!!!

Ron and Ruth Wise come for a Jersey Visit

2010-10-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

Ron and Ruth Wise from California came for a short visit. They arrived tuesday evening and stayed with us until early friday morning.
First thing we did wednesday was head to Hoboken to visit the Cake Boss. It was a beautiful sunny day and the view of the NYC skyline was superb.

We didn't see the cake boss or mamma this trip to Carlos Bakery, but look at all these cakes and goodies. Got a picture with the family though. We had famous canole, cream puffs, and a few other delictables. The line was just about an hour long from the outside line until we ordered and had our goodies in hand. Evidently that is a short wait.

We headed to Thomas Edisons factory for a tour after our Cake Boss adventure. This site has just reopened for visitors. We learned so much about Edison and how organized he was and what a brillant inventor he was. His home was closed for tours, but we got to see his lab and factory and tour the library. Here is Ron and Ruth in his lab, just the way Edison had it the day he died.

I had to work that evening, so Ruth dyed Janelle's hair red and they watched a movie. Janelle even popped popcorn for them.

We headed to Morristown to visit the Ford Mansion and Jockey Hollow on thursday. This is where Washington and his troops spent the winter of 1779-1780. It was the coldest winter in recorded history. We went to the Ford mansion first only to find we had just missed the tour and the next one was in 2 hours. So we decided to head over to Jockey Hollow first and come back to the Ford Mansion. This is a picture of Ruth and I by the gardens of the Wick home in Jockey Hollow. The fall leaves were gorgeous. If only the sun was shining. After coming back from Jockey Holley and the Wick house tour we found this note on the National Park Service Door. " We are closed for the rest of the year. Some emergency or something like that. Just came on suddenly. You know how these things happen"

I was so upset as Ron had already purchased our tickets for the Ford Mansion tour at this park site. So I decided to try the door. Sure enough it was open and here was Ranger Steve laughing. Guess I have been going too often to these sights, as now they are playing jokes on me, as well as being on a first name basis. But, I will say, we got a great tour. The Ford tour is usually 20 minutes long......ours was over 1 hour. I love hearing all the stories these park rangers have researched.

So come for a visit. We will surely go to Jockey Hollow and the Ford Mansion. Who knows what Ranger Steve or Ranger Keith will do.

Thanks again for coming Ron and Ruth. You know I love company!!!!!

California Girls Week

2010-10-10T16:54:00.001-07:00

September 28th through the 5th of October, I was blessed to have 3 good friends from California come out for a New Jersey visit. Laurel, Denise and I have been friends since our babies were just 3 years old. Jenny Summers and I became great friends when we served in the Stake YW together. We laughed, ate, and had great fun. Below are just a few of the many pictures we took

One of the rainy days we headed over on the ferry to one of my favorite places...Ellis Island. The stories always bring me to tears. A trip over to the Statue of Liberty completed the day.

Trip to the M&M's store is always fun.

We rode the train into the city and then took the subway around town. We even had a NYC taxi ride complete with cutting drivers off, horn honking, and Joni white knuckling it to get to our matinee broadway show on time.

Wouldn't be a trip into the city without being in Times Square. Look for Jenny in her NYC torquoise sweatshirt in the bottom left corner. This is a huge screen they have posted with a camera in the heart of Times Square. So fun to find yourself.

We ate at some fun restaurants. This is at Shake Shack, which is the In and Out Burger of NYC. Jenny who loves NY and their cheesecake, knew all the hot spots for that dessert. So Juniors and Stage Light Cafe were visited for that delight.

We were able to see 2 Broadway Shows. West Side Story, which was excellent and In the Heights with Jordan Sparks.

A visit to Hoboken, NJ to visit the bakery of The Cake Boss. Got to meet mamma.

Chicken leg skiing

2010-09-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I finally got enough razzing to get in the cold lake...65degrees with outside temperature of 63 degrees, to go waterskiing. The lake was like glass, as we were the only boat on it, and Mick had just finished a superb run. I was dreading getting cold and wet, but when I heard a boat start up across the lake, I finally got in. Was it worth it.......you BET!!!!! It was perfect and with the wetsuit it wasn't too cold. Mick gives me a bad time about how I start on one ski, he calls it the chicken leg and he had us all laughing in the boat when he started skiing his last run imitating me.

This ones for you Steve......have a good laugh.

Summer Vacation - Day 9 (Split, Croatia)

2010-09-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Beautiful sunset from the cruise ship. It was the end of a perfect day as we departed Venice on our way down the Dalmatian coast.

Jamie had to pose with this picture of "So you Think You Can Dance" contestants.

As most of you know there are photographers all over the ship taking pictures of you. Graig just couldn't resist this shot at dinner one night. Then the whole table got into it. I don't think the photographers thought it was funny.

We awoke the next morning to find ourselves in Split, Croatia, the picturesque ancient Roman resort of Diocletian. It was a beautiful, clear morning leading to an afternoon with temperatures in the mid-90s. That was great because the girls wanted a summer climate for this vacation.

The following are some sights in Split, Croatia.

The port of Split, Croatia.

In an alley at Diocletian's palace.

The remains of Diocletian's palace.

This is the beach we walked to after walking around the town of Split. It is hard to see, but in the water they had soccer goals set up and several older gentlemen were playing water soccer. It was fun to watch, what at first we thought was a friendly game of water soccer, but when the first team scored their goal, we very quickly realized that they took it very seriously....in their speedos I might add........older men....some really old in stretched out speedos.

The water was very salty and it stung our skin.

Split Croatia where we swam in the Adriatic Sea.

Summer Vacation - Day 7 and 8 (Venice)

2010-09-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Friday we spent the day introducing Graig and Nicole to Venice...and gelato. We fought the crowds at the plaza of San Marcos (it was jammed!) to see the Doge's Palace and the cathedral of St. Mark. It appears they are doing quite a bit of renovations to the cathedral and the plaza because there was a lot of scaffolding which was covered with cosmetic and designer clothing advertisements. Accordingly, the plaza and cathedral were not as picturesque as usual but I am sure the advertising was working for somebody. The local residents must have heard what I was thinking because as I rounded a corner one of their flying ambassadors dropped a messy greeting card on my shoulder. It was a special treat but given the number of pigeons in the city it is probably more of a surprise that it did not happen to me earlier!
We spent the rest of the day wandering the streets but also took a boat to the island of Murano. Murano is known for its glassblowing and there are shops aplenty hawking their art. We watched a glassblowing demonstration and then walked the canal, peeking into the shops, before returning to Venice. It is amazing to me what the Venetian people accomplished in the 15th and 16th centuries. By dominating/controlling trade in southern Europe and the Mediterranean they were able to accumulate extraordinary wealth and build an amazing city with natural defenses. As we continue our cruise we will see their influence and the remains of their conquests.
Yesterday, we visited the Frari church where there are several spectacular works of art by Titian (e.g., The Asunscion). From the outside it is a rather plain looking 15th century chapel, but the inside is a unique treasure. It also contains the only remaining 15th century choir section which is ornately hand carved and a sight to see.
We then boarded the ship (Splendour of the Seas) and some in our group were overjoyed to have American food and drink. I was happy to be able to turn tour director duties over to Joni. She has all of the shipboard events scoped out and we are signed up for all of the games, drawings and contests.

Summer Vacation - Day 6 (Salzburg)

2010-08-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we toured Salzburg including the fortress and cathedral and also the catacombs. The catacombs were fascinating to me as they date back to 600 A.D. where the hermits would repel down the mountain to get to the opening. We went out to Hellbrunn palace where there were trick fountains a bishop had put in to trick his guests and also a beautiful palace there we toured. But the real reason for the visit was the gazebo from the movie "The Sound of Music". By the way, the people of Salzburg do not understand the American passion for the movie memoriabilia. The gazebo door was locked so Jamie couldn't dance and sing around like in the movie, but she loved it none the less. When we walked back to the bus it started to pour down rain, so we grabbed a quick dinner and passed on a concert due to weather. However, we did go to the local laundromat where we washed 2 loads and met several people from all over the world there...tourists doing their laundry too. We played Farkle and had a great time visiting while the wash was being done.
Today we began our drive to Venice fairly early so we could be at the Venice airport by 1pm to meet up with Graig and Nicole. The drive through the Alps was beautiful and fast (love the Autobahn!). Their flight was on time and all went well catching the vaparetto to our hotel. We checked into our bed and breakfast and then walked to a restaurant for dinner. Just as we sat down the winds started to blow, thunder clapped, lightning flashed and heavy rains came down. The rains continued to pour while we ate and by the time we were done it was just raining lightly. Walked to San Marcos square, but Graig and Nicole were so tired from their 26 plus hours of travel that we returned to the hotel. It was just in time as the skies opened up again upon our arrival. Mick, Jamie and I sat out on the hotel's veranda overlooking the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge, watching the crowds below, the boats on the canal and checked e-mails. The skies cleared to a beautiful night with gondolas back on the canal so the 3 of us took a long walk around the town and enjoyed a gelato. It was our second of the day, having had one after dinner also. Graig did not appear to be all that impressed with his first gelato. However, he sought out many other opportunities to sample the dessert, so I think his reaction might have been a feint.

Graig and Nicole's first impression of Venice was not a great one due to the weather. I don't remember Venice being so run down and the graffiti everywhere on our last visit just 3 years ago.
We missed Janelle on this trip. She brings something special when she travels overseas with us.

Summer Vacation - Day 3, 4, 5 (Bavaria)

2010-08-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

This is the view from our hotel in Austria. The lights on the mountain tops are two of castles in the Ehrenberg Castle Ensemble outside of Reutte. These are ruins of four castles that once made up the largest fort in Tirol. This part of Bavaria was beautiful with its mountains, lakes, ancient castles and palaces.

This is one of the many gardens of the Linderhof Palace that King Ludwig lived in during the winter months. Notice the gazebo in the center of the picture. Had to hike there for Jamie. The palace was very ornate, to the point I found them gaudy. Ludwig even had an underground cave built where private operas were given, complete with lake and balcony seats.

Beautiful view of the Hohenschwangau Castle from Neuschwanstein Castle.

This is the Hohenschwangau Castle where King Ludwig II spent his summers while growing up. There is a beautiful lake view and the surronding scenery is maginificient. From this castle you can see the Neuschwanstein Castle that Ludwig had built for himself.

A view of Neuschwanstein Castle from Mary's Bridge. It was a 45 minute hike from the castle, but truly worth it. The views were amazing. This is the castle that was the inspiration for Disney's Magic Kingdom Castle. King Ludwig II had this castle built for him but he died before it was completed. He even had a cave like room built beside his bedroom.
Would you believe the castle here and the one below are the same one. Just from different angles. It was amazing inside.

Neuschwanstein Castle

This is the restaurant where we ate in Innsbruck. The seating was on the bank of the Inn River with the beautiful Alps behind. I had my favorite dinner of the entire trip here. - the roasted vegetables and meats were delicious and eating on the riverside created a wonderful ambiance. We hope to return to Innsbruck someday to spend more time.

I love the little fountains they have around the towns where you can wash up and fill up your water bottles.

Below is a photo op that is set up in town.......

Here is the e-mail :

As we were wrapping up Day 3 - "Bavarian Castles 301", I decided to check our hotel reservations in Salzburg, Austria for Tuesday and Wednesday. We had booked a good deal at the Renaissance Salzburg to enjoy the comfort and earn some additional Marriott points. When I pulled up the reservation on the Marriott website, it showed a status of "CANCELLED". After a moment of orderly panic, I concluded something must have went terribly wrong for Marriott to cancel the reservation without notifying us and we would surely be able to find alternative sleeping arrangements.

I had left some unscheduled time in our Tuesday itinerary to allow us to exercise some options. We talked about what to do and concluded that either seeing the Oberammagau Passion Play (we had dinner in Oberammagau Monday night) which is playing now or visiting a concentration camp would be our top two choices. The weather threatened to be rainy on Tuesday and Joni has often said that she wanted to visit a Nazi concentration camp memorial (the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C. really moved her). And since it would only add about 45 minutes to our drive to Salzburg to swing through Dachau, Germany, we decided to make Dachau our Tuesday morning destination. I gave both the girls a melatonin so they might sleep through my snoring with their promise to get up early!?!

We hit breakfast at the crack of 8:00am and I asked the hotel clerk to find us some options for accommodations in Salzburg. We were able to find a room for three at a pension near the train station (and the former Renaissance - it is now a Radisson and apparently the change was not an amiable one!). Not quite like the Renaissance (the desk clerk pointed out to me on our check in that "the Renaissance is a four star hotel and they are only a two"), but well located, tolerably comfortable, and costs less than the Renaissance. We were on the road to Dachau by 9:00am - so much for an early start.

The first hour of the drive was through the Bavarian countryside which runs through beautiful green valleys and alpine lakes surrounded by first forested, then craggy mountain peaks. It is truly gorgeous - probably the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen! The second hour of the drive was on the Autobahn where there is no speed limit, when there is no construction. If only Joni could have slept in the car so I did not have to hear the constant "you better slow down!" from the back seat! Exceeding 100 mph was not unusual, and yet I was never the fastest vehicle on the road. Driving can be fun!

Our experience at Dachau was very interesting and impressive. Joni teared up as soon as we started the audio tour by entering the gates of the former concentration camp. Much of the prisoner compound and supporting buildings (offices, crematory, guard towers, etc.) remain but none of the original barracks are still standing. A couple of barracks were recreated to show the conditions prisoners lived in throughout the operation of the camp. Over 200,000 prisoners experienced Dachau and very few lived to tell about it. The audio tour was comprehensive and well done, mixing facts with perspectives from surviving prisoners and liberators. It is hard to imagine human life being valued so little by anybody - it is truly a tragic period of human history that while not since matched in scope, unfortunately continues to emerge periodically throughout the world. We left Dachau feeling more somber than we began the day.

We stopped in a grocery store to peruse the local offerings. We purchased some great breads, fruit and some Bounty Dark Chocolate for our lunch then started our journey to Salzburg. The Autobahn delivered us to Salzburg in about 1.25 hours (averaged over 80 mph). The Salzburg Music Festival is in progress now so Mozart and Haydn are everywhere. There are concert venues set up in several of the large platz (city squares) and tourists abound in the old town. Salzburg is watched over by a fortress (Hohensalzburg Castle) built on tall hill in the middle of town as a defense for the city. It is very impressive and gives a "Lord of the Rings" feeling to the city. We had time to visit the birthplace of Mozart and the home where his family lived in his teen years. Very interesting to see how the middle class lived in mid-18th century Europe. It helps you understand why the mortality rate for children was 50% and the life expectancy for adults was about 50 years. What a blessing to live in the 21st century where medical science and hygiene gives us so many more years to overcome our mistakes and weaknesses!

Tomorrow we will explore the Hohensalzburg Castle, enjoy a concert in one of the cathedrals or baroque halls, and take in some of the "Sound of Music" sights - Jamie can only think about seeing the gazebo where "I am 16, Going on 17" was sung.

Summer Vacation - Day 1 (Milan, IT)

2010-08-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

I am going to try to get our summer trip posted on the blog. I keep putting it off because with over 900 pictures to choose from and also just starting to describe all the places we went to and sights we saw is so overwhelming to me. So I've decided to start with the short e-mails we sent family during our trip that briefly told about out adventures for a few days and then post a few pictures. Here goes.

We arrived in Milan ontime after a short night on the plane. We waited a couple of hours for Jamie and met her coming out of the baggage claim area. Her flights also went well but she wasn't impressed with Ambien. She said she only slept a couple of hours.

We found the train, bought our tickets and rode into the city. Upon arrival at the Cardona station we set up TomTom and had it guide us the 0.75 mile to the Park Hyatt hotel. A sister to the Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel that Joni, Graig and I stayed at after his mission, it is nice but does not challenge for the top spot on our list, in spite of the $500 rate (we used points). Long story short, they messed up our reservation and put us in a room they claimed was too small for a rollaway so I slept on the floor while the girls slept in the queen size bed.
Walking from the Milan train station to our hotel. Typical cobblestone Italian streets which are narrow. I miss all the window boxes that are common in southern Italy. You just don't see them in northern Italy.
Anyway, we quickly changed clothes and walked to our tour meeting spot. Mick was reminded why he doesn't like group tours as we moved at the group's pace and loitered too long in some sites. However, the tour was the only way we could get in to see DaVinci's Last Supper, so we tolerated it. It is a great work of art in a humble little refectory and definitely worth the visit. It was protected from damage in World War II bombing of the refectory but the images are fading because of the technique DaVinci used. Definitely a divinely inspired work of art.

It just wouldn't be a vacation in Italy without gelato and Mick with the video camera.

The Duomo in Milan Italy. It is huge and took over 300 years to complete. I enjoyed our climb to the roof and the view from up there also.

Scene from the rooftop of the Duomo. The Duomo (cathedral) is a spectacular sight (should be after over 300 years in construction) and we were able to walk the roof which offered grand vistas all the way out to the Alps. We spent quite a bit of time trying to find a Tiffany"s for "you know who" but only found a Captain Jack Sparrow street performer. Too bad Janelle was not with us!
We held out for gelato until about 8pm but had to muster up considerable willpower to resist having another.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele is a spectacular, late 19th century glass-topped, barrel-vaulted tunnel which houses the most select stores for shopping. The mosaic floors represent Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States. Those at the entrance are dedicated to science, industry, art, and agriculture. It is very beautiful.

Castello Sforzesco was built in 1450 by the Francesco Sforza family, who was the fourth duke of Milan. It even has a staircase from within the courtyard where the horses can climb so they didn't have to get off their horses until they got to their living quarters.

Milan Opera House, La Scala, which reopened in 1946 after being closed in 1943 due to allied bombing. The stage is as large as the auditoriums floor.

Pom-pom yo-yo necklace

2010-08-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I am big into blogland. I found this idea for a yo-yo pom-pom necklace so had to make one for Gina Halladay to wear in her quilt shop. Gina is big into pom poms and is always trying to "make it work" in anything she can.

This is Janelle modeling it for me before we sent it off to California to Gina.

June travel to California

2010-07-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Back to California I did go in June. Wow, I have had quite the travels this year. Jamie was in the Rabjohn/Turner wedding, so Mick said I should go to spend time with Jamie and attend the wedding also. The Rosells surprised me with a new flag for the flagpole. They are doing a super job keeping the place up for us. It has been a great blessing for us to not have to worry about the house in Brea. They are also so much fun to stay with when I head into town.

We got to have fun with the Rosells at the house and especially had fun playing with Carly. She has grown up so much since I was there in April. Makes me realize how much I want to be close to my children when they are raising their families.

While in California my brother Mark and his family were there vacationing and also for Katie to check out some colleges in the area. I am so excited that another niece is looking into schools in California. We have a friend in the ward that so graciously signed Jamie and me into the park for part of the day. We had great fun showing them the ropes of California Adventure and getting them to experience the more intense rides.

Bugs life is a fun adventure. Had to give these Washatonians a break from all the fun filled thrill rides. I convinced them all to try California Adventure and Boomerang and then they were maniacs. Kyle rode California Adventure 3 times in a row and Mark even did a couple times in a row. But......when we took them to Tower of Terror.......no way....once was enough they said. Even their exchange student Hanna said once was enough and she is a huge rollercoaster fan.

Here's our recent grad. She had quite the adventure while here in California. She flew in on tuesday afternoon from Washington state where she is working for the summer, we headed to Disneyland on wed, she caught a flight to utah on wed late afternoon for an interview at UVU for their nursing program. Flew back to CA on thursday evening for rehearsal dinner and then the wedding was friday morning. She was able to stay a couple more days after I left so she could have some beach time and enjoy the California sun before heading back to Washington. It had been almost a year since she had been to California. Keep posted to see if she was accepted into their nursing program for her post grad work.

The main reason for my trip to Ca was for the wedding of Braden Turner and Brittany Rabjohns. What a great time I had seeing all our old friends from the neighborhood, the parents of friends of our children, and also the members of Brea 1st ward and Placentia Stake. It was so good to see them and hear how their families are doing.

Jamie has been friends with Brit since they moved to Brea when they were 3 years old. They have many memories together from pre-school, dance, elementary school, Jr High, HS, and they both attended BYU. It was fun for mom to see all her friends and be with her on this visit.

It was so good to see Jenny Summers from northern California. We served in the stake YW together and she is such a fun and talented gal, just like Denise who can do anything she puts her mind to.

What fun I had hanging with good friends Laurel, who is the mother of the bride and Denise Wilson.

Jamie and I went over to the Peters to wish Tyler Happy Graduation from UCLA. Jamie and Tyler have been good friends since they were 2 years old and their brothers, Graig and Trevor, met in Kindergarten. Congrats goes out to both Jamie and Tyler for doing their undergrad work in 4 years.

"Curb Alerting" Jersey style

2010-07-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Penny Boyle from our ward here in Jersey invited me to go "curb alerting" with her. Every year this one county has a clean out every June where you can put whatever you want out for the garbage collectors. They can put it out starting saturday morning until monday evening for a tuesday morning pick up. Penny has learned through the years to get the streets that they will be collecting from and maps out a route to go looking and collecting. I was amazed at what people were throwing away. Brand new items, items that worked, etc. They would have signs on 10 foot lighted Christmas Trees, refridgerators, generators, power washers, etc that they still worked. As you can tell, we found a lot to take home. You can't see it but we got a bicycle built for two, a complete diningroom set with the customs table pads, a queen size posted bed with carved posts, etc. It was an adventure. I could've come home with more, but had to keep telling myself that I would just have to move it back to CA. The next day, I was agonizing over not getting the double bed complete with headboard and footboard and rails and a tray table and a........... I was unable to go with Penny the next day so called while she was out scouting and told her that if the bed was still there if she could pick it up. Well it wasn't there because while we were loading the queen size bed that you can see in the truck, the owner of the double bed came running down to us a few doors down to tell us she had the cherry bed. She said she was surprised that no one had picked it up yet. Well we told her it was because she didn't have a good presentation and propped it up for her and made it look grand. Shouldn't have done that.....it was gone. While we were loading the diningroom set, the young man from the house came out and helped us load it. I have some great stories of our afternoon curb alerting. Like I said, I can't believe what people throw away. Wish I knew about it when I was furnishing this house with Craiglist. The items on the curb were just as great if in some cases better than what I paid for.

Don't you love this caravan. The gentleman that put them together drives it in parades around the state. You can drive it from either side. I wonder if it has a reverse? Anyway it was in the area we were doing our curb alerts.

Here are the goodies I came home with. This 3 drawer dresser....don't you love the lines. This cute little lamp is great. You just touch it and it goes on and off and brighter with each touch. I also got a large pot for one of the pumpkin plants, a small white dest with carving on the edge, and a Pampered Chef pizza stone.

This is the 12 foot wooden ladder I found. Going to display the quilts I have made on them. Looks good in the 20 foot high ceiling familyroom.

I didn't get to go back on monday with Penny to check out any new things that were put out. But guess what Penny found and brought back for me. A Woody doll.......I was so excited to have the Woody doll to go with Jessie. Can you believe someone would throw a toy out on the curb, let alone Woody and Jessie? Surely they have not gone to see Toy Story 3!

Penny also brought back 20 yards of 54 inch wide red cotton/poly blend fabric. Can you believe it? A brand new unused bolt of red fabric. The wheels are turning........valances and dust ruffles in the patriotic bedroom at the lakehouse, tablecloths......oh the list could go on and on. Best part......it was free.

This is Woody and Jessie happily reunited once again. Just look at the joy in their eyes and the love they radiate. We find them all over the house in different places, doing different things. Why, just this morning they were upside down hanging from the banisters.

Don't you just love toys.........and especially Toy Story 3.

Happy 54th to Mick!!!

2010-07-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mick. I know it was May 25th, but I'm just getting the pictures posted. The Frugone's came over to celebrate Mick's 54th. Yes, he is the same age as me now. They each picked out a balloon for him and did a homemade card. Well those were super special balloons because just this morning they have finally lost their helium and are fading to the ground. Don't you love the birthday glasses they brought too?

July 4th 2010

2010-07-05T13:14:00.001-07:00

In keeping with tradition of last year, Janelle had her face painted. When we walked up to the little stand, the husband of the artist, smiled and quickly turned to the photo album displaying the pictures of our gang and their painted faces from last year. Janelle was very excited to see them.

Janelle's completed 4th of July face.

The painted faces gang.

A walk to the park where we ate our 4th of July last year.

Look closely and you can see the NYC helicopters flying over the Hudson River. Part of the pre-firework entertainment.

Water boats ding their show. Red, white and blue water came later.

Here is the group playing the candy bar game. Wouldn't be the 4th without "The Candy Bar Game". Roll those dice...is it a 7 or an 11 so you can pick your candy?

Mick and I on the 4th 2010. I told Mick I thought we looked old and wasn't going to post, but hey we were hot and sweaty from 100 degree evening and a lot of humidity. And I'm sure we have a case of A.G.E. too.

Great show. Thank you Macy's.

I know this picture is blurry, but those red lights in the center is New Jersey's motorbike police officer giving us an escort from the condo to 62nd street.

This year travel time home with police escort.......55 minutes.

Last year......3 + hours.

Great 4th and more 2 Year Adventure for Mars memories.

April/May Travels

2010-05-23T13:56:00.001-07:00

Thursday evening April 15th Mick, Janelle and I flew out of Newark New Jersey to head home to California. As soon as we landed we headed to In N Out for burgers. Even though it was 10pm it tasted soooooooo good. I have to note here that of the 10 days Mick was gone from Jersey he had In N Out 8 times. Yes, 8 times!!!! He loves it.
Friday was dentist appointments and errands and that evening the Peters had us over for Don's famous chicken tacos. The Guziks and Grandma and Grandpa Peters were also there. What fun it was to get together with our dear friends. It has been a tradition to go fishing every year at June Lake in the Eastern Sierras with the Peters and the Guziks. We have been unable to go the past 2 years due to our assignment in Jersey and have missed being with these good friends. Yes, we did play cards. Sunday was church in the Brea 1st ward. Loved being with all our good friends there. Monday was "stage two" of my oral surgery for my implant. I had to go under general anesthesia again. Mick took good care of me.
During dinner the hummingbirds were plentiful, eating the secret recipe Laurie brews for them. I was fasinated by their bright red color. Do you know how hard it is to get a picture of a hummingbird?
Wednesday morning Mick, Janelle, and I drove to utah for Jamie's graduation. It was beautiful when we left california, but arrived in Utah to heavy rains and even had some snow along the way.

Here is the family after Jamie's thursday afternoon general graduation program. The following post also has a couple of pictures of her graduation.

PANIC!!! The computer blacked out on me and the following post is to be included with this one. I thought I had lost all my work........so continue reading for more adventures.......

April/May travels

2010-05-23T12:45:00.001-07:00

Here is Jamie seconds after receiving her diploma. She graduated in four years......Way to go Jamie. She now holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science. Next......she is planning on attending Nursing School.

This is the gang that attended Jamie's graduation friday morning for her college. We went to Tucanos for lunch and each of us came out with a "Meat Coma" as David and Jamie put it. What a great morning we had.

Saturday morning we were able to attend one of Jamie's indoor soccer games. She played for BYU intramural co-ed and also a city indoor league this past semester. Her Dad was cheering and kicking his legs and LOVED being able to see her play. Graig, Nicole and I headed to SLC to attend a session of the temple before Adam and Jessica's wedding. What a beautiful day it was, as you can see from the pictures taken on the temple grounds. We attended the reception that afternoon and enjoyed being with Mick's family. We were able to be with his mother and Kent, his sister Deanna and her family, his brother Ken, father of the groom and all his children, and Laurie and Calvin, Adams parents.

Sunday morning we attended the broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Spoken Word. Brooke Holyoak, Janelle's friend from Houston days, sings in the choir and her mom Tracie was in town for gradaution and womens conference so we were able to see them both. What a treat it was. The Prophet Thomas S. Monson, Dallin Oaks and David Archuletta were also in attendance. Sorry the picture of David didn't come out.

After taking Mick to the airport for his flight back to New Jersey, Janelle, Jamie, my mom, Graig and Nicole and I headed up to Idaho. What fun we had being in their home and eating the delicious meals they prepared for us. On Monday we were able to go and help Nicole in her first grade classroom. We had so much fun helping with an art project for their moms day surprise. We also helped with math and reading. During lunch recess you could earn tokens for the upcoming field trip. For each lap you earned a token, 4 laps earned you a gold one. What fun I had running and walking to earn a gold and red token. Too bad I'll miss the field trip. Here is Nicole reading to her students. You can tell she loves each and every one of her students.....and they love her.

Wednesday morning Jamie, Janelle, Mom and I were up early to head back to Provo. We stopped in Idaho Falls to join Cousin Kim and Aunt Eleanor for breakfast. We missed seeing Andrew who is there attending Idaho State on a Rugby Scholarship.

We did a Costco run and then headed over to cousin Merr's poolhouse for a Harmer Girls reunion dinner. Uncle Bob BBQ'd and Karyn made yummy desserts, Uncle Albert and patsy made potatoes and we had an awesome meal and laughed and had fun with everyone. All you Harmer relatives, plan on attending next year....we are going to make it a tradition.

Thursday April 29-30 was BYU Women's Conference in Provo, Utah. It has been a tradition for several years now for my mom, cousin Kim, Aunt Eleanor and myself to attend. Through the years others have joined us including my sister, sister in laws, cousin Lynette and good friend Chris Panian. This year my Aunt Patsy and my mother's high school girlfriend Marjean attended with us. We always have so much fun laughing, attending classes, shopping, laughing, eating, laughing, getting some sleep, laughing and having a great time. Thanks to Marjean thisyear we had plenty of snacks and goodies. Good thing we laugh so much or we would really show how much we ate when we went home and tried to get into our favorite jeans.

Saturday morning Janelle and I were up early to head to Cedar City, Utah with my Uncle Bob and Aunt Karyn to participate in my cousins Leslie Ewells graduation. She received her Masters in Education from SUU. Jamie and David were in St George for the weekend so were able to join us also. After the ceremonies, lunch and change of clothes, Janelle and I headed to California. We did the drive in 6 hours with 2 stops. Janelle and I were able to attend church in Brea, I did my follow-up surgery appt and tuesday we headed back home to Jersey. Where is home? Well, I have decided it is where I am at the moment. It seems whenever we are in California it is like we have just been gone on vacation somewhere. I wonder how it will feel when we finally move back at the end of the year.

Well we are here in Jersey until the 15th of June, when I head back to California for more Dr's appointments and also Brit Rabjohns wedding. Jamie is meeting me for the week. Fun, fun, and more travel miles. Seems I've traveled more than Mick so far this year. EGADS!!!!

Spring is in the Air

2010-04-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is the view I have when I turn onto Mountainview Drive to get to the house. Isn't it beautiful........but the smell is..........well let's just say that when we go for our nightly walks, I have to cover my nose. We didn't notice the smell last week when they were starting to bloom, but now that the blossoms are in full bloom, so is the horrible smell they produce.
Don't you just want to burst out singing "Popcorn, popping on the apricot tree?"

Spring is in the air. Last week we had temperatures in the high 80's and 60's in the evening. I wanted to get the pumpkin starts going, but Mick warned me it could be short lived. Sure enough, we woke up to 34 degrees this morning and high of 58 yesterday. But at least the trees are blossoming and flowers blooming.

Here we are

1 Mountainview Dr.........come for a visit.

Trips, trips and more trips!!

2010-04-12T05:03:00.001-07:00

Janelle will tell you this was the highlight of our Florida trip March 5th -10th. She did the Pirate Adventure where she was made up like a pirate. She also loved getting her picture taken with all the characters and getting their autographs. Go figure...30 going on 8 sometimes. This was her trip though, so we did what janelle wanted....well most of the time;)

Every morning we were one of the first in the parks and the last to leave. We saw and did and rode and watched just about everything there was to do in the Disney parks. I must say, I came home exhausted. I loved animal kingdom, rollercoaster was the best, 2nd safari ride, 3rd all the broadway production shows. Hollywood had soooo many show I loved, rockin'rollercoaster, tower of terror and laser light show at night. Epcot I loved the countries, even though I had to drag and hear whining from janelle about how "boring" all the movies were, and then disney was so much like California, we just did the new things that California doesn't have and our favorites like Space Mt, Pirates, etc. Janelle did the pirate adventure where you get made up like a pirate and all. She loved it, I endured it.

This is the only picture we have of Mick with us at Disney World. We are eating in a diner where you are at a drive in movie. Really cute. But anyways.....back to the Mick story. Mick is the reason we are at DisneyWorld. He had a sales meeting there March 8-11th so we decided to tag along since, hey the hotel was paid for, and you all know the tight wad Joni. We flew out early on friday night and then started our disney adventure saturday morning. When we left friday night Mick had just arrived from being out of town all week. He was home long enough to wash his marshmellow suits and repack and off we went. He wasn't feeling too well then, but just thought it was from traveling. Well sautrday morning he woke up not feeling well and it lasted until wednesday. He stayed in the hotel or attended his meetings, but that was it. He didn't even get to go to the park when mars had it exclusively for them. janelle and I were so upset for him, because he could have riden Rockin' Rollercoaster 100's of times without any line. He only went to this resautrant and American Idol with me. Then to top it off on his flight to Atlanta his suitcase got accidently taken from the overhead and he had to shop for an outfit to wear for his meeting thursday morning. So on friday when he finally gets to come home, he pays...well mars pays....$500 extra to get on an earlier flight, which get delayed 3 times and arrives 3 hours later than his original flight. It was one thing after another for him this trip and we were glad to get him finally home.

Got to go to American Idol taping....just kidding...it is an event at Disney Hollywood. It is a fun attraction.

I know I blogged about this event. Last minute I headed to Utah to celebrate my parents 56th wedding anniversary. It was so much fun to see my parents and Graig and Jamie and David and all the Springville relatives and parents friends.

Just think, now we are off to California on thursday to see all the Brea gang, then to Utah to see Jamie at BYU graduation, women's conference which is an annual event with my cousin Kim, her mom Eleanor, and my mom ( we occasionally get some others to join us, it's not too late), and then off to my cousin Leslie's graduation in Cedar City for her master's, and then back to Brea for post op check and back to Jersey on May 4th. Whew......it will be fun!! Looking forward to seeing ya'll.

Bear Encounter

2010-03-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, who would have thought a bear would run out in front of you just 46 miles outside of NYC and just 1 mile from our house? Well that is exactly what happened on friday night when Mick headed out at 10:30 pm to pick me up at the airport returning from Salt Lake. He didn't see the bear, just felt the impact on the driver side of the truck, saw a flash of black fur and felt a big bump as he drove over him.
Mick turned around, but didn't see the big guy, so thought the bear had run off into the big corn field. After limping back to the house in the truck, he got the Acura and headed out again to get me. It was then that he saw the bear laying on the side of the road.

I meanwhile had arrived and called him to let him know I was heading to the door. He said he had almost asked me to get a cab and told me the story. Why the cab? Well just 2 miles from the bear encounter a cat ran out in front of him and he fatally injured the stray guy also.
Ouch!!! When we saw the size of the bear and damage to the truck, we are so grateful that Mick was not driving the Acura. Mick would surely have been hurt and the car probably would have been totaled.

Notice the bear hair between the tire and rim.

The scary thing is that the next morning Mick went to get a haircut and I asked him to get more pictures of the bear during daylight. When he got to the spot, there were cars around and people down looking at the bear. It had moved about 10 feet from the original place friday night. We feel so bad that he had suffered so during the night.

2010-03-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

March 18, 2010 my parents celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary by attending the temple where they were sealed 56 years ago the Manti Temple in Utah. I flew me out to be with them for this special day and am so glad I was able to be there. I flew into Salt Lake City Wednesday morning. Graig had driven from Idaho and picked Mom, Dad and me up at the Salt Lake airport. We immediately set out for "the sandwich shop" a.k.a., In N Out, for a burger and then to Jamie's place for a quick visit. Mom and I went to the tap class at BYU that Jamie teaches to film the students as a help in her testing of them. We had so much fun meeting them and being with her. Uncle Bob and Aunt Karyn had the traditional St Patricks Day dinner for us all. Thursday was the big day to celebrate Mom and Dad's anniversary. Dad rented a bus in which 27 of us made the journey to Manti. The session was very special. Afterwards we went to the Manti House for lunch. We spent the evening at Albert's and Pat's where we had dinner and more fun visiting with family and friends. I flew out Friday afternoon. Mick picked me up at Newark Airport....and that is another adventure. Tune in tomorrow.

What a great day it was with family and friends. Here's to another 56 years Mom and Dad. I love you!!!

Happy Saint Patricks Day

2010-03-16T05:49:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone. I saw this cute idea on one of the blogs I visit. I did the hearts with my new cricuit machine my parents gave me for my birthday. I am having all sorts of fun playing with it and creating things. the little poem is a backwards message from the leprechaun that lives in our home.

I am headed to Utah tomorrow morning on a last minute trip to celebrate my parents 56th wedding anniversary. We will be attending the Manti Temple on thursday the 18th, the day they were married. There is a big group going so should be fun to visit with family and friends and see Graig and Jamie. Nicole wasn't able to attend, but will be seeing her next month when we head back to Utah for Jamie's graduation.

Mowing Jersey Style

2010-02-25T09:36:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we woke up to 2 inches of very wet snow. Mick had just gotten in from California the night before, so had slept in until 6am. Since he didn't have time to do the driveway before heading to work, guess who got to use the snowblower. Me!!! That's right!! And........I loved it. It helped to fill my "mow the lawn" fix. It is just like mowing the lawn, only it is white and you don't have to empty the grass catcher. I was so happy the landlord was in Florida and had left his little toy for us to use and that Mick had slept in so he didn't have time to do it.
Yep, that's me working the snowblower. I had so much fun. I wanted to go up and down the block and do everyones!!! Well today it is snowing really hard again. We are expected to get 1-2 feet of snow. (We shall see.) The landlord has returned and has taken back my little toy so I was out with the shovel trying to keep up with the snowfall. Well I am out shoveling the 4 inches that have fallen so far, and Andy my snowplow friend from last post, is coming down the street. He stops and says he found me a snowplow guy for my driveway. Great!!! He calls Joe up and we make a 1:30 appointment to give me a bid. I hang up and ask Andy, "Ok what will be a fair price to just go up the driveway and that is all. I can do all the walks and fancy stuff around the house." "50 bucks would be a great deal," he says. Well after recovering from the snowplow bid heart attack, I came right in, called Joe the snowplow guy and told him he didn't need to come give a bid. I WOULD BE THE SNOWPLOW GUY!!! Just a note: I'm thinking about retiring from Kohls and attaching a snowplow to the front of the toyota truck and go out and do driveways. Do you think anyone out there would hire a California Girl?

I've always wanted to go out on the lake when it is frozen. So last friday I went over to my friend Eliana's home on Lake Shawnee. She has a beautiful home right on the lake and she said it was frozen. Well here I am, standing on the lake. Wish I was doing what these guys were, but hey, I'd probably break my wrist or something.

Keep checking on updates. I told Andy the snowplow guy I had to get his picture for the blog.

Oh what do you do in the Winter Time?

2010-02-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

Last week we got about three inches of snow in two different snowstorms. Janelle and I went out each morning to clear the driveway before we ran our errands so we wouldn't have icy tire tracks on the driveway. I hate those. Well as you can see our driveway is really loooooooooooong. The bummer was that by the time we got home from errands all the driveways in the neighborhood were clear, even those that didn't shovel one flake. So when the big storm hit tuesday night on my drive home from work, I thought to myself.....self, don't shovel that drive until you know it is worth it. Well as you can see from the next picture I waited until we had 5 inches and had to do it 3 times before the storm was done. Thank goodness last night our landlord loaned us his snowblower so we could get the 10 inches cleared.

Here I am in the middle of the storm around noon trying to get the driveway cleared. By noon we had 5 inches. After one pass down the driveway and back and I gave up. By the time I came back up the drive, there was already an inch where I had shoveled.

This is the cute neighbor kids who came over yesterday afternoon and asked if I wanted to help build a snowfort and have a snowball fight. They said they wouldn't hit me in the face, just right here they said as they pounded on their chest. Did I go out? You betcha. Went straightway and got my snow boots and coat on for the 3rd time that day. Jersey snow doesn't pack very well so our fort was not huge, but they loved it. I would love to build a snowman, but the snow will not pack to do so.

I love how this picture shows how deep the snow gets after the plow has come through. I was shoveling the snow this morning on the driveway, once again, when I heard the plow coming down the road. I promptly went out to the edge of our driveway and started waving my shovel at him to stop. Did he? No!! He plowed right through piling the snow 2 feet deep at the end of the driveway. Your killing me I yelled. He went to the end of the block, you can see the stop sign way off in the distance, turned around and came back to talk to me. I told him he was killing me by plowing all that snow at the end of my driveway. "How much to clear it so I can get the car out?" Plow guy: "Sorry mam but I would get fired if I did that. Instant dismissal for plowing driveways." Joni: "Well I can appreciate how great you keep the roads cleared, but I hate this mess." Plow guy: "OK how about next time I come down I swerve away from your driveway and try to help you out?" Me: "I would love that!!!! I am a California girl here on a temporary assignment and need all the help you can give me." So next time he comes down he swerves away from the driveway. I give him a thank you wave and he gives me a smile. Gotta love those guys!

Here's the house the day after the storm. You can see the pile of snow the snowplow left for me to clear from the end of the driveway.

Doesn't get much prettier than this. Not a footprint in the snow. Even the deer were not out last night. The birds were busy this morning though in the birdbath. Picture was taken from my office desk.

Mars Hackettstown New Jersey Remodel complete

2010-02-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

The New Jersey Mars site has been under remodeling for over a year now. They just had the ribbon cutting ceremony and unveiled the new exterior. I love how green is sitting so pretty making the guys do the work.

The crossing guards in New Jersey are usually moms. Well this mom really got into her job and the holiday spirit this year. Jamie caught this picture while we were driving by. Who would have thought Mrs Claus also works part time as a crossing guard.

Just another sight in our 2 Year Adventure for Mars. When does the adventure end? We should know soon..........could be soon.......better plan your trip to come see us in Jersey.

Christmas Holidays

2010-01-07T09:42:00.001-08:00

I love the Christmas season. The tree, stockings, and all the decorations. I really missed my Santa collection, nativities, and advents this year. If we are here another Christmas season I will have to bring a few more back to Jersey from California. I also love all the Christmas cards and holiday greetings. Thanks to all of you who sent us cards and letters. I loved hearing about your events for 2009.
So here are our some of our adventures of the holiday season.

My adopted Grandkids Angelo and Giovanni invited me to a day of Christmas crafts. Oh what fun we had. We made gingerbread houses, ornaments, and even got to sit on Santa lap. Thanks for inviting me.

We went to several movies over the Christmas holiday. Mick, Jamie, and I saw Invictus, Avatar, and Sherlock Holmes. Janelle of course had to be different.....she saw Alvin and the Chipmunks and The Christmas Carol.

Christmas was different this year with not having all the family together. We missed having Graig and Nicole with us. Jamie flew in December 20th right after our first snowstorm of the season.

I think we are all getting old because the girls didn't get up on Christmas morning until after 9am. I remember those days when the children were up before the sun, anxious to see what Christmas would bring.

Janelle refused to come downstairs by herself. She had to follow tradition by having a picture taken and then come down together.

Christmas day we went over to the Frugone's to see the adopted grandkids, see their toys and to play Rock Band Beatles. We had a great time. We headed home for Prime Rib and had Michael Jackson join us for dinner and games.

The day after Christmas we headed into NYC to see the sights and catch a Broadway show. We saw the Christmas Balls in Rockefeller Plaza which brought back memories of Brea and the Christmas Balls on the promenade.

Rockefeller Plaza and the Avenue of Angels.

The Christmas tree and Avenue of the Angels at Rockefeller Plaza are "must see" items in NYC.

Jamie loved "Burn the Floor" on Broadway. Janelle went to "Shrek the Musical" and claimed it was better than the movies. On New Years Day we went to the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.

Our last event......Times Square for the New Year's Countdown Ball Drop. I'll get those pics posted as soon as Jamie gets them to me. My camera died on the street during the event.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

2009-12-13T15:55:00.000-08:00

Here is part of the group that attended Virginia's endowment session on saturday the 21st. See story in next post.

This is Janelle and I at the tree in Downtown Disney. I thought I had them posted with the story in the following post.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-13T14:41:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday the 18th Janelle and I flew out to California for Thanksgiving. We spent the first part of the week in Brea at the house. Janelle loves to sleep in her room there and play with Bentley the dog. Mick flew in from Chicago on thursday evening. We were able to see all the neighbors and go to our favorite restaurants like Shang Hwa, In n Out and Taco Bell. I know you are all thinking....Taco Bell? Well they are very far away here and I crave mexican food. We went to church in our California Ward and did lots of Doctor visits, etc. We left monday evening for St George where Graig and Nicole came from BYU-I and Jamie and David came from BYU-Provo to spend the holiday with us.

We spent one evening in downtown Disney. What a busy place. We ran into Brett and Natalie Saari and their little family while there also.

On Saturday the 21st we went to the Newport Temple to be with friends from the Brea Ward and Placentia Stake for Virginia Mercier to take out her endowments. What a great event that was. We were able to be in a special place with so many of our friends from California. This is only part of the group that went.

On the way to St George we spent the night in Las Vegas. The Nelsons were there for Thanksgiving with their family so we were able to have breakfast with them. Aunt Eleanor and Jim were there also. What a treat!

Janelle and I spent one day at Disneyland. It was very crowded. We did only 6 rides in 6 hours. There were lines for Pirates I had never seen.

And of course our last meal in California has to be the same as our first.....In n Out. We left St George on sunday morning early and had the typical holiday traffic from Vegas. We got Mick to LAX in time for his flight back to Jersey. Janelle and I flew back home on tuesday Dec. 1st. What a great Thanksgiving we had.

Happy Birthday JANELLE!!!

2009-11-08T05:08:00.000-08:00

Can you believe this crazy kid is turning 30 today!!! She is so unique and can bring a smile to your face over the darndest things.

Happy 30th Janelle!!!

Isn't it great that our children age but we don't.

And the winners are..................

2009-10-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

We had a three way tie for the pumpkin contest. Connor Grant from Utah (he is one of my past piano students in Brea) bid 51#'s, Aaron Cuadro from California (Janelle's good friend) bid 51#'s and Cathy from New Jersey, bid 52#'s. The actual weight was 51.5 pounds!!!!! So all three of these contestants WIN!!!!!!!!!! We had over 35 entries this year which made it really exciting. Bids from 24.5 pounds to 215#'s. Oh how I wish I could have grown a 215 pounder. Maybe next year. Everyone have a Happy Halloween!!!! Your prizes will be in the mail shortly!!!

Painter Drop Cloth Curtains

2009-10-25T17:24:00.000-07:00

Last year the Frugones in our ward had a flood in their home which caused a lot of damage to their first floor. We had great fun helping them paint and get things back to normal. One of the things Megan let me do was to try one of the ideas I had seen on a blog. It was making things out of painter drop cloths. One of the ideas was curtains. So we purchased two painters drop cloths at 9 dollars each and then I topped them with a clearance shower curtain from Target to add a little pizzaz and color along the top. We used the rod she already had and I think they turned out fabulous. Now we need to take the old curtains that got stained on the bottom, cut them down and we are going to repurpose them in the boys room. Megan is such a great sport for letting me try all these cool things I find on blogs. Don't you think my adopted grandkids are cute too. They have been so much fun. Gio made me a halloween decoration today and then they sent me a Grandparents day card last month, flowers for mothers day and I even got invited to their Halloween party. Being a grandma is so much fun.

2nd Annual Pumpkin Weight Contest

2009-10-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

The time has come, the time is here. Send in your guesses for the 2nd Annual "Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin" contest.

Send in your guesses on the largest pumpkin. The one closest to the actual weight will win fabulous Mars products.

This picture was taken in August, so more growing took place.

Here it is the day it was harvested.

It snowed two days last week and we have had frost the past few mornings. I covered the pumpkin up at nights to keep it from freezing, but when the snow started again last saturday, I said, "OK, time to harvest the pumpkin."

Harvesting the great pumpkin!

Here we are on the scales. So send in those guesses and remember, just the weight of the pumpkin!!!

We will end the contest on October 28 at midnight and the fabulous prize of Mars candy will be sent soon thereafter.

Good Luck!!!

Visitors from Washington State and Washington DC

2009-10-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

Ron and Karen Maxfield from Tri-Cities Washington came for a visit on October 6 th-8th. Mick took wednesday off from work and we went to Gettysburg. We drove up and back in one day. We had a super visit and great fun. It is amazing how much I learn each time I go.

Saturday we went into NYC to meet with them for a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and lunch at Tavern on the Green. I have to say that Tavern on the Green is very over rated. It was a great atmosphere and the landscaping is beautiful, but the food was disappointing for the price. We strolled through Central Park and had a great adventure watching the roller bladers who fenced off a portion of the walk and were rocking out.

This is Jamie's roomate from freshman year in the center, Abbey Rich. She came last sunday night with two Washington DC intern friends Rachel and Melissa. It was fun having college kids in the house with us. They even played games with me!!!

I Love Fall in New Jersey

2009-10-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year living in New Jersey. The trees are near their peak they say. Some of my favorite things to do is to drive through a leaf storm. This is when the leaves are falling so heavy it is like driving through rain, but it is leaves. I love watching the leaves flutter behind the car. I love riding my bike in the neighborhood and crunching through the dry leaves on the side of the road.

This is the scenery I observe whenever I get in the car. Isn't it spectacular? I keep thinking I'm going to get pulled over for swerving on the road trying to take it all in.

The pumpkins are getting ready for harvest. I have three large ones this year and about 25 jack be littles.

Watch for the post on the "Guess the pumpkin Weight" contest. It will be happening next week because we have already woken up to a light frost here in Jersey. Once again the prize will be candy. We even have a box of Twixxels that never was released. I love them, but the mid-east test market, said no go.

I love decorating with the few things I have for fall. Another of my favorite things is homemade pumpkin pie.

...and don't forget the famous holiday tree!! Why do we still have the tree up you ask?

As you can see, our family room is huge and we have very little furniture in there. I love my mantle all decorated for fall.

So Mick thought it would be great to leave it up all year to help fill the space. I must admit, I have enjoyed the lights on in the evening. Plus decorating for the different seasons has been fun.

It isn't too late to book that flight and come see us. The leaves will still be here for a couple more weeks.

2009-09-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Mick and I had the opportunity to go to Maine for a long weekend with my Uncle Bob and Aunt Karyn. We left Saturday morning driving from New Jersey, through Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and finally Maine. We had our first lobster dinner and then headed to Portland, Maine for a inter-island cruise to see 7 of the many lighthouses in Maine.
When we started the cruise it was a cool pleasant autumn day. By the end....well you can see the picture of my aunt and uncle that says it all!!!!

This is the smallest operating lighthouse in the country. Isn't it cute. How would you like this to be your summer home?

This lighthouse is named Bug Light. The builder when he finished stood back and said, It is cute as a bug, thus the name!

Portland Head Light is said to be the most photographed lighthouse on the coast Maine.

Sunday after attending church in Maine we went on a rainy Sunday drive through 3 states to the Joseph Smith birthplace in Sharon, Vermont. This is the lane you drive entering the memorial. The church has done a beautiful job with the landscaping of the grounds.

Memorial erected for the Joseph Smith Memorial at his birthplace in Sharon, Vermont. It is 38 1/2 feet tall representing the years he lived on earth.
On Monday and Tuesday we drove up and down the coast of Maine. We were on a mission to get to as many of the top 10 lobster eateries in Maine as possible.

Some amazing scenery, even George Bush's home is seen here in Kennebunkport.

Here are a couple of pictures from Georgetown, Maine, a very scenic little seaside town.

Not quite sure what number on the top 10 Lobster places in Maine this is, but the atmosphere is unique at these outside eateries (called lobster pounds). This one posted on the blackboard that they were not responsible for stolen food....from the seagulls.

Since the number one lobster place is only open on Saturdays and Sundays the end of September, we had lunch at a little restaurant nearby. This was the view. Amazing and so quiet and relaxing. What did we have? Well Mick had steamed lobster, Bob and I lobster roll, and Karyn the lobster bisque. Delicious.

This one is #4, but as you can tell, we just missed it. They were closing up as we arrived.

On our last day in Maine we decided the best lobster was from Mike's just down the road from our place. You go in, pick your favorite lobster by size and kind and then they steam it up for you. We went to the grocery store before and bought salads and goodies for a perfect meal. We put Mike's at #1. Because we asked Mike so many questions about lobsters, he thought I should have the experience of holding one. Here I am holding a male lobster, weighing about 3 pounds, which makes him about 8-10 years old. Thanks goodness those claws are rubber banded tight. This one even has two bands.

Mike will even cook the lobsters for you in his huge steamer.

This is our last meal in Maine.

Uncle Bob loves lobster. He was eating his and propped it up on the plate and said, "It's a monument to lobsters." Well considering we had lobster everyday we were in Maine, I guess we needed a monument. Thanks for a great time Uncle Bob and Aunt Karyn.

2009-09-13T15:03:00.001-07:00

Jamie Jo "What do you Know"

2009-09-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Jamie spent her summer attending BYU spring semester, hiking to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon, and then went up to Washington state to work. She stayed with her cousin Austin to be his chauffer while his parents and sister Ashley were away at volleyball activites for two weeks. She also worked for my brother Mark and brother in law, Mike, in the bottling business. She was a sampler girl in grocery stores for their new Cascade Ice product. She also cleaned soda coolers. This is the cool set of wheels she drove around.

It came complete with a hornets nest in the door frame.

Open House in California

2009-09-03T09:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 22, 2009 we held an open house for Graig and Nicole in Brea California so Nicole and her family could meet our neighbors and friends there. As most of you know, Graig is a huge In and Out Burger fan! So we decided to have the In and Out Burger Truck come to serve burgers.
Instead of the traditional cake, we had cupcakes.

This is Derryl Hill ordering the first burger.

This is Janelle's friend Aaron and Steven who were our DJ's for the evening. They did a super job. Jane O'Brien was disappointed that they didn't play any Neil Diamond songs though. She didn't know you could request.

We had the Open House at the North Hills Tennis and Swim Club. Our neighbor Jane O'Brien is a member and set it up for us. It was perfect for a warm August evening. Thanks Jane.

We had so many friends come. This is Myron and Nancy Woodruff and their son Jason and his wife Molly. The Woodruffs were our neighbors in Houston Texas. Great neighbors and great friends. Graig was Jasons shadow when he was 2-4 years old. They had all sorts of adventures together. When Jason headed off to kindergarten, Graig would call Nancy to see if she could play when he was 3. Play the Nintendo that is. The best thing is, that she would let him and would feed him lunch!!!

We even had elementary school teachers come from good old Mariposa. This is Mrs Cotton-Martin and Mrs Zawyrucha, first and second grade teachers. Their libraian, Mrs Garrison and her husband also came.
Jamie is in the pink dress and her roomate from college Abby.

It was a super fun evening. It was so good to see everyone from California that we miss so much. Thanks to everyone who helped out to make this such a great night.

Graig & Nicole Ward wedding pictures

2009-08-31T12:24:00.001-07:00

On August 6, 2009 Graig and Nicole were married in the Seattle Temple. It was a beautiful ceremony attended by family and friends.

This is the Ward family with Grandparents.

Here we are, the Ward family with 6 members now.

The groomsmen from l-r

Jake Coyle: friend of Graigs who came from Colorado
Mark Christensen: my brother and Graigs snowmobile buddy

Graig

Josh: roomate from BYU-I

Austin Broadwell: cousin

Chase: Nicoles sisters husband from Oregon

This is Micks family that came to wedding celebration. l-r

Janelle, Jamie, sister Laura, brother Steve, Graig, Laura's son Tony (tony's wife Stephanie was there, she was taking the picture), Grandma Barbara ( Mick's mom), Joni and Mick.

Graig and Nicole coming out of the Seattle Temple.

This is the fabulous backdrop that was made for the candy bar.

Graig and Nicole cutting the cake. The reception was held in Nicoles backyard and everything was so well planned and beautiful.

Nicoles family. l-r

Sister Breanna with husband Chase and son Nash. Graig and Nicole, Jeanette and Dean, Nicoles parents and sister Sheila. We loved getting to know them and being a guest in their home.

The wedding party.

These are some of the pictures that the professional photographer took. I included a few for fun.

I will post more pictures of the Open House in Brea with the In and Out Burger truck soon.

Off to California/Washington/California

2009-07-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone.
Well hopefully it is packed and ready to go......or it is going to be left. Janelle and I head out to California tomorrow. We will be there until saturday evening, when we fly into Washington. Sunday it is off to family reunion on Micks side and the wedding on thursday. Nicole is taking out her endowments on wednesday evening. Then saturday we are heading to the lakehouse in eastern Washington for a week. The following saturday, August 15th, it is back to California for Trevor Peters wedding, and preparing for the Open House on the 22nd for Graig and Nicole. If you didn't receive an invite, it is either lost in the mail, or something dreadful happened to it. But hey, you don't need an invite. Come on up to the pool and have an In and Out burger with us on the 22nd of August. First burger is served at 6:30 until 8pm. Check out the wedding website for info, times, and places. www.mywedding.com/nicoleandgraig

I'll try and post pics during rtrip. Happy August to all. I return to Jersey on the 28th of August.

Palmyra Pageant

2009-07-28T04:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had the opportunity to go the Palmyra Pageant in New York. It was a beautiful 4 hour drive through Pennsylvania and upper state NY. We we able to visit with Sister Macy Halladay who is in the Palmyra Mission and loving it. We are also happy to report that she is feeling and doing much better.

Look who else we ran into? Shelly Young. Mick and I were walking around the temple grounds at the pageant and we hear.....Brother and Sister Ward!! It was so great to see and visit with her for a few minutes. She is wearing one of the elaborate costumes the actors and actresses wear. There were some very creative head pieces there. Should have got the picture of the one that looked like the churro vendor.

Here is the set for the pageant where 700 actors and actresses perform. They also have over 100 people working the lights, stage, make up, special effects and technology that go into the production. It was amzaing. They had waterfalls, explosions, wars, and you name it on that stage. It really brought the story of the Book of Mormon to life. Here is another amazing fact, they set up seating for 9,000 and almost all of those chairs were filled and several brought their own seating! They also have a tasty chicken dinner with the famous salted potatoes and popcorn for the show. If we have our Two Year Mission for Mars extended, Janelle and I are going to be on that stage next year.

Bears in the Neighborhood

2009-07-22T10:15:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we were on our evening walk around the neighborhood. As we rounded the corner a bear came lumbering across the street right in front of us. I was so upset that I didn't have my camera with me. It was such a sight. Well a couple of days later our neighbors were out walking with their camera around their neck. I told him how upset I was that I had not had my camera with me on sunday because of the bear sighting. What time, he asked? Around 8pm. I have a picture I took of the bear in our backyard on the same eveing a few mintues later he said. I was so excited. He e-mailed it to me so I could post it for you to see the bears that live in our neighborhood. A couple of weeks earlier they had strolled through our backyard, once again I missed the shot.

The very next evening on our walk, a skunk was on the side of the road. We turned around and went back the other way. You'll never know who or what you will see on a New Jersey walk.

O'Barrs come for a visit.

2009-07-22T09:42:00.001-07:00

This post is a little out of sequence of events.

A family from our ward in Brea, California was on vacation here on the east coast. We had a very fun visit with the O'Barr family, David, Crystal ,and their children Amber, Erica, and Abigail. Unfortunately they were only able to stay one evening with us, but we had fun. We went firefly hunting and were able to catch quite a few. The fireflies put on quite a show for us that evening. This is one of the things I will miss about New Jersey... our firefly hunts.

PS. For those of you who have been to our New Jersey home, you are probably thinking, why are they not on the front porch for the famous " porch picture of those who visit". Well in June it rained 27 of the 30 calendar days and this was one of those mornings when it was pouring down. Thus, picture on the inside porch. Come visit......we love visitors.

4th of July on the East Coast

2009-07-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

For the 4th this year I really wanted to see the fireworks over the Statue of Liberty! We had an invitation to see the fireworks several weeks before the 4th from a family in the ward at Lake Hopatcong. I declined saying I really wanted to go see them in NYC. Jared Sparhawk happened to over hear our conversation and said one of the parking garages he manages has an awesome view of the Hudson River from the rooftop on the Jersey side. He added that his family might be doing the fireworks there this year. I immediately invited myself to his party. Well he was able to get permission to go up on the roof to see this amazing display of fireworks over the Hudson River between NYC and New Jersey. We had to leave our home early because they announced they were closing the streets to traffic 7 hours before the show . We packed a picnic lunch/dinner and away we went. What a beautiful day it was, a typical California weather day. Sunny and not too hot and unbelievably no humidity for the east coast. The humidity is usually not pleasant this time of year. Well when we got there Jared was able to get us into a condo that was vacant and for sell. We were able to watch the fireworks from the balcony. You couldn't have had a better view. I was a little disappointed that we couldn't see the Statue of Liberty from where we were. But, you could see the fireworks that were going off over the lady from where we were.What a display that was, but, ours was superb. The paper reported the next day that it was the largest firework display in New York history and the first time it was done in that location since 9-11. They set off over 44,000 rockets. Oh to be part of history. It doesn't get much better than that.

Janelle did not want to go, but her mean parents forced her to have a memorable event in her life. She insisted that she was going to be bored and have no fun. I'm sure from the pictures you can decide if she had a good time or not.

Picnic in the park with Kentucky Fried Chicken....it's tradition.

Face painting was enjoyed by the younger folk.

The streets are closed 5 hours before the show, not the seven like reported. They bring in barricades just like New Years. This is a picture of the barges getting into position. Notice Macys on the side. They sponsored the fireworks.

OK, before the Rose parade in California we get the Thunderbirds flying over the parade route. Before the NYC fireworks, we get the NYPD helicopters.

The tugs came out and put on a pre-show. You can't tell the red, white and blue colors very well from the photo. See all the private boats lined up on the boundary created by the coast guard. Wouldn't it be fun to see the show from a boat! It wouldn't be the 4th without the candy bar game. Another one of our traditions.

Glow in the dark necklaces for all.

I love how you can tell the six barges that set off the fireworks in this picture spread out over the Hudson River.

Just look at all those lights in the sky. I wish I would have thought to get a picture of the reflection of the fireworks on the buildings in NYC.

Just like The Ball Drop on New Years Eve, the streets were full of spectators after the big event. It took us over 2 1/2 hours to get home.

Thanks Sparkhawks for letting us crash your party. I was able to cross off another item on my bucket list of things to do before moving back to California.

What's next you ask?........Palmyra Pageant.

Thanks Jamie

2009-06-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to thank Jamie for changing my background. I love Americana. This blogging thing is really a challenge for me. I am proud to report though, that I downloaded all the pictures myself on the next two posts. I did have to call Mick at work for assistance though on one tiny problem.

Jersey Projects

2009-06-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

This is a close up of the previous post. I thought I would never get done with this quilt. There were so many half triangles that made up a 2 inch block. But it turned out great. Look at the blue star fabric to see the awesome quilting. i love this stars and loops pattern.

This is a darling Halloween quilt that still needs to go to the quilters. I haven't decided if I'll tackle it myself or send it out to be done. Some custom work on it would be awesome.

More projects done in Jersey

2009-06-30T09:21:00.000-07:00

This one is the baby blanket I made with lakehouse fabric scraps. I did the quilting myself on the machine. I love the prairie square edging.

This is a Christmas quilt I love because it looks like wrapped Christmas packages. I used the left over fabric to make a table runner.

This is one of the baby quilts I have done. It is from the American Jane fabric line.

Happy Flag Day

2009-06-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, the company didn't move any of my decorations in this 2 year assignment. But you all know me, I have lots of decorations in Brea and just couldn't let Flag Day go by without some here in Jersey.

The little American wall hanging is above the phone desk, I finally finished the Americana table runner I started last year and it is now home in the foyer with the vase full of flags and the famous tree is full of flags, red, silver, and blue tinseley garland with stars, and white twinkly lights. Happy Flag Day......

Happy 4th too, the same decorations will be up for that too!!!

What do you do all day.....Quilt!

2009-06-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

This quilt ended up being huge. It is done with the guitar fabrics and I backed it with cordoroy. See the fun fabrics up close. Between rows I also used the black cordoroy.
It is quilted with a guitar and treble cleff and notes quilting design. My friend Joyce Brock did the quilting on my last 5 quilts. She is awesome. More to come.

A friend from California wanted to know what I do during the day. Well quilt for one. So decided to show you some of the quilts I've done since moving here. One on the left is a strippy done with a jelly roll. The one in the middle is a baby quilt with Lakehouse Fabrics. It really turned out cute and I did the quilting myself. I'll get a closer up shot. The one on the right is a quilt done with 2 inch squares of fabric. Not my typical quilt. I like Gina's Afternoon Delights that you can do in an Afternoon or Two. This definately wasn't one of those and it is twin size. Check out her website at ThreadedPearStudios.com

The Food Chain...Should we be on alert?

2009-06-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend two deer were hit just yards from our home here in Jersey. The buzzards were out in full force staking claim to their prizes. The thing that cracked me up, was these buzzards just stood there protecting their find, just staring at the other buzzards who were staking claim to their deer. I kept thinking what is the point!!!

Well the very next day in the afternoon, this is the point!!! They cleaned that poor deer up in less than 48 hours.

The scarry thing is, there are 4 buzzards that like to sit on the chimney of our home. Is this a sign? Are they staking our place out?

Statue of Liberty

2009-05-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

My cousin Merrilee and her family came to Jersey for the big New Years Celebration for 2009. Her son Brenn , who is in Junior High School, did this picture of the Statue of Liberty for us as a thank you. I love the details and perspective he has done. Upon receiving it I immediately hung it in the hallway where we go to and from the house. It is also visable from our kitchen. Thanks Brenn, I love it!!!!

Womens Conference

2009-05-10T18:36:00.001-07:00

Another tradition I have is attending Womens Conference at BYU in Provo Utah. My cousin Kim and I attended BYU together as freshmen, so it brings back fond memories of living together in the dorms. We usually stay in the dorms and eat in the cafeteria where we put on a few pounds during the 3 night stay. I don't remember the food being that good while in school. Well this year there was only 3 of us. My aunt Eleanor couldn't make it due to a last minute surgery. But we still had fun and laughed and had great memories. Over the years we have had my sister Karen, sister in law Sara and Sharon, my HS friend Chris and cousin Lynette attend with us. There has always been the four of us every year, Cousin Kim, my Mom, her sister Eleanor and myself.

One of the highlights this year was Kim getting the coach of the Highland Rugby team autograph for her son Andrew who plays rugby. He is the guy behind the movie "Forever Strong". He was one of the special guests at the thursday night concert that is held in the Marriott Center.

This is us at the concert. We had front row seats which we planned in order to get the autograph. L-R Cousin Kim, myself, Aunt Pat, and my mom. It was a 2 1/2 hour concert that we all enjoyed so much.

Friday night Jamie was having a recital for the performing group "Foot Poetry" that she dances for in Utah. We were so excited to finally get to see her perform with this company. We got a short preview at rehearsal on thursday evening up at BYU. Well it was held at Thanksgiving Point in an outdoor theater for the Tulip Festival. The grounds were absolutely beautiful with flowers and the famous tulips. But it started to pour down and the concert was cancelled. We were so sad to not be able to see her dance. My Uncle Albert and Pat, Uncle Bob, cousing Leslie and her daughter Kenzie drove all the way to see her dance also. We love having family close that are so good to support Jamie and also have her over for meals.

It was a wild trip for Janelle and I. We left Jersey two days after company left on April 21st. We flew into Orange County and spent 2 days at the Brea house. Jamie flew in on the evening of the 21st from BYU to be with us. On friday we headed out to Palm Springs to pick up my mom who flew in there from Seattle. We spent two days at the desert home getting it ready for the long hot summer. On saturday evening we headed back to Brea where we attended church on sunday and then monday morning drove to Utah , Janelle, Jamie, Grandma and myself, so jamie could make her 4pm class for Spring semester. We spent time with family and Cousin Kim arrived on wednesday. Kim and my mom flew out of SLC and Jamie stayed for school, so Janelle and I made the trip back to California by ourselves. We made excellent time, getting to St George in 3 1/2 hours from Springville and then it was stop and go and 37 mph headwinds to Orange County after arriving in Vegas. We made it safe and sound and met Mick at the hotel in Anaheim where we spent the next two days doing dentist, doctor, hair, eye and all those appointments that we do while in California. We also were able to secure a place for the open house for graig and nicole. It will be august 22nd at the North Hills swim and tennis club on Woodcrest. It is just up the street 6 houses from the Brea house. A great big Thank You to our neighbor Jane O'Brien for sponsoring us. Come on up on the 22nd for an In and Out Burger.

The three of us then flew out of sunny California on the morning of may 6th to arrive in New Jersey to rain and cooler temperatures. When we left everything was still naked as I call it. Now all the leaves are out, flowers, lilacs and dogwoods are in bloom, and it is beautiful and green.

A must see when visiting The Wards

2009-05-10T18:21:00.001-07:00

Great news. They have opened up "The Lady" so you can go to her crown again. Since 9-11 the farthest you could go was the base. We have learned the tricks to get tickets, so let us know at least 2 weeks in advance when you come to visit so we can be sure to get you to the top!!! Our family made the climb back in 1998 and what a memory it was.

One of the "Must Sees" while visiting NYC is the tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We have learned that you park at Liberty State Park on the Jersey side and take the ferry over to the sites. I love the tour of Ellis Island and always get teary eyed hearing the stories of families and what they went through when entering the United States. Relatives on my mothers side eneteredthe country through Ellis Island and almost were sent back because of an eye infection. I've been reading the book Covenant of Fire and have a greater appreciation of what these pioneers in the Martin Handcart went through and their trip across the seas to come to the land of Freedom. This is a picture from Liberty Park in Jersey, so you see the back side of "The Lady".

Easter Traditions

2009-05-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

Growing up my mother always made a bunny cake for Easter. It was tradition. I loved that cake. It brings back fond memories of easter egg hunts, easter basket contest at the Country Club, a new Easter dress and sunday shoes. So since we had a large group at the house I decided to make the bunny cake. Well it just didn't turn out like the memories I have of it as a child. My mother asked if I made the homemade 7 minute icing...what?...homemade icing....are you crazy? I guess the store bought in the can just didn't cut it this time.

Another Easter tradition is coloring eggs. I have to admit, this is an activity we have not done in years since we usually take our big family trip during easter break. Coloring eggs in Japan, England, Hawaii, Italy, just didn't make the "to do" list while traveling. So when we had the biggest majority of the family here.....guess what?....we colored eggs.

Jamie also colored eggs, check out her blog at A Day in the Life on my blog list.

Easter Vacation Visitors

2009-05-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

Graig and his fiance Nicole, arrived on the 9th of April for Easter week. We enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know Nicole. We went into NYC and did the sites there and shopped Chinatown for purses. Nicole and Graig went to Wicked while Mick and I checked out the Metropolitan Museum of Art there in NYC. It was pouring down rain so the museum was a great activity while they were at the play. Nicole loves games so we did one of my favorite activites, that is playing games!!! They headed home on the14th. Graig headed back to school BYU-I and Nicole went with him for job interviews. She was offered a job at Rexburg Elementary teaching 1st grade. What a blessing that is for them. The wedding date has been set for August 6th at the Seattle Temple. Graig is attending BYU-I while Nicole is back home in Maple Valley Washington working and preparing for the wedding.

My cousin Leslie Harmer Ewell and her family and friends arrived on the 9th also. They stayed with us until sunday the 19th. They pounded the pavement and saw NYC, Washington DC, Gettysburg, Washingtons Winter Encampment, and hit a Broadway play of guys and Dolls. In the picture is top left, their exchange student from Sweden, Eric, their friends and ours now, Mike and Nicole, Austin, James and bottom row is Robbie, Kenzie and my cousin Leslie. It was fun having a house with 10 extra people. Another one of my favorites....company!!!! It was a breeze after 22 for New Years. Remember our door is always open and we love company. We have already completed one year of our two year mission for Mars, so time is winding down. We've had our hump day, as the missionaries say.

Happy Easter.....yes that is a Christmas tree!

2009-04-05T17:38:00.000-07:00

When it came time to put the Christmas decorations away, we decided to keep the tree up. We don't have any table lamps and also the furniture is scarce compared to the size of the room. The tree helps to fill some of the space and also give us some mood lighting. We have been decorating it for the different holidays, but I'm seriously thinking its got to go back in the box after this holiday. The neighbor kids, who happen to be the landlords children came over and asked if that was our Christmas tree and wanted to know what we were going to do come Christmas again. Do you think their parents aka. landlord, have been talking?

Also, Kohls update. I worked a 40 hour work week for the grand opening. Saturday was like black friday all day. You couldn't find parking and the lines were wrapped around the front of the store. I was "go backs" in juniors for a few hours. All I can say is....EGADS!!!!!! Girls don't know how to turn clothes right side out, put on a hanger, let alone take off the floor!!! It was back breaking work. Next week I'm back to Ad set and hopefully we can do it faster than the 9 hour shift last tuesday with only one 15 minute break!! Especially since I have 3 ad sets next week!!!

It's Pumpkin get ready time!!!!!

2009-03-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hopefully you all remember the 88 pounder we got last year. Well the planting started last week and look what we already have!!! I love pumpkins....they are just like little children to me.

Wow..... by the looks of these carver pumpkin starts I should have a porch full of carved Jack O'Laterns this October. That is if the bunnies and deer don't eat them!!!!

I finally found Jack Be Little Seeds this year and they are slowly coming up.

Hopefully these will sprout, so we'll get a pumpkin bigger than our 88 pounder last year.

I'll be having another "Guess the Weight of the Pumpkin" contest again this year if they survive me being gone for the month in August. Cross your fingers everyone.

Oh, and a little side note. I took these pictures, downloaded them, and also did the posting of the blog all by myself. Mick is working all weekend for the big new system conversion. Hopefully this means I will post more often because I won't have to wait for techno hubby to help me.

Kohls has been crueling. I started off loving the job, but now I ask myself, "is this worth minimum wage and all the frustration, pain in my feet from my facious tendonitis, and the long hours. Had two shifts from 7pm until 2 am. Grand opening is this week and I have 40 hours. I do get to work store clean up....my favorite.....register assistant, and of course my regular job of ad set. I have a whole new appreciation for those little sale signs and prices above merchandise now.

2009-03-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Nicole put on facebook more pictures of the proposal. I thought these were great and the picture of the ring was a better shot. Still no exact wedding date, but the In and Out Burger truck has been ordered for August 22nd for the Brea Open House.

The Proposal

2009-03-23T04:10:00.001-07:00

Woke up this morning and Nicole had sent me these pictures from the proposal. Graig proposed to her at the airport when he picked her up on friday evening from her flight from Las Vegas. We are looking forward to having them here in New Jersey for Easter.

Wedding Bells Will be Ringing

2009-03-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

It's official....Graig is engaged to Nicole Jaegerman of Maple Valley, Washington. They met at BYU-I summer semester 2007. She has graduated from BYU and is doing her student teaching now in Las Vegas. We are so excited. When is the big day you ask? Well the official wedding date will be August 7th or 8th, 2009 in Washington. We will be having an Open House at the house in Brea on August 22nd. Please plan to attend. Hopefully the In and Out Burger truck will be there and a special dessert. Did I tell you I was so excited!!! Nicole and Graig are coming out to New Jersey on the 9th of April for a short visit so we can get to know Nicole better. Word is out that she LOVES games!!!

This picture was taken Thanksgiving 2007 in Everett Washington at a Hockey game. I will be sure to post more after the Jersey visit.

"D" is for Dork

2009-03-18T11:36:00.001-07:00

Do you see the big "D" on my forehead? Well I got that at work this morning at Kohls. I worked yesterday from 8am-1pm. Had a great shift because they couldn't find where I was scheduled to work, so they had me do merchandising. I love Merchandising. It is like Christmas opening all those new things. Megan wants to know how I'll feel about that on opening day when everyone is touching my presents? Well today I go in for my 8-1 shift. Again, I'm not on the board for assignments. So I ask a manager. She asked what the work schedule said. I told her PO Training just like yesterday. She goes to the computer and sees that all I have left is hands on. Well she then goes to the secretary and asks her to print out a schedule. Secretary looks at it, and says, yep, it says PO Training. So I wait for the manager to come back. Show her the highlighted area the secretary did for me. She says, it says you are to work 8pm-1am, same as yesterday. Oops.......read the schedule wrong. She said, "I remember Jeremy saying that a Joni was a no show for Ad Set Training last night and someone said they had seen you in the morning." So I earned the big "D" on the forehead. Came home, had a cupcake, and I'll return tonight after Activity Days with the Primary girls for my 8pm-1am shift. What a DORK!!!!

Jersey Guy and a California Girl

2009-03-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

What is different about these two modes of transportation?

As you can tell from the photos, the truck is now a Jersey guy and the car remains a California girl. It is much too long of story to tell. All I can say is you do what you've got to do.

Kohls Girl

2009-03-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I got a part time job at a new Kohls store that is opening April 1st. I loved working retail with Cranberry last year and thought, hey this will be fun. They hired me as an ad set girl. The interview process was VERY INTERESTING and everyone that hears the story is surprised that they hired me, expecially after the crying scene I had.
Well the first 4 shifts have been training and lectures. They have been interesting, but not the hands on I like. I have been toying with the idea of telling them it is not working out and quitting, after all the shifts are random times that just so happen to cut into my lifestyle that I have become use to. Well yesterday was a 4 hour shift merchandising from 7 to 11am. I loved it and really got into it. I unpacked boxes and placed the new products on the shelf. It was like Christmas. The assitant store manager pulled me from the group and had me make all the filled shelves in Childrens perfect and pretty. I love doing that kind of thing. All the edges of the t-shirts were perfectly aligned and from smallest to largest, like colors together etc. But then I got to thinking.......five minutes into the grand opening on April 1st, can you just picture my perfectly folded and lined up shirts??????

Last Snow Storm of 2009?

2009-03-05T09:59:00.001-08:00

We woke up monday morning to snow!!!! There was about 4 inches so Mick and I did the driveways and walks of our home and the neighbors since they let us borrow the snow blower before Mick headed out to work. Two hours later I headed out to a funeral in the 4 wheel drive truck . Thank goodness because the roads were compact snow! Upon returning in a blizzard a few hours later we had now recorded 7 inches, 14 inches in drifts. I love it. I love the snow. Didn't get to the sledding hill though, because I spent the last of the daylight hours, scraping the driveway and walk without the snow blower. The picture of the house is upon my return from the funeral. You can't even see the driveway. Why didn't you wait to shovel driveway you ask? Because it made it much easier to do only 3 inches instead of the total 7!!! We still have snow on the lawn today because our evening temps have been 5-8 degrees and daytime 23! Sue Hill spent the night with us tuesday evening. It was great having her here and catching up on the Brea news. Saw Tammy Haar, Larry and Joan Stevens and all their family at the funeral. It was a beautiful service for Hector.

Movie Night at Grandmas

2009-03-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Last friday night was the LaClaires last night in Jersey before their move, so we decided to have movie night at Grandmas. Adopted Grandmas that is. We had the Frugones and LaClaires over for Scooby Do and the first part of Spiderman. We are so sad to have the LaClaires gone. It has only been 4 days, but it has already seemed like forever.

Sparta Ward Primary Presidency at Work

2009-02-16T04:20:00.001-08:00

Joni - Becky- Megan

This is us. The Sparta Ward primary presidency for at least one more week. Becky is moving back to Minnesota at the end of the month. We will miss her. Well about the picture. Megan has had the month from h...e...double toothpick. I was gone to California for the quilt show, Becky was gone for house hunting, so Megan did primary by herself that sunday. When she got home, her home was flooded. A pipe broke in the pantry (could it be because it was -12 degrees) and they had 2 inches of water everywhere!!!! The next week, no water, and then yesterday the pipe that feeds the dishwasher decides to start leaking, flooding the house again. Thank goodness it didn't hit the hardwood the contrators have started to lay. Well this is us painting her entryway. It has 19 foot ceilings and I was the trim girl. Note: The older you get, the harder it is to climb ladders, but I did it!!! It looks really good, but we have to go back in for a second coat. Our husbands were there helping also, but we didn't get them in the picture. Actually Mick was up on the ladder. Hopefully they can move out of the hotel this week, going on 4 weeks there. The best part of this whole post.......these girls are in their 20's and they like to hang out with me. Either that or they do a really good job making me feel that way. I LOVE IT!!!!! Oh and by the way.....Megans three little boys officially adopted Mick and I as another set of Grandparents!!!!

Road to California Quilt Show

2009-02-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that I flew back to California the 13th through the 22nd of January to work at my old job doing the Road to Clifornia quilt show. I love working these shows. It is a lot of work, but you meet a lot of talented people and I get to hang out with the old gang. This is us after packing everything up after the show. L to R: Ginger (awesome quilter and now the go to girl for Threaded Pear Studios), Pamala (use to be bookkeeper of Cranberry Quiltworks, but now is co-owners of a new quilt store with Gina), me (Jersey girl now), Gina (owner of Cranberry Quiltworks, Threaded Pear Studios and now co-owner of quilt store, a very talented and busy mom, wife and creative person), Corni (she is now the go to girl at Cranberry. She longarm quilts also), Kaye (a great friend to everyone at the store. She does their sample quilts, puts together kits and will do anything you ask. She is a fun friend and a grandmother of 4), and Mike (longarm quilter who is now helping Gina with the Cranberry business). I miss working with all these people. There are a few more that aren't in the picture too. Joyce, Derryl, Cindi, and a few more part timers. It is a very fun place to work. Check out Gina's website for quilting. www.quiltersbuzz.com

Snow day

2009-02-03T13:39:00.000-08:00

Ok it has been snowing all day. They first said 2-3 feet of snow, then they said 1-2 inches. Well we have 6 out there and it is still coming down. Wouldn't you love to be the weatherman and only have to be correct 50 percent of the time at your job. Well I got the driveway cleared and it already has another 2 inches back on it. It is a long driveway!!!!

Sled ride............egads!!!!!!

2009-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Ok, Janelle and I are at Sams Club and they have this really cool red snow sled with flames even for $22. Hey it's my birthday so I treat myself to one. On the way home I decide to try it out on the local sledding hill. Janelle kept telling me not to do it. I was too old, I'll break something. Well sledding and ice skating on one of the frozen lakes here in jersey is on my bucket list before we move, so away I go. The picture is of me whooping and laughing and having a grand old time!Very shortly after the picture was taken the sled decides to flip around and go backwards. Egads...........visions of Lava Hot Springs are now dancing in my head. Remember my river run this summer, the one where the inner tube turns around backwards, I go over a rapid, flip over backwards, scrapping my knee, (still have the scar to prove it), hitting my head on a lava rock and losing my glasses? Well at the bottom of the hill is a huge ice field. There is also a little jump. I can just picture me flipping over backwards, hitting my head, breaking my new glasses, and maybe even getting a concussion, so I bail out. Yes, I bail out. Now I am going down the hill on my back, coat sleeve is pulling up, arm is bleeding and my back and gluteous maximus are getting a real beating. Was I hooping and hollering at the bottom of the hill. No way!!!! The first thing Janelle yells is, "well are you going to take the sled back!?!"
No way, when we have a new fluffy snowfall, you will see me back on the hill with my red snow sled with the really cool flames. Maybe I'll have Janelle video it, because if we had videoed it you would be rolling on the carpet right now cracking up at the old lady from California, sledding on the local sledding hill in Andover, New Jersey.
aka. Mick keeps telling me I don't have to do everything the locals do.

Snow and Ice

2009-02-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

OK you have to love the snowplow guys. They keep the roads so clean and clear...........BUT what about the driveways. The snowplow came through late one evening and cleared the melting snow from the roads. But then during the 9 degree night, it froze into a huge ice wall. Mick made it over in the 4 wheel drive truck, Janelle and I.........well lets just say we had to get out the snow shovel and ice pick a path to get out of the driveway.

January 6, 2009

2009-01-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

Tuesday morning we took Eleanor to the airport. She is on the porch with mom. Then we took the plant tour at M&M Mars. It is a fasinating tour of how they make peanut and plain m&M's. The best part is they let you sample the product in the various stages. My favorite is right when the peanuts come out of the roaster and the M&M right after they have dusted it with the powder sugar. we even scored a variety box of all their candy bars and snack products. Bob and Karyn, Albert and Pat headed right to the train station to head into NYC. they missed the train at Dover so drove into the city. Bob drove and Albert was the navigator. They did great and made it just in time for Wicked. While they were at the show we had a huge ice storm. It was fasinating how the whole earth was covered in 1/4 inch of ice. You could have skated on the driveway and if you could have gotten the ice off the Yukon you would have had a perfect ice model. Theneighbors were watching me through the windows trying to scrap off the ice from the windows. I couldn't get my feet planted to scrap and kept sliding backwards. I'm always good for comic relief!!!

House Count: 9

Wednesday was suppose to be the George Washington's winter encampment but because of the ice storm, all we did was get the Utah Harmers to the airport. It was great fun having everyone.

House count: 5

Thursday my parents flew back to Washington. The house is so quiet and I'm really sad, but we have great memories of New Years 2009 on the east coast. Thanks Mick for an awesome Christmas and Birthday present.

House count: Back to 3!!! I think the landlord that lives right next door is sighing relief.

Then it was get ready for the ward game night here on saturday where we had 8 couples this month (even with a huge snowstorm that day and evening), 10 couples last month and then I flew out to California to work the road to California Quilt Show with my old job on tuesday.

January 5, 2009

2009-01-29T15:26:00.001-08:00

OK have to admit that this day was a little selfish on my part. When the Orlands came to visit in October we went to Hyde Park NY to see the FDR home and sights there. There was so much to see that all we visited was FDR's family home, his summer cottage and Eleanor's home. We just didn't have time to do it all. So when planning the events for this group I made sure we went back to Hyde Park. Well we got there at 10am only to find out we had just missed the home tour. They had just barely opened because of an ice storm, so we asked if they could do a special tour for us since we were a group 7. OK they said. Well come to find out, they didn't do the 9:45 tour because we were the FIRST VISITORS of the day. Government jobs!?! We toured the family home, then headed to Eleanors home and then buzzed over to the Vanderbilt mansion only to be told the next tour was 2 hours away. Again we talked them into giving us a special tour. What an amazing place. Everything is exactly like when the Vanderbilts lived there. What a home tour it was. All the homes were still decorated for Christmas and the trees were spectacular at the mansion. The picture is the view from the home of the Hudson River and the back of the Vanderbilt Mansion.
House Count: Still 10

January 4,2009

2009-01-29T15:22:00.001-08:00

Today all the Harmers headed to Liberty State Park to catch the ferry from the Jersey side and head to the Statue of Liberty and tour Ellis Island. The Wards including Jamie went to church and then we took Jamie down to the park to meet the Manwarings for their flight back to utah. Jamie headed back to start winter semester at BYU and the Manwarings to head back to school and work. It was great fun being with my cousin Mer and her family. Maybe next time they come to visit they won't have to stay in the basement!!!
House count: 10

Happy Birthday Grandma, Mom, sister, aunt you name it

2009-01-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

January 3rd is my moms birthday so we celebrated it at the historic Philadelphia Tavern for lunch. What better way to spend your birthday, with all your brothers, sister, and family.
Love you MOM!!!!

January 3, 2009

2009-01-29T10:32:00.001-08:00

Trip to Philadelphia would not be complete without a run up the stairs that Rocky took while training in the movie Rocky. Philadelphia Museum of Art. Then it was home to Jersey once again.

House count: 18

Albert and Bob sitting in the pew Geroge Washington sat in when he attended church in philadelphia. Jamie is in Besty Ross' pew.

Walking the oldest inhabited street in the United States Elfreths Alley.

On the porch of Historic Bond home where we stayed. Great Bed and Breakfast.

Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

January 2, 2009

2009-01-29T10:17:00.001-08:00

Friday morning started with an early morning trip to the airport for Andrew, Tyree, her sister to head back to Texas. When Mick arrived back home from the airport run, we loaded the cars, and headed to Gettysburg and Philadelphia for the weekend. The picture on the left is at the new circle theater they have at the new visitors center at Gettysburg. Two cars took tours of the battle grounds, and Mick Jamie and I toured the Eisenhower home since we have done the battlegrounds twice before. What a beautiful home. I love touring old homes. The Eisenhowers lived here full time after his presidency, except they went to Palm Springs after New Years day and spent 4 months in the warmer weather. Smart I am thinking. After the Gettysburg adventures, we loaded up adn drove to Phildelphia where we had dinner in a pub. That was an adventure. We also stayed in the historic Bond Home in downtown Philadelphia.

House Count: 1 Janelle wouldn't go with us

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-29T10:10:00.001-08:00

Well can't seem to navigate too well, this is the post that goes with the next set of pictures. How do you sleep 9 in a hotel room, put 4 in the bed, Eleanor, Pat, my mom and myself. Put John, Merrilee, and Bob on the double pull out bed mattress on the floor, remake the couch and have Albert sleep on it, and Mick slept in a chair. We did manage to get some sleep and was up early the next day. We walked to the Empire State Building and Albert got in line, number 5 I might add, and mom and I went back to get Pat. While they toured the top we went window shopping and Jamie got a purse from a street vendor. The city was a little eerie on New Years morning. There was no one on the streets, taxis included. Could it have been because everyone was up all night partying and it was still freezing? We loaded up the cars, headed to the purse vendor in Chinatown where we purchased several bags and then headed back to the house in Jersey where Aunt Karyn had pulled pork sandwiches ready for us. Graig was ready to go, so Mick and I took him to the airport. Wish we could have gotten him to stay longer, but he drove Nicole to Las Vegas from Seattle area to start her student teaching.
Count at the house: 18

Happy New Year

2009-01-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve

2009-01-13T10:31:00.001-08:00

New Years Day started early with a big breakfast and lots of showers. Everyone was instructed to only pack a toothbrush, comb and a change of undies. After all we only have two Marriott rooms and 15 going into the city for the big Celebration. We gathered for prayer and schedules were passed out of the activites that would be happening during the evening. Then we loaded 15 people into a Yukon and small rental car. 10 in the Yukon, 5 in the other. After checking into the hotel and dropping our few belongings we checked out a few store windows and rode the wooden escalator at Macy's. The under 21 crowd got antsy, so headed to Times Square to get into position. The mature folks decided to get some lunch before going to stand for the night. During lunch the younger folk kept calling, telling us to get down there, the crowds were arriving and we weren't going to be in prime location. Well at 2pm we finished and headed to Times Square. The crowds were unbelievable. We couldn't even get close to the kids. We were 3 blocks from the ball and locked into position. The locals call it being caged in. After a city block fills up, they barracade the street and you can't get in. You can get out, but if you want to go get something to eat, go potty, etc. you can leave, but you can't get back. You are then required to go back farther into the streets to get into a new cage position. The wind is blowing, 20-30mph gusts, and the mercury registers 14. With the wind chill it is 1 degree and we are feeling it. We are squished from the crowd behind. This is a good thing though, because it helps to keep you warmer. We stand, Albert tries to get the crowd to do the wave, tries selling his candy bars, and everything else to entertain the crowd. AFter 3 1/2 hours of standing the ball is raised into position. The crowd goes balistic. All the mature folk at this time, not John and Joni though, decide they have had enough and head back to the hotel. John and Joni are holding out for the freebies they say they are passing out at 7pm. After 1 1/2 more hours in the biting cold, we also head back to the hotel, and by the way, no freebies for us 3 blocks away!!! Meanwhile the kids are braving it out. They can see the stage and are being entertained. But they are starving and have to go to the bathroom. I told Jamie that is why they wear depends. She said it was gross, she dehydrated herself for the event. Well around 9pm Andrew scores 2 pizzas at $20 each, but hey, he was their hero as they were starving. Mick meanwhile has decided to try and get to the kids with more clothing and blankets. He takes the Marriott card and tell the security check points that he is trying to get to the Marriott Marquee. He is let through and even had a personal officer escort right by the stage, but still could not get to the kids that were by Virgin Records. You can see the picture of the adults in the hotel, warm, cozy, and watching it on TV. At 11pm Bob, Albert, John, Brenn, Mick and Joni decide to head out, Marriott keys in hand and try to get to the ball. We got to the backside of the building that had the ball on top. At midnight, the crowd erupted, confetti (two tons) balloons and fun filled the air. It was truly an experience. I can check it off my bucket list. And we made history. It was the coldest New Years in recorded history. The parade in Pasadena, record highs at 50 degrees. Would we do it again? You bet. Only this time we will be in position at noon, coolers, blankets, chairs and games in hand. They said you couldn't bring these in, but those by the stage had them. We know the tricks now. But 2010 I will be on the parade route for the Rose Parade for the 2011 New Years event. Let me know if you are going to join the fun. It truly was an experience!!!! Thanks mick for an awesome Christmas present. You did notice that Mick was there. He has never gone to a parade, but he went with me to the ball drop. He says there are things you do for love. Love ya Mick.

Packin in the cars ready to go to NYC!!!

The HERO, Andrew for scoring some pizzas.

Yeah!!!! They had fun. jamie even got her picture and name on the big Times Square screen wishing her a Happy 21st Birthday! Check out her blog at www.jesuslovesjamie.blogspot.com

The kids with their freebies and enduring the cold.

Standing on the streets waiting for the ball to be raised.

Back to the hotel to get warm before heading out again. The adults 8, had one hotel room and the kids 6, had the other. Marriott which proved to be very helpful to have a key card. It got us back to Times Square to see the ball drop.

Check out the temp 14 with winds 20-30 mph. They are biting cold when they rip thorough the streets.

Back to the ball drop at 11pm. Notcie it says 18 here. That is in between buildings where the wind is not blowing.

Here it is, the famous New Years Ball.

2 tons of confetti being dropped on the streets of NYC. Did you go on the website and have your New Years wish printed on a confetti. I did, did I find it? What do you think?!?

Tuesday December 30, 2008

2009-01-12T18:45:00.001-08:00

Uncle Albert and Bob and wives Pat and Karyn arrive from Utah. Bob and Karyn in my design studio on main floor, Albert and Pat in pink bedroom, girls now on livingroom floor and couches. Since we are leaving early in the morning for NYC we celebrate jamie's birthday. It was the big 21st birthday. Jamie, Tyree, Lindsey, Andrew, Cayson ride the train into NYC and do the bus tour. Manwarings go tour the city also.
House count: 19

Monday December 29, 2008

2009-01-12T18:36:00.000-08:00

Monday jamie's roomate her freshman year Tyree and her sister Lindsey arrive along with my cousins son Andrew Nelson from a flight from San Antonio, Texas. My aunt Eleanor Ewing arrives from Dallas, Texas. My cousin Merrilee and her husband John and two children Cayson and Brenn arrive from Sringville, Utah. Jamie, Tyree, Lindsey, Andrew drive to Liberty park and take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Manwarings see some of the sights in NYC and take in the Broadway musical Wicked. Manwarings set up in the basement, Andrew and Graig on family room floor, Jamie and girls in the pink bedroom, mom and dad in guest room, Eleanor sharing room with Janelle. House count:15

House Count 7

2009-01-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

Late saturday night my parents arrived from Everett Washington. Graig and Jamie went to the airport to pick them up. They didn't get to the house until sunday morning at 1am. House count now 7.

Christmas Eve/ Christmas Day

2009-01-12T18:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve we picked up Graig at the airport. His flight arrived 5 hours late so our Christmas Eve plans changed. Mick drove us girls into the city to see the lights before getting Graig. It was pouring down rain and traffic was horrible, so didn't see too much. We tried to find a Chinese restaurant due to tradition, but ended up eating japanese at 10pm as it was the only thing open. It was 10am before everyone was awake to start opening the presents. We spent the day playing with Wii, Rock Band and putting everything away. House Count 5

Sunny and blue skies

2008-12-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon the sun came out and it was a beautiful site. Fresh snow with only the tracks from deer. Oh and remnants of snow angels on the deck!!!!!

What do you do in the snow?

2008-12-21T16:39:00.001-08:00

Between friday and saturday we got about 8 inches of snow. Jamie played in it and Mick and I worked in it. Mick learned several things in using the snow blower. Ist and foremost, you must wear a hat while operating. Mick spent hours getting the LONG driveway cleared and scraped, only to have snow again sunday morning. There was a big debate on whether to have church, but the Bishop and 2nd Counselor, aka Mick,decided to have sacrament meeting and then decide whether to have the rest of the block at church. We had a slippery drive there and very few in attendance. Jamie thinks it is hilarious how the Jersians don't go anywhere. "What is the big deal" she says, "it's like they haven't seen snow!" I was the main speaker in sacrament meeting. Told the family story of Christmas in 1920 where Dally got a doll and toys from here sister Ida (my grandmother) and brother. Also the tradition of the orange in the sock. Christmas means giving was the title of the talk.

Oh It's Beginning to Look like Christmas

2008-12-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

Jamie flew in last night , thursday the 18th,and the snow immediately started on friday morning. In Jersey the norm is to not go outside. So we decided to put the ornament on the tree. Doesn't our tree look great. The Smiths when they moved back to BYU for MBA school donated it to our family who was treeless. It looks great in our 20 foot ceiling familyroom.

2008-12-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

It started snowing tuesday night while we were eating dinner. janelle went outside and started catching snowflakes. It only lasted a few hours and by the next morning it was an ice storm. Yesterday janelle and I ran to the store for the Christmas doorbuster of Prime Rib. The parking lot was jammed and they had to direct traffic with the shopping carts. You would have thought hurricaine Katrina was blowing through. Well little did we know that we are suppose to get 6 inches of snow, so everyone panics and runs to the stores to empty the shelves. I looked pretty silly with one prime rib and two cartons of ice cream in my cart compared to everyone around me with canned goods, milk, eggs, and other essentials. We woke up this morning to frosty and crunchy grass but that was all. They cancelled school last night in anticipation of the storm. Well we shall see if it comes through.

2008-12-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

Ok as most of you know I love collecting and pinning bugs. It all started when my kids were in Honors Biology and the big end of year project was the classifying or ordering of 50 insects. I would collect them all year and the students would call me to see if I had any bugs. Even after my kids didn't have Honors Bio I continued to collect these little creatures. side note....can't tell you how many A's I earned. Well my best assistant is janelle. She sees those little buggers and calls me for the capture and kill. One morning she announced, very boldly, that there was a really cool, HUGE bug on the screen. Oh, I told her, I don't collect them out here in Jersey. But after viewing this huge praying mantus I just had to get the collection jar and go to work. Sunday was a youth fireside at the house and my pinned project is now on the phone desk. One of the leaders started to get all flushed and upset. He asked me where I had gotten the mantus and I proudly told him the story. He promptly told me it is against the law in Jersey to kill a praying mantus. Oops!! Well the word got around the ward and the primary president made me this apron. I have to let you know, that I proudly wore it at the ward Christmas party.