Disneyland - the Happiest Place on Earth!

Rod got a really nice bonus in his paycheck a couple of weeks ago, so we decided to take the kids somewhere special during Spring Break. We had the best time ever at Disneyland! We got Becca out of school at noon on Thursday to travel to Anaheim. Our Motel was close enough that we could walk into the park, no parking! We got there just before 8:00 AM when they opened up the gates. We had to wait in line to get our tickets, wait in line to get in, and then we RAN for Indiana Jones! We got right in - no waiting.

This interesting shot is on the ceiling in one of the chambers as you are walking to get into your vehicle for the Indiana Jones adventure. When we finished that ride, we RAN to Pirates of the Caribbean and walked right in - no waiting! We then RAN for the Haunted Mansion and walked right in - no waiting! We then RAN for Splash Mountain. We walked right in - no waiting! I'm not sure that was good because I did not have time to back out of that one. It was so much fun, and we all got wet! We then RAN for Thunder Mountain. We had a very short wait for that one.

Love these dinosaur bones at Thunder Mountain. It was always my favorite ride.

Waiting for our Thunder Mountain train ride. After this one we decided to hit a rest room. We did 5 rides and a pit stop by 9:30 AM. Wow! What a morning!

We then decided to go on the Matterhorn. Looks like the kids enjoyed this one. We only had to wait for about 25 minutes, and then we had to wait for a LONG time for every other ride we went on. Rod and Nick decided they wanted to go on the submarine (finding Nemo) so I went on the Tea Cups with Becca. They were still in line when we got done, so we went shopping on Main Street. They were still in line when we got done, so we walked around for a while. They were STILL in line so we just sat and waited. Becca and I could NOT believe how long they waited for this one, and when they were FINALLY done, we decided to go have some lunch, so we left and went to Quizzno's across the street from the park entrance for some yummy sandwiches.

After we ate lunch, we decided to try for Space Mountain. This is just a small piece of the winding and rewinding line that was an 80 minute wait to go on this ride. We loved the ride, though, and it is my new favorite for sure! But our feet and legs hurt so much from standing in line that we went back to the Motel and took a nap. We all crashed for an hour. We then had a wonderful dinner at Mimi's and were so geared up for the evening at Disneyland.

Becca and I decided this was definitely the MOST people we had ever seen at Disneyland. We were so LUCKY to go on so many of the most popular rides during the morning. Wow! We really could not go on any other rides unless we waited for 80 minutes. We did go on Star Tours - it was about a 60 minute wait. We did get a really great spot to see the incredible fire works show - it was the BEST I have ever seen! That will certainly be long remembered. Becca and Nick wanted to go on Indiana Jones again, so Rod and I found a seat and just waited for them. They had such a blast. We stayed in the park till 11:30. We were exhausted.

As is tradition, we gave the kids money for their choice of souvenir. Nick picked this Captain Jack Sparrow hat.

Becca went for the darling and comfy Mickey slippers.

This was such a fun adventure with our family. I will long treasure this special week and all the great things we were able to do!

Mesa Arizona Easter Pagent

Last night, we loaded our kids into the new car and went to Mesa for the Easter Pageant. They did not want to go, but I gently let them know we were going to participate in "ONE Christ Centered Activity for Easter!" So they knew they better cooperate.

I know, cheesy grins.

They actually had a good time!

Guess who? . . . If you guessed John the Baptist, you are right!

Roman Soldiers in front of the temple?

These two characters are the Apostle Matthew and a Rabbi in the temple.

This is the largest outdoor Easter Pageant in the world. There were 450 in the cast and over 100 in the crew. The costumes were so beautiful, and the story was taken straight from the scriptures. It was a beautiful depiction of the plan of salvation, and the life of the Savior. The music and dancing were incredible, the sound was terrific, and the players were all choreographed to perfection. What a marvelous production! And, of course, the message was timeless and the most important in the world: Christ lives! He came to earth to organize his church, show us how to live, atone for our sins, then gave his life, and was resurrected. Because of this sublime gift, we shall also be resurrected, and if we use the gift of the atonement as it was intended, we will realize our divine potential and live with God again.

One of the wise men, and a little wise lady.

There were actors of all ages. The cast came out before the show and wandered through the crowd, stopping to chit chat, show off their fabulous costumes, pose for pictures, and set the tone for the show. I even can't imagine how cool it would be to participate in such a huge and beautiful musical! And now for the final comment: If you decide to come and visit us in AZ during the spring, let's make sure it is during the pageant. It is now a new family tradition and we WILL be going every year! I can't believe we have lived here for 3 years and this is the first year we have taken advantage of going!

Grandkids are here!

Last weekend, Julie and Ava were here. It was so much fun to have those two visit. And now the Robinsons are here! I can't believe I get to see all my grandkids! I am lovin' it. Here are some shots of my trip to the park with Savannah and Cooper. We tried to fly a kite, but the tail kept getting caught in the trees. The wind was quite brisk, but they enjoyed the slides, swings and other playground equipment.

Just look at that smile! Cooper had so much fun sliding and playing at the park.

Savannah is the best poser for pictures. She can always give a brilliant smile no matter what she is doing!

Vannah climbed the little rock wall and was proud of herself cause she did it with her flip-flops on. Cooper stopped what he was doing every few minutes to get the sand out of his toes. He just can't stand the feel of the gritty stuff on his feet. Quite unusual for a little boy...

Savannah was determined to do the monkey bars herself (with no help). She started to swing those little legs and moved her arms quickly. She did it! She was so excited - she could hardly wait to tell her mom and dad.

Becca sure enjoys her sleepy little nephew. She loves the baby and he loves her. He is now smiling all the time, and tries so hard to talk. When he is awake, you can hear him cooing and gooing. What a sweet and good natured baby Luka is!

What Does Your Name Mean?

What Karla Means

You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

This was a fun thing that Julie did on her blog. I liked it, so I did it too. I think it is somewhat contradictive, though. How can I be a blazing type A and then chill in the next paragraph? Now I admit, I may have some A tendencies, but I am a total pleaser, too. So I hope I don't come across as authoritative. (I do know alot, though - just kidding!) Anyway, give it a shot. It's fun!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

This post is just a little trip down memory lane and a tribute to a wonderful father because today is his birthday. Yes, my dear old dad was a Valentine's gift to his mother. And she loved him so much that she gave him to her sister when he was born because she knew she was going to die in a very short time. He was raised in very poor circumstances, and lived in different homes with different families. Yet he says he loved his childhood. One thing I remember most about Dad is all the wonderful stories he would tell me about his growing up years. Last Saturday, I attended the world wide training meeting for all adult members in the church. It was a fantastic broadcast, with a big focus on family. As they talked about gospel centered homes, family prayer, family home evening, and spending time with our children, I sat there and wept as I thought of Mom and Dad and the amazing home they made together. Mom and Dad were together on everything - we had family prayer morning and evening. We actually knelt around our table before breakfast (I don't know any families that eat breakfast together nowadays) and before dinner. This memory is something I cherish. They never questioned "shall we go to church today?" It was something that we just did and it was a way of life. They both served diligently and completely in every calling, teaching us that serving the Lord was important and we should do it because we love Him. They taught us to work, by working with us in the home, in the yard, and on school projects. I loved getting the "worm sticks" and smashing the big fat tomatoe worms in the garden. Dad used to take me on his milk route, which I loved. We spent many happy times together as we went to the stores to pull out the milk into the case for people to buy. He would always buy me a treat, or we would sneak a carton of egg nog during Christmas time and down it together. How I loved going with my Daddy. Mom and Dad taught us to pay tithing, which they always did willingly. They taught us about faith, priesthood blessings, going to the temple. I used to love watching Mom press their temple clothing before they would go. We learned to have fun together. As kids, we had bikes, roller skates, scooters, and a really neat pogo stick. We went on some really marvelous vacations every summer, which they saved for and planned for many months. They taught us never to go into debt, but to save and pay for the things we wanted. They were never extravigant, but we never went without. I never wanted for anything as a child growing up in their home. I like this old picture of our family, but LaRue is not in it. It is an old polaroid. I loved that doggie shirt that I was wearing. Mom and Dad are young and beautiful! They were always a strong couple, and I never worried about the solidarity of my home. I love this old reassembled photo. It shows the way LaRue used to wear rollers in her hair all the time. It shows Janet's beautiful attitude about family trips. (I believe we were on the way to Tennessee this particular summer.) David is trying to tell Janet to straighten up, as he still does today, and I am just smiling in oblivion, and trying to have straight hair (like Janet). Mom is holding her trusty purse, wearing a homemade dress and sneakers, as was her custom.

This photo of dad was taken at the park in Syracuse, the fall after Rod and I were married. Isn't he so handsome! This photo of Mom and Dad was taken when we went to the circus at the E-center. I thought it was the Delta Center, so we were almost late!

Here is Dad with all of his children, taken just this past Christmas. It was so good to get together. And here is Dad with ALL of his Grandchildren. Don't know if this shot will ever happen again!

Dad, I cannot express my love for you in an adequate way. Just know that I love you. You have always been there for me throughout my entire life. I thank Heavenly Father for giving me such wonderful parents, and such a loving, kind, and faithful father. Thanks, Dad!

Pantry Update

First of all, Becca said I should post this picture of Rod and me from last night's birthday celebration because it's cute. So here we are. Here is the pantry all painted and ready for shelves. Here are some of the shelf parts. Rod got one completely put together tonight while I was at the church doing the monthly Visiting Teaching report. It is so exciting!

Airport, Rain, Birthday

Sunday night we had to pick Becca up at the airport. Her flight was late, of course. It was late leaving on Friday, too. The delays get old... Anyway, there was this big rush of people trying to get out after the Superbowl, so I took some shots of the line at the security checkpoint while we waited for Becca to land.

Monday, it rained and I just love the rainy sky. There was a wonderful rainbow and the sunset colored the clouds with pastel shades. This is what it looked like up over my house about 5:30.

After I painted the pantry we, went to Becca's future freshman night at 6:30 at Centennial High School. Rod met us there. We really enjoyed the presentations and Becca is very excited about high school next year. She knows exactly what she wants to do and will be pursuing a nursing career with the help of the CTE department on her campus.

We then took our goofy kids to the Texas Roadhouse Grill for a prime rib dinner for Rod's Birthday. I had them scrunch together so I could get a picture. Aren't they cute teens? I hope that light above Becca's head is not a thought bubble . . . Bud Light? She's gotta have better stuff coming out of that little brain than that!Here is the Birthday Boy riding the saddle. He was not too thrilled that we let them know it was his birthday, but he was a good sport and we all had a great dinner and a good time together. I really love my family. And times like this are treasured memories. It was fun to spend the evening together.

Pursuing the Panty Project

Our rotating shelves arrived this week, all boxed up. So today was the day to begin the pantry project.

Here is the pantry, the way it looked when I started. I had to move ALL this stuff: cans, boxes, paper stuff, drinks, pasta, flour, sugar, emergency packs, holiday decorations, etc. etc.

This is how the pantry looked when It was emptied out! This pantry was a major selling point for this house because you cannot store food stuffs in the garage in AZ. It just gets too hot!

This is how my kitchen table and one corner of the kitchen looked after I emptied the pantry out. This is how part of the garage floor looked. I had to get Nick to help with the high shelves so I would be done in time for to sit down and watch President Hinckley's funeral on the internet. Thanks for your help, Nick! Just as the funeral ended, Rod got home from work.

When Rod saw that I had kept my promise to empty the pantry, he started right in on taking out the shelves. He sent me to Home Depot (more than once!) to get sheet rock mud, tools, and paint so we could fix the walls before we put our new shelves in.

The walls looked pretty bad once the shelves were removed so...

Sheet rock mud to cover the lines. It stays pink until it dries, then turns white. Pretty cool! While the mud was drying we snuck away to the Chocolate Festival and then had dinner at the Golden Corral. Believe it or not, they have some really good food at this one - Black Angus fillet mignon. It was melt-in-your mouth tender and I love their mashed potatoes.

This is how the stripes look after we textured them when we got back from the Chocolate Festival and dinner. Now we have to let that dry, put on primer, and paint. I'll keep you posted on the rest of the project. Guess it will have to wait until Monday though. I just hope I don't go crazy with pantry stuff everywhere!

Wow!

Last Saturday, Rod gave me this gorgeous bouquet of flowers. In the center were these "pod" things. As I added water on Thursday, this is what I finally noticed: the pods had opened up into these stunning yellow lilies. Aren't they something? I mean they just took over the whole vase! They are so bright and cheerful! Once again, thanks Rod. And, as you can see, there are still a few more of the pods. I hope they all open. This bouquet has been so long lasting and gorgeous! The only flowers that have wilted are the orange mums.

Can you tell I love fresh flowers?

When Ye Have Done It Unto The Least of These

I had a very interesting experience tonight. My visiting teachers were here, and my phone rang. I always try to answer in case there is a need in the church, so I answered. It was the Stake Clerk who happens to be a member of my ward. They had received a phone call from a woman that was in a health care facility that was within the boundaries of our ward. She needed some clothing, and they asked me to check in on her to see if we could help (of course, the wanted me to get approval from the bishop first). Now this lady is not a church member, and I don't know how she knew to even call the church. I finished up the visit with my friends, and headed out. I was a little nervous and offered a quick prayer for guidance. I wasn't aware that it was a MENTAL health care facility until I got there. I signed in, had to put my purse and phone in a locker and go behind the "doors." I asked the attendant for the lady and the showed me to the cafeteria to wait while they went to get her. She came out and we sat down to visit. She said she had been there since Thursday, but had no clothing other than what she had on. She wanted some clean clothing to wear. She said she would like some different soap, as the soap there was irritating her skin. She also said she would appreciate a sweater, if that wasn't asking too much. She told some of her sad, heart breaking story as she briefly told me how she came to be there - that she had no real family except a 4 year old son whom she was not allowed to see. I kept looking in to her eyes. I want so much to see the daughter of God in there somewhere behind the troubled life. I had to look real deep. She asked for a bible as well, and said she did go to church sometimes. She gave me a list of what she wanted. I asked her if it was alright if I sent the sister missionaries to visit her to lend some spiritual support. She said that would be okay. I left there with an unsettled feeling, wondering if there was any good to be done with her, but the thought about the scripture that tells us about visiting the sick, the imprisoned, taking in the stranger, clothing the naked, etc. entered into my mind and I was comforted. In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these...

My Handy, Dandy Man!

Rod is just so good to try and do upkeep around our house. He fixes leaks, changes light bulbs, keeps the dishwasher going, empties trash cans, feeds the dog, cleans up the dogs messes in the back yard, etc. etc. and today he is replacing all the rollers on our garage door. He works every Saturday from 8 to 12, and then comes home, goes shopping with me, we try to squeeze in a hike or a movie, and then he works on various projects. He has this really cool air compressor that has a bunch of power tools that attach to it. He keeps my tires on the car all aired up, too!

Best of all, he buys me flowers! Thanks, Rod. I love you!

Just some thoughts....

It is to hard to capture what is going on some times. The last week and a half have been difficult and challenging in many ways. We have had 3 deaths in our ward. The first was a young mother, just 33 years old. She had some systemic infections and got pneumonia. She couldn't fight it off. She had been sick for a couple of years. Some kind of eating disorder as well. She was down to below 70 pounds. She left behind a grieving husband and a beautiful 13 year old daughter. I took Becca to the funeral with me. She said, "mom, I don't know what I'd ever do if you died." That really touched my heart. One of the speakers said that if you have kids, go home and hug them and tell them that you love them. So to all my kids and grandkids - I LOVE YOU!!! The second was an elderly sister that had been in a nursing home for quite some time. A member of our bishopric actually pushed her in her wheel chair to church (it is like a half a mile) a couple of months ago and she bore her testimony. She was so excited to be there and to bear her testimony. Her daughters requested help from the Relief Society to dress her in her temple clothes. Monday, I left work a little early to fill this assignment with a couple of other sisters in the ward. It was such a privilege to do this service. We offered a humble prayer and began.We were able to dress her in her beautiful temple clothes. When we were finished, there was a VISIBLE difference in her face. She looked beautiful, happy, and peaceful. It was truly an amazing experience. Her daughters were so very grateful. The third was a sweet sister that I was assigned to visit teach two years ago when our ward boundaries were changed. I just fell in love with her and she has been a dear friend. It has been hard to see her struggle so with her cancer. She had at least 5 different kinds of cancer in her body when she died. She was a single mother for many years and has a wonderful son to carry on her legacy. (I wish I could introduce him to Julie.) I am so sad that Martine is no longer here, but I am also happy for her. She is no longer fighting, struggling, and enduring the pain she had for so long. I know she is much better now. She was a very independent, hard working woman. She had an amazing network of friends and associates that loved her and cared for her during her illness. Her funeral is on Saturday. I have also had some struggles with my job. This has added to the stress and anxiety of these deaths with which I have dealt. I'll just leave it at that. I am fine, but it has just been hard. I know we are supposed to have some hard times during our lives. It makes us stretch and grow and improve. That is part of mortality. I hope I pass these tests and learn what I need to learn and then move forward. I don't like doing hard very much!

Picture a day challenge for 2008

Katie has taken and issued the challenge of a picture a day. I think I will try to do this. It seems like a really good way to track life each day. I have loved seeing her daily pictures. Sometimes I will cheat. I may not post every day, but will do a picture for each day, and sometimes will do more than one picture. Here is my new blog for just that purpose! http://seemyworld-grammy.blogspot.com/

The Stockings Were Hung...

Christmas Eve was a really fun day. Rod had the day off, so I got to spend some time with him. We took the kids shopping to WalMart and Sam's, which surprisingly were not very crowded or busy. In the early afternoon, Rod and I went to Thunderbird for a hike. It was PERFECT weather - in the 60's. We did our favorite 1 hour trail. Coming down of the face of the mountain, we ran into several other hikers. With one group, I had to step up some rocks to get off the trail to let them pass. I put my right foot on a loose rock and down I went, landing right on my left cheek and sort of whip lashing the left side of my body. I was rather humiliated as all these cute teen aged girls were saying "are you okay??" Fine - just leave me alone and let me nurse my hurt pride. It was such a perfect afternoon for a hike and we enjoyed the beautiful outdoors, blue sky, and breeze. When we got home it was time to make Christmas Eve dinner. I fixed Asiago/Pear Pork Loin, sour cream herb mashed potatoes, sauteed asparagus, baby greens with craisins, cashews, red onion, bacon and poppy seed dressing. Rondaleen brought a wonderful blueberry cream cheese jello, Kathy and Larry Percy brought cherry and apple sparkling cider and we had a delicious Black Forrest cake for dessert. It was so much fun to eat such a wonderful meal and share it with our friends. We then read the Christmas story out of Luke 2, and each told of a favorite Christmas memory. After our company left, the kids insisted on opening one present before going to bed. "It's tradition!" Of course, they picked the present from Katie. (She always gives such great gifts!) Nick's was in a big box, and Becca's was in a little tiny square box. She just couldn't figure out what could be in there. They both ended up getting Hurley shirts from Katie and were delighted. Also, they both got Christmas pajamas (early). The stockings were then hung....... And mysteriously during the night the stockings were filled......... We actually had to wake the kids in the morning, and they had been insisting that we not sleep in because it was Christmas! As you can see, Nick got a big buzz from all the suckers in his stocking. He got Wii games and a couple of movies. Becca really loved this present, but won't let me tell what it is because she wants to blog about it. But she got some Hannah Montana piano/guitar books, videos, a huge variety of candy kisses and some clothes. Allen liked what he found in his stocking! (Uncle Ben is always a welcome relative!) Rod was full of surprises as I opened up a really neat digital video camera (the DVD kind with the little discs!), and a GPS for the car. He thinks you must have toys for Christmas! He was also very pleased with his new GPS - that is one toy he really uses and enjoys. We have enjoyed just relaxing today. We took a little walk around our area and with the help of Rod's new GPS we found a Geo-cache. It is fun to look for those. We are so blessed with such an abundant life, and truly my cup runneth over, even if my stove did burn out while I was making Christmas Brunch! Happy Birthday to our Savior, and Merry Christmas to you.