Day 2....Seattle

The second day that I was there, Ashley and I went to Pikes Market Place....which was one of my favorite things to go to!! Talk about fantastic produce, flying fish, and fresh flowers in abundance. I absolutely loved it!!

Pics of the fresh flowers, peonies....



A man making balloon hats....


Yummy....



One of the things Pikes Place is famous for....throwing the fish around to eachother....



We went to a place that makes cheese. We tried flagship....fantastic!! This is a pic of us with them making their own cheese in the background....


Then Ashley dropped me off, and I was able to meet up with a my friend Joe. We went to the Aquarium....





We also did the Underground tour of Old Seattle, but I left my camera in the car =0( The day ended up with a Mariners game. How much fun is that!?! It was my first Major League baseball game. The Mariners beat the Padres 4 to 3, with 3 home runs!! Thanks to Ashley and Wendell, I have some great pics!!






Ken Griffey Jr. #24, designated hitter....





Ichiro Suzuki #51, right fielder and an amazing hitter!!

My first day in Seattle!!

I was able to go to Seattle and stay with an old roommate, Ashley, from my first year in Ricks College. We hadn't seen each other since her mission farewell in 2000, so it was so great to see her again, and to meet her husband Wendel. They live in Covington.

I had everything perfectly planned, however, we all know how that works out.....my car rental fell through!?! But Ashley was a complete saint, and was able to pick me up.

Here is a pic from the plane of Mt. Rainier.....absolutely beautiful!! I feel in love with Washington right then and there....look at those trees!!



After Ashley picked me up, we went to Dash Point beach...










My mom asked me to get a pic of a lighthouse....this is what we found....



Doesn't it look so nautical!? Sorry mom, but at least I tried...

Ever since I saw Seven Pounds, I just can't look at jelly fish the same way. This is out there, where these people were swimming.....

The sprinkler system

My dad broke his leg not too long ago....and the doctor gave strict orders to not put any weight on it. That is asking for quite a lot for a man that spends all of the daylight hours working with water. So, Stephanie, Jeff and Kevin planned to put in a sprinkler system to help my parents out with their yard. Yes, and even I helped out ;0) It was quite the undertaking, due to the rainy weather. How fickle are we to be upset when we need the water so badly....but everything was pretty much finished by Monday.

Fishing in Idaho

The kids with their trophy catches....


My dad has a friend who has a private pond.....I tell ya what. There is nothing like casting in your line, and waiting for only a few minutes only to feel your line jerk!! Now that is what I call fishing!! ;0) It was so much fun to see the kids yell with excitement, and then squirm away when the fish came a little bit too close....

Stephanie, Jenna and Mom....


Aimee and Alyssa waiting patiently....


Jared....


Adam and Ben....being a little bit curious....do they dare to touch it?


Jacob, Beth, and Kevin....


Everyone enjoyed the fantastic trout that was cooked on the grill by yours truly and Kevin....many asking for seconds and even thirds!!


Us, silly?! Nah.....

Oquirrh Temple Open House June 15th

For almost a month our family had anticipated Kevin and Rachel's family coming to visit. It had been almost two years since they have been here. We all went to see the Oquirrh temple. Kevin's kids have never been able to go to an open house before. Stephanie's family was able to come too. It was such an incredible experience to be there together.





It was fun to see the kids' faces light up and fill with wonder as they saw the different rooms. After it was over, I asked the kids what their favorite part was.....the most common reply was the baptismal font. My favorite part was looking up the stair well, seeing it wind up all the way to the spire; sitting together in the sealing room; and standing in front of the mirrors with Adam, looking at our reflections continue on forever....

All of the grandkids in front of the temple....


Stephanie and Jenna....


All of us in front of the temple....


Rachel and Kevin....

May 18th

My day started out at midnight with work and a phone call from Kevin and Rachel singing "Happy Birthday"!! Later that day, Mom and Dad also gave me a call and sang to me. Stephanie and Jeff's family invited me over for dinner on my bday. They made me a cake (they were even kind enough to just do 2 candles in the middle with 8 candles that surrounded it. I guess that after a certain age, the fire hazard goes up ;0) ) and Stephanie made me a cute purse...Thank you so much to my family. You all made my day =0)





The next day, my great friend Andrea took me out to the Olive Garden and to see Angels and Demons.....Later that week, Andrea and Sheri went with me to Gardner's Village. So much fun!! Thanks you two for the fun =0)

May 1st

Alyssa and Aimee's 6th Bday!! They invited friends to come to an elegant tea party. Stephanie made the cakes.....she does such a great job and tries so hard to make everything so nice.

Alyssa

Jared and Aimee

Jenna

Jenna and I

May Fun!!

Yes, believe it or not, I do work ;0) This is me heading out for another day of fun!!

I finally finished school!! At least until August. I was really excited on how my little SLCC experience went. I started out really apprehensive of getting good grades. Keep in mind that I took Anatomy and Physiology at ISU a few years ago....and got a C =0( So My goal was to improve my grades to increase my chances in getting into the Rad. Tech. program. Even though I was accepted into the program a few weeks ago, I hoped to be able to pull off my Physiology class, due to staying in the program was decided by keeping up my grades. I was able to get an A in all three classes, Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology!! I don't want anyone to think that I am bragging....Because remember, I got a C the first time!?! But through a lot of prayers, hard work, and encouragement from family and friends, I was completely blessed.

I wanted to include some pics of the two Temples that I have been able to attend while going to school this past year....

Jordan River Temple....This is the first temple that I have ever walked in....or maybe I should say spun wheels on ;0) My aunt Joann pushed me in a stroller when I was a baby and my family went to the openhouse. It was really neat to return. It's only a few miles away from school, which is so nice and convenient!!



Timpanogos Temple....is the temple that is only 10 minutes away from me. It is amazing to live so close!! It is absolutely beautiful inside.

A Disappointingly Small Envelope...

As all of you know, I have applied to the Radiology Tech. program for Weber State University via Utah Valley Hospital. I have been working really hard for a year now, taking Biology so that I could retake Anatomy and Physiology and get A's. I also volunteered with the Rad. department at the hospital where I work. I sent my application a month before it was due....everything seemed to be working out just like I had planned.....Or was it?

It was the beginning of March, and I had just taken my midterms....asked my professors to send in grades to the program. Just because I am, for a lack of a better term, anal, I called Weber up to let them know they were coming. I got a definite "It's too late" as a reply. I guess there was a deadline for the 1st of March....hmmm, I didn't remember there being a deadline for midterms!? So I was completely frustrated with myself, decided to investigate....there's nothing stating March 1st, let alone any deadline for anything. Long, traumatic story short, (one that my family knows all too well) after many phone calls and a little visit, they accepted my midterms. Phew, K, now all that was left was to receive a little paper saying that I had an interview....

Just about when I was going to accept the finality of not getting an interview, my roommate checks the mail....I had an interview!! YIKES!! So everything seems to be going just fine. The guy who was 2 interviews ahead of me had them laughing the whole time, and he gets walked out of the room.....K, no pressure, things are going to go great. The girl ahead of me....no real laughter, and no walking her out! What in the world....so now it's my turn, and I feel really good about everything that I said. I was ready, I was prepared.....I got them to laugh a little bit, that's a good sign, right? But I didn't get walked out of the room!! Crap!! Oh well, I did my best, and that was all I could ask for. Now I just had to wait for a letter...

I am checking the mail everyday, dying to see a letter from Weber....and then a manila envelope came this last Saturday. It was so incredibly thin, my heart just sank.....but I am ACCEPTED!! Wahoo! I immediately called up my family, bubbling over with excitement. So no more school for me until the end of August!!

Therefore, you are all witnesses that miracles happen. I would truly feel ungrateful if I didn't acknowledge that the whole time, through all of my doubts and fears, that my Heavenly Father has blessed me a hundred fold. I can't even imagine what I would do without Him, and the comfort and reassurance through it all. My family and friends.....they are way too good to me!! Many of them have fasted and prayed with me in my behalf. Even through all of the frustrations and chaos, I have seen blessings!! It has brought me closer to so many.

So, again, thank you all so incredibly much for your love, support, prayers, EVERYTHING!! And especially with the tears that have been shared. As my Dad always says, "I don't deserve ya, but I'll keep ya"!!

Easter

I was able to go up to Idaho with Stephanie and her family. It was fun to be home....I hadn't been home since Thanksgiving, so it was way over due!!

Saturday, we went the the Arimo Easter Egg hunt. Each adult took a kid to gather up the eggs, they each got 17. Inside there is candy, and if you are superly lucky, you might find a number hidden inside. So, I was paired up with Aimee. As we were gathering eggs, I kept suggesting that maybe we should spread it out, but Aimee kept finding the eggs, and couldn't resist picking them all up. To be honest, I was worried that she wouldn't get anything.....and so we opened them one by one.....and we got FOUR numbers!! One of them happened to be a girl's bike!! I was the lucky charm ;0) LOL! She was such a sweet heart, and even gave her brother and sister a prize. And little Jenna won her own prize, sidewalk chalk!! You can just imagine how colorful my parent's sidewalk was before the weekend was over.



Later that night we went to an Easter Cantata. Sis. Janice Kapp Perry wrote it. Her husband was there with her. It was fun to meet the woman who wrote so many songs that helped my testimony to grow in primary. A funny side note: each kid fell asleep.....Mom had Aimee on her lap with Jared leaned up against her. I had Alyssa in my lap. But Jenna was wide awake the whole time. They were so cute.

Then we went home to color eggs, and leave out Trix for the Easter Bunny.





Sunday was absolutely fantastic!! My Mom taught the Relief Society lesson on "Valiant for the Cause of Christ". She does such a great job, and teaches by the Spirit. By the time it was over, I had tears streaming down my face, along with many others. I am so grateful for her testimony and for her strength that she has given to me. She is a rock, on which I have leaned on many times. Later that night, her and I went to a fireside by Janice Kapp Perry. We had decided the kids had enough, they were such troopers. I am grateful that I was able to go with her though. Once again, there was something that I was suppose to hear. Sis. Perry was so personable and gave such a great talk. She had me laughing while the next second, I was tearing up. She has served a couple of missions with her husband =0) Throughout the talk, she sang a few of the songs that she had composed. One was even her family theme song....her cute little husband even did a dance on the side....it shocked even her!! LOL!

The next day we went to the Hills Air Force Museum, where we were able to see some of the same models of jets that my Dad had worked on, the F4 phantom. It is hard for me to remember that he served there. One of these days I will have to go with him and hear about all of his experiences.

Thanks, Mom and Dad for a great time!! I love ya both so much =0) and thanks, Stephanie for letting me come with you. You have a great family!!