“If life is a bowl of cherries, then what am I doing in the pits?” Erma Bombeck

Well that is how my life seems some time. But I know how sweet the cherries are even though there are pits in the middle, so I'm focusing on the sweetness of the fruit. hahaha

We just returned from a Christmas vacation in Idaho. We were blessed to be able to spend 2 weeks there with our children. We had a wonderful time and were able to finally meet our new grand daughter. She is so beautiful and she is exchaning so fast. By the time we left she was almost cooing and smiling when you talk to her. I took over 700 pictures while I was there and I'm sure 400-500 have her in them. hahaha This is my favorite one because I was able to catch a smile.



We had the chance to go and visit with Vanessa and Joe in Rexburg and see there place. It was so much fun and we even had a pizza making contest and I think we won (but don't tell Vanessa). We also went to the Temple with them and then had the chance to visit campus and see all the changes that have happened. And there has been alot. I haven't been there for, I think we figured 4 years.



We also dropped by Josh's place so I could see where he lives. We only took pictures from the outside so no one would think we were creepers. haha



We then headed back to Oakley to see our children and little Harper again! We missed them while we were gone. It was so nice just to sit around and visit with each of them. Josh and I stayed up a couple of nights watching Criminal Minds just like we used to do when he lived at home. Josh enjoyed almost 3 weeks with Jacquie, Harper and the Bedke family. He did so some resting while he was there (as you can see from the photo).



Jacquie and Ryan were so good to let us see Harper as much as we wanted to. Even if that meant spoiling her (sorry guys). They are wonderful parents and Harper is a very lucky girl to have them.



Then it was New Years and we were all together again. It was so nice to bring in 2011 together. And the next day Harper Elizabeth was blessed by her daddy. We felt so honoured to be there for this special day.



On the Monday we went bowling and had a great time. Jacquie got a turkey (3 strikes in a row) and Josh won with the highest score. I was impressed with both of them, because their parents couldn't bowl if their life depended on it (well at least their mom couldn't).

We left to come home on Jan. 5th from the Bedke's as our flight was leaving on the 6th. I was the hardest thing to leave all of my children. Vanessa and Joe left on the 2nd. The morning of the 5th we got up to say goodbye to the Bedke family as they headed off to work and school. We then had to say goodbye to Jacquie and Harper. Then Josh left the morning we did and we stopped for gas together and then said goodbye. I honestly thought as I send my last goodbye that my heart was going to die. How could I survive without all of them? But all you can do is put one foot in front of the other and keep going and look forward to the next time you see them. We are so blessed to have such wonderful , smart, beautiful, loving, hardworking, dedicated children. The Lord really has blessed us. So I'm not going to be upset, I'm going to be happy with what we are blessed with and enjoy every minute that we are together. (At least I keep telling myself this, hahaha)

The want to thank all of our children (including our son-in-laws) for making this Christmas a great one. Thanks for gifts and thank you most of all for the time you spend with us. I look at the picture ever day and I'm so glad I have them. And thank you to the Bedke Family for making this possible. They put up with us and feed us (I mean the whole family) for two weeks. Thanks a million.

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their families and we wish you all a Happy New Year! May the Lord Bless you!

Our Bedroom Changes

Jacquie this post is for you. I hope the pictures do it justice. There really is so much more room in our bedroom. As for redecorating, that will probably happen next year sometime. And notice the pillow in the middle of the bed in photo 2. The young women in our ward made me a value pillow. It is so cute.

Well it has been forever and I will never catch up with all the blogging I need to do, but I wanted to show Vanessa what her bedroom has turned into. When Jacquie got married her bedroom became the gym room in our home. Now Vanessa's room has become the office. I guess having children leave home does give us a little more space. But we sure miss having them here. So Vanessa this blog is for you. We hope you enjoy the change.

I'm So Thankful for my Heavenly Father!

Well as we approach this Christmas season, I want to say how blessed I am. Our family has had our challenges and trials over the past year, but I have felt my Father in Heaven with us as we went through them.

I'm grateful for a husband who is patience with me and loves me no matter what I do or say. He has been so busy with work and his calling, but he is never to busy to take time for me. Thank you for all your love and support Gary (and all the cleaning you do). We have blessed to have 4 great children (one is our son-in-law) who do their best each day to live their lives worthy to be an eternal family. They have accomplished so much this year.

Jacquie and Ryan have lived from one side of the United States to the other. Ryan has done a great job taking care of his wife (our daughter) and we appreciate all the hard work he does to make sure their needs are met. And Jacquie, well she just got her Social Work licence (and did very well on her exam) so she can now get a job in the field she graduated in. And she has one already. Congrats girl! She doesn't even have her license yet, but their hired her. They know a good worker when they see one. We are so proud of the wonderful women you have turned into.


Now Vanessa is finishing up her schooling in a couple of weeks. She will graduate this December and then will go to Arizona in January for her student teaching placement until April. We are so proud of the hard work she had done to get to this point. It is so hard to believe she will be a Elementary School Teacher at the first April. Congrats girl! Oh and she is dating a young man from North Carolina named Joe! And he makes her very happy.

And that leaves us with Josh. He has had alot of health problems this year, but things are going really well right now and he is starting to get back to normal. We are so thankful that he has been blessed to get better. And he is working hard to get enough money to get back to school. I'm sure he can't wait to get away from his parents. LOL But we are so proud of the progress he has made and look forward to sharing in his joy of schooling soon.

We have both been blessed with wonderful parents and we are so grateful for their love and support.


Well last year for Christmas we were able to all be together and I am so thankful for those times that we get to spend our holidays with each other. This year will not be the same. We will miss having Jacquie and Ryan home with us. I remember how wonderful it was last year to spend it in the warmth and wish I was there again. LOL


Anyways, all of this was to thank my Father in Heaven for a wonderful life and trials so that I can see how blessed I am. So, thank you Heavenly Father for everything you have blessed my family with this year. I look forward to a new year and more blessings (and of course trials too) that will come.

SURPRISE!!!!!

On July 13th I was sitting at the computer in my bedroom when I heard Gary talking to someone outside the window. I had no idea who it was, until I heard this voice say, hi mom! I looked up and there stood Jacquie. Yes our girl Jacquie. She drove 9 hours with her friend Kapri to surprise us. And I will tell you that it made me cry like a baby. I just couldn't believe my eyes. Now I will admit she had talked about possibly coming home, but made no commitment. So we were so happy to spend the week with her and Kapri. On Friday Jacquie and Kapri headed to the Palmrya pageant and we met them there just in time to watch it. This was the first time that Kapri and Lyns have seen the pageant. And they both loved it. So here are a few pictures from that night.


Thank you Jacquie and Kapri for taking time to visit us. We loved having you here.

We Finally Got to Meet!

Well today I finally got to meet my friends. You see, only 24 months ago a young man was called to serve his Heavenly Father in the Canada Toronto West Mission. He was sent to Brantford for his first area. Upon arriving here, we got to know him and realized that he missed home a little bit. I asked him if there was a recipe of his mom's that he missed the most. He told me it was her homemade pizza. So I called mom and got the recipe and the rest is history. Nona Persons and I became very good friends. As her son (Scott, Elder Persons) served his Father in Heaven in Ontario, we keep in contact through emails and phone calls, building a wonderful friendship.

We really have alot in common and we like alot of the same things (Both love the color blue). So today (June 14) we finally got to meet. We also got to meet Dale (her husband) and we saw Scott again. What joy this brought to me. They are a wonderful family. I know where Scott gets his great sense of humour from (Dale). Dale is so funny and a joy to be with. Nona, well what can I say. She is a wonderful person (no pun intended). So down to earth and easy to talk with even in person.

Scott has a wonderful family and you can see why he turned out so good. We are so pleased that they made the choice to come see us as they toured his mission. We know for sure that this is a friendship that will last a life time. Thanks Heavenly Father for sending Scott to this mission so that we now have friends that from Arizona. Thanks again Persons Family for spending your Sunday with us. We love you all.

Gary's 50th Birthday Cruise

On April 17th we headed off to Ft. Lauderdale to get on a Cruise for Gary's 50th birthday. We left on April 18th and headed off to the Caribbean. Our first day on the ship was spend just laying around and getting to know where everything was.

On Monday we stopped at Grand Turks and Caicos.

That day Gary went power snorkeling. I tried to do it, but there was no way. But he had fun. Then we had a tour of the island. It is a very small island. Boy it is in pretty rough shape. Hurricane Ike hit last September 6th and it hit pretty hard. Then we came back to the beach and Gary went snokeling there. After Grand Turks we headed off to San Juan.

(Rain Forest in San Juan)
San Jaun is a pretty big place. We rented a car there and headed up to the rain forest. They have some pretty crazy drivers there. The rain forest was neat to see. It had just rained before we go there and so the waterfalls were really flowing. The roads up there are so winedy that I was not feeling to good. I had all ready been having some sea sickness because the ship was rocking lots. But it was so cool to see it. Then we headed back to Old San Juan where the ship was and visited the fort that was there. After San Juan we headed off to St. Thomas.

We have been there before, but the boat docked at a different port this time. It was away from all the cute little shops and stuff. They had some stores there, but not much. Here we took a catamaran over to an island where there was a sunken ship and Gary got to go snokelling again. The water was pretty rough going over there, so when we got there Gary said the water was not very clear so he couldn't see the ship to good. But he did see some fire coral and lots of fish. After this we headed back to shore and did some shopping. After St. Thomas we had a day at sea. That was Gary's birthday. He got up and went to exercise so I got up and decorated the room and door with balloons and streamers. Also I gave him the cards each of the kids had written for him before we left.

After he got back and opened the cards we went and laid in the sun that morning for a while and then we headed back to our rooms to get ready for the Mariner's lunch with the captain (Who was Canadian). For Gary's birthday lunch he had, Filet mignon and a large shrimp. Then for supper that night (it was the 2nd formal night) we went to dinner in the dining room.

We had meet some great people at our table that week and we really enjoyed spending time with them, so it was nice for Gary to have there there for his birthday. So for supper that night Gary had Lobster Tail and Filet mignon.

He got to have 2 plates of it (I asked the waiter and he was so sweet and did it). Then they brought him a cake and we sang happy birthday to him. It was a pretty crazy night because that night they do a Baked Alaska parade (waiters and chefs). But it was a lot of fun. Then on Friday we stopped at Half Moon Cay (Holland America's Private Island).

This is Heaven to me. I could live here all the time. The softest and whitest sand I have ever seen and the clearest and bluest water I have ever seen. Gary did a snorkelling execursion again. I just laid by the beach. That was the best.

Then it was time to come home. We spend the night in Ft. Lauderdale again and then headed home on Sunday. Gary and I really enjoyed being together. I hope he remembers his 50th birthday. Now where shall we go for my 50th..... Hawaii, Disneyworld...... only have to wait 3 years to see.