~LITTLE MOMMY-BIG HEART~

Things can be challenging when your pregnant but, add a couple of large dogs on top of the emotional ups and downs and the constant fatigue and you really have your hands full. Cambria does an amazing job of keeping it all together. She is trying very hard to do everything right and in the process she is making her home ready for this new little girl who has already stolen her heart. You see mothers are like that. As soon as they become pregnant they develop an attachment with their unborn child that lasts for eternity. Cambria is fiercely loyal to those she loves. She faces her problems head on and runs away from nothing. She has become so easy to please. Knowing that she doesn't have a lot of "extra" right now she really tries hard to save. She is so willing to help whenever help is needed. I think her dog Shelby, i.e. "girls" best friend, would protect her from anything or die trying. That dog absolutely LOVES her. So do I. Hang in there Cambria, the best is yet to come!

~#*%*!~

~CALLING ALL DEER...I HAVE TULIPS~

I couldn't believe it today when (after the snow melted) I looked out the window and in the brief moments of sunshine I saw these two little tulips. Not only had they weathered the storm but, they survived the deer! Honestly, I probably have a hundred tulips planted in my yard and THIS is what I got this year...What is even sadder is that it is more than I have gotten in years past! Tonight they will run the risk of becoming "deer desert" once again but it was so nice to see them today!

~MADDIE-UNPLUGGED~

~SLEEPLESS IN SPRINGVILLE~

Somewhere between the hot flashes, night sweats and the leg cramps that I have been struggling with for the past two years I sometimes do find time to actually sleep. Tonight however, was not one of those nights. I think that I jumped up four times with cramps in my legs and threw the covers off at least three times before I finally gave up and sat down at the computer. Is it time for drugs yet? The legal kind of coarse. However, if they mess with my headaches I could possibly consider the others :) ( That is SO not true). I have been thinking about a lot of stuff lately that seems to cause me to stop and consider where I am in my life and what my choices are. I received in the mail my ( now don't laugh) social security statement...Apparently you start to receive those after you reach a certain age. Anyway, it said that if I continue to work, at age 70 I would qualify for "APPROXIMATELY" enough money to live below poverty level until I die. Now I realize that by the time I am actually 70 my debts will have been long paid off and I should be able to survive tucked away comfortably in my cardboard box on what the government tells me I can however, I had pictured a completely different type of retirement and, working until I am 70 was NEVER part of the deal. In my mind retirement included a tropical paradise a couple times a year, lots of travel and certainly a ski vacation in the winter that would help keep me physically fit so as to be able to actually enjoy my "golden" years...Come on 401K's we all need you to recover!

Next, I was thinking that I sort of needed a change right now. A little "pick me up". Perhaps just a small change but, something that would be different and fun...For the record, menopausal women should NEVER decided to change things up without considering for a day or maybe "seven" ( yes, that equals one week) what that small change might entail. I went in to have my hair trimmed and styled and I talked my daughter-in-law into a little bit more than a trim...I had her CUT my hair...Off. Now, this is not a huge deal if you have a stylist that LIVES with you and can do it for you every morning so that it looks as fabulous as it did when you stepped out of the salon. It has been a little frustrating but, not terribly because there just isn't that much there to be frustrated over =) I have been very lazy for the last 10 years and have thrown the hair back into a ponytail when I haven't been able to do anything with it. That will be impossible for a very LONG time! I like the new "do" a lot when Lisa/my daughter-in-law/stylist does it but, when I try well...It was kind of a rush to see all those red curls all over the floor when we were done though.

In R.S. Sunday morning the lesson was on prayer. A good one for me this week. Not that prayer can change anything like the length of your hair but, it can make the changes in your life "feel" better. ( I'm not talking hair here) I am so grateful for what I have and I sometimes forget to remember ( don't you love that..."forget to remember") that I have been very blessed in my life. Like everyone else at times, I tend to compare myself to others and usually feel that I don't quite measure up. Here's the deal... There are so many things that I can do that I'm not...So many things that I could say that I don't...So many things I need to change that...I think I will!

~WHIRLWIND WEEKEND~

Where did the weekend go? They are here and gone so fast that I hardly feel like I have had one sometimes. It was such a busy one with the shower for Christina and Cambria and the grandkids. I loved it. Sunday we had everyone here...Well almost. We were missing Garett, Lisa, Sky and Jon Tucker. Our table was very full. I think that I need a bigger kitchen! It was Grandma Verna's birthday party Saturday night in SLC along with all the other festivities over the weekend. It was nice for Stephanie because usually she is too far away to join in the fun but, because of the baby shower she was here for Grandma's birthday too! We have such a large family of cousins that I honestly don't know all of the little children anymore. I did take pictures of all of them though so that maybe I could remember them for next time. Steve is the oldest of 6 children so you can imagine how many little ones there are now!

Sunday after dinner Gage, Ali, Cole, Maddie, Abbie and Bella with the help of their dad's went out to fly kites. The wind was perfect at times but, none the less one of the kites took a dive and ended up in the tree. Cole was sure it was a total loss but, his dad was able to save it. Dad's are so great at stuff like that. It was so nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy the warm weather and just watch the kids lap up the spring-like afternoon.

~CAMBRIA AND CHRISTINA~

Cambria and Christina are both anticipating the arrival of their baby girls. We had a baby shower for both of them yesterday to help them get started on some of the stuff that they are going to need. I loved some of their comments..."So, how many diapers does a baby go through in a day"? "WOW, that's a lot of wipes". Oh, it is going to be fun watching these two little girls raise their two little girls! I hope that their little girls are as close to each other as my cousins are to me. What great friends they will be if they are!

We had a few "little" people at the party yesterday also. Abbie was there and Meg brought Sienna. We think that Sienna looks a lot like Lore and John's little Maddie so she fits right in. Can we have her Meg? Jamey brought her little boys and Ashley brought her little boy and "big" girls. I can't believe how grown up Page and Jada have gotten.

It was so good to see everyone. Katie made it down to give her support (or maybe condolences) to Cambria and Christina. She is such a busy girl right now in the middle of nursing school at the "U". Thanks for coming Kate!

Shauna, Cambria's mom-in-law and photographer extraordinaire gave the girls the most adorable little white outfits (see 1st picture) I hope that we get a very cute picture of the two little ones dressed in them when they get here :)


It was defiantly a "PINK" afternoon. We are so looking forward to these two little girls! Stephanie went a bit overboard but, I'm thinking that I would love to have her dress my little girls. She has the cutest taste. But, she couldn't stop with just one pair of shoes...And she claims she's not a "girly girl" . Right.

Thank you to everyone who came and to all of you who helped me. I don't do "parties" well and your assistance was very much appreciated... I just may have survived it all mentally in tact!

~LAST HOORAH~

I can't even begin to tell you how much I LOVE Deer Valley! It truly is a skier PARADISE! Blue sky, deep snow and LONG runs! I have to say that the salmon salad is a far cry from the nachos we get at the top of Bishop's Bowl at my other favorite ski resort...It sort of pains me to say that but, wow, what great FOOD! (See Debbie licking her plate...It was carrot cake!).

I am pretty sure by now that I have convinced everyone who reads my blog that they should become (if they are not already) SKIERS! The winter just flies by and talk about some fun times...Well, maybe minus the concussion :) I look so forward to Thursday when I know that I don't have to be in the O.R. I can spend my day on top of a mountain stress free, with no real worries...Acuna matata, a wemaway-a-wemaway, a wemaway-a-wemaway...One day maybe I will be able to spend more than one day up there. Oh, that would be incredible. I can't hardly even allow myself to consider that there may come a time when that will indeed be possible. For me, I think that it will be called "Geriatric skiing" I can see it clearly in my mind and, it's not what I had really hoped for. I am already starting to slowdown and I keep telling myself that I am NOT THAT OLD! In my younger days I thought that there just might be a place for me on some Olympic venue. Surely I would be good enough someday if I skied EVERY Thursday to make my way to stardom as a great downhiller or mogul extraordinaire! Alas, as with everything else I have tried and fallen short at, skiing will just have to remain a lovely little mid-week get away. One spent with dear friends always in search for that elusive run. The one with deep yet light, fluffy powder that no one has made tracks through. How great it is to have so many girlfriends that love to do what I love to do and who take care of their "older and not so wiser" friend. They are always there to pick me up when I decide to have a "garage sale" *. I will miss my skis now that the season is over but, the really wonderful thing is that spring brings with it GREAT biking weather! South Fork, here we come!

*Garage Sale:
Bad fall while skiing. Usually happens when skier attempts something far above skill level. Skis are popped out of bindings and scattered helter-skelter . Poles usually at place of impact or where ever they come loose as skier continues down the mountain in uncontrolled head first position. Goggles are usually lost during slide as they are unceremoniously scraped from skiers face. i.e. STUFF EVERYWHERE! Usually after one of these falls a skier is ready to sale each piece of equipment exactly where it lays... For that day.

~EASTER ON THE INSIDE~

What do you get when you mix Easter with Conference weekend? Cold, wet weather...Easter egg hunts in the house and grandchildren with bubbles and kites that desperately want to be outside. One day very soon the sun will shine and the gentle spring breeze is going to send those colorful kites skyward I promise! In the meantime, the Easter egg hunt had to be held in grandma and grandpa's basement. I really don't think that the kids minded all that much. Candy found in colorful eggs hidden all over the house after all is much more fun than being outside in the cold snow, and toys buried in baskets of green grass can be a great distraction for the absent sun!

Hooray for the Easter Bunny who can find children even when they are at their grandparents house!

All in all, it was a great weekend filled with wonderful words of wisdom and counsel from our Prophet and leaders and giggles and hugs from the little ones. It just doesn't get any better than that...Well, maybe one more ski day at SUNDANCE or DEER VALLEY, ALTA, BRIGHTON, SOLITUDE, SNOW BASIN, SUN VALLEY, GRAND TARGHEE, WHISTLER or the ALPS! ; )

~A WORK IN PROGRESS...POSSIBLY FOREVER!~

Hey Stephanie! I got the pictures to work...Well, some of them.
As most of you know I am trying to learn how to use my camera. I took a bunch of pictures of Gage and Ali the last time they were here. When I put them on my computer they were all in pixels! Not one of them was focused! I could NOT figure out what I had done wrong. Well, with a lot of just plain messing around with buttons...(I am SO not a reader of instructions...) I realized that I was in the wrong setting! DUH! I'm learning. SLOWLY, ever so slowly...