Thanksgiving dinner anyone?

And a good time was had by all....
It was wonderful to have Mom with us...
Count your many blessings...
Many thanks to our wonderful hosts - Gary and Nancy!

Gratitude

Come thou Fount of every blessing;
Tune my heart to sing thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above,
Praise the mount; I'm fixed upon it:
Mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by
thy help I'm come
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home,
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love,
Here's my heart. O take and seal it;
Seal it for thy courts above.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the fold of God,
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed his precious blood,
/Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love./
O to grace how great a debtor Daily
I'm constrained to be!
Let they goodness, like a fetter, Bind
my wandering heart to thee

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart. O take and seal it;
Seal it for thy courts above.

Count your many blessings - here are a few of mine:

• eyes to see, ears to hear
• secure employment
• clean water to drink and good food to eat
• a warm comfortable home
• comfortable and reliable transportation
• unlimited long distance phone calling
• bubble baths
• meaningful service
• digital cameras, cell phones, web cams, email, blogs
  
• weekly emails from Mongolia
• clean sheets
• life long friends
• growth through trials
• religious freedom
• a kind and considerate husband who I love dearly
  
• my Bosch bread mixer
• opportunities to learn and grow
• Clinique dramatically different face lotion
• two sons-in-law who love my daughters and take good care of them
• no weight gain this year
• good progress on daily exercise
• health and strength
• exposure to new ideas and ways of doing things
• two beautiful grand-daughters who are healthy and happy
• Flare cinnamon gum
• parents who raised me well
• knowing how to work
• my formal education
• Haagen Daz dulce de leche icecream
  
• two daughters who bring me so much happiness
• a missionary son
• inspirational music
• cold watermelon
• a beautiful new daughter-in-law and a handsome son recently married
• Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
• the infinite atonement
• repentance and forgiveness
• Our Heavenly Father
  

Thanksgiving funnies

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Sportsmanship at its worst

Saturday while driving home Mom, Syd and I listened to part of the BYU-U of U game on the radio and felt bad for our family members who were in attendance. Later we learned how badly they were treated by the fans once again at the University of Utah stadium. One of the ironic things is that Courtney is even a grad student there and she is ashamed of the behavior displayed by supposed Ute fans in the name of sports. Jake was there as well and he is a U graduate school alumni member (which he may disavow.) Dave was accosted in the bathroom and was outnumbered 20-1. The obscene language, offensive hand gestures and things that were thrown on them were ridiculous. It was such a contrast from the game we attended last weekend against Air Force. The AF fans were so classy - win or lose - and were on one end of the sportsmanship spectrum. Utah is definitely on the low end of things. Our four family members were all disappointed with the outcome of the game - since the quarterback basically self destructed - but really offended by the classless way many of the Ute fans behaved themselves.

Why is this outrageously bad behavior by some supposed Ute fans tolerated by other Ute fans and the school itself? It seems to have little to do with the game that is being played and sets new lows in poor sportsmanship. Why do "normal" fans turn a blind eye to what they see and hear being spewed on BYU fans who are just minding their business and cheering for their team? It fuels the animosity between the schools. Maybe this is the main objective of the poor sports Ute fans- fuel the hatred. Rick is convinced that the rivalry is open season for unbridled hatred towards BYU and by default, the Church. I can understand his deep dislike of the place. He has had to put up with this display of poor sportsmanship all his days. He and Courtney have a new bond between them since they were both born and raised in SLC and they understand and can empathize with one another over the whole issue. They've taken a lot of mean-spirited ribbing. Is it asking too much to just attend a big rivalry game and cheer on your school of choice without feeling threatened or personally maligned? I acknowledge that BYU fans aren't perfect either. Some are 'holier than thou' and very annoying. They sometimes goad the Utes and fuel the flame. But I haven't ever personally witnessed the kind of animosity and profanity coming from the mouth of a BYU fan at the same level of disrespect and intolerance displayed by a Ute fan. There are levels of difference and the Utes seem to sink deeper each year and dig new lows in decorum.

I never want to attend a game there again. It doesn't sound like a fun way to spend an afternoon.

To go along with this train of thought, check out this thought provoking article. and a quote from a reader:

"The true Church and its people need to focus more on loving God and our neighbor, less on whether our neighbor loves us. Instead of assuring ourselves that "God is on our side," we need to ensure that we are on His. And in the long run everything will work out."

Does this apply to football as well?

Fun weekend with Mom

Sunday dawned crisp, bright and beautiful and we headed to the MTC to attend our branch meetings. Mom wanted to attend while she was in town and see what goes on there. It brought back fond memories of her training at the MTC with David when they served their mission over 10 years ago. We went to sacrament meeting, Relief Society and then had lunch in the cafeteria. There is always such a great spirit at the MTC and it is amazing to see how well it is run and what goes on there.

We headed home to make a Heggie raisin pie before heading north to meet Lee and hand off Mom to her so she could continue the next leg of her journey while she is in Utah for 10 days. It was so nice to have Mom with us for a few days. She hadn't been able to visit us for over a year and we loved spending time with her. She is an amazing mother and I love her so much. She went off to spend time with her other kids and we'll see her again for Thanksgiving.

After dropping her off, we went to the 1st annual R..... cousin pie baking contest. Rick has 40 + or - cousins on his dad's side of the family. They are accomplished and wonderful people. One of the cousins invited everyone over to her home with their families for dessert and visiting. There must have been 60 people there and they were gracious hosts to welcome us all in to their mansion house. Six of the eight original R..... children were in attendance. Vern and his siblings are all in their late 70s and early 80s, and they are the most delightful people. Two of them are in wheelchairs suffering from MD, but they carry on with grace and humor. They all shared some Thanksgiving memories that had us all laughing. It was a wonderful evening and it was fun to see many of Rick's cousins, many of whom I haven't seen for years. We stopped off to visit Dave and Courtney on our way home. It was a wonderful day!

Saturday on the way home from the adventure with the Twilight fans, we stopped and did some Christmas shopping at a mall. It was so fun to have Sydney with us for the day. I love that girl! We talked about memories with Mom and had such a nice visit while driving.




Rick and I had a fun weekend with Mom. She flew in on Friday pm. We picked her up and headed to a Dr. appointment that Rick had in the city. While he was at the Dr. we chatted and got all caught up on what is happening. While Rick went to the basketball game with his dad that evening, we went to dinner at Zupas and then to see HSM3 with Sydney. It was a fun girls night out. Mom got to see Syd and Adam's home and it was fun to have the tour and see what they have done with the place. Syd is so creative and can make something out of almost anything!

On Saturday we headed up North to hook up with the other Twilight enthusiasts in the family and to have lunch at Costa Vida before watching the movie together. It was a theater that had reserved seating, so it was nice to go in 10 minutes before the movie started and just find our seats, without standing in line forever. Thanks to Lindsey for getting us all tickets! It was fun to attend a move that was enjoyed by girls ages 13-82. We've all read the books and we really have been looking forward to seeing the movie. Janet and Tina got the prize for traveling the furthest that day to participate in a very fun girls outing. In honor of the day, Mom gave us all matching watches to remember our outing, each other and the fun time we had spending the afternoon together. That was so sweet and generous of her! She enjoyed being in attendance with daughters, granddaughters and even one great-granddaughter! After the movie we headed to Target for a little shopping and ran into our cousin Sharon and her husband Mike. It was great to chat with them. I must admit that I called her Diane. She looks a lot like her sister.

I enjoyed the movie. I wouldn't mind seeing it again. The books wouldn't be considered great literature and the movie wasn't the greatest of all time, but it was entertaining. Nothing more, nothing less - just good entertainment. It was fun to share it my Mom, sisters and nieces.

Weekend in Colorado, Part 2

My camera batteries died toward the end of the trip, so I had to have Claire forward me these last photos from her camera. I have an old school digital with batteries. Bummer.

Anyway...

We hooked up with R and Claire Friday night and headed straight to the mall to catch Jimmy Bond in Quantum of Solace. It was just fair. We headed back to the Comfort Inn to sleep again and then we got going the next morning, heading to the Air Force Academy to see their museum, store and campus. We were invited to a tailgate party with some of R and Claire's friends from their home town and enjoyed some good dogs and brauts on the grill. Then is was off to the game which I described earlier.

After the game we went to the Broadmoor resort. Wow. It is the classiest place I've been to. Rick and I spend a night there when were we on our honeymoon almost 30 years ago and then again when I was expecting Andy while he was attending a conference. It is an amazing five star resort and we enjoyed a hot chocolate there before heading to eat dinner at a more affordable place - the Olive Garden.

Sunday we got up and headed to church. After going to two buildings, we finally found a ward that started at 9:00 so that we could catch sacrament meeting before heading home. Claire and R took off for their five hour drive and we started our nine hour drive. We had some good chats with Dave and Courtney while driving home and really enjoyed spending time with them and with R and Claire. The weather was nice the whole weekend (except for a little snow storm we got in while driving there Thursday night at the top of the Eisenhower tunnel area) and we had a wonderful weekend. We also ran in to Rick's cousin Tim Ping who lives outside Denver and it was so nice to see him, his wife LouAnn and their some Graham. They also have a daughter named Claire, who is younger than our Claire. I wonder where they got the idea for the name :)

Bring it!

Can you say OBSESSION? Hahahaha! Check out this video!

Get ready.
Here it comes.
We've got our reserved seat tickets. Do you?

Christmas music

When do you start listening to Christmas music?

Our local radio stations FM 100 and FM 106.5 have been playing Christmas music since the day after Halloween - 24/7. I can't stand it. Seriously, I just boycott those stations. It's way too early for my taste! Of course I have a husband who won't even "allow" Christmas music played in the house until after Thanksgiving and I must admit that I agree with him there. His thinking is that the month of November should be for Thanksgiving and that we shouldn't just gloss over it on our way to Christmas. I will admit that I have listened to a few songs on the sly, but I have yet to put in a CD and listen to the whole thing. But I am getting excited to listen to Christmas music, in it's own appointed time - which in our house comes the day after Thanksgiving and not one minute sooner!

Here is my personal favorite list:

• Josh Groban - NOEL - if you don't have this CD, you really should add it to your collection, it's amazing!
• James Taylor at Christmas - new last year and very good
• Kurt Bestor - all of his CDs are amazing
• Martina McBride - White Christmas - Love it!
• Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Sing Choir of Angels - a beautiful collection of Christmas carols
• The Messiah in it's entirety, our version is by the MTC and orchestra
• Mannheim Steamroller - All their CDs are wonderful for background, get in the Christmas mood type music
• Sing-a-long-with Mitch - a classic in our family that really brings back great memories of childhood

Other classics like the Carpenters, Neil Diamond, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby

What are some of your favorites?

The FUNNIEST video ever!

Weekend in Colorado

We had a fun adventure in Colorado last weekend. Rick and I drove over last Thursday and arrived in time to pick Dave and Courtney up from the airport. It took us about 7 1/2 hours to drive over and they decided to fly so they could attend their classes that day before leaving. We stayed in Denver that night and got up ready to see the city.



Here is a shot outside the state capitol building in Denver.














Dave and Courtney inside the rotunda of the capitol. They are such a cute couple, if I do say so myself! We had such a good time with them and enjoyed many great conversations.

Inside the Brown Palace Hotel. This is the hotel where we stayed on our honeymoon over 29 years ago. It is a beautiful, stately five star hotel and we loved seeing it again. This is the stained glass ceiling in the lobby. While we were on our honeymoon, we visited Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Boulder. This trip we got to see two of the four cities and enjoyed remembering our honeymoon adventure to Colorado.

This is the stadium (Invesco Field) where President- elect Obama gave his acceptance speech after being nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The posers outside the Brown Palace with a very cold cowboy.














A beautiful church across the street. Denver has some amazing architecture and old buildings that have been beautifully restored. It has a wonderful downtown area.

































We're still going strong after all these years of beginning life together and spending our first night at the Brown Palace!














Looking around downtown Denver.














The mile high marker outside the capitol building.














This was a very interesting display we came across in the capitol showing things from Mongolia, of all places. It was very interesting to see.














Go MONGOLIA!



















Woot woot for Ulaanbaartar! Andy's home away from home!















Before the BYU-Air Force football game, all the cadets came out on the field dressed in uniform. It was a magnificent sight. It makes you really proud to be an American. The Air Force Academy is a very classy place and all their people were so kind and professional. The people in the stadium take presenting the colors of our flag very seriously and it was completely quiet for the flag and the National anthem. We didn't get flipped off or sworn at once! In fact, fellow tailgaters were very helpful and kind to us. Those same courtesies won't be be extended this weekend when BYU plays the evil alleged University of Utah (.....how ironic is that?)




























We spotted our friend Tie Tie Phillie (not his real name) on the field during the game! He is an equipment manager for the BYU football team. He is the one right in the middle of the picture just to the right of the group of football players. GO TY!














Here he is retrieving the kicking tee after another kick off. It was fun to see him in action! He's the one in the dark blue suit (not the kicker in uniform on the field...hahaha) BYU beat Air Force by the score of 38-24. The Cougs are now 10-1 on the year.














We got A LOT of good shopping in on Friday afternoon. We went to these HUGE outlet malls called the Castle Rock outlets and used our friends and family discount card given to us by Claire. We made a haul and got a bunch of good stuff and a lot of Christmas shopping done. Our truck (oops I meant trunk) was stuffed to capacity and we barely made it home.














*****More pictures to come with R and Claire. They came to Denver on Friday night and we continued our fun weekend with them through Sunday*****