Moab Spring 2011

If you have never been to Moab, you have no idea what you have been missing! Red rocks, blue skies and views that go on forever! We had a fabulous time in Moab this spring with lots of good friends and great family. Randy and Alyssa joined us from Alaska; but some of our other family members were not able to make it. Those of us that are not fortunate enough to have our own jeeps rented them for a few days. There were 13 vehicles in our personal caravan on two full days of rough riding, bone crunching. trail-riding adventure.

"Rough and Ready" and her sister "Reckless" performed like the champs which they are....no broken axles or other breakdowns on the trip. It was a great vacation and a wonderful way to kick off the summer!

Moab is an adventure all in its self...

but we're looking forward to lots more adventures throughout the summer! Stay tuned. . .

Happy Birthday Month Mel

Anyone who knows much about Mel, knows that birthday's are no big deal to him!

"It's just another day," is his personal catch phrase. Well, since I personally believe that birthday's are lots of fun, and not, just another day, I decided to announce by blog that he is about to have another birthday. Tomorrow is March 1. It's the beginning of his "BIRTHDAY MONTH!" I'm starting in early wishing him a very happy birthday, and a fabulous year.

Happy Birthday, Mel

It has been a long time since I blogged. It was August, in fact. I can't think of too many really news worthy things that have happened since then. September was a blur. October also flew by. The highlight, of course, was our annual Halloween party, which is always a blast. This year it was at Jason's and Alaynas.

We always have our party outside, so we never know what the weather will be like; but so far, it hasn't been too bad.

And then we had November! It was an awesome month. On the 4th I flew to Kodiak, Alaska to be with Alyssa and Randy when they had baby #2.....Kaci Anne Martin. She is beautiful and I had a real hard time putting her and A.J. down when it was time to board the plane.

I had a wonderful time with them. We saw all of the sites of Kodiak. It is a beautiful place, with truly amazing scenery. While I was gone, Mel tore out of bathtub and tile and put in a whirlpool tub....can I say heaven!

December is always a great month. We had the annual Bingo party with the Davis' and that night went to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert with David Archuletta. We spent Christmas Eve at Mel's mom's house in Evanston and enjoyed watching the grandkids perform the Nativity while Mel read from the New Testament at Bryan and Carol's.

The next morning we visited all of the kids and got to see their gifts.

On Christmas night we had dinner at our house with the other half of our kids. We played games, ate lots of food, and opened gifts. It was a great evening and we all had a lot of fun.

The downside of Christmas, this year, was the return of Mel's headaches. He suffers from "Cluster Headaches." If you don't know what they are, take a few minutes and google them. They are the headaches from #$%&#. Just watching him have them is painful for me. Having to actually suffer with, and endure the intense pain, himself, is incomprehensible. They are nicknamed "Suicide Headaches." I'll leave it to you to figure out why.
We, like all of you, are looking forward to an exciting new year. Mel is still looking for work, so if you can help or have any ideas, please let us know.

Summer in 60 Seconds

I last left off blogging at the 4th of July. It’s taken me weeks to get over my waterskiing injury, but I’m almost there! Since Independence Day, summer has flown by quickly.

We had a great family campout up in the Uintas. It was perfect weather, wonderful company, great food, and we had the pleasure of lots of mosquitos. Most all of our 11 kids were able to be there. Missing were our Alaskans, Alyssa and Randy. Also missing were Alayna and Jason who were vacationing in Florida, and Cory and Jeri. They missed out because Jeri thought that having surgery on her ankle would be a lot more fun than camping. #1Trent and family joined us, and Pat’s brother and nephew. We all had a great time fishing, visiting, and communing with nature.
The 24th of July was fantastic! We got to attend the 3rd annual Pioneer Day party at C.J’s and Jennilyns. We barbecued, visited and had the best home fireworks extravaganza, ever! We really lit up the night.












On the last day of July Mel and I hosted a dutch oven party in our back yard for about 28 friends from the ward. We cooked a couple of pots of barbecued pork and two pots of sour cream cheese potatoes. Our guests brought the rest of our meal. It was great. We visited, played a game and waited for the next patch of rain to hit. Thank heavens for Easy-up awnings!

Well August is ½ over now but we have lots of other things planned….stay tuned!

I love this time of year. I love how cute our little Hobbit House looks in the summer. The junk trees, that I curse, that surround our property and cover our yard with seed pods in the spring and leaves in the fall are beautiful at this time of year. Wow! Summer is really going by quickly this year. I guess because April and May was so cold and wet this year.

The kids treated me to a great birthday party up at the Spruces. We cooked hotdogs over the fire and Jennilyn made an amazing cake with fondant icing. It was a great afternoon.

We also had a picnic in our back yard for our kids and grandkids (at least all of those that could come.) We enjoy getting all of our kids together, and are looking forward to our family camping trip later this month.












We enjoyed our annual weekend with the family at the ranch, which is located between Evanston and the Uintas. Thanks, Emily, for being in charge this year. We had a great time.

We had a wonderful 4th of July. We enjoyed watching softball, attending the parade, having a barbeque at Cory and Jeri's with great friends and family; and of course enjoying all of the fireworks. We even had a sleep-over at Cory and Jeri's.

I really love the 4th of July and the 24th of July holidays. I think that Jeri put it best when she said that the 4th of July is great. It's not a lot of work. You don't have to decorate or shop to get ready for it. You just get to sit back and have fun with the people you love.

On Monday, Mel and I took the Shake, Rattle and Troll down to Utah Lake for a spin. It was a beautiful day with calm, gorgeous water. The temptation to ski (without a spotter) was too great for me. I got into the water, climbed into my skis, and.....

....sufficient to say that I've missed the last two days of work, and tomorrow is still questionable. ) Ah, the joys of growing old!

Two Great Weeks

It has been a way busy two weeks…fun, happy, sad, exciting, relaxing and tiring, all rolled in to just a few weeks. First, and most important, Alyssa and A.J. flew into town on April 23. We really had a fun time. I took a little time off from work so that we could have more time to play.

We’ve had picnics at the park; been shopping; had too much to eat; and watched little league baseball. Some of my sons took me to drive golf balls, prior to my soon-to-be big golfing debut. We visited in Evanston twice, and also enjoyed a two day trip to Lava Hot Springs. (Can I say massage… need I say more?) Big news! A.J. learned to walk while he has been here. Randy arrived in town for the last few days, and it was fun being with him, too.

I got to see my long-lost California cousin Gwen, and her daughters, Kathy and Lynette, at Kathy’s daughter’s wedding. Gwen is in her 80’s but never seems to get any older.

The sad part of the two weeks came when my very beloved Uncle Riggs died. Uncle Riggs is/was a really special guy whom we all will miss a lot. He and Aunt Helen have always been a big part of my life. I’m grateful for both of them. It was wonderful, as always, getting to visit with my Myers relatives at the church, the graveside, and at the luncheon.

Mother’s Day was great, of course. We enjoyed an awesome barbecue at C.J. and Jennilyn’s on Saturday night. C.J. is a master at barbecued ribs. It was a combination farewell Alyssa, Randy and A.J. and Mother’s Day party.

As always, I was showered with wonderful gifts and love. I appreciated spending time with my Evanston kids on Sunday and hope they all know just how much they have added to my life! I would just like to publicly state that family is our greatest blessing, and I really love and appreciate mine.

Boating, Floating and Remembering

It is officially the middle of April, and as it has been every year since I was about ten, I’m anxiously awaiting my first time of the season out on the lake. I love the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. I love the freedom of sailing across the water in a boat!

My parents bought our first boat the summer after my fifth grade year in school. It was a cute little boat. It was only 15 feet long--a pretty little yellow Hydroswift. I remember how saucy it looked sitting on the water. We never officially gave it a name, but unofficially my mother had named it “Never on Sunday.”

I can still remember my first attempt at waterskiing. We went out of Saratoga Harbor on Utah Lake. Back then, of course, it was a public boat harbor; not just for members only, as it is now. With all of the enthusiasm of youth, I jumped into the murky water and tried to put on my skis. I’ve taught many skiers to water ski since then, and I’m pretty sure that just like them, my skis wouldn’t cooperate either. When you are first learning, the skis have a tendency to be more in charge than the wanna-be skier is.

Well anyway, back to my first attempt. I remember trying several times to get up out of the water. I was a dismal failure. I swallowed a lot of Utah Lake water that day. Umm, yummy! After several attempts, I got back into the boat really upset.

The next week we went out again….same lake, same harbor and same results. After several futile tries I was getting pretty discouraged. And then it happened! I vividly remember being out in the water, with my skis in position and a 75-foot rope between the boat and me. I also distinctly remember hearing my father say to my mother, “Well it looks like Annette will never be a water skier like her brothers are.”

Humph!!! I heard that, and hearing that comment was all that it took. I was competitive, if nothing else. I yelled “hit it.” The rope tightened, my skis stayed beneath me, where they belonged, and suddenly, I felt for the first time, the total freedom of clearing the water, shaking the moisture off of my face, and sailing across the water with pure joy and abandon.

I was waterskiing! At that moment I fell in love, and it is a love that I’ve cherished for more than 45 years.

That being said, I am now 57 years old. My goal is to water ski up until the year that I die. With ever increasing bad knees and sore joints, I no longer do anything fancy. I don’t slalom, I don’t wake board, and I don’t even jump the wake. I clear the water and enjoy a short pull around the lake; the smoother the water the better. My theory is that I will not truly become old until I can no longer water ski.

I’ve grown up with several boats; two that my parents owned and four of my own…but there will also be a special place in my heart for that little yellow Hydroswift, the special friend who was with me that summer when I first developed my eternal love for boating.