Happy Memorial Day

Hope everyone is having a nice day off with family. I finally got Reagan's Music in May post up (following this post) so I've finished uploading all of those videos from Jillie and Reagan's concerts. Enjoy some music ... :)

Today we went to see Reagan in this...

{See Reagan??}

Then we bought theseso that we can start this

but first we need to clean up this

so we can put down this

which is in our neighbors driveway... so we feel like we need to hurry and get it done.

{Friday I hurt my back really bad and could barely move and could not bend at all. Greg's head cold went to his chest and was worse than ever. But today with him on DayQuil and me on 600mg Ibuprofen we're getting it done with the kids' help.}

Music in May Part 2

Reagan's Music in May concert was Wednesday night. Again- amazed at the music programs that our schools provide. Reagan played a little with the String Orchestra and then sang with the Concerto Singers. If you love music- these are must see's. If you love Reagan- these are must see's :)As I explained in my "Busy, busy, busy" post, I saw this concert on Tuesday and Wednesday so I'll try to use the best footage from either performance.

Orchestra:

This is a bit of a song is called "Mixed Up March". It's supposed to sound like that. :)

Then "The Flinstones"

Chorus:
{She's next to the boy with the glasses}

"Be Kind to Your Parents"- cute sound effects

"A Song Between Friends"- Reagan's a good whistler.

"You Raise Me Up"- I totally got teary on this one both times I saw it.

Her really fun one for the night "Rock and Roll is Here to Stay Medley"

52 Blessings Project: Week # 21

The St. Thomas Virgin Islands Branch

One of the best things we did on our trip was to attend church on St. Thomas. We were blessed to meet the people there- so kind, so humble, so happy. We got to hear a few conversion stories that were so inspiring. I wish we'd been able to hear all of their stories.

I know I still need to post about our trip to St Thomas. I'll get to it... soon I hope! For now (since you asked, Sunny) a picture preview...

Music in May Part 1

It's school spring concert season. I'm sure this would be most interesting to me, our parents and maybe some of the kids' aunts... maybe an uncle :)... but I felt it was worth recording. Jillie's "Music in May" concert was Tuesday night. She performed in 2 choirs that night- 6th grade chorus and the "B-Sharp Singers". I have been so impressed with the music programs in our schools here. Jillie sang some really great music and they sounded great... in my (biased) opinion. :)
If you're up for some music (a couple of minutes each) and wish you could've been there too...

B Sharp Singers :
{Jillie is in the middle- on the middle row- with her hair pulled back}

6th Grade Chorus: {Jillie's the last one to come down the aisle and keeps looking at the camera}

Her absolute favorite song to perform tonight... The Evolution of Dance. She starts out dancing for "Hound Dog."

Jackson has heard her practice this one so many times he sang along with each song. Lately he's been walking around the house singing, "Ice Ice Baby." :)

Busy,Busy, Busy!

When we returned home Monday night we had to hit the ground running... The relaxation of 5 child free days is in the past! Tuesday Jackson woke up with a nasty cold which we all started to get, so that really made the running hard, but you do what you have to do.

Tuesday 5/20/08:

7:35 Jillie on the bus, 8:15 Reagan to school for orchestra rehearsal, 8:35 Kobe on bus.

8:30- 1:00 cancelled Jackson's PT therapy since he's miserable, feed us, took pictures of the signage and decorations from the kids, check email, chat with Mom and Dad and send them on their way, get showered and dressed, start laundry, lay down with Jackson and basically hold him down to get him to fall asleep since does not want to sleep. (Had to lay there with him most of the time to keep his head elevated so he wouldn't cough too much and wake himself up.)

1:00 go to school to see Reagan's dress rehearsal for her orchestra/choir concert.

3:00 Jillie home, Jackson and I home. Snacks and Jillie invites a friend over.

3:40 Reagan and Kobe home, snacks.

4:00 Reagan to gymnastics, help Kobe with homework

5:15 leave to pick up Reagan from gymnastics at 5:30, get McDonald's, eat in the car (lovely, huh?).

6:00 drop off Reagan at color guard practice for the Memorial Day parade.

7:00 drop off Jillie for her choir concert, Greg picks up Reagan and comes to Jillie's school.
7:30- 9:00 Jillie's Middle School Spring Concert

9:00 home, more eating, watch DVR- American Idol (Yes, that was necessary!)

10:00 everyone to bed ( I know- so late!), laundry, dishes, and I don't remember what else probably some computer time and some TV time and probably to sleep around midnight.

Wednesday 5/21/08:

7:45 drive Jillie to school because she missed the bus 8:00 called to cancel my volunteer time at the school book fair since Jackson is sick (and I'm getting sick) 8:15 Reagan to school for choir rehearsal 8:40 Kobe misses the bus, return to school to drop him off at 9:00

9:15- 3:00 I really can't remember now what all happened. I know Jackson and I went grocery shopping, and I did some of the normal stuff... breakfast, get ready for the day, lunch, cleaned up the kitchen, living room, dining room, family room, office, bathroom in preparation for Jackson's OT. OT therapist called to cancel because she's sick. Laundry. Check email and blogs. Calls to schedule appraisal on my car damage from this past winter, call to car insurance, call to schedule service on our lawn mower. Play with cars with JackJack...

3:00 drop off and pick up dry cleaning, pick up Jillie & her friends from after school choir rehearsal, drop off one friend, bring one friend to our house.

3:40 Kobe and Reagan walking into the house as we drive up, snacks

4:00 start packing up the food storage closet in the laundry room in preparation for new cabinets and shelving, talk to Mom on the phone about their little family history adventure near Syracuse and find out what time they'll be back here.

4:45 start dinner: (semi) homemade chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese or ham sandwiches, fruit

5:15 Greg home, I take Jillie's friend home

5:30 BEG Kobe to please just get the table set so we can eat and Reagan to get dressed for her concert

5:55 Eat (some)dinner

6:15 Greg takes Reagan to school for her concert.
6:45 The kids and I arrive at school. My folks arrive at school. Greg was able to only get 3 seats. (Oh how I wish they'd move these concerts to a place with more seating than the cafeteria!)

7:00 Concert begins. Jackson and I go out to the hall since we got to see the concert yesterday... but end up finding a seat in the front row.

8:00 Concert over- hurry home to finish dinner while we watch the American Idol finale!

10:00 Everyone is depressed that David Cook beat out David Archuleta. (We were hoping for the 1st Mormon American Idol... plus we LOVE his voice!) Everyone hits the sack (so late again!)

10:30 Start taking down all of the wire Closetmaid shelves in the laundry room closet and on our bedroom closet. Spackle and paint holes. Clean up kitchen/dining area in preparation for morning therapy sessions.

after midnight? Get Mom and Dad settled in for bed (on the couches- I feel so bad about that, but they wouldn't take our bed. We could use a guest room!) Another check of email and blogs. Go to sleep. Cold coming on strong for me, Greg, Mom, Jillie. Jackson & Kobe are coughing all night.

It's such a pain when life gets super busy and then you start getting sick. All I want to do is lay around as much as possible... ha!ha! As if a mom gets that luxury very often. :) You just do what needs to get done. I must admit that I did as little as possible on Thursday afternoon and took advantage of the kids having the day off on Friday to take an hour to lay around with a Kleenex box and the TV.

I guess I don't have a normal schedule. My schedule happens to me. Appointments get made, postponed, cancelled. Trips to schools are early, late , and in the middle of the day. I get done what HAS to be done today and reschedule what can wait until the next day or the day after. Some days the calendar is full, some days it's empty. Full calendar days mean lots of preparation and lots of running. Empty calendar days mean we can take slow if we need to, or catch up on the things that got left behind earlier in the week. My schedule in a word: flexible. I don't know if that's good or bad- maybe a little of both.

{Bad right now... here it is 3am trying to catch up on blogs, TV shows, and writing 3 posts at once while eating stuff I shouldn't be if I really want to lose the extra pounds!:( Good night!}

New Job Offer!

We have been known to move often for new job offers that come our way. Well, this job offer is not for Greg this time... and no we're not moving. Guess who just got a job offer to be the morning news anchor for MSTV?!
Jillie auditioned for anchor on the schools morning announcements TV program on MS (Middle School)TV. Her audition happened while Greg and I were on vacation which we were sad about. Thanks to Skype we got to do a little pep rally with her the night before- and my folks did too. We had to wait until we got off our 1st flight on Monday to find out the results. She got it and we are so excited for her!(Although we're not that excited about having to have her at school at 7:10am everyday next year. :) ) She starts in the fall as a 7th grader. (Doesn't that sounds SO OLD?!) She even got some personal feedback yesterday from one of the teachers/judges... they said she was so good- one of the best auditions they'd had. We're very proud of her... the first step in her goal of becoming a news anchor on TV!

52 Blessings Project: Week #20

My Parents

This choice for week 20 was a given! My parents drove 7 hours from their house in Michigan to my house New York last week. They arrived at 2 am and asleep around 3am. Sometime between 4am and 6:30am, Jackson crawled into bed with them even though I was asleep on his floor. I found him there around 7am taking up half of the bed with Mom and Dad squished together on the other side. And so began their week with the kids. I had one full day here with them to get them acquainted with Jacksonisms and our basic routine. The regular schedule was a little busier than usual to with end of the year field trips, rehearsals, and concerts. They were so busy with the kids while we were gone.

Greg and I left for the airport before anyone was up on Thursday and we returned after everyone was asleep on Monday night. Not only did they get everyone off to school on time, attend Jackson's 3 therapy sessions, got homework done early, & got everyone to their extra activities, they also tilled our garden so it is finally ready to plant, cleaned, fixed, and organized things around the house, and entertained the kids. On Friday night they had a Caribbean Party with the kids. The place was decorated with lots of tropical themed things including nets, tropical flowers, themed dishes and place mats, grass skirts, beach shirts, leis, shark tooth necklaces, and a palm tree. Their dinner even included fruit kabobs.

{all pictures were taken the morning after we returned.}

Everyone went to the movies on Saturday too- Dad took the boys to see Horton Hears a Who while Mom took the girls to see the new Narnia movie. And look what we came home to...

We checked in on the kids via Skype which was really nice for all of us to keep up on the happenings at home and they could see where we were. The kids had a GREAT time with them. I don't think we were missed too much- and that's a good thing! I'm sure Mom and Dad were a little tired out from all of the activity going on- Jackson alone is a busy guy with a mind of his own. But they seem very glad to have been able to stay with the kids all those days. Mom did mention, "If I had a dime for every time he said, 'Look!! Look at that!'..." :) He really loved both of them equally and was instantly comfortable with them- what a relief.
We feel very blessed that they were willing to come all they way here- to use their vacation time- to work around my house and take care of the kids in a way that we were not at all concerned about the kids. They were in great hands. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful parents... for this trip and for so, so many more reasons. This is just one small example of the love, selfless service, and support they have given me all of these years. Thank you again Mom and Dad. I can't say it enough.

Happy birthday to Shannon!

Today is my sister-in-law Shannon's birthday!!  

She is the only girl in the family- right in the middle of 5 boys... the cheerleader to their basketball team I guess. I have known her pretty much ever since I started dating Greg. She lived in Provo at the same time while taking classes at UVSC and working at UCCU. She has always been a friend to me. I wish we were closer and that we had taken more advantage of living near each other when we were in Colorado. (The 20 minute drive between our homes seemed so far. Now there is 1538 miles!)  Actually at this moment I'm even farther away on our little vacation, so the only picture I have has been blog-napped from Shannon's blog.

Shannon.....

•She loves 80s music as much as Greg.

•She loves Disneyland almost as much as Greg.

•She loves Donny Osmond. 

•She loves Harry Connick Jr almost as much as me.

•Any meal she makes comes out great.  I don't believe she is capable of ruining any food.

•She makes yummy cookies & makes them often.

•She was sweet enough to share the secret family recipe for "Chocolate Chip Cookies- Garrick Style" once Greg and I were married.

•She loves Winnie the Pooh- her mom calls her "Pooh".

•Apparently during the dating years she was desired by many boys ( ie Mike Nielsen and Duayne Webster) who wished she would give them the time of day. 

•She was roommates with my sister Holly for a while so they are friends too.

•She manages a household of 5 kids- who happen to be very cute and so fun!

•She loves her kids.

•She loves all of her family and wishes everyone was closer.  

•She does a good job of keeping tabs on everyone for the rest of us.

•She loves my kids. 

•My kids think she is a super fun aunt and they love her like crazy.

•She ran track as a child and still enjoys running.

•She served a mission to Paraguay,  but because of illness was transferred to Texas.  (Texas?  I think that's right.)

•She asked me to sing"O That I Were an Angel" at her mission farewell with a girl in her ward who has a beautiful voice...  I was pretty nervous and I'm afraid it showed. :(

•She knows the gospel well.

•She reads her scriptures faithfully.

•She is her mom's best friend.

•She misses her Dad and little brother Danny  so very much.

•She enjoys some good reality TV like American Idol, Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor.

•She does NOT enjoy camping at Yosemite when it downpours and the entire campsite is flooded. :)

•She LOVES chocolate...  (what woman doesn't?!.. except maybe Kristin. :))

•She can not get herself to eat cheesecake- mostly because it is called cheesecake. 

•She has awesome fat repelling genes that allow her to eat whatever she wants and after child birth her body goes back to normal in a few days.

•She deserves a life full of happiness- especially today on her birthday!

I hope your day is great Shan!  Happy, Happy Birthday to YOU!!!

My Mom

My mom is celebrating her birthday today. Well, I don't know if celebrating is the right word. She and Dad drove through the night to be here today. They are getting a crash course in how to understand Jackson and run my household. Greg and I are off to St Thomas tomorrow til Monday night and she and dad are taking over for us. So celebrating probably isn't the right word, but it is her birthday nevertheless.She deserves a little tribute I think. I'll not divulge her age. I won't make my post into a numbered list about her so no one will know for sure! :)

** I need to apologize now for the lack of pictures... life is kind of crazy for me as I prepare for this trip and I just don't have the time to go digging through old photo albums. I know posts are more fun with picture. I'll have to get around to that on a future post.

My Mom

{last summer with Dad}

She is kind, loving, selfless, and generous. When we were in a financial bind just out of college, one baby and one on the way and creditors calling daily, she and dad did not hesitate to open up their empty nest and let us move in. We were there for about a year and a half with our babies, and cribs, and exersaucers, and all of the other baby gear that took over their house. While we were living there, Holly, Nathan, and baby Ethan moved to Michigan too- and into Mom and Dad's house too for about 6 months. They put in air conditioning since I would be there all day long with the 3 kids while everyone else went off to work. Mom never complained - to me anyway! She made us feel comfortable. They took good care of us in our time of need.



Mom is strong. She comes from a long line of strong women. She is dedicated, determined, focused, goal oriented, and hard working. She is smart and wise. She goes the extra mile. I don't believe she has ever been flaky about anything. She magnifies her callings no matter how big or small... though most have been big because she is so capable of doing just about anything [Well, except for maybe speaking a foreign language! :)] I watched her do her visiting teaching the way it should be done. One sister she visit taught was dying of cancer, Mom was her support while she quit smoking. Mom taught her about the temple and helped her to get there for her endowments. Mom was this sister's shoulder to cry on, supportive friend, and teacher. She helped her prepare for her funeral. She was with her as she died, and she dressed her for burial. I don't think they were close before mom was assigned to her, but in the end I know mom was her best friend.

In any assignment she has been given she is willing to serve. And she serves through inspiration. The reason she is so successful and inspirational in her callings I think is that she relies on the Lord to guide her. She is a great teacher, a great speaker, and a great leader.
I want to be more like her in all of these ways. She is my inspiration.


Mom met my dad when they were kids, grew up in the same branch/ward although Mom is 6 years younger than Dad. She dated my dad at BYU when their friend- also Mom's boyfriend- left on his mission and asked Dad to take care of her. So he did and still does.


At BYU Mom earned her degree in Sociology. While you cant get much of a job with a bachelors in Sociology, she used her knowledge well in raising us girls. She also worked part time at first- full time later- once we were all in school. She worked for her uncle's armored car company. While the company has been bought and sold many times over all of these years, she stays on as Office Manager/Accountant/Human Resources/ Jack of All Trades. It's hard for her to get time off because literally no one knows how to do all that she does. She works lots of hours- doing everything for everybody- and I think she deserves to retire and take it easy. I'm sure there must be a small part of her that likes to go to work each day to fix problems, get things accomplished and occasionally get a little recognition for being amazing!

{today with Jack Jack}

Mom loves her grandkids like crazy! Especially now that no one lives really close, she really makes an effort to stay connected. She sends then a card for EVERY holiday, stickers included. She forwards Old Navy ad emails to my girls to ask what they think of the latest cutest styles. She calls and talks just to them sometimes. Her vacation time usually is centered around a visit to see the kids/grandkids. Occasionally the vacation days are centered around home improvement projects, but usually the kids. Very rarely is her vacation time spent vacationing in the traditional sense anyway.



When she comes to my house, she comes to work. I always want her to come and relax since it is her time off from work, but she goes to work here. each morning we have to have a plan so that we can get a lot accomplished like fixing something around my house, running the errands I never seem to get around to, cleaning house, or playing with the kids in the pool, sightseeing, whatever it is. We use our time to the fullest when she's around. That's a good thing. This way we don't get to the end of the visit and say, "Oh, we never did such 'n such... maybe next time."

There's so much more to say about Mom... though I know she would prefer to have me getting everything together for our 6am flight tomorrow instead. I'd better get this posted and on with my preparations since part if my gift to her is to leave her with as much detailed information about the kid's routines as possible. Hopefully her day is great and the next 5 days run smoothly! What a great Mom- and Dad- I have to do this for me so I can go on a child free vacation! I am blessed.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Heart Healthy

When anyone asks me a question in my comments, I never know what to do. Answer in my comments section? Answer in their blog's comments? Email that person- if I have their email? Answer in a new post? Anyone know the proper protocol for this??

Well, Shan asked me a question about the heart healthy (Low fat) french toast and cupcakes... so I decided to answer in a new post. It's just a few simple substitutions.

French toast: I use some whole grain/lowfat/heart healthy bread, egg substitute instead of eggs, a little fat free/1% milk, cinnamon and Splenda (instead of sugar) , and a little vanilla of course!
Cupcakes: One box of any cake mix and one can (or 12 oz.) any diet pop. Just mix those two together and bake per the box directions. On Greg's and the kid's I did put a thin layer of chocolate frosting, but on mine I used Cool Whip Free- especially good on lemon cupcakes :)

Disney fans

We found this Disney Parks update in You Tube.  This particular episode is all about the plans they have to change Disney's California Adventure.  They are really changing A LOT over there over the next 3-4 years.  Check it out!

celebrate good times- come on!

It's been a weekend of celebrations with Saturday as Greg's birthday and today as Mother's Day.
Saturday:
When Greg returned home from basketball this morning, the kids had him open his presents. We had a breakfast birthday party for him since we had a friend's 5th birthday party to attend in the afternoon and a date night for Greg and I this evening. The kids went all out on preparing the breakfast. We had some heart healthy french toast, fruit, and heart healthy cupcakes. (Everyone thought it was the best breakfast ever since they go to eat cupcakes with it!)
Sunday:
Greg and the kids woke me up with a big bowl of blueberries and a yogurt parfait for breakfast in bed. The also gave me these cards...

I love Kobe's poem and how he solved his problem of not being sure how to spell "roses" and "violets". The girls were very creative in their clues as to what my present was. Can you guess?
A Macbook!! Oh my word, I can't believe this!

After church Greg made an awesome meal- really he should be the cook around this house! I disappeared for a very long and much needed nap. The kids were great to let that happen.

The nice final touch to my day was from Kobe. Last week he came home from school and proudly showed me one of the books he got at library that day. it was a Little Critter book- Just Me and My Mom. he told me he got it so he could read it to me on Mother's day. So sweet. :) We snuggled together on the couch today to read it together. I'm glad my little boy who seems to be growing up so fast still has a soft spot for his ol' mom.

It was a great weekend... YEA!!

52 Blessings Project: Week #19

Mothers

God planted in women something divine
- President Gordon B Hinckley

{This is a picture my dad made of Jillie (about 2 years old) with me, my mom, her mom, her mom's mom, and her mom's mom- does that make sense? Each of us is a first daughter of a first daughter- each of us pictured around our wedding days.}

Your success as a family... our success as a nation... depends not on what happens inside the White House, but on what happens inside your house. -Barbara Bush

“No other success in life can compensate for failure in the home” -President David O McKay

“The most important part of the Lord’s work that you will do, is the work that you do within the walls of your own home” - President Harold B Lee

I am blessed to be a mother. I am blessed to have a wonderful mother and grandmothers, mother in law, aunts, sisters and friends- who are great examples to me of how to be a good mother. I am blessed that my kids love me despite my shortcomings and hang in there with me while I try and try again.

{Blurry self portrait of me and my monkeys.}

Recent horrifying events in the United States have underscored the fact that we live in a world of uncertainty. Never has there been a greater need for righteous mothers—mothers who bless their children with a sense of safety, security, and confidence about the future, mothers who teach their children where to find peace and truth and that the power of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the power of the adversary. Every time we build the faith or reinforce the nobility of a young woman or man, every time we love or lead anyone even one small step along the path, we are true to our endowment and calling as mothers and in the process we build the kingdom of God. No woman who understands the gospel would ever think that any other work is more important or would ever say, “I am just a mother,” for mothers heal the souls of men. -Sheri L. Dew

Happy Mother's Day to our moms and grandmas for all you do for us!

Happy Mother's Day to of the good moms out there!

Happy Birthday to Greg!

My cute husband is getting old! {Guess I am too, but he'll always be older. :) }

He's a multifaceted man. Here's some of the many sides of Greg.

My birthday tribute to the guy who makes my heart all a-flutter...


1. He is very hard to shop for. He usually buys whatever he wants whenever he wants it, so he never really needs anything.

2. He's super spontaneous.

3. He is a fan of instant gratification.

4. He is afraid of heights. He gets very nervous if the kids or I stand too close to the edge of a balcony.

5. He enjoys reality TV like American Idol, Big Brother, and Survivor but not The Bachelor.

6. Never was there a bigger Lakers fan... or a bigger BYU football fan.

7. He loves playing basketball with guys who can challenge him... which according to him is few. He and his brothers have always bonded over basketball. He finds making friends much easier while playing ball.

8. He still speaks Spanish well that he learned while serving his mission for The Church in Mexico.

9. He lets me correct him. He often comments that no one else can talk to him the way I can.

10. Greg's has a bigger wardrobe than I do.

11. He used to want a hallway covered in mirrors so he could walk through it and admire himself... he probably still would want one.

12. He is the family fashion consultant. He LOVES to shop for clothes- especially at Banana Republic.

13. He gets absolutely giddy about 80's music.

{Isn't that funny? I just found this in google images.}

14. As a teenager he worked at The Wherehouse (music store)- and knows a lot about all 80's music.

15. Apparently he dated a pretty "goth" girl back then and it made his parents nervous.

16. He made a lot of money in that job and spent it all- sometimes on his sister Shannon which I think is sweet.

17. He dated A LOT of girls- hopping from stake dance to stake dance - leading on a lot of ladies.

18. He used to refer to himself as "Dodge", now it's "G Money Love".

19. He likes to use nicknames... I think he gets that from his mom. He calls me "Bok".

20. His first time in the snow was 19 years old at the Missionary Training Center. He gets excited for the first snow fall of the winter each year- and enjoys sledding with the kids.

21. He didn't get his drivers license until he was 19. He was afraid to drive and let his friends take him around.

22. He did drive a scooter though.

23. He wiped out on the scooter and got major road rash.

24. He lost a nipple once when he wiped out on his bike.

25. It grew back, but has a scar.

26. On his mission he had typhoid and the mumps. He had no idea because he didn't have a mirror and he was always hot. It wasn't until he saw his mission president that he found out. A doctor told him that he should lie very still until he got better so he would become sterile. He laid VERY still!

27. The kids love the story he tells about being sick while on his mission and how he accidentally threw up into a fan.

28. His companion cleaned it all up for him.

29. That Mexican companion found Greg at the end of Greg's mission to say that he was going home to the US with him. His name was Herman, but his new American name is "Gerry". Gerry has lived in the US ever since and they still call each other "Compa" when they talk to each other. Gerry named his first son after Greg's dad.

30. Tragically he lost his dad 13 years ago to cancer... and his youngest brother Danny 11 years ago to a car accident. I know he misses them terribly.

31. Greg knows and loves the gospel. He really enjoys General Conference especially the Priesthood session.

32. He has served in the Church in callings which include Branch President (on his mission), Elders Quorum President, Spanish group (almost a branch) leader, Ward Executive Secretary, Stake Public Relations... but his favorite calling is teaching the youth. He often says he would make a great Young Women's president. (He'd just take them all to the mall & tease them about boys they like.)

33. Disneyland is the most magical place in the world for him. He says you can feel the Spirit there. He likes Disney World just fine, but it's a bit of a disappointment since the magic is in California.

34. He loves the Carnation Cafe at Disneyland (and it's famous chef who has been there for over 50 years!) and the Nestle chocolate chip cookies and cake at the Blue Ribbon Bakery.

35. He is excellent at his job and has been very successful. He knows so much about the phone book industry. He knows so much about PR and Marketing. Getting his degree in Public Relations (Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa) was kind of a formality because most of what he was taught, he already naturally knew to do.

36. He is a very good dad. The kids love to be with him so much- especially when he is 'playful dad' or is telling them funny stories about his childhood or mission. He makes us laugh! (It goes without saying that he's a terrific husband as well.)


37. He's a sucker for the kids- and for me. He would do anything for us. He worries about us. (He is a worrier!!!) He prays for us. He tells us and shows us that he loves us.


38. He loves his parents and his siblings. He worries about them often too. He also loves my family and that means a lot to me.

39. Today he begins his last year of his 30's!

I love you Greg!! Thank you for choosing me for eternity.