Utah Heart Walk

Oops! The Utah Heart Walk is in just over a week and I have done a TERRIBLE job of recruiting people for our team! So.... if anyone is going to be in SLC on Saturday the 8th, please come join our team! :) :) :)

You can register at the link below in the right hand column, or by clicking on the title of this post.

California, here i come!

Yeah..... just a few more days until I get to meet Hunter and give Madde, Elliott, Luke and Trevor all some big hugs and kisses! And Kenyon and Nate too! :)

Can't wait to see everyone!! :) Troy is still hoping for some room on a flight so that he can come, but its not looking good.... he sends his love along, even if he misses the pirate party.

See you all on Saturday!!! :) :) :) :)

Happy Birthday Meri!

Hope you are having a wonderful, fun-filled, relaxing day! :)

Love you!

Ghosts in The Secret Garden?

Ok.... so it has been ages and ages since I read "the secret garden" but I don't recall there being ghosts EVERYWHERE in the story. Haha! I vaguely remember the ghost of Lily being a key character but I don't recall Mary's parents being ghosts, or her servants, or several other couples that were friends of her parents.... anyway, we saw the play, The Secret Garden on Thursday and while I enjoyed it, Troy hated it. He never read the book and was thoroughly confused about what was going on. The one redeeming feature in his opinion was that one of his favorite Hale Center Actors was in it. This gentleman does have an amazing voice and a wonderful stage presence. He is always the star of every show to both of us, whether he is cast as the lead or not.

Friday we headed up to Deer Valley for the Symphony and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We packed a little picnic and lounged under the starry sky, after a very pretty sunset showing over the mountain tops. The guest artists for the night were a group called Time for Three. They are a trio consisting of a bass and two violins. I just loved their music and they were also very entertaining to watch. During one of the movements they added in a little jam session and it was just great! They were so into the music and were obviously having fun... so it made it that much more entertaining for the crowd too.

After the Symphony we headed over to the Vivace After-Party. For those that don't know - I am on the Advisory Council for Vivace, a group designed to help increase the attendance to the symphony and opera by targeting a younger audience. We have 4 or 5 events each year and they consist of a symphony or opera and then an after-party where everyone can mingle with the guest artists, conductor, etc. Troy and I had the chance to visit with the conductor, David Chow, for a bit on Friday evening and were able to introduce him to a few of the newest Vivace members also. We also were able to visit with one of the members from Time for Three. They were such a fun group to watch and listen to. I hope they come play for us again soon.

Anyway.... we tried to get a picture of Troy and I at the symphony, but we were just in too silly of mood and didn't get a single photo that we aren't too embarrassed to share.. hahaha... so, you just get photos of the scenery. :)

little deer in a big city...

I can't believe I forgot you share one of the funniest things that happened over the weekend! So Troy and I were driving through Holladay, looking at a house a builder we met had directed us to... and boom, right there in the middle of the neighborhood is a deer. She didn't look very old, but not really a baby either... just hanging out in someone's driveway, looking for a snack. We were a little puzzled as to how she had gotten there, and more importantly how she was going to get out! Then we realized that there was a section of land that is wildlife preserve/state land... and it was just 20 feet from where she was so, no worries. But it was very entertaining none-the-less! Troy tried to get a picture but she was just a little too far away...

Anyway... tonight we are off to see "The Secret Garden" at the Hale Center Theatre, and tomorrow we are headed up to Deer Valley for "Symphonie Fantastique" performed by the Utah Symphony. We also have a little Vivace After-party where we are in charge of hosting the guest musicians and introducing them around.... should be lots of fun! :)

Happy Birthday Trevor!!

Wishing Trevor the happiest of birthdays yet!! :)
We love you, little man, and can't wait to see you in the OC over Labor Day!
Lots and lots of hugs and kisses!!!!

summer fun...

Aside from fighting a little summer cold, we had another fun filled weekend!

Troy's sister Tanya and 5 of the kids came for a visit.... we had a great time hanging out with Emma, Daniel, Miles, Matthew and Cameron. Cameron and Tanya went to a few of the Parade of Homes houses with us on Friday and Troy and I finished the rest of them off on Saturday. We got lots of fun ideas and made some good contacts with builders, should we ever get around to building a house. Haha!

We relaxed at home with dinner and a movie on both Saturday and Sunday nights and it was great to just relax together!

This coming week the girls (the dogs) are arriving for 2 weeks and its always fun to have them! We also have tickets to a play later this week and the Symphony on Friday up at Deer Valley... can't wait!

Welcome Ava!!!

What a blessing adoption is! I am so thankful for birth mothers who give such a generous and special gift of life to families who welcome their new child with open arms and open hearts! I am so thankful that Janice and Scott were able to bring Ava home this week and I know that they are already wonderful parents! :) And Ava..... happy birthday and welcome to the family! We all love you and can't wait to meet you!!

The girls...

Just realized that most of you have never seen Maika and Aluesha... Troy's little angels. So here is a photo of Troy with the girls. Aren't they adorable?? :)

Parade of Homes...

What a fun weekend! We spent most of the weekend at the Parade of Homes... getting ideas for future houses, dreaming about houses we can't afford, etc, etc. Haha! I think my favorite idea though is the pantry pass-through door from the garage... very good idea!

Anyway, we met a home designer who we really liked and we loved his ideas! So if we ever get around to building a house, we will definitely be calling him! He even loved our idea of a dog run that has a door into a room just for the dogs... haha!

I am a little behind on our events for the last couple weeks so here is a quick run down....

- We finally had our first group dinner date with all of our newly married friends. Its nearly impossible to find a night that works for everyone but we finally found one that worked for the majority at least. Haha! So we headed out to dinner with 3 other couples and had a wonderful time just chatting and hanging out! Otter and Kim, as well as Michelle and James, got married in June and we hadn't seen any of them since their weddings, so that was extra fun. Shelly (the one who used to live with me) got married in May and she and her husband Dave came to join us for dinner too. These two photos are of Kim and I, and Otter and Troy. I look so tall in that photo of Kim and I... cracks me up! She and I are actually about the same height, she just was in flip flops and I was in tall wedges... haha! And as you can see from the huge water spots on Troy's shirt... haha... we obviously got caught in a bit of a downpour!

- We finally saw Transformers! Loved it! Both of us just thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it totally took me back to my youth. Haha! Anyway, I know its gotten mixed reviews but we loved it!

- We took a trip to the driving range a week or so ago... time for another one soon! I finished my golf lessons and am seeing some improvement. I am still hitting to the right but its slowly getting better. Hopefully I won't get too frustrated and quit before I get it fixed. Haha!

- I sparred last week for the first time since my foot surgery! I actually don't enjoy sparring that much, but it was fun to get back into it after being away for so long. My teacher wouldn't let me kick but my opponent and I worked on hand techniques, which was good practice for me anyway. I was teamed up with a blue belt who is just learning to fight so it was fun for me to be in a teaching position. I miss teaching... just don't know if I have the time to do it on a regular basis (and we all know I am way too out of shape!)

I think that's about it! :) Oh wait... I finally got the new mattress!! Yeah!!! Now I have two guest beds so bring on the visitors!

This coming weekend is the Dash for Donation.... 5K fundraising event for the Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation Awareness Campaign. I have volunteered at the event in past years, but I think this year we will participate instead. It's at Sugarhouse Park on Saturday morning. We'll be there bright and early! Well early none-the-less. Haha!

Isn't there a better way???

Seriously... is there not a better way to get a mold of your teeth than to shove a goo filled huge plastic thing half way down your throat so it gags you????? If someone could invent a better way to do this, I would be eternally in-debted!! (I obviously went to the orthodontist today... haha)

Not much else new going on here...... other than wishing Carly and Craig a Happy Anniversary! :)

Oh... and for those didn't know.... Shelly and I are sisters! Haha! Shelly you just cracked me up with that phone call the other night! :) It totally brightened my day... thank you!

ok.... I am off to enrichment night... I trying to be better about getting to know people in my ward... haha! Wish me luck...