Incredible (edible) Snow

Okay, this maybe a very "flakey" post, but I just have to say that snowflakes are an amazing miracle! We just got back from visiting Paul and Skye in Utah, and I could not help being fasinated by the snow! I was hoping to see it fall from the sky (something I've only seen a few times in my life) and Heavenly Father did provide that tender mercy for me. (I know, I know, what about all the Utahans that are sick of it? Well that extra snow was for me!) Skye even said she couldn't believe it was snowing this much. I stood on their back porch yesterday gathering snowflakes on a black kitchen towel and inspecting them, then scooping up the soft white fluff into a cup and eating it. (I sure hope their neighbors weren't watching) We have to pay for "Snowies" in Arizona. (I just wish they'd have had some syrup to go on it) Chuck did it too! He really got into some snowball fights. I'm glad the little neighbor boys came around, I was tired of getting hit in the head! Anyway look at this picture! How can you not know there is a God in Heaven when you see this intricate detail?

Strawberry Snow

We all went last weekend up to Strawberry and stayed in a friends cabin. (Woolfs) I say we all went, but we had to overlap and run to and from the valley to get everyone there. We had such a great time, and want to especially thank Paul & Skye who came down after Christmas to thaw out from the Utah weather only to have us drag them up to the White Mountains. We were so excited when the last morning we were there it had snowed. It was so beautiful! (I don't know why they weren't excited!) We had gone to this cabin years ago, and infact as we drove up Jerry started asking Brandee if she recognized it. She asked "is this where the trolls were?" and Jerry started laughing hysterically. They had scared her when she was about 5 years old at this cabin telling her that trolls were around the creek. It was fun to go back. We played games and ate and went to the gravel pits. I even went down on the sled. (I'll post more pictures later) Charlie tasted his first snow, thanks to Grandpa. That cute ski cap was one his daddy wore when he was that age! We played catch phrase and had the best time (when Stephanie wasn't swearing or Dad wasn't sexy dancing) We also played Mario Cart, and was amazed at how good Dad got at it so quick. C.J. & Kyle could not figure out how he kept taking 1st place. Even Stephanie won Kyle while nursing the baby! It was amazing! (Paul was actually playing for them under a blanket. It was funny to see how frustrated C.J. & Kyle got) We told Skye she needs to practise while Paul's at work, so she'd get 1st place instead of 2nd to Paul all the time. It was a weekend full of great memories!

Parent Weekend at BYU

We went to Utah to visit Paul & Skye last weekend. It was so great! It was as much or more fun than going on a vacation, just to hang out with your kids. They are the cutest newlyweds, and working away at life. Their basement apartment overlooks the town of Cedar Hills, including the Tipanogas Temple where they got married. I finally our last morning got a picture with all of us in our BYU Parent Weekend shirts. We went the first day to the art museum there and what I thought would be torture for Chuck ended up being something we couldn't tear him away from. They had an exhibit of Geneva Steel, so he got his little "Bob the Builder" face on and was facinated by that exhibit. (wish I coulda got a picture there) Paul teased me the whole time about my picture taking. He calls me a Japanese tourist.
I found out that Sky is a professional shopper. She and her mom took me shopping and gave me a whole new look. We got lots of cute sweaters that I can only wear for a few months in AZ. Skye said it was much funner to spend someone elses money (yah, woulda been for me too!) We also went to the BYU game. It was

amazing. I've only been to ASU games and there is a whole different feeling there. They had a tailgate party, which involved plinko game, watching Vocal Point sing, and drinking hot chocolate and eating donuts! We saw Vai Sikahema and his family, as well as Vanessa Gissell and her family. Her daughter married the quarter back, Max Hall, and her other daughter married another player on the team. It was perfect weather too. We found some seats up by Skye's family and watched the first 1/2 of the game, then went back to their apartment and had wings and watched the second 1/2. What a great time! It was so good to be with them. Yah, we'll be visiting Utah more often!

The Breinholt Resort

Chuck's cousin, LeRoy and his wife Kelly invited us up to their cabin a few weeks ago. Chuck, myself, Jerry, and Kyle went. We took Alejandrina last minute. It was a blast. It is a total resort and they get it all to themselves (although they invite people, and share it with the ward YM/YW often, as well as work people) It was amazing. They also took us on their razor (go cart thingy). Roy is just as big a hot dogger as he was when we all used to go dirt bike and quad riding in the 80's. You'd think being a bishop would slow him down a bit. We played volleyball, sat around the fire and ate

Burger House burritos. When we left for home our car broke down,

and only Chuck & Kyle could

fit in the cab of the tow truck. Jerry, Aleja and I stayed in the desert with a little fire and waited for C.J. to come pick us up. It was a great time.

Come On Honey, KISS THE MOOSE!

We just got back from Alaska, Vancouver & Seattle! It was so amazing and beautiful! And hard to believe that it's actually cold somewhere, when it's still so hot here?! I love seeing the wild life. Thousands of salmon swimming upstream, bald eagles, and two grizzly bears in captivity. Never saw a moose, until this giant stuffed one. Chuck wasn't as excited as I was obviously. He was excited enough to take off his shoes and try to catch a salmon with his bare hands. I wanted so bad to see a black bear in the wild. We saw this sign warning us of a nearby mama bear, but we never saw her.

We got to see Chawna & John in Vancouver too, and go on this incredible hike that caused much muscle pain the next morning. They were in great shape going on that hike every morning. We also went on a hike with Ned Chesley, our buddy in Ketchikan, AK. We seriously thought that hike would never end.

A visit to Seattle!

We are in Seattle right now visiting Nikki, Shaun, Jaydon and Gavin. I can't believe how big Jaydon is. When they left Mesa a year ago, he was still a baby, now he is such a big boy. He's only 2 years old, but as his preschool teacher says "he's a 4 year old in a 2 year old body". He says and does amazing things. Complete sentences, and cleaning up spilled milk on his own. He is such a little man. And Gavin is quite the cuddler. It's so fun to see their little family grow. They are amazing and we are loving every minute of our quick little visit with them

Kyle loses his head!

We stayed at the Fackrells Condominium in Rocky Point and had a blast. I will never forget burying Kyle and within a minute of taking this picture his legs started to cramp up and he was screaming for us to unbury him. We were laughing so hard as he burst out of the sand and started limping around.