The Memorial of Big Bertha.

I know I am a bit behind in my blogging, but there is just way too much fun to be had, now that summer is here. For Memorial Day, and also to celebrate Doug's birthday, we went to Sand Hollow with Doug's brother and his family. We had a BLAST!

We got out on the lake, and Doug wanted to waterski. He tried out his new ski's, and realized something must change. We are going to have to do something about the fact that feet won't come out of the ski's when you crash. He ended up pulling a muscle down the back of his thigh, and had to buy a cane to walk the rest of the trip. Can you say OUCH? The next toy that came out was Big Bertha. We have had her for several years, and had many adventures with her. Poor Taylor and Brian found out the hard way what it is like to blow her up. I was beginning to worry that Brian would be pushed over the side of the boat, or else be smothered entirely. As it was, he was hanging on for dear life.

Luckily, he survived to have many wild rides over the weekend. Thankfully, we came up with a better plan for inflating Bertha so that no one else would suffer the same threat. Brave, fun-loving Brian. He only screamed like a girl a few times.

We saw a few ducks that Miriam was so excited to swim with. At one point, she wanted to chase them down. I had to remind her that she can't swim as fast as a duck. YET.

Doug and Ron anchored the boat between some rocks that the kids (and Aunt Sandy) had a great time jumping from. They went on a nice hike on one, and dove off of the other. Every time I wanted a picture of them jumping, they jumped before my camera could be ready. This was the best shot I got:

I am sure that you can tell this is Miriam, right? Don't you recognize that splash? Hint: Never say: "Don't GO until my camera is ready!" The word "GO" is too hard to resist.

Brian and Miriam and I hung out on the boat while Doug, Ron, Sandy, and Taylor went diving. They seemed to have a great time. We just got sunburned. Well, I didn't. That's why I like the shade. Thank you, whoever invented bimini tops for boats.

On Monday, Doug was leaning over to grab something out of the storage space in the bottom of the boat, and was pushed into the seat by a wave. He cracked a rib. Boy, this trip was really turning out to be memorable for him. Just to make it more eventful, it was his birthday. Not a great way to bring on old age, sweetie.

This is Doug dropping down into the water. He was attempting to bury the anchor in the mud at the bottom. I could have taken some more exciting shots of them diving, but I didn't have an underwater camera with me. This is the best shot you get. Personally, I am rather fond of Taylor's leg sticking into the top left of the picture. Nice leg, Tay.

I love this picture because it shows us all having fun and lounging around. We took stuff for lunches so we never had to leave the boat. What a fabulous time to relax. Oh, and please...No peeing in the water. Thanks.

Need further proof of the effects of the sun? Taylor got a fair bit, but he tanned within a day or two. Not fair. Poor Miriam had quite the time recovering from her over-exposure. She was a bit over-done. Next time, I am sticking a turkey timer in her suit. Hopefully, that will convince her that she has had enough.

This was my favorite picture taken that weekend. I love that Brian and Tay are just starting to catch some air. Let's talk about how difficult it is to take a decent picture of someone on a boat while you are cruising around a choppy lake. Just to make it a bit more adventurous, try taking a picture of someone dragging behind said boat, that is always bouncing the opposite direction than you. Just to show you what I'm talking about, here's what most pictures look like:


Wow. What a fabulous picture, right? Should anyone want to learn this most envied skill, feel free to come boating with us this summer, and I will teach you the finer points of taking a picture, and missing the shot entirely.

This picture is not from our weekend at Sand Hollow. It is from Hebgen Lake near Yellowstone, many years ago, and it's one of my favorites. Big Bertha popped on Memorial Day. What an appropriate day to say goodbye to her. Miriam had so much fun with her, and was sad to see her go. We mourn her passing, but look forward to the next toy. Here it is:

That's right, folks! We have officially become Airheads! Say "Hello" to our Airhead Viper. What an odd combination. Could someone please explain to me how an airhead becomes a vicious viper? How does that work? It has the power to really scare you, but forgets what it's doing, and looks at the pretty clouds instead. I guess it's really not all that threatening, is it? Miriam sure loves it.

Women's Conference

Once again, it is that time of year. The time when thousands of women converge on one spot to celebrate their lives, and refill their spiritual buckets. Chick's conference, as Doug calls it. This year, we didn't stay in the dorms. Erin's parents are on a mission, so they agreed to let us use their house for a few days. We had more fun than should be allowed, even with all of the walking and hiking of the Marriott Center steps.



There are always so many lines to stand in. I don't think I've ever attended anything where you stand and wait so much. Want to attend a class? Stand in this line. You would like a mint brownie? Stand in that line over there. Need to find the ladie's room? Stand in the longest line EVER!




When we get home, the silliness begins. We are all tired, which doesn't help. It just means that we will laugh at anything, and everything. I really mean everything. We had such a fun time while we could keep our eyes open. I think Julie should go into modeling. Seriously, she has the model face down perfectly.

One of the most fun moments is when we get to let our hair down and act like Miamaids again. Julie and Erin are reliving those days with all the passion they can. I don't think you could do this at the concerts I used to attend, and still be taken seriously.

I am just happy to be somewhere without having to be a mom. I may only have one child, but it is tiring to be the only other one that she has to play with. Now I can act like a child because I choose to.



This concert was so fun. Alex Boye was wonderful. I just love to listen to him sing. We met him after the program, and he is the nicest person, extremely happy, and very thoughtful.



I loved to listen to this performer sing (unfortunately, I have forgotten his name), but I was struck by something else during his performance. Off to the right corner of the stage they had a couple of women that were signing for the def. I have always loved sign language, but I was completely fascinated by the woman doing this song. She obviously loved it, and was very familiar with signing it; she almost signed the words before they were sung. The emotion she put into it was so beautiful. It made me want to learn to sign again. Who knows? Maybe I will finally do it. I wish I had taken a picture of her.

Then we were blessed with a performance by Eclipse. They are always so fun. I would love to be able to do what they do. Unfortunately, I am just a wannabe. So many talents in the world, so little time to develop them.

We had a great opportunity to hear from Larry Gelwix, coach for Highland rugby. For those who don't know, he is the coach portrayed in the movie "Forever Strong". I thought it was so fun to have an opportunity to hear from someone that has made such a difference in so many lives. We had a chance to talk to him after, and I feel fortunate that there are people like him in the world. He and his wife were so wonderful to talk to.

Jenny Oaks Baker performed some really beautiful songs, most from her CD of movie songs. She played a beautiful rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". You can't tell, but the lights above her are in rainbow colors; much more beautiful in person. I wonder if I can fit "beautiful" in here just one more time?


She also played "Far And Away". I have always loved that song, and the movie. This is after she played the last note of the song. I love this picture because it shows how much emotion she puts into her performance.

Then there is the loveable Hilary Weeks. She is also very happy and fun to talk to. Apparently, she and Julie are now BFF's. Seriously, Julie has proof, just take a look at the autograph she received. If you ever want a new CD, look her up. You won't be disappointed.

One of the most fun things to do are the service projects that are offered. It always makes me think about how much of a difference we can make in the world. It is amazing to see what is accomplished by all of these women in such a short time, the numbers are staggering. We found room to help out in the card making room. We actually made papers for names of babies in hospitals. Who knew scrapbooking skills would come in handy. We had a chance to meet some really wonderful ladies from, well, everywhere. So fun to hear their stories.

At the closing session, we decided to sit at the top. We wanted to have a bit more leg room, and it was fun to look down and see the estimated eighteen thousand women gather together after having such spiritual experiences. I think I started crying on Thursday morning, and haven't stopped since. (For good reasons, obviously.) During the final hymn, we sang "The Lord Is My Light", and on the third verse, all of these women (and a handful of men) spontaneously stood up to testify that the Lord truly is their light. I cried then, and I am struggling with tears even as I think of it now. What a powerful moment to see so many people want to stand and show their love for the Lord. All of these women that have the ability to carry that feeling to so many places in the world.

I arrived at the conference with an empty bucket. Now it is full to overflowing. Please be patient while I splash it all over everyone. I just want to spread it everywhere. I love Women's Conference. It is an opportunity to refocus your life, and to realize what is truly important. You leave there with a stronger belief in women and the difference we all make in the world. I always relish the opportunity this time gives me to feel closer to my Savior, and to remember that He loves me, and I have things to do that make a difference. In small and simple ways are great things brought to pass. Take time to splash on people yourself.

Topaz, anyone?

For Spring Break, we went to Topaz Mountain with Doug's parents, and his sister, Michaun, and her family. Michaun's family has a tradition of spending spring break at Topaz, because during the summer it's just too hot to spend time there. It's such a fun place to find cool rocks, obsidian, mahogany, garnets, and of course, topaz. Kids just love that they can hammer on rocks all they want. We also seem to have fun with lizards. Just remember to check your bed at night......

We camped in a spot that had the only trees for miles around. They are rare out there. The scenery is beautiful, all of the mountains look purple in the distance, and you can see for miles.


We found some mines that we had never visited, and they ended up being the highlight of the whole trip. I am so amazed that people used to crawl through this maze of tunnels that they left behind.

This one is fun, Doug threw a rock down so you can hear how deep they are. Just ignore how loud my voice is at the end. My camera really picks up the voice of the photographer exceptionally well, (and I am loud to begin with). I didn't realize this until I watched the films at the end of the day.

This is the same mine, but you can't really see it until you get closer. I thought that Doug was going to have a panic attack as I was creeping forward to get a better picture. The ground is really loose rock, and you feel like even if you were super careful, you would head straight down one of the mines. Grant told me (as I was creeping toward the mine with my camera) that he had already slipped there. That is why I was laughing at the end of the clip.

This next picture was so amazing to take. We had walked into a mine, and went as far as we could see. When the flash went off from my camera, we were amazed at what we saw. That hole goes down pretty deep, as far as we could tell.

After we realized that there was so much more in the mine, I tried to take more pictures. It's hard to aim at something you can't see even a little bit. The piece of metal on the 2x4 is the same one in the next picture.

That was taken above where we stood. It looked like it went really far back. How on earth did they get through there?

We were thinking that in this economy we could live fairly inexpensively here. We could build a house on a foundation that already exists.

We wouldn't have to look far for a bed. Maybe I should get some nice memory foam for it. Hmmm, where's Doug going to sleep? I don't see a dog house....

We found some furniture, too. This looks like it was once a couch. Maybe we would need even more foam.....

This next picture is the part that had me questioning the move. Hmmmm. Let's think about this for a second. Ok, I don't think this facility would work for me. This looks like it was a busy place, and they must have been doing well to afford the two-seater model. Still not gonna happen.

At first glance, this one offered more privacy. Then comes the reality check. Apparently, this was for those who wanted to enjoy the view. I can see this is not really my kind of place to live.

I did find one thing that was appealing, however. It was nice to see that Doug knows his proper place, and now I have permanent proof.

This was one of my favorite pictures. I was taking a panorama and my in-laws were in the first picture. By the time I had the second picture lined up, they were in that, too. Of course, when I took the third, I had to make sure they were in that one, as well. You can see Doug way down the road, but now we have 3 sets of parents. Wait, I need to re-think that concept.

Hoppin' down the bunny trail....

We had a great Easter this year, just like every Easter. We always get together with Doug's family and have a great big easter egg hunt. I don't think there is as much hunting as there is just picking up, but now the kids are bigger, and we can make them hunt in the trees. That is much more fun.

There is always too much food, and with all of the candy, I don't think any of us will have to fix a meal for several days. Candy is a food group, right?

This is a picture of all of the nieces and nephews from 2006:

For some reason, I keep forgetting to gather them for another picture every year, so all I ever have are random pictures. They are more fun, though.

Don't let all of the laughter and goofyness fool you, we take our easter egg hunting very seriously in this family. Miriam most of all:

Try as I might, I could not get her to smile for a picture. That is some serious candy, I guess. Of course, all the men always end up doing their own thing after awhile.

They all seem to get bored after the excitement of hiding eggs and harassing children, so they gather where they can be left alone to rebuild their testosterone supply and feel manly again. That is the reason for the gathering across the street to oogle over Ron's new UTV. Within a minute or so of taking this picture, all of the guys were over there, leaving us women to defend ourselves against the hordes of children that were all hopped up on sugar. Looks like the kids enjoyed it, though.

After all is said and done, there is lots of family love to go around. Some feel it more that others...

As we all know, it isn't a party until someone loses an eye, or until there is a bloody nose, in this case. Wow, I didn't know that excessive amounts of sugar could do that to you. I'm going to be more careful in the future.

The kids always have to sort the spoils to see who got what, and which one of them ended up with the most money that Grandma hides. How come my family didn't hide money for me as a kid? I feel cheated. Maybe I will be a kid next year, I miss the Easter Bunny.