GRANT IS AWESOME

I had so much fun with Stacie's brother Grant. This kid is awesome. He brought so many giggles to the reception. His laugh is totally infectious and it just makes you feel good to be around him. Oh....and he's an Obama fan.....so you know I think he is not only awesome but one of the smartest guys around!!! I really enjoyed hearing about his Obama sighting at the hotel where he works....but I must admit....I'm a wee bit jealous. We got a wonderful new daughter in law this week and I'm so excited that now Grant is part of our family too.

WEDDING DAY

It has been an exhausting week but it was all worth it. We left the Spokane Tournament on a commanding win and we headed for Utah. Such a long drive. We arrived late Monday evening and we were so excited to see the kids. We also got to meet some of Stacie's family. We met Emily and Grant. Grant was just as awesome as I had expected. It was great hearing about his Obama sightings. Made me all warm and fuzzy.

It was Brent's birthday and Carolyn had made a delicious cake to celebrate. Happy birthday Brent.

Tuesday morning we got to meet the rest of the Haws family. What a great family.

We spent Tues. morning at the temple helping Kevin and Stacie with their pictures. Stacie was just beautiful and Kevin looked so handsome in his tux. It was so hot though and I thought we would all melt. We had a nice dinner at Chilli's to celebrate Grant's birthday. Happy Birthday Grant.

Wednesday morning was just beautiful. It was wonderful to see family and friends in the sealing room. I got to meet Kevin's mission president and his wife and that made me shed some tears as I hugged sister Webster and thanked her for taking such great care of my boy while he was in Brazil. Stacie looked just radiant as she entered the sealing room hand in hand with Kevin. He couldn't stop smiling. The temple sealer was great and he was even funny. He gave them some wonderful advice and then we watched as they were sealed together. Much love filled the room.

Me and My girl. I love you bug!

Scott and his boys.

This is my new family. It just keeps growing and growing. I am so happy that we have added two to our family in the last six months. No longer the Jackson five.....we are the Jackson seven....a force to be reckoned with.

A whole new woman

I feel like a new woman. Shelby got me a pedicure and manicure for my birthday and I used the gift certificate today. Thanks Shelby!!! I sat back in the massage chair and it was wonderful to be pampered. This asian guy kept trying to talk me into designer nails. They looked like the American flag. He kept saying how good they look for 4th of July. I told him my son was getting married next week and they wouldn't be to good for a wedding. He looked at me and said "No.....son getting married? You must have been child bride. You are 32 or 33.....how you get son old enough to marry?" I told him I was 42.....and I still think he thought I was pulling a fast one on him. He sure made my day. A foot massage and getting told I look ten years younger put a spring in my step today. I told Scott I almost kissed the manicurist today.

Well, a week from today Kevin marries his beautiful fiance in the Mt. Timpanogus temple. I can't wait. We are so very excited to be getting Stacie in our family. It will be a joyful day as family and friends join together to see these sweethearts be sealed together and start a wonderful adventure as husband and wife. It is hard for a mother to marry off a son. She is no longer the most important woman in his life. Well, this has been rather painless. Stacie is such an amazing girl and I happily let her take that role in his life. I'm glad they found each other. I hope these next seven days pass quickly. Good luck Kevin and Stacie. We love you both so much.

The cooler weather has been rotten for baseball but perfect for my flowers. The roses are just beautiful. Thought I should share the splash of color from my flower garden with everyone. I LOVE SPRING! I just wish it felt like spring. We went to Chris's ball game lastnight and we had on our winter coats and we were wrapped in a blanket and drinking hot chocolate. This is June!!!

To the Moon

Nasa is out at the sand dunes in Moses Lake. They are preparing to send astronauts to the moon by 2020 to build a lunar outpost. They have been out testing vehicles. Scott and Chris went for a Sunday drive to check it out. They took some pictures. They were hoping to see the astronauts in their space suits as they had them on for a previous training day but they weren't suited up on Sunday. Moses Lake was selected because the sandy surface in Grant County is very similar to the lunar surface.

ALL ABOUT ME

I got this from Carolyn's blog and she got it off of Jane Paynes blog. It was really fun to read Carolyn's and so I decided I would do one myself so my kids could read and have a good laugh I'm sure.

It is a list of 200 things. The ones in bold are the things I have done.


1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
(Slept under the stars with my childhood friends. Much better than a tent....because those can get dropped on you in the middle of the night. Right Billy?)
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
(I've changed many in my life. I babysat a lot while I was young and then had my own babies to change.)
5. Watched a meteor shower
(I laid out on a blanket in the back yard with Scott and we watched the meteor shower. I love living out in the country where the sky is not polluted with all of the city lights.)
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
(I think the hardest time I gave was when I gave the money I had set aside for Styx tickets at the Gorge and sent it to help with the Hurricane Katrina relief fund. I love Styx and I really wanted to go but I'm so happy that I gave the money for a better cause.)
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
(Climbed bears hump in Waterton with my friends. We were going to climb the base of Chief Mountain once....but came across fresh grizzley tracks....we hightailed it back to our vehicles.)
9. Held a tarantula (This one is NEVER going to happen.)
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise(Stayed up all night after highschool graduation. Saw the sunrise and then slept for hours.)
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game(My first big game was to see the Pittsburg Pirates. That was back in the day of Willie Stargell. It was so much fun. I love baseball and I have been to many mariners games. My most memorable would be when they played the Yankees and I took my dad to the kingdome to see his favorite team. Dad had already been diagnosed with ALS and it was a hard trip for him but the smile on his face when the Yankees won made it all worth it.)
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
(We planted a garden every year when I was a kid. Oh the memories. My dad had the prettiest garden around. Used a string to make the rows straight and a ruler to make sure the seeds were exactly the right amount apart.)
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
(This happens to me quite often)
21. Had a pillow fight
(My little brother and I did this quite often.)
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
(Growing up in Southern Alberta we had plenty of snow to build snow forts. I have fond memories of building forts with my brother Ted.
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
(enough said)
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
(I remember seeing one in elementary school and I also have seen one recently.)
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
(Hit one in church softball on youth day when I was a teenager.)
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
(sadly my little brother was spying on me and he still teases me about that dancing. Foot loose.....foot loose.....kick of your Sunday shoes)
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
(I worked at the red rooster convenience store when I was a teenager. I really enjoyed it. I made good friends and I liked making slurpies.)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
(I was a tomboy so I was always playing in the mud)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
(okay....I'll admit....they usually don't ever end up in cookie form. I LOVE cookie dough)
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
(Okay....maybe not fluently....but I was very good at French at one time)
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
(I was defending my little brother after a girl had thrown a rock and hit him in the head. I chased after her and when I caught up to her I took a handful of her hair in my hands and I held tight. She finally broke free....but I had a handful of blonde hair! Lot's of it. Don't mess with my little brother.)
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
(I have always been very involved in politics and I have written several letters)
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
(we packed up and headed back to Moses Lake, WA....Scott's hometown....so he could go to nursing school. I cried when I first pulled into town. It was so ugly....and no mountains. Scott said we could move as soon as he was finished. That was 19 years ago....but it was my decision to stay. This is home now.)
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
(I probably wasn't much help but I sat and watched our cat have her kittens. It was amazing.)
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
(I won enough money on the slots to buy our dinner at the Peppermill. I hope none of my seminary kids ever reads this)
77. Broken a bone
(Which one. I broke both my legs at different times. One playing softball and one playing volleyball.)
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
(I wasn't driving....but I was in the truck when Jeff Galbraith was coming home from Lethbridge and he was going over 100mph. I was so mad)
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
(there was an article and picture after I won the provincial speech championships)
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
(okay, so my intentions were not at all spiritual. If the ward read more than the bishopric then they would jump in the lake on the 1st of January. Scott was in the bishopric.....so I of course read the most of anyone in the ward. I read all the standard works. They got wet. I have the pictures to prove it.)
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
(just my last name when I got married)
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
(I am so lucky that one of my best friends is also my hairdresser. She keeps out those grays and keeps me looking spunky with my highlights.)
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
(This is one of my favorite things to do. I've missed it. It will be nice to rock the grandkids to sleep.)
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
(I like to think so)
108. Brought out the worst in people
(Probably guilty of that too)
109. Worn a mood ring
(My brother Tony gave me one for my birthday when I was a kid. It was heart shaped)
110. Ridden a horse
(Did it once when I was a kid at a ward party and I fell off. Haven't been on one since)
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
( I was a brownie and a girl guide so we did this a lot)
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
(chocolate mouse in a pan....but my friends all know what I really call it)
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
(It wasn't on Broadway but I've seen Phantom, The King and I, Beauty and the Beast and Les Miserables. I loved them all.)
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
(I'm not good though. I didn't get my father or my brothers talent with a basketball)
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
(I know this will shock you. Sweet little me played the flute.....NOT.....I was a drummer.)
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
(I did this many times in music and speech festival and have won many awards)
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
(only once....and never again. I sang "Do you hear what I hear?" at the Christmas piano concert when I was young)
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
(I packed up my most important belongings and ran away....I probably got as far as Cathy or Loni's and then I got hungry for dinner and came home)
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
(I just did this last year. It was very interesting. Case was open and shut and a waste of tax payer money. Didn't take long to figure the verdict out.)
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
(I have written several. I wrote and recited poems for my dad and my grandmother's funeral)
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
(I don't remember the lunchbox but I sure remember what was in it. My mom made sandwiches with that Deviled ham spread. Nasty. I used to trade them.)
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
(okay Carolyn....go ahead and laugh. They were in style back in the day you know.)
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
(I'm sure I read the whole series when I was a kid. I liked the Hardy Boy's the best.)
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
(Coming home from Science Olympiad nationals. We got stuck in a snow storm in Denver. All the other flights were canceled but ours. We sat on the runway for hours. They kept deicing the plane. I just knew we were going to crash into those rockies on our flight to SLC. I was so scared when we finally took off. The flight was rough and I had tears streaming down my face. I squeezed Scott's hand so tight. I hate flying....but this was the worst ever.)
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
(My son Chris usually makes me do this on a daily basis.)
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
(I have found a couple of those the last few years and it has enriched my life.)

199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

All Grown up

I can't believe that three weeks from today my little boy will be all grown up and getting married. It seems like yesterday that he was sitting next to me reading Tom Sawyer, or playing little league, or competing in Science olympiad, or running a race. I am so excited to join him in the sealing room as he and his beautiful fiance are sealed together. As Kevin was growing up I would often ponder what kind of girl he would marry. We are so excited....she is just awesome. I can't wait for Stacie to be part of our family. They are a perfect fit for each other. I can't believe that in a span of six months I will have two married children. I'm starting to feel old. I am looking forward to the new phase of my life when I get to watch my children raise their children....and I just get to spoil them.